The Path of Destiny
Chapter 38 - Plans for Battle


Snowcrystal wasn’t feeling tired. Worried about Nightshade and Stormblade, she had stayed up by the cave’s entrance, waiting for the heracross’s return.

The growlithe was still pacing back and forth anxiously when the sound of rapidly beating wings reached her ears. Excited, she ran out of the cave and skidded to a halt on the grass outside at the same time Nightshade landed. Snowcrystal could barely see through the darkness, but the silhouette of Nightshade carrying what had to be Stormblade could be clearly seen. The heracross staggered forward, seeming very exhausted.

“Nightshade!” Snowcrystal called, making the heracross look up at her with his gleaming yellow eyes, which were wide with alarm. “You…you found Stormblade,” the growlithe began hesitantly, suddenly wondering why the scyther was so still and unmoving while being carried. “Is he all r-”

“Get…help!” Nightshade gasped as he staggered forward, his whole body shaking. He looked as if he was about to collapse. Snowcrystal realized that he had to have flown very far and very fast to be in this sort of state. “Go!” Nightshade cried, pausing to catch his breath.

Snowcrystal turned and ran, confusion preventing her from knowing whether to be worried or relieved that Stormblade was now here. She knew she should be going to find Streamrose, but she found her paws taking her to her friend’s resting cavern first instead.

“Everyone!” she yelled once reaching it, waking the sleeping pokémon up. “Nightshade found Stormblade!”

Spark yawned and stretched his front paws. “See?” he muttered. “I told you Stormblade would need help to get here.”

Rosie flicked the jolteon with one of her tails. “Stormblade is tired, and it’s better for him not to aggravate his wounds further.”

“Well…I couldn’t see through the dark but…Nightshade told me to get help, so I’m going to find Streamrose,” Snowcrystal replied. She turned around and the group followed her, curious and excited, out of the cavern.

“I’ll get Streamrose, Snowcrystal,” Redclaw volunteered. “The rest of you go see what Nightshade needs help with. Stormblade might have worsened his wounds with all that traveling.”

The pokémon left the cavern together, and even Blazefang followed out of sheer curiosity. Redclaw headed off toward the healer’s cavern as soon as they reached the main chamber of the cave. Snowcrystal paused to look around and noticed Thunder standing uncertainly at the entrance to the cavern they’d been resting in. The scyther looked very unsteady on her feet.

Wildflame noticed her as well. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” the houndoom told her. Thunder just looked at her with a blank expression. “Get some rest,” Wildflame told her in a calm tone. “We might not be back in a while since we all want to talk to Nightshade and Stormblade, so you’ll be alone in the quiet.”

Thunder didn’t bother to reply, but she silently agreed and walked back into the cavern. Wildflame caught up with the others quickly as they headed briskly through the large cavern.

“I think Thunder is getting worse,” the houndoom sighed as she walked. “I kept trying to help her earlier, but she just wouldn’t respond to me, not even to growl or anything. She’s been getting thinner too…”

“Is that even possible?” Spark asked, rolling his eyes.

“Good question,” Blazefang muttered. Spark shot him a seething glare and the houndour withered under his gaze.

Snowcrystal barely heard the others’ conversations as they made their way to the cave entrance. Snowcrystal darted ahead of everyone else as she saw that Nightshade had made it into the big cavern from the tunnel leading outside.

The others quieted and followed, gathering around the tunnel entrance as Wildflame used her ember attack to light up the area around her. Luckily, most of the cave pokémon were asleep in other tunnels, so they were not bothered by the sudden bright light. Nightshade looked up at her gratefully as he staggered into view, carrying the limp form of Stormblade with him.

Snowcrystal gasped when she saw him clearly. Stormblade’s entire body was coated in sticky mud, and many of his wounds – both new and old – were bleeding after the frantic flight he had endured. Blood was also dripping from his half-open mouth. The scyther looked like a mess, and one of his wings was bent at an awkward angle. Nightshade carefully set Stormblade down before half-collapsing himself in exhaustion.

Everyone seemed alarmed; Wildflame looked as if she couldn’t tell if Stormblade was alive or dead, and the look on her face made Snowcrystal believe that she thought he could die any second if something wasn’t done. Blazefang looked absolutely disgusted by the sight, Spark seemed frozen in complete shock, and Rosie had suddenly gone very pale, looking as if she was about to pass out.

Blazefang was the first to overcome the shock and break the silence. “So…is he dead, or…going to be?” he asked.

“Neither!” Wildflame told him, and Blazefang looked at her in surprise. Wildflame quickly looked away and turned back to Stormblade. Blazefang’s expression had read, ‘Do you actually care about this scyther?’

Suddenly Snowcrystal felt Redclaw’s thick fur brush against hers as he and Streamrose arrived. They approached Stormblade and Nightshade. The heracross was still too exhausted to stand. Streamrose stifled a gasp as she looked at the bloodied scyther lying on the cave floor.

“What happened?” the gardevoir asked, looking around at the group.

“I don’t know,” Nightshade said weakly, getting shakily to his feet. “He was hurt very bad before…but not this bad. Something happened to him recently. I don’t know what.”

Streamrose bent down to examine the wounds quickly. Nightshade looked at them too, and though he couldn’t tell for sure, the newer injuries looked at least a day old. An alarmed thought entered his mind. How long had Stormblade tried to drag himself across those hills and fields in this condition?

“Help me get him in the healer’s cavern,” Streamrose said to Nightshade, and despite his exhaustion, the heracross nodded. The two of them carefully lifted Stormblade and headed toward the rocky opening. By this time, a few curious pokémon had entered the large cavern to see what was going on, whispering quietly to each other as they got a glimpse of Stormblade. Streamrose and Nightshade paid them no heed. Snowcrystal saw Stormblade’s scythe dragging limply across the ground as Nightshade and Streamrose brought him inside the cavern.

Snowcrystal tried to follow, but Wildflame stopped her. “Better let Streamrose handle this,” she told the growlithe. “We’d probably just get in the way.”

A few moments later, Nightshade emerged and rejoined the group. “I think we may have to wait a while…” he told them tiredly. “I don’t know when Stormblade will wake up. And there’s something I need to tell the leader here. For now though, those who want to can go back to our cavern and rest.”

The others didn’t say anything, though it was easy to tell that none of them felt like resting. Wildflame sighed. “Guess we’re all staying here then,” she whispered. “At least it’ll give Thunder a bit of peace.”

Blazefang, who had been debating on whether or not to go back and sleep, despite how unnerved he was, immediately dismissed the idea at the thought of being alone in a room with the scyther who had tried to kill him before. Unfortunately, he realized, he was stuck here for now.

Nightshade looked worriedly at the group. “I need to speak to Scytheclaw,” he told them. “If any of you want to come, follow me. It’s…it’s about Cyclone’s army. They’ve reached the canyon.”

The entire group of pokémon looked alarmed, Blazefang in particular, but no one said anything. It was as if the shock of seeing Stormblade in such horrible condition hadn’t yet worn off enough for them to be very surprised about anything else.

“I’ll go,” Snowcrystal told the heracross, and Wildflame, Rosie, and Redclaw agreed to go with Nightshade as well.

“Oh great, I have to stay here alone with him?” Spark growled, looking at Blazefang.

“Believe me, I’m not happy about it either,” the houndour retorted.

Snowcrystal ignored the two and followed Nightshade as the heracross rushed into the tunnel leading to Scytheclaw’s cavern. The growlithe leapt back in shock as Nightshade was suddenly pushed roughly aside by Scytheclaw when the scizor strode into the large cavern, obviously annoyed by the commotion.

“What’s going on?” the leader shouted, and Nightshade quickly moved in front of him.

“I’ve just brought our friend back here,” the heracross explained quickly, “but there is something important I need to tell you…”

Scytheclaw stiffened, staring at Nightshade in shock. “Is that…blood? What is going on?”

Nightshade simply stared back at Scytheclaw in confusion, until he realized that his arms and chest were stained with blood. “It’s…it’s Stormblade’s blood,” he explained. “He was the friend I brought back. He’s hurt and-”

“I don’t care!” Scytheclaw hissed, walking past him and toward the group of pokémon who had been watching.

Stubbornly, Nightshade ran in front of him. “I have to warn you,” he told him. “An army of pokémon has found this canyon and they’re getting ready to travel through it! You have to stay here and hide.” He didn’t mention that the reason the army would be traveling was because they were after Blazefang; he didn’t want the pokémon in the canyon to turn against them. And even though Blazefang was Cyclone’s main target, these native pokémon would likely be forced to join the vaporeon’s army if they got in its way.

Scytheclaw could hear the worried murmurs among the steadily growing crowd of pokémon in the cavern. “Well…” the scizor said slowly, “then I will send someone to see for themselves in the morning.” Nightshade’s eyes blazed as he realized that Scytheclaw didn’t trust him, but the leader went on without giving him so much as a glance. “But if there is such a threat, we will not hide. We are not cowards, and our tribe is not small in numbers. We-”

“You can’t fight!” Nightshade cried, knowing that a battle would be catastrophic even if the army did not have another one of the Forbidden Attacks. He stood right up to Scytheclaw, staring into the tall scizor’s eyes. “You have no idea what you’d be going up against. You don’t know anything about them. You can’t just-”

In a burst of furious hostility, Scytheclaw lashed out at Nightshade with one of his open pincers with such force that it not only cut a small gash above his right eye, but it knocked him to the ground completely. “You don’t give the orders around here!” the scizor snarled, standing threateningly over the heracross.

Looking dazed, Nightshade got to his feet. He briefly held his claws up to the cut, looking shocked when he pulled them away and saw blood. A heracross’s armored shell wasn’t supposed to be cut so easily. Looking up at Scytheclaw, he said, “Believe me, it would be better to hide and let them pass. Cyclone’s army is far stronger-”

He stopped abruptly as the scizor knocked him down again. “What would you know about strength?” Scytheclaw sneered. “My tribe is powerful and strong, and just because you consider us weak does not mean we should hide like cowards.” The leader strode past him again, moving toward the members of his tribe who were grouped together.

“I’m telling you…” Nightshade said quietly, standing up again. “You’re making a mistake.”

Scytheclaw responded without even looking at him. “I would not be making a mistake by protecting our home from something as destructive as an army of pokémon,” he said icily.

“Wait!” a pokémon in the growing crowd called out. “Are you sure this is a good idea? What if-”

Scytheclaw rounded on him. The speaker, a leafeon, took a few steps back.

“No, Scytheclaw is right,” a silver-furred mightyena replied. “That army could destroy...or at least greatly damage our home.”

“Not to mention steal our prey,” a pidgeot cried. “I’d be willing to fight to keep that scum off our land!”

A few other pokémon murmured in agreement, but the rest looked uncertain. Then, another speaker stepped forward. It was a sleek, black-furred, almost cat-like pokémon with yellow ring markings on its legs, tail, ears, and forehead. Nightshade recognized it as an umbreon. The umbreon looked around the cave at all the pokémon gathered there. “Are you mad?” he cried. “We don’t know anything about this army, and already you’re willing to try and fight it? And even if our tribe could defeat them, a group of pokémon that large would kill and injure many, and then what would we do? There wouldn’t be enough of us to find food or defend ourselves from other intruders!”

“Moonlight is right,” a glameow called. “Even if we end up having to search outside the canyon for food, it’s better than risking injury and death.”

Several of the pokémon bristled and glared at the two, and most of the hostility was directed at the umbreon. The majority, however, moved toward Moonlight and the glameow and looked back at Scytheclaw almost fearfully.

“We don’t want to fight,” a flareon told the leader timidly.

Scytheclaw’s pincers clenched together tightly as he gave the group facing him a seething glare. Snowcrystal wondered what would happen and if Scytheclaw would order them to fight anyway.

Scytheclaw looked ready to do just that, when the zangoose Snowcrystal had seen earlier whispered to him. “Scytheclaw…” he told the leader, “outright ordering them to do this could cause problems. Problems we don’t want to deal with. We-”

Scytheclaw silenced him, understanding what he meant. If most of his tribe was siding with Moonlight and the heracross, presenting it as an order could lead to a refusal to fight. But there was another way, a part of the tribe’s ancient laws and traditions the pokémon would have to respect and obey.

Snowcrystal watched as Scytheclaw approached Moonlight. She hadn’t heard what the zangoose had whispered to him, but she sensed that something in the leader’s attitude had changed.

The scizor reached the group of pokémon, who all nervously turned their eyes on him. “It seems as if most of you here don’t want to try defending our territory,” Scytheclaw announced in a deceptively calm voice. “But there are several of us who do.” He paused to look at those who had moved to the other side of the cave, showing their support for him as leader. “It seems as if the best way to make this decision…would be the traditional way.”

Snowcrystal looked around nervously, spotting Rockclaw nearby and moving over toward her. “Rockclaw…what’s the…traditional way?”

Before the linoone could answer, Scytheclaw himself explained to the pokémon in the cave, glaring at Nightshade in particular. “The traditional way,” he began, “as you all know, apart for you…newcomers…is that when a large number among the tribe supports one decision, and another large number the other, a battle decides the outcome.”

“And a pokémon from the side opposing the leader’s choice…must fight the leader,” the zangoose added.

“And the winner makes the decision,” Moonlight finished. “We know. That method hasn’t been used in years. But if it’s what you want, then I accept. Let’s see what they think.”

Moonlight turned to the group of pokémon who had supported him, who all looked uncertain for a moment. However, each of them knew that they had little choice. It was either accept Scytheclaw’s terms and send someone to fight for a chance at avoiding a large-scale battle, or be forced to fight by the scizor and his many followers. One by one, they all reluctantly murmured their agreement.

“We should hold the battle now,” Moonlight growled, staring into Scytheclaw’s eyes without a hint of fear. “If no one else is willing, I will volunteer to be-”

“No!” Scytheclaw said quickly, leaving Moonlight looking confused. “One of them must do it.” He waved his claw toward Snowcrystal and her companions. “It was one of them that started this. The battle will be held tomorrow morning.”

“What?” Moonlight cried. “They’re not part of the tribe. This has nothing to do with them!”

“If they don’t have anything to do with us, then why don’t we throw them out?” Scytheclaw snapped. “Leave them to fend for themselves and perhaps slow down that army-”

“No!” Snowcrystal shouted, and everyone turned to look at her. She backed up a little, wishing she could disappear, but knowing she had to continue. “We’ll do it…” she said quietly. “If we can stay here, one of us will battle.” She immediately turned her gaze to the cave floor as the pokémon continued to stare. She could not tell if her decision had been a good one or not. Yet, even if one of her friends was injured in the fight, it would be better than all of them having to face Cyclone’s army without anywhere to hide, and leaving Stormblade without care. None of her friends said anything, but Snowcrystal was sure that they had realized the same thing. They didn’t have much of a choice.

“Very well…” Scytheclaw told her, and turned swiftly back to the tunnel leading to his cavern. “It’s settled then. The battle tomorrow will determine what we shall do. Any tribe members who can fly, find out what you can about the army when daylight comes. One of you can inform the newcomers of where the battle will take place, because I expect the one who will fight to be there by sunrise.”

Scytheclaw disappeared into the tunnel, leaving the pokémon who had supported Nightshade worried and Moonlight fuming. Angrily, the umbreon turned away and stalked into another tunnel. The large group of pokémon gradually dispersed, whispering anxiously among themselves. Rockclaw approached Snowcrystal and the small group clustered around her, and quietly led them into another small empty cavern.

Once they were there, Nightshade faced Rockclaw with a serious look on his face. “I’ll be the one to fight,” he told her. “I was the one to speak out against him. This is more between me and him than any of you.”

“Don’t be silly, Nightshade,” Wildflame told him. “Let one of us fire types do it!”

“That’s not a good idea,” Rockclaw told them quietly, and everyone looked at her in surprise. She sighed and explained to them, “The battle arena is outside this cavern. It’s protected by a wall of rock on all sides, and the rocks and trees overhead make it difficult to spot from above, so you don’t have to worry too much if that army decides to attack then. But…there’s foliage everywhere, and fire attacks would not only burn it, but the flames would spread all throughout the canyon…which is why no pokémon is allowed to use fire attacks in the arena.”

“Who else thinks he planned it that way?” Spark muttered darkly.

“Well, what else hurts bug or steel types?” Wildflame asked.

“Fire’s his only real weakness…” Rockclaw told her.

Blazefang, who wanted the fight to be won so that they could hide in safety as much as everyone else did, decided to speak up. “I think I have an idea-” he began.

“If you’re thinking of using Shadowflare, forget it!” Rosie snarled.

“No! I wasn’t thinking that!” Blazefang growled, casting an anxious glance at the confused Rockclaw. “I had another idea. Why not set Thunder loose in the arena and let her rip that scizor to shreds like she tries to do with everything else!”

“Thunder is ill,” Nightshade told him. “She could probably still put up a good fight if she was provoked, but she would be injured severely.”

“And is that a problem?” Blazefang asked.

Nightshade ignored him. “Like I said, I’m willing to do it,” he told the small group again. “I’ve had experience in battles and I have not been traveling as long as the rest of you, so I’m not nearly as tired.”

“I don’t know,” Blazefang replied. “You don’t look like you could take down a scizor. I’m still going with the Thunder idea. I mean, come on, she’d get some exercise and get to kill someone at the same time. She’d love it!”

“Forget it,” Redclaw told him. “Thunder is wounded enough. And I suppose Nightshade is right. He is the healthiest and will stand the best chance in a fight if none of us fire types can use our best attacks.”

Everyone finally agreed, and wearily they headed back to the cavern they had been resting in. Thunder glanced up at them as they approached, but said nothing. Before trying to rest, Snowcrystal walked over to Nightshade. “Nightshade…” she whispered. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes,” he replied. “Now get some rest. And try not to worry about me.”

Snowcrystal walked back to where she had been resting, knowing that she would get no sleep that night. She was far too worried about the army, about Stormblade, and about Nightshade to have any hope of falling asleep.

-ooo-

Scytheclaw wasn’t sure what to think about the reactions of Moonlight and many of his tribe members. Yet at least they had agreed to let a battle see who would decide whether the tribe should fight the army. In his chamber, he waited until the zangoose from before had brought him prey. Afterwards, the two had talked about the approaching army, and then, the upcoming fight.

“Which one of them do you think is going to fight?” the zangoose asked, looking at Scytheclaw. “It’ll probably be one of the fire types if no one’s told them about the arena’s rules.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Scytheclaw told him simply. “All that matters is that they are defeated quickly. That umbreon worried me…I know there are several pokémon who would leave the tribe if it weren’t for the shelter we have, and would fight against us if they weren’t so against taking part in large battles.”

“Maybe…after the battle, you can get them to see it your way,” The zangoose suggested.

“Some of them simply won’t listen,” Scytheclaw replied. “A better idea would be to remind them what they are up against if they ever decide to rebel.”

“You mean the battle?” the zangoose replied. “I don’t really think that’ll do much. These pokémon have seen the battles before.”

“This battle will be a little different…” Scytheclaw said quietly.

“Different?” the zangoose repeated. “What do you mean? What sort of battle is it going to be?”

Scytheclaw smiled. “A battle to the death.”

To be continued...