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  1. #71
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    The Path of Destiny
    Chapter 61 - Deal with the Devil



    Cyclone’s army had reached the foot of Articuno’s mountain.

    Under the pale light of the moon, many of the elite pokémon who had been chosen to accompany Cyclone paced restlessly at the mountain’s foot. They were waiting to begin the journey to the summit, yet Cyclone held them back, not ready to leave until his scouts returned with information.

    “You don’t think Articuno’s taken the stone and left, do you?” a rhyperior asked, nervously shuffling his feet as he looked up at the snow drifting down from the mountain peaks.

    “There’s no way the scouts would have missed it if he had,” Solus answered him instead. The espeon looked agitated as he emerged from the shadows near the edge of the group. “Articuno’s up there all right. And if he tries to flee, we could always send the yanmega after him. Not even an ice and flying type legendary could stand up to a Forbidden Attack, even if it’s the bug one.”

    “Yenn is inexperienced,” Cyclone interjected, not even turning his head to Solus. “He has not had a chance to use his Forbidden Attack yet; it would be very weak.”

    Solus just gave a huff of irritation.

    Cyclone continued, “He likely couldn’t strike multiple pokémon at the same time with it. Articuno’s followers would surely kill him before he got far, even if he managed to take several of them down first. As of now, I am the only one who can do this.”

    “Then let’s get this done,” Solus responded determinedly, “we need to start looking for the next one.”

    Cyclone nodded. He straightened up, looking over each of the pokémon standing in a circle around him. “Remember,” he announced, “Articuno has no means to tell that we have Forbidden Attacks on our side. He’ll think he can defend the mountain from us. The scout that returned earlier told me that Articuno has hundreds of flying and ice types on the cliffs ready to fight us.”

    “And you plan to…” the rhyperior began.

    “Kill them all if I have to, yes,” was the vaporeon’s reply. “But only once I’m close enough that Articuno will get caught in the crossfire. That is why I am only taking a small group up with me. I don’t want a large battle to happen if it doesn’t need to.”

    “We could always send up a lot of the weaker members,” a rapidash suggested. “Let Articuno’s minions waste their time on them.”

    “We don’t need to lose any of our number unless we have to,” Cyclone replied. He looked over the pokémon gathered around him. “But expect to run into trouble. Articuno may not know I have a Forbidden Attack, but even though we’re taking a small group, he won’t be fooled into thinking we have peaceful intentions for long.”

    “Should I go get Itora now?” an excadrill asked.

    “Solus and I will greet her when everything’s ready,” the vaporeon responded, nodding to Silverbreeze. The scyther slunk off to check on one of the groups of battle-ready pokémon who were lying in wait in case Articuno or his followers tried anything funny.

    “Very well,” the mole-like pokémon stated. “And we’re not taking either of the others?”

    “No,” Cyclone answered. “Yenn and Ashend must wait until they’ve practiced their Forbidden Attacks in the caves before they can take on such a potentially dangerous mission.”

    “The scouts are returning,” a stocky houndoom, formerly a member of Blazefang’s pack, spoke up.

    Cyclone noticed the small shapes of two of the bird pokémon scouts heading their way through the nighttime gloom. “Thank you, Boneclaw,” he said. He motioned with his tail for the group of pokémon to gather closer around him. “Now let’s see what they have to say.”

    -ooo-

    On one side of the mountain’s base, a group of large, bluish stones covered a wide range of an otherwise flat field. The rocks were tall and steep, many of them forming small canyons or caves. But most importantly, they served as a shelter from the elements, from the wind and the cold moving down from the mountain.

    Not just any pokémon was allowed to shelter there. The best places were reserved for Cyclone’s most important commanders and higher-ups, and of course, his three chosen Forbidden Attack users.

    At the moment, none of the three were in their designated resting areas. Instead, they rested on a stone ledge on the edge of a wide, open area, almost like a forest clearing among the tall rocks. Several of the army’s underlings moved back and forth between the stones, either carrying food or reporting messages to some of Cyclone’s commanders.

    “I hate it here!” Yenn shouted, hovering in the air a few feet above the ledge and flapping his wings more rapidly in an attempt to warm himself.

    Itora glanced at the yanmega and sighed, before calling a charmeleon over. “Turn up the heat,” the manectric ordered, flicking her paw toward the pile of debris that was currently smoldering beneath the ledge the three of them rested on. The fire type nodded respectfully to her and blew a small stream of flame into the pit. Instantly the fire roared to life again, and Itora ordered the charmeleon to fetch more wood. She knew it might take a while; there was very little to burn so close to the ice mountain, and no one dared venture up to the peaks to bring branches from the trees.

    Yenn landed back on the ledge, scooting closer to the edge where he could best feel the heat of the flames. Itora looked over at Ashend, and even the ghost type looked annoyed by the chill.

    “I sure hope they don’t have to go through anything like this to get one of those stones again,” Yenn growled, turning the attention of the other two to him again. “I’ve waited too long to rip out some humans’ throats.”

    “We all have,” Ashend agreed.

    “Cyclone says we need more pokémon who can use these special attacks,” the yanmega continued. “How long is it going to take?”

    “You’ve waited this long. You can wait a while longer. We’re getting there,” the misdreavus said reassuringly.

    Itora’s attention was diverted from the others as she noticed a small and frightened azurill. The tiny pokémon bounded up to a mean-looking sawsbuck to give him some sort of message. The manectric gave an annoyed huff. “Why does Cyclone even let pokémon like that into the army?” the manectric asked, tearing a leg off the pidgey that one of the lower-ranking pokémon had recently brought to her. “It doesn’t even make a good servant. What a waste!”

    “At least it’s good for something,” Ashend replied, watching the sawsbuck conversing with it in low tones, looking interested in whatever the water type had told him. The sawsbuck then ordered it away, and the azurill bounded frantically toward one of the openings in the rocks. “At least it…tries to do a decent job.”

    “Yeah, sure,” Itora muttered, and glanced to her side, where the ghost type was floating above a large offering of berries and fruits. The misdreavus looked deep in thought, settling back into the silent mood she had been in ever since they’d arrived at the foot of the mountain that evening.

    “You’ve been quiet,” Itora muttered. “What’s wrong with you?”

    “Nothing, dear,” Ashend replied. “I was just thinking. It looks like Cyclone’s only going to be taking a small group up the mountain. I sure hope his Attack is as powerful as they say…” She paused. “You may run into trouble.”

    “I’ll be fine!” Itora sighed in exasperation. “Cyclone told us that our attacks will be able to defeat any pokémon.” She gave the ghost type a defensive look. “Of course it’s powerful enough.”

    “And I’m sure Cyclone will make sure they don’t run into trouble,” Yenn added. “Cyclone wouldn’t be going up there if he didn’t have a good plan to steal that stone from Articuno. That’s not something he would take lightly.”

    “I suppose we’ll soon see,” the ghost type replied, but they could tell she was both annoyed at Itora’s callous attitude and worried about what the manectric might have to face.

    A group of scared-looking pokémon approached the rock ledge. A trembling dedenne held more berries, while a persian and a pidgeotto carried prey. All three of them were staring longingly at the array of food placed on the ledge for Cyclone’s chosen three, and the sight of the hapless pokémon made Itora’s sparse fur bristle.

    “What are you looking at?” she shouted, leaping up to all fours, scattering some of Ashend’s berries in the process. “Give us the food and get out of here!” The three pokémon obediently placed the prey and berries onto the ledge and left in a hurry. “And bring us better ones!” Itora watched them go with narrowed eyes and bared teeth, then once they’d vanished from sight, she sat back down, scratching at a patch of irritated skin with her hind leg.

    “What’s your problem?” Yenn asked her. His wings were twitching a bit, a sure sign that he was feeling nervous or restless.

    “They looked at me funny,” Itora growled at the yanmega, baring her teeth. “I’m tired of everyone looking at me funny. Don’t you get tired of everyone staring at your nasty scar?” Yenn didn’t reply and Itora turned back to the new food she had been given. “And I don’t want this stupid rattata they brought either.” The manectric leaned her head down and proceeded to rip the prey to shreds, tossing the scraps over the ledge and into the fire. “Where is Cyclone?” she cried out angrily. “Why do we have to wait here so long?”

    “I believe he’s waiting for the scouts,” Ashend told her, trying to hide her worry as she knew it annoyed the manectric. “He’s probably trying to figure out the best plan of action as we speak, so try not to worry.”

    Itora just growled and continued to tear her prey apart. Yenn reached forward with one of his legs, pulling the rattata away from her. “Will you stop that?” he shouted. “You’re being disrespectful.”

    You’re being disrespectful,” Itora called back in a mocking voice, trying to imitate Yenn’s. “Who cares. They’re just prey pokémon.”

    “Don’t waste prey, got it?” the yanmega replied. “It’s not right to kill another pokémon if you’re not going to eat it.”

    Itora sighed in exasperation. This was one of Yenn’s annoying quirks that sometimes got on her nerves. Even the previous night, when he’d beheaded the dead sandslash out of anger toward the humans, he hadn’t left it that way for long before eating it. Why he cared so much, she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like they were going around murdering every prey pokémon they saw for the fun of it.

    “I’m not the one who killed it, genius,” she shot back. Yenn was too busy eating the remains of her prey to reply. For a moment Itora clawed angrily at the stone beneath her feet, where the tattered prey used to be, then she sighed again. “I still don’t know what’s taking so long. I should have been on that mountain by now!”

    Yenn stopped eating to look at her again. “Look, Cyclone knows what he’s doing, Itora,” he tried to reassure her. “If he’s waiting, there’s a reason. Try to relax. Cyclone and the others will probably show up to take you to the mountain at any moment.”

    Itora wasn’t listening to him. Her attention had been drawn to a pokémon who was making his way through the maze of blue stone off to the right of their ledge. The pokémon was bipedal, with tan-colored fur and a long tail that oozed a strange green fluid at the end. A smeargle.

    Itora knew that the smeargle used his tail to paint drawings of Cyclone and the other higher up pokémon, marking their sleeping areas as well as other important meeting places for the army whenever they stopped. Cyclone seemed to find that useful enough, because she had never seen the smeargle do anything else. When he wasn’t using his painting abilities to help with the army’s organization, he was drawing murals on any suitable surface he could find, usually depicting Cyclone or symbols representing the Attack stones. Itora was sure he was only doing it to suck up to Cyclone, which irritated her to no end.

    “I really hate that guy…” the manectric muttered under her breath, before shouting, “You! Smeargle! Come here!”

    The tan and brown pokémon, who had been crouched down next to one of the taller stones, turned his head to look up at her. Wordlessly he let go of his paintbrush-like tail and stood up before walking silently over. Itora had never heard him speak a word, and she wasn’t even sure if he could, and he was just as silent as always when he came to stand in front of their ledge.

    “Listen up,” Itora shouted, her lips curling back in a snarl. “Go find Cyclone and a pokémon who can actually relay a message for me. I want to know what’s going on right now.

    The smeargle gave her a look that might have been one of confusion, but he stayed put.

    “Hey, did you hear her?” Yenn growled in irritation, his wings buzzing once before lying flat again. “She told you to do something, so just do it.

    The smeargle cringed back from the sight of the large dragonfly-like pokémon. He gripped his tail between his paws, glancing from Yenn to Itora nervously.

    “What are you looking at?” Itora growled dangerously. Her gaze briefly darted to a patch of her own scabbed, nearly hairless skin, and then to Yenn’s scars, before she looked back at the silent normal type. “You’re lucky you’re too stupid to talk because I bet you have something to say. I’ll-”

    She shot a bolt of electricity at the smeargle, whose eyes widened as he darted away, running toward the nearest exit from the rocky area as if he’d only just decided to take Itora seriously.

    Yenn jumped back, his wings raised as the electricity crackled near his feet. “Watch it!”

    “Sorry,” Itora mumbled. “I just don’t like the way that smeargle thinks he can just wander wherever he wants, whenever he wants, never helping or doing anything useful. He doesn’t have a special kind of Attack like we do. He should learn his place. In fact, most of the pokémon in this army could stand to respect us more.”

    “I think they’re a little preoccupied,” Yenn muttered.

    Itora was going to reply, but she was quickly distracted by the sight of the three pokémon from earlier, the persian, dedenne, and pidgeotto. They were hurriedly scampering over to her and the others, this time with new berries and prey items. Itora looked over the new prey the pidgeotto was carrying, and seemed satisfied when he dropped it at her feet.

    The persian carried a slakoth this time, which he deposited at Yenn’s feet on the other side of the ledge. Yenn mumbled some thanks before he leaned down and started to bite chunks out of the slakoth’s head with his fangs.

    Itora looked down at the plump buneary at her feet. “That’s more like it,” she told the pidgeotto and persian over the sound of the crunching of bone coming from the yanmega. “Remember, you bring us the best food. I don’t care if you’re new, that should go without saying!”

    “Yes, Itora,” the pidgeotto stammered, as he and the others turned and headed away again.

    As she watched them with satisfaction, Yenn lifted his head, licking drops of blood from his fangs. “Someone should get us some water,” he muttered under his breath.

    Itora didn’t even answer him. She stood up to full height, picking out an armaldo that was speaking with a group of pokémon. “You there! Get water!” she shouted, and the pokémon immediately stopped what he was doing and rushed toward a gap in the rocks that led to a nearby stream. Itora turned to Yenn. “You know they have to do whatever we want. I can even make the big tough pokémon do our bidding.”

    “Very impressive. It’s not like you haven’t been doing that since you got here,” Yenn replied, his words more than a bit sarcastic. But she could see that there was also humor in his words, and it looked like his tense mood was finally starting to fade. When he went back to tearing into the slakoth carcass, Itora could tell that he was at least a bit more relaxed.

    Ashend, however, was less than amused. The misdreavus gave her new pile of berries a disinterested look. “Why they think I need this many berries I’ll never understand,” she mused. “I don’t even need to eat them; misdreavus like me have other ways of getting nourishment.”

    “Oh, come on, stop complaining,” Itora replied. “Yeah, you and I don’t need to eat all the time the way Yenn does, but so what? We should have food available for whenever we want it! We were chosen by Cyclone himself to be the Attack users. We deserve it.”

    “Speaking of Cyclone…” the misdreavus interrupted, and Itora turned her head to see a group of pokémon – headed by the vaporeon leader himself – making their way through the maze of tall stones toward them.

    Yenn, who had been grooming his front legs after his meal, snapped to attention, and Itora did her best to look regal. Ashend remained as she was, casually inspecting the berries in her pile as Cyclone and the others approached.

    “We’re ready,” the vaporeon announced, and Itora couldn’t contain her excitement as she bounded down from the ledge.

    “Finally!” the manectric shouted, coming to stand beside the army’s leader. “Let’s go then.”

    She heard the buzzing of wings as Yenn left his perch, hovering near the group of pokémon getting ready to leave. Ashend floated calmly over to them as well, addressing Cyclone with a tone of respect. “Do you want Yenn and I to come?” she asked him.

    “No,” Cyclone answered. “You two will stay here. I am only taking a small group.”

    That seemed to satisfy both Ashend and Yenn, and Itora knew that neither the misdreavus nor the yanmega were eager to travel across a freezing mountain. The only reason she wasn’t worried about the cold was that Cyclone was going to make sure there were fire pokémon around her to keep her warm the whole time. She imagined it would have been a good deal more difficult to provide enough heat for pokémon that flew or drifted through the air the way her friends did.

    “So what is the plan?” Itora asked calmly, trying not to show much impatience now that they were about to be on their way. “How are we going to get past Articuno?”

    “We aren’t,” Solus answered, the espeon appearing from the back of the group of elite pokémon. “We head to the top of the mountain, and as soon as Articuno shows up, Cyclone will take him out with his Attack.” Solus’s words were tense and angry, as if having to be in the mere presence of Itora was making him seethe with rage on the inside.

    Itora and Ashend exchanged looks of silent surprise, a mixture of both shock and apprehension on their faces. However, they quickly suppressed it, and Itora turned back to Cyclone with an incredulous look. “Wait…you’re saying your Attack is strong enough to work…against a legendary?

    “This will not be the first time I’ve used it,” Cyclone responded calmly, speaking as if he were trying to soothe the manectric’s fears. “In fact, I have used it several times, before you three were brought into the army. It will be strong enough. I promise.”

    “And you said the Attacks get stronger with each use, right?” Itora asked.

    “Yes, that is correct,” Cyclone said with a nod.

    “And…you’re actually going to…going to-”

    “Then so be it,” Ashend interrupted, all surprise gone from the ghost type’s features, to be replaced with a cold indifference. “Articuno never helped the likes of pokémon like us.”

    At this, Itora seemed much less uneasy. “That’s right,” she growled. “If he’s standing in our way, he’s on the humans’ side. And you know what we’ve said about any pokémon on the humans’ side. I don’t care how powerful he is!” Her voice rose to a shout as she said the last few words.

    “Wait a minute…” Yenn began, still hovering near Ashend. There was a look of shocked surprise on his face, as if he was still trying to comprehend what he’d just heard. “‘Take him out?’ You mean you’re going to…”

    “These attack powers are meant to kill, yanmega!” Solus growled, as if his anger had reached a tipping point. “I thought we went over that long before we’d found you your stone.” The espeon’s eyes had started to glow, a faint tinge of psychic energy that cast an eerie light on the ground around him. It glinted off the red Team Rocket symbol on the collar he still wore, for reasons Yenn could only guess.

    “You did not tell me we were going to be killing legendaries,” the bug type shouted back. “How could you even think-”

    With a growl, Solus stepped forward, close enough that his face would have been mere inches from the yanmega’s if Yenn had been standing on the ground. It was obvious that the espeon had been greatly frustrated for some reason, and Yenn’s outburst had been the final straw, because when he spoke, Solus’s words dripped poison. “If you have a problem with any of this, I can easily arrange to give you a turn in the torture ring!” Solus snarled. “I don’t care whether you have that Attack or not! No one-”

    His voice was immediately cut off as Cyclone’s paw struck him across the face, the vaporeon’s blunt claws raking through his fur. Solus staggered backwards in shock, staring at the vaporeon with his mouth agape.

    “He is the bug type Attack stone user,” the vaporeon growled, his voice taking on an uncharacteristically angry tone as he stepped toward Solus, looming over the shaking espeon. “And you will treat him with respect.

    Solus stared at Cyclone in disbelief before shooting a glance back at Yenn, who stared at him incredulously before baring his fangs at the psychic type in anger. The espeon heard a series of small giggles, and turned to see Itora, grinning at him with triumph plastered all over her face. The sight made him seethe with rage, but nevertheless he bowed his head to Cyclone. “I apologize,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

    As Solus walked to the back of the group, Yenn couldn’t help but notice that a lot of the nearby pokémon who had seen the spectacle looked pleased with Solus’s telling-off. In the two months since he’d been welcomed into the army, Yenn had come to learn that the sadistic espeon was universally disliked among all but some of the higher-ups. He ignored the other pokémon, focusing instead on Cyclone himself as the vaporeon took a step toward him.

    “I am greatly sorry if this upsets you,” Cyclone began, nodding his head politely to the yanmega. “But he is not the only articuno out there. There are others, in other regions. And at this point, the articuno in Inari has chosen to ally himself with the humans.”

    At these words, Yenn felt a large portion of his misgivings fading away. “I understand,” he said, though his words still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

    “Legendary or not,” Itora growled, “in the end he’s still just another pokémon…and a traitorous one at that.”

    “We’re heading out now,” Cyclone told the group. “And Solus…” The espeon perked his head up at the sound of his name. “Don’t let me ever hear you threatening Yenn…or either of the others again.”

    “Of course not,” the espeon growled, and though it seemed as if he was frustrated with Cyclone, Itora and the others could tell that his anger was directed at them, not the army’s leader.

    Itora proudly walked after the small group Cyclone had gathered. She kicked her paw out at Solus as she did so, which nearly caused the espeon to trip. As they moved toward one of the natural pathways leading the way out of the rocky labyrinth, Yenn and Ashend hovered together, watching them.

    “Try not to worry,” Ashend told the yanmega gently. “Cyclone knows what he’s doing. Itora will be fine.”

    Yenn was silent, but he nodded.

    -ooo-

    Around an hour later, cold blasted Itora’s face as she shakily climbed the mountain, several of Cyclone’s guards surrounding her. She wasn’t used to traveling at such a fast pace, and in spite of her eagerness to reach the top, she was finding that her strength was waning. And in spite of the magmar that was keeping her warm by using fire attacks nearby, she was shaking with cold. The fact that her fur was thinned out and only sparsely covered her body didn’t help. Still, she refused to show her discomfort, and stubbornly placed one paw in front of another, squinting her eyes against the wind.

    They were not anywhere close to the mountain’s peak. She had no idea how they could keep going like this. Groups of Articuno’s pokémon had already swarmed them more than once, and occasionally one of the flying types would swoop down for her specifically, as if they could tell she was being guarded. She had been able to take them out fairly easily with her electric attacks when she got the chance, but most of the time her bodyguards dealt with it before she could.

    At the moment, it seemed as if Articuno’s pokémon were trying to keep them from going forward rather than attacking them all at once. Maybe, she thought, they were saving their biggest, strongest forces for the rest of Cyclone’s army. They’d assume that the army was waiting to attack, she figured, and wasting their energy on pokémon who, although strong, were few in number, must seem like a waste of time. At least she hoped. Itora wasn’t keen to fight a huge number of the ice and flying types at once.

    The pokémon of the mountain were scared, she could tell. Not of her or Cyclone’s small group, but of the army waiting below. They had probably never seen a collection of pokémon so grand, pokémon that could exploit every weakness any of the ice mountain pokémon had. She thought that they must know, deep down, that they could never win in a confrontation. Articuno must know too, she reasoned, but they had seen no sign of him yet.

    Maybe he was hiding, Itora thought. The fastest scouts had been tracking Articuno’s movement long before the army had arrived at the mountain; the legendary had never tried to flee. She imagined that once he realized what was waiting for him, he knew it was too late. With the amount of flying types Cyclone had on his side, they were sure to be able to catch up to an articuno and, at the very least, take the stone if he’d tried to escape with it. Perhaps he was just a coward, curled up in a mountain cave somewhere sniveling behind his wall of warriors.

    Or maybe, she thought, he stayed behind out of some pathetic loyalty to the ice types who couldn’t fly. She snickered to herself at the thought; it was quite a silly thing for a legendary to do. She herself made a point not to care about other pokémon. Ashend and Yenn were the only exceptions to that rule.

    At the moment there was a calm, a lull in the attacks. Cyclone kept pushing them on, not willing to let anyone stop for a rest. One of the pokémon, already exhausted from the climbing, gave an annoyed grunt. “And why couldn’t we send flying types to do this?”

    “Like I said,” Cyclone responded without looking back. “There is no need for senseless bloodshed.”

    Itora knew that he was talking about the death toll the army would take if Cyclone’s flying types had tried to attack Articuno right away. The only reason Cyclone would have even let them try was if Articuno had made the choice to flee.

    Itora glared at the pokémon who had complained. “What’s the matter?” she said in a mocking tone. “Too hard for you? I can do it and I barely have any fur. What’s the matter with you?

    “Quiet,” Cyclone said, and Itora closed her mouth, knowing that if Cyclone had spoken, it must be for something important.

    Up ahead, the line of bird pokémon waiting on the higher cliffs seemed to have shifted. More pokémon seemed to be adding to their ranks, and as she squinted, she could see far enough in the nighttime darkness to notice black shapes moving closer and closer to the waiting pokémon watching them. They were forming a line, a barrier, and one even more ominous and threatening than before. In spite of her nature, Itora found fear growing in her mind. It looked as if they were about to be attacked.

    What happened next was the last thing she would have expected.

    An icy wind, stronger and much more powerful than any she had encountered before, washed over them, causing her to shriek in pain as it bit at her exposed flesh. Some of the other pokémon nearly tumbled backward from the blast, and Itora could hardly see through the snow that swirled into the air as thickly as a sandstorm.

    The freezing blast died down almost as quickly as it had begun, and the manectric’s eyes widened as she realized that, standing on a spur of snowy rock, only a short distance from the traveling group, was the legendary Articuno.

    Itora had never before seen a legendary pokémon, merely heard descriptions and seen human pictures of them. They had been the subject of many stories she’d heard as a pup, and many a time she had pictured them in her head, but seeing one was different. Articuno was larger than any bird pokémon she had ever seen, his icy blue feathers both stunning and fierce at the same time. He seemed to embody the element of ice, completely in his element among the freezing mountain peaks. And he was glaring straight at them, furious with them for what they had done. Once again, she felt afraid.

    Yet this pokémon, legendary bird or not, stood between her and the stone that would help her bring down the humans. She narrowed her eyes and told herself that, legendary or not, Articuno was just as much a piece of scum as the pokémon that willingly battled for trainers and lived among human cities.

    Most of the other pokémon in her group seemed frozen in shock, scared or uncertain. Cyclone was the only one out of all of them that remained completely calm as he faced the great ice bird.

    Articuno took a step forward, standing on the very edge of his rock. His talons crunched through the snow to click loudly on the stone beneath, and though his wings were folded at his sides, every pokémon watching could tell that he was ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

    “Leave this place,” Articuno demanded, and though the side of the mountain was howling with wind, his voice stood out clearly above everything else. “Do not threaten those who live on this mountain any longer. Take those pokémon waiting at the bottom of the mountain and leave now.”

    “I am sorry,” Cyclone answered, his voice much quieter, less charged with emotion. Itora could barely hear it over the wind, but Articuno seemed to pick up on the vaporeon’s words just fine. “But I have no intention of doing that.”

    Articuno gave no warning. There was no reply to Cyclone’s words, no hesitation before he leaped into action. The legendary bird shot off from the rock spur directly toward the vaporeon himself, talons outstretched and mouth open, ready to launch an attack.

    As the gap between the legendary and army leader closed, Itora could hear Cyclone whisper a few words:

    “Very well.”

    And then his eyes began to glow.

    -ooo-

    Sometime during the night, Nightshade woke up.

    He was not sure what had roused him, whether it was pain or simply some noise from the forest, but as he became more aware, he realized that someone was trying to sneak into the camp. He tensed, wondering why any human or pokémon would be snooping around their clearing, before he realized that the black shape was Thunder. He let himself relax, feeling Snowcrystal shifting in her sleep beside him, but the white growlithe didn’t wake up.

    Thunder crept silently around the sleeping groups of pokémon, who were so exhausted that not a single one of them stirred, and came to stand beside Nightshade. The heracross realized that she was holding something in her mouth, a scraggly clump of branches that had been cut from a bush. The scyther set it down next to him, and Nightshade quickly noticed that the branches were covered in berries. “I brought this for you,” Thunder whispered.

    Nightshade looked down at the branches, and recognized the berries immediately. They were a type that all young heracross were warned about and told to avoid from a very young age. “Thunder…” he began quietly. “These berries are poisonous.”

    Thunder stared back at him in disbelief, before looking down at the branches. Angrily she chopped downward with her scythe, slashing them into pieces. Snowcrystal’s eyes flew open and she jumped, giving Thunder an alarmed gaze. “Those stupid-” Thunder began.

    “You didn’t eat any, did you?” Nightshade asked, shakily attempting to sit upright.

    “Why would a scyther eat berries?” Thunder snapped. “I was trying to get food for you.

    “I know…” Nightshade said calmly. “And it’s okay. That was very nice of you.”

    Thunder didn’t seem convinced, merely frustrated that she had gotten something wrong. She stood there in silence, still fuming at her own mistake.

    “Don’t worry about it,” the heracross continued. “You’re not used to the wild and couldn’t have known. But really, I’m proud of you for trying. That was a very nice thing you did.”

    Thunder didn’t answer, but instead looked around at the other pokemon. “How long are we going to stay with this group?” she muttered. “Until you’re well?”

    “Thunder, I…I plan to stay with them,” Nightshade answered, causing Thunder to shoot him a look of surprise. “I want to help them fix this mess the Forbidden Attack has caused, and, well, these other pokémon are my family.”

    “Your family?” Thunder repeated.

    “I hope that, with time, you can learn to trust them as well. They are good pokémon.”

    Thunder looked like she was about to argue, but only for a moment. After that, she seemed to calm down. “If that’s what you want,” she said with a shrug, starting to walk away from him and Snowcrystal. “I’ll keep looking out for you.” Before they could say anything more, she had disappeared into the trees, taking the berry branches away with her.

    “Where’s Thunder going to go, if she doesn’t stay here?” Snowcrystal asked, wondering what would happen if Thunder got tired of watching out for Nightshade or was driven away by the others.

    “I’m not sure,” Nightshade replied. “But I think that, deep down, she does want to stay. She just isn’t sure what to do about the rest of the group.” Tired of trying to sit up, he lay back down again. “I’ll just have to convince the others to give her another chance. She really is trying to change.”

    “I just wish they could see that,” Snowcrystal said, laying her head down on her paws.

    “They will,” Nightshade replied, his voice beginning to sound even more tired. “I think it will just take time. I have a feeling we’ll all need each other’s help for whatever lies ahead.”

    Snowcrystal nodded, but didn’t reply, not wanting to distract Nightshade further when he seemed so tired. She looked up at the makeshift canopy they had woven over the clearing, the tangle of branches and leaves that blocked out the sky and the stars. Everything seemed uncertain now, and she had no idea where they could look next for answers. Perhaps they would need to go to another city’s library, or seek out more pokémon that could help them. She just hoped that, sooner rather than later, they would have some sort of direction, a plan.

    -ooo-

    A cold wind howled, but there was no longer any sound of a struggle. The side of the mountain where Cyclone and his followers had faced Articuno had been completely transformed. The whole area beyond where the small group of pokémon stood, extending far up the mountainside, was barren and lifeless.

    The sparse pine trees that dotted the rocky ground had been stripped bare, their leaves burned away and their trunks scorched from the acid that had poured from the sky like rain. The snow had melted away wherever it had struck, leaving large swaths of dark brown earth exposed to the sky. Even in the darkness, the small band of pokémon could see the bodies of the ice and flying types who had tried to defend Articuno from Cyclone’s attack. They were just lifeless dark shapes on the mountainside. And now, there was silence. No one was trying to come after them. Not anymore.

    The group was waiting for Cyclone’s return, and they did not dare step on the ground that had been touched by Cyclone’s Attack. In places, there were even pools of acid that had collected, some of it almost looking as thought it were starting to eat through the rock. None of them really wanted to look at where the burned corpse of the legendary bird Articuno lay, his once majestic wings and tail feathers lying twisted on the ground. In spite of knowing what was going to happen, in spite of preparing for it, none of them had really gotten over the shock of seeing a legendary killed before their very eyes. And there was no mistaking it – Articuno was as dead as the prey pokémon Itora had been given at the army’s makeshift camp. The legendary had still tried to attack Cyclone even as the attack hit him, but it hadn’t taken long for the storm to bring him to the ground, and then…

    It was so easy. Itora had never guessed it could be so simple to take down a legendary, let alone kill one. And it was all because of the power that Cyclone had gained, had practiced somewhere on his own until it was capable of doing what she’d just seen. She had to admit that…it scared her a bit. She was just glad that it was Cyclone that had that sort of power and not some other pokémon.

    Then they saw Cyclone himself coming, strolling proudly through the rocks and what remained of the snow. Itora was jolted out of her stupor as she noticed with immense relief that Cyclone was carrying a bright orange, glowing stone in his mouth. It was the same size as the ones Ashend and Yenn carried around their necks, and she perked up in excitement.

    This was it.

    Ashend was right, the manectric told herself again. Articuno had gotten what he’d deserved, being a traitor to the name of pokémon. And as disturbing as the dead legendary was, she knew she had other things to focus on. She stood tall and proud until Cyclone reached her, dropping the stone at her feet.

    At a nod from Cyclone, she reached out with her paw, carefully touching the edge around the stone. The soft glow emanating from it intensified for a few moments, but nothing else happened. She paused, looking uncertain, before she glanced to Cyclone in confusion.

    “Touch the center, Itora,” the vaporeon calmly instructed, acting as if there wasn’t a dead Articuno lying in front of them.

    Leaning down, Itora slowly reached toward the orange stone again. She suddenly felt a bit afraid, trying to remember if Ashend or Yenn had described gaining the Attacks as painful or not. Yet she quickly overcame her hesitation, and did just as Cyclone had said, put the tip of her claw right in the stone’s center.

    Immediately, it felt as if something, some sort of invisible force, was surging through her body. It almost felt like electricity, but…wrong. Almost as if she were a water type being struck with a thunderbolt attack. It didn’t actually hurt, the way a real thunderbolt would, but it was unbearable all the same. Itora may have screamed, but it was as if her jaws were sealed shut, and no sounds were coming from her throat.

    A word shot through her mind, almost as sharp as the electricity-like feeling itself, sounding almost like a voice.

    Voltgale…

    Itora only had a split second or two to feel confusion in response to it, for almost as soon as it had entered her mind, she felt everything going black.

    To be continued…



    Author's Note: About the legendaries…I do not see legendaries as this big “club” that always works together and will jump to the rescue if one of their own is threatened. Legendaries in this story, like any pokémon, can choose to work together, but here that usually involves the ones that are NOT guarding some other dimension or are responsible for creating things, because those ones aren’t directly involved in whatever Cyclone or these other pokémon are doing.

    I see Arceus as a “god” that is responsible for creating parts of the pokémon world, but he is not a god who generally chooses to interfere with things. So he lets pokémon do as they wish and in my own headcanon, he’s far more concerned with the Sinnoh region (as that is the one he’s focused on and is confirmed to have created) than he is with the others. I don’t see him (or any of the other “big” legendaries) as a big hero that can swoop in at any time whenever something really bad happens. That’s extremely instant-solution-y and boring and doesn’t reflect on canon at all, considering all the other crap that’s threatened other legendaries in the games and anime. Plus I think Arceus and other major legendaries are busy keeping the universe safe/stable at the moment. They’re not going to mess with Cyclone unless he somehow finds one of them and tries to throw the balance off of everything.

    If anything, it’s the other legendary birds/legendaries guarding Forbidden Attacks in the region that are going to be mad. Not that they can all swarm to Cyclone’s army at the moment, though.
    Last edited by Scytherwolf; 07-09-2017 at 02:24 AM.


  2. #72
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    The Path of Destiny
    Chapter 62 - Change of Heart

    At the foot of the mountain, Cyclone’s army waited for their leader and his small group to return. Through the nighttime darkness, none of the pokémon could be sure exactly what had taken place on Articuno’s terrain. They had seen the storm clouds gather, the way they did when a pokémon used rain dance, only much bigger. But now, they had cleared, and all activity from the mountain birds seemed to have stopped. They could make out areas where the snow seemed to have melted, but none but the scouts were close enough to see what had become of Articuno.

    Already, some of the scouts were flying back and forth, but the only pokémon who had received any information yet were the higher-ups. The rest of the army was left in the dark.

    But not all the pokémon had been stunned into silence. Quiet whispering passed through various groups huddled together as they waited, some sounding worried, others hopeful. There were a few shouts as some demanded information from the commanding pokémon, but the cries went ignored.

    “I can’t believe they managed to kill him already,” Ashend whispered quietly as the scout who had given her and Yenn the information flew off, leaving them almost alone in the field of towering rocks. The few pokémon who were currently waiting in their clearing were well out of earshot, and the misdreavus caught a few of them looking at her and the yanmega hopefully, as if thinking they might actually stop what they were doing to tell them something.

    “I do hope Itora’s all right,” Yenn replied, looking toward the mountain. Even with his excellent vision, he couldn’t make out the spot where Articuno supposedly fell. It was swallowed in the shadow of the mountain’s looming peaks, seeming even darker now that it was well into the night.

    “Cyclone wouldn’t let anything happen to her,” Ashend replied, but her expression was unreadable as she looked toward the snowy mountain as well.

    “Something about this isn’t right,” the yanmega said tensely, flying up to a higher spur of rock to get a better view. “We should be fighting humans, not killing legendaries.”

    “Cyclone knows what he’s doing,” the ghost type responded. “At least after this, we can leave. You want to use your Attack, don’t you?”

    “Of course.” The yanmega shivered, but he wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or not. “I just can’t wait to get out of here.”

    The misdreavus didn’t answer, instead casting her ghostly gaze into the clearing around them, the large swath of grass surrounded by ominous rock. “I wasted years of my life being Team Rocket’s slave, at the mercy of both them and the trainers who often tried to stop us. I’ve waited a long time to make them pay for it. It’s not even about Cyclone’s goal. But if helping him will get me to where I want…I’m willing to go through with anything he says.”

    “I know,” Yenn sighed. Trying to calm himself, he forced his wings to lie flat and curled his tail around the rock he rested on. “Come to think of it, these ‘Team Rocket’ humans were the ones that had Solus too, weren’t they?” he pondered. “That’s where his collar with that red symbol comes from?”

    “Oh, don’t compare me to that miserable fleabag,” the misdreavus responded, but there was a lighthearted, almost jesting tone to her voice, one that she reserved only for Yenn and Itora. “From what I understand he was nothing but a spoiled Team Rocket brat of a pokémon, who ran crying to Cyclone when he got abandoned in a damaged building.”

    At this, Yenn laughed in response. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

    “He’s not like you and me,” Ashend continued, the somber tone in her voice returning. “If I were in Cyclone’s place I’d have kicked him out of the army ages ago.”

    “You and me both!” Yenn laughed, tucking his legs beneath him as he settled down on the rock.

    Ashend didn’t give him such a joyful response. “I wanted to wring that scrawny rat’s neck after he threatened you this evening.”

    “Aw, you don’t have to do that,” Yenn replied with a small smile, realizing that Ashend’s mood was starting to dampen. “I wouldn’t want you to get tired wasting your ‘ghostly powers’ on that little runt.”

    “I guess you’re right,” Ashend replied with the hint of a smile. “It would be a waste of my time.”

    The two of them shared a small laugh, but they quickly grew more solemn as they waited for Cyclone’s party to return. Ashend was beginning to become unnerved herself, wondering if maybe Yenn was right to worry for Itora. And it did, in spite of what she believed in, feel a little unnerving that Articuno was actually dead. She had to admit that Cyclone had gone a lot farther than she thought he would, but she knew that their leader believed it would pay off in the long run.

    “You know…” Yenn began, trying to break the silence. “Getting rid of Solus for real wouldn’t be a bad idea. Maybe we could convince Cyclone to banish him or something. It doesn’t really sit right with me that he tortures pokémon, even if they are traitors. Whatever he does in those ‘torture rings’ of his…well, all I want to know is what sort of horrible thing you’d have to do to get sent to him.”

    Ashend sighed. “Yenn, don’t worry about it. Cyclone’s got it under control and he wants to protect us all. Besides, we’ll never have to see it.”

    “You’re defending Solus?”

    “Of course not. I’m just saying that Cyclone knows what’s best, and he runs this army for a reason. I’m all for getting rid of Solus, if that ever becomes possible, and bringing in a new pokémon to deal with the threats. But for now we’ll just let them handle it. It has nothing to do with us.”

    “I just don’t like it, okay?” Yenn replied sharply. “After all the time I spent being tortured by humans in that lab, I really don’t like the idea of pokémon in this army becoming humanlike.”

    He looked like he was about to go on, but instead he went silent, just noticing that he could see movement through the nighttime gloom at the mountain’s base.

    “Are they coming back?” Ashend asked, noticing that something had stolen her friend’s attention. She peered into the night, but her vision was nowhere near as good as the yanmega’s, and she couldn’t see them.

    “I think so,” Yenn replied, before turning his attention to a noibat who was passing by, headed toward a bored looking nidoqueen who he recognized as one of the commanding pokémon. The noibat was probably on an errand for the large poison type.

    “You! Noibat!” Yenn cried, and the small purple bat came to a halt, fluttering her wings to stay airborne. Yenn uncurled himself, standing on all six legs as his wings started to hum. “Go find Cyclone and bring us back the news.” The small bat looked confused, as if she wasn’t sure whose orders to follow – Yenn’s or the nidoqueen’s. “Now!” Yenn shouted, and she hurriedly flew off, in the direction of the mountain.

    “Let’s hope she actually has the sense to do what you told her,” Ashend remarked disdainfully. She knew that Yenn was worried, but Cyclone didn’t want either of them leaving the clearing in the rocks until they could be sure there wasn’t going to be any trouble from Articuno’s followers.

    They watched the small pokémon leave, and the nidoqueen who had been waiting for her got up in a huff and went off to find some other pokémon to get whatever she wanted. Having nothing to do but wait, they settled down on the rock ledge again, both of them too tired from all the excitement the past few days to do much else, especially considering they had stayed up all night and the previous day. Even the nocturnal Ashend was looking exhausted.

    Although the rock walls blocked much of the cold air, the night was still chilly, and Yenn found himself edging closer to Ashend, even though he knew the ghost type could provide no warmth to him. Still, even just being close to one of his only friends was comforting.

    He looked up at the mountain, seeming gray and haunted under the light of the moon and the stars. Earlier, he had been able to see the shapes of many bird pokémon blocking out the stars around the mountain, but now, there was nothing. “This place gives me the creeps,” he muttered. “Ever since we got here, something’s just felt wrong. I don’t like it.”

    “Oh, don’t worry, sweetie,” Ashend replied. “The mountain pokémon won’t dare attack us. Not after they’ve seen what Cyclone can do.”

    “Let’s hope not.” It still felt strange, thinking that Cyclone’s Attack was powerful enough that even Articuno could not stand up to it. Yenn wondered just how strong the vaporeon was.

    He saw the noibat returning long before he heard the fluttering of her wings. He and Ashend waited silently until the small pokémon reached them. “Well?” Yenn demanded as the purple bat-like pokémon flew up to their rock ledge, looking worn out.

    “Cyclone wants both of you to follow me,” the tiny pokémon squeaked. “No one else!” she then cried at the other pokémon milling about the clearing, who had all moved closer to the noibat out of curiosity. “Just you two.”

    “Hey, I told you to tell me-”

    “They killed him!” the pokémon cried fearfully. “They killed Articuno.” Obviously she had no idea that the scouts had informed Yenn and Ashend of this already, and she looked a little shocked at the complete lack of surprise on their faces. “They found the…stone they were looking for. The electric one.” She could see that both the misdreavus and the yanmega were looking impatient, and blurted out, “No one was harmed, though! Your friend…the manectric…wasn’t harmed.”

    She settled down into silence, and Yenn and Ashend relaxed. The noibat, relieved that she’d stumbled upon the thing they’d both wanted to hear, turned and began to wearily fly toward one of the gaps in the rock walls. “I’ll take you to Cyclone.”

    Yenn just nodded, and Ashend sighed as she drifted through the air to hover beside the noibat. “We’re quite capable of finding him ourselves,” the ghost type began, her voice full of disdain, “…but if you must, then at least try to show us some respect.”

    Yenn gave an exasperated sigh. “Oh, forget it,” he muttered. “Let’s just follow the stupid bat to Cyclone and find Itora already.” He was already moving, taking to the air and beginning to follow the frightened noibat. Although the smaller flying creature moved at a pace far too slow for him, he held back, not wanting to leave Ashend behind.

    “No need to be rude,” the misdreavus responded, a little annoyed. Despite her small size and strange way of moving, she managed to catch up with them and match the noibat’s pace quite easily.

    “Yeah, sorry,” Yenn mumbled. “I just hope Itora actually found what she was looking for.”

    It didn’t take long for them to reach the place where Cyclone and the pokémon who had come with him had gathered. They could fly above the majority of the crowd, and any flying type army pokémon quickly got out of the way and made a clear path for Yenn and Ashend through the air.

    It didn’t take them long to realize that every single member of Cyclone’s small party had returned mostly unscathed. Cyclone himself did not have so much as a single scratch on his body, and Itora was proudly carrying a glowing orange stone in her mouth.

    But the gathering group of army pokémon coming to welcome them back was focused on something else entirely. Further back, in the shadow of the rocks at the very base of the mountain, was Articuno’s body, solid proof that Cyclone had kept his grisly promise. Somehow, one of the pokémon in the group had managed to drag the legendary’s corpse down from the mountain to where it lay in front of them. Most of the body was in shadow, but what he could see of the burns that ravaged the ice type’s body, from where the acid had struck, made Yenn freeze.

    He was sure his wings were the only part of his body that moved for several seconds. Beside him, even Ashend stiffened, looking as if the sight disturbed even her, despite her feelings about Articuno. But there was also a coldness in her eyes, a calm resolution that what had been done had been done for a worthy cause.

    To Yenn, it was different...seeing Articuno dead. He had never seen a legendary before. Articuno had been little more than a concept in his head. Something he knew existed but never thought would have anything to do with him. But now here he was...real...and lifeless.

    Yenn could only think of the fact that they – that the army – had killed him. Something about it was so wrong…legendaries like Articuno sometimes protected pokémon, and from the looks of it, the pokémon on the mountain had been living peacefully under his reign until they’d arrived. Was Articuno really standing for the humans when he guarded that stone, or had he had other reasons, other beliefs, that had made him do it? Surely Cyclone would have tried talking to Articuno if he believed that could have at all helped?

    He couldn’t imagine what other motive the ice bird might have had…but killing what had appeared to be the guardian of countless wild pokémon? He hadn’t imagined Cyclone would have been willing to do something like that.

    As he thought these things, he suddenly realized that he didn’t want to be there anymore, that all he wanted was to get away from the sight of Articuno’s body. He couldn’t even pinpoint exactly why he felt so strongly about it, but at the moment he didn’t care. Without saying anything, he tore away from the astonished crowd, and sped back toward the area where he and Ashend had been waiting before, toward the big rocks and where their own personal shelters had been arranged.

    He didn’t stop to see if Itora or Ashend reacted to him leaving. He noticed several other pokémon glance at him as he zipped by, but they knew better than to question him.

    He quickly entered the rock maze and flew past the clearing, keeping low to the ground so as to not attract too much attention; even if the other pokémon wouldn’t bother him, he didn’t particularly like being stared at. Turning away from the place where he and Ashend had been resting minutes before, he headed down a narrow passage. It was flanked on either side with rock walls, almost like a miniature canyon. Once there he slowed down, aware that he couldn’t be seen by the main body of the army there.

    Cyclone hadn’t just killed Articuno, but the wild pokémon that had been protecting him. In spite of everything Cyclone stood for, Yenn felt a surge of anger take hold of him. They were supposed to be protecting the wild pokémon, not killing them. Wasn’t that what this was all about? The type of violence the army leader had unleashed on that mountainside should be reserved for the humans who deserved it.

    If Cyclone had killed the mountain pokémon for prey, he would have felt differently. But this wasn’t an attack driven by the need to survive. This was wrong.

    And Cyclone had murdered a legendary. He almost couldn’t believe he’d actually done it, even after seeing the body.

    He was told Articuno had chosen to take the humans’ side, but had anyone actually confirmed it? Did Cyclone even really know what he was doing?

    “Okay, calm down…” he told himself, feeling a hint of panic start to rise within him. Luckily it was small, and he managed to push it away. “Cyclone has to know what he’s doing-”

    He paused, for he had reached the end of the path formed by the walls of the ‘canyon,’ and realized that there were two large bird pokémon perched above him on the rock wall, a talonflame and a staraptor. He tensed, annoyed that he hadn’t even noticed them until just then; yanmega were supposed to notice their surroundings at all times. He didn’t like that they’d caught him at such a vulnerable moment, but the two flying types only bowed respectfully to him as he flew past.

    If the bird pokémon had noticed his odd behavior, they hadn’t said anything, and Yenn knew they wouldn’t dare. Once the initial unease had faded away, he felt oddly satisfied with it, in spite of the situation. Cyclone made sure that he was treated like a king here. Seeing bird pokémon bowing to him was so different, so much better than his fearful days as a wild yanma or what had seemed like an eternity of torture at the hands of humans. He remembered his days before he evolved, when he was very young and still small enough to need to fear predators. Those same predators that hunted him as a yanma and fled from him as a yanmega would now serve him the moment he demanded it.

    He soon reached the makeshift shelter that had been set up for him. It was a cave of sorts in the rocks, though it was open on two sides, providing an entrance in both the front and the back. A crude drawing of a yanmega was painted in smeargle ink on the rock above it. Several vines had been hung over both entrances, an attempt to keep out the cold. Even with the measly protection, his shelter was still far warmer than anywhere else in the army’s current camp.

    He made his way inside, instantly greeted by the tantalizing smell of blood from fresh prey that had been laid out along a rock ledge on one side of the room. In his current mood, he was in no hurry to eat it, but he knew that it would be given to other pokémon in the army if he left it alone for a few hours, so he wasn’t worried.

    A persian and an audino stood on one end of the room, the persian holding a starly in his jaws, obviously having come there to provide more food in case Yenn didn’t want the ones that were already offered. The audino had probably come bringing more fresh water, but at the moment Yenn didn’t care about either of them. He had come there to be alone, but he knew that even if he sent those two away, he’d just have to order another set to leave when they inevitably came to check if he needed anything a while later.

    “Did we…did we do something wrong?” the audino asked nervously, obviously sensing something was amiss, but trying to sound cheerful and helpful at the same time. “Do you need anything?”

    Yenn didn’t bother answering. He flew straight past them and out the other side of the shelter, finding himself beneath open sky again. To his annoyance, there were a few other pokémon milling about in this area, some of them looking a little lost. He resisted the urge to yell at them for wandering around where they shouldn’t be and flew on, into another narrow canyon-like path created by the rock walls around him. He knew from exploring earlier that day that it led to a dead end. No one was likely to be lurking around there.

    As soon as he turned into the canyon opening, he could see that something had been painted on the far wall. It was another one of that weird smeargle’s murals. Yenn had no problem seeing the details from a distance, and he paused to look before moving closer. It was a huge circular drawing, almost reminiscent of a human’s painting. Lining the outer edge were pictures of pokémon, one of every type. There was a smaller drawing next to each of them, what looked like a jewel with a symbol representing the type. At the top was a houndour, and instead of a symbol, the houndour was spouting a white flame, streaks blue and black and purple twisted into it. What the smeargle had used to paint that part of the drawing, Yenn didn’t know, but it was the only part that was colored something other than green. In the center of the painting was Cyclone, standing beneath a rain Yenn knew must represent his secret Attack.

    He flew closer, wondering just what had possessed the odd smeargle to create such a detailed painting in a dead end in the middle of a bunch of rocks. It struck him as a bit weird, and he flew right up to the base of the painting. It was taller than he was long, and a part of him had to admire the smeargle for whatever tactic or skill he had used to reach the higher places on the rock wall.

    There was a drawing of a yanmega on the makeshift mural, and a manectric, and a misdreavus. Him, Itora, and Ashend. He figured they simply had symbols drawn beside them instead of actual attacks because their Attacks had not been used yet. No one seemed to be sure of what their attacks would do exactly, not even Cyclone. But the top drawing…that was the lost houndour. The one Cyclone had tried to recruit but who had refused and attacked, threatening to burn them all with Shadowflare.

    The houndour was a dangerous threat to the army, but as far as Yenn knew, no one knew his whereabouts. Yenn had never seen the houndour; that had all happened a bit before he’d joined the army. But Cyclone had told him everything.

    A part of Yenn worried that the reason the houndour had refused so adamantly was because he was allied with the humans, maybe even trainer owned. Blazefang, they’d said his name was. Yenn suddenly grew more concerned. If the humans had a pokémon with one of the secret Attacks on their side, the army was in trouble.

    “Yenn?” a familiar voice called from close by, and he spotted movement to his right as Ashend phased through the rock wall, letting her transparent body float toward the yanmega before becoming solid again. “What are you doing here?”

    “Do you think Cyclone really needed to kill Articuno?” Yenn asked instead, dodging the question. For a moment there was no sound between them save for the dull humming of Yenn’s wings. “Do you?”

    “There was no other way he could have gotten the stone, dear,” Ashend said sadly. She kept her gaze downcast as she moved closer to him. “I know you didn’t like them killing wild pokémon. Cyclone says we need to trust him for now. It will all work out.”

    “That was a high price to pay for his plan to work, then,” Yenn muttered.

    Ashend seemed confused. "You see the bodies of the pokémon you eat every day. Why is this any different?"

    “I don’t kill anything I’m not going to eat. And no one will be able to eat Articuno after what-”

    “This is for our survival, Yenn.”

    Yenn paused. When she put it that way, something did start to make a bit more sense.

    “For the survival of us pokémon,” Ashend continued. “If we continue to let humans run everything, pokémon are going to suffer and die until we stop them. And if this is what it takes…”

    “We have to do some pretty nasty things, don’t we?” Yenn finished.

    “You won’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Ashend continued. “I’ll admit this is hard for me to understand…but if this really bothers you, you don’t have to be a part of it. Cyclone will take care of it. But you want to fight with us, don’t you? Want to help us take the lands that belong to pokémon back?”

    “Of course I do!”

    “And you want to make the humans pay for what they’ve done,” the misdreavus continued, her eyes involuntarily flashing to Yenn’s scar before she quickly averted her gaze, looking into Yenn’s eyes instead.

    “Trust me, thinking about it is the only thing that’s been keeping me sane,” the yanmega replied, and the light of anger in his eyes returned. “I’m not giving that up regardless of who Cyclone goes after. I just wish he’d…”

    “Articuno’s dead and it’s time to move forward,” Ashend continued, trying to choose her words carefully so as not to upset him. “You don’t have to agree with everything Cyclone does. But we promised Cyclone we would fight the humans, and I want you to be there beside me when we do.”

    “And I will be,” Yenn replied sincerely, but Ashend could tell that he still doubted, still wasn’t sure if he truly believed what she was saying.

    “We’ll make Articuno’s death worth it in the long run,” the misdreavus continued, a smile beginning to form.

    Yenn watched as Ashend began to head back down the narrow path, waiting for him to follow instead of taking a shortcut through the wall again. He knew that, regardless of how uneasy he was about the whole thing, he’d come too far to back down now. Even if he’d wanted to, it would be such a waste.

    He took one last look at the smeargle’s odd drawings, the light from the red gem on his amulet casting an eerie glow on the dark gray rock, before he turned and flew after Ashend. The sooner he found something to take his mind off of what Cyclone had done, the better.

    Maybe he would feel better when they got to the caves where he could practice his Attack. Though that would take them uncomfortably close to Stonedust City, Cyclone had assured them that he would make sure there was no human contact with the army. As much as he wanted his revenge on the humans, he knew the army wasn’t ready yet, and when he was honest with himself, he wasn’t sure he was ready yet either.

    -ooo-

    Morning seemed to bring a sense of unease over the group of trainers and pokémon sheltering in the clearing. Most kept to themselves, either resting or taking short walks in the forest. They had quickly discovered that they didn’t need to spend much time foraging for food; Katie could bring back all the supplies they needed from the city.

    Scytheclaw sat half slumped against the tree, finally tiring of his poké ball enough to stay out in the clearing. However, this meant he had to endure being around the other pokémon, which he wasn’t too keen on. To his relief, they had left him alone so far. He still felt weak, but his strength was returning. He already felt much better than he had the previous day. Perhaps it helped that his healing power didn’t actually injure him when it caused him so much pain.

    “How’s Nightshade doing?” he heard Rosie ask. The ninetales walked over to where Snowcrystal was waiting beside the heracross.

    “He’s fine,” the white growlithe said. “He fell asleep again.”

    Scytheclaw looked in Nightshade’s direction. Despite his injuries, the blue bug type looked peaceful. He knew that Katie had brought back the best pokémon medicine she could buy, and it seemed to be working like a charm as far as keeping infection at bay and pain under control. The scizor felt a little strange as he looked at Nightshade, remembering that the heracross had saved his life down in the underground. A part of him felt like he should thank him, but he knew there was nothing he could do at the moment, so he put it out of his mind.

    “Oh, well that’s good,” Rosie replied. “So, uh…wanna go find some berries with me and Spark?” She looked over her shoulder at the jolteon who was waiting by the line of trees on one side of the clearing. “I know we’ve got lots of food, but I thought that we could do it for, you know, fun. Maybe it’ll cheer us up.”

    Snowcrystal perked up immediately. “That’s a great idea!” she said happily. “Let’s ask Wildflame if she wants to come.”

    Rosie and Snowcrystal bounded across the clearing together to where Wildflame was resting, and Scytheclaw leaned his head back and sighed. At least he could relax fairly comfortably; the injuries he had received from the machamp would have still hurt quite a lot if he hadn’t been given the pain medicine. Luckily Katie made sure they had plenty of it.

    “Hey!” a voice by his side whispered excitedly, and he jumped in alarm.

    “What the-”

    It was Alex. The floatzel had somehow crept up on him without his noticing, and was crouched beside his tree. “I was wondering if you’d want to come look for berries with me. We don’t have to go with the others if you don’t want to.”

    “Why would I want to do that?” Scytheclaw growled.

    “We could bring some back for Damian, maybe?” Alex asked.

    Scytheclaw didn’t understand why, but suddenly anything sounded better than waiting in the clearing, thinking about how much trouble his trainer was in or what they were going to do about the Forbidden Attacks. Even the thought of his healing power was bothering him, and he realized that he needed a distraction. “I can’t believe I’m doing this…” he sighed as he sat up.

    “Great!” Alex said with a grin. “I’ve walked around the nearby forest a few times. Thought I saw some lum berries. Do you like lum?”

    Scytheclaw sighed again, rubbing his sore neck. “All right, whatever, let’s just go.”

    They headed off into the forest, and Scytheclaw soon found that, in an odd sort of way, the floatzel’s upbeat attitude was a pleasant change from everything that had happened recently. Perhaps he only thought so because he was just so shaken. But at the moment, he found himself almost enjoying her company. He didn’t want to admit to himself that he felt similar to the way he did when Damian had first found him, lost, confused, and wanting to be around someone who liked him without expecting him to act strong.

    Alex moved slow enough to allow him to keep pace with her, but she never once mentioned Scytheclaw’s injuries and weakness, which he was glad for. They traveled in near silence for a short while, enjoying the warm sunlight that flickered through the leaves of the trees. At least it was a pleasant early summer day.

    They soon stopped at a small stream, pausing to drink while watching a couple of linoone scampering through the undergrowth. Scytheclaw could barely remember what it felt like to be a wild pokémon with nothing to worry about other than getting enough food. Before Forbidden Attacks, before humans like Mausk…

    But at least he had Damian now, and he hardly even thought about his lost leadership anymore. It seemed so long ago, and the pokémon in the canyon now just seemed unpleasant to him when he thought back to them. He figured that getting away from them was probably a good thing in the long run. In the end, they hadn’t seemed to have cared much about him.

    Three months ago, he would have thought the idea of joining a human was absurd, appalling even. He hadn’t expected to bond with Damian. When the trainer had stumbled across him in the wilderness, however, it had been at a time when he had nothing anymore, nothing to lose. He had first agreed to join Damian purely because he had nowhere else to go, nothing else to do. He had assumed Damian wanted him because he was a rare evolved pokémon. But he had been wrong. Damian soon showed that he cared about Scytheclaw, in the way even his most loyal followers in the canyon hadn’t. It had made him see the trainer in a whole new light very quickly. It had even changed his mind about humans, made him realize that they weren’t all thoughtless and selfish the way his old trainer was.

    “Hey, Scytheclaw, I found the berries!” came Alex’s voice, and Scytheclaw cringed, suddenly wondering why he had been desperate enough for a distraction to agree to wander the forest with her.

    He didn’t move from where he was, and there was no need, because he could see the berry trees through the underbrush across the stream. Alex didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t coming to join her, and set about plucking every berry she found from the branches.

    He focused on something else until he heard her shout from the berry trees, “Um…Scytheclaw? Can you help me carry these back?”

    “Don’t feel like it,” he muttered loud enough for her to hear.

    “Okay, fine! I’ll bring them back myself!” the floatzel cried, and Scytheclaw turned his head away again, ignoring the frantic scraping sounds as Alex tried to gather up all the berries.

    A minute or so later she emerged, and Scytheclaw could only stare at her. Unable to hold all the berries in just her paws, she had piled them around her neck, using her arms to hold them between her head and the yellow floatation device that circled around her body. The berries were piled so high that they covered half of her face.

    Scytheclaw almost laughed. “You look ridiculous,” he said.

    “I do not!” Alex retorted in a mock-angry voice. “I’m only doing it this way because you wouldn’t help.” She staggered over to the stream’s edge, trying to find a good place to jump across without dropping the fruit she carried. As soon as she reached the water, she stared down at it, then burst out laughing. “You’re right! I do look ridiculous!”

    In spite of himself, Scytheclaw had to admit that it was refreshing to see someone laughing after everything they’d been through. Although he tried not to let it show, he was starting to think that maybe having Alex around wasn’t so bad. At least she wasn’t angry at him all the time like some of the others were. In fact, for whatever reason, she seemed to enjoy his company, and he admitted reluctantly that perhaps he shouldn’t be so mean to her.

    He sighed as he reached down to pluck a few berries from the stream, which Alex had inevitably dropped. “Here,” he muttered, dropping them onto the pile she was carrying once she reached his side of the stream. “Let’s take these to Damian.”

    As they walked back, Scytheclaw was a bit annoyed about the whole thing, feeling in some irrational way that he should still hate all these pokémon. Yet Alex herself hadn’t been around when Nightshade and the others had come to his canyon, so perhaps he didn’t need to blame her. If he could get along with Arien, he could get along with her.

    “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he muttered under his breath as they headed back to the camp.

    -ooo-

    By mid-afternoon, the tension in the air seemed to have faded, and the pokémon seemed less worried about what they would do next, many just grateful to have a rest. Scytheclaw sat on the edge of the clearing, tuning out most of them, but catching bits and pieces of conversation here and there.

    “Well, the obvious thing to do is find a legendary,” Katie was saying. “Apart from Articuno, I mean. And well, you know how easy that’s going to be. But if any pokémon is going to know about the Forbidden Attacks…”

    “So how do we go about finding one?” Justin asked.

    “That I don’t know. There’s all sorts of rumors of roaming legendaries, but we need to find one that’s staying in one place. Maybe wild pokémon further from the city would know.”

    “Yeah, well there’s a reason legendaries make their homes in places humans don’t know much about,” Justin said hopelessly.

    “We’ll figure something out,” Katie insisted.

    Scytheclaw stopped paying attention to what the two younger humans were saying. He leaned his head back, wondering if he should head out into the forest again to try to find a quiet place to take a nap.

    “Scytheclaw?” a concerned voice sounded from somewhere to his left, and the scizor quickly opened his eyes and turned to see Damian looking at him. “Something’s wrong, I can tell. What is it?”

    If anyone else had asked him something like that, Scytheclaw probably would have just yelled at them. But seeing that it was his trainer, he relaxed. He shook his head, wishing – for what seemed like the millionth time – that he had a way to speak to Damian that didn’t have to involve a psychic type like Arien.

    “Are you worried about what happened down there?” Damian said, quietly enough that no one else in the clearing would be able to hear him. “With your healing power?”

    Scytheclaw hesitated, but he shook his head again. As much as he hated recalling the image of his trainer bleeding out in that underground hellhole where the scum of Stonedust City gathered…that wasn’t what was bothering him. It was more that he was just uncertain of his future, of Damian’s future…

    Yet something about what Damian said distracted him from the anxiety. Something he’d almost forgotten amidst all the commotion. And it brought him back to the pain he’d felt while trying to heal Damian down in the underground. That horrible pain, that had to be like…

    Suddenly he decided that he wanted Arien there. He shot an urgent look at Damian, who seemed to understand instantly, and called the alakazam over.

    “You have something you want me to tell him?” Arien asked calmly, giving the scizor a respectful nod.

    “Yes,” said Scytheclaw, “but we need Katie. Go get her. And…well, I guess everyone else is going to have to know too. But I don’t want to announce it to them. You deal with it.”

    “Scytheclaw, what’s going on?” Damian asked as Arien went to fetch Katie. He knew the scizor couldn’t give him a clear answer until he was ready to tell the psychic type, but he couldn’t help asking all the same. “You’re acting weird. Is something…”

    “I’m here,” Katie said, standing beside Damian with Arien at her side. “What did you guys want me for?”

    “Well I’m…I’m not sure,” Damian stammered, and he glanced at Arien, who looked to Scytheclaw expectantly.

    “Okay, here’s my message,” Scytheclaw began, standing up straight in spite of his exhaustion as he faced the alakazam. “First of all, I want everyone to know that I’m aware of how weird I’m acting. But before anyone starts mocking me about it, I’d like to know how they expect any pokémon to act normally after what I saw down in that city.”

    Arien just stared at him with a baffled expression. Damian and Katie seemed to pick up on his confusion as well, because they both gave the scizor puzzled stares.

    “I didn’t see everything,” the scizor continued, “but I know a lot of pokémon died in horrible ways down there. And while I don’t particularly like other pokémon…” He paused, making sure to give Arien a look of annoyance as he did so, causing the alakazam to sigh. “…I don’t really like to see them suffer like that. I have to admit that the world is a pretty awful, nasty place.”

    At this, Arien looked about to object, about to correct him or dismiss his pessimistic attitude by pointing out that not every city was like Stonedust. Scytheclaw didn’t give him a chance.

    “…And…well, I guess I’d like to make it a little less awful and nasty.”

    Arien looked genuinely surprised, and even Katie, who was completely out of the loop, knew something very unusual was happening. Scytheclaw had paused, as if struggling with a decision, and Damian quickly whispered to her the gist of what he’d said so far.

    “He wants to make the world a better place? What, does he want to give me a hug or something?” she joked. She couldn’t imagine anything more ridiculous or unlike Scytheclaw than that, but at a glare from the scizor she fell quiet.

    “Tell them this…” Scytheclaw instructed Arien. “And tell them they need to get moving fast because I want to get this all over with as soon as possible, and I’m sure everyone else does too.”

    “All right…” Arien began, a sudden respect for Scytheclaw beginning to form in his mind.

    “Tell them,” Scytheclaw continued, “tell them that I’ve decided to heal Stormblade.”

    To be continued…



    Author’s Note: Okay, before I get any further into the story of these new characters on Cyclone's side, I need to clear something up about one of them:

    Ashend is not dead. She did not have a previous life, and she was not turned into a ghost pokémon.

    My interpretation of ghost pokémon has always been and always will be that they are not actual ghosts, but instead creatures with mysterious abilities that people and pokémon associate with ghosts. Hence the name "ghost type." And considering we've seen actual pokémon ghosts, like cubone's mother, and that same situation told us that pokémon have an afterlife, this points to the fact that pokémon that are dead stay dead (and if they didn't, there would be no need for the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town).

    The whole "dead pokémon becoming ghost types" is a fun thing to play around with in some stories, and I've seen people do cool things with it, but it won't be a part of Path of Destiny's canon. I don't even see this sort of thing in Pokémon canon either (save for things like phantump/yamask which I honestly see as more common myth than fact in-universe in the pokémon world, again because there are plenty of examples of human ghosts in pokémon, and these pokémon still seem to act very much like, well, pokémon. This is just my interpretation of it).

    So long story short, Ashend, like any other pokémon, can die. Considering ghost types can be damaged in battle, faint, etc. it makes sense to me that they can also be killed, considering they can breed and be born like other pokémon.

    Having anyone who dies just coming back as a ghost type would pretty much be the biggest instant solution ever, and you guys know how I feel about those. xD


  3. #73
    Lover of Centipedes Scytherwolf's Avatar
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    The Path of Destiny
    Chapter 63 - Scytheclaw’s Sacrifice



    A heavy silence fell over the clearing after Damian announced to the group what Scytheclaw planned to do. The scizor stood at the clearing’s edge, not liking the sudden attention he was receiving from the rest of the pokémon. He had hoped that they would all focus on Damian instead of him, as futile a hope that was. Instead, all eyes were suddenly fixed on him, looks of shock and bewilderment on their faces. He tensed, already not liking how things were going. He expected them to bombard him with questions, start openly expressing their disbelief, or accuse him of messing with them. But what they did next surprised him.

    Snowcrystal, then a few of the other pokémon, began to cheer for him, offering words of encouragement. As he looked around the group, he could see that behind their newfound joy, they also knew the risk it posed to him, and the looks many of them had seemed to say ‘we’ll be right here with you.’ Scytheclaw wasn’t used to such loyalty from other pokémon; even those who had served him when he’d ruled over the canyon hadn’t ever acted like this. It was quite baffling.

    “Scytheclaw, I knew you could do it!” Snowcrystal cried, running up to him with her tail wagging. He stepped back before she could get too close.

    “Scytheclaw, are you sure about this?” Redclaw asked after the initial excitement had gone down. Though a part of Scytheclaw still considered the arcanine an enemy, he could tell the fire type was worried for him.

    “Believe me, I’ve thought about it,” the scizor replied sharply. “But even after healing Damian a few days ago, I don’t have any physical wounds from the ‘healing power’ itself…or the Forbidden Attack, or whatever it is. If I can do this and get it over with, I’ll be fine. But this is the last time I do this. If any of you get a limb ripped off, you’re on your own.”

    “Scytheclaw,” Arien began, the alakazam seeming as shocked as anyone else, even though he’d been the first to hear, “you don’t have to feel pressured to-”

    “You think I’m doing this because these pokémon were begging me?” Scytheclaw shouted in exasperation. “Don’t be ridiculous. As if they could-” He broke off, sighing. “You know what? Forget it. Think whatever you want. And thanks for having faith in me,” he muttered sarcastically at his teammate.

    “I’m sorry,” Arien told him, but the scizor only rolled his eyes.

    “Look, I don’t really know this…Stormblade pokémon,” Scytheclaw continued, “but I want to help him if I can. And I don’t want anyone interrogating me about it either. Don’t ask me why, just be grateful I’m doing it and don’t bother me about it. Do you want me to change my mind?”

    The pokémon fell silent, though Arien could tell from the look in Scytheclaw’s eyes that there was no chance of changing his mind. He was sure of what he wanted to do and determined to see it through to the end.

    “I know some of you are concerned about me,” Scytheclaw continued. “That’s real touching.” The scizor paused to look over the group of assembled pokémon. It wasn’t clear if he was being sarcastic or not. “But I don’t want all of you crowding around me when I do this. I just want Damian, Katie, and Arien…because he can translate for me. Other than that he’d better keep quiet.” He shot the alakazam an annoyed look.

    “Okay, Scytheclaw,” Snowcrystal said warmly. “We’ll do whatever you want. And…thank you. You don’t have to do this, but thank you for choosing to.”

    “You can thank me after this,” Scytheclaw muttered as he turned away from her to face the forest. “We need to find a good spot where we won’t be disturbed,” he said, more to Arien than anyone else.

    “Scytheclaw…I have to admit…I’m worried about you,” Arien began.

    “Good. You should be,” the scizor snapped back. “But this is my decision, my risk, and I don’t want your lecture.”

    “Then I apologize again,” said the alakazam. “And I know it’s a bit too early, but thank you for what you’re trying to do.”

    “And remember, nobody needs to cry over me,” Scytheclaw growled. “Damian was dying when I healed him. This should be easier. If not, then so be it. Tell the humans to fetch Stormblade from the pokémon hospital now.”

    Arien nodded and did as he said, speaking to Damian through his mind. Scytheclaw watched him until Damian began talking to the other trainers, so he knew the task had been complete.

    It wasn’t long before Katie was mounting her pidgeot to fly back to the city. Justin looked nervous as he watched her, but even he seemed relieved that now there was a chance Stormblade’s suffering would end. He didn’t look excited to have the scyther back though, and he gave a half-hearted wave as the pidgeot took off, launching itself and Katie into the sky.

    All around the clearing, the pokémon were talking. Many of them, such as Snowcrystal and Rosie, who had known Stormblade for longer, were practically celebrating. And Spark, who had known him longest of all, looked the happiest any of them had ever seen him.

    Away from the part of the clearing where the others were gathered, Scytheclaw settled down to wait.

    -ooo-

    Not long after she left, Katie returned with Stormblade’s poké ball. When Justin asked her how she convinced the workers at the pokémon hospital to let her take him, she merely replied that she had told them that she wanted Stormblade to see the outside world one more time.

    “You won’t get in trouble for not bringing him back, will you?” Justin asked.

    “No,” Katie answered, as if a little shaken. “They think that I’m going…to let him pass away here.”

    Justin didn’t reply. She walked past him through the stunned group of pokémon. Justin still looked entirely uncomfortable with the whole thing, but Katie ignored him. Whether he believed Stormblade was innocent or not, she didn’t care. They’d deal with him later.

    “So where does Scytheclaw want to do this?” she asked Damian.

    Damian pointed out the direction, and she followed him into the trees.

    They walked farther than Katie expected, and she figured that Scytheclaw must not want anyone to see him like…like whatever he had looked like when he was healing Damian. Damian had told her that Scytheclaw insisted that it was just him, her, and Arien that were present when this happened.

    They reached a dismal, secluded clearing that was darker than the one they were currently camping in. Arien already waited there, as did Scytheclaw.

    Scytheclaw sat up straighter as the trainers walked toward him, not sure what Katie was thinking about what he would soon try to do. He watched her with wary eyes as she and Damian came to stand in the clearing. Katie held up a poké ball that looked just like his. A luxury ball. Scytheclaw tensed as she released the pokémon inside with a beam of light.

    Stormblade’s motionless form materialized on the ground, and Scytheclaw stared at him. The scyther was deeply asleep, whether from a sleep powder from one of Katie’s pokémon or something else, he wasn’t sure. He could tell from a glance that whatever wounds Stormblade had had that weren’t from Shadowflare were completely gone. Despite his curiosity, he was glad the bandages were covering the Forbidden Attack wounds themselves.

    The thing that struck him as strangest of all was that Stormblade looked…peaceful, almost like there was nothing wrong with him at all. He knew it was an effect of whatever had put him to sleep, but it was strangely unnerving all the same. It gave him the odd impression that Stormblade was just ‘not-quite-dead.’

    “All right,” he began after a few moments, “let’s get this over with. I want you all to stand back.”

    “Be careful,” Arien said.

    Scytheclaw just shrugged and knelt down by Stormblade. He knew exactly what he had to do. For some reason it suddenly occurred to him how odd it was that he would know how to use the healing power so naturally, even if it didn’t involve any physical movement. It seemed to come from somewhere else. Maybe, he thought, this was what using a psychic attack felt like. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, focusing his energy on calling up the healing power.

    As he started, he could tell that it was much like what it had been when healing Damian. A white-hot, agonizing pain spread throughout him, making him feel as if every nerve in his body had been set alight. He gritted his teeth, keeping his eyes firmly closed as he focused solely on his task. He was determined to brave his way through it, and then it would be over. At least there was no raging battle around him this time, and he could already tell that his mind was much clearer. Getting the attack to work was easier than it had been in the underground, as he now had his full attention to devote to it.

    While Scytheclaw worked, Damian, Katie, and Arien stood still and waited. The scizor occasionally let out a scream or a growl when he felt his ability to cope with the pain slipping. Damian wanted to be by his pokémon’s side, but Arien had told him that Scytheclaw wanted them to stay back. He could only watch.

    Katie quietly scooted closer and unwrapped one of the bandages from Stormblade’s wing. Her eyes widened in shock.

    “This is…bizarre…” she said, barely above a whisper.

    Damian craned his head for a better look, and realized that Stormblade’s wing looked more whole than it had when he had first seen him; even the parts that had been burned away were growing back. The healing was starting at the edges, moving slowly inward. If he wasn’t so worried for his scizor friend, he would have marveled at the fact that he was watching a Forbidden Attack wound, something that was supposed to never heal, vanish before his very eyes.

    Katie was thinking hard, deciding that Scytheclaw must have been right, that healing a wound that was not pushing the victim toward death at that very moment must be easier. She knew from what Damian had told her, according to the pokémon who had been in the underground, that it had been much harder for Scytheclaw to heal Damian’s gunshot wound, and had taken longer to have any sort of noticeable effect.

    Scytheclaw wasn’t aware of what the trainers were thinking or saying; he was concentrating on his task alone. He was getting to the point where he knew it would be hard to keep conscious, hard to keep himself from fainting because of the pain. He braced himself for it, knowing what was coming.

    Then he started to feel strange.

    It wasn’t even that the pain had increased by any substantial amount, just that there was something acutely, disturbingly wrong with him, his mind…or something else.

    He opened his eyes, trying to focus on one of the trees or the trainers, wanting to have something to concentrate on to keep him from slipping further into…whatever it was. He almost felt detached from the pain, overwhelmed by fear and confusion at whatever this new strangeness was. A thought raced through his mind. ‘Am I going insane?’

    Then everything went black.

    The forest vanished. The trainers and the alakazam vanished. Everything was gone, as if Scytheclaw had fallen into some sort of dark void. He didn’t know where Stormblade was, if he was still using his healing power, or if he was even awake anymore or in some sort of crazy dream where nothing existed.

    Then whatever small part of his mind was still functioning told him that he was falling unconscious, and he clung to that one bit of reason, realizing regretfully that he had failed, and he would have to try again later.

    Then an entirely new wave of pain hit him. This one was far more intense than anything he’d ever experienced before, even when using the healing attack. Scytheclaw felt as if he had been thrown in a volcano, like he was melting down in the hot magma while somehow still being kept alive. He couldn’t tell if he was moving his body anymore, but he was sure that if he was still on the verge of consciousness, he was screaming. His vision was no longer black; there were bright flashes of light and shadows that looked like they might be images, but they were moving far too rapidly for him to see.

    Then, somehow, though it all, he heard a voice.

    “Failing…failing…”

    It was not Damian’s voice. Nor was it Katie’s or Arien’s. He had never heard the voice before, and it seemed to be coming from inside his head rather than from somewhere near him. In spite of his terror, he almost welcomed it, as it was a distraction from the pain. The words it spoke next sounded like they would be almost comically nonsensical if it weren’t for the sheer panic that was racing through his mind.

    “It’s failing...it's failing...pass it on...pass it on...”

    The images of light and shadow flashed more rapidly across his vision. Everything seemed to grow more twisted, like his mind was trying to make sense of what was happening but failing miserably. He could hardly think due to the pain, and couldn’t even begin to try to understand what the voice was saying.

    Then the voice got louder. It shot like a lightning bolt through his mind.

    “You are going to die.”

    All the lights and shapes in his brain seemed to vanish, plunging him into complete darkness. He wanted to scream – no, to hear himself scream – but he didn’t even know if he was capable of it anymore. He was sure he was beyond help, that the healing power had killed him and these were the last few moments he would ever know on this earth.

    “Stop,” the voice said.

    Scytheclaw could hardly register it anymore. He just wanted to finally fall completely unconscious, to let whatever happened happen and be away from the pain.

    “Stop. STOP. STOP!”

    He didn't know what it was telling him or what he was supposed to stop. He wasn’t even aware that he was doing anything, and if he was, his body wasn’t under his own control anymore.

    Then, just when he thought he couldn’t take the pain anymore, he finally slipped into complete unconsciousness, and everything went black for real.

    “SCYTHECLAW!”

    The scizor jolted upright, his eyelids flying open. The first thing he noticed was that it was darker. His armored body was soaking wet. It took him a moment to realize that it was raining. And the voice that had shouted his name…that was Damian’s voice, not the weird one he’d heard in his head.

    “He’s alive!” came a gasp from somewhere ahead of him. Snowcrystal’s voice.

    “Scytheclaw…” Damian gasped, throwing his arms around the scizor and beginning to cry into his shoulder.

    “Damian, stop!” Katie cried from somewhere nearby. Scytheclaw’s vision started to come into focus and he saw her standing there, her pokégear in her shaking hand.

    Damian let go of Scytheclaw and backed up, and Scytheclaw found himself slipping back into a lying position. He had no idea how he’d been able to sit up in the first place. However, he felt no pain, just weakness. He could tell that his body wasn’t damaged physically, at least not in the sense that he was injured, he was just incredibly weak and exhausted, like he’d been after healing Damian. Whatever had almost killed him, it was over now. He had survived it, broken out of its hold before it finished him.

    “What happened?” he managed to gasp, hoping that someone would give him answers and not just tell him to rest. He didn’t think he could relax without knowing what they’d seen while everything had gone strange for him.

    Luckily, Damian seemed to realize this, and answered immediately. “You stopped breathing,” he said. “After you fell unconscious. Everything stopped getting worse once all of Stormblade’s wounds were gone but…if it had taken longer we…we might not have been able to revive you.”

    “It was that Forbidden Attack…the healing thing…whatever,” Katie interrupted. She held several items in her hand, which Scytheclaw guessed were revives they had used to try to save him. From the looks of it, they had gone through quite a few before one finally worked. Even then, he knew it must have taken him a long time to wake up; what had happened to him wasn’t a brief fainting period from a pokémon battle. “As soon as it stopped, we were able to do something, but it almost didn’t work…”

    Their explanation didn’t quite match up with the voices in his head, but it at least gave an explanation of what had happened to his body while he’d been dead to the world. Scytheclaw was suddenly unsure he wanted to hear more, realizing that the others had no knowledge of any strange voices, and they’d told him the basics of what had happened anyway. He felt like it was all so bizarre, realizing that he should be in far worse shape than he was after such a near death experience. He guessed that the healing power ending, finishing its work, had almost completely reversed the effects. And apparently just in time. A few more minutes and he would probably be dead.

    He knew the others must have realized this too, because no one was offering to take him to a pokémon center. He was glad for it, because he certainly didn’t want to be locked away under investigation while the police searched for his trainer.

    “What went wrong?” he heard Justin ask from somewhere nearby. “Did that happen because he was trying to heal Forbidden Attack wounds?”

    “I don’t think so.” It was Katie that spoke. “The Shadowflare wounds healed like any other…” She glanced down at Stormblade’s poké ball, which she held in her hand. “It worked. All the burns are gone.”

    “Well, then what-” Justin began.

    “I think it’s like the other Forbidden Attacks,” Katie said. “Well, maybe Scytheclaw has better control over when he decides to use it, but this time when it started, it didn’t stop until it was finished.” The pokémon and trainers around her looked at her silently, the confusion and unease noticeable on their faces. Scytheclaw realized just then that nearly everyone had gathered around him; only Nightshade, Thunder, and Redclaw were missing from what he could tell.

    Blazefang, who was watching from a place further away from the others, shrank back against the bushes. Fear showed clearly in the houndoom’s eyes.

    “And I think,” Katie continued, “that like the other Forbidden Attacks, it gets worse every time it’s used. Only this one gets more and more destructive to the user.”

    Silence fell over the clearing again.

    “I don’t think it was bad for Scytheclaw in the underground because Damian’s wound was killing him,” she went on. “I don’t think the severity of the injury matters. The point is that it gets harder each time, takes more energy, until it gets dangerous.” She took a deep breath, absent-mindedly shoving her pokégear back in her pocket. “This time it almost killed him. And next time it will.”

    “Wait…” Scytheclaw rasped, realizing he had to tell them what he’d experienced. “Before I blacked out I heard a voice.” He paused to catch his breath, suddenly finding it even more exhausting to talk. After a moment, he felt a small bit of his strength return. “The voice said it was failing…by ‘it’ I guess it meant the Forbidden Attack…and that I was going to die.”

    “I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean,” Arien began. The alakazam folded his arms as he stared at the ground. “But Katie’s right. Next time it will fail, and you will die. You can’t afford to use it again. Ever.”

    “Believe me, I won’t,” Scytheclaw growled, feeling a bit of annoyance that Arien would have to tell him that. “But I’m asking…why did it work? Why is Stormblade healed if it was supposedly failing?”

    “I don’t know,” Arien said quietly.

    “This doesn’t make any sense…” Scytheclaw mumbled, barely above a whisper.

    “Blazefang!” Wildflame shouted, whirling around to the houndoom. “You have a Forbidden Attack…have you ever heard any weird voices?”

    The eyes of the pokémon, who could understand her, turned to Blazefang, who turned his gaze toward the wet ground. “…Yes,” he muttered.

    There was a stunned silence as the others stared, no one saying a word until Wildflame blurted out, “Well, what did it say?”

    “Nothing like that…” Blazefang whispered. “It was different. I heard a voice once. Just once. When I first got the attack. It said ‘Shadowflare’ and that’s it. I never heard it again.”

    “Did that happen to you?” Wildflame asked Scytheclaw.

    The scizor shook his head weakly. “No…this is the first time I heard it.”

    “Yeah, otherwise we’d know what his Forbidden Attack was called, wouldn’t we?” Spark mused. “That’s really weird…”

    “Well what did you expect was going to happen?” Rosie shouted suddenly. Spark and Wildflame looked at her in confusion for a moment, before they realized she was mainly addressing Scytheclaw. “It’s a Forbidden Attack! Of course something would go wrong when you used it!”

    “Are you even sure?” Blazefang interrupted, taking a step closer to the rest of the group. “What Scytheclaw described sounded weird to me, and I’ve lived with my Forbidden Attack a lot longer than he has.”

    “It almost killed him!” Rosie called back. “Look, I’m glad Stormblade’s okay, but we all knew we were messing with something that’s-”

    “I’m not saying it’s not dangerous!” Blazefang growled. “Just that something’s off. Something’s missing here. I wouldn’t have thought it would kill him either, based on what he’s said. Scytheclaw was never like me; he didn’t slip and lose control. He could always control it. That doesn’t sound like a Forbidden Attack to me.”

    Rosie’s shoulders slumped, as if all her anger had suddenly left her. She just looked confused and lost. “Well…well, that’s because it works differently. It doesn’t attack, it heals. It was probably created to be allied with Forbidden Attack users.”

    “Then why would it kill the user, huh?” Blazefang cried. “Why didn’t it do something like take the life force from some other nearby pokémon to heal? That would sound more ‘Forbidden Attack’ to me.”

    “No one knows!” Arien almost shouted at the others, who quieted and turned their attention to the alakazam. “Right now, we need to get back to the camp.” He looked to his trainer, sending him a message through their psychic link, and Damian nodded.

    “Scytheclaw, return,” Damian said in a shaky voice, holding up the scizor’s poké ball, which incased him in a beam of light before drawing him back inside. The other pokémon stood up from the muddy ground, letting Arien and Damian walk ahead of them, and the group headed back.

    -ooo-

    It rained harder that night. Scytheclaw lay inside Damian’s tent with the rest of his teammates, minus Fernwing. He let the others celebrate Stormblade’s newfound health, after they had been sure that he would be all right. Scytheclaw knew that all he needed now was rest.

    He felt relieved that it was all over, that he’d done it. That he’d saved a pokémon from what was probably a fate worse than death. He couldn’t use the healing power anymore, and he could only hope Damian wouldn’t ever need it again. In spite of how awful it had been to use it, not being able to made him feel a bit scared, knowing that he would be helpless if something awful happened to his trainer again.

    Another part of him felt a bit weird that he’d used his last chance to heal anyone on Stormblade. He didn’t even know Stormblade. He barely knew why he had been so determined to heal him. But what was done was done, and he realized that if he’d been using the healing power in another dangerous situation like in the underground, the trainers wouldn’t have had the chance to revive him.

    In the end, he decided that he was too tired to think about it, and curled up in his own corner of the tent. It wasn’t long before he fell asleep.

    -ooo-

    A little ways out into the forest, while the others slept, Stormblade, Spark, and Snowcrystal walked alone. Stormblade had wanted to speak to the pokémon he was closest to first. Snowcrystal watched in awe as Stormblade walked so easily, acting as if he had boundless energy. It was like every ill effect from his injuries, or from staying in the pokémon hospital, was completely gone. The scyther himself still seemed in a daze, barely able to process what had happened, like he thought he was still in a dream. The first thing he had done was thank Scytheclaw after everything had been explained to him, although the scizor had seemed a bit annoyed with the attention.

    “Well, I honestly don’t remember much,” Stormblade was saying as they walked through the trees, ignoring the rain that splattered down on them from above. “Just bits and pieces. I don’t really remember you visiting me in there. I’m sorry.”

    “It’s alright,” said Spark with a shrug. “Not your fault.”

    “I remembered something about Thunder being captured…couldn’t remember where I heard it from…I’m just glad she’s back now,” Stormblade continued, though he still sounded worried for her.

    Snowcrystal doubted that Thunder would warmly welcome him. At least she was confident, as Nightshade was, that she wouldn’t do anything to harm him, even if she somehow felt she had a reason to.

    “Even all those days traveling are a blur,” Stormblade mused. “Like a bad dream. Now that it’s over, I feel like I’ve just woken up or something. Or…”

    “…Like you were raised from the dead,” Snowcrystal finished without thinking. She realized a second later that that was probably an awkward thing to say. Stormblade, however, just looked at her seriously and nodded.

    “Well…yes.” He stood up straighter, surveying the forest. “Well, maybe not like that. But from certain death…I still can hardly even believe it happened. I didn’t know anything about a healing Forbidden Attack. It’s like I…” He paused, trailing off, and Snowcrystal and Spark turned to see what had caught his attention.

    It soon became clear, and appearing from the bushes was another scyther.

    Thunder.

    Snowcrystal hadn’t been expecting to run into her; she would have thought Thunder would have given any of them a wide berth. It only just then occurred to her that the other scyther didn’t even know about Stormblade’s reappearance and Scytheclaw’s healing.

    “What are you doing here?” Thunder asked, warily stepping closer until she was a few paces from Stormblade. She examined him, confused, before apparently realizing it must have been Scytheclaw’s doing. She stepped back, still looking at Stormblade in disbelief, probably thinking back to whatever Nightshade had explained to her about Scytheclaw’s healing power. “You’re still coming with us?” she asked, the tone of her voice indicating that she wasn’t sure what to think.

    Stormblade looked happy to see that Thunder was much healthier now; she only bore the wounds from her fight with the tauros in the arena, and none of them were severe. He seemed like he wanted to speak to her, but was keeping quiet out of fear of irritating her.

    “Just don’t mess with Nightshade,” Thunder growled as she turned and began walking away from them. “I’m not going to hurt you or your friends, but I don’t want you bothering us either.” Then she darted away and was gone.

    “Nightshade?” Stormblade questioned, barely overcoming his shock at Thunder’s sudden appearance. “What-”

    “Uh…wow, that’s a long story,” Spark sighed. “We’ll fill you in though. A lot’s happened in the two months you’ve been gone.”

    “Two months…?” Stormblade repeated, giving Spark a surprised look. “Was I really gone that long?”

    “Yeah…didn’t you-”

    “I…I don’t remember much from after Katie took me to that fancy pokémon center. Bits and pieces here and there…but I thought…it couldn’t have been more than a couple of weeks.”

    “Didn’t you notice it was summertime?” Snowcrystal asked.

    “Sort of…” Stormblade mused. “I’m not sure. I thought it must have gotten warmer early or something…”

    “It’ll take some time to get used to everything again,” Snowcrystal told him. “Don’t worry about it.” She knew that being put in the pokémon hospital must have been a confusing experience, and Stormblade had probably spent most of his time sleeping. It was no wonder he didn’t remember much. Though Stormblade himself seemed perplexed at the whole thing, she knew, she could just tell, that he had returned to normal. Any memory issues he had wouldn’t last long, and in fact he was probably healthier than all of them after being healed by Scytheclaw’s power.

    “Well, maybe it’s a good thing I don’t remember much,” he chuckled lightheartedly. “But at least we’re all together again. Along with those new pokémon and humans, who seem-”

    “And Justin?” Spark asked suddenly, sounding worried himself.

    “I’m not worried about Justin,” Stormblade said wish a shake of his head. “The things he’s done…I forgive him. He doesn’t have to apologize to me or even associate with me. He’s helping all of you guys, and I say that’s evidence enough that he’s changed.”

    Snowcrystal knew that Stormblade would probably find it hard to feel anger after having just gone from near death to pristine condition in the space of a few minutes, but his comment still took her by surprise. Then again, she realized, Stormblade was right. Though she still thought Justin had a lot to answer for, he had begun to change his ways. He now wanted to help them instead of trying to harm or capture pokémon for his own good. It wasn’t enough to make up for what he’d done, but it was a good start. She felt her respect for Stormblade grow.

    “Well, how about you two tell me what’s been happening,” Stormblade continued, looking at the growlithe and the jolteon expectantly.

    “It’s not all happy stories,” Spark warned him.

    “I figured,” Stormblade replied. “But I still want to learn what the rest of you have. At least if I know what’s been going on, I can help you move forward.”

    “Well,” began Snowcrystal, “we don’t actually know what we’re going to do next, but we think we might start searching for more legendaries. When we figure out where to go next, I’m sure we’ll have a much better chance with you by our side.”

    “That’s right!” Spark enthusiastically agreed. He and Snowcrystal exchanged glances as they walked through the forest, both of them thinking of how to begin explaining all the events that had taken place during Stormblade’s absence. “Now, as for what’s happened since you left…”

    -ooo-

    The next morning, Scytheclaw woke early. Staring up at the roof of the tent, he could see sunlight outlining the drops of water that clung to the material. He sighed, realizing that someone was going to have to patch up the cover of branches they’d hung over the clearing; it must have shifted if that much sunlight was coming through.

    He sat up, having to lean against the tent wall for support, and realized that his trainer had already left. The four of his other pokémon that were small enough to fit in the tent were all asleep except for Arien. Ignoring them, Scytheclaw thought back to the previous day. He was amazed at how he only felt tired and weak, and even that was fading. However, he knew that last night had been the last time he’d ever be able to use the healing power.

    Arien noticed him stirring, and turned to him. “Are you having second thoughts about what you did?” the alakazam asked.

    “Yeah, sure,” Scytheclaw muttered sarcastically. “I should have left that guy rotting in the pokémon hospital until he died.” He shot Arien an angry glare. “Geez, nobody thought I would die if I used it, but I’m alive now and he’s alive and we’re all one big, extremely dysfunctional ‘family’ like the stupid growlithe said. Let’s move on already!”

    “I was just asking,” Arien responded politely.

    “I was kind of sick of doing things I regret,” the scizor told him angrily. “So when I made the decision, I made sure that I was as certain as possible that I wouldn’t regret it. For a psychic type, you seem pretty bad at reading my motivations. And honestly, I’m sick of everyone talking about it, and it hasn’t even been a day.” The scizor glared at him silently for a few moments, and then he continued. “Most of all, I’m sick of everyone assuming that I do nothing but make mistakes, and that every decision I make is going to be something I regret.”

    “All right, I’m sorry,” the alakazam sighed. “I know you have your reasons.” He paused. “Though you could be a little nicer about it.”

    “Look, this is me being nice. If I weren’t being nice, you’d have your face bullet-punched in right now.”

    “I’m sorry if I bothered you,” Arien said sincerely. “I didn’t mean it. You don’t have to explain anything if you don’t want to.” He turned away from Scytheclaw, and, figuring the scizor probably wanted to sleep more, got up and headed toward the tent exit. Then he heard Scytheclaw speak again.

    “You thought I was healing Stormblade because they told me to. Why didn’t you think for even one second that…you know, maybe I wanted to do something good for once? …Like Damian.”

    Scytheclaw wasn’t even facing him anymore, so Arien reluctantly turned away before stepping outside.

    -ooo-

    Damian returned to the clearing after collecting more berries, adding them to the pile of lum berries Scytheclaw and Alex had brought for him the day before. Some of the pokémon ventured closer, and he watched Fernwing scoop up a mouthful and start chewing happily.

    He smiled at his tropius, about to tell her where he’d found several more plants growing when the sound of arguing from Justin and Katie started to reach him from across the clearing. He cringed, hoping that this time, whatever it was would be resolved soon.

    “Okay, I get it, you don’t like scyther,” Katie was saying. “But if Stormblade wanted to kill you, he had plenty of chances while you were his trainer. You know that’s irrational, right?”

    “Well…maybe, but I can’t see how you’d trust-” Justin began.

    “Okay,” Katie sighed, rolling her eyes. “So the big blade-armed bug thing is going to kill us all, but the four-legged white thing with a blade on its head that is Damian’s absol isn’t? Come on, plenty of trainers own scyther.”

    Damian knew the argument was only going to escalate, so he stepped in. “Justin, you don’t have anything to worry about, trust me. We’ve got plenty of pokémon to protect you. You’ve got Spark. He’s fast like a scyther too, and he’s got a type advantage.”

    Justin still didn’t seem happy about Stormblade coming back, but he visibly relaxed. “Yeah, I guess,” he muttered. “But we’re going to have bring both of those scyther along, aren’t we?”

    “Well, yes,” Damian said. “If Thunder wants to come. But-”

    “Well, we’d better find out where we’re going in the first place,” Justin interrupted. “Do you still have that thing’s poké ball?” he asked Katie.

    “Yeah. Damian told me Stormblade and Arien talked about it and Stormblade wanted me to keep it around for now,” she explained. “But I’ll release him whenever he wants me to.”

    “Good,” Justin muttered under his breath.

    “You know, we do need some more supplies,” Damian interrupted. “Maybe you should go back to the city and get some more pokémon food, Katie?”

    “Gladly,” she answered, walking to the edge of the clearing where she released her pidgeot.

    “But, Katie, wait a minute!” Justin cried, but to no avail as Katie and her pidgeot had already taken off. He sighed, having wanted to at least talk to Katie about keeping the scyther in his poké ball whenever possible. Now, however, her quick flight away left him wondering just how long she was even going to stick around to help them. He and Damian were the ones who got them all in trouble, not her. He wasn’t even sure she had much of a reason to stay.

    As his friend vanished from sight, beyond the small patch of sky he could see through the clearing’s makeshift covering, he staggered backward. He felt like he was reminded once again that while Katie could return to the city, he and Damian could not. Worst of all, he wasn’t sure how long they would be able to avoid the police either.

    -ooo-

    Katie walked briskly through the streets of Stonedust City. She had dismounted her pidgeot further away from her destination than usual, wanting to take her time with the walk. She wasn’t keen to return to the clearing and argue with Justin about Stormblade so soon.

    She could hear whispers among the people walking through the crowd that moved between the buildings. She was used to the City’s residents acting strange after the library incident, but this time they weren’t talking about that. They were talking about an underground fire, exchanging unsettled words about how the last of it had finally gone out completely.

    Katie knew they were talking about Shadowflare, but if anyone recognized what it was, no one in the crowded streets around her seemed to know. There was no mention of ‘Forbidden Attacks’ or anything like that. She was a bit confused, wondering why the underground fire had suddenly caught everyone’s attention. Maybe something had been leaked about its strange nature or the amount of time it took to burn out, and it had spooked them more than the library fire had. Or maybe it was the combination of both events, plus the attack on the pokémon center a few months ago, that had gotten them so afraid.

    It made sense, she realized, and she wondered why she had even questioned it. Of course they’d be afraid of any one of those things. She and the others had been so caught up in the fear of the Forbidden Attacks and trying to stop them that she’d never really thought about how ordinary civilians felt. They had seemed so safe in comparison – no fear of crazed pokémon ripping the world apart with Forbidden Attacks, no madmen trying to kill them – but she knew that if she were in their place, she would feel afraid too.

    She heard a few words about the fighting ring being closed down too, people being arrested, though she knew better than to assume Mausk had been caught. If anyone could make an escape, it was him. She doubted either he or the fire itself would have left any traces of his identity in the underground tunnels, and she wasn’t sure if the police even knew who he was by name. From what Damian had learned from the pokémon, Mausk did most of his dirty work training his killer monsters in some abandoned town a ways north of Stonedust. Or at least, that’s where they’d first seen him. Who knew where else he went. That was probably only one place of many.

    Katie’s mind stopped wandering when she began to notice something strange. There were no signs, no news broadcasts, no talk at all of Justin or Damian. It wasn’t just the people who walked by who seemed to have forgotten it. As she passed by some newspaper stands, she couldn’t see any headlines about them or the library. There was nothing on the screens covering the larger buildings either.

    She would have thought something like the library incident would still be big news, that they would be broadcasting the information on the culprits as often as possible until they were found…or at least until a more sufficient amount of time had passed than a few days. Had the search for them been called off?

    Maybe, she thought, they were just too preoccupied catching the pokémon abusers from the underground fighting ring. Either way, she wanted to be sure it was safe for Damian and Justin to return before she told them to risk coming back to the city.

    She made a mental note to herself to check with someone, maybe the people who were working on repairing the library itself, and ask them what was going on after she was done getting supplies.

    She soon reached the little shop that she bought supplies from, a tiny building dwarfed by the skyscrapers that was run by a kind elderly couple. They sold both pokémon food and medicine and knew her by name, and she always made a point to give them as much business as possible.

    She stepped inside, the bell on the door ringing and alerting the owners waiting behind the counter. She could see that, at the moment, she was the shop’s only customer. She exchanged a brief hello with them before walking over to the medicine shelf. After she’d gotten what she needed and picked up some more food as well, she stopped at the shelves displaying pokémon treats.

    As she looked through them, she noticed the television in the corner of the shop was starting to blare news about the mysterious underground fire. Deciding she was sick of it, she straightened up. “Hey, can you turn it to something else?” she asked, trying not to sound too rude.

    “Oh of course,” the man said, pointing with a remote and switching the channel to another.

    Katie resumed looking at the pokémon treats, reading their labels and stopping at a shelf that held small containers of a sweet jelly-like substance that was labeled for heracross and pinsir as well as other bug types that ate sugary foods. She picked one up and examined it, wondering if Nightshade would like it.

    As she continued to glance along the shelves, she began to pick out words from the background noise coming from the television on the other side of the shop. Curious, she turned around, realizing that it had been changed to another news station, but one that wasn’t as depressing.

    “Just three days ago, explorers returned from a strange land lying to the northwest of the fabled Stonedust City,” the reporter was saying.

    Katie felt a bit of panic at the thought that the white growlithe, Snowcrystal’s tribe, lived on a mountain north of the city. But she quickly saw that the images on the screen showed not a barren snowy mountain, but a dry and dusty desert. Relaxing, and feeling a bit intrigued, she walked closer to the television set.

    “While they did not find the vibrava colonies they had set out to study, they got some very interesting footage that some believe might be confirming rumors about a legendary pokémon in the area.”

    “A legendary…” Katie breathed, quickly flipping up the screen of her pokégear and holding it up to the television, immediately starting to record a video of the screen. It was one thing if the news was just reporting rumors, but if they had footage of something that might be a legendary…

    For about a minute the channel simply reported on the expedition itself, the search for some random group of vibrava. Then the actual footage was brought onscreen, this time showing the dry, cracked earth suddenly jutting out into space, forming the edge of a massive cliff.

    Though it was hard to tell from the angle the video was taken, it looked like the drop off could go down for hundreds of feet. Right on the edge of the cliff was a stone arch, looking like it was just big enough for two rhydon to walk through side by side. However, if any pokémon did, they would plummet to their deaths; the steep drop was right on the other side.

    However, this arch was the focal point of the video footage, and Katie kept recording. She wondered how, in such clear daylight with nothing around but dust and rocks, anything in the recording could be mistaken for a legendary. She almost set down her pokégear, but decided to wait and see what happened.

    She could hear muffled sounds of the explorers talking, wondering if the vibrava were down on the cliff side somewhere, when the footage cut to a view over the cliff, where the desert gave way to some grassy plains far below, looking fresh and green in the early summer. The next portion of it was skipped over, following, for some reason, the path of a starly flying toward the desert from out over the plains. It fluttered over the explorers’ heads, seemed to be frightened by them, and flew back toward its home, swooping beneath the arch.

    Where it vanished.

    Katie stared at the screen, knowing that what she’d seen hadn’t looked like the pokémon had simply been edited out. It reminded her a bit of how psychic pokémon used teleport, but there was something different about it. No sign of the powerful energy psychic types used to transport themselves and others.

    “Rumors about the mysterious ‘vanishing arch’ have been circulating for years, but this is the first clear video footage ever taken,” the news reporter continued. “Cases of pokémon vanishing into thin air have been recorded for decades…”

    “Do you need anything?” one of the shop owners called over to Katie.

    Katie shook her head. “No, I just want to see the rest of this and I’ll be done.” She turned back to the screen.

    “This is no psychic type move. This seems to be something else entirely,” one of the scientists being interviewed on the news station said. “None of our psychic types detected any sort of psychic energy at all. We tried for several days to get anything else through the portal – if that’s what it is – without any success. None of the flying pokémon who went through were whisked away like that starly. I never believed any of the rumors until I saw it that day. And I really do think that this could have been made possible through the involvement of a legendary.”

    Then it was back to the regular reporter again. “No one is sure what lies on the other side of the arch, or why only certain pokémon vanish. The people who took part in the expedition believe that certain conditions must be met. One such condition may be the time of day, or the type of pokémon, but we simply don’t understand…”

    Katie stopped the recording, realizing that she wasn’t going to get any supposed legendary footage. She felt disappointed, wondering if the video had been staged and if she’d been crazy for thinking it might help them. And yet…

    Something about it felt right, like it might hold answers. She felt strange, like something was somehow drawing her to the land she was seeing on the screen. It was almost like a voice, or a feeling, inside her was telling her there was something there.

    And that that something could help them.

    She didn’t know what the cause of that inspiration was, but she felt like she should listen to it. And whatever the reason was, she could figure it out later. Turning around, she headed toward a small section of the front of the store that held books.

    There were a lot of exploration guides for trainers, but it took her a while to find one that showed anything of the lands north of Stonedust. She wasn’t surprised; few trainers ventured so far into the wilderness that they’d be days from a pokémon center, and though the book she found only had a basic map of the fields and forests and deserts – and Snowcrystal’s mountain – beyond Stonedust, she took it to the counter anyway.

    As the old man rang up her purchases, she felt a bit of relief that at least the small tribe of growlithe hadn’t been discovered yet, and no one even knew to go up there to look for strange-colored pokémon. Yet with the snow melting on the mountain and Articuno missing, she wasn’t sure what would become of them in the future.

    After she paid for her items, Katie dashed at the door, fumbling for her pidgeot’s poké ball as she thought about what she’d tell the others. Somehow, she’d have to convince them that this might be where they would have to go next, and she hoped they would trust her judgment well enough.

    In less than a minute she was soaring above Stonedust City’s skyscrapers, heading back to the forest. She knew they couldn’t just wait around any longer. Blazefang didn’t always have a good hold on his Forbidden Attack, and they needed to find a way to put a stop to it before he got worse. And they needed to do it soon. Leaning in close to pidgeot to avoid having the wind resistance slow them down, she kept her eyes fixed on the small line of trees in the distance, where her friends were resting.

    She was so enthralled with her discovery that she forgot all about asking people about the lack of news coverage on the library incident.

    To be continued…



    Author’s note: And this means…no more instant healing! Any wound a character gets will have to be dealt with (if possible) the old fashioned way, because if Scytheclaw tries to heal anyone again he’s gonna die.


  4. #74
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    The Path of Destiny
    Chapter 64 – Going Forward

    “I’m telling you, I think this is where we need to go. I don’t know why I’m so sure, I just am.” Katie took a deep breath as she waited for a response from Damian and Justin. The pokémon were listening too, and she knew she would need to have Arien and Damian translate their opinions as well.

    “Do you even know what legendary we’re looking for here?” Justin asked, folding his arms and not looking very impressed.

    “No,” Katie replied. “I don’t know where that portal – if that’s what it is – leads to.”

    “And why are you so convinced?” Justin argued back. “We all watched that video you recorded. And while, sure, it’s weird…it’s probably fake, or isn’t actually anything-”

    “Look, I know it sounds crazy, but right now it’s not just our best bet, it’s our only one.” Katie looked around at the watching group of people and pokémon. Justin was standing with Spark and some of the other wild pokémon on one side of the clearing. On the opposite side were Stormblade, Nightshade, and Damian, with the rest gathered somewhere in the middle. Stormblade in particular looked interested in what she was saying, and she chalked it up to pure curiosity; a lot of what the scyther had heard in the past day was completely new to him. He did look far more optimistic than the others, but she supposed anyone would if they had just been completely cured of a debilitating wound.

    “What about the pokémon?” Damian asked, echoing Katie’s own thoughts. “We should see what they think.”

    “Oh come on, we’re the trainers here!” Justin retorted.

    “And some of them aren’t even our pokémon,” Katie snapped. “Damian’s right. Besides, this was their journey before it was ours.” She gestured to the pokémon to start talking together and stepped back, waiting until Damian could translate their overall opinion.

    Justin gave Katie an annoyed look, but he sighed and turned his attention away from the group of pokémon, who had already broken up into worried chatter.

    “Should we really be wandering off somewhere this soon?” Rosie spoke first, looking over each of the pokémon around her.

    “I think we should try to find the place,” Stormblade answered confidently. “There are pokémon with Forbidden Attacks out there. We need to find answers before anything gets worse.”

    Blazefang glanced at the scyther, not sure he wanted to make eye contact with Stormblade in spite of the fact that his Shadowflare wounds were gone. He looked away, letting the other pokémon carry on the discussion.

    “What about Nightshade?” Redclaw asked, pointing his cream muzzle at the heracross, who was watching the group while resting against a tree.

    “I intend to come with you,” Nightshade replied, sitting up a little straighter. “I’ll go in one of the trainers’ poké balls if I need to.”

    “Well you kind of have to,” Rosie pointed out. “Katie told us you couldn’t be taken back to the pokémon center. But I still don’t see why we have to leave right now… We should at least let the injured pokémon rest for a few more days.”

    “All right, everyone, just calm down,” Redclaw stated, seeing that some of the pokémon were beginning to look agitated. The arcanine took a deep breath. “I agree with Stormblade. I think that if Katie believes we should find this desert place, we should. It’s better than waiting here. But Rosie is also right. We should take a few more days to prepare and give the injured time to rest.”

    “I agree with Redclaw,” Wildflame announced, raising her voice so that every pokémon could hear her over the chatter. “If this is a legendary, it doesn’t seem to want to be found by just anyone. If it created some sort of portal, then that must lead to its domain, or at least something that might give us a clue. What if it’s one of the legendaries guarding another Forbidden Attack? What if it knows more than Articuno does?”

    “And if it doesn’t…?” Blazefang asked, edging closer to his former pack-mate. “What’ll I do then?”

    “Then we look elsewhere,” Wildflame answered him. “But I’d rather start looking as soon as we can than wait for a better opportunity to come up.”

    Beside her, Blazefang nodded. The fear of his own Forbidden Attack was surfacing again, leading him to realize that he felt the same way as Wildflame.

    In one spot on the clearing, Scytheclaw sighed and lowered his head. When he spoke, he didn’t try to stand up. His body was still too weak, but in spite of that, he acted as confident as he could. “I know I want answers,” he began, giving Rosie a glare. “I want to know why any of this happened to me. And I want to know as soon as possible.”

    Stormblade gave Scytheclaw a respectful nod. “And I thank you for-”

    “Save it for later, okay?” Scytheclaw snapped at him. “We’ve got more important things to talk about right now.”

    Stormblade looked taken aback, but Alex moved toward him, whispering, “Don’t mind him, he’s just grumpy.” The floatzel gave a small chuckle that made Stormblade relax.

    “I’m…not sure about this,” Spark muttered.

    “Why, because your trainer isn’t?” Scytheclaw growled, turning his disapproving glare on the jolteon.

    “No, I just…I think Rosie’s right that maybe it’s a little too soon,” Spark replied. “I mean, Nightshade’s injured, Blazefang’s injured. We-”

    “I can travel just fine!” Blazefang suddenly shouted with an anger that surprised Spark, bits of flame spurting out from between his teeth.

    “If you get tired, Blazefang,” Snowcrystal cut in before Rosie could reply, “one of the humans can always catch you and release you later, right?”

    “Not exactly,” Arien interjected, speaking for the first time since Katie’s announcement. “Blazefang technically still belongs to Mausk. Logically speaking, he isn’t even a wild anymore. Unless his poké ball is destroyed or deactivated, he can’t be caught.”

    “I said I don’t need it!” Blazefang argued, a hint of fear showing through his voice this time. “All I want to do is find out how to get rid of Shadowflare. I need you to help me do that, and if we have an idea of where to go, then let’s go there, before I…I…”

    “Go insane?” Scytheclaw stated bluntly, looking the houndoom in the eye. “Yeah, I’d be a bit worried about that too if I couldn’t control my Forbidden Attack.”

    “Look,” Blazefang said, addressing the group as a whole, “sometimes I get…well, I’m not sure how to describe it. It’s like my ability to rationalize things gets skewed. Things that are really bad seem like good ideas. And in those times…I really want to use Shadowflare. When I’m in danger, it’s like I have to fight myself in order to not use it. Most of the time, I can’t hold it back for long. And it’s only gotten worse. How much longer am I going to have any control at all?”

    The rest of the clearing was silent, and Blazefang looked over the pokémon one by one. Each of them looked worried, even a bit frightened, by his statement.

    “Look, none of you have to come with us,” Blazefang continued. “This isn’t a vote. Anyone who wants to can leave.”

    Several moments of silence passed, and the pokémon glanced at one another worriedly or sat deep in thought. Justin tapped his foot impatiently as Katie replayed the footage on her pokégear to herself and Damian and Arien exchanged psychic words.

    “Well, I’m sure not leaving,” Alex announced. “I say we go to that portal.”

    A few pokémon murmured their agreement, until Redclaw barked, “Then why don’t we take a count of who doesn’t think we should go. Rosie?” He looked at the ninetales, who faltered a bit under his gaze.

    “I never said I didn’t,” Rosie began. “I just said that…maybe we shouldn’t head off so soon. I’m worried about Nightshade.”

    “Don’t worry,” the heracross said in reply, and both Rosie and Redclaw quieted to listen to him. “We’ll figure something out. But whatever decision you make, don’t choose one way or the other because of me. If it’s too much trouble to bring me along, I’ll deal with whatever happens at the pokémon center.”

    “No,” someone said before anyone else could speak, and all the pokémon in the group turned their heads to see Wildflame making a straight path for Nightshade. “We are not leaving you behind. No way. You’ve looked out for us, and now it’s our turn. And don’t say you want to be left behind because none of us are going to believe that.” The houndoom stamped her paw down into the dirt as she gave Nightshade a stubborn glare. “The humans have got luxury balls. No one’s going to drag you along through a wasteland. We’re sticking together.”

    Snowcrystal nodded in agreement as she stood beside Wildflame. “Like family.”

    “Oh, please,” Scytheclaw muttered, rolling his eyes.

    Nightshade however, looked genuinely surprised and touched at Wildflame’s words, and as he looked around at the group, he could see that the pokémon he’d traveled with felt the same. Even Stormblade, who hadn’t ever been able to really know him because of the Shadowflare wounds, gave him an eager nod of agreement.

    “Well,” Rosie sighed, “I guess he’d be okay in a luxury ball, but what about the rest of us?”

    “I’m sure you can have one too if you want,” Wildflame said with a shrug, and Rosie gave her an annoyed glare.

    “No thanks,” the ninetales muttered.

    “Thank you,” Nightshade said, turning the group’s attention back to him. “I would love to come with you. As long as you’re sure-”

    “Sure that what?” Spark interrupted. “You think you’re being a burden. Well, why don’t you think of it this way instead? We want your knowledge. Your common…or well, not-so-common sense. We want someone who’s knowledgeable about healing plants and a voice of reason against idiots like them-” He shot glares at Blazefang and Scytheclaw, who either glared back or just made a sigh of exasperation. “-So you can say that we’re actually using you. That better?”

    “No,” Nightshade responded, “that sounds completely absurd. Or, well, it would be if you were serious.” He gave the jolteon a smile to let him know that he appreciated the joke all the same. “But I suppose it’s just-”

    “What did you tell Thunder, Nightshade?” Snowcrystal interjected. “You told her that she could rely on you – on us – right?”

    “Yeah,” Wildflame agreed, happy that others were on her side. “She learned it, now it’s your turn.”

    At that statement, Nightshade paused, the truth of what the houndoom had said setting in. His expression went from one of worry for the others to one of more understanding. “I suppose you’re right. Thank you for being there for me.”

    “Yeah, it’s like Snowcrystal said,” the houndoom began, nudging Nightshade gently with her shoulder. “We’re a pack now. A family.”

    “Okay, no,” Scytheclaw growled, “what we are is a bunch of random pokémon coming together in one big group and attempting to actually do something.”

    “Eh, so he’s the grumpy uncle,” Wildflame said with a shrug, which got a weak laugh out of Nightshade.

    “Yeah, Uncle Scytheclaw saved Stormblade’s life,” Spark called out with a grin, “so he’s kinda stuck with our admiration whether he likes it or not!”

    “I think it’s time we stopped the chatter and started shedding some light for the trainers,” Arien interrupted. “What do you want me to tell them?”

    The group briefly exchanged more words, but the general consensus was that trying to find the legendary was the only course of action that made any sense and gave them some glimmer of hope. Arien quickly relayed this final information to Damian, who told Justin and Katie.

    “See, the pokémon understand,” Katie told Justin.

    “They’re pokémon!” Justin cried. “Of course they think the stuff they’d see on TV is always real. They’d-”

    “Well, if they trust humans, they’ll trust other pokémon too, right? What if we find that starly or another pokémon who knows what happened in that desert? That’s something even if this is all a hoax. And the further we get from Stonedust the more likely some isolated pokémon is going to know something. If any of the pokémon around here knew anything, we’d have found out by now.”

    “You can always stay behind, Justin,” Damian added.

    “And do what?” Justin sighed. He turned to Katie. “You know what, fine, I’ll go, but if there’s nothing there I’m going to be very, very angry with you.”

    “Anyway,” Damian interrupted, trying to change the subject before Katie could get angry at Justin again, “the main concern the pokémon have is whether or not it’s too soon to leave…I think the root of the issue is what we’ll do about the injured pokémon.”

    “A desert won’t be hard for a fire type to cross,” Katie said. “Blazefang should be okay. If he gets tired, well, I was thinking of getting packs for some of the larger pokémon to carry our supplies. He can ride on Fernwing or something. Scytheclaw and Dusk both have poké balls. Snowcrystal’s only got some scratches and anyone can carry her if she really needs it. And Nightshade…” She paused. “I think Justin should catch Nightshade.”

    “Why me?” Justin asked, more perplexed than anything.

    “It’ll be easier if he’s not registered with me or Damian,” she explained. “In case anyone from the cities finds out. They’ve already connected him to Damian and the library burning down. It’s better if you do it, since you’re not officially a trainer.”

    “Well, okay,” Justin said with a shrug.

    “I’ve been thinking a lot about this,” Katie continued. “The desert isn’t very far from here. I’ve got this map.” She reached into her backpack to pull out the book she had bought at the small shop. “It’s actually only about a day’s walk from this forest.”

    “Sounds pretty convenient, doesn’t it?” Justin asked, a tinge of uncertainty in his voice.

    “We’re up north of Stonedust,” Katie replied. “There are a lot of areas beyond this point that people don’t know much about. There’s got to be plenty of secrets hidden in them, too. The white growlithe are one example. It’s not much of a stretch to think weird stuff could be going on all around these places. Trainers don’t usually come this far. If I were a legendary, this is one of the places I’d think to go.”

    “All right, sure,” Justin said with another sigh. “Look, I’m not trying to argue, it just…seems a little weird that there’d be another one so close to where Articuno was.”

    “Not really,” Katie replied. “I think what’s in that desert is a portal. It might not even lead anywhere up north at all.”

    “Hope it doesn’t take us to some otherworldly dimension,” Justin mumbled uneasily. “And how are we going to get it to work for us?”

    “We’ll figure something out,” Katie replied. Somehow, despite Justin’s doubts, she felt confident about them being able to uncover the desert’s secrets. “As for supplies,” she continued, “we’re going to need a lot. Lots of water. I’ll bring a water pokémon with me, and we’ve got Alex. We’ll also need a lot of pokémon food. Redclaw and Fernwing can carry large amounts of this. My scolipede can carry some too.”

    As she listened to the humans talking, Snowcrystal felt more confident about their plan. At the very least, they wouldn’t have to worry about finding enough to eat or drink. With the humans on their side, they had all the food they needed and more, and they could take care of the injured pokémon without worrying about pushing them too hard. Also, with a group so large, they could fend off most any dangerous wild pokémon they happened to come across.

    “All right, let’s do this then,” Justin said, still somewhat reluctantly. “I might as well help you guys out. I just have one request.”

    “And that is?”

    “You or Damian are carrying the heracross’s poké ball. I don’t want to be on the receiving end of that other scyther’s violent rage.”

    -ooo-

    Katie went back to the city for their first round of supplies after the discussion was over, and the clearing became alive with activity as the pokémon talked back and forth, some excited, others still apprehensive. However, there was still an overwhelming sense of relief among them now that they finally had some direction. It was a direction that seemed a bit more solid than just looking up books in a library, even if they were venturing into unknown territory.

    While the pokémon gathered into small groups to rest or talk to each other, Blazefang slipped away from the rest. A few of the group members had wandered out into the forest to collect berries or to stretch their legs, and he knew one in particular had wanted to feel what it was like to run free again.

    As soon as he was out of the clearing, the houndoom caught Stormblade’s scent easily and raced along the trail as fast as he could, though his wounded shoulder and leg slowed him down, causing more pain than he expected. He grudgingly noted to himself that he would probably have to let Fernwing carry him when they started their journey.

    As he walked, he noticed that he was loudly crunching twigs beneath his paws, no matter how much he tried not to. He wasn’t used to forests, and he realized with annoyance that he’d probably be useless hunting here, especially if he was trying to chase something down in places where the woods grew thickest. He could, however, still use his sense of smell excellently, and the scyther scent was easy to pick out from the rest.

    He had even crossed Thunder’s scent at one point, but he made a point to stay clear of her. Nightshade may have welcomed her back, but that didn’t mean he had to. He was relieved that her trail had veered off in another direction; she seemed to have gone deeper into the forest this time. No one had seen her all day.

    Blazefang picked up the pace as soon as the scent grew stronger. The forest was denser here, and he found himself having to scramble clumsily over rocks or bushes, a feat that was made difficult by the claw wounds the pyroar had given him. He soon wound up finding the scyther he was looking for in a place he hadn’t expected – a shallow stream in one of the darkest areas of the forest.

    Blazefang was relieved to see that the stream was only about a foot deep, but it was wider than several houndoom standing end-to-end. The trees here reached far over his head, their branches interlocking as high up as the roof of a three-story human building.

    Stormblade had been cleaning his blades in the stream, standing in the center of it as he enjoyed the feeling of the cool water. He lifted his head to look at Blazefang, not seeming at all surprised that the houndoom was there. Blazefang figured that the scyther had easily heard him coming.

    Stormblade barely reacted, just stared at the fire type with an unreadable expression. Slowly, Blazefang stepped forward, placing his paws into the slow moving stream and making his way to the scyther until they stood almost face to face.

    “Stormblade,” Blazefang began, and as he watched the pokémon he had injured all that time ago, Stormblade didn’t move. There was wariness in the bug type’s eyes – no, something more than that – but Stormblade stood still. “I’m…” Blazefang continued, resisting the urge to look downwards and instead focusing on the scyther’s eyes. “I’m sorry for what happened. For what I did to you. I should’ve…I should’ve tried harder to fix it, but instead I just…”

    He trailed off. As he watched Stormblade, who still gave no response, he could see that Stormblade didn’t look angry. The scyther wasn’t running away, wasn’t yelling at him or even asking him to leave. He just faced Blazefang, waiting to see what he would do.

    “I regretted using the attack the moment after it happened,” the houndoom said, raising his voice and hoping that he sounded as sure as he really was. “I didn’t know what it would do, but I should have…helped the others figure out something. I don’t know what. I should have at least tried to make up for it. And Stormblade, I promise I’ll try from now on.” He bowed his head a little in a show of respect, the same way he had once addressed his tribe leader.

    What Blazefang had just done was something he never thought he’d find himself doing. But he hadn’t been able to relax since using Shadowflare for the first time. It was something that had haunted him for so long, he felt ashamed that he hadn’t tried to at least do something before Katie had taken Stormblade away.

    When Stormblade spoke, his voice didn’t sound doubtful or suspicious, merely confused. “You don’t sound like the Blazefang I knew.”

    “Believe me, I’ll take that as a compliment,” the houndoom muttered. “But hey, even if I was, everything I was trying to work for is over now. The houndour tribe doesn’t need me anymore; Articuno’s not coming back. And being a leader was something that was never going to happen to me, but-” He paused, realizing how self-centered he was beginning to sound. He hadn’t come to Stormblade just to make the scyther listen to him rant. He had something more important to do. “But that’s not important right now.” He paced back and forth a few times, ignoring the chilly water that splashed his black fur. Then he stopped, looking Stormblade in the eyes again. “I just…I just really want you to know that I’m sorry. That I should never have done it. You can take it or leave it, it’s up to you.”

    He wasn’t sure how Stormblade was going to react, all he knew was that he was done running away from things like a coward. As much as he had been reluctant to journey with Snowcrystal, the time he’d spent in the underground had shown him that these pokémon were willing to put their lives on the line for another. There was a part of him, and it was steadily growing stronger, that wanted to be like that.

    “I sure hope you’re sincere,” Stormblade said, stepping away from Blazefang and walking toward the shore. “I’m not saying I don’t believe you, I just want to be sure. If you’ve really changed, it would take more than coming here to apologize.”

    “I know,” Blazefang said. “If it takes you a while to trust me, then I don’t blame you. But I’ll do my best.”

    “Well,” Stormblade began, a hint of a smile forming on his face. “I believe you. Let’s see you start working on it.”

    The two pokémon gave a nod of respect to each other and parted ways, Blazefang heading back along his own trail toward the group, and Stormblade running off to enjoy the feeling of racing through the forest once again.

    -ooo-

    “Are you sure this is far enough?” Thunder growled, glancing suspiciously back in the direction of the camp.

    “It’ll be fine, Thunder,” Nightshade answered her. He glanced down at the blankets the trainers had set out for him when he’d made it known that he’d wanted to talk to Thunder. In spite of his insistence that she would not harm him, he knew they were still waiting tensely, ready to come to his aid at the first sign of a struggle. He had made sure they would be far enough away that they wouldn’t hear any of his conversation, but they had insisted on being close enough to hear a shout.

    They had trusted him enough to bring him to this much smaller clearing, where he had told Thunder to wait for him. And although his injuries had only barely started to heal, the couple days of rest had brought back a little of his strength.

    “All right, fine,” Thunder muttered, still not entirely happy about the others being so close by. “I just wish you didn’t have to stay around them for all those human medicines.”

    “Well, Thunder-”

    Before he could finish, Thunder had darted to the nearest tree and sliced deeply into its trunk, then moved on to the next one. In no more than several seconds, all of the closest trees surrounding them were oozing sap. “I can help you too,” Thunder stated firmly. “Not just them.”

    “You…you don’t need to do that to all the trees,” Nightshade said with a lighthearted chuckle. “And it’s all right; I don’t need any food right now.”

    “Right,” the scyther growled. “They brought you plenty.”

    “Listen, Thunder,” Nightshade began. “The others are searching for a legendary that might be able to help us. And I’m going with them.”

    “Why?” Thunder spat back. “What does that have to do with us?”

    “I want to help them,” he replied. “And right now I need their help as well. But you see, if I’m going to travel with them, I’ll need to be in a poké ball. Justin-”

    “What?” Thunder cried, looking shocked and appalled. “You’re going to just…to just hand over your freedom to the humans?”

    “No, no, of course not,” Nightshade said quickly. “I’ll be released as soon as I’m well enough to travel on my own again. I agreed to this; they are not taking away any of my free will.” He sighed, seeing that Thunder still showed the same suspicion. “Please try to trust my judgment. I wouldn’t have agreed to this if I didn’t know they would keep their word.”

    “What if they’re lying to you?” Thunder growled, and Nightshade could tell her anger was still building beneath the surface.

    “You’ve seen them help,” Nightshade replied, reaching out with his good arm toward the scyther. “They had no reason to help me other than that they wanted to. They went down to the fighting ring and rescued you and Blazefang. I trust them, and while you don’t have to, I hope you’ll at least trust that I know what I’m doing.”

    Thunder was silent, realizing she was not going to change Nightshade’s mind. She knew, as much as she hated to admit it, that Nightshade was likely to get an infection and die without the humans’ help. She also knew, when she thought about it, that staying around three isolated humans was better than being taken into the city of thousands looking for treatment.

    “You don’t have to agree with me,” Nightshade continued, “and I wouldn’t want you to trust them just because I do. I just want you to give them a chance.”

    “Fine,” she muttered, but not in response to Nightshade’s most recent statement. “Let them carry you around like a slave. But if they ever turn on you, or don’t keep their promise, I’ll-”

    “Don’t hurt them, okay?” Nightshade said firmly before Thunder could even finish. “They’re my friends. But I’ll tell you this…” At these words, a bit of the anger faded from Thunder’s expression as she waited to see what he would say. “The poké balls these trainers have aren’t like the ones Master has. Pokémon can learn to come out when they wish. I’m sure one of the trainer’s pokémon can easily teach me how, if that helps.”

    “Then I want to see what poké ball they’re using before they use it,” Thunder snapped. “I want to make sure they’re telling the truth and then I want to see you come out of it on your own after they’ve captured you. And if they think of going back on what you made them promise…”

    “They won’t,” Nightshade insisted, trying to sit up straighter. “Please…try to trust me. I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought the humans posed a threat.” He paused, considering something else. “And they’ll have to let me out often for food and water. I’d also rather sleep outside the poké ball. You’ll be able to see me at night.”

    Thunder locked eyes with Nightshade, her tone serious. “Fine, I’ll trust you. But if the humans don’t let you go when all this is over…I’ll free you myself.”

    “That won’t be necessary, Thunder, but thank you,” Nightshade told her. “I promise I’m in good hands.”

    “If they do as they say,” Thunder growled, but Nightshade’s confidence seemed to be wearing her suspicion down. “When are we leaving?”

    “I think as soon as they’re ready,” Nightshade answered. “I know this was sudden. It was really sudden for everyone. I’m sorry I didn’t have much warning other than that. But Thunder, I believe that once they help Blazefang and Scytheclaw, these humans and pokémon can help us too.”

    Thunder almost laughed, but couldn’t muster up enough enthusiasm to. “Well, when you’re healed, you and I won’t need their help.” She turned around, facing the direction of the camp with a wary gaze. “Tell them when you’re ready to be captured, because I’m going to make sure they don’t try anything funny.”

    Nightshade nodded to her, but she didn’t turn to face him, so she didn’t see the worried look in his eyes.

    -ooo-

    Two days later, everything the trainers could think of to prepare for the journey had been done. They had stocked up on food, water, medical supplies for both people and pokémon, as well as anything else they felt they might need while the injured pokémon rested. Katie had organized most of it, and Damian, who was the most experienced at wilderness traveling out of all of them, had added plenty of suggestions of his own, and now the pokémon stood, packs strapped to the backs of the largest ones.

    Redclaw glanced to his left at Fernwing, and the tropius grinned at him in response. They were both carrying large amounts of food and water, and to Redclaw’s right was Katie’s scolipede, who was also carrying a bulky pack of supplies. Several of the others carried smaller packs, and even Snowcrystal had insisted she help bring something, so there was a small first aid kit strapped to the growlithe’s back.

    Damian had volunteered to carry the luxury ball now containing Nightshade, and he tried to give Thunder a reassuring grin as the scyther watched from the sidelines, her piercing eyes staring into his. Damian, with the help of his pokémon, had already shown Nightshade how to break out of the poké ball of his own free will, but it was clear Thunder still didn’t like the idea.

    “So, uh…this is it, I guess?” Justin asked, looking around the group of pokémon and nervously fidgeting when his gaze passed over the two scyther. “We’re just going to walk out in the middle of some desert?”

    “Yes,” Katie replied curtly.

    “We’ll walk until it gets dark, camp out, and we should get to the desert the next morning,” Damian explained.

    As soon as he said it, his confident gaze wavered, and he glanced nervously away for a moment. Katie and Justin exchanged glances, wondering what was wrong.

    “Uh…Katie?” Damian began. “You…you don’t have to help us, you know. You can go back to the city. Justin and I can find our way on our own and really…” He paused and took a deep breath. “You don’t exactly have a reason to be wandering around the wilderness with us anyway.”

    Katie cast her eyes down and stepped forward. To Damian’s surprise, he felt her placing a hand on his shoulder. “Hey,” she said, “I’m coming with you. I’ve stuck with you guys this far, and I’m going to go the rest of the way. If there’s anything we can do to stop that…psycho vaporeon from killing thousands of innocent people, and anything we can do to help Blazefang and Scytheclaw…well, I want to be a part of it.”

    Damian looked up at Katie, both shock and gratitude clear on his expression. Justin looked immensely relieved, and Katie’s scolipede brightened visibly, as if glad she wouldn’t have to turn around and leave after being promised a part in the journey.

    “Well, I’m ready if you all are,” Katie said, straightening up. “Let’s go.”

    Many of the pokémon gave cheerful cries, eager to leave the wilderness by Stonedust City’s outskirts behind. It had felt like ages since they’d last been traveling, moving toward a solid goal, and there was a part of each of them that longed to keep going…

    …And to find the answers they had so long waited to unearth.

    -ooo-

    The first stretch of the journey passed uneventfully, and they set up camp as soon as the sun began to set. According to Fernwing and Katie’s pidgeot, who had flown on ahead, Damian had been correct. They would reach the desert by late morning.

    With the help of the fire types, they soon had a steady campfire going. The trainers and pokémon all sat in a wide ring around the flames, apart from a few who had wandered off on their own. The forest had thinned out, and now there were only a couple large trees here and there. Most of the land was scattered with boulders, reminding them a bit of the old camps they had stayed in back when they were searching the library.

    As they conversed among themselves, Thunder waited back with Nightshade. The fact that the humans had kept to their word throughout the day seemed to have calmed her, and she wasn’t even shooting glares in their direction much anymore.

    “Why do they care so much?” the scyther growled.

    Nightshade glanced at her from his position on the ground, where the humans had set up a comfortable bed for him.

    “Why do they want to help that Blazefang houndoom so much? After all the things he did.”

    “Pokémon can change, Thunder,” Nightshade replied weakly. “Like you did.”

    “Maybe,” Thunder scoffed. “But he’s got a Forbidden Attack. He’s dangerous.”

    “He still has a lot of control,” Nightshade replied, “and it only seems to activate when he’s in physical danger. He is not a threat to us now.”

    “But he will be.”

    “Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Nightshade said, but there was some worry in his voice. “Blazefang doesn’t want to hurt us. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone needlessly. We all made the decision to help him, and we decided to take the risks.”

    “Like you did with me?” Thunder said suddenly, causing Nightshade to look at her in surprise. “I guess I can understand that,” the scyther admitted quietly. “But what I don’t understand is why him? Why do you care about him?”

    “I care about pokémon in need,” Nightshade said. “And I help when I can. The other pokémon would too. Stormblade didn’t even know you when he set you free on the night they found you chained to a wall.”

    “Hah, Stormblade,” Thunder laughed bitterly. “He’s only alive because of a fluke anyway. Honestly, Nightshade, pokémon like me, and I suppose like you, know much more pain than even they ever will. Why should we even bother with them?”

    Nightshade sighed. “I thought like that once. But trust me when I say that it never got me anywhere. Nor will it help you. Maybe you still need to understand that Mausk – Master – was wrong.”

    “I do,” Thunder hissed. “I would never, never listen to what that monster says again.”

    “There’s still things he taught you that you believe,” Nightshade insisted, and the look on Thunder’s face told him that if anyone else had said that to her, she would have started screaming insults at them. “Things that weren’t commands said out loud. Those are harder to unlearn.”

    Thunder looked like she was ready to argue, but decided against it and just rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she muttered in exasperation, making it clear that she was tired of talking to him for the night. “I’m going to get some food.” Without waiting for him to reply, she stood up and walked over to Redclaw, snapping at him to give her some of the pokémon food in the pack lying beside him, and the arcanine hurriedly obliged.

    Soon tiredness overcame the group and they let the fire burn low, not needing much heat to help them through a fairly warm night. The humans retired to their tents along with some of the pokémon, and the others curled up together on the ground or found a spot to themselves. Somewhere, off in the distance, a starly sang one last song as the last of the fire’s embers grew cold.

    -ooo-

    By late next morning, the group stood in front of the sprawling, dusty plain of the desert, the grassy fields and rocks directly behind them. The dry ground ahead of them was brown and featureless, no sign of plant life or pokémon to be found. Katie, who had become more or less their guide for the desert journey, stood at the front.

    It struck her as strange that there was a desert this far north. She supposed it was probably much colder in the wintertime, but right now she could feel the early summer heat beating down on her, so different from the nightly chill of the forest she had become used to.

    Looking over the scorched brown earth, she noted how much of a huge contrast it was from the places they had left. Even the fields of grass and trees they had just passed by seemed to end abruptly, like part of the earth had been cut out and replaced by this desert. The line between the dry ground and grassy plains stood out so bizarrely against the rest of the landscape that it made her feel odd, like she was standing right on the place where two squares met on some giant patchwork quilt.

    She didn’t feel like the desert was bad or dangerous, though, or at least not more so than any other desert. She had no foreboding feelings, no restless unease at the sight of it. It just felt weird. Not in a wrong way, just in a way that left her baffled.

    “If a legendary’s out here somewhere, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised,” she told herself. She turned to face the others. “Let’s get started. We’ll have Alex and my azumarill cool everyone down if it gets too hot later.”

    “Drink plenty of water, don’t die, yada, yada, yada,” Justin said mockingly.

    “Oh, shut up,” Katie said with a grin, pushing him away from her in a jesting manner.

    Snowcrystal pushed her way to the front of the group, pausing to adjust the straps of the pack holding the first aid kit to her back. “How long do you think it’ll take us to reach this portal?” she asked no one in particular.

    “If Damian and Katie are right,” Arien answered her, “then five or six days. Maybe more, maybe less, depending on how well we make time.”

    “Wouldn’t it be funny if we came across those vibrava the scientists were looking for all that time?” Alex asked jokingly.

    “Only if they could tell us where this portal thing is,” Scytheclaw responded. “Then it would be funny. Otherwise, no.”

    Stormblade, who now looked more fit and healthy than a lot of them, took a step onto the dusty ground. “Let’s go then,” he said. “Let’s find out how this Forbidden Attack mess can be stopped once and for all.”

    The pokémon needed no second bidding. Even the humans, who couldn’t understand his words, could hear his meaning loud and clear. With a new determination, the traveling party made their way over the dividing line between plain and desert, taking their first steps on the sun-scorched earth, toward their glimmer of hope.

    To be continued…


  5. #75
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    The Path of Destiny
    Chapter 65 – The Wasteland



    “Okay, okay,” a voice rang out, carrying far across the flat and desolate land. “My turn. I spy, with my little eye, something…brown.”

    “Spark, everything in this desert is brown!”

    The jolteon turned to his ninetales friend with a grin of excitement. “What, you give up?”

    “No!” Rosie retorted. “Okay, fine, the dirt. You spy the dirt.”

    “Which patch of dirt?” Spark teased. “You gotta guess the right one or you lose!”

    Rosie rolled her eyes. “That patch, over there!” She pointed with her paw, and Spark laughed.

    “You gotta be more specific than that!”

    “Okay, how about these three specific grains of sand that landed on my paw?” Rosie said mockingly, shoving her paw in front of Spark’s nose for inspection.

    “Nope!” the jolteon said smugly. “That was three guesses, so you lose!”

    “Okay, okay, fine,” Rosie sighed. “I spy…with my little eye…Justin picking his nose!”

    “What?”

    “Ha!” As Spark turned his head, Rosie tackled him to the ground. “Just kidding!”

    A few of the other pokémon halted as Spark and Rosie tumbled over and over before jumping to their feet and chasing each other in a wide circle around the group.

    “Hey!” Redclaw called out to them. “Try and save your energy. We’ll be walking for quite a while.”

    “Aw, you’re no fun,” Spark muttered as he and Rosie stopped their roughhousing and trotted back to the group.

    Rosie sighed and then turned to Spark. “Well, that ‘I spy’ game you showed me wasn’t much fun either. There’s nothing around here to look at. The only thing that stuck out to me among all this brown was some stupid cloud.”

    “I gotta agree with you there,” Wildflame mused, walking up beside Redclaw and the two younger pokémon. Like the arcanine, she was carrying a pack of supplies, though one much smaller. “This place is probably the most empty landscape I’ve ever seen. And we’ll be walking through it for days. Let them have a little fun, Redclaw.”

    “I just hope we find something, and don’t have to walk all the way back with nothing,” Rosie sighed.

    “Oh come on,” said Spark, “lighten up. Who doesn’t want to spend days trekking through a sweltering desert with a bunch of sweaty, stinky pokémon?”

    “Speak for yourself. I’m a fire type!” Rosie said proudly. “The heat won’t make me sweaty and gross like you.”

    “Hey, are you guys going to catch up?” Stormblade’s voice called from up ahead, and the four pokémon turned to look toward him, seeing that the main group had passed them up while they’d been distracted.

    “Coming, Stormblade!” Wildflame shouted back in a mock sing-song voice, aiming a grin at Redclaw. “Race you.”

    Without waiting for a response, she shot off, and Redclaw bounded after her, shouting, “That’s no fair; you’re not carrying as much as I am!”

    Spark and Rosie watched their antics with amusement, both of them glad that at least everyone was in a considerably lighter mood. It made the walk through the desert seem like much less of a chore.

    Most of the other group members were closely clustered together, Damian and Justin taking the lead. Arien walked between them, ready to alert his trainer if any of the pokémon needed something. Scytheclaw, however, was in his poké ball. The heat was simply too much for the scizor, and he had yet to recover his strength. Damian also carried Nightshade’s poké ball, making sure to keep it in plain sight so that Thunder, the only one who wasn’t walking close to the group, could see it.

    Thunder was keeping her distance as much as she could, while still staying close enough to see Nightshade’s poké ball and to come to his aid should she need to. She could at least be fairly confident that she could take down the humans and their pokémon if it came to fight, and she also reminded herself that Nightshade could be right and that they were no real threat. And, as much as she hated to admit it, she needed their food and water. If she wanted to keep her only friend safe, she was going to have to put up with them.

    “Thunder!” a voice cried from over in the group, and the scyther turned to see Snowcrystal calling to her. “Why don’t you come over here with us?”

    Even as Thunder watched her, the angry or worried stares of the other pokémon told her that Snowcrystal’s request wasn’t a popular one. Not even bothering to give an answer, Thunder looked away from the growlithe and carried on, keeping the same amount of distance between herself and the others.

    Over at the back of the group, Snowcrystal sighed, watching as Thunder acted as if she hadn’t even heard. “This isn’t working very well,” she said quietly.

    “Let Thunder do what she wants,” Rosie muttered. “We don’t want her stabbing anyone else.”

    “Rosie! She promised…” Snowcrystal said sadly. “She promised she wouldn’t hurt us, and Nightshade trusts her!”

    “Yeah, well, maybe she shouldn’t make promises she can’t keep,” the ninetales muttered. “And anyway, if she’s not over here getting angry at us, she’s not very likely to try anything, is she?”

    “I guess not,” Snowcrystal replied unhappily.

    “Then she’s better off over there,” Rosie said pointedly.

    “Look, Thunder’s not trying to hurt anyone,” a voice interrupted, and they both turned to see that Stormblade had slowed down to match his pace with theirs. “But let’s leave her alone for now. She probably just needs more time to feel comfortable around us.”

    As Stormblade left them to walk toward the front of the group again, Rosie leaned in closer to Snowcrystal and whispered, “He’s probably only saying that because she saved him back in that muddy cave. Still doesn’t change what she did to Nightshade though.”

    “I don’t know,” Snowcrystal muttered back. “I think more pokémon should give her a chance like he does.”

    Rosie gave her an eye roll. “Just don’t get yourself killed trying to befriend her.”

    Snowcrystal didn’t feel like replying. Instead, she cast her gaze skyward, watching the bulky shape of Fernwing the tropius gliding far above them. Blazefang, who was still weak from the wounds he’d received in the underground, had been strapped to the tropius’s back so that he could ride most of the way. She briefly wondered how the houndoom felt about being so high above the ground the whole time, but seeing as Fernwing wasn’t heading back down with any bad news, she figured he was fine with it. She could also see Katie’s pidgeot up ahead, scouting out the way for them.

    “Try and relax, Snowcrystal,” Redclaw told her, interrupting her train of thought. “We’ll find a way to work things out. But for now we need to focus on just finding this stone arch thing.”

    The growlithe nodded and followed the arcanine, feeling a bit better after hearing that he understood, and that the tension surrounding Thunder seemed to have faded a bit.

    Up in the air, ahead of the group, Katie clung to her pidgeot’s back as she peered ahead. She could feel the hot desert wind whipping against her skin, and occasionally had to shield her eyes from dust as she scanned the landscape below. It was still as blank and featureless as it had been when they’d first reached it, the only things that could be called landmarks being a few small boulders. Even those were few and far between, and if she didn’t have her pokégear to navigate, Katie would have worried about getting lost.

    So far, she could see no change in the land up ahead, and she reluctantly accepted the fact that it would probably look like this the entire time until they reached the cliffs. She had to admit to herself that she did feel a bit silly for dragging the others out into a wasteland based on a news airing and some hunch, but she just couldn’t give up in case something was out there.

    Her pidgeot gave a sharp cry, which she knew meant that he was tired, hungry, or both. She glanced over his side at the pokémon and trainers below, spotting her scolipede, who was carrying much of the food.

    “Okay, let’s head back for a little break,” she told her pokémon, and the flying type wheeled back down to join the other adventurers.

    -ooo-

    They had a brief meal, rested, and then, after Alex and Katie’s azumarill had cooled them down, set off again. Damian had convinced the group that they would keep going into the night and rest well into the day, so that they could travel when the worst of the heat was over. The other pokémon agreed willingly, knowing that the only reason they hadn’t started out travelling that way was that they had all been too anxious to find out if Katie’s theory was right, and had begun their journey as soon as they could, starting off in broad daylight. Luckily, with the water pokémon and all their supplies, walking in the desert during the day was simply uncomfortable, not dangerous. It helped that the water pokémon were able to cool them down, and would be able to use their water attacks for at least a while longer.

    As they continued to trudge across the cracked earth, Snowcrystal noticed that her fur had turned brown from the dust. Some of it had also gotten in her nose, and she found herself sneezing for what felt like the hundredth time. She shook herself, feeling dirt flying off her coat and into the air. Even after that, she didn’t feel any cleaner.

    She squinted as she peered into the sky again, watching the path of Fernwing and Katie’s pidgeot. She envied them a bit, knowing that they were up in the wind, which had to be cooler. Snowcrystal was a fire type, but her native land was the cold of the snowy mountain. Here, it almost felt like her internal fire was overheating her, even though she knew it had died down because of the scorching temperatures around her.

    Up ahead, she could see Damian walking with a piece of cloth over his nose and face, and Justin was copying his example. Alex’s usually bouncy demeanor had faded, and she plodded along with her head low. Even the fire types who were used to warmer climates were uncomfortable, and every so often she heard one of them cough from the dust.

    She was so focused on putting one paw in front of the other, forcing herself to think of the promising reward of their next break, that she hardly noticed Wildflame approaching her until the houndoom nudged her side.

    “Snowcrystal, there’s something I want to tell you,” the houndoom whispered. “Let’s hang back.”

    Snowcrystal nodded and the growlithe and houndoom slowed their pace and let the others pass them. Everyone else was too focused on walking to pay them any mind, and they were soon out of earshot.

    “Okay, what is it?” Snowcrystal asked, speaking low in case anyone could still hear them.

    “Well…” the houndoom began, “I really should have told you this a long time ago.” She took a deep breath. “When I first joined your group…I lied about being kicked out of Blazefang’s pack because I was evolved. You see, Blazefang sent me to you guys, told me to gain your trust and figure out if you knew anything about Articuno. And I…I knew that attack he and the other houndour led on you was going to happen. But I didn’t know he would go as far as he did. I thought it would be a quick battle where I’d pretend to fight them off easily, so you’d trust me more. But I should have told you.”

    Snowcrystal stopped walking, staring back at the houndoom. She was at a loss for what to say. For the past few months, she had believed Wildflame’s story. She had even wondered what would become of Blazefang if his old pack back near the mountain saw that he had evolved. She felt betrayed, and yet also confused. Wildflame had always acted so loyal, and now here she was saying it had all been an act from the start.

    Yet…Snowcrystal also knew that, whatever had happened in the beginning, Wildflame had changed since then. That had been proven again and again. The houndoom had even risked her life for her. Now, the only thing that made her feel hurt and betrayed was that Wildflame had lied to her about it all for so long.

    “But I swear, that didn’t last long,” Wildflame continued. “Things changed really quickly, and I realized there was no point in…I mean, I had nothing against…I just…I realized I was wrong.” She hung her head. “I was stupid. Blazefang and I shouldn’t have even been following you in the first place.”

    Snowcrystal didn’t reply, and instead waited for Wildflame to go on.

    “But I promise things are different now,” the houndoom said seriously, lifting her head and looking Snowcrystal in the eyes. “They were different for a long time. I’ve only wanted to help you for so long…and I’m so sorry about what I did. I’m completely on your side now. I’d never try to hurt you or drive you off your land or anything like that.”

    Snowcrystal knew from the houndoom’s words and the look in her eyes that Wildflame was completely sincere. Even though the news had come as a shock, she could tell that she was already beginning to forgive her friend. “I wish you’d told me sooner, Wildflame,” she said, barely above a whisper. “I would have understood.”

    “I know. I was wrong,” the houndoom said regretfully. “But listen, Snowcrystal. When all this is over, if Articuno won’t come back, then I’ll help the growlithe tribe find a new home.” She looked Snowcrystal in the eyes again and smiled. “That is a promise. And I intend to keep my promises.”

    “R-really?” Snowcrystal replied, astonished. “Are you sure?”

    “Of course. The mess they’re in is partly my tribe’s fault,” Wildflame replied. “And even if it wasn’t, I’d still do it because they’re your family, and I know how much family means to you.” She gave Snowcrystal a grin of amusement. “You consider all of us family. Even Scytheclaw. That shows it must mean an awful lot.”

    Snowcrystal gave her a small laugh. “Thank you, Wildflame.”

    “I understand if you don’t want to trust me for a while,” the houndoom said. “Or ever, even. What I did was really wrong. I’m sorry for that, and I won’t blame you if you don’t.”

    “Wildflame,” Snowcrystal began, “I know you were trying to fool us in the beginning, but you saved my life from a forest fire made of Shadowflare. No amount of deception could be worth doing that! I know you’re on our side now.” She leaned closer and touched noses with Wildflame. “But you need to go tell the others,” she said. “They deserve to know too.”

    “That was my next plan,” Wildflame said with a grin. “Thanks for giving me another chance.”

    -ooo-

    During the next rest, Wildflame’s confession got mixed responses. The pokémon who had been a part of the group when Wildflame had first joined were uncertain of what to think at first, and those who hadn’t been there were more surprised than anything.

    Rosie had reacted with anger, not taking the news as well as Snowcrystal had. But when Wildflame didn’t object, and instead agreed that she had the right to be mad, Rosie calmed down a bit, though it was clear she wasn’t sure if she was ready to forgive just yet.

    Stormblade had been angry as well, but he quickly gained a certain respect for Wildflame for deciding to be honest and coming clean about everything.

    Spark, however, took the whole thing in stride. “Honestly, that happened so long ago...it feels like I can hardly even remember it,” the Jolteon mused. “But hey, Blazefang’s done a lot worse and I know he’s not going to murder us in our sleep. A lot's happened since then, Wildflame, and you've proven yourself many times over, so I trust you. Just, uh, try not to lie to us again, all right?”

    “Yeah, I won’t,” Wildflame responded. “If you guys need a while to trust me again, I get it. And I’ll show you that I’ll be honest from now on.”

    “Well,” began Redclaw, “I don’t know if I’m entirely sure yet of what happened, but I believe you. If Blazefang and Scytheclaw can learn from their mistakes, I see no reason why you can’t too.”

    Near the edge of the group, Blazefang shuffled his paws nervously. He knew he had nothing to confess; all his misdeeds were well known among the others. Yet his past actions still haunted him.

    “Hey, Blazefang,” Wildflame called to him, causing him to look up. “Let’s try not to ruin the lives of other pokémon for our own agendas anymore, right?”

    She was grinning at him, trying to lighten the mood, but Blazefang still felt as if the subject had brought up a lot of bad memories for the original members of the group, and he didn’t particularly feel welcome.

    “Oh come on, Blaze,” Wildflame sighed in irritation. “Stop being ridiculous. It’s true. If you want everyone to respect you, then start acting like a decent pokémon. We both owe that to them.”

    “I knew it,” a low voice hissed from somewhere outside the circle of resting pokémon, and they all turned their heads to see Thunder standing there. “You’re a liar. You’re probably all liars,” the scyther hissed. To their surprise, she didn’t look angry at Wildflame in particular. Her distrustful glare was directed to the group as a whole.

    Nightshade looked up from the bowl of honey he was lapping at, taking care not to move his damaged arm. “Thunder, Wildflame’s trying to make things right. She’s not a liar anymore.”

    “She already lied once,” Thunder growled. “She’s still a liar.”

    “Wouldn’t that mean you could still attack Nightshade or the rest of us?” Rosie growled angrily at the scyther. “If Wildflame’s apology doesn’t mean anything, why should we think yours does?”

    “Rosie!” Nightshade hissed.

    “All right, that’s enough,” Arien said, rising to his feet. He looked at the humans, who had interrupted their meal to stare at the pokémon in confusion. “We can’t have any fighting now. Rosie, apologize.”

    “Sorry…” the ninetales muttered, avoiding the alakazam’s gaze.

    Thunder looked visibly angry, but to the surprise of the group gathered there, she slowly forced herself to relax. “I don’t need you to believe it,” she snapped at the ninetales. “I know. Nightshade knows. You’re not worth arguing with.” With that, she turned and walked away, leaving the last bits of her food behind.

    “Oh great,” Blazefang muttered. “With her around, this is going to be a long walk.”

    “Should I…try to talk to her?” Stormblade mused.

    Nightshade shook his head. “Not now. I think the best we can do is show her that we trust her. That’s all she’d probably want you to do now.”

    Stormblade looked a bit surprised, but he nodded.

    -ooo-

    The rest of the day passed without any trouble. As they traveled further into the desert, they started to see a few scraggly bushes here and there, as well as a couple of trapinch and one scavenging fennekin. Other than that, there had been no signs of life. There definitely hadn’t been any sign of water.

    Now, they walked through darkness, grateful for the chill of night as they made their way across the dusty earth, the sky filled with countless stars above them. Snowcrystal found that, in spite of the fact that the white growlithe of the mountain were used to traveling a lot in one day, she was growing exhausted, and it was hard to stay awake. She figured it must be the exhaustion of the underground fight, or simply the heat of the day, or both.

    She soon found herself talking to Wildflame again. As a pokémon with more nocturnal tendencies, Wildflame had little problem staying awake, and decided to talk with Snowcrystal to help keep her focused. Somehow, they got on the subject of where they would go once their journey ended.

    “I hope Articuno can come back,” Snowcrystal said tiredly. “But I guess if not, we’ll have to find a new home.”

    “Yeah, but remember, I’ll be there to help you guys,” Wildflame replied.

    “I wonder about the others too,” Snowcrystal mused. “I mean Spark, and Stormblade…everyone here.”

    The houndoom was silent, and for a few minutes they walked, the light of the stars and moon bright enough to show them the way without any need for fire to provide light. Then she spoke again.

    “I’m not going to go back to my tribe once this is all over,” Wildflame said softly. “I don’t like how Firedash – that’s our leader – was running things. Blazefang can go back if he wants, but if that’s what he chooses, I’m not going with him. Most of the houndour I got along with are in Cyclone’s army now, but even if they weren’t…” She sighed. “I dunno. I guess I wasn’t a good fit. Never liked all the strict rules. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now…and I guess I realized I never did really want to go back.”

    “Do you think you’d like to find other houndoom and houndour?” Snowcrystal asked. “Join a pack or start one of your own, with your own way of doing things?”

    “I don’t know.” Wildflame stopped walking, her eyes turned toward the hundreds of stars above them. “To be honest…I’d really rather stick with you guys. You’re more of a pack than my houndour tribe ever was. You, Nightshade, Spark, Rosie…all of you. I think I’m even going to miss Scytheclaw a little.” At this, she gave a small chuckle. “I guess when we’re done journeying together, and I’ve helped the growlithe settle into their new territory, I’ll tag along with whoever wants to find a new home somewhere warmer. Stick with them.”

    Snowcrystal felt a sadness creeping over her. “I wish there was a way we could all stay together,” she said.

    “Yeah, me too,” Wildflame admitted. “But hey, if we can survive all this, we could probably do anything. Maybe we can figure something out.”

    Snowcrystal smiled at her. She started to reply, but stopped when she noticed that Wildflame’s attention had become fixed on something up ahead.

    “Oh, they’re stopping,” the houndoom mused. “Guess we’re spending the night here. Come on, let’s go join them.”

    The growlithe followed the larger canine as she bounded toward the group, who she could see were unloading supplies from the pokémon. She felt proud that she had carried the first aid kit with her the entire day, and hurried to catch up with them.

    A campfire was already burning merrily. The trainers were starting to set up tents and spread blankets on the ground, and a few of the pokémon had already curled up to go to sleep. Rosie was so exhausted that she had fallen asleep leaning against Redclaw’s side, and the arcanine didn’t feel like disturbing her. A few of the others looked as if they were drifting off as well, lying down on the first blanket they reached.

    “Wait a minute, everyone,” Stormblade said suddenly. The tired scyther was instantly alert, so the others knew he had noticed something. “There are pokémon coming our way.”

    All of the pokémon and trainers looked in the direction they’d been walking from, where Stormblade’s focus was directed. Even Redclaw stirred, which woke Rosie. Quietly, they all stood up and peered out over the dark desert landscape, some of them moving forward for a closer look.

    At first, they saw nothing. Then they noticed black shapes moving slowly their way from a distance, only noticeable by how they blocked out small patches of stars.

    At once, everyone stopped what they were doing and stood still, watching the strange figures that headed their way. No one spoke for several seconds.

    “What are they?” Rosie asked, breaking the silence.

    “I’ll fly up ahead and see what those things are,” Katie suggested, obviously guessing what the pokémon’s question had been, but she needn’t have volunteered.

    “Wait a minute…I see them,” Justin said. The others looked harder, and as their eyes adjusted to the gloom away from their campfire, the light of the stars and moon illuminated the shape of the pokémon following them. “They’re cacturne.”

    “How come we didn’t see any of those guys during the day?” Rosie asked.

    “They come out at night,” Arien answered, nodding to Damian as the boy got out his pokégear and began to search for information on the strange pokémon.

    “It says they follow travelers lost in the desert, searching for prey that’s been weakened by the desert heat,” Damian explained as he looked at the screen.

    “Those things want to eat us?” Snowcrystal whispered.

    “They probably don’t even know what we are,” Redclaw replied as he kept his eyes on the distantly moving cacturne. “And just assumed we’d be weak.”

    “Well, we’re anything but,” Spark said proudly. “A lot of us are fire types, and we’ve got Thunder. Those things wouldn’t stand a chance.”

    At the jolteon’s words, Snowcrystal relaxed, feeling a bit silly for having been scared. With the group as large as it was now, there weren’t many wild pokémon that could easily pose a threat to them when they were all together.

    “Let’s send them a warning, then,” Redclaw growled. “Fire types, follow my lead.”

    The arcanine lifted his head and shot a blast of flame into the air. The bug types shrank back from the heat as Redclaw’s fire column grew higher and higher, and was soon joined by those of the other fire types. Even Snowcrystal added her own, and though it was weaker than the others, it added to the overall brilliance of the display.

    After several seconds, they stopped their attacks. They waited and watched, until they could see that the shapes in the distance had stopped their movement.

    “Well, I don’t know how well I’m going to sleep at night knowing those things are out there,” Rosie muttered. “We may have the advantage, but they creep me out.”

    “We’ll rest a lot during the day, too,” Arien instructed. “For now, someone should be keeping watch at all times until daylight.”

    The pokémon tiredly agreed, and Arien relayed the message to Damian. They settled down to sleep, the humans and a few of the pokémon in the tents, and the rest outside on the blankets that Katie and Damian had laid down. Redclaw agreed to take the first watch and sat facing the direction of the distant cacturne. His form was tall and unmoving, like he was a stone statue guarding a palace.

    Snowcrystal curled up in her own spot on one of the blankets, looking once more at the countless bright stars before she closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she had drifted off into sleep.

    -ooo-

    There was no trouble from the cacturne that night, and when morning came, the eerie pokémon were gone. Damian and Katie had come to the decision that they would change plans; they would fight through their exhaustion and travel through the morning so that they could go straight to resting throughout the hottest part of the day.

    Wearily they stumbled to their feet, packing up all the supplies and preparing for another long trek. After months of resting near Stonedust City, none of them were very used to walking so far in one day. Only Damian was lively and energetic, feeling far more in his element out in the dusty desert than he ever had in the city.

    Justin, however, was not nearly so thrilled. “Katie, you better be right about this,” he muttered as he toyed around with his phone, sitting beside Redclaw as he took a break from loading the arcanine’s pack with the extra blankets they had used for the pokémon. He gave a grunt of frustration as he realized that there was clearly no signal for his phone so far from the cities, but he knew that Damian and Katie’s pokégear would work for quite a fair distance longer.

    “Hey, are you gonna help?” Katie’s annoyed voice called to him from the other side of the arcanine.

    “Yeah, I’m helping,” he muttered, standing up and shoving the phone back in his pocket. He grabbed some of the blankets and started shoving them into Redclaw’s pack.

    The arcanine, sensing that Justin was upset, leaned his head toward the boy and licked the side of his face several times, much to Justin’s disgust.

    “I think that’s all of it, Damian!” Katie called after she had strapped the first aid kit to Snowcrystal’s back again. “We can get moving!”

    Justin shoved the last of the blankets into the pack opening and zipped it closed. “And here we go again,” he muttered. “Miserable desert, day two.”

    He and the others were soon off, hoping to cover plenty of ground before the worst of the heat set in. Katie set off on the back of her pidgeot to scout the way ahead as usual, and Fernwing lifted Blazefang into the air. Most of the others stuck together in a tight group, hoping that the long trek would turn out to be worth it.

    -ooo-

    “Cyclone, we’re really close to Stonedust City,” Solus said uneasily, coming to perch on a rock beside his leader. “I don’t like it.”

    “If a human comes this way, they will be dealt with,” the vaporeon replied calmly. “Everyone here has orders to stay away from Stonedust.” He turned his gaze toward a group of hills lying some distance away from where they were sitting. “Those hills are riddled with caves, and they’re the perfect spot for our new trainees. We will stay here for a little while.”

    “Well, at least the scouts haven’t seen anything strange,” Solus growled. “They’ve seen some rocky plains and forest further west, and beyond that there’s a desert. Didn’t say there were many pokémon that way.”

    “Nor humans, I am told,” Cyclone replied. “We don’t need to worry about the city.”

    “Cyclone,” Solus began, annoyance showing clearly through his voice. “We’ve been traveling double time for the past few days to get here, and plenty of the pokémon are still with Silverbreeze and the other commanders trying to catch up. Are you sure this was worth rushing for those three…uh…”

    “I wanted their training to start as soon as possible,” the vaporeon leader replied. “That is why I put them in the lead group. In fact, they should be using their Forbidden Attacks now.”

    Solus knew that Cyclone only ever used the attacks’ true name around him and some of the commanders. If he was using it now, that meant that he knew there was no one near enough to hear them. Solus leaned closer, his eyes narrowing. “About the new Forbidden Attack bearers, I’ve been listening in on some of their thoughts. Couldn’t get much without them noticing, but one of them seems a bit…ah…confused about your motives. I think we ought to set him straight.”

    Cyclone didn’t turn to face the espeon. He was looking out over the fields and the hills ahead of him as if admiring the pleasant summer day. When he spoke, he only said one single word. “Noted.”

    -ooo-

    Beneath the hills where the first wave of the arriving army rested, an array of caverns lay nearly undisturbed. The cave system was not large enough to be confusing to the pokémon who entered it, and most rooms were lit by openings in the ceiling that formed natural skylights.

    Three large caverns, linked together by one smaller room, had been set aside for Cyclone’s chosen three pokémon to use their Attacks for the first time. Prey pokémon had been brought in and set loose in the caverns for each of them to hunt, and Ashend, Yenn, and Itora had made short work of them.

    “It was amazing! I knew electric attacks were powerful, but I never thought I could do something like that.”

    Itora dug into her prey, feeling that it tasted so much sweeter after what she had accomplished. “I barely even had to try. I mean, I don’t even think that attack could miss. Just one huge lightning bolt. Dead. It went right to where the buneary was. I didn’t even see where the prey was hiding before I used the Attack; so I couldn’t have aimed it if I tried!”

    Yenn was beside her, eating his own prey, a starly. Ashend had not yet returned from her cavern, so the two of them were currently alone. Yenn, knowing he wasn’t going to get a word in edgewise while Itora was so excited, just nodded and continued eating. But Itora could tell that he was excited too.

    “The bolt was bright blue, too!” the manectric continued. “And sort of purplish. Looked much more powerful than my regular old thunderbolt. I wonder what it’ll look like once it gets stronger.” She stared off into space for a moment, a small smile forming, and laughed. “I’m ready to fry some humans, that’s for sure.” She sat bolt upright again, a look of even further excitement on her face. “You gotta tell me what yours did, Yenn. What did it look like?”

    Yenn had finished his meal by the time Itora had stopped talking; all that was left on the ground was a pile of bloody feathers. “Well,” the yanmega began, “it all happened really quickly. It started off being a really bright light. Sort of like a pokémon using flash I guess. Made the prey really disoriented. I think it might have even tried to attack me in the split second before it died, but it didn’t even come close. Like it was blind…or like it had just endured the sand attack of a thousand spearow,” he added jokingly.

    “So it gave you a sort of protection?” Itora mused. “That’s interesting.”

    “Yeah, I guess it makes it so that nothing can attack me, but I could see perfectly fine. Then the prey just…sort of had the life drained out of it, I guess. It was like it was a much more effective version of a leech life attack. One that killed. But I didn’t have to touch the starly or anything. I hadn’t even moved.”

    “Well, that’s strange,” Itora replied. “But deadly sounding. Just wait until we go up against the humans and-”

    “But that’s not all,” Yenn continued. “When it happened, I didn’t just feel like I was stronger…I felt much better. Any aches and pains I had were gone; I wasn’t even tired at all! I don’t really know what using moves like leech life feels like to other pokémon, but I imagine this was even better than that.” He stared wistfully at nothing in particular, seemingly lost in thought. “It’s starting to wear off now, but I imagine I could have fought off a golem if one had appeared in the cave right then, whether I used the Attack or not. I can’t wait to try this again.”

    “I wanna see it next time,” Itora told him curiously.

    Yenn paused, then added, “Though…I’m not sure it was fair for Cyclone to have the prey put in caves first. I want be able to hunt outside next time, in their normal territory. I’m sure that would be okay. It’s not like my attack could damage the environment.”

    Itora smirked. “It’s funny, I would have thought your Attack would have summoned a swarm of tiny bugs to go kill that starly for you or something.”

    “Yeah, because swarming in large numbers and being a nuisance is all bug pokémon are good for, right?” he replied in an irritated voice, but his tone was mocking, not serious.

    “Well you’ve got the ‘being a nuisance’ part down,” Itora laughed. Her amusement quickly faded into a sense of wonder. “But wow…you think you could heal yourself with your attack or something? Like if some rock type just pummeled you, all the pain would be gone after you used it?”

    “Well, for a little while,” Yenn replied. “Like I said it’s wearing off. Sure felt like anything and everything that had ever hurt me was gone for good. But I’m tired all over again so I guess it’s temporary. Might come in handy when we go up against the humans, though. At least if I get wounded in battle, I’ll be able to keep going as long as I’m using the Attack.”

    “Yeah, lucky you,” Itora sighed, but the smile hadn’t left her face and Yenn could tell she was still very impressed with her own Attack’s power. “I hope we get a chance to show the rest of the army though. Sometime soon. I want them to know…to really know…that we stand beside Cyclone now.” She stood up straighter, giving Yenn a proud gaze.

    The yanmega was about to reply when he noticed Ashend arriving from a tunnel entrance behind him and to his left. He turned to face her; even though he could see what was behind him, he always felt that looking at the pokémon he was speaking to was the polite thing to do. “You’re back,” he said happily. “Did it go well?”

    Ashend didn’t answer, but both Yenn and Itora could see that she was using her ghost type energy to carry a dead bunnelby behind her in midair. “Here you go, Yenn,” she said simply, dropping it at the yanmega’s feet.

    Itora noticed that something was off about the misdreavus. She didn’t seem happy or excited, but instead sullen and withdrawn. She hardly even looked at them as she continued to float by, seemingly lost in thought. The fact that she was acting in such a way in the wake of an amazing discovery confused and startled the manectric.

    “Ashend?” Itora asked, wondering if the ghost type was just in one of her strange moods. Maybe, Itora thought, she was just doubting herself. “What did your Attack do? You can tell us all about it and we’ll tell you what happened to-”

    “Nothing,” the misdreavus said.

    Itora looked back at her in shock. “What? You mean…you mean it didn’t work? But…but Cyclone said…he said-”

    “It worked,” Ashend replied, correcting her. “But I didn’t see anything happen. One moment the bunnelby was alive, the next moment it was dead.”

    Itora relaxed. “Come on, don’t feel bad just because yours didn’t look cool,” she said, trying to cheer Ashend up. “It kills without any indication that you even did anything! That’ll be useful for sure! Just wait and see-”

    “It’s not that,” Ashend said, finally turning to face Itora and Yenn. “I don’t know how to explain it, but…I just have this strange feeling. I don’t think we should be using these.”

    “What?” Itora responded, looking at Ashend as if she thought she was either joking, or had started to go crazy.

    “Something’s not right,” the misdreavus continued. “I’m just not sure what it is. And I can’t help but wonder…what if these Attacks aren’t what Cyclone thinks they are?”

    “What do you mean?” Itora cried. “There’s nothing wrong with yours; it’s just different, that’s all!”

    “I don’t like the way I felt when I used it,” Ashend stated.

    “Really?” Yenn responded, looking up from what was left of his bunnelby meal. “Using my Attack felt great.”

    “I don’t mean physically,” Ashend replied, her voice still seeming distant. “It was more of a feeling. Like something’s off.”

    Itora shrugged. “I didn’t feel anything like that.”

    "You think these Attacks are what's wrong?” Yenn asked, genuinely confused. “After Cyclone killed Articuno? Ashend, this could ensure that doesn't ever happen again. If our Attacks get strong enough, Cyclone might not even need more of the stones. We, with the rest of the army, could stop the humans by ourselves."

    "What makes you say that?" Itora interrupted, this time giving the yanmega an odd look. "Cyclone was pretty clear that we needed more pokémon with these powers and I trust that he knows what he’s doing."

    “I still want to talk to him about it,” Yenn replied firmly.

    “Look, you two,” Ashend continued with a shake of her head, “there’s something about this that I really don’t like. I can’t explain what it is, but please don’t do anything rash. There is something wrong.”

    “Just…give it some time, Ashend,” Yenn suggested. The yanmega looked worried for her. “We’re doing stuff other pokémon can’t; I guess it makes sense if you’re nervous or feel weird about it. And…you’re not a meat-eater. It probably feels wrong for you to kill pokémon, even if you were doing it to get food for me.”

    “You may be right,” the misdreavus sighed. She gave him a smile, but it was clear to the others that she was not at all at peace. “I’ll be thinking about it. But can you two please be careful not to go running around the cave using it whenever you feel like? Wait for each of Cyclone’s trials at least.”

    “Sure,” Itora said with another shrug, and Yenn also voiced his agreement. “Speaking of Cyclone,” the electric type continued, “we’d better go tell him how the first trial went.” The manectric stood up and stretched one back leg, then the other. “I bet he’ll be impressed by all of us.”

    “Yes, we’d better go do that,” Ashend said. “But can you two promise me something?”

    “Yeah, anything,” Itora responded.

    “Go right ahead,” Yenn told her with another nod.

    “Please don’t tell anyone what I said about being worried, okay dears?” she asked, the anxious tone in her voice still not quite gone. “Not even Cyclone. I just want to work this out for myself, all right?”

    “We won’t, Ashend, I promise,” Yenn assured her.

    “Yeah, sure, if you don’t want anyone to know, they won’t know,” Itora said with a shrug.

    “But, you can talk to us if you want,” Yenn added.

    “Thank you,” the misdreavus answered. “Right now I think we should finish up here and head back. I’ll think about this more. You may be right, there may not be anything wrong. But I’ll need more time to think.”

    “Yeah, okay, Ashend,” Itora said, a little bit of the excitement drawn out of her voice. She and Ashend waited until Yenn had finished eating the bunnelby before they headed into the tunnels leading to the surface together.

    “What was that all about?” she whispered to Yenn.

    The yanmega didn’t have an answer for her.

    -ooo-

    “Just the three pokémon I wanted to see,” Cyclone said warmly as Ashend, Itora, and Yenn met him at one of the areas of the camp the leader had claimed as his own. It was a small rocky field near a wide stream, and the vaporeon was currently lounging in the shallow water by the shore.

    “It went great!” Itora said enthusiastically, lifting her head and proudly showing off the orange stone on her amulet. “Really, I can’t wait to see how it works when it’s gotten stronger and-”

    “Cyclone,” Yenn interrupted, flying out over the water so that he was hovering beside the vaporeon. “Each of us had no problem killing our prey. I think that if we keep practicing, both our attacks and yours could be strong enough to take on the humans, without needing the other stones.”

    Behind him, Ashend cringed, but she didn’t speak up. Itora shot her a puzzled look, then turned to face Yenn again.

    “At their most powerful stage,” the yanmega continued, “we could probably wipe out hundreds at a time with-”

    Cyclone silenced Yenn by lifting one paw. “I understand you are eager to set things right,” the leader told him sympathetically, “but I’m afraid you three are not enough on your own.”

    "If we practice our Attacks until they're as strong as yours, why couldn’t we take them?” Yenn responded, confused. “And…and look at the army. The food gatherers keep having to forage further and further away to find enough to feed all these pokémon or else they risk damaging the habitats…and that’s exactly what we’re trying to avoid. How long can we keep doing this before-”

    “The army is stable as it is now,” Cyclone replied. “There are enough gatherers to do the job and the system I have implemented has worked. Food is constantly being found and brought in. We only take what we need and plenty is left for the native pokémon. No one but the disobedient goes hungry here. And if that ever changes, my commanders should be ready to lead portions of the army separately on their own. For now, though, the army stays together as much as we can. Train together. Out of sight of the humans. Things may be different if we find the location of multiple stones again, but there is no need to change our course now.”

    Itora and Ashend listened to their leader quietly. Itora gave an irritated sigh, having already realized what Cyclone was telling Yenn. Ashend’s eyes were narrowed.

    “Well…” Yenn hesitated. “I…I just don’t think we should be hurting any more wild pokémon or legendaries. Cyclone, listen to me. What if we could avoid all that? Stop the humans in their tracks before anyone else-”

    "You don't know much about what these human cities are really like, do you?" Cyclone interrupted, his voice taking on an even more serious tone.

    “Yes, I do know,” Yenn insisted, sounding almost insulted. “This…” He made a quick sweeping motion with one of his legs over the scar that ran from beneath his neck and down almost to his tail. “Should be proof enough that I know what humans are like.”

    "Your experience was limited to but one city, one research facility,” Cyclone answered, standing up and walking calmly out of the stream. “The human world extends far beyond that. Humans and their pokémon still far outnumber us." He turned his head to the still hovering yanmega, his face carrying a stern expression.

    “Well, I know there are other cities. But why can’t we-”

    "Listen, Yenn,” Cyclone continued, the faintest trace of impatience in his voice. “I'm not gathering more stones and pokémon for the army because I like to waste time. I'm doing it so that we can overwhelm the humans, with as little loss of wild pokémon life as possible. That is what you want, isn't it?"

    Yenn was silent, though the army’s leader could clearly tell he was still unnerved by the whole thing, still wanting to take action as soon as possible.

    "As of now,” Cyclone went on, “we stand little chance against the sheer numbers of the humans and their pokémon in the Inari region. A sad fact of life is that the pokémon trained by humans often turn out stronger than the wild ones struggling to survive. And there are humans with hundreds of pokémon at their command."

    “Hundreds…?” Yenn repeated, shock clear in his voice.

    “You don’t know much about how the human world works,” Cyclone told him firmly. “Your encounters with them were far too limited.”

    “Maybe,” the yanmega said quietly, “but-”

    Cyclone’s gaze turned almost harsh as he walked toward Yenn until his snout was a fraction from the hovering bug type’s face. “You have to understand, Yenn. If we act too soon, the human’s retaliation would be our undoing. Let me make this clear. Do you want to end up back in the lab?”

    At those words, Yenn fell silent.

    Cyclone, seeing that Yenn was upset but agreeable, relaxed. “Good,” he said with a smile, lowering his voice to a softer tone. “I know what’s best for us. Do not worry. The recruits are being trained well. There are plenty of human-trained pokémon among us who are teaching them all they know. And your future is very bright. You will stand beside me, help lead the army to victory. You will reclaim the world that has been stolen from us pokémon.” He looked confidently at the yanmega. “Do you understand now?”

    Yenn acted like he hadn’t heard Cyclone’s praise. He still looked uncertain, worried, and conflicted. Yet, in response to the vaporeon’s question, he nodded.

    “Then that’s that,” Cyclone said. He turned away from Yenn and to the other two pokémon waiting. “Now, give me your reports.”

    -ooo-

    Later that night, after most of the army’s pokémon had gone to sleep and the scouts and guards were starting their nightly rounds, Yenn rested, alone but awake. He had been given a small cave near the surface for his sleeping area. It was unconnected to any other caverns, and only had one exit, which was just the way Yenn preferred it.

    Even in early summer, the nights could sometimes get chilly, and like any yanmega, he hated the cold. He also hated being around the noise and the crowds of the army pokémon for too long, and Cyclone knew that he required a sleeping place in a more quiet area.

    Resting on the highest of the ledges jutting from the wall, he was so lost in thought over what had happened that day – Ashend’s odd behavior and Cyclone’s words – that he didn’t notice a pokémon approaching until she suddenly appeared from behind a boulder that half concealed the entrance tunnel.

    Yenn whipped around with a sharp cry, his wings churning so fiercely that some rocks clattered to the cavern floor. When he saw it was only the audino who had often brought him water or food, he started to relax. “You are supposed to tell me when you’re coming in!” he shouted at her.

    “I’m…I’m sorry. Do you…need anything?” she nervously asked him.

    At the moment, Yenn was in no mood to bother with random army pokémon. However, his last meal had been a few hours ago, and he was quite hungry. “You know what? I’ll get it myself,” he growled at her, before flying over her head and through the tunnel.

    He emerged into the open air, not liking the feeling of the chilly night breeze. He was used to being bothered by it, though, as he often found himself wandering during the night whenever he was unable to sleep.

    He headed toward where the nocturnal pokémon would be bringing in fresh prey. For the pokémon in the army, food was strictly regulated, but species that consumed a high amount of energy very quickly like yanmega were allotted food more often than most. Yenn, however, didn’t have to worry about what he would or would not be allowed as a normal-ranking member; he had Cyclone’s permission to take what he wanted, when he wanted.

    No one in the group of food gathering pokémon said anything when he reached their stash and took his pick of the prey they had laid out. He then headed away from the main army, biting into the staravia he’d chosen as he flew. His wings propelled him higher into the sky, above even where most of the nocturnal bird pokémon of the army were soaring. He planned to find some place beyond the main army camp to fly until he felt tired again.

    As he was leaving the majority of the crowd behind, he noticed movement down below, and his excellent vision told him that two pokémon were huddled in a secluded space by a large group of rocks. One of them was Ashend, and the other was the smeargle that painted the murals.

    Yenn found the situation odd, considering that there were no drawings around the two pokémon; the smeargle appeared to be talking to the ghost type. He was momentarily surprised; he hadn’t been sure the smeargle was able to talk at all, but he could see their mouths moving, exchanging words. He couldn’t hear them from so far up above, however, and he didn’t think it was any of his business to eavesdrop.

    As weird as it seemed, he put it out of his mind, flying past them and out over the open fields, where he could enjoy his meal in solitude. He figured that if Ashend wanted to spend time with the strange smeargle, she had her reasons.

    To be continued…


  6. #76
    Lover of Centipedes Scytherwolf's Avatar
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    The Path of Destiny
    Chapter 66 – Breaking Point



    Night was falling on the group of travelers, marking the end of their second day in the desert.

    They had rested during the hottest hours and were prepared to keep journeying on through the darkness. The fire types lit the way when needed, but with the skies so clear and the ground remaining flat and unchanging, they didn’t often have to. There was no sign of the cacturne following them this time; the warning fires the pokémon had sent up the previous night had done the job of scaring them away.

    Deciding it was too dark to bother with scouting the way ahead, Katie walked with the others. The only pokémon who flew was Fernwing, who was still carrying Blazefang. The houndoom never complained about having to ride on the tropius’s back; it was clear that he was too focused on finding a legendary that could help him rid himself of Shadowflare to care much about how he got there.

    As they trudged across the packed earth, Snowcrystal suddenly noticed that Thunder was keeping closer to the main group. The past few days, she had kept her distance, and Snowcrystal wondered what had changed her mind, or if she was simply too tired to care. Then again, Thunder didn’t look tired; she had more stamina than most of the other pokémon. Snowcrystal hoped that there was some part of her that still respected them, still wanted to be with the group that had traveled with her all those days ago, a desire that was not based on need. She knew she would only anger Thunder if she tried to talk to her about it, so she kept quiet and continued walking, moving her shoulders to adjust the position of the first aid kit she carried.

    Wildflame moved toward her, keeping her voice low as she whispered, “So, what legendary do you think we’re looking for here?”

    “A fire type, maybe?” Snowcrystal guessed. “I know Katie said that what’s at the end of this desert is a portal, but it might just lead somewhere else around here, like a secret chamber or something.”

    “If this desert has anything to do with it, it might be a fire type,” Wildflame mused in response. “Think it’s Moltres?”

    “Could be…” Snowcrystal replied. “If Articuno is guarding a Forbidden Attack, the other legendary birds could be some of the ones helping too. But how would Moltres have been able to make that weird portal?”

    “He wouldn’t have,” Wildflame sighed. “I don’t know, but I’m starting to think we’re dealing with more than one legendary here. Let’s just hope Katie is right and that it…or they…can help us.”

    “Yeah…” Snowcrystal said quietly. She looked up at the houndoom and managed a smile. “I think they will,” she stated in a happier tone.

    “I hope you’re right,” Wildflame replied, smiling back.

    They carried on throughout the night, each with their own thoughts about what lay beyond the desert and the mysterious portal. Then once again the sky started to brighten, signaling the coming of a new day.

    -ooo-

    There was not a lot of activity in the army camp so early in the morning. Much of it had to do with the fact that there were far less pokémon than usual; a large part of the army was still traveling to reach the spot.

    The nocturnal pokémon had finished their hunting and training duties and were finding places to sleep, while the early-rising pokémon were just barely waking up, only a few bird pokémon trilling softly in the pale light.

    “I don’t get it, Yenn. We waited so long to use these Attacks, and now Ashend’s being all weird about it?” Itora muttered. The manectric had woken up before sunrise, and had been too excited about her newfound power to go back to sleep. She walked with a brisk pace, her eyes bright and eager in spite of her complaining.

    Yenn had only gotten a few hours of sleep, spending most of the night flying around the army’s camp until Itora had woken. “I don’t know,” the yanmega said tiredly as he flew alongside the manectric. “We can ask her about it when she wakes up.”

    “She’s not going to wake up for ages,” Itora complained. “She probably just went to sleep now like the rest of the nocturnal pokémon.”

    Yenn almost mentioned that he’d seen Ashend talking to the smeargle who drew all the markings that organized the army’s sleeping areas, but he decided against it. He wasn’t sure if Ashend would have wanted him to say anything about it, and he knew that if she felt it was important enough to share with them, she would. There was also the fact that he was simply too tired to want to think about it much.

    “She wasn’t in her cave. I looked,” Itora continued. She paused to scratch at one of her bald patches of skin. “Maybe we could go back to the big cave and try our Attacks one more time. Just once.”

    “Ashend didn’t want us to,” Yenn responded in an irritated tone. “She said to wait until Cyclone wants us to test it again. Which should be later this evening anyway. Just wait.”

    Itora huffed in frustration, her gaze turning in the direction of the entrance to the largest cavern, where they had used their newfound powers for the first time the previous day. It lay at the base of a hill some distance from where she was standing. She and Yenn had just reached one of the highest points of a rocky ridge, and from this vantage point, she could see a few of Cyclone’s commanders milling about in the area by the big cave.

    “Well, she was just being paranoid,” the electric type grumbled.

    “Yeah, maybe, but we told her we would wait,” Yenn argued, annoyed.

    Itora sighed. “I guess you’re right. Wouldn’t want her to fall behind anyway.” She scratched at her scraggly fur. “I still want to look at the caves. You should see the scorch marks my Voltgale attack left. I bet I could burn a hole in the cave wall with it if I tried!”

    “Sure, why not?” Yenn replied, not very enthusiastically. He wasn’t exactly in the mood to go back into the cave for something so trivial, but he decided he’d humor Itora. At least, he thought, it would provide a bit of a distraction from his thoughts for a while.

    The two of them headed down the rocky slope and to more level ground, where they could follow a fairly clear path toward the main caves. They passed many sleeping pokémon, each of whom had found whatever comfortable place they could in order to settle down for the night. As they neared the caves, the amount of pokémon they passed by lessened until they were standing beyond smeargle marks that clearly indicated that the area was to be kept clear.

    “You two!” a voice called.

    Yenn immediately noticed that it was coming from a tyranitar who was standing near the cave entrance. The green armored pokémon began making his way toward them, and Yenn felt himself growing angry at the fact that the tyranitar seemed to see them as if they were merely random delinquents.

    “Cyclone said this area is to stay cleared until later today,” the rock type said gruffly, coming to a halt in front of Itora and Yenn, who refused to move. “You don’t need to come here unti-”

    “Do you really think we’re going to listen to the likes of you?” Itora spat, sparks flying off her sparse fur. “Look, I don’t know if you’ve had your head stuck in the sand the past month, but we were chosen for the most important tasks in this army and we rank far above you and all your stupid friends.” She glanced around at the other high-ranking pokémon in the area, all of whom were looking toward the confrontation with mild interest.

    “Look, I’ve been told that no one is to go in the big caves unless they’ve been assigned to it,” the tyranitar argued, standing up straighter. “I’m afraid that includes you.”

    “You can stop ordering us around like hatchlings,” Yenn growled, his wings beating more fiercely as he moved closer to confront the tyranitar. “We heard you the first time.”

    The tyranitar’s tough expression faltered a bit, and Yenn realized that he hadn’t seen this particular guard often. The tyranitar worked with sections of the army he, Itora, and Ashend rarely had any interaction with, so it struck the yanmega as strange that he would now be guarding the cave.

    “Why do you need to keep the area clear anyway?” Yenn demanded. “No one’s using those caves.”

    “A meeting is being held down there,” the tyranitar explained, looking over Itora and Yenn, likely for the first time up close. His eyes betrayed a disgusted look as they lingered on Itora’s patchy fur and Yenn’s scars.

    Itora bared her teeth in a snarl, obviously noticing. The fur along the back of her neck stiffened, and she narrowed her eyes, looking as if she wanted to tear the tyranitar apart. She was about to let loose an angry stream of words, but the guard, who wasn’t even looking at her, spoke first.

    “Cyclone told us to tell you that your training will be-”

    “Where is Cyclone?” Yenn interrupted. “Down in the caves?”

    “He and Solus are currently busy elsewhere,” the tyranitar explained. “The caves here are being used for a meeting between the pokémon in charge of the army’s training. It’s not something you need to concern yourselves with.”

    “All right,” Yenn responded, forcing his voice to stay calm. “Let them have their stupid meeting. But don’t tell us what to do.

    The tyranitar guard paused, his eyes narrowing at the yanmega, who was hovering at his eye level. He then shifted his gaze to Yenn’s scar again, curiosity winning out over any wariness he felt. Unlike the scars wild pokémon received from their injuries, this scar made a perfectly straight line, and the smaller ones intersected it at even intervals, showing where it was once stitched together and making it clear to the dark type that it had to be a human’s work.

    “Humans did that to you, didn’t they?” the guard began, clearly aware that he was stating the obvious. “What exactly did they-”

    Yenn’s calm demeanor vanished in an instant. The sound of his wings suddenly increased to a roar as he flew up to the tyranitar, stopping only when his fangs were a mere fraction from the bulky rock pokémon’s face. “You better mind your own business or I’ll get Cyclone to demote you to cleaning and food carrying duties permanently!” he shouted.

    The tyranitar stumbled backward. This time his eyes were fixed on the glowing stone hanging from Yenn’s neck, a clear reminder that he was one of Cyclone’s chosen, and could very well carry out the threat. “I…I’m sorry,” he stammered.

    “Then don’t ever talk to me like that again,” Yenn growled lowly. “And by the way…where is Cyclone?”

    “On the other side of the hills,” the tyranitar answered obediently. “In one of the ravines. That’s all I know.”

    Without responding, Yenn turned away from him and flew off, wanting nothing more than to get away from the wretched guard.

    “Whoa, whoa, what was that?” a voice cried from behind him. Yenn watched, without turning his head, as Itora bounded after him. “You’re just going to walk away from that?”

    “Look, I’ve got more important things to think about,” he replied, turning around. He was glad that, by the time the manectric had caught up with him, they were out of earshot of the guards.

    “Like why Cyclone is letting idiots like him order us around?” Itora asked.

    “No, but maybe you can ask him that,” Yenn growled in response. Without waiting for a reply, he shot up into the air, climbing higher and higher until he could get a good view of the camp down below. He could see several ravines, and almost immediately the sight of two familiar shapes – one blue and one light purple – caught his eye. Cyclone and Solus were sitting at the top of a ravine, a group of pokémon gathered beneath it. “So that is what he’s doing…shouldn’t he be at that ‘very important’ meeting?” Yenn muttered to himself as he flew back down to Itora.

    “What are you trying to do?” the manectric asked him, clearly annoyed. “We don’t need to bother Cyclone about this. We can fix it ourselves!” She leaped closer to the agitated yanmega, who had paused in his restless flying to land on a spur of rock. “Actually, we ought to go in there and crash this stupid meeting of theirs. Show them they’re not going to get anywhere if they treat us like this. It can’t be that important of a meeting if Cyclone and Solus aren’t even there, and besides, what are they going to do to us? Nothing!” She laughed to herself at the idea, despite knowing that her yanmega friend was not likely to agree.

    But what he said surprised her.

    “Actually…” he began, “maybe we should.”

    “Wait, really?” Itora cried in surprise, her bad mood already fading.

    “Sure, why not?” Yenn replied, lifting himself into the air again. “Let’s see what they’re planning.”

    “You mean, sneak in?” Itora asked.

    “Yes. Without being seen. That way we’ll know.”

    “Uh…that wasn’t what I had in mind,” Itora muttered, some of her excitement fading. “Why would we want to do that? Cyclone and Solus aren’t there, and nor are any of the commanders from the looks of it, so what about it could be so interesting? Cyclone would tell us anything important, anyway.”

    “He didn’t exactly mention killing Articuno until he was just about to do it, did he?” Yenn retorted. “I say we check this meeting out. They might be talking about what Cyclone’s planning to do next.”

    “Without Cyclone actually being there?” Itora said skeptically.

    “Yes,” Yenn replied. “If they’re going to attack any more legendaries or wild pokémon, I want to know about it. And if there’s a chance I could find out, I’m going to take it.”

    “All right,” the manectric began, “whatever you want. But if there’s nothing interesting going on, then forget secrecy, I’m giving them a piece of my mind.”

    “Fair enough,” Yenn replied.

    The two of them made their way around the back of the hill that held the entrance to the main cave. The previous day, Itora had spent a good amount of time exploring the cave passages out of boredom, and Yenn had not missed any detail when he’d flown through them. They both knew that there was a smaller entrance, one that seemed to link all the big rooms of the cave together. It opened out onto a few ledges and ridges high above the cavern floors, so if they were careful and kept quiet, no one would see them looking down on the meeting.

    “Here it is,” Yenn said simply as he landed on a boulder that was partially blocking the view of the lesser-known entryway. There were no guards around, nor any army pokémon close by, and Itora guessed that either no one had found the second entrance yet, or they had but simply chose not to bother with it. Yenn had to tear away some strange trailing vines to fully reveal the tunnel.

    “After you,” Itora said with a sweep of her paw. “You’ll be the lookout. It’s pretty dark for the first little bit. Almost broke my paw walking through there.”

    The manectric followed Yenn inside, glad that the tunnel was wide enough for the yanmega’s wings. Just as she’d remembered from her first exploration, they were plunged into darkness quickly, but that gradually faded as light from one of the big caverns reached them.

    With Yenn acting as her eyes, she felt more excited and less wary about exploring the caves. She even had a spring in her step as she followed him. What would have been a boring morning waiting to use her Attack again had turned into something interesting. Maybe Yenn was right; maybe they would learn something useful. She didn’t expect to unearth any sort of vast conspiracy, but if any of the pokémon were saying anything nasty about her or her friends, she couldn’t wait to find out and use it against them.

    The tunnel opened up to a ledge above the cavern Ashend had used her Attack in, but the room was empty. Yenn turned into a side tunnel which led to one of the others, and it wasn’t long before they began hearing noises.

    Pokémon. Dead ahead.

    Yenn grew more cautious, taking care to ensure his wingbeats hardly made a sound. As they dulled to only the faintest hum, Itora slowed her walk, creeping quietly along the passage. From what she could hear, the pokémon ahead weren’t speaking at all, but she could hear some of them shifting or moving about. It struck her as odd, but only fueled her need to remain as quiet as possible.

    When the passage opened up onto another ledge looking down on a large cavern, they both realized immediately that there had hardly been a need to keep quiet. Not one of the pokémon gathered in the cave below had even bothered to look upward toward their ledge, as their eyes were all riveted to the center of the room. When Itora and Yenn saw what lay in the center, they both froze.

    A ring of pokémon – not commanders or higher-ups, but terrified, low-ranking newcomers – were surrounding a group of four others. Two of the pokémon in the center, a liepard and a rapidash, stood to the side while a third, a staraptor, stood over the motionless form of the fourth.

    It was the smeargle that marked the boundaries within the army. The one who painted the murals, and the one who had been talking to Ashend the previous night. From their vantage point up above, Itora and Yenn could see that the smeargle’s body was covered in wounds, blood trailing from his body to the staraptor’s claws. They hadn’t stumbled upon a meeting; what they were witnessing was a torture session.

    Neither Yenn nor Itora had ever actually witnessed torture being carried out. They had known that it happened, been told that it was necessary when it came to traitors to the army, but they had always believed it was Solus alone who carried it out, and only with his psychic powers. Whatever was happening in the cavern down below, it was wrong.

    Itora quickly realized that what she was seeing did not match up with the image in her head when she thought of torture. She had imagined pokémon crying out, tormented by psychic energy, not lying bleeding on the ground like this pokémon was. The smeargle wasn’t even screaming; he was just gasping for breath, hardly moving. She started to wonder if it really was torture, or an execution.

    The two of them felt like they hadn’t moved for several minutes, though in reality it could have only been a few seconds. Neither had time to act as the staraptor lifted his claws again before bringing them down, tearing a slash down the smeargle’s belly.

    The injured pokémon convulsed, but he hardly made a sound; either he was too weak or he was fading into shock. His long tail thrashed against the ground, smearing it with blood.

    Itora had snapped out of her reverie long enough to see Yenn’s body freeze at the sight. He looked as if someone had struck him, his gaze riveted to the scene in horror as his breath began coming in rapid gasps. He seemed to have completely forgotten about her, lost track of all his other surroundings.

    “Uh…Yenn?” she whispered, no longer certain she wanted to risk attracting the attention of the pokémon below. “Can you talk to me? Yenn? What’s wrong? Say something!”

    Despite her efforts to get through to him, the yanmega ignored her and launched himself off the ledge, heading directly for the staraptor. Due to his speed, none of the pokémon down below saw him coming until he had slammed into the bird pokémon, sending him tumbling away from the smeargle and across the stony floor.

    What are you DOING?” Yenn screamed at the staraptor as the flying type scrambled to his feet, giving the yanmega a terrified gaze.

    The other pokémon who had been forced to watch the spectacle shrank back in fear, expecting to see more blood shed upon the cave floor. The liepard and rapidash stared at Yenn in horror, quickly backing away from him. The staraptor looked too scared to move.

    His gaze fixed on the large bird, the yanmega flew closer, every single one of his fangs bared and his breathing coming in short bursts.

    The sound of wheezing coming from behind him snapped Yenn out of his fury. He could see the smeargle, lying prone on the ground. He turned his body so he was facing the normal type, whose shallow breaths were weakening. Yenn could tell from the amount of blood pooling on the floor that the injured pokémon was dying. There was nothing that could help him now; he was simply waiting to bleed out.

    Without hesitating, Yenn landed on the floor next to the smeargle. He leaned down and bit into the smeargle’s head, crushing his skull instantly. A few of the pokémon forced to watch let out whimpers or small cries of fear, but for the most part, they were silent.

    “YOU!” Yenn shouted, turning his head from the smeargle’s limp form. His hate-filled gaze was directed at the staraptor again.

    Flapping his wings at a high speed, he took to the air and darted toward the flying type, sending the staraptor scrambling backwards into the wall, smaller pokémon darting out of his way. Yenn pinned the flying type there, hovering over the frightened bird who cowered against the ground as if trying to appear as small as possible.

    “No, no, I’m sorry!” the staraptor pleaded, holding out one blood-soaked talon in front of him. “I didn’t mean you any offense. I-”

    “SHUT UP!” Yenn roared, specks of blood flying from his mouth and onto the terrified staraptor’s face.

    Itora barely recognized her friend. Yenn looked like a terrifying monster, and she could tell from the look in the staraptor’s eyes, as well as the eyes of his two accomplices, that they were both afraid for their lives.

    “Please…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” the staraptor begged as the surrounding pokémon backed further away, trying to get as far from the yanmega as possible. “Take it…take it up with Solus. It was his orders.”

    “Solus isn’t here!” Yenn shouted, every last word dripping hatred. “You’re the one who mutilated a pokémon! You’re as disgusting as the humans!”

    “Please…I’ll do whatever you want!”

    “I don’t…want…anything…” Yenn hissed, his gaze boring into the staraptor’s.

    “I didn’t mean any offense to you, I swear!” the flying type cried. “Don’t…don’t kill me…”

    To the bird pokémon’s surprise, the yanmega backed up. He didn’t break his stare with the staraptor, but some of his anger vanished, as if a trance had been broken. Yenn stared around at the gathered pokémon, each of them looking at him in horror. He suddenly felt shocked, wondering just what he must have looked like for the pokémon to start pleading with him to spare his life. Harming the staraptor hadn’t even crossed his mind, but the pokémon were looking at him as if he were some sort of monster.

    However, he wasn’t able to focus on that for long. His gaze soon fixated on the smeargle again, looking at the still form of the pokémon lying on the cave floor with a long gash down his chest and belly.

    Yenn froze for a moment, his heart pounding rapidly, before he wrenched himself away from the sight and shot up toward the tunnel he had entered the cavern from. Zooming over Itora’s head, he didn’t even stop to look at the manectric, didn’t hear the shouts of the rapidash down below, telling him to stop, to come back, to listen to him. He flew almost blindly, barely even noticing the jolting pain when his wings struck the walls or boulders as he blundered through the tunnel.

    After Yenn’s departure, the shocked gaze of every pokémon in the cavern turned upward to Itora. The manectric stared down at them with wide eyes before ducking down and hurrying back down the passage, following the yanmega’s path.

    Bursting out of the tunnel, the manectric found herself in blinding sunlight. Yenn was already out of sight, likely heading back to the cave that served as his resting area. Several confused army pokémon had gathered around the tunnel entrance, looking to Itora for answers to their questions.

    She ignored them. She bolted through the crowd, pushing aside a few of the smaller pokémon as she did so. She hadn’t gotten far before she nearly ran straight into Ashend.

    “Itora, what’s going on?” the misdreavus asked seriously.

    “Solus has got freaks down there torturing pokémon!” Itora cried. “Not with psychic attacks either. I understand that they’re traitors, but still-”

    “Who?” Ashend demanded. “Who was being tortured?”

    “Why does it matter?” the manectric replied, confused.

    “Who?” the misdreavus practically shouted.

    “It was that smeargle! He was the one they killed. I don’t know what he did but it must have been bad.”

    Ashend paused for a moment, a look of shocked realization coming over her face.

    “Why’s that bad?” Itora asked. “He must have had contact with humans if it was bad enough for that to be necessary, and that means we could have-”

    “Never mind,” Ashend snapped at her. “I need to find Yenn.”

    Before Itora had a chance to reply, the misdreavus had turned and left, heading directly for the resting caves. Alone again, Itora turned to face the army pokémon that were staring at her. She couldn’t tell what they were thinking.

    She turned and walked away, deciding to go back to her own sleeping quarters. Though she trusted Cyclone’s judgment on the matter, she wasn’t as sure she trusted Solus’s, and she knew the sight of the smeargle’s last few moments would haunt her for a good while.

    -ooo-

    When Ashend entered Yenn’s cave, it was almost dead silent. She found the yanmega huddled on the highest ledge in the cavern, the spot where he was sure to feel the most comfortable. The only thing she could hear was the sound of his breathing. Though they were obviously alone, Yenn still looked scared.

    Despite being a pokémon that could normally keep track of everything around him, Yenn didn’t even seem to notice the misdreavus until she spoke up.

    “Yenn…” the misdreavus said quietly. She didn’t need to speak loudly; the cave was quiet enough for the bug type to hear her. “Itora told me what happened-”

    At the sudden sound of her voice, Yenn jerked upright as if he had been electrocuted. He lowered himself back down on the ledge when he realized it was only Ashend. “I don’t want you to talk about it!” he shouted, whirling around to face her as he raised his wings, looking as if he was about to take flight.

    “Yenn, listen,” the ghost type continued, trying to speak calmly. She drifted closer to the ledge, but not close enough to make Yenn feel more agitated. “I think this was my fault.”

    “How is it your fault?” Yenn shouted back. “Those pokémon…those monsters…” He broke off, unable to form the words. “They…that smeargle…”

    “The smeargle doesn’t matter,” Ashend interrupted. “He is dead. The pokémon of the army are not our concern. Right now, we-”

    “Leave,” Yenn said. This time it was not a shout, but barely more than a quiet whisper.

    “Look,” the misdreavus began, “I understand why-”

    “I said, LEAVE!” Yenn cried. He lunged toward her, his two largest fangs still stained with dried blood that he hadn’t bothered to clean off.

    Ashend backed away. Though she knew that Yenn would never hurt her, the look on his face as he stared at her wasn’t one she was used to seeing.

    After a moment, Yenn seemed to realize this as well. “I’m sorry,” he said before turning away.

    Ashend could tell that she wasn’t going to be able to get through to him when he was in such a state. Leaving him alone until he calmed down was the only option. “I will…talk to you later, okay?” she said, making sure he had heard before she headed toward the cave exit.

    Yenn didn’t give an answer as the misdreavus vanished around the corner of the tunnel, leaving him shaking and huddling on the ledge.

    -ooo-

    “I swear, this place is going to drive me crazy,” Justin mumbled under his breath, his words a bit muffled due to the cloth he was wearing around his mouth and nose. “Everything looks exactly the same.”

    Not far behind him, Snowcrystal watched as the human stopped, rubbing his eyes to clear them of any dust. Spark stood beside him, waiting, and a few of the pokémon further ahead glanced back in his direction. They had spent the morning walking until it became too hot, and after their rest they had started moving again, grateful that the sun was setting.

    “Nobody likes it here, Justin,” Katie muttered. She was walking with the others even though there was still daylight, wanting to give her pidgeot a rest. “And we haven’t even been walking long. Besides, it’s nearly night. Then it’ll cool down.”

    Wordlessly they carried on. Despite the fact that they had decided to rest during the heat of the day, the humans and pokémon were growing weary. Alex had become unable to perform any water attacks after spending nearly two days in the dry wasteland, though thanks to their preparations, there was no shortage of drinking water.

    “What if we’re doing this all for nothing?” Rosie grumbled quietly. “I mean, do you really think there’s a legendary out here?”

    “I trust Katie,” Snowcrystal replied. “If she thinks that weird stone arch could lead to something, I believe her.”

    “Well, okay,” the ninetales continued, “but what if this legendary just tells us what Articuno did? That he can’t help?”

    “Well, another legendary is bound to know something Articuno doesn’t,” Snowcrystal responded hopefully.

    Rosie closed her eyes as another wave of dust wafted over them. “Well, I hope you’re right,” she muttered, not sounding as optimistic as the growlithe felt.

    “We’ll figure out something if it doesn’t,” a voice interrupted, and the two turned to see Stormblade, who had hung back from the main group until Snowcrystal and Rosie caught up with him. “Trust me, we can do this. We’re not wandering scared now. If this legendary can’t tell us anything, we’ll hunt down another until we find one who does.”

    Something about Stormblade’s words seemed to encourage Rosie, and she smiled at the scyther. “Thanks,” she said, “I guess I’m just a little worried. Nothing’s really been much of a help to us so far. Except for these humans and the new pokémon, I guess. But we haven’t really gotten anywhere.”

    Snowcrystal remembered how Rosie had once argued against joining up with Damian and the others. It pleased her to see that the ninetales now fully trusted them. If nothing else, Rosie could have confidence in the humans and pokémon who were all working toward the same goal. The growlithe lifted her head toward the sun, which was slowly beginning to set on the horizon. Whatever their reasons, they were in the journey together, and with any luck, they would soon have more help.

    -ooo-

    As the same sunset cast an orange glow over the army’s campsite, Yenn emerged from his resting quarters. As soon as he reached the light, his exhausted body froze, realizing that several of the army pokémon, many of them fairly high ranking, were coming toward him. He stayed hovering where he was, waiting for them to approach.

    The first, an aerodactyl, came to stop right in front of the yanmega, landing on the ground next to the entrance to his cave. He looked relieved that Yenn was much calmer than before. “Cyclone sends you his sincerest apologies,” the rock type explained. “Solus put those pokémon in charge of the situation and Cyclone never-”

    “I don’t want his apology,” Yenn snapped.

    “Well, what do you want?” the aerodactyl asked, bowing his head to the yanmega respectfully. “If there’s anything you want us to do, we will do it. Cyclone said that you can have prey of any type brought to you. Whatever species you want, we will have the hunters-”

    “I don’t…want…anything you could give me!” Yenn growled, hovering lower until he was face to face with the aerodactyl. “I want to know what was going on down there!”

    “Look, no one ever meant for anything to upset you-”

    “You didn’t think that seeing a pokémon being torn open would bother me?” Yenn shouted. He moved away from the aerodactyl, giving the small group of pokémon a harsh glare. “Or maybe the question I should be asking is if you thought I’d be fine with it, had the method of execution had been different?”

    He paused, watching the reactions of the pokémon gathered before him. They looked at a loss for what to say.

    “Because what I want to know,” he continued, rounding on the aerodactyl again, “is why pokémon in this army are being ripped apart and killed in the first place!”

    “I’m sorry,” the aerodactyl continued, “when Cyclone accepted you into the army, you requested not to be witness to any traitor’s torture session. You weren’t supposed to see-”

    “And why weren’t psychic types in charge?” the yanmega growled. “Cyclone told me that psychic attacks were used to torture the traitors.”

    “Solus felt that these pokémon-”

    “Solus…” Yenn snarled. He glared at the aerodactyl again. “Bring Solus here. Maybe he can explain just what that smeargle had done to make him think he deserved something like that.

    “I’m afraid you can’t speak to Solus now,” one of the other pokémon, a lilligant, interrupted. “He is busy-”

    “Then I’ll take it up with Cyclone,” Yenn replied firmly. He didn’t care to listen to any of the pokémon anymore.

    Taking to the sky, Yenn quickly left them behind. If Solus had allowed such horrible torture, Yenn hated to think of what else he had authorized, and what that espeon had done in other torture sessions. He had been lied to. Pokémon…weak, harmless pokémon who couldn’t have done anything horrible enough to deserve torture had been killed. Cyclone had murdered a legendary. He wasn’t going to stay silent about it any longer.

    And he was going to take it up with the army leader himself.

    -ooo-

    The cave Cyclone had chosen for his own resting area ran deep beneath a hill some distance away from the other caves. Yenn had noticed its location when they’d arrived at the camp the previous day, but he had never ventured inside the cave itself. Now that he was flying through its main passage for the first time, he noticed with discomfort that it was darker than the others, too dark for even his eyes to pick up much detail. The only light he had was from the red glow of the crystal around his neck, but that light did not travel far.

    Nevertheless, he carried on with determination through the tunnel, pausing only once when one of his wings clipped a wall and off-balanced him for a short moment. It didn’t feel right to fly in a place where he could not get a good view of his surroundings, and the sensation left him feeling strangely vulnerable. He wondered how Cyclone could stand it.

    Luckily, it wasn’t long before he turned a few corners and emerged into a medium-sized cavern. Like the other caves, this one had light streaming down from holes in the ceiling.

    “Cyclone!” he cried, hearing his voice echo back to him several times, bouncing off the damp stone walls. He now realized why Cyclone had chosen this particular cave; there was a fairly deep pool on the opposite side of the cavern, shrouded in gloomy darkness. Its surface was black and still; it had taken Yenn a moment to even realize it was water. He shivered, wondering just how cold the water would be. He waited for an answer to his call, but for the next few moments, the cavern was silent.

    Then the vaporeon leader’s voice reached him, seeming to come from all directions at once. “Yenn,” Cyclone began calmly, “I’m glad to see you.”

    The yanmega watched as the vaporeon hauled himself from the pool, stepping onto the slick rock beside it. Yenn was a bit unsettled; he hadn’t even been able to see Cyclone in the water until that moment.

    “Don’t worry about today,” the vaporeon told him warmly. He trotted over to the bug type with an air of friendliness that Yenn knew was shown to very few pokémon. “I heard all about what happened. Forget about the training; we can start that again tomorrow.”

    As the leader approached him, Yenn lowered himself so he was hovering closer to the ground and could be directly eye to eye with the vaporeon. “Cyclone, I need to talk to you.”

    “Of course,” the water type responded. “But first, I don’t believe you received a proper apology for the actions of my subjects.”

    “No,” Yenn answered. “I did not.”

    “From what I understand,” Cyclone continued, “the method of torture carried out in Solus’s absence…would have brought back quite a few unpleasant memories for you.”

    “That’s not why I’m here,” Yenn told the vaporeon firmly.

    The look in Cyclone’s eyes shifted ever so slightly, and he looked at the yanmega with what Yenn assumed was confusion. “Well, then,” the leader began, “who else has wronged you?”

    “No one ‘wronged me,’” Yenn replied. He drew back a bit, lifting himself a small fraction higher into the air. “I want to know why your followers were allowed to torture a pokémon the way they did. And,” he stated before Cyclone could reply, “I want you to put a stop to it. Starting tonight.

    “Yenn, Solus was unable to oversee the torture ring today,” Cyclone told him. “I promise you right now that no pokémon will ever use such a method as the one you saw today again. I have already told them, nothing that resembles any of the injuries you-”

    “We don’t need to torture traitors at all,” Yenn interrupted. “If for whatever reason you feel you have to, at least have them use psychic attacks, like you told me they did!”

    Cyclone turned his head, his expression almost sad. He gave a long sigh before replying, “It’s not that simple. But I never wished for this to upset you, Yenn.”

    “I joined this army to kill humans,” the yanmega growled. “Not to torment the pokémon we’re supposed to be protecting.”

    “I never said you had to have any part in it,” Cyclone continued, his voice still carrying a forlorn tone. “But there are things you simply don’t understand.”

    “Well, you’re right. There’s one thing I don’t understand,” Yenn said. “Why was that smeargle killed?”

    “He committed crimes against the army,” Cyclone answered.

    “Like…what?”

    The vaporeon regained his calm composure. “It is a complicated situation,” he replied. “But rest assured I have everything under control. As of now, all threats to the army have been removed, and I will continue to do what’s best for us.”

    “And what is best?” Yenn asked. “Are you going to kill more legendaries?”

    The vaporeon began to pace around Yenn, though his eyes never left the yanmega’s. “You need to understand that you’re starting to jump to a lot of conclusions. We won’t kill any more legendaries unless it is necessary, and hopefully it won’t be. And right now I don’t appreciate being the target of your overreaction to one traitor’s punishment.”

    “Overreaction?” Yenn repeated, stunned.

    “I’ve had a lot of patience with you,” the vaporeon continued, still pacing. “I expect you to show more appreciation for it. I would not put up with accusations like this from any other pokémon.”

    “I am not overreacting,” Yenn insisted.

    “In the grand scheme of things, you are,” Cyclone answered, his gaze taking on a harsh tinge. “My duty is to the army as a whole. If you could see the big picture, you would understand why these things are necessary. I am working toward the well being of all pokémon. And so must you.”

    “You think that wanting to stop torture goes against that?” Yenn hissed.

    “You’re not seeing things clearly, Yenn,” Cyclone snapped, a tinge of anger to his voice. “Were it not for what happened to you in the human’s laboratory, you wouldn’t have thought twice about it. When you are thinking clearly again, I would hope you would trust what I say and know that sometimes, things like this must be done for the sake of the rest of us.”

    Yenn was shocked into silence; he stayed where he was, looking straight into Cyclone’s eyes. The only sound in the cavern, besides the faint hum of the yanmega’s wings, was water dripping somewhere deeper in the cave.

    The light of anger left Cyclone’s eyes. “But I’ll forgive you,” he said after a few moments, the gentle tone returning to his voice. “I know you can’t help it. That is why you need to trust me.”

    “Okay, look,” Yenn stated, drawing further away from Cyclone. He tried to keep his voice upbeat and confident, but he knew it hardly had such an effect. “I’m not crazy, and you know that! I’m out to help the pokémon just as much as you are. That’s why I’m saying we need to change things. We don’t need to hurt pokémon who had nothing to do with the humans in order to-”

    “You and I both know that you don’t always think clearly,” the vaporeon leader calmly replied. “And that can lead to rash behavior…like the way you yelled at Ashend, your closest friend, today.”

    “I know, I know,” Yenn sighed. “I still have to apologize to her. But I will. I promise I will.”

    “I would not have a pokémon tortured without good reason, Yenn,” Cyclone continued, “and I would expect you to have more trust in me than to believe otherwise.”

    Yenn said nothing in reply. He was at a loss for words, seemingly only able to glower at the vaporeon. If Cyclone noticed, he did not say anything. When the leader spoke again, his words were, to Yenn’s surprise, full of hope.

    “The future of the pokémon world itself may very well lie in our claws,” Cyclone told him, his head tilted back as he stared up into one of the thin shafts of moonlight reaching down through the cave. “If you had seen more of the way humans live, you would know that they’ve committed far more atrocities than even you could have imagined. Do you know that there were tens of thousands of humans who could have saved you, but did not? If there was any good in them, they would have.”

    Once again, the only sound was the faint dripping of water from the deeper tunnels.

    The vaporeon turned toward Yenn again. “You want to stop this from happening to more pokémon, don’t you?” Cyclone asked.

    “…Yes,” the yanmega answered.

    “It may be difficult to understand now,” Cyclone said gently, “but the end…is worth it. Freedom for all pokémon, from the cruel hands of humans, will be worth it.”

    Yenn was silent, his head tilted toward the ground.

    “You have been one of the bravest and most dependable pokémon I have ever met,” the vaporeon continued. “We are a team…you, I, and the others with powers like ours. The good we will do for the sake of pokémon will far outweigh the bad. And everything will better for it.”

    Yenn pondered for a moment, but when he looked at Cyclone, his gaze held confidence. “Look,” he said, “I know the humans do nothing but selfish and horrible things, but…what you’re doing is just as bad.” He watched the leader, who had begun to pace again, not meeting the yanmega’s gaze. “But you can fix this. We don’t have to hurt pokémon who’ve done nothing wrong in order to stop them.”

    Cyclone stopped pacing. Yenn could not see his expression, as his back was turned. Cyclone stood still for several moments. When the vaporeon turned around, the expression on his face was one of shock. “How could you say that?” he said, and though his voice was quieter, there was an obvious tinge of anger to it. “Everything I do, everything I’ve worked for, is to fight against human cruelty. And you’re telling me I am just as bad as they are?”

    “We don’t need to do this,” Yenn argued. “We don’t need to have pokémon tortured to death! You had one of own killed!”

    “If I was told correctly, you were the one who killed that smeargle, Yenn,” Cyclone responded, his previously calm tone returning. When the yanmega did not reply, he continued. “As I have said before, I made the judgment for a reason. It was for the good of the rest of us.”

    “And what threat was that smeargle to the rest of us?” Yenn asked, not bothering to hide his rising anger. “If he was some sort of spy for the humans…why hasn’t anyone said anything about that? And no matter what he did, that still doesn’t justify what happened. Not even humans deserve that kind of death!”

    “You have no idea what really happened, and right now, it is not your place to know,” Cyclone interrupted, his voice stern. He turned away from the yanmega and faced his pool, but continued speaking, his head held high. “It had to happen for the sake of the army.”

    At those words, Yenn felt something inside him snap. He didn’t care what Cyclone thought of his actions; didn’t care if his leader lost respect for him. “Had to happen?” he repeated, disgusted. “So the all-powerful army leader can't think of a better solution?” He flew around in an arc until he was hovering directly in front of the vaporeon again. “Those pokémon were acting with a cruelty I’ve only seen in humans. What you’re doing is wrong. Barbaric, like what the humans did to me."

    This time, Cyclone did not break eye contact with him. The look in the vaporeon’s eyes changed, ever so subtly, but Yenn could not entirely guess what he was thinking.

    “And you lied to me,” Yenn continued, unable to keep the distress out of his voice. “You never told me you were planning to kill a legendary. You never told me that pokémon were being torn apart in torture sessions. You led me to believe that the wild pokémon were not going to be hurt.”

    “I never lied to you,” Cyclone said loudly, and this time there was clear anger in his words. The vaporeon straightened himself up to full height, and though he was smaller than the yanmega, he still looked imposing. The look in his eyes was one that Yenn had never seen in the leader before.

    You told me that you wanted nothing to do with the torture,” the vaporeon growled. “You told me that you didn’t want to be in charge of running the army. This was your decision…and you’re telling me that I lied to you?”

    “Y…yes,” Yenn stammered, “but I thought…something like attacking Articuno would have been-”

    “I don’t know how many times I’m going to have to tell you this,” Cyclone continued, his voice much lower and steadier than before, but with an underlying tone of fury that made Yenn want to back away from him. “It was necessary for the greater good of all pokémon.”

    At that statement, Yenn fell silent. He wasn’t even sure he had the will to feel angry anymore. What Cyclone had said had so deeply disgusted him that he no longer cared if the army leader got truly angry with him, no longer cared if Cyclone decided to punish him.

    “The greater good?” Yenn said, his voice sounding far colder than he was used to hearing it. “That’s what you’re calling it now? Why don’t you just call it what it is? Murder, torture…slavery? Did those new recruits watching the execution join willingly? Because from what I can remember, they didn’t seem like they did.”

    Cyclone did not say a word as he watched Yenn. He gave no indication that he was about to speak, and his body was still, his eyes narrowing.

    “And all this…when our real enemies are still tormenting other pokémon as we speak,” Yenn continued. “With what you authorized today, are you really much different from them?”

    Cyclone still did not reply. A small twitch of one of his fins and a glance toward one of the dark tunnels leading deeper into the cave was his only movement.

    “Think about it,” Yenn growled. “Are you?”

    When Cyclone answered, his gaze was ice-cold. “I never thought I would have heard such a thing coming from you,” the vaporeon said, stepping forward.

    This time Yenn held his ground, forcing himself to hover in place without moving back.

    “I don’t see how you could say that,” Cyclone continued, anger seeping into every word, “after I’ve done so much for you.”

    Yenn watched Cyclone, without turning his head, as the vaporeon began to circle again, the water type’s piercing eyes fixed on him.

    The army’s leader never took his gaze off the yanmega. As he spoke, his words grew louder until he was almost shouting. “I took you in, I gave you everything, I promised to keep you safe, made you one of the most powerful pokémon in the world…and you put me on the same level as the monsters who gave you that scar?”

    Yenn faltered, finding his wings moving his body backward as the vaporeon, still circling, got closer with every stride.

    “When I found you,” Cyclone snarled at the yanmega, “you were lost in unfamiliar lands, with nothing and no one you knew and nowhere to go. You were cowering alone, not even trying to hunt, crying in fear and thinking that the tiniest shadows were the humans coming after you.” The vaporeon watched as Yenn backed toward the wall, curling his tail beneath him in a way that made him look uncharacteristically vulnerable. “But I saw you had potential when anyone else would have left you there, thinking you were nothing but a raving lunatic!”

    When Cyclone finished, Yenn turned his head, not wanting to face the vaporeon directly anymore. Quietly, he lowered himself almost to the ground. “All right, I’m sorry…” the yanmega whispered. “I didn’t mean to say…”

    The furious look in Cyclone’s eyes vanished instantly, to be replaced with one of sympathy. “I know you didn’t,” the vaporeon said, his rare, kind tone returning. “I know you didn’t mean those things you said. Considering your history, I can’t blame you for being upset by what you saw. Tomorrow you will be able to see things more clearly, I promise.”

    Yenn did not reply as Cyclone came to sit beside him, giving him a trusting look.

    “You, Itora, Ashend…you all mean a lot to me,” the leader continued. “That is one thing that separates me from the humans. I care about broken pokémon like you…and in a world like this, who else would?

    Yenn backed away from Cyclone slowly. In that moment, all he knew was that he didn’t want to be around the vaporeon any longer. Without another word, he turned and flew back through the tunnel he’d come from, heading out of the cave and to the surface.

    Cyclone waited until the faint beating of Yenn’s wings had faded and the yanmega was out of sight.

    Then the warm look in his eyes vanished.

    From one of the deeper tunnels, a lithe figure appeared, its footsteps making no sound. The creature halted when he was close enough to the main cavern that light outlined his form. The only noise coming from his direction was the soft clinking sound of his collar.

    Cyclone did not even look at the espeon; his gaze was still focused on the tunnel that Yenn had left through. He spoke only two words to Solus.

    “Watch him.”

    To be continued…
    Last edited by Scytherwolf; 07-09-2017 at 02:25 AM.


  7. #77
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    The Path of Destiny
    Chapter 67 – Renegade



    As soon as Yenn had left Cyclone’s cave behind, he flew off toward Ashend’s. Most of the other pokémon in the army were getting ready to sleep, and none of them paid much attention to him as he flew through the growing darkness.

    Upon reaching Ashend’s cave, the yanmega found it empty. He then checked Itora’s and his own, but there was no sign of his friends. He turned away from the caves, deciding to circle the edges of the army’s camp to see if he could spot them. Thick clouds blocked the sky, so there wasn’t much light to see by, and he wasn’t sure how long it would take to find them. He decided that if he still couldn’t see them after flying around the camp a few times, he would ask some of the army pokémon where they were. He hoped he wouldn’t have to; he didn’t feel like talking to any of them.

    To his surprise, almost as soon as he started circling, he spotted Itora’s patchy blue and yellow pelt below. The manectric was shouting something at him, and he quickly zoomed down until he was hovering directly in front of her.

    “There you are!” Itora gasped. “Ashend’s been looking all over for you! What were you doing bothering Cyclone anyway? Don’t we have-”

    “Itora, I need to talk to you,” Yenn interrupted. He didn’t question how the manectric knew he had been talking to Cyclone; she must have heard it from the group of pokémon who’d met with him just before the incident. Either that, or Ashend had found out where he’d gone and told her.

    “Okay, sure,” Itora replied. She glanced around at the nearest pokémon, who were busy making nests for themselves. “Not around all them, though.”

    “Of course not,” Yenn said. “I…augh…” He trailed off, suddenly feeling rather strange. It almost felt like he had a headache, but it wasn’t exactly pain. It was more uncomfortable than anything, yet it unnerved him all the same.

    “What?” Itora asked.

    “Never mind,” he said. “Let’s go back to one of our caves. We’ll talk there.”

    “Well, actually,” the electric type began, “I was trying to find you so that I could bring you to Ashend’s place. No, not the cave. She found this secluded spot and said she wanted to talk to us there. You could fly around until you find her and then we could go.”

    “Well,” Yenn replied, “I think it might be better if I talked to you two separately. Maybe we should just go there and wait for her.”

    “All right,” the manectric said with a shrug.

    Itora dashed off, Yenn following right behind her. He was surprised when they passed the boundaries of the camp, leaving the hills and boulders behind and reaching flat, rough ground. There weren’t even any large boulders around, and Yenn was confused when Itora stopped right in the middle of the field, out in the open.

    “Here,” she said.

    “This is an odd place for a meeting,” Yenn muttered, wondering why Ashend had wanted them to go stand out in the middle of a field. At least the strange sensation in his head had faded away, leaving him feeling normal again.

    “So, uh, what is it you wanted to tell me?” Itora asked him. “Is it about those pokémon we saw torturing…”

    “Sort of…” Yenn responded. He looked at the rocky dirt and sparse grass beneath him. He didn’t feel like landing on nothing but flat ground, so he stayed hovering. He scanned the skies all around them, making sure there were no flying pokémon near. “Itora, I’m leaving.”

    “What?” the manectric questioned. “Leaving where?”

    “Leaving the army,” Yenn replied.

    “You’re…” Itora trailed off, looking confused. “Wait a minute…is this about…” She looked at the yanmega, pausing a moment before blurting out, “Oh don’t be ridiculous! So one pokémon got an unfair punishment! You can’t seriously want to throw away everything we’ve worked for just for that. Why don’t you go and order the torturers to stop doing it?”

    “I can’t,” Yenn hissed. “Cyclone won’t let it stop. I just talked to him, and he’s not going to change anything because he thinks it’s all worth it. I’m not going to fight for a pokémon like that.”

    “So what are you going to do?” Itora scoffed. “Go off and fight the humans yourself? What a great way to get killed!”

    “No,” Yenn insisted. “I don’t want to be part of this anymore.”

    Itora’s mocking look faded to one of shock and disgust. “Wait…you’re actually serious?”

    “You saw what those pokémon did. How could you follow anyone who allowed something like that?”

    Itora’s fur bristled. “Well, isn't that all the more reason to fight back? Once we stop the humans, that won’t need to happen anymore. We deserve justice, Yenn, and so what if other pokémon get caught in the crossfire? We both got locked in terrible human buildings, and no one helped us!”

    “Well those pokémon were acting just as bad as the humans were,” the yanmega continued. “I don’t know what went on in the lab you were trapped in, but I imagine you saw some horrible things. And what those pokémon were-”

    “Yenn, they weren’t like the humans!” Itora growled in exasperation. “The humans weren’t doing what they did for any good reason. They were just being cruel. But Cyclone has a reason for what he does. He-”

    “I’m not fighting for Cyclone,” Yenn interrupted. “We wouldn’t be hurting just humans. They have pokémon on their side as well. You watched me kill that smeargle. Up until today, I’ve never killed when I wasn’t hungry. It was the only thing I could’ve done for that smeargle…but I didn’t like it, and I don’t want to do it again.”

    It suddenly dawned on Itora just how serious her friend was. She gave Yenn a look of disbelief, her mouth hanging open. Then she growled, her eyes narrowing. “So, we've finally got the perfect opportunity to set things right, and now you're backing out because you decided you don't like the idea?” she spat.

    “Look, I thought I wanted to do this!” Yenn protested. “But I can’t do it anymore. I don’t want to do it anymore.”

    “But why?” Itora nearly shouted. “Why did you suddenly change your mind now? After all we’d been planning-”

    “I didn’t realize what it would actually be like!” Yenn cried. “That’s what we were going to do, wasn’t it? Kill other pokémon and leave their bodies to rot? I thought I could do it if it meant stopping the humans, but I don’t want to turn out like-”

    “Fine!” Itora snarled, cutting him off. “But if this doesn't work for you, what about the rest of us? Now they’ll have to find even more of those Attack stones and it’s going to be even harder for us! And what are you going to do now?”

    “I don’t know,” he replied, suddenly feeling scared. Cyclone’s mission had been his main goal for the past two months, something he could focus on that would take his mind off of everything. Something he could strive and work for. Something that could even be a solution, a way to stop the terror and hatred that plagued his mind by finally setting things right once and for all. He suddenly felt so lost without it. “Maybe I’ll go somewhere where there are no humans,” he said quietly. “Somewhere I can forget about it.”

    “Good luck finding a place like that,” Itora replied mockingly. “Unless you want to live in some icy wilderness, humans are going to get there eventually. But you know, you could always help us put a stop to that.”

    “I’m not fighting…if it means that other pokémon have to be injured and killed for the sake of the wild ones,” Yenn snarled.

    “You’re defending the humans’ pokémon now?” Itora cried, disgusted. “Do you not understand what they’re supporting? I’m sure they go along with much worse than anything Cyclone has ordered.”

    “Not all the pokémon are there willingly, are they?” Yenn retorted.

    “No,” Itora responded, “but if we wipe out the humans, they’ll be the last to have to endure such a thing. Yes, there will be innocents killed. But we’ll save far more. Don’t you understand? All this, everything Cyclone does, is for the greater good. You have to see that.”

    “For the greater good?” Yenn repeated, his voice cold. “That’s just what Cyclone said.” He flew higher above the ground, his voice rising until he was shouting. “And the scientists who cut me open said the exact…same…thing! Does that make it right?”

    Itora just stared at him, dumbfounded. In her shock, she said nothing.

    “I’m done…” Yenn said, his voice calmer. “I’m not going to do this anymore. You can stay here if you want, but I’m leaving. For good.”

    Itora was silent for several more moments. Then she yelled, “Fine! Abandon us! Make us have to search for more Attack stones! Let humans hurt pokémon even longer.” She shot a glare at him and then bolted off in the direction of the army camp.

    Yenn didn’t follow her. He stayed put, watching as she headed back to the camp. When she had gone, he lowered himself to the ground, still in shock over how she had reacted. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, but it couldn’t have been long before he noticed a ghostly shape moving toward him from the direction of the army camp. He had almost forgotten that Ashend was coming to join them, and he remembered that he needed to apologize to her. That would come first.

    “Ashend?” he said, flying over to the misdreavus. “Ashend, I’m sorry about what I did earlier…I…”

    “It doesn’t matter,” the ghost type interrupted. Yenn was surprised to see that she looked almost panicked. “Right now, I’m not sure how much time we have to talk, and there’s not enough time to find Itora; we’ll have to talk to her later.”

    “Wait…what?” Yenn asked, confused. “What do you mean no time? We don’t have a curfew.”

    “We can’t stay out here for too long,” Ashend told him. “They’re already suspicious of you and if they notice we’re going to places where pokémon can’t easily hide or sneak up on us, they’re going to-”

    “What are you talking about?” Yenn cried, looking to Ashend in confusion.

    “Out here, you can see anyone coming!” the misdreavus responded. “And Solus can’t try to read any of your thoughts unless he comes close.”

    “Solus?” Yenn repeated, trying to take in what his friend was saying. “But psychic types don’t…I mean it’s not that easy to just-”

    “Solus isn’t your average psychic type,” Ashend replied grimly. “But that’s not what’s important.”

    “But…but why would he…” Yenn interrupted, feeling more and more confused with every word Ashend said.

    “I couldn’t tell you anything earlier because it wasn’t safe,” Ashend continued. “That’s why you need to listen now.”

    “Okay, but first I need to tell you something,” Yenn insisted. Before she could say anything else, he explained, “I’m leaving the army. Tonight. And I won’t be coming back.”

    He had wanted to say more, wanted to explain why, but at the moment he felt so mentally exhausted that he couldn’t find the strength to try to defend himself from any accusations again. “Itora can tell you why,” he said quietly, expecting the misdreavus to argue.

    “Yenn, you can’t leave,” Ashend told him.

    “Look,” Yenn growled. Not wanting to deal with another argument, he turned away from Ashend. He readied himself to fly off, not wanting what may be the last encounter he had with the ghost type to end like it had with Itora. “I’ve already made up my mind, and I don’t care if-”

    “Cyclone will kill you if you do.”

    Yenn whirled around to face her. “What?” he gasped. “No, no, Cyclone wouldn't have me killed. He took me in, he-”

    “The Attack is more valuable to him than you,” the misdreavus said sadly. “If you deserted, or rebelled, the only way for him to get it back would be to kill you.”

    “What…what do you mean?”

    “That's how the Attacks are transferred from one pokémon to another after they are taken from their stones,” Ashend explained. “The first user has to die...and the closest pokémon of the same type becomes the new bearer.”

    “Where did you hear this?” Yenn replied, shocked.

    “The past few days,” Ashend began, “I've been spying on Cyclone and his higher-ups. I still trusted him at first, but something about what you said on the night Articuno died got me thinking. Cyclone didn’t talk much about the Attacks until after we used ours yesterday. And when I used mine…that was when I realized something was very wrong. Once I left the cave, I snuck around and found out more from Cyclone himself. He calls them ‘Forbidden Attacks.’ But it turns out that even he’s unaware…or in denial…of what these things really are.”

    Without waiting for Yenn to reply, the misdreavus continued, “And that...was also why I was talking to that smeargle. He’d been helping pokémon escape the army and telling them the truth about these powers we have. Of course he couldn’t dare try to reach us, but I approached him myself last night and started talking to him. I think that may have contributed to him getting caught.” Seeing her friend’s stunned face, she continued, “I wouldn't lie to you, Yenn. You and Itora are the only pokémon I can truly consider friends.”

    “But what you said…” Yenn stammered, “after Articuno was killed…you wanted me to trust Cyclone.”

    “I know, I was wrong,” Ashend replied. “It wasn’t until later that night…the night of Articuno’s death…when I started to realize it didn’t sit right with me either. I don’t care about the legendaries, but something about the whole thing felt off. I thought it was just about Articuno, but there is something much worse going on here. It’s not even Cyclone himself we should be afraid of.”

    “Then what-”

    “The powers we have,” the misdreavus began to explain, “aren’t what we were told they were. Aren’t what Cyclone thought they were. They…or to be more accurate, their lore, is actually well known around this region, especially among pokémon in human areas, but most of the army never knew because they were either wild or locked up in buildings or with abusive trainers. Like I said, I knew something wasn’t right about the Attacks from the moment I used mine. Yenn, they can’t be controlled. Not if we keep using them. They will warp the mind of the pokémon they belong to and destroy everything in their path. Many pokémon know of an ice type like this, an ice type who was driven insane and-”

    “Wait a minute…has Cyclone heard about this?” Yenn cried. “He has one of the Attacks too! If this is true, he should-”

    “From what I was told,” Ashend continued, “pokémon have tried to tell him. He doesn't believe them. Yenn, I think it's already altering his mind. Making him believe things about the Attacks that aren't real. He isn't like that houndour with Shadowflare, who fought against it from the beginning. He embraced it and-”

    “Are you saying that Cyclone’s going crazy?” Yenn replied, shocked. He drew back from the misdreavus, his wings beating the air fiercely. “But…Cyclone doesn’t seem like he’s losing control. He can’t be! He runs the entire army! He couldn’t do it if-”

    “Listen,” Ashend said worriedly, “some of the pokémon the army captured on Articuno's mountain…they told me that they saw Blazefang in their territory a few months back. They told me that the houndour couldn't control his Attack. But Blazefang’s loss of control was obvious. Cyclone's is different. He-”

    “Wait…they captured pokémon from the mountain too?” Yenn interrupted. As he said it, he realized that he had no reason to be surprised, and decided to let the subject drop. “What are we going to do then?” he asked, suddenly realizing how scared he felt. “If this is all true, are we going to lose control and go insane too?” He found everything hard to believe, but he knew Ashend well enough to know that if she was this serious about something, there was no way she was lying or jumping to conclusions.

    “No,” the misdreavus said firmly. “Cyclone won’t choose to fight against his Forbidden Attack. He never did. But you can. We may not be able to get rid of the Attacks, but we have the same choice…and I say we fight it.”

    Yenn merely nodded, unsure how to take all the new information. If Ashend was sure, he trusted her, but it still left him in shock.

    “A lot of the pokémon who came from human cities and weren’t abused knew about this,” Ashend continued, seeing that he was still struggling to take everything in. “The ones from Articuno’s mountain saw it with their own eyes when Blazefang and a small group of pokémon climbed their mountain. That many pokémon couldn’t lie about this and all tell me the exact same thing. And I knew something wasn’t right the moment I used that Attack.”

    “I trust you,” Yenn replied shakily. “I just thought…”

    “We need to keep our Attacks under control,” Ashend explained. “They get worse with every use. As they grow stronger, their hold on the pokémon’s mind grows stronger as well. Right now, both of ours are at their weakest stage, when it is easiest to resist. We can keep it from getting worse. But we can’t ever use them again, for any reason. We’ll have to just pretend we did every time Cyclone tells us to.”

    “I…” Yenn began quietly, “I would have used my Attack again today if I hadn’t gone in the cave and seen the…” He shook his head and carried on, “Why didn’t you tell me about this last night?”

    “I didn't know,” Ashend said, lowering her head. “I honestly didn't know. That smeargle and I had to be so careful not to get caught, had to keep moving to different hiding spots, and find the right pokémon to talk to, that by the time he’d managed to explain everything, it was already morning. Before I could get you and Itora alone, you had wandered off and stumbled upon that…”

    Something dawned on Yenn, and he looked to Ashend in alarm. “But they didn't know it was you who talked to him, did they?”

    “I don’t think so,” Ashend answered. “I think they noticed something was up because he kept sneaking off all night, though. I don’t think Solus would have pried into his mind any further after he found out that the smeargle was helping army pokémon escape. I'm sure that if they knew I was involved, that he was sneaking off to see me, they would have done something about it by now.”

    The sight of a bird pokémon drifting nearby silenced both of them. They waited as it flew past them without even giving them a glance, presumably heading off to hunt.

    “I can’t say much more now,” Ashend said, “but I’ve told you the most important things. We need to be heading back.”

    “I’m not going back,” Yenn growled.

    “Yenn, they will kill you,” the misdreavus whispered. “Neither of us could stand up to Cyclone. A few of the pokémon I talked to who knew about the Attacks told me something else about them. One pokémon with a Forbidden Attack can’t use it to kill another one easily. My Attack wouldn’t kill Cyclone instantly; it would take longer, just weaken him at first. And in that time, he could kill me far faster with his own; his is much stronger. Or he could kill me the old-fashioned way, without using his Forbidden Attack at all.”

    “Look,” Yenn began, his voice shaking, “I can't stay here anymore. I’m not going to help Cyclone and his disgusting pokémon. If they’re not going to kill me now, they’ll kill me when I refuse to use my Attack on the humans and their pokémon. And I couldn't live with it if I stayed that long. And after what I said to Cyclone…” He trailed off, unsure how to continue as a new realization came to his mind. “He’ll probably kill me anyway.”

    Ashend turned her sad gaze in the direction of the resting army. When she looked back at Yenn, tears had started to form in her eyes. “Then at least let me help you,” she said.

    Yenn wasn’t sure how to reply. His mind was still racing as he thought of everything Ashend had said, and he almost wondered if he was in the middle of a strange nightmare. In a single day, everything he had come to know had been turned upside down.

    “I can create a distraction,” the misdreavus continued, “but you have to leave now. Tonight. But understand that they’ll soon be after you, that they’ll figure out where you’ve gone and follow you. You’ve got to fly and not stop until you’re far, far away from here. Don’t stop flying unless you absolutely have to. You'll need as much of a head start as you can get...who knows how far they will chase you.”

    “But Ashend…what about…”

    “You’re the only one out of the three of us who stands a chance at getting away right now,” Ashend continued. “But I’ll stay here. I’ll protect Itora. We’ll lie low and observe what we can. We’ll figure out something.”

    “They won’t…harm you, will they?” he asked.

    “I won’t let them,” Ashend said fiercely. Then she sighed, coming to a realization of her own. “But you are right. Cyclone and Solus already suspect that you won’t go through with the plan. You’re in more danger now than we are. If Cyclone finds out even more…” Her voice shook. “Leaving might be your best chance. Maybe your only one.”

    Yenn wasn’t sure what to say. As much as he wanted to leave the army, he hadn’t imagined that he would be fleeing for his life. But when he thought back to his conversations with Cyclone, it was suddenly easy to believe that the army’s leader had only been using him for his ability to wield the bug type Forbidden Attack. Cyclone clearly didn’t care about the lives of wild pokémon, so why would he care about his?

    “Remember,” Ashend continued, “even if Cyclone’s pokémon catch up with you, don’t use your Lifedrain attack. Do everything you can to keep fleeing. Even if you killed some of them, your Attack isn’t enough to kill all of them before they can kill you.”

    “I…all right,” Yenn said shakily.

    “As you’re flying,” Ashend told him, “activate your speed boost ability as much as possible. Attack trees or rocks if you need to keep it going.”

    Yenn nodded.

    “Now,” said Ashend, “I’m going to find a way to talk to Itora. We’ll start our distraction as soon as we’re ready. Go back to your cave and get some of the army pokémon to bring you plenty of food. Eat as much as you can, because you might not run into enough prey to hunt on the way. I know it won’t last you long…but it will help.”

    “I’ll do that…” Yenn began. He watched as the ghost type turned to leave, realizing that it might be one of the last times he would ever see her. “Goodbye…Ashend.”

    “Goodbye,” she replied sadly.

    Knowing that they had to act as soon as possible, the two headed back to the army grounds. Yenn flew straight toward his cave while Ashend set off to find Itora.

    Luckily for the yanmega, there were still pokémon waiting beside the entrance to his cave, ready to serve him. He noticed that they were different pokémon, all of low rank; the aerodactyl and the others from earlier had left. The gathered pokémon looked to him expectantly.

    “Bring some prey here,” he told them unsteadily. “And I want a lot of it.”

    He watched as some of them scurried off to do his bidding, while others stayed put in case he had more orders for them. He suddenly felt even more frightened. Ashend was right; even if he ate all he could, his energy wouldn’t last him all night, especially if he was flying constantly. He had no idea where he was fleeing to, either, and he wasn’t sure how often he would be able to catch prey. The thought that he might not make it and could be torn apart by his pursuers was terrifying, but he still did not waver in his decision.

    The pokémon bringing him food quickly returned. “Thank you,” Yenn told them uneasily as they set down the prey for him. “That’s all you have to do for tonight. You may leave.”

    The pokémon glanced to one another in surprise, and Yenn heard one of them utter a small thanks before they all turned away. Alone, Yenn began to devour the prey, knowing that Ashend was getting everything ready.

    -ooo-

    Ashend waited with Itora by the entrance to the main caves, the ones they had used to practice their Attacks the day before. The manectric was shocked and sullen after what the ghost type had quickly told her, but she heeded her friend’s word and waited beside the tunnel, ready.

    They had cleared the area of guards, telling them that they wanted to try out their Attacks again, to make up for the lost day of practice. No one had questioned them.

    Suddenly they heard wingbeats, and Yenn landed on a boulder beside them. “I’m ready,” he whispered.

    “Get to the edge of the camp,” Ashend instructed him. “You’ll know when to leave.”

    “Yenn, I didn’t…mean what I said,” Itora whispered.

    “It’s all right,” he whispered back.

    Itora cast him once last glance before she trotted into the cave.

    Yenn turned and flew away from them. He planned to head west, in the direction opposite of where they army had come from. He didn’t want to end up back near Articuno’s mountain. But before he did that, he planned to try to throw off his pursuers in whatever small way he could, so he headed to the south side of the camp.

    He sped through the camp, taking care not to pause in his flight so that Solus – if he was lurking around – would not have time to try to read his thoughts. Once he reached the south edge, far enough away from the nearest pokémon, he waited, landing on the remains of a dead tree and pretending to groom himself.

    He knew that if he kept flying south, it would take him directly in the path of human cities. But if he was seen heading south, the army pokémon would not only be more hesitant to follow him, but it could throw them off. Then he could fly to the west once he was well out of sight of the camp.

    Yenn had no idea what lands lay west of the camp, but Articuno’s mountain was to the east and there were colder lands to the north. With the human areas to the south, it seemed like his best option.

    A deafening noise reached him, and he felt the tree shake beneath his legs as shouts came from the direction of the caves. The sound of crashing rocks and shouting pokémon carried on for several seconds, and Yenn, knowing that that was his signal, hooked one of his legs around the vine tying his crystal to his neck and pulled down, stretching the vine enough to give him room to bite through it. He picked up the red gem in his teeth and flew off.

    Feeling his speed boost ability activate, he sped faster, watching the army camp grow smaller and smaller as he left it behind. It was dark, but the occasional gap in the clouds and the starlight shining through gave him enough light to see by.

    As soon as he passed over a small lake, he let go of the gem, watching it strike the surface and sink to the bottom. By the time it vanished from sight, he had flown past the lake and sped off into the unknown, hoping the cover of darkness, as well as Ashend’s distraction, would buy him enough time.

    -ooo-

    “What’s going on here?” a booming voice cried. “What happened?”

    A burly pangoro shoved his way to the front of the crowd. He was met with a distraught Ashend, who was hovering back and forth in front of what was once the main entrance to the caves.

    “Itora’s in there, you idiot!” the misdreavus snapped at him. “Find pokémon to dig her out!”

    “What about the other entrances?” a furret asked.

    “You want to risk your life going in that cave?” she snapped at him. “Send some pokémon in there if you must, but she was right near the entrance when it collapsed. She’s probably trapped under here!” She turned her head toward the pile of rubble.

    The furret fell silent, but Ashend could see some of the higher up pokémon ordering several others to go into the other entrances and find the manectric. She watched worriedly, knowing that she could say nothing about it and hoping that Itora would be able to hide well. They needed to buy Yenn as much time as possible.

    “Start digging!” she screeched at some of the nearest pokémon. “She could be buried under those rocks!” The misdreavus turned and began lifting rocks with her psychic attack – the one useful thing she had gained from her experience with Team Rocket – making sure not to lift any that would actually provide an opening yet still trying to appear frantic. It had been harder to collapse the tunnel than she had at first realized, but shifting rocks with psychic had worked in the end. Itora was somewhere deeper in the cave, well away from the scene of the collapse and hiding from any pokémon who would be searching from the other entrances.

    It was easy for Ashend to act panicked. Thinking about Yenn, she didn’t have to pretend. She shouted at the others to hurry, giving some of them useless orders that she knew they would have to obey. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched them scramble, glad that no one seemed to be looking for Yenn at the moment. Even Solus had appeared, standing at the edge of the crowd with a bewildered look on his face. It didn’t last long, though, and the espeon started to slink away.

    “You!” Ashend called to him. “Solus. You’re a psychic type. Come help us!”

    “I have special orders from Cyclone,” the espeon snarled back. “Let the others help you.”

    “Are those special orders worth more than Itora’s life?” the misdreavus screeched at him. “Maybe you can tell Cyclone that!”

    Solus sneered at her, but reluctantly came to join the furiously digging pokémon. Ashend was aware that he knew how strange and suspicious it would look if he refused to help the manectric, as much as he clearly despised her.

    However, as she watched him, Ashend realized that forcing Solus to stop looking around the camp for Yenn – as that was likely what he had been doing – hadn’t saved them much time. With a power far outdoing that of the other psychic types, Solus lifted and heaved each of the medium sized boulders away, sending some of them hurtling dangerously close to the crowd. In no time, the tunnel was open again.

    In less than a minute, the pokémon had streamed inside and dragged out Itora, who had covered herself in dirt and small bits of debris. Ashend reached her almost instantly, making a show of being intensely relieved.

    They soon spotted Solus walking away again, and Ashend shouted to him. “Come here!” she snapped. “Did you see what happened? I need to have a talk with you and Cyclone. Because unless these caves are reinforced safely enough to withstand Voltgale, how do you two expect us to keep practicing our Attacks?”

    “Make it quick,” the espeon growled with a lash of his tail.

    Acting stunned and disoriented, Itora gave Ashend a weak nod. “Go get Cyclone,” she said. “I’ll wait here with him.” She looked at Solus, who stared her down. She focused all her thoughts on how ugly she thought he was, knowing that unless Solus focused very hard and alerted her to what he was doing, that was all of her mind that he would see.

    -ooo-

    It was not long before Solus was finally able to slip away. Cyclone had done everything he could to placate the distraught Ashend about the caves, but Solus had been forced to stay as the misdreavus demanded that he help fix it. She had made one ridiculous request after another and seemed inconsolable about the close call her manectric friend had just had. When he had tried skimming her mind for thoughts, all the espeon had found was distress and worry. He didn’t dare delve deeper, or Ashend would notice. Luckily Cyclone had finally drilled it into the ghost type’s head that the caves were being fixed and there were more important matters he needed to attend to.

    Immediately after the misdreavus had finally been sent away, Cyclone had told Solus to find Yenn again. The psychic type had set off, realizing that the yanmega was probably still flying around somewhere. He hadn’t had a chance to really get any good readings of the bug type’s thoughts, even when he’d risked probing deeper. It was frustrating, but Solus knew that Yenn eventually exhausted himself on his nightly flights anyway.

    He was surprised when he couldn’t find any sign of the bug type anywhere, and quickly sent other pokémon to search for him in case he was wandering outside the camp again.

    They had spent nearly a half hour searching the camp and surrounding areas before coming back, telling him there was no sign of Yenn.

    Solus had demanded information from the army members, but it had taken him a while to find some pokémon who had seen the yanmega leave. They told him they had seen him flying south, and Solus had been about to fetch Cyclone before a honchkrow came forward. The honchkrow explained that he had been taking a hunting party well outside the camp boundaries, and had seen Yenn – quite a ways away from the camp - turn around and head west.

    Solus had shouted at the honchkrow, ignoring the flying type’s excuses as he explained that he had not known that anything was wrong, had thought Yenn was on some sort of mission from Cyclone or had decided to hunt for himself. Solus had ignored the honchkrow, deciding he would deal with him later, and told Cyclone what had happened…that Yenn had fled the army.

    The vaporeon now stood, furious, as Solus gathered the army’s most powerful fliers and the swiftest runners. They were away from the main army group, facing the lands west of the camp.

    Itora and Ashend were back in their caves, likely resting after the ordeal Itora had been through. Solus was glad for it; the last thing he wanted to deal with after the problems with Yenn were those two again. How he was going to convince them that Yenn was a traitor or that he had merely died on his journey, he had no idea.

    As Solus gave some of the pokémon orders to gather more swift travelers, the vaporeon leader rounded on him.

    “Why did you allow this to happen?” Cyclone asked, his voice chilling enough to make Solus shudder. “You told me these pokémon were going to fight humans at all costs. Obviously…” His voice lowered to a growl. “You didn’t read one of them properly.”

    The espeon met Cyclone’s gaze. “I did read him properly!” Solus protested. “Look, when we found him, Yenn was a broken mess. You knew he was going to cling to anything that gave him a goal - a distraction – so he could try to forget what happened to him. He was going to stay angry, and lash out, and work toward fighting humans so that he didn't have to think about it. That’s why we chose him. I didn't find any signs that he was going to go mutinous on us! Whatever happened must have happened really quickly because up until just now, he seemed fine with the whole thing!”

    Cyclone watched Solus impassively, and the espeon continued, “In fact, I would have pinpointed him as the most bloodthirsty, determined, screwed up excuse for a pokémon out of the three of them! I watched him fantasize about murdering humans over and over again in his own mind. It’s not my fault he suddenly decided he didn’t want the reality!”

    Cyclone didn’t show any more outward anger toward Solus’s words, just waited for him to finish.

    “I thought he would go along with this and so did you,” the espeon growled under his breath. “You can't blame this on me. Now let's find him and kill him so this can be done with! And next time, let’s keep the Forbidden Attack users apart. His friendship with the others might have been part of what made him willing to change his mind. And they aren't going to be happy when they find out he’s dead.”

    “Let me deal with them,” Cyclone growled, turning away from the psychic type. Though he didn’t show much of it outwardly, Solus could tell that the vaporeon was seething on the inside. The leader turned his head as some of the last remaining pokémon for the new mission appeared, all of them pokémon who could fly or run for long periods of time every day.

    Most of them were large bird pokémon, with a few tropius, flygon, noivern, and a charizard and salamence. Among the runners were rapidash, arcanine, and zebstrika. Most of these pokémon were high ranking and fiercely loyal, but those that were of lower rank still stood obediently, already knowing what their mission was and waiting for their orders. If they were afraid of Yenn’s Forbidden Attack, they did not show it.

    Cyclone knew that Yenn would only be able to take a few of his pokémon down at most before they overwhelmed him. He was heading straight toward the desert the scouts had seen earlier; he would likely be weak by the time they caught up with him. Yenn had nowhere to go; either he braved the desert, or he turned back and ran into the line of pokémon pursuing him.

    Solus had made sure there were water types among the fliers, and some clever army pokémon had recently found a way to store water using hollow gourds and plant materials, so the bigger pokémon were able to carry supplies.

    The vaporeon watched as two of the flying types, a pidgeot and a swellow, arrived. The pidgeot carried a small caterpie in his talons, the only bug type that would be coming on the journey. The caterpie was deeply asleep, slumped over in the bird pokémon’s claws. The swellow carried a tiny bulbasaur, one that wasn’t even full grown. The grass type struggled in the swellow’s grasp, crying out as tears flowed from her eyes.

    Cyclone nodded to the pidgeot and swellow in approval. The bulbasaur was being brought along for her sleep powder ability, and the fact that she was small enough to carry and not use up much of the resources. The caterpie was merely a vessel for Yenn’s Forbidden Attack, and once the tiny pokémon received it, he would be kept asleep until they returned and were ready to pass the attack to the new bug type bearer.

    Cyclone turned toward a waiting feraligatr, who was helping oversee the hasty preparations. “Tomorrow morning, I want every bug type in the army gathered in the center of the camp,” the leader ordered. Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked up to Solus, standing face to face with the espeon. “And Solus…”

    “I’ll go with them,” Solus said before Cyclone could finish. “I’ll kill Yenn myself if I can.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “If he kills some of the others with his Forbidden Attack, I can use the moment he’s distracted. I’ll slam him into the ground with psychic and bash his head in before he has the chance to attack me.”

    Some of Cyclone’s anger subsided. “Very well,” he agreed.

    As soon as one of the waiting tropius had been ordered to carry the espeon, who held on with the help of his psychic powers, the pokémon waited for Cyclone’s final order. When their leader gave it, they took to the air or dashed across the ground, heading in the direction the runaway had gone.

    Cyclone and the pokémon who had helped him organize the mission watched them for a few moments, then turned and headed back to the main camp.

    -ooo-

    Yenn had been flying for at least a couple of hours. The clouds in the sky had cleared enough for him to see better, but they still shrouded the way ahead in darkness. Earlier on, he had flown past some strange rugged mountain cliffs, and had almost considered hiding there, but immediately discarded the idea after he saw the remains of a collapsed human building.

    He knew it would have been a foolish idea anyway; the ground around the cliffs looked barren, and he needed to stick to places with enough vegetation and water. After flying for a while, he had made sure to stop briefly at any pond or stream he could find and take a drink.

    It was during one of his short drink breaks that he noticed something moving from the direction he’d come. A black shape in the distance, maybe more than one, blocking out a star here and there.

    Yenn froze. He had no way of knowing when Cyclone’s followers had begun to chase after him; for all he knew, they could have immediately realized he was gone and were right on his tail that very moment.

    He didn’t know for sure if it really was one of Cyclone’s pokémon, already catching up to him so quickly, but he knew he didn’t want to stay around to find out. He also knew that once it got lighter, some of the keener eyed pokémon would be able to spot him from a distance if they were close enough, and there weren’t many places to hide. He had to keep going, and get as far ahead as he could before morning.

    He quickly flew away from the stream, heading further out into the wilderness. He had been forced to stop using speed boost once he realized it had been draining too much of his energy too fast. He decided that he’d use it once every hour or so; he needed plenty of strength already just to keep flying for so long.

    As he focused on the way ahead, he noticed that the clouds cleared further on. This gave him a feeling of unease, as he knew that the light of the stars would make it easier for his pursuers to fly through the night as well. However, he didn’t dwell on that for long, because he noticed something else that struck him as even more alarming.

    Up ahead, still far in the distance, was a line. He couldn’t think of any other way to describe it. It was like there was a long dividing line separating two lands from each other. It unnerved him to look at it; the last place he’d seen such straight and precise lines was back in the human building where he had been held captive for so long. What was a perfect line doing in nature?

    As he got closer, he realized that the line was the edge of a strange territory meeting with the grassy plain he was currently flying over. As he narrowed the gap between it and himself, he realized with a jolt of horror that he was looking at some sort of desert. Even the clouds seemed to stop once they got close to the barren land, leaving it open and exposed.

    Yenn turned in midair and approached the line of desert in a diagonal path, hoping it was small enough that he could eventually fly around its outer edge. He knew that by now, Cyclone’s pokémon were certainly chasing him, and that he couldn’t fly back the way he’d come. Now that the thought of being murdered in some brutal way was a very real possibility, he found himself flying faster out of fear.

    As he drew closer, Yenn realized that finding a way around the desert was a futile hope. It stretched endlessly in either direction, and trying to avoid it would only give his pursuers plenty of time to catch up with him. He knew the way Cyclone and his followers planned things; the pokémon chasing him would have fanned out and would be approaching him in a wide circle. He couldn’t escape by turning away from the desert and trying to find another path. Going through it was his only chance. He didn’t know if he could last for days in a desert, but if he ran into Cyclone’s pokémon, he would be killed for sure. As Ashend had said, Cyclone was going to go to any length to take his Forbidden Attack back for the army.

    Yenn watched the approaching desert with dread until he finally crossed the threshold between it and the plains. He felt scared and conflicted; he had never actually seen a desert before, and he had no idea how far in any direction it reached. He wasn’t sure if he should take a more diagonal path and hope to find its edge, or go straight through and keep the greatest distance possible between him and the pokémon of Cyclone’s army.

    In the end, he decided that taking a path straight forward was as good a choice as any. There was no guarantee the desert was longer than it was wide. He had a fleeting hope that maybe Cyclone’s followers would see the desert and decide to turn around, but he knew deep down how foolish a thought that was.

    As Yenn left the grassy plains behind, finding himself surrounded by nothing but dry, cracked earth, it struck him, hard, how much of a terrible mistake he’d made. He had picked the wrong direction to flee in, and now it was too late. A large number of pokémon were out for his blood, pokémon likely much better suited to the desert environment than he was. He nearly had to stop as terror ripped through his mind like lightning. ‘What have I done?’

    He hadn’t just betrayed Cyclone. He had left everything he had, everything he had come to know. He had left all the comfort, safety, and power he’d enjoyed back at the army, everything that had kept him going through one day after the next. He had even left his friends.

    And now that he’d gotten himself trapped between his would-be executioners and the desert, he knew he was probably going to die for it.

    Yet at the same time, he knew that it was better than being turned into Cyclone’s killing machine, better than letting the army leader use his Lifedrain attack to murder countless pokémon in the human cities. At least if he got far enough, and died somewhere out in the desert, far from where his pursuers could reach, Cyclone and the army wouldn’t get their claws on his Forbidden Attack.

    When Yenn thought about what Cyclone wanted to use him for, thought about how many pokémon he would have killed had he gone through with it, it shocked him that he’d ever wanted to do it…that just a day before, he had been willing to do it. It shocked him that he’d been so blinded by his hatred for the humans that he had been willing to destroy them even if innocents got in his way. It disgusted him that his motivations hadn’t been much different from the humans who had given him his scar, that he had been willing to cause great suffering to pokémon for something he’d believed was right.

    He tried not to dwell on it. He wasn’t going to think like that anymore. He never could again. He didn’t know what he wanted to do about the humans anymore, but he knew that that was behind him. His chances of ever setting things right were over, and he wasn’t even sure he still wanted to strive so hard for revenge if he survived. He told himself it didn’t even matter; he had left that opportunity far behind.

    Yenn tried to push the thoughts aside; there were more pressing issues demanding his attention. He knew he needed to find some source of water, so he flew higher into the sky, scanning the ground beneath him. He realized that once it got lighter, he would be more easily spotted by the keen eyed flying pokémon if he was at a high altitude, so he was determined to make the most out of the night hours.

    Yet as far as he could see, the desert was lifeless…featureless. Aside from a rock here and there, there were no landmarks, no sign of water or other pokémon. He fought back panic at the thought that he was trapped in what looked like a complete wasteland, with no choice but to keep going…

    …Keep going and hope for the best.

    -ooo-

    Alone in her resting cave, Ashend drifted back and forth in the darkest area of her cavern, her mind numb. She knew that Solus and the group of pokémon he was leading were well on their way already, following Yenn’s path. She barely recalled what Cyclone had said to her and Itora on the matter; they had pretended to be outraged at the thought of Yenn being a traitor. She had called her own friend such horrible things, all while knowing that Cyclone was trying to have him killed. But her anger was not false. In the secrecy of her own mind, it was all directed at Cyclone himself.

    At the moment, she could hardly think about the Forbidden Attacks or the danger of Cyclone’s corruption. That all seemed far away when she thought about how one of the only two pokémon she truly cared about might soon be slaughtered. She realized that Yenn might have been killed if he had stayed, and all she could hope for was that the one chance he had now would be enough.

    The misdreavus’s eyes narrowed as she fought back tears. Cyclone was having Yenn killed, and he could hurt Itora if he knew what she was aware of. Ashend felt herself boiling with hatred as she pictured the vaporeon, ordering his followers to murder her friend.

    She knew that, until an opportunity arose, she and Itora could do nothing but bide their time. Bide their time and learn all they could. She had told Itora that when Solus returned, she would need to think of random thoughts most of the time, and think them loudly, masking what she was really thinking. The espeon was a powerful psychic, an absurdly powerful one, but even he couldn’t pick apart thoughts lurking underneath more powerful ones without the pokémon knowing that he was invading their mind. At least, Ashend thought, Cyclone didn’t yet suspect her or Itora, so Solus wouldn’t dare try his worst.

    Ashend knew that her main goal now was to protect Itora. She would do her best not to let anything happen to her. In the meantime, they would learn what they could from the pokémon the smeargle had led her to, the ones who were against Cyclone’s plans and who knew what the Forbidden Attacks were. And, once she had the chance, Ashend would start building a new plan.

    She could hardly care about the humans anymore. There was a pokémon she hated far more than any of them. The pokémon who had ordered the murder of Yenn, the yanmega who had shown her true kindness and compassion in a world that had only given her pain.

    If she had anything to say about it…then one way or another, Cyclone’s reign was going to come to an end.

    -ooo-

    The sun was rising as Solus and his group of pokémon reached the edge of the desert. Solus told the tropius to stop, peering down at the barren landscape with a look of confusion. He’d known there was a desert there, but the abrupt change of scenery gave him an odd feeling.

    However, it was more than just the desert that put him at unease. He was beginning to regret the promise he’d made to Cyclone. Even if there were other pokémon to take the fall for him when they came up against Yenn’s Forbidden Attack, the espeon didn’t like the thought of attacking a pokémon with that much power.

    As he thought about it, he realized that he could avoid it altogether. The other pokémon would have no reason to question him; a solution was quickly forming in his mind, and he could easily pass it off as being concerned for the other pokémon. After all, they didn’t want to exhaust themselves, did they?

    He turned his head toward a pidgeot who was flying in a wide circle around him, waiting for his orders. “Tell the others to gather here,” he said.

    “But…but what about-” the flying type began.

    “We’ve got plenty of time to catch up with him. I want to talk to everyone.”

    The pidgeot nodded and flew off to spread the message, passing it along to a honchkrow who sped off toward the pokémon lined up in the opposite direction. Thanks to the swiftness of the fliers and runners, it wasn’t very long before they had all gathered in a group on the ground. Solus paced in front of them, waiting until the last flying type had settled down among the ranks of army pokémon.

    He noticed the scared looks of the ones who had been forced to come, the lowest ranking members of the group…the ones who would be forced to attack Yenn first and take the Forbidden Attack. Solus knew that, if it still came to that, he would likely lose more than just a couple before they brought Yenn down. He was aware that using the Attack gave the yanmega temporary strength, and he would probably put up a fight. But the low ranking pokémon who had been forced into the mission had been given two choices; do as Solus and the others ordered, or endure a slow death by torture. However, now that Solus had a better idea, he was sure they would be happy to hear it.

    “Listen up!” the espeon shouted. “As soon as I say this meeting is over, we’re going to spread out again. But once the yanmega is spotted, we’ll follow close together.”

    “We’re not going to try to surround him?” a talonflame asked, cocking her head at the espeon.

    “No,” Solus answered. “He’s far ahead now, but it won’t be hard to catch up once the heat of the sun starts wearing him down.”

    He watched the group of pokémon, some of the more nervous ones looking at him uncertainly. No one else dared to speak up; they simply waited to be given instructions.

    “It’s simple,” Solus continued. “Yanmega can't fly for days without rest, especially with no food or water. If he keeps going like that, he will literally run himself into the ground from exhaustion. So what we do is this.” He cast his gaze across all the gathered pokémon, the ones of lower rank shooting hopeful glances at each other.

    “There's nowhere for him to hide out there,” the psychic type went on. “We'll follow behind him, close enough that he can see us, but far enough to give him hope that he can still outrun us. If he stops to rest, we'll speed up and close in on him. If this works, it'll keep him moving until he can't go any farther and his body shuts down. This way, we won't have to lose anyone to his Forbidden Attack. With any luck, he'll be dead before we even reach him.”

    Some of the pokémon who had been forced to come along looked almost ready to cry in relief. He noticed a rapidash and a zebstrika moving closer together, looking at one another with renewed hope, small smiles on their faces. Solus ignored it; these pokémon had a job to do, and he was there to make sure they did it.

    “Do what I say, and we likely won’t have to fight him at all,” the espeon said coldly. “Now get moving. I want him spotted as soon as possible, so travel as fast as you can. We can slow down once he’s in our sight.”

    Turning away from the mob as they raced back to their positions, Solus climbed on the back of the tropius again. Soon they were back into the air, and he could see the other pokémon racing off into the desert toward their quarry. With a smirk of satisfaction, he turned his gaze toward the horizon.

    Meanwhile, three days of much slower travel ahead of Solus’s group, Snowcrystal and her friends carried on, completely unaware of what was heading their way.

    To be continued…


  8. #78
    Lover of Centipedes Scytherwolf's Avatar
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    The Path of Destiny
    Chapter 68 – Across the Desert



    “Oh come on,” Spark grumbled as he watched Katie’s pidgeot circle lower and lower until he and his rider were close enough that the jolteon could see Katie’s disappointed expression. “We have to be close by now.”

    “Be patient, Spark,” Stormblade responded. “It’ll only be a couple more days at most. And we’ve got plenty of food and water with us.”

    “Arrgh! I wouldn’t mind so much if this place wasn’t so boring!” the jolteon cried. “Couldn’t this legendary have picked a better hiding place?”

    “Shh!” Rosie hissed at him. “Katie’s going to say something.”

    Just as the three turned their attention to the trainer again, she and her pidgeot had landed on the dusty ground. “There’s nothing up ahead for miles,” Katie announced. “But we’ll just have to keep going.”

    A few of the pokémon gave exasperated sighs. “Are you sure we’re even going in the right direction?” one of them called out.

    “Look, if there’s anything up ahead, we’d see it from miles away,” Wildflame answered, knowing that Katie wouldn’t be able to understand the question. “It may be a big desert, but it’s not like we’re going to miss a giant cliff.”

    There was a thump as Fernwing’s feet landed on the ground. “We’ll let you all know when we spot something,” the tropius told the other pokémon. “Trust me, we won’t miss anything from the air.”

    From his position strapped to Fernwing’s back, Blazefang peered out at the pokémon gathered on the desert ground. “At least the air’s clearer up there,” he muttered with a cough as the wind blew a cloud of dust over the huddled group.

    “We’ve got plenty of supplies; no need for anyone to panic,” Katie called, sensing that the pokémon were uneasy. “Damian, does your pokégear still work? Been a while since I checked mine.”

    Damian lit up the screen on his device, waiting for a moment before replying, “Yeah, it’s fine. Not much use for it without a map of this area, though. But according to the map in your book, we’re still on the right course for the cliffs. We’re actually making pretty good time, considering the size of this desert.”

    “Right, well…let’s keep going, then,” Katie said with a weary shrug as she mounted her pidgeot and took off into the air.

    Snowcrystal tried, unsuccessfully, to shake the dust from her fur. “I wonder where those cacturne go to during the daytime,” she mused.

    “Don’t even talk about that,” Rosie said with a shudder. “I’m still creeped out about it.”

    “Well, we haven’t seen them since the first night,” Spark said with a shrug. “Too many fire types.”

    “Doesn’t mean I want to think about it,” Rosie muttered under her breath.

    As the group carried on, following Damian and the others, Stormblade paused. He sensed something was amiss, and as he turned around, he realized what it was. Thunder had stopped, glowering at the group ahead of her with a hateful look.

    Stormblade knew that, physically, Thunder was fine. She had no problem demanding food or water from the other pokémon whenever she needed it, and there was always someone willing to get it for her. She was also much healthier than Stormblade could remember her being, and she had taken the grueling journey far easier than most of the pokémon, even to the point of being annoyed when they stopped to rest too often for her liking. But he knew that she was troubled, unwilling to trust the others and desperate to get to wherever their destination was, both for herself and for Nightshade’s sake.

    As soon as Thunder noticed that he had stopped, her attention snapped to him. She narrowed her eyes, speeding up so that she could pass Stormblade and trail behind the rest of the group. “What are you looking at?” she snapped at him as she went by, but there was hardly any animosity in her words. If anything, it felt forced, like she was tired or had other things on her mind.

    Stormblade wanted to ask her what might be wrong, but he thought better of it. Thunder still didn’t seem to be in any mood to talk to anyone; she hadn’t even spent much time around Nightshade when they’d rested.

    He followed the others, hoping that once they got out of the desert, Thunder might warm up to the rest of the group a little. He also hoped that the others would be willing to do the same for her.

    -ooo-

    Yenn was exhausted. It was not even midday yet, and the heat was already weakening him. He occasionally had to pause in his flight, purely because it felt like his body was overheating. It was becoming painful to beat his wings, and his muscles seemed to have to strain harder to keep him airborne with every passing hour.

    The lone yanmega flew against the hot wind that battered his body and forced sand into his lungs, trying not to think too much about what he knew was following behind him. The sun beat down overhead, and in the distance he could see a strange shimmering that almost looked like water. However, he had learned earlier that day that it was nothing but an illusion brought about by the heat waves.

    Yenn had never been in a landscape so hostile before. It felt oppressive, and it scared him to think that he had flown so fast and so far, yet had still not found a way out of it or come across water or shelter. In his home, his old home before the humans locked him in that horrid building, he had been used to being able to fly wherever he wished. He could remember flying to the tops of the tallest trees as a yanma, just because he could. He remembered how he had long awaited the day when he could finally evolve, and fly even higher. He remembered when the day of his evolution had come, how happy he had been. It had been back in the days when he still felt happiness like that, when the world had seemed bright and welcoming. He had been ready to search for new lands, to see more of the world than just his territories or the migration path. He had felt like he could go anywhere.

    ...But there was nowhere for him to go here; he could only keep flying and hope he found something.

    At least out here, he wasn’t in a cage. Yenn knew he had a chance. It was a slim one, a chance that depended on him stumbling across water or the desert’s end, but a chance all the same.

    Yenn shook his head as another wave of dust was blown into his face, stinging his eyes. He had started to get used to it, as there wasn’t much he could do, and he had grown too tired to try to wipe the dust off his face every minute or so. Worriedly, Yenn noticed that it was also getting increasingly hard to ignore his thirst. It felt like something was clawing at his throat every time he breathed, and his longing for water was starting to overpower everything else in his mind. He had also started getting dizzy, sometimes badly so, and he knew that was not a good sign.

    Normally on a hot day, Yenn and other yanmega would dip their bodies into the water as they flew to cool themselves down, but there was clearly no source of water here. He had not seen a drop of water nor any native pokémon since entering the desert. He hadn’t even seen plant life. There was nothing but dry, cracked ground as far as he could see.

    In spite of his ever-worsening fatigue, he had not dared rest for longer than a few minutes. He could already see the telltale sign of pursuers on the horizon, flying types – and large ones from the look of it – just where he could barely see them. Even when he tried to avoid it, he kept finding his attention drawn to them.

    He started to get light-headed, and realized that he had to land again, if only for a moment. There was nothing to perch on, so he simply lowered himself to the ground. He stumbled as he landed, having to take a moment to make sure he was standing sturdily enough before he stopped moving his wings. The hardened earth felt painfully hot beneath his feet, but he was too exhausted to care much. He gasped for air as he lowered his wings and let them rest against the ground, trying not to breathe in too much dust.

    He could feel a headache coming on, and he lowered his body to the desert floor, resting his head on the cracked earth. He willed himself to feel better, thought about how the rest would help, but the pain didn’t leave him. It was not even the hottest part of the day, and already the lack of water was starting to put him in danger.

    At least the dizziness faded quickly, and Yenn found that his vision and mind were once again sharp and alert. And with that, he could make out the pokémon on the horizon, just barely within his sight.

    Another look at his would-be killers spurred him onwards. He had hardly rested a few minutes, but he took to the air in a panic, fearful of giving the other flying types – who were likely used to flying longer distances than he could – even more time to catch up. He knew his only chance of safety was making it to the end of the desert before they did, and finding somewhere he could hide. If he didn’t keep enough distance between himself and Cyclone’s pokémon, he would never get that chance.

    -ooo-

    Thunder was growing to hate the journey through the desert more and more. She had no idea where the other pokémon and the humans were taking her, and she didn’t think they knew either. All she knew – and all she cared to know – was that they were searching for a legendary, just as Snowcrystal had in the beginning. Only this time, they didn’t even know which one they were looking for, or if the ‘portal’ they had been talking about actually led anywhere. Thunder was doubtful they’d find out anything about the Forbidden Attacks, but she hardly cared. That wasn’t her fight.

    She hated that they had managed to drag her into the lifeless wasteland, where she was completely at the mercy of the humans and the pokémon who carried supplies. It wasn’t that she was afraid of them; even though she had promised herself that she would not attack them, she was not afraid to defend herself in the unlikely event that they attacked her first. However, she was afraid for Nightshade.

    Even once they got out of the desert, she didn’t want to leave him, not when he was so badly injured. He couldn’t fend for himself, and she didn’t trust the humans to take care of him if she wasn’t there. She was stuck.

    She also hated that Stormblade and some of the others would glance back at her as they walked, looking like they wanted her to talk to them or walk closer to the group. She glared at them every time. It bothered her that they worried about her, but she knew it wasn’t for the reasons they thought it did.

    Thunder did not hate being seen as weak because she thought it was shameful. Being tortured and beaten most of her life had left her unable to care much, if at all, about shame. She hated weakness and vulnerability because it felt hopeless, like being trapped in a cage. She hated when other pokémon acknowledged it, and knew about it, because she was never sure what they’d do. In the past, pokémon that knew she was weak had used it against her, made her a target. It was something she felt she should never show anyone, and concealing it was a way she had learned to protect herself.

    She had lashed out at Stormblade and other pokémon who had tried to show her sympathy in the past, remembering all the false kindness Master and his pokémon had given her in order to manipulate her, to lie to her. To give her hope only to send it crashing down. She had long believed that Stormblade and the others were doing the same thing.

    But Nightshade was different. She hadn’t even been sure why she had begun to trust him, why she had given him a chance in the first place. She had been very weak at that time, ravaged by illness and her wounds. Maybe she had simply thought there was no hope, not much of anything to lose. So she had opened up to the heracross, the way she had with Stormblade that one night long ago. Only with Nightshade, she’d had a much harder time convincing herself to stop trusting him.

    Thunder did feel shame about one thing. She felt ashamed that it taken her attacking and almost killing Nightshade to fully realize that he was different, that he was a friend. It was something she knew she would always regret, but she was determined to make it right. She was Nightshade’s friend, and she was going to show that.

    There wasn’t much she could do for Nightshade for the time being, but she could make sure the humans gave him what he needed, make sure he always had enough food and water. She could do that, and that was something.

    The scyther followed behind the others until the afternoon arrived, and with it the worst heat of the day. The humans stopped and scrambled to put up tents while the pokémon sat or lay down to rest. Redclaw stood to his fullest height, letting some of the smaller pokémon gather in his shadow. Thunder glowered at them; the fact that they so readily trusted the arcanine and weren’t afraid to show that they were tired made her almost hate them, as irrational as she knew that was.

    She didn’t understand why Redclaw was so trusting and friendly to pokémon who were strangers. He’d had a taste of Master’s cruelty, even if it was just a small one. A few months ago, she would have said that the arcanine hadn’t learned anything from his experiences. Now, after what Nightshade had taught her, she wasn’t so sure. It was hard for her to admit it, but maybe he had learned something…and learned more than she had.

    “Thunder, do you want to rest in one of the tents this time?” Snowcrystal called out to her. The tiny white growlithe was standing in Redclaw’s shadow. She was such a weak and unintimidating figure, yet she looked at Thunder with confidence. “You can rest with Nightshade, if you like.”

    “I’ll be fine out here!” she snapped, and Snowcrystal sadly turned away, realizing there was no point in arguing with her.

    Thunder watched the trainers put up the tents, watched them let Nightshade rest inside one of them with a small portable fan to keep him cool. She watched the fire types, minus Snowcrystal, gather together in the center of the makeshift camp and prepare to sleep. Thunder did what she had done each day in the desert, and made sure that Nightshade was safe and had what he needed. Then she walked away from the group and found her own place to sleep.

    As she slowly drifted off, she thought about Snowcrystal’s offer, the same offer the others had given her every time they stopped to rest. She still felt that it was right – and safer – not to accept.

    Yet a large part of her wished she had.

    -ooo-

    Yenn could not avoid it any longer. He had to take a longer rest, or his body was going to give out. He had been flying for hours during the hottest part of the day, and the heat had sapped his strength far faster than he’d expected. It seemed to take every ounce of willpower he had to beat his wings; he was going on pure adrenaline.

    When he landed on the ground, his legs collapsed beneath him before he could steady himself. Struggling to stand, the yanmega gasped for air, soon going into a coughing fit for what seemed like the thousandth time since that morning. He lifted his head as soon as it was over, keeping an eye on the distant signs of his pursuers. His vision swam in front of him, making it difficult to make out the shapes of the pokémon.

    He shook dust from his body and weakly tried to fan himself with his wings to keep cool, fearful that the heat would bring him down before the night came. The wind he had been flying into had seemed to get even hotter the higher the temperature climbed, making him feel almost like he was flying into the depths of a fire mountain instead of traveling across open plain.

    Yenn had been fighting back panic for quite some time. He still hadn’t found even the smallest sign of water. The landscape never changed; it was unusual to see even a large rock that stood out from the blankness. He hadn’t even been able to find some sort of plant or berries he could try to eat for a small amount of water. The only moisture he had been able to get since the previous night had been the blood from a tiny fennekin he had caught and eaten a few hours back, and he hadn’t seen another one since. At least, he thought, it had boosted his strength for a while.

    He let his wings hang limply at his sides as he lifted his front pair of legs, trying to wipe the dust from his eyes as he fought off an overpowering urge to sleep. He could still see his flying pursuers on the horizon, and he knew he was taking a risk by stopping for longer than a few minutes. But he had to; he wasn’t going to make it if he kept going like this.

    As the day had worn on, he’d found that he’d had to stop more and more often. He knew he had found himself in one of the worst environments for a yanmega. His kind starved quickly, needed a lot of food and rest to fly well, and certainly needed water. He could only be more ill-suited to the desert if he were a water pokémon.

    Still, he refused to let himself give in or give up hope. He had covered a huge distance in under a day, moving far faster than a pokémon could walk. He could still make it, he told himself. He had to try.

    As he rested, not yet able to will himself to keep flying, he found his thoughts drifting back to Itora and Ashend, the friends he had left behind at the army. The army that he now knew was run by a twisted pokémon corrupted by a Forbidden Attack.

    A sudden thought sent terror through his mind, and his thoughts began to race. Ashend…Itora…? Were they safe? Did Cyclone suspect that they were involved in his escape?

    He knew he couldn’t panic, not now. He thought of Ashend, and how wise the misdreavus was, telling himself that she would never let Cyclone find out anything about what she had done or put her and Itora in danger. However, it was still so hard not to imagine his friends being found out and punished, and Yenn was having trouble convincing himself that they’d be all right.

    He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, fighting to will himself to keep flying and going over every possible scenario in his mind. What finally snapped him out of it was the sudden realization that the winged pokémon following him had gotten much, much closer.

    Alarm flared through his mind as he took to the sky, forcing his exhausted wings to move. He wondered how he had gone without noticing that his enemies were moving faster for so long; it wasn’t like him to miss things in his surroundings. Now they were frighteningly closer, and fear alone gave Yenn the strength he needed to fly off in the opposite direction, hoping he could somehow make up for the distance he’d lost.

    He wasn’t sure how, but around an hour later, he found that the gap between him and Cyclone’s pokémon had widened again. However, he didn’t dare slow down in case they started to catch up once more. It took all his effort to keep moving, and with his worsening thirst and weakening body, he felt like he was driving himself to his death.

    But if the desert didn’t kill him, the pokémon following him certainly would.

    -ooo-

    The clear desert skies turned from blue to brilliant hues of red and orange, then finally, to black. Despite the fact that the temperature had dropped quickly with the coming of night, the trainers and pokémon were tired enough that they decided to stop and take another break.

    “Hey, Rosie! Redclaw!” Spark shouted over at the group of pokémon who were beginning to settle down. “Light us a fire. It’s already getting chilly.”

    “Sure thing,” Redclaw replied eagerly, and bounded over to his pack, which was now lying on the ground, fetching a few logs of wood and bringing them over to the jolteon.

    “Hey, wait!” Justin called, watching the arcanine bound past. “We don’t…have…much of that left.” Seeing that the pokémon weren’t listening, he gave up, merely sighing and rolling his eyes.

    Soon the pokémon had a small fire going, and the weary trainers, along with the rest of the group, gathered around it. Thunder was the only one who hung back, staring at the others disdainfully.

    “Wow,” Spark breathed, staring up at the star-strewn sky. “A few months ago, I never would have thought I’d end up in a place like this.”

    “What, this boring old desert you keep complaining about?” Rosie teased.

    “Well, not really,” the jolteon replied. “I just mean...everything we’ve seen. Articuno’s mountain, especially. I even met up with Justin again. I never thought that…”

    “That you’d lead us into a combee hive?” Stormblade interrupted with a grin.

    “Hey, don’t bring that up! I was young and naive!” Spark cried.

    “That was only a couple months ago.”

    “Yeah, well pokémon change, okay?”

    Rosie had to lower her head and place her paws over her muzzle to keep from laughing.

    “Okay, I’ve gotta hear that story,” Redclaw said eagerly, shifting his paws in the dust as he settled beside the fire.

    “Trust me, it’s not that interesting,” Spark protested.

    “You’d better tell!” Rosie said with a grin as she looked at the jolteon.

    “Yeah, come on, tell!” Alex urged him.

    “No!”

    “If you won’t, I will!” Rosie shouted playfully.

    From where he was resting on a heap of blankets, near where the fire was warmest, Nightshade grinned. “I think I’d like to hear this story too.”

    “Nightshade wants to hear it! That settles it!” Rosie cried excitedly, bounding up and down a few times. “You have to tell now.”

    “All right, all right,” Spark conceded. “It goes like this…”

    The pokémon listened, and laughed, as Spark recounted the harrowing misadventures in the combee hives. Snowcrystal and the other pokémon who had been there as well soon put in their sides of the story. Even the humans, who could not understand the words, smiled as they watched the pokémon enjoying themselves. It was refreshing to see them in such a lighthearted mood.

    “I kinda wish I’d been there to see that,” Wildflame chuckled.

    “Yeah, you were missing out,” Spark replied jokingly. “Almost becoming slaves to a tyrannical vespiquen…those were the days.”

    “You make it sound so dramatic,” Rosie laughed.

    “Hey, you were just as scared as I was!” Spark protested.

    “Well, that’s quite the adventure,” Nightshade laughed. In spite of his annoyance, Spark beamed at the heracross, glad that the story had brought Nightshade some happiness.

    “Hey, Night? Did you ever do something crazy like that when you were young?” Spark asked.

    “Nah,” Wildflame interrupted, pushing the jolteon’s shoulder with her paw. “He’s not as dumb as you! Oh come on, I’m joking!” The houndoom laughed at Spark’s mock-angry expression.

    “Well, actually,” Nightshade began, shifting himself so his injured arm rested more comfortably on the blankets, “there was a time when I tried to steal some beedrill honey. Turned out about as well as you could imagine, and I’d flown around half the forest before I managed to lose them. I screamed the whole way, too.”

    Spark and Rosie burst out laughing at the image, and there were quite a few chuckles from the other pokémon as well. “Really?” Spark gasped as he managed to compose himself for a few seconds. “You?”

    “Yep,” Nightshade answered with an amused nod.

    “Oh, what about that time Spark got stuck under the fence when we went to rescue Thunder from that old town?” Rosie asked, still grinning widely.

    “Hey!” Spark cried. “That….that was…okay, pretty funny, actually. I’ll admit it.”

    Rosie crouched down so that her body was almost flat against the desert floor. She scrabbled with her hind legs and clawed the ground with her forelegs, making an imitation of the trapped jolteon. “Help, I’m Spark! I can battle Articuno’s elite flying types but I’m helpless against a fence!”

    Even Spark couldn’t help but laugh at the scene. The other pokémon stood up or raced around the fire eagerly, their tiredness forgotten as they each recounted amusing stories of their own.

    “You know,” Stormblade began once the talking had died down. “I’m really just glad all of you stuck with me for so long back there. So…thanks, for not giving up on me.”

    “We’d never have given up on you,” Snowcrystal replied, nuzzling the scyther’s leg. “We didn’t want to leave you behind at that scyther forest, even though it was what you wanted. I missed you even after Katie caught you.”

    “I missed all of you too,” Stormblade replied. “Now that I’m back, I only hope I can repay all of you for what you did for me.”

    “Heh, you’re not the one who needs to do any repaying, Stormblade,” Wildflame told him warmly. “You did your best…more than your best, it seemed like at times.”

    “Well, I want to help you out as much as I’m able to, now that I can,” Stormblade replied. “And I want to put a stop to the Forbidden Attacks just as much as any of you.”

    “Speaking of which…” Rosie mused, “Spark, what did that story you told us about the Forbidden Attacks say again? It’s been so long since you told us.”

    “The one my parents used to tell me?” Spark replied. “Well, they heard it from their trainers and I guess it’s been pretty accurate so far. The name Shadowflare was right…and the story described the attacks corrupting the minds of pokémon, being harder to control…” He looked at Blazefang and flinched. “It also talked about them being sealed away into stones. I think just about everything in the story was proven to be true. It’s so weird…”

    “I never heard it told as a story,” Redclaw began. “Did this story give you any idea where the Forbidden Attacks came from?”

    “Yeah,” Spark replied. “Basically, it said that there was a powerful group of pokémon long ago. They weren’t legendaries or anything really special, but they ruled over some sort of sacred land. In the story, it’s said that some of the young pokémon in their land just started developing the Forbidden Attacks and it got worse and worse. Then it just became chaos. The pokémon who ruled the land somehow managed to take the powers away and seal them up into stones.”

    “Really?” Redclaw mused. “They can be…taken away?”

    “I don’t know,” Spark admitted. “I mean, I hope so, but I-”

    “Spark, that’s wrong!” Alex interrupted.

    The others turned to look at the floatzel, shocked at the look of determination on her face.

    “Spark, the Forbidden Attacks didn’t just spring up out of nowhere!” Alex continued. “They were created. On purpose.”

    “What?” Spark cried. “By who?”

    “A very powerful, very vengeful pokémon,” the water type continued. “Or at least that’s what it said in the version I heard. I had a trainer once, remember?”

    “Conflicting stories…great,” Blazefang muttered. “The Forbidden Attacks might have been created by a sentret for all we know.”

    “Yeah,” Alex sighed. “It was just a story. I guess either of the ones we heard could be right. It’s weird, though, because the one I heard mentioned the attacks being sealed away into stones, too.”

    “That is weird,” Wildflame mused. “I guess the humans wanted to be consistent about some things.”

    “Not just consistent,” Redclaw agreed, turning his head as sparks from the fire settled in his mane. “But right.” The others paused, watching the arcanine, who looked deep in thought. “It’s strange that these stories could end up so different, yet so similar at the same time. I know the humans found several short versions of the story in the library, and they had the same basic information we already discovered to be true. Where all the stories seem to get muddled up, though…is when they talk about where the Forbidden Attacks originated from.”

    The pokémon pondered the thought, and Snowcrystal remembered the fruitless days of searching the Stonedust City library. They hadn’t found anything useful, but there had been multiple books that had a brief description of the Forbidden Attack legend. Damian, Justin, and Katie had disregarded them because their details conflicted with each other. Snowcrystal hadn’t thought about it much at the time, but now she was starting to realize how strange it really was that parts of the stories were fact, and other parts held no definite answer.

    “That is weird…” she mused.

    “Well, it’s not going to get any less weird by sitting around here talking about it,” Scytheclaw muttered. The scizor was sitting at the edge of the group, further back from the flames than the others. “Personally, I think we’ve been travelling too slow the past few days. We should get moving.”

    “Easy for you to say,” Spark muttered. “You don’t have to walk.”

    “Scytheclaw’s right,” Wildflame sighed as she stood up. “Redclaw, put out the fire and bring those logs with us. We might still need them.”

    Redclaw nodded and swatted at the burning logs with his huge paws. Alex stood beside him, managing to create the smallest of water gun attacks to help him extinguish the blaze.

    The trainers, who had been quietly conversing among themselves while the pokémon talked, sensed that the others were ready to leave and stood up as well. Snowcrystal proudly slipped on the pack containing the first aid kit she had carried for the entirety of the journey. The other pokémon did the same with whatever they had been carrying, and Blazefang limped back over to Fernwing as the tropius kneeled down to make the climb onto her back easier for him.

    As they all got ready to leave, Rosie glanced back the way they’d come and shuddered. It was clear that it wasn’t the cool air that was getting to her. “I’m still worried those…uh, cacturne...are coming after us,” she muttered.

    “Hey, don’t worry, Rosie,” Spark responded jovially. “We scared ‘em off, remember? There’s nothing following us, trust me.”

    “Yeah…okay,” the ninetales replied, turning around to follow Spark as he and the others began to head off. “I sure hope you’re right about that.”

    -ooo-

    Yenn wasn’t sure how he’d made it through the day. At least the desert heat had faded, but he still did not dare rest, not after how fast he’d seen his pursuers start to catch up to him when he’d stopped before.

    He was beginning to grow desperate; he had traveled through the desert far faster than the army usually traveled, and yet he hadn’t come across anything that could help him. There was no sign of an end to the wasteland – or even landmarks – and now that night had fallen, Yenn found himself growing paranoid.

    It was hard to keep track of the pokémon following him. He wasn’t sure how far behind they were at the moment; he could often make out their shapes moving in front of stars, but he had little way of telling how close they were.

    In spite of all that had happened, and though nothing could ever make him go back to serving under Cyclone, he found himself missing the comfort of the army, where food and water was brought to him whenever he wanted, and when pokémon would do what they could to warm him up during the nightly chill.

    It was uncomfortably cold, something that had surprised him. He wasn’t sure if it got colder the further out in the desert he was, or if the previous night had just been milder. It still struck him as strange; everything he’d heard about deserts had told him about how hot they were, but he had heard nothing about how cold it could get at night.

    The things he’d heard about deserts had also told him that plants grew there. Tough, spiny plants that would be of no use to most pokémon, let alone a carnivore like him, but it was something Yenn was starting to wish he could see. He wished that he could find something – anything – that could break up the monotony of the desert. Something that gave him a sign he was actually getting somewhere, so he could at least say that he’d passed a certain cactus or rock formation. But everything looked the same, making him feel like he wasn’t actually going anywhere and that he’d been staring at the same bit of ground since he’d begun. He was almost starting to wonder if he was going crazy.

    A strange smell reached him, interrupting his questioning thoughts. He tried to bring himself back to full alertness as he scanned the surrounding area, but it was a hopeless feat. He almost missed the source of the smell as he flew past it in the darkness.

    He headed over to it, peering down at what had once been a trapinch. It was missing two of its legs, and what was left of it had certainly been festering in the desert heat.

    Yenn jerked back. The smell completely disgusted him, and he knew that all his instincts were screaming at him to leave it, that he needed to eat fresh prey and stay well away from carrion.

    He also knew that he couldn’t keep going the way he had been without some source of food. His energy was completely spent, and he had been going on sheer willpower for more than half the day. He needed energy from somewhere; he wasn’t going to keep ahead of Cyclone’s pokémon without food, and if he didn’t find something, he’d soon be unable to fly at all. He knew he was left with little choice; if he was likely to die either way, he decided the better option was to at least try and get some sort of nourishment.

    Reluctantly, he landed beside the trapinch carcass and bit into it. He forced himself to swallow every mouthful and willed himself not to be sick.

    The thought that Cyclone’s pokémon were still behind him, likely even closer with all the resting he’d had to do since the sun set, made him want nothing more than to keep flying, as painfully exhausting as it had become. He remembered what Solus had said, back in the army on the night Articuno was killed. The espeon had threatened to torture him, Forbidden Attack or not, and Yenn felt a new burst of panic at the thought of it.

    He knew, in the back of his mind, that it was probably an empty threat, but thinking about what those pokémon could do to him gave him enough fear that, as soon as he had finished eating the last of the trapinch’s remains, he launched himself into the sky again. He had to remind himself not to try to fly too fast, to conserve what little energy he had, but it was hard not to imagine that the army pokémon would catch up to him if he dared slow for even a moment. He hoped that at least the small meal he’d found would give him enough strength to go a little further.

    ...Yet as the night hours wore on, Yenn found himself growing weaker rather than stronger. It wasn’t even the rotten food that weakened him most; he knew that it was lack of water and inability to rest that was starting to bring him down. He wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to fly, but there was nothing he could do but keep going.

    After what felt like an eternity, Yenn noticed that the sky was brightening. He dreaded the coming of a new day, and the heat that would come along with it. He had traveled so far, and he could only hope he would make it to the end of the desert before the worst of the heat set in. He didn’t think he would make it through the day otherwise.

    -ooo-

    Snowcrystal knew that they were getting closer and closer to the arch Katie had seen on the television in the city. By Damian’s estimates, they would arrive sometime the next day.

    The rising sun sent splashes of color across the sky, which made the growlithe smile. In spite of the dreariness of the landscape, the sky had looked beautiful every single day they’d walked through the desert.

    She felt strange about the journey, however. In all the time they’d been walking, they still had no idea what they would do once they reached the cliffs and found the arch Katie was looking for. They didn’t know how hard it would be to activate the portal – or whatever it was – that might lead them to a legendary. They weren’t even completely sure there was a legendary involved at all. The growlithe suddenly started to feel doubts, stronger than ever now that she knew they only had a single day’s worth of walking ahead of them.

    She noticed Stormblade walking nearby, and bounded over to him. “Stormblade, can I talk to you?”

    “Sure,” the scyther replied happily, giving the growlithe a pleasant nod.

    “Well…” the growlithe began, keeping her voice down as she walked side by side with the tall bug type. “Do you really think we’ll learn anything from this? I mean...is this what we should be doing?”

    “What do you mean?” Stormblade asked.

    “I mean…I’m just wondering if trying to find the legendaries is what we’re supposed to do. Maybe we need to be doing something else.”

    “Like what?”

    “I’m not sure. I’m just worried this isn’t going to help us.”

    “Snowcrystal,” Stormblade began, “we aren’t ‘supposed’ to do anything. All we can do is think things out and try to find answers. And personally, I think this idea of Katie’s was a good one. If we can find a legendary, we’re more likely to learn from them than from some library. We’ll find a way to work something out, somehow. We didn’t come all this way for nothing.”

    “I guess not…” Snowcrystal began with a small smile.

    Before Stormblade could reply, a screech from Katie’s pidgeot cut him off. The winged pokémon circled lower, but didn’t land, flying in a loop around the traveling party instead.

    “I can see it!” Katie was shouting excitedly. “Straight ahead. The desert just drops off. We’re almost to the cliffs, and I think we can make it there by tomorrow morning. Then we’ll reach the arch.”

    Most of the pokémon looked so relieved that they didn’t seem concerned about what they would do when they got there. The mystery of the stone arch was a puzzle they could worry about the next morning.

    “Well, whatever’s on the other side of that arch better have grass or something soft,” Spark muttered, lifting a scratched paw.

    “Or water!” Alex cried hopefully.

    As the pokémon cheered, Snowcrystal began to feel a sort of apprehension. She couldn’t pinpoint why, and she wasn’t sure if it had anything to do with the arch mystery or the rumored legendary at all. Some sixth sense was telling her that something else was wrong.

    She glanced at Stormblade, who at first smiled back at her, but then paused, noticing her worried expression. The scyther leaned down closer to her while the other pokémon were distracted.

    “Something wrong?”

    “I don’t know,” the growlithe whispered honestly. “I just…have a bad feeling about something. And no, it isn’t what we were talking about before.”

    “I’ve been getting it too,” a quiet voice interrupted.

    The two of them turned to see Rosie, who was crouched not far from them. Neither Snowcrystal nor Stormblade had even realized she’d been listening.

    “I just want to get out of this desert,” the ninetales anxiously continued. “It gives me the creeps. I feel like something bad is going to happen. I almost wish we didn’t have to rest during the afternoon. I just want to put this place behind us.”

    “Well, we haven’t run into any trouble yet, have we?” Snowcrystal replied, trying to sound hopeful and comforting, the way Stormblade had been for her. “And Katie can see for miles around. I don’t think she’s seen anything, or she would have told us.”

    “Maybe,” Rosie muttered, “but how do we know that’s going to last? I’m telling you, something’s wrong here.”

    Stormblade looked at Rosie, realizing that the conversation he’d been starting to have with Snowcrystal must have aggravated the ninetales’s worry. He had noticed her acting nervously before, especially when someone mentioned the cacturne.

    “Is it about those cacturne that were following us?” Stormblade asked. “Or…Thunder?” he added more slowly.

    “No,” Rosie mumbled in response. “I guess Thunder hasn’t done anything wrong, and it’s not the cacturne, it’s…I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. But I’ll be happier when we get out of here.”

    “As will we all,” Stormblade replied as the three of them turned to follow the others.

    -ooo-

    The high temperatures of the afternoon were upon them, sooner than any of the journeying pokémon had hoped. Thankfully, they still had plenty of water, and would not be running out anytime soon. Katie ordered a halt, and the trainers went about their routines of setting up the tents to provide shade from the sun.

    “Hm…pokégear still works,” Justin said contentedly after the tents had been set up, browsing the features on Katie’s device as he sat in the shade. The pokégear didn’t provide a map of the lands north of Stonedust, but looking at it somehow made Justin feel better about everything.

    “It should work for a while,” Katie replied, flipping the switch on one of the portable fans they’d brought. “Hopefully going through that portal won’t scramble it. I know teleportation wouldn’t, but if this has something to do with a legendary…who knows.” She picked up the book she had brought with her, going over the map of the desert she had found within it.

    Justin didn’t reply, still focused on the pokégear in his hands. “So, uh...you don’t think this legendary can rewrite people’s memories? Or...fix a library?” he mumbled nervously.

    “I don’t know,” Katie replied. “We’ll figure out something about the police, though.”

    “It’s not like I can just turn myself in and hope for the best,” Justin continued. “They’d take Spark away if I did. I’m not supposed to have pokémon-”

    “I’ll catch Spark for you, if it comes to that,” Katie interrupted. “His poké ball may not be registered, but the machine to deactivate it will still work. I can take him to the city and release him first. Then give him back to you once everything clears up.”

    Justin looked at her in surprise, seeming at a loss for what to say. “...Thanks,” he finally whispered.

    “I think the pokémon were telling the truth though,” Katie continued, causing Justin to glance at her in curiosity. “I mean about the reason you lost your license. I don’t think Stormblade killed the girl. I’ve been watching how he acts and he doesn’t seem like a pokémon that would murder a human for no reason. Just the opposite, actually. Something else had to have happened. Maybe...if we can figure out what, you could be a trainer again.”

    A hopeful look came to Justin’s eyes for a split second before he forced it away, turning to Katie with a skeptical look. “Well, how are we going to do that?”

    “Did the people in your town ever examine Stormblade closely? Have a powerful psychic type read his memories?”

    “It doesn’t work that way,” Justin muttered. “Pokémon can sometimes create false memories, and it takes a really strong psychic pokémon to even find them, let alone with any real accuracy. I mean, sure, there are some that can, but there’s no way to prove to anyone else that it’s accurate. And even they get things wrong sometimes. It’s not exact or easy enough to use for things like this.”

    “Still, didn’t they at least have a police pokémon talk to Stormblade himself and get his side of the story?”

    “No,” Justin replied.

    “You’d think that with something that serious-”

    “Nobody cared, okay?” Justin shot back. “Nobody cared that I’d lose my license and my pokémon. Everyone was too focused on the girl that died. I mean, I know that was horrific, but...”

    “But what?”

    Justin sighed. “I grew up in a small town. You know I was back there when it happened. I didn’t know the girl’s family but I think they had a lot of power there. So no, the police didn’t question my pokémon. I don’t even think they investigated it properly. The girl’s father wanted my license gone and he saw to it that it happened.” He paused, taking a shaky breath. “The police listened to him.”

    Katie was silent, and the few pokémon in their tent that weren’t asleep did nothing but give Justin a glance or two.

    “That’s not what bothers me, though,” Justin continued. “The thing is...I think you’re wrong. I think the scyther did murder the girl.”

    “Why?” Katie asked.

    “I know he’s been fine since he came back from the hospital,” Justin continued, “but I mean...that’s kind of a scyther’s instinct, right? To prey on the weak? Maybe he’s finally got it under control now, but back then...”

    “Just like it’s a jolteon’s instinct to zap small bird pokémon and eat them?” Katie interrupted. “Did Spark ever do that to someone else’s pokémon, when you guys were walking through cities or towns? Somehow I doubt he did.”

    “Not the same thing,” Justin muttered, turning away from her.

    “Yeah it is,” Katie replied. “All pokémon have instincts, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know right from wrong, or that they have to act on them. You had Stormblade a long while before the incident, right? It sounds like nothing ever really happened before that day. And even that other scyther, Thunder, hasn’t hurt anyone. I really think this is all in your head, this stupid irrational fear of scyther thing. If you don’t want to try to get your trainer license back...”

    “I do, all right?” Justin snapped. “I’m just not sure how I’m supposed to do that. Look, if you think the scyther’s innocent and can prove that, then great. I’m just not so sure he wasn’t guilty. Now can we stop talking about this?”

    “All right, fine,” Katie sighed.

    From the next tent over, Snowcrystal heard the two humans getting ready to sleep. Her own tent was fairly crowded, so she had offered to sleep near the opening, where it wasn’t as cool. The past few days, the other pokémon had always offered her a nice sleeping spot, and she thought it was time she returned the favor.

    She lay by the tent entrance, feeling the hot breeze sweep through her fur. She thought about her tribe, back on the mountain. She hoped there was still enough snow to sustain them, or that their leader had found a way to a better place. As much as she wished she could help them, she knew she was of more use to them here, where she could try to help find a way to protect the lands from the Forbidden Attacks. She would need to find a way if she wanted her tribe to be safe in the long run.

    In the distance, she watched the shimmering heat waves as they flickered across the desert ground. The temperature was still climbing, and would steadily rise until it finally began to cool off in the evening. Snowcrystal covered her face with a paw as she turned away, shielding her eyes from the brightness. She still felt the heat scorch her back, heat that when combined with her own internal fire made her feel very uncomfortable, reminding her that she wasn’t like the other fire types. She curled up, glad that she could at least sleep it off as she listened to the sound of the wind sending pebbles rolling across the ground, back in the direction she and the others had come from.

    -ooo-

    Yenn had traveled so far and so fast that he had managed to keep ahead of his pursuers for almost two days. But in the afternoon of his second day in the desert, after flying for nearly two days without water, the yanmega’s strength was truly running out.

    His mouth and throat were completely dry, and his tongue was so swollen he could hardly speak, not that he had a reason to speak at all; he was completely alone. He had desperately searched for water during his near-constant flight, but had found not even a drop. At one point earlier that day, he had even grown desperate enough to try to drink his own blood by piercing one of his legs with his fangs.

    He was moving slowly now, his wings flickering at a fraction of their normal speed. His head hung, and he was flying so low to the ground that his tail dragged in the dust. He no longer had the strength to use it for balance, so he kept drifting listlessly to the side. After a few minutes of this, he would realize it was happening and correct himself, but it was never long before he started to drift again.

    His vision, usually so sharp and clear, was muddled and blurry, and he was having trouble focusing on any one thing. He couldn’t even pay attention to the shapes of the pokémon following him in the distance, and he was no longer sure how close they were.

    A blurred movement to one side caught his eye, and he managed to force his exhausted mind to focus just long enough to see a lone vibrava fluttering past him, not even paying him the slightest heed.

    Yenn couldn’t even summon up the strength to try to catch it. He could barely manage to keep going forward and force his wings to keep beating. He thought about calling out to the vibrava, wondering if it knew where water was or even where he could go, but when he tried, he couldn’t get his mouth to form words. All that came out was a wheezing gasp, and the vibrava had already flown far past him.

    Yenn forced it to the back of his mind. He told himself that he was sure to find some sort of water or shelter soon, and that all he had to do was keep trying. He knew Cyclone’s pokémon had to be catching up, and whenever he could summon up the strength, he would fly a bit faster in short bursts, still heading toward the distant horizon.

    He carried on in that way for several hours, until the sun began to set and the temperature dropped. ‘I made it...’ he told himself. ‘I made it one more day...just a little farther...and I’ll see something...’

    He focused on the setting sun, and the promising glimmer of some relief from the heat. Even as he did so, a part of him still knew it was likely hopeless. The army pokémon were sure to catch up with him, and he knew he probably didn’t have much time before they did.

    As the sky grew dark, he told himself that it would soon be easier again, that he wouldn’t have to worry about the sun, but it did little to bring his hopes up.

    He knew he must have been flying for a while longer in some sort of half-conscious state, because the next thing he knew, the sky was almost completely black, only a thin sliver of reddish orange where the sun had been. It was already much cooler, but he could tell it was too late for that to help him much.

    As he focused on the fading sliver of light, he kept having to jerk himself awake. He tried to keep his attention on the way ahead, unsure if he could make out the smudges of landmarks or if his mind was playing tricks on him. Then, when the light of the sun had almost completely faded, Yenn’s entire vision started to fade to black. Even the stars disappeared. He couldn’t tell if he was moving his wings anymore, and barely felt it when he struck the ground.

    In that brief moment, his thoughts drifted to the army pokémon still trailing him, closer than ever.

    ‘All right,’ he thought bitterly. ‘Fine, you win. I give up.’

    With that thought, he faded into unconsciousness.

    To be continued...


  9. #79
    Lover of Centipedes Scytherwolf's Avatar
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    The Path of Destiny
    Chapter 69 – Out of Time



    The first thing Yenn noticed was the sound of voices.

    He then noticed that he was lying on his side on dry, rough ground, his wings splayed out at odd angles. He could hear the voices murmuring quietly around him, and he strained to hear what they were saying. His vision hadn’t come back yet, so he couldn’t tell who was speaking, but their muffled words started to become clearer.

    “...What is it...?”

    “Some sort of vibrava?”

    “That’s no vibrava...I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

    “It’s huge!”

    “Is it dead yet?”

    Yenn’s legs twitched as his vision gradually started to come back into focus, and smears of color turned into a detailed picture. The first thing he realized was that he couldn’t have passed out for long; there was still a hint of light in the sky from the direction of the setting sun. The second thing he realized was that there was a group of pokémon standing around him.

    These pokémon were certainly not part of the group sent from Cyclone. They were tall, green grass types with spiny diamond shapes covering their bodies. They stood shorter than Yenn’s body was long, but from his position on the ground, they seemed like towering monsters. As the yanmega watched the strangers, several pairs of piercing yellow eyes stared back at him from black sockets.

    Yenn somehow managed to recall the name of the pokémon...cacturne. They stood in a ring around him, some of them still whispering quietly to one another. He lifted his head, prompting a gasp from one of the cacturne who stood closest. Yenn focused on that one as he opened his mouth to speak. However, try as he might, all that came out was a short series of weak, unintelligible noises that didn’t even resemble words.

    “It’s...alive,” one of the cacturne muttered in astonishment as she turned to another. “You said it was dead.”

    “I thought it was,” the other answered.

    “It’s on its way out,” a third cacturne said as he gestured to another, one larger and more burly looking than the rest. “Kill it.”

    Yenn watched as the tough-looking cacturne lifted his arm, firing a series of small needles in his direction. The yanmega was powerless to move as he felt them pierce through one of his wings and lodge themselves into the dirt beneath. It came as such a shock in his disoriented state that it took a moment for him to start feeling sharp, stinging pain in the places where the spines had pierced his wing membrane.

    At first, he wasn’t sure how such a fairly weak attack was meant to kill him, but then he realized that the cacturne was probably just trying to see if he would fight back. He wanted to get up and show them that he was dangerous, that they would be better off leaving him alone, but he didn’t think he had the strength.

    The cacturne fired the spines again, and this time they struck him in the side, a few of them managing to penetrate his carapace. This time he felt the pain instantly, but he couldn’t do more than let out a weak noise that could hardly be called a cry and scrabble his legs in the dirt.

    “Not much of a reaction,” the cacturne who’d attacked him stated, this time with a confidence in his voice that Yenn hadn’t heard from the others.

    “I told you. It’s dying. Just finish it,” one of the cacturne’s companions urged.

    Yenn watched as the burly cacturne strode toward him. The dark green diamond patches on the grass type’s body glowed with a bright light, elongating into massive spines. The cacturne walked toward him purposefully; any wariness he’d previously had was gone.

    To Yenn’s surprise, he didn’t feel scared. He knew these pokémon had found him in the desert while they were out looking for prey. It made sense, in a logical way. That was how the wild worked. Yenn found that, if anything, he just felt calm about it. Brief memories flashed through the yanmega’s mind of his own hunts. He had eaten many pokémon, and in doing so, those pokémon had given him life. Now it was simply his turn to complete the cycle.

    A part of him wanted to accept it and let that be the end of his journey. He was so tired…and the desert stretched on seemingly forever; there was little chance that he would get out. In comparison to dragging himself through the wasteland endlessly, tormented by thirst, hunger, and exhaustion, maybe death wasn’t so bad. At least he could say he tried.

    But another part of him did not want everything to stop there. It wanted to keep going. Yenn wondered if that was just his survival instinct going into overdrive, even when the situation was hopeless, but it felt like something more than that. He wanted to get away, so that Cyclone would never get his claws on his Forbidden Attack. He wanted to try to find a new, better place for himself. He wanted to find a way to help his two friends back in the army, if he ever could. He didn’t want to die. And he figured that if he was going to pass on in such a horrible place, he was not going to do so willingly.

    His eyes scanned the waiting pokémon, trying to muster up what little energy he had as the big cacturne stepped closer, walking with slow, calculating movements. For a brief moment, Yenn considered using his Lifedrain attack, remembering the burst of energy it had given him, but he pushed the thought aside. He trusted Ashend’s words, and he knew that if he used the attack, the energy wouldn’t last him long. Maybe, he thought, he’d use the Forbidden Attack as a last resort, but not before then.

    As he watched the cacturne, he reminded himself of his species’ legacy. They were apex predators, successful, cunning hunters. Yenn did not usually hunt grass types, but he had eaten pansage before, and he knew his kind were capable of bringing down prey as large as the cacturne. He wasn’t going to die; he was going to turn the tables.

    As the cacturne stood near the yanmega’s head and readied himself to use his attack, Yenn unleashed what little energy he had managed to store, launching himself into the air and toward his would-be killer. His jaws opened and he aimed for the pokémon’s head, but due to his weakness, his movements were too slow. The grass type dodged, and Yenn felt his teeth sink into the cacturne’s arm instead, barely missing the large glowing spines.

    But what came out of the wound was not blood, but sand.

    Yenn jerked himself backwards, releasing the cacturne immediately. He started to cough, barely managing to keep himself airborne as he spat out sand. ‘I can’t eat these things!’ he cried in his own head, feeling dizzy from shock.

    The cacturne he’d bitten screamed in agony, the glowing spikes retreating back into the diamond shapes on his body. He stumbled backward as the others all looked to Yenn with newfound horror. For a moment none of them moved; they all just stared at him as he watched.

    “That’s no vibrava, that thing’s probably a bug type!” one of them shouted fearfully. “Get back!”

    Yenn watched as the circle of cacturne enlarged, each of the grass types trying to put more distance between themselves and him. He flared his wings out in an attempt to look more threatening and made a warning snapping motion with his jaws. Though he was hardly in any condition to fight, the cacturne had no idea what to expect from a creature like him, and it did the trick. The cacturne broke their circle and moved together in a tight group, surrounding the injured one and leaving the way clear for him.

    Realizing that he’d won his survival, for at least a little longer, gave Yenn a small bit of hope. He was still somehow ahead of the army pokémon, and he had survived the cacturne’s attack. He felt ready to keep trying.

    But as he flew away from the huddled group of cacturne, he heard one of them say, “Calm down, everyone. We’ll just wait until it’s dead...” Before he could make out any replies, he was already out of earshot.

    -ooo-

    Yenn carried on through the night, not entirely sure how he was willing his body to keep going. He knew that part of it was because fear had set in again, fear of both the cacturne and, more strongly, of Cyclone’s pokémon. He didn’t know if he was thinking clearly, could no longer even be sure he was heading in the right direction. He was operating almost entirely on instinct, an instinct that told him to keep fleeing from those that wished him harm. It was the only thought or feeling he could make any sense of.

    As the yanmega pushed his exhausted body to keep flying, he started to catch glimpses of pokémon in the desert, though none of them were close enough to see clearly in the dark. He couldn’t even be sure what species they were.

    He stared into the darkness in a panic, wondering why the pokémon were not coming close to him. Were they too scared of his Forbidden Attack?

    He forced himself to move faster, realizing that some of the pokémon were already a lot closer. He was sure that, for a moment, he had seen the claws of a staraptor bearing down on him and ready to tear at his wings or eyes.

    Somehow, a few of the cacturne had gotten ahead of him and were waiting, staring at him with their piercing yellow eyes. He changed course, trying to fly around them, but found another group in his way. This time, they didn’t look afraid. He turned again, fear lending him a strength he hadn’t thought he’d had as he picked up speed and raced into the darkness.

    More flying types were gaining on him from behind, and he could see running pokémon, swift fire types like arcanine and rapidash, closing in on him from either side. They seemed to be working with the cacturne now; he still caught glimpses of the hostile grass types in the darkness, even as he was flying faster. He tried to shout at them, in some vain hope that they would leave him alone, or that they would fear him, or somehow decide to show him mercy. But he found that he still couldn’t speak, could hardly even cry out. None of the pokémon chasing him down seemed to notice his efforts at all.

    ‘Stop...’ he desperately pleaded at them in his mind. ‘Stop...stop, STOP!’

    He was sure he was about to feel the agony of fire, or feel talons ripping apart his wings or gouging at his eyes. He could see the pokémon, still gaining on him, getting closer and closer.

    Something stirred inside him, a feeling he had first recognized nearly two months ago. It was a raw power, a power that he knew was coming from his own Forbidden Attack, the power he had first felt when he’d touched his stone and learned the attack’s name. This time however, it was not his excitement, or curiosity, or even his free will that summoned it. It had appeared without his bidding. It seemed to feed his fear, making it grow stronger and fiercer until it was like a raging inferno, forcing aside all rational thought. His mind was screaming at him to use his attack, that it was the only way to save himself. To use it or they would hurt him, tear him to pieces bit by bit until he was begging for death.

    He thought he saw a blast of light, coming from some fire pokémon right behind him, but he wasn’t close enough to feel any heat.

    Ashend’s words seemed distant. The strange power was coursing through his body in a way he’d never felt it before, willing him to use Lifedrain, to kill all the pokémon around him. He had to...he had to or he would be tormented again. ‘Was this what Ashend meant by losing control?’

    Some of Cyclone’s pokémon were right ahead of him now, and he almost stopped. There was no way they could...

    He watched a rapidash’s hoof come down toward his head.

    ‘STOP! ...This...this isn’t real...’

    He watched as the flaming horse in front him seemed to disappear almost completely, as if it had simply run straight through him like a ghost. He watched the others, realizing that they took no consistent shapes; what was an arcanine one moment turned to a rapidash a few paces further back the next. The pokémon he saw around him were nothing but illusions, his exhausted mind playing tricks on him.

    With that realization, his fear left him. He pushed what remained of the urge to use his Forbidden Attack away.

    He forced himself to stop for a moment, hovering in place. There were no other pokémon he could see besides the wavering illusions, which seemed far less vivid than they had before. He was alone.

    Yenn waited for a few moments. The overpowering drive to use his Forbidden Attack was gone. He had managed to fight it back. The hallucinations, however, still remained, but he was no longer afraid of them. Deeply unsettled, for sure, but not afraid. As he continued onward, they gradually faded from terrifying monsters to more benign images, things Yenn did not have the energy to pay much attention to. After a short while, they faded almost entirely.

    Yenn couldn’t see any of the real cacturne, nor a sign of his determined pursuers. He wasn’t sure how far behind they really were, but his vision seemed clearer now, so he decided to trust it. He fixed his attention on the hundreds of stars covering the night sky, trying to point out patterns in them to keep himself as awake and alert as possible.

    It worked for some amount of time, but the yanmega could soon tell that his exhaustion was winning out. Before long, he realized that he couldn’t focus on one single star anymore; they all looked like a blur to him. Instead, he put all his mental energy into willing himself to keep his wings beating.

    Up ahead, the line between land and sky was blurring, and he found it hard to even tell where the ground was. He knew his dizziness was returning, but he was afraid that if he stopped, he would never be able to force himself to get up and fly again.

    He didn’t know how long he kept flying through the night. At one point, when he was trying to fight through the haze filling his mind, something caught his attention. There was what looked like a strange pale mist to one side of him, one that formed swirls and patterns as it was moved by the wind.

    He was too disoriented to see it clearly, and he had moments where his vision would go completely black, but he soon began to realize that the mist was surrounding him. And gradually, the shapes of pokémon began to form from it.

    Yenn was having trouble seeing what they were. Even with his all-reaching vision, he felt like he couldn’t look directly at them. Whenever he tried to focus on one, it would be gone. More out of desperation for some sort of distraction than anything, Yenn tried to figure out what species of pokémon they were. Were they ghost types?

    However, though he still couldn’t look at them directly, he realized that their shapes were far different from a ghost type pokémon. These weren’t ghost types at all, and as Yenn puzzled over the fact, a strange thought struck him.

    Either the strange apparitions didn't exist, he wondered, or they were the spirits of pokémon left to wander the desert where they had died, waiting for him to join them.

    Yenn found himself wondering if they had been lost like he was, thinking each day that they would surely reach the desert’s end, or find water, if they just went a little further. And, like him, they had been wrong.

    He shook himself. ‘Stop it,’ he thought. ‘There’s nothing really there.’

    He could hardly even be surprised at how irrational he had been thinking. He knew his senses were slipping. He decided to let himself think whatever he wanted, as long as he kept flying. He was about to let his thoughts wander back to the illusions, but something else caught his attention instead.

    This time, it wasn’t a hallucination brought on by exhaustion. What he saw was real.

    The sky was brightening.

    The heat was coming, and Yenn could see nothing but dark desert in front of him. He had covered much more distance in the past few days than a walking pokémon could, and yet it still did not seem like he was anywhere near the end.

    He thought of Ashend and Itora, the pokémon who had helped him escape Cyclone, and decided that, if nothing else, he would keep trying for them. He would keep going until he made it out or it killed him.

    As he looked at the sky, he knew that it was likely the last time he would ever see the stars. However, Yenn vowed that he would do everything he could to try to make it to the next night.

    -ooo-

    “There it is,” Snowcrystal whispered to herself as she stared ahead. After several tiring days of walking through the desert, the growlithe wasn’t sure how to feel when she could finally see the arch up ahead of her, the morning sun shining down on it.

    It looked like the land simply stopped past a certain point, forming a jagged edge that dropped off into seemingly nothingness. She and the others were almost there, but the sight still unnerved her. She suddenly wondered how they were supposed to get through the portal...and where they would end up after they did.

    They were currently walking through an area that held the first real landmarks Snowcrystal had seen in the otherwise barren desert. All around them, large boulders, several of which towered over their heads, jutted up from the ground. Snowcrystal wondered if pokémon lived there, but she didn’t see any sign of them as she followed Redclaw.

    The boulders surrounding them had been blocking their view of the desert’s edge and the arch for a while, but they had all been so encouraged by the prospect of shade that they had practically raced to the large rocks. They had made their way through the towering structures until the edge of the desert and the arch were in sight. Though even now that they could see their destination, they were almost reluctant to head toward it. The rocks provided much better shade than their tents did.

    “I dunno, maybe we should stay here and rest for a while,” Justin suggested. “It’ll start getting really hot soon, and we could set up the tents under the rocks and get to the arch in the evening.”

    “But it’s right there,” Katie cried, pointing. “It won’t even take us fifteen minutes to walk.”

    “Justin has a good point,” Damian stated. “We can set up camp here and go to the arch, then just head back when it gets too hot.”

    “I’m not wasting time setting up the tents,” Katie argued. “I want to make use of the time we have before the sun gets too high, so hopefully we won’t have to worry about staying here another day.”

    “I don’t know if it’s going to be that easy,” Justin sighed. “Right now, we don’t even know where to start.”

    “We’ll set up camp here later,” Katie said firmly. “Now let’s not waste any more time and go see what we can find.”

    “Uh, hey, Arien?” Blazefang asked, still resting on the back of Fernwing, even though the tropius had already landed. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather stay here. I’ve had enough flying for quite a while...I don’t need to be dragged back and forth from that arch before you actually know what you’re doing.”

    “I’d rather stay here too,” Wildflame agreed before Arien could reply. “I could use a nap. Tell the humans to go on ahead.”

    The alakazam looked to the two houndoom with annoyance, but reluctantly nodded. “Very well, then.” He turned to Damian, sending him the psychic message, before turning back to the pokémon. “Anyone else who would rather wait here?”

    “I will,” a voice stated firmly, and the other pokémon turned to see Thunder, who was staring the alakazam down. “I don’t care about this stupid ‘quest’ of yours. And I want Nightshade to stay here too.”

    “Thunder, he’s injured,” Snowcrystal protested. “He’ll be much more comfortable in the poké ball-”

    “I didn’t ask you,” Thunder growled.

    “Wait a minute...” Blazefang stammered worriedly. “Don’t let her stay behind alone with us!”

    “She’s not going to hurt you!” Snowcrystal protested, stamping her small paw on the ground.

    “Why are we splitting up?” Rosie asked nervously, glancing around at the others. “We shouldn’t split up!”

    “We won’t be far,” Wildflame told her. “We’ll just be behind some of these rocks.”

    “But still-”

    “Did you not hear me?” Thunder growled at Arien. “Tell them to let Nightshade out.”

    “I will tell them to ask Nightshade if he wants to stay,” Arien replied.

    While Wildflame tried to reassure Rosie, Damian sent out Nightshade and began to explain the situation to him. Snowcrystal felt that Rosie was right, in a way, and that splitting up was a bad idea. What if something happened, or what if Nightshade’s condition got worse while they were away?

    Finally Damian stood up, motioning to the group. “Nightshade and a few of the others are going to stay behind,” he announced. “The rest of you, come with us.” He held up a poké ball. “Fernwing, return!”

    The tropius looked grateful for a rest, and she gave Damian a thankful nod before the beam of red light struck her and drew her back into the poké ball.

    As Damian quickly set up a comfortable bed of blankets for Nightshade in a cool spot in the shade of one of the rocks, Snowcrystal turned to the heracross. “Nightshade, you don’t have to-”

    “Snowcrystal, it’s okay,” Nightshade reassured her. “Truthfully, I was really wanting some fresh air. I’m still not used to being in a poké ball. It’s much cooler by these rocks too; it’ll be nice to take a nap here.”

    “Okay,” Snowcrystal replied, walking beside Nightshade as Wildflame helped him limp to the bed that had been set up. “But if you need anything, one of us can go get the humans.”

    “Of course. Thank you,” Nightshade replied.

    “Hey, all you pokémon!” Justin called from a short distance ahead. “We’re going!”

    The pokémon who weren’t choosing to stay behind stood up and followed the humans. Stormblade turned his head to look at Snowcrystal, seeing that the growlithe had not moved from the rock Wildflame and Nightshade had vanished around. “You coming?” he asked.

    “No, I think I’ll stay here with them,” Snowcrystal replied.

    “Want me to stay?” Stormblade asked.

    “No, we’re okay,” Snowcrystal said. “The others might need a lot of help figuring out what to do about that portal.”

    “All right,” Stormblade responded with a smile. “We’ll be back soon.”

    As the main group left, Snowcrystal realized that Rosie had stopped. The ninetales nervously glanced over her shoulder, then slowly trotted back to the five pokémon who had stayed behind.

    “Actually...I’m going to stay with you guys,” Rosie said quietly as she caught up with Snowcrystal and the two of them walked into the cluster of boulders.

    “Well, the more the merrier, right?” Wildflame laughed as they came into view. “Let the others go stand out in the heat for a while. We deserve a rest.” Once Nightshade was settled, Wildflame lay down in the shade herself, stretching out all four of her legs. “I’m getting some sleep. Wake me if they find anything.”

    Blazefang gave Thunder a nervous glance, then lay beside Wildflame and curled up. Thunder watched Nightshade until she was sure he was comfortable, then turned away from him, walking along the edge of a line of boulders.

    The rocks blocked the hot wind, and Snowcrystal was glad to finally have some proper shade. Wildflame was right; it seemed like the perfect place for a nap before the heat of the day really set in.

    Only Rosie was unsure what to do, and she fiddled with her paws nervously, swirling dirt around with her claws.

    “Rosie, what’s wrong?” Snowcrystal asked.

    “I just...hate this place,” the ninetales said softly. “I’ve had a really bad feeling the past few days. I hope we can get out of here soon. I didn’t even want to stay behind, I just-”

    “Hey, where are you going?” Wildflame cried, and Snowcrystal and Rosie realized that she was shouting at Thunder, who had started to wander off.

    “Away from you,” the scyther spat back, clearly annoyed.

    “What did you want Nightshade here for if you didn’t even want to be around him?” Wildflame growled in annoyance.

    “I wanted him away from the humans,” Thunder replied simply, not bothering to elaborate. “And now I need to think.”

    “Fine, whatever,” Wildflame muttered with a roll of her eyes.

    Thunder turned around to glare at Wildflame with what looked like hatred. “If you do anything to harm Nightshade-”

    “What on earth would I want to hurt Nightshade for?” Wildflame shouted back, shocked.

    “Thunder, relax,” Nightshade called to her from his bed of blankets. “I know that Wildflame wouldn’t hurt me. And it’s all right, I’m fine. You’ve done a lot for me and I don’t need any help right now. Go and walk around and think for as long as you need.”

    Thunder seemed satisfied with the answer, and gave Nightshade a small smile. Then she turned and headed off, vanishing around a cluster of boulders.

    “She’ll be fine,” Nightshade told Wildflame. “There’s not really anywhere to get lost around here.”

    “Yeah,” Snowcrystal agreed. “The only place any pokémon could hide is in this cluster of boulders. And it’s not exactly very big.” She looked around at the place, remembering that it had only taken them a few minutes to pass from the first boulder to the last. “Plus she’s got wings.”

    The pokémon settled down to rest, too tired to discuss Thunder – or anything else – any further. Snowcrystal wriggled out of the straps of the first aid kit she carried, then settled down by Rosie, giving the ninetales a few reassuring licks on the side of her face. Rosie smiled and muttered a small thanks before closing her eyes.

    -ooo-

    Solus, riding on the back of a tropius, was ahead of the main group, along with some of his fastest fliers and runners. They were serving as the scouts for the time being, always keeping an eye on the distant form of the yanmega they were chasing. Why Yenn hadn’t dropped dead yet, Solus had no idea, but it was beginning to wear on his patience.

    He had pushed his group of army pokémon much harder than usual, even with the rests they had taken during the night when Yenn was too exhausted to move fast anymore. They had covered so much distance, and yet Solus still managed to be surprised when he found that he was close enough to see the edge of the desert itself, and the sheer drop down into what looked like grassy plains.

    “You!” the espeon shouted over to a swellow flying near his tropius mount. “I need you to be a messenger. There’s going to be a change of plans. Tell the other scouts to stop.”

    The swellow nodded obediently, and soon Solus had the leading group of pokémon, around nineteen in total, on the ground and waiting for his words.

    “All right,” Solus called to him. “As I’m sure you can see by now, the desert ends in a sheer drop and it looks like there are rivers in the plains beyond. If Yenn gets down there and finds water, he’ll be harder to fight and more of you are going to get killed by his attack. Now listen,” he continued, his gaze scanning the faces of each of the pokémon grouped around him. “The runners won’t be able to make it down those cliffs. That means that you-” He looked at around at all the pokémon with wings. “-Will be first in line to take his Forbidden Attack if you’re the only ones that can follow him. I want everyone here to remember that the more pokémon we have to fight him, the smaller chance it’ll be you in particular that’s killed.”

    The pokémon watched him in sullen silence, only the ones with high rank looking calm.

    “And if the runners don’t give it their best,” Solus added, peering at the arcanine, rapidash, and zebstrika in front of him, “their death will be much less quick. So if I were you, I’d take your chances with the yanmega.”

    One of the zebstrika, for a split moment, looked as if he were going to try to bolt. But he stayed still, knowing that the higher ranking pokémon were the only ones that carried food and water. Solus shot him a glare, hoping to remind him that he and the others of lower rank were outnumbered. The zebstrika averted his eyes.

    Solus ignored the worried mutterings of the other pokémon as he ordered the tropius to take him up into the air. The swellow followed him, looking to Solus in case the espeon had any more orders.

    “Head back and tell the main group the new plan,” Solus began, angling his head toward the larger group of army pokémon. They were still some distance behind, having been allowed to take a much more leisurely pace after realizing that their target would soon be dead. “We don’t let Yenn reach the cliff. We kill him now.”

    With a harsh cry, the tropius launched himself higher into the air, and the pokémon in Solus’s scouting group raced forward at full speed. The swellow swerved around and headed back, ready to give the news to the main part of Solus’s small army.

    -ooo-

    Yenn had been focusing on the cluster of boulders ever since the early morning. He did not know what lay beyond it, if anything other than endless desert did, but the thought of shade had given him a new determination he never thought he’d have again. He made it his sole focus; just get to the rocks. He would worry about what he found once he got there later.

    ‘Maybe water has collected there...’ he told himself, and kept going.

    By some sort of miracle, Yenn was lucid enough to notice when the pokémon following him in the distance began to speed up. He knew in that instant that he had little time and little chance. The pokémon following him were clearly determined to not rest until they spilled his blood. They weren’t going to slow down again. This was it.

    The thought of what Solus and the others could do to him, what his death would be like, gave him the willpower to fly faster on blind fear alone. He knew he wouldn’t be able to search out a hiding place and conceal himself without the flying types seeing, nor was there anywhere for him to fly to. There was no rhyme or reason to his panicked fleeing anymore, just terror lending his body the strength to give it one last try.

    -ooo-

    Off by herself, Thunder darted around the rocks, glad to have something other than flat ground to run across.

    She had a lot of thinking to do. This time, it wasn’t about Nightshade, but about the other pokémon. She had tried to deny it, to force them away, ever since the start of the desert journey. With the ones that openly opposed her, such as Blazefang and Rosie, it was easy. But some of the others...Redclaw, Stormblade and Snowcrystal especially, had been nothing but kind. She hated to admit it, but a strong part of her wanted to let them share that kindness.

    It was stupid, she knew it was. What were the chances they would really turn out to be like Nightshade? And Stormblade...well, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to risk getting close to another scyther. He may have been healed, but she still remembered the burn wounds he had borne for so long. It was only pure chance that he had survived; without Scytheclaw, he would have died. And he reminded her a bit too much of the scyther she had seen killed when she was young. Any scyther tended to do that.

    Thunder knew what a bad idea it was to befriend the weak. The thought of putting her trust in more pokémon, even Snowcrystal or Redclaw, was frightening. It felt too vulnerable. Thunder did whatever she could to avoid being vulnerable.

    Gradually, Thunder grew tired of racing around the rocks. She paused, leaning against one of the tall stones. The other rocks blocked her view of both the direction they had come from and the direction the trainers had left in, but she faced the way they had come, anger growing stronger in her mind. Somewhere out there was the forest they had left...left for the miserable, dusty, disgusting desert. It made her furious. She wished she had never agreed to come. She wished they hadn’t taken Nightshade.

    She stepped away from the rock and began walking back in the direction they had come. She paused for a moment to rake the dry earth with her claws. In a burst of anger, she drove the tip of her scythe into the ground and cut a long furrow in its surface. “Useless,” she muttered. “They’re all useless!”

    With a growl, she turned away, walking around the last of the boulders separating her from the flat, featureless desert plain. As soon as she passed them and stood out in the open, she paused.

    She could see something out there, something that was moving closer. No, a group of something. She couldn’t quite make out what they were; all she could tell was that they were flying pokémon. Were they...birds? She squinted her eyes, realizing that she could see some of them ahead of the rest, getting dangerously closer to the rocks. One of them was particularly close.

    Something told Thunder that whatever the group of pokémon were there for, it was bad news. If for whatever reason they attacked, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to fight them all, let alone while defending Nightshade, and she didn’t want to gamble on the fact that they might be harmless. She tensed, unsure what to do, when a thought came to her mind.

    Nightshade’s poké ball.

    The scyther turned around and raced back into the cluster of rocks, dodging around the boulders. She passed through them effortlessly, the edge of the desert and the rock arch appearing as she did so. Under normal circumstances, she would never trust a human device, but in the claws of a pokémon, she figured that this time it could be used for good. If Nightshade returned to his poké ball, an enemy could not get to him easily, and she could carry him to safety if need be. All she had to do was take the device from the human and make it back before the strange pokémon arrived.

    But Thunder had underestimated just how fast Solus and the pokémon at the front of the pack were moving.

    -ooo-

    Snowcrystal found that although the heat was making her drowsy, she couldn’t sleep. She supposed it had something to do with the anticipation that was building up inside her when she thought of the portal and what the others were trying to do. Though it hadn’t been long since the trainers and the other pokémon had left, she was starting to worry that they wouldn’t be able to figure out the mystery, or that there wasn’t even a legendary involved at all. She had believed Katie, but now that they were actually here, she was having stronger doubts.

    Lying nearby were Blazefang, Wildflame, and Nightshade. They had already fallen asleep, but Rosie, who was sitting right next to Snowcrystal, had not. Thunder hadn't returned, but they had heard her running around the rocks until just a few minutes ago, so Snowcrystal wasn’t worried.

    “I really wish they would hurry it up,” Rosie muttered under her breath. The ninetales still looked worried and on edge, and she looked around the rocky area as if she expected a monster to jump out at them from behind one of the boulders.

    “They’re trying,” Snowcrystal whispered back. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep before-”

    “Wait,” Rosie interrupted. “Do you hear that?”

    Snowcrystal pricked her ears and listened, but all she could hear was the howling of the wind. “No, I-” She paused. Suddenly she did hear something. It was faint, but it sounded close. Like some sort of creature with wings, though it didn’t sound like a scyther. The growlithe stood up, starting to feel afraid as well. “That’s not...Thunder...”

    Before she or Rosie could say anything more, some sort of massive bug type appeared from around a group of rocks a short distance away from them. Snowcrystal and the ninetales both jumped back in alarm, watching as the pokémon, in its unsteady flight, made a turn too late and was sent crashing to the ground when its wings and the side of its body struck a boulder. It seemed stunned at first, then it thrashed about, trying to right itself as it clawed at the ground frantically, looking completely disoriented. When it did manage to get to its feet, it suddenly went still...and turned its head toward them.

    “Snowcrystal!” a voice shouted, and Wildflame was suddenly at the growlithe’s side, standing beside her protectively. They could both hear scrabbling from behind them as Blazefang and Nightshade woke as well.

    The strange bug type hadn’t moved, and it looked just as surprised to see them as they were to see it. Snowcrystal stared at the creature in shock. She had never seen such a pokémon before. It resembled a yanma, only it was much bigger. It was longer than Damian was tall, and its head, back and tail were adorned with large black spikes. It had six wings, two pairs on its back and another on its tail, and two long fangs stuck down from its jaw even when the mouth was closed.

    Snowcrystal was already backing away from the thing before she realized that it still wasn’t making any move to attack them. It didn’t take her long to figure out why.

    The dragonfly-like pokémon was emaciated; it looked half dead from heat and exhaustion. Snowcrystal had no idea how it had even managed to get itself airborne in such a state. It was clearly no desert pokémon, and Snowcrystal could only start to wonder what it was doing there.

    “That’s a yanmega,” Wildflame told Snowcrystal before she lowered her head and growled, hoping to scare the creature off as flames began flickering between her teeth. “Learned about them in the library one day when I went with the trainers. They’re dangerous.”

    Blazefang and Nightshade both watched the newcomer with startled confusion. Rosie was staring at the yanmega in terror, her feet seeming frozen in place. “Where is Thunder?” the ninetales whispered fearfully.

    The yanmega didn’t even seem to notice Wildflame’s threatening stance. Snowcrystal watched as the pokémon weakly lifted itself into the air again, then moved toward them.

    “Find some prey elsewhere!” Wildflame shouted, placing herself protectively in front of Snowcrystal and Rosie. “You come any closer and I’ll kill you!”

    “Wildflame, stop!” Nightshade cried out, making Snowcrystal jump in surprise. “He can’t hurt us in that state!”

    Snowcrystal realized he was talking about the yanmega. In spite of its fearsome appearance, she knew Nightshade was right. It...he...didn't look like he would even have the energy to eat them if they were lying dead right in front of him. But at the same time, she didn't want to underestimate any strange pokémon. As she watched, the winged bug type flew closer, in spite of Wildflame’s warning, until he was almost right in front of them. It was then that she realized his mouth was moving, but not in an aggressive way. He was trying to speak.

    But whatever he was trying to say, Snowcrystal could not understand. His voice was weak, just barely audible, and his throat seemed too dry for him to form words properly. His breathing, which sounded harsh and painful, was constantly interrupting him as he gasped for breath.

    “Please...go away!” Rosie shouted at the yanmega, backing up further behind Wildflame.

    The stranger turned to her, only more desperately trying to repeat his message. Snowcrystal then noticed that the yanmega had a hideous scar running down his underbelly, something that made her pause in confusion. It didn’t look like anything that could have happened in the wild; it was too precise, and the marks crossing it reminded her of the way a pokémon center treated bad cuts.

    The yanmega suddenly turned, obscuring the scar from view, but he hadn’t noticed Snowcrystal’s staring at all. His head was turned in the direction he had appeared from, back toward the vast expanse of desert. He suddenly took on a look of desperate panic that made Snowcrystal want to reach out to him, regardless of the fact that he was a stranger.

    “Wait, you need help,” she said gently, noticing that the others were still too shocked to say anything. “It’s okay, we’re-”

    She wasn’t even sure the yanmega had heard her. He suddenly whirled around, darting away from them as he continued his frantic flight. The small group of resting pokémon watched until he passed the rocks in front of them and vanished in the direction of the desert’s edge. For a few moments, they all sat in silence.

    “What was that?” Rosie gasped, snapping the others out of their reverie.

    “I don’t know,” Snowcrystal replied. “What was a pokémon like that doing here?”

    “Did anyone hear what he was saying?” Wildflame asked.

    “He couldn’t even talk! How was I supposed to understand?” Rosie cried.

    “We should go find the others,” Nightshade said worriedly.

    As the pokémon voiced their confusion, Snowcrystal noticed that Blazefang wasn’t participating in the conversation. He was muttering under his breath, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

    “Blazefang?” the growlithe questioned.

    “Army,” said Blazefang, earning him a look of confusion from the others. “He was trying to say ‘army.’ That was one of the words he said, I’m sure of it. It was a warning!” The houndoom looked at Snowcrystal with panicked eyes.

    “Army?” Wildflame repeated, confused. “What do you mean ‘army?’”

    “There’s only one I know of,” Blazefang replied, and before the others could stop him, he leaped up and vanished around one of the rocks.

    “Hey, wait up!” Wildflame cried, bolting after him. “He can’t mean... Look, you probably heard him wrong. No one could understand a word that yanmega was saying!”

    Snowcrystal didn’t want to see her friends split up further. “Wait, come back!” she cried, and to her relief, both houndoom listened to her, and trotted back to the small group together. “Wildflame, give me a boost,” she said as soon as the two dark types had reached her. “If there’s something out there, we’d better know what it is before we leave the rocks.”

    Wildflame nodded and allowed Snowcrystal to scramble on her shoulders, standing next to one of the rocks. From that position, Snowcrystal was able to find a claw hold in its smooth surface and scramble upward. She stopped before she reached the top, peering over the rock carefully instead. As soon as she did, her eyes widened, and she felt like her blood had been turned to ice.

    “What is it?” Wildflame called from below. “What do you see?”

    For a moment, the growlithe found herself unable to answer. Out in the desert, still in the distance but gaining ground fast, a long line of pokémon was heading toward them. Most were flying types, but there were several running pokémon as well.

    And far ahead of them was a smaller group, this one close enough that Snowcrystal could distinguish each of its members by species, close enough that she could see the fiercely determined looks in the eyes of the runners.

    A group of nearly twenty bloodthirsty pokémon was almost right on top of them.

    To be continued...


  10. #80
    Lover of Centipedes Scytherwolf's Avatar
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    The Path of Destiny
    Chapter 70 – Leap of Faith



    “Blazefang, run,” Wildflame hissed to the other houndoom, who was frozen in shock.

    “But, Wildflame-”

    “Go. Get out of here,” Wildflame whispered, her eyes on the approaching pokémon. She could already see flying types, part of the smaller group ahead of the rest of the army pokémon, soaring above the rocks nearby. “Before they see you.”

    Blazefang only hesitated a moment more before he turned and bolted. Snowcrystal wasn’t sure where Wildflame expected him to run. She, Rosie, and Nightshade huddled in the shade of a rock, Wildflame right beside them. It was a pitiful shelter, and they each knew that it was only a matter of moments before they were spotted.

    “What do we do?” Rosie whispered. “Do you think the others can see them from the arch, or-”

    “I don’t know.” Wildflame’s voice wavered. Her eyes followed the form of a tropius as it shot over their heads, but only for a few seconds before it swerved back around in their direction.

    As it did so, the houndoom caught a brief glimpse of a pokémon riding on its back. An espeon that was looking right at them.

    -ooo-

    Blazefang didn’t chance a look back as he raced between the rocks, keeping to the shaded areas. He knew that Wildflame’s desperate plea was all but pointless; there would be nowhere for him to hide once he reached the open desert again.

    Blazefang noticed a shadow pass over him and skidded to a halt, huddling beneath the nearest rock. A pidgeot flew past him, but its attention was on something else – he hoped it was one of the other flying types – and it turned away without noticing him.

    The houndoom pressed his body against the dirt, trying to make himself as small as possible. He knew it was futile; what he needed was a place to hide. He began to wish, for the first time, that Thunder was there. He would be safer around her, as weird as he knew that would have sounded to him before.

    He tried to calm his rapid breathing as he huddled in the shadows, his tail curled around his body. He knew that the grey bands on his back and his curved horns would stand out easily, as would his red muzzle, and he had no way to hide them. He watched as several more flying types headed closer, and closed his eyes, ready to hear them call out or feel stinging pain from an attack.

    But what he heard next was not the cry of a mighty bird. It was a scream, a scream he recognized, and it was coming from Rosie. The houndoom shot upright, hearing the shouts of the others he had abandoned, and the cry of another pokémon, a pokémon with a voice that sent chills down his spine. Solus.

    Blazefang had hoped never to hear the espeon’s voice again, but he could only watch as the flying types all stopped what they were doing and turned around, heading back to the spot where Blazefang had left his friends.

    His body shook. He hardly dared to believe that his enemies had passed by without seeing him. Yet at such a cost. He wasn’t sure the rest of the group waiting at the arch would be able to hear the flying types from such a distance, and now that he could see some of Solus’s pokémon landing, he knew his friends probably wouldn’t be able to spot them either.

    Blazefang wanted to run for help, to find the humans and tell them that Rosie and the others needed help. Yet the thought of running into the open desert alone, and vulnerable, filled him with dread. He was scared...terrified...and he wasn’t sure he could will his legs to move. He knew what he wanted to do, but the thought of what the consequences could be left him rooted to the spot.

    ‘Coward...’ he thought bitterly, squeezing his eyes shut. ‘I’m a coward. I’m no leader. Just a...’

    He felt like howling to the skies in despair. Who knew what Solus and those other pokémon could do to the little group of four, and there he was, completely useless. He knew, in the back of his mind, why Wildflame had sent him away. He couldn’t let them find him, because if he were caught, the Forbidden Attack would fall into the hands of Cyclone’s army. The thought made him feel even more useless. It was as if he was just a weapon, a dangerous weapon that had to be hidden away from evil humans and pokémon, that couldn’t even fight back, because if he did, it was only a disaster waiting to happen.

    Blazefang had never felt so helpless in his life.

    -ooo-

    Damian felt strong winds whipping against himself and Justin as they clung to Fernwing’s back, but this time it was far more bearable, as the air beyond the cliffs was clear of dust. He gripped the pack strapped to the tropius’s back, hearing Justin give an uneasy cry and do the same, as Fernwing suddenly swerved, wheeling around an outcrop of rock that jutted from the cliffs. For a moment, they were turned almost sideways, but before they could start to slip off, the grass type righted herself and shot off, her wings spread wide as she soared over the plains below, the wall of cliffs to one side.

    Not far ahead, they could see Katie and her pidgeot, scanning the cliff wall intently. Damian turned his head, seeing several small caves dotting its side. Instead of being up by the arch with Arien and the rest of the pokémon, he and the other trainers had decided to search for clues, flying low and level with the cliff face while the alakazam tried to crack the mystery of the arch.

    It had been clear upon first arriving that finding a way to activate the portal – or whatever it was – wasn’t going to be easy, not that any of them were particularly surprised by the fact. Katie had quickly decided that they would look around the cliffs for any sign of something unusual, while the pokémon stayed at the arch site.

    He felt a sense of awe as he looked at the cliff face, Fernwing slowing down to give them more time to spot something. It really looked like the desert had ended in a sheer drop off, the fields below them looking quite different from the dull brown wasteland they had grown accustomed to seeing during the past several days. It was strange to think that he was so high above the plains below, yet the spot where the pokémon were waiting by the arch was somewhere far above him.

    “You see anything?” Katie called out, and Damian looked to see that his friend and her mount had turned around and circled back to them. It was clear from her expression that she was trying to be patient, but it didn’t seem to be working well.

    “I haven’t seen any pokémon in these caves,” Damian called back, bracing himself as Fernwing turned to circle around the pidgeot. “But if we head down to the field...well, maybe Fernwing and Ray could ask some of the pokémon there if they know anything.” He nodded to Katie’s pidgeot, and the bird pokémon dipped his head in agreement.

    Katie looked uncertain, so Justin straightened himself as much as he could without losing his grip on the handhold provided by Fernwing’s pack. “We’re not getting anywhere just staring at this cliff. There’s nothing here.”

    “What makes you think the pokémon here are even going to tell us anything?” Katie shouted back. “That is, if they know anything. You think the scientists looking for the vibrava colony wouldn’t have tried that with their pokémon?”

    “It’s worth a shot,” Justin called back. “Why don’t we try to find a pokémon now, and go back to exploring the cliffs once the pokémon have had a rest?”

    “I guess he does have a point,” Damian stated. “We might as well ask around. Arien’s still trying to detect any sort of energy around the arch. We could bring him with us when we search around these caves later.”

    Katie didn’t seem impressed with their suggestions. “I’m not too sure I’d trust wild pokémon who might not want us to get to wherever that legendary is,” she shouted back.

    “We don’t have to take their word for it,” Justin called. “Let’s just see what they have to say and go from there.”

    Katie was silent for a moment, but she relented. “Fine,” was all she said in reply. “Come on, Ray,” she called to her pidgeot, who shot down toward the ground with Fernwing and her riders close behind.

    None of them were surprised to see that there were hardly any pokémon about, as the plains very open and exposed. In spite of the fact that the ground was covered in long grass and Damian was sure he’d spotted a stream in the distance, it still felt scorching hot.

    “How do you think the pokémon here feel about humans?” Justin asked Damian uneasily, unsure if Fernwing would even be able to get one of them to talk to her while they were around.

    “I don’t know,” Damian answered, “but I guess we’re going to find out.”

    The two flying types flew lower to the ground, scanning the area for any signs of pokémon life. Suddenly Fernwing called out, and the others turned to see the small form of a pidgey resting on the branch of a stunted tree.

    To their surprise, the little bird pokémon only watched them curiously as they approached, and didn’t try to flee. He seemed to ignore the humans completely as the two pokémon – along with their riders – landed in front of him.

    “Hello,” the pidgey chirped cheerfully, addressing Ray the pidgeot specifically. “You’re not from the flock. Where did you come from?”

    Fernwing and Ray shot each other confused glances. “We’re trainer pokémon,” the tropius said after a moment, nodding toward the two humans on her back, who were remaining quiet and still.

    The pidgey cocked his head to the side in confusion. “Those humans are with you,” he said. It was more of a statement, not a question. “We’ve seen some around here before,” he continued. “Did you come from the desert, like they did?”

    “Look,” Ray interrupted, realizing that he was likely to gain the small bird’s respect and attention easier than Fernwing could, “we need to ask you some questions. You see that arch up there?” He angled his wing toward the cliffs, which now towered above them, and the distant shape of the arch at the top. “Has anything...strange ever happened around there? Maybe around when the humans came? Do you know of anyone who...vanished?”

    The pidgey titled his head. He seemed at a loss for what to say. He glanced first to the pidgeot, then the tropius. Finally, he spoke.

    “I’m...not sure what you mean,” he said, sounding genuinely clueless. “Pokémon vanishing? That sounds ridiculous.”

    Fernwing and Ray gave each other a worried glance.

    -ooo-

    Stormblade paced back and forth impatiently as Arien studied the arch. The alakazam was deep in thought, still searching for any traces of energy that might have been left behind. The other pokémon, not seeing what else they could do until the trainers got back, were either lounging near the rock arch or quietly conversing with each other. Stormblade was pretty certain that Arien wasn’t going to find much; from what the trainers had said, the portal didn’t seem to have anything to do with psychic types at all. It was something else.

    Arien, however, was convinced he would be able to detect something, whatever it was. Stormblade had left him to it, and resigned himself to waiting for the trainers to return.

    Unlike the others, Stormblade didn’t feel tired. Only the heat of the desert bothered him, and even then, he still felt energetic, and he wanted to keep moving. When he thought back to the previous few months, most of it was a hazy blur of pain to him, but everything now felt sharp and crystal clear, and Stormblade still felt as if he could run for miles. He knew, however, that the other members of the group didn’t share his optimism. He thought, with a small bit of amusement, that they probably thought his cheerful attitude was a little over the top. He reminded himself that they weren’t the ones who had been brought back to full health after being doomed to a slow and painful death. After that, Stormblade could believe that just about anything was possible.

    The scyther looked up as Arien called him over. The alakazam was motioning for him to fly through the arch again. Happy to oblige, he darted through it, taking to the air once his claws left the cliff. Just as before, he merely ended up in the air high above the plains, rather than whisked away to wherever the portal led. He landed back on the cliff edge, facing Arien. “Sorry,” he said with a shrug.

    He watched as the psychic type sighed and went back to whatever he was thinking about. Some of the resting pokémon stirred, disturbed from their dozing when Stormblade had rushed past them.

    “Nothing yet?” Spark asked drowsily.

    “I’m afraid not,” Stormblade sighed. “But we’ll get there. We’ve still got plenty of time.”

    “It should be time to head back,” Dusk muttered. The absol stood and stretched his hind legs. He, along with his teammates Todd the elekid and Inferno the flareon, had been huddled at the arch’s base near Arien. “It’s too hot to be sitting here out in the open.” He shook his head, scattering puffs of dirt from his white fur and leaned down to lick his wounded paw. “What’s taking Damian and the others so long?”

    “Oh, he’s probably doing something important,” Inferno replied, standing up and sitting next to his teammate. “Just have a little patience.” He lifted his leg to scratch behind his ear.

    “Easy for you to say, fire type,” Todd mumbled at the flareon. He had been leaning against Dusk in his sleep, and now, without his fluffy makeshift pillow, he stood up grumpily and folded his arms. “Maybe I should’ve stayed in my poké ball like Scytheclaw did.”

    “Quiet,” Arien whispered urgently, his voice firm and focused.

    Todd mumbled something under his breath.

    Spark, who had been watching the trainer’s progress from the edge of the cliff, turned his head toward the group of pokémon. “Some help you guys turned out to be. Stormblade and Arien are the only ones doing any work besides me!”

    “You guys aren’t doing much of anything,” the elekid protested. “We’re just sitting here waiting! Maybe we should go back and find Snowcrystal and the others, and wait for the trainers there.”

    “If you want to go back, then go,” Arien told them. “But I want Stormblade and someone who can keep an eye on the trainers’ position to stay here.”

    “Hey! I’ve already got that covered!” Spark shouted back.

    “Relax, Arien,” Inferno told the alakazam. “Nothing’s going to happen to them.”

    “Well, we’re still in unfamiliar land,” Dusk argued. “He’s right to be careful.”

    “I’ll take over for Spark if he wants to go back,” Redclaw offered.

    “I never said I needed anyone to take over!” Spark protested. “Come on, guys, have a little faith in me.”

    Stormblade was momentarily distracted by the conversation, and didn’t notice that Alex had walked up to him until the floatzel’s paw gripped his upper arm.

    “Stormblade,” the water type whispered. Her voice, usually so upbeat and chipper, now sounded worried and confused. “Thunder’s coming back. I think something’s wrong.”

    Stormblade turned around, following the floatzel’s gaze as he peered out at the desert. Sure enough, Thunder was racing toward them, and she had already almost reached them. It surprised him that he’d been so distracted that he hadn’t even noticed a figure coming toward them across the desert. And neither had any of the other pokémon, who had all either been slumbering or focused on the arch and the plains beyond it.

    “And, uh...I think that might be a problem,” the floatzel mumbled, moving her paw to point at something a ways behind Thunder.

    Stormblade narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the shape of a second pokémon in the distance. It was further away, and much harder to see clearly, but he could recognize the species. It looked like a yanmega, but...what would a yanmega be doing in the desert? He turned toward the more familiar figure again. In her race toward the group, Thunder didn’t seem to have noticed the other bug type at all, or if she had, she didn’t care. Stormblade felt a sense of unease grip his mind. “Something’s wrong...” he whispered.

    The other pokémon, even Arien, had stopped what they were doing and turned around to see what Stormblade and Alex were looking at. It was then that they noticed that there were more pokémon, the tiny, distant shapes of flying types, and they were circling downward toward a portion of the rocks, near where their friends were resting.

    Each member of the group looked frozen in shock, but before anyone could start to formulate a plan of action, Thunder covered the last stretch of desert ground and came to halt right in front of them.

    “Where are the trainers?” the scyther gasped between breaths.

    “W-why?” Inferno cried, his fur standing on end as heat rose from his body. “What’s happening?”

    “I need them!” Thunder shouted.

    “Th-they’re down in the plains,” the flareon stuttered, backing away as Thunder shot a glare at him.

    “Thunder,” Redclaw said gently as he stood in front of the others, who looked like they were about to start bombarding the scyther with questions, “are the others in danger? Who’s that pokémon following you?”

    Thunder’s eyes narrowed, and she whirled around, noticing the shape of another bug type for the first time. It was about halfway from the rocks to where they were standing at the cliff’s edge. She figured that it had left the rocks soon after she had. Like Stormblade, she recognized the species, even at such a distance. She had seen a yanmega once before, though she had never fought one personally. It had been in one of the arenas where many pokémon were forced to fight at once, the last one alive being deemed the winner. She suddenly recalled watching the yanmega in the arena bite chunks out of a blaziken’s head before being dashed against the wall and bludgeoned to death by a steelix. She dug her claws into the dirt. If that thing had hurt Nightshade, she was ready to rip it apart.

    ‘No,’ she thought, shaking her head. There was no time. The pokémon was headed away from where Nightshade was, so she could ignore it. If she couldn’t reach the humans, she would need to do something else, but either way, she couldn’t leave Nightshade alone. She needed to go back.

    “Are they in trouble?” Todd called, trying unsuccessfully to get Thunder’s attention. He turned to Dusk, shoving his claws against the absol’s leg. “I thought you were supposed to sense disasters!” he shouted, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.

    “Sure, natural disasters!” Dusk cried. “I can’t predict what other pokémon are going to-”

    “Quiet, everyone,” Redclaw called out. The arcanine was tensely watching Thunder and Stormblade, ready to leap into action at a moment’s notice. The other pokémon gathered together, ready to come to their friends’ aid.

    Stormblade focused on Thunder, realizing from her expression that they needed to take action as soon as possible. “Thunder...” he asked urgently, wanting to know what they were up against before they charged headlong into any sort of danger, “...what is going on?”

    -ooo-

    Snowcrystal found herself gripped roughly by the talons of a staraptor and hauled away from the rocks, then dragged back toward the open desert and further away from her friends. From the cries of her companions, she could tell that they were being treated the same way. The hostile pokémon grouped tightly around them, nearly twenty pitiless gazes fixated on her and her three friends.

    The espeon, the one she knew was called Solus, was clearly leading the group, and at his orders, she, Nightshade, Rosie and Wildflame were dropped to the hot desert ground. Snowcrystal coughed, shaking gritty dust from her fur. “Nightshade?” she whispered, shakily getting to her feet so she could edge closer to the heracross. “Are you okay?”

    Nightshade did nothing but shoot her a worried glance that warned her to stay quiet. For a moment, his gaze darted back toward the rocks, and Snowcrystal glanced in that direction as well.

    They were out in the open, but the rocks now lay between them and the rest of the group, blocking the desert’s edge from sight. Snowcrystal didn’t know if that had been done intentionally, but out in the open and away from the boulders, it was easier for Solus’s pokémon to surround them in a tight group. Most of them were standing in front of the rocks, making it impossible for any of them to try to run toward a hiding spot.

    Snowcrystal turned her gaze to the larger group of pokémon still out in the desert, headed straight for them. That part of Solus’s small army numbered far more than twenty, and once they arrived, Snowcrystal couldn’t see what hope she and her friends would have.

    Her worried thoughts were interrupted as Solus stepped closer. Snowcrystal’s fur stood on end as she looked at him. Even if she hadn’t known of the terrible things he’d done, she would have been able to tell right away that this espeon was twisted. The look in his eyes as he watched them and the grin that stretched across his face when he saw their terrified expressions sent shivers down her spine.

    Solus gave a dark chuckle as his paws came to a halt so that he was standing right in front of the cowering pokémon. “Well,” he began, in a voice that would have sounded jovial if the group had not been sure of his intentions, “I can’t believe it. It’s actually them. The white growlithe and her little ‘friends.’ You’re the last pokémon I would have expected to run into out here. And I’m guessing that houndour’s somewhere around here, isn’t he?”

    “He’s dead,” Wildflame said before anyone could speak. Solus’s gaze snapped to her, and, without even a pause, she continued, “None of us have the Forbidden Attack. I don’t know who does. It happened in a forest and there were lots of pokémon there. We left before we found out.”

    A silence fell on the group after the houndoom finished speaking, and Snowcrystal tensed, watching the faces of the enemy pokémon around her. The ones closest to them gave Wildflame suspicious looks, while some of the others seemed distracted, as if something else was on their minds. Wildflame sat tall and steady, her gaze unwavering as she looked Solus in the eye. Snowcrystal had to admire her acting. She didn’t think she could tell a lie while looking that calm.

    Solus merely grinned again, giving a low, cruel sounding chuckle that grew into full laughter. “I don’t need to read your mind to know that’s a lie,” the espeon jeered. “He’s with you. I can see it in your eyes.”

    Wildflame wilted under the espeon’s gaze, suddenly looking more scared than Snowcrystal had ever seen her. Though the pokémon standing in front of them didn’t look like much, they were all aware of what he was capable of.

    “I don’t tolerate lying,” Solus said coldly, any hint of humor in his voice gone. He nodded toward the staraptor that had dragged Snowcrystal out of the rocks.

    Faster than she could blink, the massive bird pokémon lashed out at Wildflame with one clawed foot, raking his talons across her face. Wildflame yelped and scrambled backward as drops of blood splashed across the ground.

    “Wildflame?” Nightshade said weakly, turning his head to look at the houndoom. Wildflame turned toward him, showing him that although the scratches were deep, they had missed her eyes.

    “Pathetic liar,” the staraptor sneered, and Wildflame closed her eyes, turning her head toward the ground.

    “I don’t think I need to be any clearer,” Solus said calmly. “Tell us where Blazefang is.”

    It suddenly struck Snowcrystal as odd that the army pokémon didn’t just go out and find him. She glanced to Rosie, who seemed frozen with fear, and then to Nightshade. They had no chance of fighting their way out; their only hope was that their friends had noticed something was amiss. But if help was coming, it could be too late.

    Then she noticed that there was a look in Solus’s eyes, beyond the cruelty. The way he stood, tense and angry, the way his eyes flickered to the rocks every few moments as if watching for something, it all made her begin to realize...that Solus was afraid.

    He was scared of Blazefang’s Shadowflare. He wanted to wait until the rest of his small army caught up, so that he could have them swarm the houndoom all at once. That gave her and her friends a small amount of time. However, she also knew that the group at the arch was too far away to hear her shouts.

    “Don’t think about trying to call out,” Solus jeered. “No one will hear you.”

    Snowcrystal jumped. It was as if he had read her mind, and with a chilling thought, she realized she wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t.

    “What about Yenn?” a rapidash asked, turning toward Solus. Though he clearly wasn’t in charge, there was an air of authority about the fire type. A few of the other pokémon backed away from him as he stamped his diamond-hard hoof into the cracked earth.

    “Look,” a zebstrika began, sounding much less hostile than the other pokémon who had spoken so far, “we were supposed to be the scouts. We can’t just go after him without-”

    “That’s enough,” Solus said calmly, and the zebstrika was silenced immediately. “The others will be here soon. We’ll go after Blazefang first, then Yenn. We’re close enough that Yenn won’t reach the plains, and not even Blazefang’s Shadowflare could kill all of the pokémon with us.”

    Snowcrystal, Nightshade, and Rosie looked out over the desert at Solus’s fast approaching allies, realizing that they could reach them within minutes.

    Suddenly Wildflame spoke again, but this time it was not to try and deceive her captors. “Who’s Yenn?” she asked calmly, straightening up and looking Solus in the eye again. “Is he a...yanmega?”

    Solus gave her a wicked grin. “He is...a friend of ours.”

    Wildflame kept her gaze locked with Solus’s. “Well...why are you after him? What did he do?”

    “We’re getting off topic,” Solus said. The espeon turned away from her, nodding to the pokémon surrounding the group. Several of them stepped closer, looking very ready to attack if any of the prisoners made a move. “We will find out where the houndour is,” Solus said, addressing his followers. “Then we will take them with us.” He shot a smile at Snowcrystal and her friends as his eyes examined them, taking in the details of their dust-covered bodies. “The houndoom would make a good recruit. We might be able to do something with the growlithe and the ninetales as well. As for him...” He turned his gaze to Nightshade, taking in the heracross’s pitiful condition. “I say we kill him and see if any of the carnivorous pokémon are willing to give heracross meat a try.”

    “NO!” Snowcrystal shouted. As Solus turned his cold glare on her, she felt her courage wavering, but didn’t back down. “He’s...an incredibly strong pokémon,” she explained, realizing that she had to give Solus a reason to keep Nightshade alive that would be convincing enough for the espeon. “Once he’s healed, he-”

    Solus narrowed his eyes, clearly wondering if he should even bother to give the growlithe an answer. After a few moments, he turned his head calmly to the staraptor. “Hold her mouth shut,” Solus instructed the large bird. “I don’t think I even want to let this one scream.” His lithe form started to pace slowly back and forth on the dusty ground. “I’m going to find out where that houndour is, whether or not something funny happens like it did with that scyther. We’ll see if she’s ready to talk after this.”

    Snowcrystal felt the staraptor’s talons slam her to the ground, one set of claws wrapping around her face and muzzle and the other holding her to the ground. As much as she knew she should feel terrified, something else had appeared more strongly in her mind. It was a memory...a memory of something Stormblade had managed to tell them at one point in their journey. When the scyther had been tortured by the sadistic espeon, something had stopped Solus from getting to any information about Blazefang’s whereabouts. It had remained locked in Stormblade’s mind, out of the psychic type’s reach.

    Snowcrystal didn’t think Stormblade or anyone else had thought much of it in the time that had passed since, and for some strange reason, she started to wonder about it in spite of the predicament she was in.

    She was quickly brought back to her current situation when the staraptor slammed her head roughly against the ground. Even from that angle, she could see her three friends staring at her in horror. ‘Don’t be afraid for me,’ she tried to tell them through the look in her eyes. ‘Please, find a way out of here.’ She knew it was useless; she wasn’t sure how long she could stop the fear that was threatening to overwhelm her own mind, and her friends were helplessly trapped. What could they really do?

    Solus’s eyes glowed as he approached the motionless growlithe, and Snowcrystal knew in that instant that whether or not he found the truth about Blazefang, he intended to cause her great pain. She could tell that he wanted to take out his frustration on her, and maybe he simply looked for any excuse to torture another pokémon. She wasn’t sure how to feel; she figured she was simply numb with shock, because as Solus approached her, she didn’t start to panic. She just felt angry at the espeon, angry that he was able to get away with the things he did, and that she was powerless to stop it.

    But as Solus came closer, the glow in his eyes brightening enough that Snowcrystal knew she was going to feel excruciating pain at any moment, a voice interrupted him.

    “Stop.”

    It wasn’t a shout, nor was it a plea or a request. It was a demand. For reasons Snowcrystal didn’t understand, Solus turned his head toward the speaker as the glow from his eyes faded.

    The speaker was Nightshade.

    Solus’s eyes narrowed. “Do you want to take her place?”

    Without waiting for an answer, the espeon walked toward the heracross. The rapidash that had spoken earlier slammed his hoof into Nightshade’s back, sending him sprawling forward. Solus stopped just short of the bug type’s quivering body. “Let’s see what we can find,” he began, his eyes taking on the familiar eerie glow. However, he did not unleash his psychic powers immediately, as if he was waiting for the heracross to respond, to beg to be spared.

    Yet Nightshade had no reaction other than to slowly stand back on his feet again. He faced Solus with a sort of resolute calmness that Snowcrystal knew, if she were in Solus’s place, would leave her chilled. Due to his injuries, he couldn’t stand fully upright, but he met the espeon’s gaze with fierce eyes. He said nothing, merely waiting for the psychic type to speak.

    Solus paused, the glow fading from his eyes. A flicker of unease crossed his face as he spat, “Do you think you’re being funny?”

    “No,” Nightshade replied.

    Solus laughed, glancing behind him at the distant shapes of the pokémon comprising the remainder of his army, still steadily approaching them. Then he stepped closer to Nightshade. “Feeling brave now, aren’t you? Every pokémon breaks eventually, heracross. I could make you do anything I wanted you to.”

    “I was under no illusion that you couldn’t,” Nightshade replied coldly.

    “Are you mocking me?” Now it was Solus’s turn to seem eerily calm.

    Snowcrystal had realized that Solus was only stalling, taunting them until his allies arrived and they had a better chance of fighting Blazefang. He had only been toying with them for his own amusement, but as he stared down Nightshade, it was clear that his demeanor had changed.

    Nightshade watched the espeon, thinking back to the night, months ago, when he had found Stormblade after the scyther had been tortured. At the time, he hadn’t known what had happened to him, but he had thought back to it many times since. Remembering Stormblade’s state, he knew exactly what Solus was capable of. Yet if he begged for mercy or tried to reason with a pokémon like the one standing before him, it would make no difference. He was not going to give Solus the satisfaction of seeing him terrified and pleading until the torture managed to break him. Maybe then, but not before. And if it distracted Solus for a time, maybe something good would come of it. “No,” Nightshade answered simply. “You can see that I can’t defend myself. Why do you think you need to convince me that you have the upper claw?”

    For reasons Snowcrystal didn’t fully understand, this seemed to make Solus’s temper snap. Any trace of calm vanished from the espeon’s face, and his body tensed like he wanted to leap forward and claw Nightshade’s eyes out. The growlithe expected to hear her friend’s screams at any second, but when the espeon’s eyes glowed, Nightshade didn’t react with anything other than mild surprise. For one strange moment, a connection between the minds of the unwilling Nightshade and the angry Solus formed, and then Solus broke away, calling loudly enough for his followers to hear.

    “Blazefang ran out towards the desert on the other side of the rocks,” the espeon shouted. “Toward the cliff. As if he had anywhere else to go.” It was clear that Solus was tiring of his own game, none of the jeering mockery in his voice. He stared into Nightshade’s eyes again, his own narrowed in anger. After a moment, the anger seemed to vanish and the espeon grinned. “I think I see something interesting here,” he began, his eyes growing wider as he delved deeper into Nightshade’s mind.

    Nightshade’s expression suddenly changed from one of defiance to shock.

    “Your family was killed because you weren’t there to protect them,” Solus continued, the mocking tone returning to his voice. “Some father you had turned out to be-”

    Faster than any of the pokémon watching would have thought a badly injured heracross could move, Nightshade raked his claws across the espeon’s face. Solus let out a scream and stumbled backward, blood trickling down his muzzle to spatter on the ground. Nightshade felt a hoof slam into his back again, and he found himself lying face down on the ground.

    Solus turned his face toward the heracross, his eyes blazing through a mask of bloodied fur. The gashes Nightshade had inflicted were deep, and had barely missed his eyes. The espeon strode forward, and it was clear that he was done trying to toy with the bug type. He looked to some of the army pokémon standing near him, who had been looking at Nightshade hesitantly, waiting for orders.

    “We’ll take this one back with us,” Solus hissed. “Death out in the desert is too good for him. And maybe some real pain will make him think twice about-”

    In an instant, Wildflame seemed to snap out of any fear she’d had. Ignoring her captors, she leaped forward and turned to stand between Nightshade and Solus, her lips drawn back in a snarl as she spat in the espeon’s face. “Don’t you touch him, you piece of filth!” she shouted. “And if you harm Snowcrystal again, I’ll tear you apart. You can’t hurt me with your psychic attacks, and you won’t find it so easy to get into my mind.”

    Solus regarded the houndoom with contempt, but he didn’t argue with her. Instead, he turned to two pokémon, a scarred pidgeot and an arcanine with a mean looking expression. “Teach that one a lesson,” he said, giving his head a shake to flick blood out of his eyes.

    As the arcanine leaped toward Wildflame, time seemed to stand still for Snowcrystal, still held against the dirt by the staraptor. She watched as Rosie fired a blast of flame at the pidgeot, only to fall to the ground jerking and twitching as a zebstrika sent a blast of electricity into her body. She saw Wildflame jump out of the way, and the arcanine landed just sort of Nightshade. Another pokémon, a talonflame, knocked the houndoom to the ground and the arcanine stopped, standing over her.

    Then there was a flash of green, and the arcanine fell to the ground with a high pitched whimper. Blood seeped into the cracks in the parched earth. The talonflame looked up in surprise, but the newcomer, the same scyther who had saved Nightshade’s life in the tunnels beneath Stonedust City, hardly paid attention; Wildflame had already struggled free on her own. Instead, Thunder made a direct dash toward Solus himself.

    Solus threw up a protect barrier just in time, but even still, Thunder’s blade broke through it halfway, leaving the tip a fraction from his nose. Solus scrambled backward, his eyes wide as he created another barrier. “Kill her!” he shouted. “Kill the scyther!”

    Some of the bolder pokémon didn’t even need the command. A rapidash was already upon Thunder, raising his hooves as the wounded arcanine created a circle of flame around them. Thunder dodged as the hooves came pounding down, slicing the rapidash across his face and chest. He shouted with pain and darted out of the fire circle, but before Thunder could follow him, a zebstrika, the salamence, and the noivern were upon her.

    Solus watched the battle as he gasped for breath, letting his protect barrier fall. A haunted look had come over the espeon as he watched the scyther do battle with three of his best pokémon. He recognized that scyther. Anyone would. More importantly, he had battled her before.

    It had been at the Stonedust City Pokémon Center, before his Team Rocket masters had blown it to smithereens. The scyther had been weak and injured then, and she had still beaten him. Even as he watched, he could see that she was winning the fight; the noivern had fled with a torn wing and multiple gashes, and it looked like the other two were about to end up the same way, or worse.

    Then Solus remembered that back at the pokémon center, the scyther had taken him by surprise, injured him so that he could no longer focus well on his psychic attacks. He was not nearly so foolish now, and he had grown much stronger in Cyclone’s army. He braced himself, waiting for the moment when the scyther would step through the flames and challenge him again. Enough time had passed that he was able to create another protect barrier. He watched as Thunder flew clear over the flames and bolted toward him. Now that she was within range and his mind was clear, he did what he had done to so many pokémon during his time in the army. His eyes took on an eerie glow.

    From her position on the ground, where she and her friends were surrounded by Solus’s followers, Snowcrystal could practically feel the pain she knew had exploded in Thunder’s head. The scyther stopped, shrieking, and stumbled forward, thrashing from side to side as the faint glow from Solus’s psychic energy surrounded her.

    Even Rosie, for all the anger she held toward Thunder, looked shocked at the sight before her. Nightshade stood up, ignoring the guard who told him to hold still. His weakened body shook, and he seemed frail enough to collapse. One of the pokémon moved closer to him, as if he believed that a wounded heracross, of all the pokémon, actually posed enough of a threat to warrant action. Nightshade ignored him, stepping forward as he shouted out, “Thunder!”

    A talonflame darted toward Thunder at incredible speed. Snowcrystal’s eyes widened, expecting Thunder’s blood to be spilled upon the ground. But when the large bird pokémon came close, Thunder whipped her scythe up toward it, ripping into its side and sending it crashing to the ground. Then, slowly, she stood up...and walked toward Solus.

    The espeon faltered. In all his time as a torturer, a punisher, he had watched the reactions of every pokémon he’d ever tormented with his psychic powers. Regardless of age, species, or strength, he had watched them scream, cry, plead with him...watched them claw frantically at the ground or at their own heads, or even run madly in circles. Yet he had never seen one stand up and take a step toward him. He looked to the scyther in terror, hardly realizing that most of his pokémon had frozen as well, either as startled as he was or too afraid to attack. Thunder was clearly struggling, but she was nevertheless taking step after step toward him, her eyes no longer showing pain, but anger, as she stared down the espeon. Even as he was doing his worst. ‘What sort of pokémon was this?’

    “What are you waiting for?” Solus cried at the pokémon nearest to the scyther. “Kill-”

    The pokémon following Solus’s orders had barely started to move before another pokémon leaped over one of the boulders, slashing at a rapidash who was standing close to Thunder. The flaming pokémon reared back in shock, and the newcomer came to a brief halt. It was Stormblade.

    Stormblade only stopped a moment before he launched himself at the staraptor holding Snowcrystal captive. In the same instant, a bolt of lighting shot down from the sky, arcing over the rocks to strike a pidgeot who was making his way toward Stormblade. A moment later Spark appeared, racing for the group of enemy pokémon with the blinding speed of a jolteon.

    Stormblade and Spark were not alone. Racing around and over the rocks were several more pokémon. Alex and Redclaw charged into the fray, followed by Inferno – Todd the elekid gripping the flareon’s ruff of fur – and the rest of Katie’s pokémon. Overhead, Ray the pidgeot carried Katie herself, with Damian and Justin riding Fernwing right behind her.

    Alex slammed into an arcanine with aqua jet, while Redclaw targeted one of the pokémon in the air, blasting it with a flamethrower before it had the chance to swerve out of the way. Todd and Inferno separated, the flareon racing to help Stormblade and the elekid making his way to the captives. Katie’s azumarill knocked out a fire type with her water attacks, while her sylveon targeted the noivern. Scolipede appeared around one of the boulders – already curled tightly into a ball – and bulldozed into a group of Solus’s pokémon.

    While chaos began to erupt all around them, Snowcrystal broke free as Stormblade took on the staraptor that had been holding her down. She made a move toward Nightshade and the other captives, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Solus.

    The espeon had broken his hold on Thunder, but the scyther had been swarmed by enemies and lost sight of their leader. Solus, however, wasn’t moving. There was not a scratch on the espeon’s body, save for the gashes Nightshade had inflicted, but he was standing in shock, his legs almost faltering as if he had been wounded. It took the growlithe a moment to realize that he was staring at Stormblade.

    Looking as if he had seen a ghost.

    “Solus!” one of the enemy pokémon shouted, and the espeon snapped his attention to the direction the voice had come from.

    He did so just in time, and had the chance to form another protect barrier before Thunder could slash his throat. Solus scrambled backward, finally overcoming his shaken nerves. This time he used his psychic attack to lift Thunder bodily into the air and slam her into the nearest boulder.

    Snowcrystal watched as Todd skidded to a halt in front of the small group who had briefly been Solus’s captives. “Nightshade,” the elekid gasped. “Can you walk? We’ve gotta get out of here.”

    “I...” the heracross began.

    “I’ll help you,” Wildflame offered, standing next to the heracross so that he could lean on her for support.

    “Thanks,” Nightshade replied wearily.

    Snowcrystal was about to ask what she could do when Rosie suddenly released a blast of flame that rushed straight by her. She heard a staraptor shriek and turned to see the bird pokémon blunder away from Stormblade as the scyther fought head to head with a fearow and Inferno blasted a zebstrika with overheat. Fernwing sent a solar beam into the throng of fighting creatures and one of Solus’s pokémon cried out in pain. Large amounts of dirt had been kicked up in the air, making it hard to discern much else among the chaos.

    “Let’s get off the battlefield, all right?” Todd continued, trying to usher Wildflame and Nightshade toward the group of boulders.

    “Wildflame!” another voice shouted, and Snowcrystal was shocked to see Blazefang emerge from behind one of the rocks. He bounded toward the other houndoom, ignoring the pain from his wounds. “I’ll take Nightshade,” Blazefang said. “Stay here and help the others.”

    Without waiting for a reply, he stood on Nightshade’s other side so that the heracross could walk with his support. They quickly headed toward the boulders, leaving Wildflame standing with Snowcrystal and Rosie.

    “Well, then we’re going to cover their retreat,” Wildflame stated. “Rosie, go tell some of the others to go back with Blazefang! We can’t have them laying a claw on him or he might lose control of Shadowflare.”

    Wildflame hadn’t even finished her sentence before Rosie bounded off. Snowcrystal stood beside Wildflame, ready to battle if needed, but at the moment, Solus’s pokémon were in such a state of disarray that it wasn’t necessary. Their enemies were being overwhelmed, and she could see that her own group was more than a match for them.

    Rosie quickly returned with Katie’s Sylveon and Redclaw, and the three of them bounded toward where Blazefang and Nightshade had gone. Luckily, no one seemed to have thought to follow the wounded pokémon in the confusion.

    Solus had been driven back further from the group, still facing down Thunder. Though his protect barriers lasted longer than those of an ordinary psychic type, they were not enough. Solus’s limber body and fast reflexes were the only thing keeping him on even footing with the scyther.

    Thunder was fighting through a haze of pain; Solus had regained enough focus to continue wracking her body with pain through his psychic attacks, even as he dodged her slashes. A few of her attacks had left their mark; Solus was sporting a gash on his forehead and another on his back. Yet his eyes blazed with determination, an almost feral look of rage in his eyes.

    Thunder did not slow her stride, pushing Solus back with every pace. The espeon wasn’t used to a pokémon that could power through pain like he was inflicting, and his psychic attack was weakening as the battle went on. Thunder could see, in her mind’s eye, that the espeon was trying to pull up painful memories, trying to distract her, and she might have laughed were it not for the pain lancing through her head. This pokémon actually thought he could use that to control her.

    She saw a memory flash in her mind, her brutal attack on Nightshade. She paused for a moment, and Solus’s eyes blazed as he realized he’d struck something. And in that moment, the espeon paused for a second, which was exactly what Thunder wanted.

    Solus saw the blade coming a split second too late. Though he dodged, he felt the scythe rip into his shoulder, sending him tumbling to the ground. Yet through some sort of determination or instinctual terror – or both – his psychic hold on Thunder was not broken. As the scyther went in for the kill, Solus threw back his head and screeched in agony, sending a psychic wave through the scyther’s body that was more powerful than any before it. It stopped Thunder in her tracks, and she stumbled back to the ground with a yell, frantically rubbing the dull edge of one her scythes against her head.

    Snowcrystal heard Solus’s cry, but she couldn’t see the espeon through the swarm of battling pokémon and their attacks. Any time a pokémon came within reach, she and Wildflame fired a jet of flame in its direction. Snowcrystal could tell that the tide of the battle was turning; some of Solus’s pokémon even broke ranks and fled. As she watched a rapidash bolt back into the open desert, her heart suddenly sank.

    The rest of Solus’s pokémon, the ones who had been flying after the smaller group from far behind, were now almost upon them. The closest ones seemed like they could reach them in mere moments. The growlithe heard Redclaw shouting from behind one of the rocks, and turned to see a few of her friends breaking away from the battle and running towards him. She noticed that Solus’s group was no longer fighting; they were backing up just enough to be out of attack range, knowing that the rest of Solus’s army was quickly coming to their aid.

    “Snowcrystal, we’ve got to run,” Wildflame hissed in a panicked voice, angling her head toward the rocks. “We can’t fight that many. We’re going to be slaughtered if they catch up to us.”

    “Run where?” Snowcrystal asked as she followed the houndoom and the rest of her allies as they headed toward the boulders Blazefang had vanished behind. “There’s nowhere to go!”

    She cast a glance back at the pokémon bearing down on them. There were far more than she’d realized; Solus’s ‘scouting’ group had been tiny in comparison. ‘What on earth did these pokémon come to do out in the desert, and why?’ she thought. ‘They couldn’t have known Blazefang would be here!’

    Back with his followers, Solus staggered to his feet, blood trickling through his lilac fur. The scyther who’d wounded him remained upright, but he could tell that his psychic attacks had weakened her. She had resisted his torture more than any other pokémon he’d met, but she was still a pokémon. She still had limits. And he had begun to reach them.

    “Thunder!” a voice shouted from behind.

    Solus’s eyes widened. It was the other scyther...that scyther. The one who should have been dead by Shadowflare burns. He watched the female scyther – Thunder – flick her gaze in his direction.

    Solus created a shimmering protect barrier in front of him, staring at the scarred scyther through it. He could hear the footsteps and wingbeats of the remaining battlers from his scouting group as they gathered around him. Now that his enemy was weak, and he had numbers on his side, he knew the danger had passed. The scyther would have to be insane to attack him again now. “Run, Thunder,” he said with a mocking grin. “Run back to all your friends.”

    “Thunder!”

    Thunder turned her head, watching as Stormblade made his way toward her. Without another look at Solus, she turned and followed him. She knew Solus’s pokémon wouldn’t attack while she was fleeing; that would just invite Stormblade and the others to fight back. And it was clear that they were going to get a lot more help from the bloodthirsty army of pokémon that were almost within range of attack.

    Thunder and Stormblade were the last to arrive as the rest of the group clustered behind some of the boulders.

    “Todd, up here!” Damian called from on Fernwing’s back, reaching down and picking up his elekid while Justin helped Katie lift Nightshade onto the tropius’s back as well. Damian grabbed hold of Blazefang, lifting the houndoom up and holding him over his lap. “You can fly us all back, right?” Damian asked. The tropius gave him a worried nod. “Inferno, return!” he shouted, holding out his poké ball and enveloping his flareon in a beam of light.

    “Don’t wait for us,” Katie cried to the pokémon as she returned her sylveon, azumarill and scolipede to their poké balls and mounted her pidgeot. “Run!”

    The shaken pokémon needed no further bidding, and they took off through the rocks while the trainers and their mounts lifted off into the air. Redclaw lifted Snowcrystal by the scruff as he ran, following the others as they darted in the opposite direction of Solus’s pokémon, back toward the arch.

    -ooo-

    Dusk waited tensely near the arch, his paws aching to run. Behind him, Arien was still focused intently on finding a way to activate the portal, but the absol wasn’t convinced it would do them any good; the alakazam had so far found nothing.

    Dusk couldn’t see just how many pokémon had attacked Snowcrystal and the others, but from what Thunder had said, they were pokémon from Cyclone’s army.

    “Arien, it’s not working,” he cried, shooting a glance back at his teammate. “We need to find a hiding place...or a shelter...somewhere along the cliffs!”

    “And just how would we all get there in time?” Arien shouted back furiously. Dusk could tell that the alakazam was stressed, because Arien rarely reacted angrily otherwise. “I need to focus. There has to be some trace of something...”

    The absol narrowed his eyes as he turned away, watching the ever nearing line of flying pokémon on the horizon. There had to be at least sixty of them, and the thought filled him with dread.

    Movement caught his eye, and he realized that that the lone yanmega, the one he’d first seen approaching them when Thunder had shown up, was not far from the cliff’s edge and was heading straight for them. He cursed himself for not keeping track of it – it wasn’t like it was hard to miss out in the flat expanse of the desert – and tensed his muscles, letting the scythe on his head glow a bright white before he sprung forward and darted across the dry ground, ignoring the dull pain that pulsed from his recent paw injury.

    The distance between him and the yanmega closed far faster than he’d expected, determination and fury giving him strength. His red eyes narrowed. This was likely a pokémon that had slipped away from the main group for some reason, possibly to attack anyone waiting at the arch. Dusk had no idea why, but they had not come as far as they had to be slaughtered by pokémon who wanted to use the very Forbidden Attacks they were trying to put a stop to.

    He reached the bug type with a startling speed, leaping up to its height in the air and slamming his scythe into its body. To his surprise, the pokémon crashed to the ground with the force of just the one attack, its wings going completely still. Keenly aware of his type disadvantage, Dusk rushed to the pokémon’s head, lowering his blade toward the yanmega’s neck. “Who are you and what are those pokémon trying to-”

    He broke off, realizing that the yanmega wasn’t trying to reply, or plead for his life, or make any move to fight back at all. He looked completely limp, and even as Dusk watched him, his head lolled to the side and he weakly struggled for breath, not even seeming to notice the absol’s blade. Dusk’s eyes then looked over the rest of his body, and he realized that this pokémon was battered, emaciated, and barely alive. His scythe fading back to normal, the absol gave the yanmega a horrified gaze as he stepped back.


    “...What the-”

    “DUSK!”

    It was Arien’s shout. The absol whipped his head back in the direction of the alakazam, who was gesturing for him to come back toward the arch. From the look of Arien’s face, however, it wasn’t because he had any good news. As Dusk looked in the opposite direction, he realized why.

    In the distance, he could see the rest of his group – his trainer, the other humans, and all the wild pokémon – making a desperate dash back toward the cliffs. In the air above them, the swarm of flying pokémon were gaining with frightening speed.

    “Arien!” the absol cried in a panic. “What are we supposed to do? We’re going to be killed!”

    Either the alakazam hadn’t heard him, or he couldn’t think of an answer himself. Dusk shot a look at the yanmega, who had stopped moving completely, looking as motionless as if he were dead. With a pang of horror, Dusk realized that he wasn’t quite sure his attack hadn’t killed him. He shook his head as he backed away.

    “Dusk!”

    The absol looked back at Arien again, and toward his friends and companions, fleeing so desperately toward them. Then he made his decision.

    Ignoring the alakazam’s shouts, he darted in the direction of his fleeing friends. If there was anything he could do, maybe he could help buy them time.

    -ooo-

    Redclaw heard shouts from the pokémon in the air behind him. He could almost feel the pounding of the hooves and paws belonging to the ones running after them. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see another arcanine a ways behind him to his left, its eyes fixated on Wildflame and Rosie as they fought to keep enough distance ahead of their pursuers. He could also see a rapidash racing toward Alex and Stormblade. The only thing keeping his friends ahead at all was the fact that Solus’s pokémon were clearly exhausted. Yet even still, the gap between Redclaw’s companions and his enemies was closing.

    Redclaw couldn’t try to fight the bloodthirsty pokémon with Snowcrystal’s scruff in his jaws, so he raced toward Stormblade and Alex, keeping just behind them in case any attacks came their way.

    Thunder and Spark were in the lead, the trainers’ pokémon flying just overhead. Redclaw knew that their winged pursuers were likely about to outpace them, but the trainers were refusing to fly too far ahead.

    Redclaw had no idea where he was running to, where they could possibly go, but he figured that once they reached the cliffs, the humans would try to find a way to get them all down. At least that way, the army pokémon that lacked wings couldn’t follow them.

    Redclaw was so lost in thought, and so focused on running that he almost didn’t leap out of the way in time when the ground in front of him exploded, sending a shower of dirt raining onto the ground. Snowcrystal cried out as the arcanine landed awkwardly, almost stumbling before he found his footing again. Redclaw glanced up toward the sky, realizing that a salamence had fired some sort of attack, and it had nearly struck him.

    Panic spurred the fleeing group onward, but Solus’s pokémon were closing in. Somewhere to Redclaw’s left, huge chunks of earth were sent flying into the air. Another beam struck the ground not far from Rosie, and he heard the ninetales shriek in fear.

    Up ahead, Spark skidded to a halt, shooting a bolt of lighting into the air. Though the flying pokémon were well out of reach, it caused a few of the leading ones to swerve back, giving Redclaw and the others more time. The jolteon bounded forward and kept running, firing bolts of electricity as high as he could, hoping it would at least keep some of Solus’s pokémon back.

    Redclaw ran as fast as his paws could carry him without leaving any of the others behind. Panic was lending the group speed; they were closing the distance between themselves and the cliffs fast. Redclaw could now make out Dusk and Arien’s forms clearly in the distance.

    Dusk, however, wasn’t staying still. Instead, the absol was charging right toward them, in spite of his limp. The dark type met up with the fleeing group faster than Redclaw expected, charging past them and firing a charged razor wind attack at the front runners of Solus’s group. Redclaw heard cries as at least a few of them tumbled to the ground. Dusk turned and caught up with them, charging another attack in case any came too close. Redclaw was dismayed to see that his limp had suddenly grown worse, aggravated by his frantic dash.

    The ground shook with a deafening crash; another hyper beam had slammed the earth right behind them. The shockwaves had not stopped reverberating through Redclaw’s paws before another attack hit, somewhere to his left. They were now within range of most of the flyers, and Redclaw could see a blast of flame that nearly reached Stormblade and Alex.

    Dusk skidded a stop with a cry of pain, wrenching his injured paw off the ground. The absol hesitated, then turned toward his enemies.

    “No!” Stormblade shouted to him. “Keep going!”

    “But Stormblade-” the absol began.

    “You can’t fight them! They’ll catch up!” the scyther shouted over his shoulder.

    Dusk gritted his teeth and turned back around, following with the others as fast as his injury would allow. Redclaw slowed enough to be running side by side with the absol, knowing he could at least try to block any fire attacks that came his way.

    “Spark!” Stormblade cried. The scyther was now almost matched in pace with Spark and Thunder at the head of the group. “Get to Arien! Find a-”

    From further behind, Redclaw and Dusk had to leap aside as another attack from above came dangerously close. The pokémon following them would soon be close enough that they wouldn’t miss.

    “Go ahead...” Stormblade said through gritted teeth as he glanced at the jolteon. “Find a way for us to get down!”

    “Storm, we can’t make it down there. We need to activate the portal.”

    “No...” Stormblade replied, fighting to speak while gasping for breath. “Get Arien, the humans...find a way...”

    The jolteon shot Stormblade a helpless look before he nodded, then sped up.

    Up above, Fernwing and Ray were firing attacks at the flying pokémon behind them whenever they could. Fernwing was trying to use herself as a diversion, skillfully dodging attacks blown her way from afar. It was clear, however, that if her enemies got closer, she wouldn’t find it easy to dodge them. There was nowhere for her to hide out in the open.

    The arch loomed closer, and Spark, ahead of the rest, skidded to a stop within earshot of Arien. “Find a way down!” he shouted to the alakazam. “We have to hide!”

    “There’s nowhere to hide! Are you mad?” Arien shouted back at him, his voice uncharacteristically panicked. Spark realized that he was hunched over by the arch, a psychic glow surrounding him. He was straining to detect anything that might give him a hint, help him find something he hadn’t noticed before.

    Spark glanced over his shoulder. His friends had almost reached them, but Solus’s small army was right on their heels. “Arien, we need to get down! At least the runners won’t follow us there!” As he spoke, his eyes wandered toward the limp form of a stranger. The yanmega, lying ragged and motionless on the ground. If the situation had been less dire, he would have questioned Arien about it, but seeing as the bug type didn’t look to be in any state to attack anyone, he decided to ignore it. Whether it was part of Solus’s group or not, it didn’t matter. “Look, Arien, if we stay on these cliffs, we’re going to get killed!”

    The alakazam didn’t move, and Spark gave a cry of both frustration and fear. Behind him, he could hear Dusk’s voice as the absol ran with the rest of the group.

    “Arien! Activate the portal!”

    “He can’t!” Spark cried back at him. Seeing the wild look in Dusk’s eyes as the absol approached, Spark realized the dark type was becoming panicked, for both himself and all the others. He wasn’t speaking rationally. “The portal won’t work!

    The others were almost upon him now, and Spark realized they were wasting time. He darted to the edge of the cliff himself, peering over for any sign of a way down. He doubted the flying types would be able to carry each member of the group to the bottom fast enough. However, all that he was met with was a sheer drop.

    “Arien!” Dusk called from somewhere close by. “Try harder! You’re a psychic!”

    “Stop!” Rosie cried, and the panic in her voice made Spark’s heart wrench. “It’s just an arch!” The ninetales sounded close to hysteria. “There’s no portal!”

    An attack from the enemy pokémon made the ground beneath Spark’s feet shake, even though he was quite some distance away. Every hair on his body stood on end, sharpening into spines against his will. There was nowhere to go. The trainers might get a head start on their flying pokémon, but how far could they go? They had Blazefang with them; Solus wasn’t going to give up easily.

    Somewhere in his haze of fear, Spark could still hear Dusk shouting, and in response, Rosie was shouting back.

    “There isn’t a portal! It’s just a bunch of rocks! There is...no...portal!”

    Rosie’s words repeated over and over again in the jolteon’s head. Portal...arch...it was all beginning to become background noise to the certain death that was stampeding their way. He closed his eyes, willing himself to think, willing some stroke of brilliance to come to him, some way he could figure out how to save himself and the others.

    But it wasn’t a thought that came to him. Instead, a strange sound pierced his ears, and it took him a moment to realize that it was a weak cry coming from the fallen yanmega. Why it had stood out to him amongst the noise and confusion, Spark wasn’t sure. The dragonfly creature wasn’t far in front of Spark’s fleeing friends, but it didn’t even seem to notice them, nor the pokémon in the air.

    The yanmega weakly staggered to its six legs. Spark could tell that it was barely able to stand; it was hanging onto life by a thread. Why he had stopped trying to think in order to pay attention to it, the jolteon didn’t know.

    But as he watched it, he realized that the yanmega’s head was turned in the direction of the arch. Then, using what must have been the last of its strength, it lifted into the air and headed towards it.

    There was no mistaking it; the half-dead yanmega was clearly making the arch its goal, and for no reason that Spark could think of other than that Dusk and Rosie had been shouting about it.

    Spark knew the yanmega would have no reason to listen to them, no reason to take anything they said seriously. To an outsider, they probably looked like mad pokémon, shouting about a portal the way they were. But as the jolteon watched the bug type, he realized that something in the yanmega’s ravaged mind must have focused on what they’d said without realizing how absurd it sounded.

    Spark watched the winged pokémon – which was now close enough to identify by scent as a male – shakily fly toward the arch, probably not even knowing exactly why he was doing it. Or maybe, Spark thought, he was just desperate for any sort of hope and delirious enough that a magical portal existing in the arch right in front of him seemed plausible.

    Spark wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to get the yanmega’s attention. Perhaps he could tell them what was happening, or perhaps he had an idea. Both thoughts were stupid, Spark knew; there was nothing a weak and dying pokémon could do to help them. But he called out anyway, more out of sheer desperation than anything. Not surprisingly, his cries were ignored. He could hear Dusk and the others approaching fast, and right before he turned to look at them, he saw the yanmega reach the arch and fly underneath it.

    And then vanish.

    At the front of the running group, Dusk skidded to a halt. His eyes were wide with disbelief, and it took a nudge from Rosie for him to keep running to Arien again. As they sped toward him, Spark continued to stare, his mouth agape. He couldn’t help but voice his astonishment.

    “Why’d the portal open for that guy?

    “Spark, go through it now!” Stormblade called out.

    Spark was about to comply when Arien cried out. The psychic type’s eyes were wide as he turned again to the portal. “It’s stopped.”

    “What?” Spark repeated, dread filling his heart at the words. He raced to the alakazam’s side.

    “It’s inactive!”

    “What do you mean it’s not active? You just saw him go through it!”

    “There’s no energy coming from it anymore!”

    “Spark!” Stormblade shouted. His voice was close enough that shouting wouldn’t have been necessary were it not from the pokémon attacks pounding the ground, closer and closer to them. “What happened?”

    “I don’t know! Arien, what did he do? What did that yanmega do?” Spark turned to the alakazam desperately.

    “He didn’t do anything-

    Stormblade, Dusk and Redclaw skidded to a halt in front of them, followed shortly by Wildflame, Rosie, and Alex. Thunder was already on the cliff edge; Spark hadn’t even noticed her stopping.

    “Well, look what a mess you’ve gotten us into,” the scarred scyther growled, her comment likely aimed at the group as a whole rather than any one pokémon. She turned and glared at the oncoming army, narrowing her eyes grimly as she raised her scythes.

    Spark angled his head toward the pokémon in the air. His trainer, Justin, stared back at him. He heard the boy shout to Damian, telling him to fly down to pick up Spark. The jolteon, lost for words, just shook his head frantically, hoping Justin could see. ‘No...’ he thought. ‘Keep going. You could make it...’

    But instead, Fernwing dove toward the ground. He heard Katie shout something, heard Stormblade and Arien arguing as the scyther flew back through the arch, proving that the portal was once again useless. An attack from one of Solus’s pokémon struck close to the arch, sending pieces of rock flying over the cliff edge and into space.

    “Spark!” Justin cried, reaching out his hand as Fernwing neared the ground.

    Then Spark felt something that sent chills down his spine. It was a feeling like powerful energy...radiating from the arch. The pokémon close enough to feel what Spark had turned their heads and looked at it.

    They didn’t need Arien to tell them it was active.

    “Katie!” Damian shouted, shooting a glance toward the pidgeot circling uncertainly above them. “We’ve got it to work!”

    Katie and her mount shot down toward them as Damian turned to the others. “All together now,” he said, clutching Blazefang closer to him as Todd gripped his shoulder. Fernwing cast a nervous glance at the army that was quickly approaching. As soon as Katie joined them, Damian gave a shout, and they charged toward the arch as one, pokémon with wings at the front. A few at a time, but quickly in succession, each of them passed through it.

    Then they began to fall.

    On the back of Fernwing, Justin had been clinging tightly to the tropius’s pack, calling out for his jolteon. But now, he couldn’t feel the grass type beneath him, couldn’t hear any of the other pokémon, although he knew they had to be there. He was free-falling in complete darkness, or maybe it was nothingness rather than darkness. For a moment, he wondered if they’d all just foolishly jumped to their deaths.

    Then they hit something. The movement jarred him enough that he fell off the tropius’s back, tumbling through some sort of bush and hitting the ground. He lay stunned, though he realized from a distinct lack of injuries that he must have really only fallen a few feet. He coughed as he lay there, feeling too dizzy to get up. After a moment, he realized he could see again.

    There wasn’t much to see, however; the bush he had fallen through, which surrounded him on all sides, was thick and blocked everything else from view. He also figured it must be near nighttime in...wherever they were, because it was much darker. At least, he realized, it was cooler.

    Justin suddenly remembered the bloodthirsty pokémon that had been chasing them, and he flattened himself to the ground, hoping that if they could follow, they would miss him and just charge on by.

    He realized a moment later that such a thing would be impossible; all around him he could hear the others struggling through bushes, calling out to one another, and likely drawing the attention of anything hostile. “Get down!” he hissed at them, although he knew it was pointless. After what seemed like a few minutes of chaos, pokémon crying out and everyone stomping through more bushes like his own, the others quieted down, and he heard his fellow trainers speak.

    “Can they come after us?” That was Katie’s voice.

    “No,” Damian responded. “Arien says it isn’t active.”

    “They can’t activate it, can they?”

    “They must be trying right now, and it’s not working...I don’t think they can get in.”

    Yet.

    “I don’t know...Arien says there’s something different this time. I don’t think they’re getting through.”

    “Well...why did it work for us then? When it didn’t before?”

    Justin pushed himself to his hands and knees, wincing as twigs and branches scraped his skin. “Would you guys stop?” he cried, still reluctant to leave what little shelter he had.

    “The portal isn’t opening,” Damian told him. “They would have had time to get in already. I think we’re safe, Justin.”

    His words were calm enough to be reassuring, and in spite of his wariness, Justin relaxed a bit.

    “And...” Katie added, “you’d better get up and look at this.”

    Unsure of what he was going to find, Justin slowly stood up, pushing aside the bush’s branches as he fought his way to his feet. Once he could stand fully, he stepped back from the bush, his eyes growing wide as he stared in awe at what surrounded him.

    Trees taller than the tallest skyscrapers in Stonedust City, some nearly as wide. A canopy so thick that it blocked out much of the light, making it seem like they were in a gigantic cave, the trees taking the place of stone pillars. Thick vegetation carpeted the ground where small amounts of light flickered through from the branches seeming as high as the clouds above his head.

    The trees seemed to span endlessly in either direction, and Justin took a wobbly step back, finding the sight dizzying. “Where are we?” he managed to gasp.

    Katie shot him a glance that looked just as confused as he felt. She shakily held up her pokégear, turning on the map feature. Her eyes lit up in surprise as she waited for the data to load. “Well...it still works. We have to be in Inari...” Though she seemed relieved that they hadn’t landed in a completely different dimension, her eyes narrowed in concern as she watched the screen. “But...I’m not getting a location.”

    “...What do you mean?”

    “Look, according to every map I’ve ever seen, every book I’ve ever read...according to everything I’ve ever heard about our region...this place doesn’t exist. There are no pictures of it, no mentions of it anywhere-” She held up her pokégear map, which had come up blank. “I haven’t even heard rumors of anything like this!”

    “Maybe it’s a protected place?” Justin suggested. “A sanctuary of some sort?”

    “Humans couldn’t keep a place like this secret!” Katie retorted. “They-” She paused, her expression changing suddenly to one of realization. “The legendary...of course this couldn’t have been any human’s doing. The legendary must be behind this, and is somewhere in the forest. And we’re going to need to start looking.” She strode forward through the bushes.

    “Uh, Katie?” Damian stammered. “We need a plan first. We-”

    Katie, however, didn’t seem inclined to listen. She kept walking, not even caring that the other trainers and the pokémon were still waiting back where they’d fallen.

    “Wait!” Justin cried, nearly stumbling as he tried to follow her. “W-why did the portal work? Why would it just-”

    “I don’t know, okay?” Katie answered, turning around to look at him. “But right now, I don’t care. Let’s go.”

    “Hang on a moment! Maybe Damian’s right-”

    As the two trainers argued, Snowcrystal narrowed her eyes as she thought back on their recent escape. “Wait a minute...” she whispered. She turned to Spark, who was sitting beside her. “Spark, we saw that yanmega go in the portal first. I don’t know what he was doing out there, but he was being chased. He ran into us right before...before...”

    “Before what?” Spark asked.

    Snowcrystal gave a small gasp. “Before Solus came! But Spark, that’s not what I-” She turned away from him, rushing to Arien’s side. “Look, I need you to tell Damian something, okay?” she told the alakazam. “It’s important.”

    Katie was still marching ahead, willing the stunned pokémon and trainers behind her to follow, when Damian called out to her.

    “Wait!”

    “What?” she called back to him, aggravated.

    “You saw that yanmega go through the portal first, right?” he called.

    “Yeah, I did. It was weird. Now can we go?”

    “Arien says that...that Snowcrystal and the others told him the yanmega wasn’t with Solus’s group.”

    “Clearly not,” Katie retorted. She hadn’t gotten a good look at the yanmega, being so far above it on her pidgeot’s back, but it had been clear to her that it had been weak and flying listlessly.

    “They said it was being chased,” Damian added.

    Katie paused, turning back to him.

    “They say that Solus...wasn’t expecting to find Blazefang, or any of us,” Damian continued. “He and his pokémon were following that yanmega.”

    She watched as Justin rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Now why would Cyclone’s army be after one yanmega?”

    Immediately after he spoke, the entire group fell silent. As soon as he’d said it, Katie had known the answer, and she could tell from the looks of horror on the others' faces, Justin’s included, that they had realized it as well.

    Because that thing has a Forbidden Attack...” Katie whispered. She turned toward Damian, who looked as shocked as she was. “Then we have to find the yanmega,” she said. “Before it does any damage. And let’s just hope this legendary knows how to sort it out too.”

    “But first, we need a plan,” Damian said again. “And some of the pokémon need help.”

    Katie sighed, knowing he was right, and trudged through the undergrowth back to the group. “Well,” she sighed, sitting down on one of the bare patches of ground, “all I can say is that...this legendary better be able to tell us what we need to know.”

    To be continued...
    Last edited by Scytherwolf; 08-23-2016 at 09:55 AM.


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