Lune (Current chapter: Tortured Soul)

[Lune the Guardian]

Hey, hey! I've totally decided to start posting in the Fanfic forums again, and I would love it if I could get people to read and comment on this story. The chapters aren't long, and they are easy to follow, so please take a look! Tell me if you hate it, tell me if you like it, and if you change your mind somewhere along the way, please let me know.

As I am not familiar with the current pokémon generation, the story is set mainly in the Red/Blue/Yellow Gold/Silver Crystal world, with possibly some of Ruby/Sapphire integrated in. And since we've had enough of an intro, I now present:


~ Lune ~

Chapter 1
The Sanctuary

It all began, Lune recalled, when chaos first broke out in the Sacred Kingdom. Under indifferent leadership, the once glorious empire had faded in its magnificence, shrinking quietly into a country that had lost its pride. It hadn’t always been this way. Lune shook his head sadly. His face was marked with the scars of sorrow, and his once brightly-lit eyes were dimmed with weary hopelessness.

And yet, what was an Eevee like him to do? He knew (or thought so, at least) what would once more bring joy to the Sacred Kingdom, but he had neither the power nor the support to do what had to be done.

Sighing, Lune rested his head on the soft, sweet grass, allowing his long ears to droop down his neck side-by-side. With his bushy tail wrapped around his small body, he idly pawed at the white tuft of fur that grew around his neck and fell at his chest, frowning as he did so. The cold, smooth stone embedded in his forehead glowed slightly as the sun’s morning rays cast warm light upon it. This Everstone would, till the end of time, prevent Lune from evolving into a more powerful form. Forever an Eevee he would remain. He yawned, peeking over the water’s edge to look at his reflection. A pathetic creature stared back at him with its infinitely deep gray eyes, whose golden fur had long since lost its glorious luster. Truth was bitter.

This secret meadow was the one place he could find peace nowadays. The soothing melody of the rushing waterfall and swift stream would often help to calm his nerves. Here, in the midst of sweet, fragrant flowers, he could rest. There was no fear of discovery. Lune himself had stumbled upon this meadow by pure chance, and not without help. The only way in was hidden deep in the darkest corner of a mysterious cave. The cave itself wasn’t very large, but many pokémon tended to avoid it because of its narrow, confining space and the risk of falling into unseen holes, never to be found again… Hidden and unnoticed lay the entrance to the meadow. Even from up close, it seemed like nothing special – just another crevice in a cave that was full of them. On the other side, though, was this sacred meadow, serene and welcoming. The best part? It was a secret, not to be seen even by air. Only one other pokémon knew of this sanctuary…

“Hey, Lune, plan on sitting there feeling sorry for yourself all day?” Shockwave crawled through the narrow crack in the stone, leapt through the waterfall’s cascading curtain (his favorite part), and swam across the stream, coming out icy cold and thoroughly drenched: just the way he liked it. Lune had to give the Pikachu credit. That crazy yellow mouse never failed to brighten up the darkest day. If Shockwave weren’t here to cheer him up with his – literally – electric personality, Lune wouldn’t know what he’d do.

“Seriously, though.” Shockwave shook himself dry. “They’re announcing the new Guardian today. You should come.”

Lune blinked. He’d forgotten all about the new Guardian! Traditionally, there had to be at least two. They were chosen by the Emperor… At the thought of the Emperor, Lune grimaced. He didn’t want to think about that just yet. This day, though, would be a very important one.

The Guardians held the responsibility of maintaining order in the kingdom. In times of war, they, along with the Emperor, would command the vast army. Of course, the choice would be crucial. Lune hoped that the Emperor – it pained him when he thought of that good-for-nothing – would at least be capable of making a decent choice. No one, in Lune’s mind, deserved the Guardianship at this point. They would just have to make do. Unless…

“Hey, Kingdom to Lune! Kingdom to Lune!” Shockwave crossed his arms. “Coming?”

Lune grinned sheepishly. “Um, yeah. Sorry.”

“I was afraid I’d have had to zap you,” Shockwave teased. “Speaking of which, you don’t appear quite alert yet. Perhaps it’d be a good idea, anyway.”

“Oh, no you don’t!” Lune snickered, playfully shoving the Pikachu into the stream. Shockwave emerged, spewing water and twisting his mouth into a sly grin.

“Race ya!” he called, already halfway across the stream.

“Hey! No fair!” Lune yelled, chasing after the rapidly-disappearing Pikachu, forgetting, for a moment, his pain and his sorrow.

[Lune the Guardian]

Since the chapters are so short, I'd better post more than one to give you a better idea. Here's Chapter 2.

Hmm when I posted this there was some weird graphics glitch, so I deleted the post and hopefully it works better this time.


Chapter 2
A New Guardian

“The Emperor approaches! The Emperor approaches!” So the messenger Murkrow called, trailed by the Emperor’s procession. Several fierce Growlithe led the way, swishing their fiery tails impatiently. They bared their sharp teeth, snarling at anyone and everyone as if, at any moment, they would pounce upon their victims and rip out their throats with brute ferocity characteristic only of the canine race. It was hard to believe that these Growlithe were only puppies; if they were exposed to Fire Stones, their graceful, majestic evolution form, the Arcanine, would provide them with such power that they could now only dream of.

“Lune, bow!” Shockwave whispered in a tone of urgency. “Emperor Ryu’s coming!”

Growling, Lune cast a hateful glance toward his bane of existence. The proud, egoistic Ampharos had gained the title Emperor Ryu against the will of many. From the start, some had protested – the insightful ones who could see even then that Ryu’s coronation was a huge mistake (Shockwave had protested, and vehemently so) – but no one heeded them back then. Through time, it became evident that this poor excuse of an Emperor did not deserve to be an Emperor at all. Too late now…

“Lune,” Shockwave hissed as he tugged on the hostile Eevee’s leg, “There’s no time for this now! Bow, quickly, before they catch you!”

Glaring at the conceited Ampharos, Lune was again reminded of just how much he hated Emperor Ryu. The Emperor traveled around with a stuck-up gait, stretching out his long, black-banded neck and lifting his nose and ears so high up that he probably saw the sky whenever he opened his eyes. That is, if he opened his eyes at all. The thing about Emperor Ryu, though, was that he very seldom found it worthwhile to look upon his subjects and his kingdom. He was better than them all, and therefore, they didn’t deserve his time. To Lune’s utter annoyance, the Emperor began stroking his glossy yellow coat and playing about with the shiny red orb on his yellow-and-black striped tail. Lune gave Emperor Ryu one more second, and then he would…

“CHUUU!”

One thing about Shockwave: Being zapped by him was extremely painful when he wanted it to be.

Emperor Ryu raised an eyebrow. At his signal, the procession stopped. “What may we have here?”

At this point, Shockwave tripped Lune over, creating the illusion that Lune had made a very clumsy attempt at bowing and failed. As much as he hated to admit it, this was probably the best thing that could have happened to Lune at this point, even if he was forced to bow to someone that he didn’t recognize as Emperor. Lune knew that he would thank the Pikachu later.

“Almighty Emperor Ryu, I sincerely apologize for this disturbance. I have a slight cold that went out of control, and I happened to sneeze on this very unfortunate Eevee.”

Yet another thing about Shockwave: he was a genius, a talented actor, a formidable battler, and whatever the heck he wanted to be. He knew exactly how to get what he wanted when he wanted it. There was no mistaking that Shockwave was a prodigy.

Emperor Ryu shrugged, rapidly losing interest. “It’s just an inconsiderate Pikachu who should learn not to get colds on days like this. Move on.” The procession made its way to the center of the square, and there it stopped.

“Dearest loyal subjects,” Emperor Ryu uttered in the midst of a yawn, “I now pronounce Lady Naien as the second Guardian of the Sacred Kingdom.”

“What’s wrong, Lune?” Shockwave asked, upon noticing the look on Lune’s face.

“Oh – nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”

“Never believed he’d actually do something, huh?” Shockwave cocked his head aside. “Me neither.”

[Lune the Guardian]

Third chapter, and I think that'll be enough for now. Tell me what you think!


Chapter 3
The General Tournament

“It’s settled, then. The tournament begins in a week.” Lord Yoruno pronounced this, as he did with all of his statements, with a certain sureness. No one could match his unshakable confidence, nor did any else possess the wonderfully charismatic personality that was so distinctly his. This Umbreon, Lune thought, was remarkably competent, and possessed a military genius that almost always involved cautious unpredictability. It was for his obviously outstanding competence that he was made Guardian in the first place. Lune sighed as he thought, first, of Lord Yoruno, midnight-black fur gleaming with a splendid sheen, standing proudly as his fluorescent, ever-changing yellow rings added to his general majesty… and then of the sharply-contrasting Emperor Ryu. If only…

“We should start, then. There’s a lot of work to do to set this up.” Lady Naien seemed to love her new responsibility. Ever since she was made Guardian, Lune noticed an increase in the Houndoom’s enthusiasm and energy. He smiled. Lady Naien had wanted this for a long time.

As Lune gazed upon Lady Naien, the inner flame, he thought, just for a moment, that he could hope again. Her fiery spirit and sense of self-pride would serve her well in the Guardianship. The fact that she was a Houndoom – and, at times, though she never showed it, lived up to her demonic legacy – would not affect in the least her kind heart and her genuine desire to make things right. Perhaps the Sacred Kingdom had a chance…

“Since you both will need to deal with setting up the tournament,” Lune started, “I will be the only Adviser left free.” With nods from the two Guardians, Lune continued. “Then I will do my best.” He left the forest clearing in search of Shockwave. He had a lot of things on his mind, and he thought it better to rest briefly before he began his arduous work as an Adviser.

The job of an Adviser was a very difficult one, filled with the pressures of those receiving the help and the anguish resulting from those who were irrationally, stubbornly persistent. Those who wanted to join the frequent peacetime tournaments often sought the help of the Advisers. They brought to Advisers their plans for special battle tactics that they hoped would surprise their opponents. It was common knowledge that each pokémon had his, her, or its own unique special abilities. Whether or not the pokémon knew fully what these abilities were, and how to use them, was the Adviser’s problem.

When a pokémon came to an Adviser bringing along hopes, it was the Adviser’s job to first determine whether the goals were realistic, explain the limitations and expectations to the pokémon, and, finally, help the pokémon bring out and use his, her, or its own special ability.

“KAIIII!”

Lune started, shocked. His heart pounded wildly against his chest. “Shockwave!” he whined.

Struggling to control fits of laughter, Shockwave came out of the bushes. “Sorry, but you looked so deep in thought. I couldn’t resist. Lighten up!”

Shaking his head, Lune couldn’t help but smile. “I need to Advise several pokémon soon. The tournament is set to begin in a week!”

Shockwave looked pleased. He never refused a good match, and tournaments were always loads of fun. For once, though, his expression turned serious. “I want to be an Adviser. I know I could help pokémon a lot that way.”

Lune felt surprised that Shockwave wanted to make such a commitment. The Pikachu disliked responsibility, and, brilliant though he was, the concept of punctuality for work was foreign to Shockwave. Still, Lune believed that Shockwave would definitely do an excellent job. He was, after all, a prodigy. There was only one problem.

“I have to convince Emperor Ryu to get a new Adviser…” At that, Shockwave groaned.

[Lune the Guardian]

Okay I lied, one more :P


Chapter 4
Heat Barrier

“Why can’t I grow wings and fly in battle? I want to grow wings and fly in my battle!” The Magcargo, Atsuhi, began to grumble.

Lune sighed. It had been like this all week. There was no end to the number of impossible requests. He had no magic. He couldn’t just grant every pokémon’s irrational wish.

“You see, ma’am,” Lune tried once again to explain, “I don’t mean to be rude, but what you ask for is impossible.”

Atsuhi huffed, and her tail flame brightened with anger. Her usually light red body became a deep crimson. She was terribly flustered and irritated that she could not get what she wanted. “You Advisers are supposed to help. Help help. I come to ask you for help with my special ability, but no, you tell me. No, no. I’ve had it, you hear? Had it, had it!”

As the old snail rose with a sour look on her face, Lune couldn’t think of anything scarier than a frustrated Magcargo. He backed away cautiously…

It was when the sun’s rays shone upon the hardened, rocky shell that Lune noticed something.

“I’ve got it!” he cried excitedly. “I’ve figured out your special ability, and it’s awesome!”

“What what?” Atsuhi blinked. “You know how I can fly?”

“No,” Lune told her, “but don’t be disappointed. You’re capable of something far better.”

“Oh?”

Smirking, Lune examined the Magcargo’s shell like a child who’d just found a new toy. “Be right back. Don’t go anywhere!” Before Atsuhi could say anything, Lune bounded off. He returned promptly, carrying a container of water in his mouth.

“Don’t even think about bringing that near me. Don’t you dare, you hear?”

“Ma’am, you need not fear water at all.”

“You’re crazy! Crazy crazy. Every Magcargo knows water is bad. Bad bad! Stay away from me! Away I say!”

Putting the container down, Lune turned to the Magcargo and grinned.

“Please listen to me, ma’am. Just once is all I ask. If this doesn’t work, you are free to leave.” Unwillingly, Atsuhi gave her attention to Lune.

“Great! This is how it works. When you get angry, your body temperature soars to unusual heights. This heats the shell on your body dramatically – so much that it gains a red glow. I noticed that just now. My theory is, if you can control your body temperature and intentionally induce a rise in heat, you will receive protection from water.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“Here’s how you do it. First, withdraw all parts of your body under your shell. Remember to heat it, too.”

Full of doubt, the Magcargo shook her head, then pulled herself under her shell, keeping safely hidden. Before long, the hard rock achieved a deep, red glow, and the air around it turned into a mass of sweltering, tangible heat. Lune picked up the container and dumped the water onto the waiting Magcargo, who didn’t notice. Before the water could even reach her, it evaporated into steam.

“Come on, come on! Don’t have all day, you know,” she mumbled.

“It worked!” Lune yelled, jumping excitedly.

“What what?” Atsuhi emerged, and to her surprise, realized that Lune told the truth. “Oh, thank you, thank you!” she cried, rejoicing.

“No problem. Good luck in the tournament, ma’am.”

At that, the Magcargo, realizing that she had not yet registered, left in a hurry.

“Tomorrow…” Lune smiled to himself. “I’d better get ready.”

[mistysakura]

I've read Lune before :) Welcome back!

[Lune the Guardian]

Thank you! ^_^ I plan to finish it this time. No more laziness from me!

I am planning on changing some things, so hopefully the story ends up better this time around. :)

[Lady Vulpix]

I have (re?)read the first 4 chapters. It's great to see this fic up again! I enjoyed reading about Lune and Shockwave once more, and even that crazy Magcargo. That scene was as funny as I remembered it.

[Lune the Guardian]

Hehe, thanks, Gabi! I'm glad that I'm not the only one who thinks that scene is funny.

On to the first battle of the story! I'm trying something different this time around. I'll be posting a battle summary at the end. Everyone who's reading this, please let me know if the battle summary is helpful, or if it's useless or detrimental towards the story. I'd prefer that people read the battles in full instead of just the summary, but I do realize that it may get confusing at times because I rarely name attacks in my descriptions.


Chapter 5
There is Always a Way

“And now, let Round One of the tournament begin!” The announcing Farfetch’d, tired of spending so much time in the air, landed on the Emperor’s balcony before continuing. From high up there his voice would carry better, anyway.

Emperor Ryu, for once, seemed genuinely interested. He believed he was a great battler himself, so the matter was worth his attention. Next to him, on either side, stood Lord Yoruno and Lady Naien. They, too, enjoyed the thrill of tournaments, and on occasion participated in them.

Having had enough rest, Kento the Farfetch’d resumed announcing. “Starting off, Lune the Eevee versus Shadow the Gengar! I bet we can already see where this one is going.”

“Boooooring…” Emperor Ryu yawned. “The poor Eevee doesn’t stand a chance. Normal attacks don’t affect Ghost types!”

“Hey, Lune, win this one, okay?” yelled Shockwave. “It’s not right to lose on the first round.”

On the open battlefield, the proud specter cackled. “An Eevee that’s been stunted by an Everstone? What, not even an Umbreon? This battle was over before it even started!”

Lune remained silent. Instead of reacting to Shadow’s taunts, he scanned the arena carefully. Several layers of sheltered bleachers reaching around in a horseshoe shape, the Emperor’s marble roofed balcony perched high above directly in the middle of the U… and not much else, except the earthen floor. This was a standard, general arena, open to any competitors. There were none of the extra factors – water, ledges, closed roofs, and the like – that might have been present in special tournaments. Lune nodded. So be it.

Apparently, Shadow expected Lune to make the first move. He obliged with a lightning-quick charge to catch Shadow off guard, but the Gengar was even quicker. The crowd gasped as Lune fell right through Shadow’s body to the other side.

“He phased out from Lune’s Quick Attack, huh?” Shockwave mumbled to himself. “So that’s how fast he is. Pretty good.”

Again, and for the third and fourth time, Lune attempted more rapid strikes, and each time Shadow dodged, the same way as before.

“I see you don’t learn from your mistakes!” the Gengar called. “Then you must suffer the consequences!” A blue glow outlined Lune’s body, and as he was raised above the ground, he found it impossible to break loose. Shadow’s will was too strong, and his crushing mental force too powerful. Lune gagged. If this kept up, his lungs would surely implode… At that moment, the Gengar stopped squeezing and threw Lune into the dirt. Ignoring the “Had enough yet?” he got to his feet and brushed the dust off of his fur.

Calmly, Lune raised his right forepaw in the air. As if by signal, the darkness flowed towards that one central point, summoned by its master… The deep purple orb throbbed violently as it grew, threatening, at any moment, to explode. Without a word, Lune sent the ball on its path of destruction. Normally, the ethereal energy would have erupted with searing devastation upon contact with its target. Against expectations, it passed right through the intended victim’s body, crashing instead into the ground behind him. Shadow roared with laugher. “You think I’d just ignore my biggest weakness?” he snorted. “I can phase out of anything! Just try me!”

Shadow’s image flickered, then drew out into a long blur. Eventually, Lune could spot three Gengar, two of which he knew were illusory. He did not have to fear the mirror images, for they themselves had no substance, but until he figured out which Shadow was real, he had three targets to choose from. He wondered… Perhaps already? He only had to try. Lune smirked. “Ready, Shadow? Here I come!” Most unexpectedly, Lune began showering the three Gengar with a dense, seemingly endless barrage of solid yellow shurikens.

“What does that Eevee think he’s doing?” Emperor Ryu shook his head. “Swift is a Normal type attack! Normal attacks don’t affect Ghost types!” he declared knowingly.

Most of the crowd seemed to share the opinion. Shockwave smirked. “They’ll see.”

When the stars finally stopped coming, the dust settled to reveal an utterly astonished Gengar, alone. His mirror images no longer existed.

“What? How is that possible?” Emperor Ryu rose from his throne and bent over the bars of the balcony, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

“Phasing isn’t always automatic,” Lord Yoruno answered. “It takes energy for a Ghost-type to phase out of attacks. Ghosts need to be in their solid forms to put substance into attacks that require their bodies, such as punches. They can phase out of regular physical attacks without much visible effort, but it is possible to strike them with physical attacks if they are caught off guard. That repetition of Quick Attack was no foolish accident. Though Shadow was fast enough to phase out of all four, which alone is already an impressive feat even for a powerful Gengar, he did not do so without expending an incredible amount of energy. Lune played on this, wearing his opponent down without Shadow realizing it. The deciding blow, however, was the unusually powerful Shadow Ball. A Shadow Ball is composed mainly of energy. I haven’t seen a Ghost try to phase out of one before, but it must have drained Shadow’s stamina significantly to do so.”

Lune grinned. Shadow fell for it! Excellent. “Hey, Shadow! Dodge this! That is,” Lune added mischievously, “if you can.” Before Shadow had the time to respond, Lune lunged, sinking his sharp teeth, crackling with dark energy into the Gengar’s arm. When trying to shake Lune off didn’t work at first, Shadow instead drove his fist into the stubborn Eevee’s side, forcing him off. Lune fell and did not move.

“You’re done for!” Shadow cried, clamping the palms of his hands together. Immediately they began to spark violently with electricity. “Take this!” The tripled bolt of lightning surged through Lune’s apparently limp body with a sickening snap. When he still continued to lie on the floor without making a sound, Shadow thought he could sense victory.

“Don’t worry, little Eevee. I’ll end this quickly.” The psionic blast rushed at it target, enveloping him in what seemed to the spectators like a spherical explosion of light. Not many could survive that. Lune was one of the few.

Lune’s ears perked up as he got to his feet. The glint in his eyes screamed that something was amiss. Up to this time, he had been waiting, patiently, until the perfect opportunity presented itself. No one had noticed the faint white glow around his body.

“Now, Shadow, receive doubled wrath!”

The entire arena erupted with blue psionic energy, coupled with a severe thunderstorm. Massive bolts of electricity burst through the blast radius with boiling rage, tearing away at the helpless victim. Amazingly enough, Shadow survived… Not by much, but he was still conscious.

“How unexpected!” The Farfetch’d announcer echoed the spectators’ surprise. “Lune appeared beaten, but he’d actually chosen to Bide his time, turning Shadow’s powerful attacks against the Gengar!”

Lune raised his front right paw once more, summoning the darkness that would spell Shadow’s destruction.

“I… can’t phase out of that…” Shadow gasped, struggling to speak. “But you can’t escape Destiny Bond, Eevee! I shall not lose!”

“Watch me,” Lune muttered. This time, his ethereal sphere sailed upwards, towards Emperor Ryu’s balcony, directly above Shadow.

“You missed?” the Gengar cried. “You missed!”

“Did I, really?”

The resulting explosion broke off a large part of the roof. As it came crashing down, Shadow realized with horror that he could not bind his fate to lifeless, falling rubble. With a curse under his breath, he gave way under the crushing marble…

After a stunned moment of absolute silence, the Farfetch’d opened his beak to speak. He announced shakily, “Incredible! Lune the Eevee has defeated Shadow the Gengar! He will proceed to Round Two!”

The crowd erupted in cheers.



***

Battle Summary (Chapter 5) - Lune (Eevee) vs. Shadow (Gengar)

Lune - Quick Attack (target: Shadow)
Shadow - phase (avoid: Quick Attack)

Lune - Quick Attack (target: Shadow) x3
Shadow - phase (avoid: Quick Attack) x3

Shadow - Psychic (target: Lune)

Lune - Shadow Ball, large amount of energy devoted (target: Shadow)
Shadow - phase (avoid: enhanced Shadow Ball)

Shadow - Double Team (2 mirror images)
Lune - Swift (target: area effect)
Shadow - insufficient energy to phase, images destroyed

Lune - Bite (target: Shadow)
Shadow - Mega Punch (target: Lune)

Shadow - Thunder (target: Lune)
Shadow - Psychic (target: Lune)
Lune - unleash Bide (target: Shadow)

Shadow - Destiny Bond (target: Lune)
Lune - Shadow Ball (target: balcony)

Shadow - insufficient energy to phase, crushed by collapsed balcony, KO

[Lune the Guardian]

And another battle by my favorite Pikachu <3 Enjoy.


Chapter 6
A Prodigy

“Lune!” Shockwave gave Lune a thumbs-up as the Eevee stepped off of the battlefield. “Guess what? I’m next.”

“Cool. Who against?”

“And, after that amazing battle to start us off, we can only imagine what exciting surprises the others will bring!” Kento’s voice rang clearly through the air. “The Emperor’s broken balcony roof is only temporary. It will be fixed by tomorrow. Right now, though, let’s welcome our next two combatants: Shockwave the Pikachu and Amethyst the Golem!

“No sweat, Shockwave.” Lune winked.

“Bet they think I’ll lose, huh?”

“You won’t.”

“I know.”

Above, Emperor Ryu grunted. “Now THAT is a horrible match-up. Everyone knows Ground types always crush Electric types. Who does these stupid match-ups?”

“They are chosen at random,” Lady Naien replied firmly. “I made the pairings.” At that, Emperor Ryu fell silent.

The earth began to tremble. Violent tremors followed, only to be abruptly ended.

“I don’t believe it!” the Farfetch’d cried. “Shockwave the Pikachu has completely avoided the Earthquake by jumping into the air! He has even struck Amethyst the Golem mid-air with a well-placed Iron Tail!”

“That’s it, Shockwave,” said Lune. “Show them. Show them all the prodigy that you are.”

Amethyst snorted, rubbing away the metallic remnants from the large chinks in her boulder-like hide. “Don’t get cocky, you little rat! I haven’t even started yet!”

“Try me.” Shockwave mustered an extremely aggravating look that would, if he so chose to allow it, drive anyone absolutely crazy. Amethyst took the bait immediately, flying into a vicious rage. No longer would her mind easily reason; her anger would think for her instead.

“That is IT, Pikachu!” Amethyst yelled, whilst locking herself into a tight ball. “I’ll bring out my secret weapon now! You can’t get away!”

At that, Amethyst began to roll, slowly at first as she started to accelerate, but increasingly faster, until she reached frightful speeds that would be difficult to outrun.

Shockwave had not been idle. While his opponent gathered momentum, he had beckoned to the skies above, and even now, dark storm clouds shadowed the battlefield. With a signaling rumble of thunder, they burst open to pour forth their full torrential fury, reducing the dirt ground to waterlogged mud in moments.

“Nice try, but I’m still rolling!” Amethyst cackled. “And while I do, no amount of rain can harm me.” Though slowed a little, Amethyst did not view this as significant enough to matter. She turned and started for Shockwave. At this point, Shockwave kicked off and sprinted, moving so quickly that he could only be seen as a yellow blur in the dark storm. Still, Amethyst could keep up, and the distance between the two lessened every moment.

“Whoa!” The Farfetch’d strained to be heard over the din. “It appears as if Amethyst the Golem is catching up to her opponent, even in this heavy rain!”

Lune shook his head. “Too gullible.”

Just as it looked as if Shockwave was finally tiring and had no means of escape, he jumped aside, leaving his hardened, silver tail directly on Amethyst’s path… Unable to stop or swerve, the Golem rode right into Shockwave’s metallic tail, was thrown off course by her own momentum, and crashed directly into the hard, marble wall in front of her. When she uncurled, she could immediately feel the stinging rain lash at her face.

“The water will drown me! Don’t let me drown!” she shrieked.

As if her prayer had been answered, an invisible force drove the clouds away, leaving the warm, friendly sun and the clear sky.

“You!” Amethyst pointed accusingly at Shockwave. “You did this. You will pay.”

The past events had taken their toll. Amethyst was on her last bit of energy, and it showed. This was it: her trump card. Whether it succeeded or failed, she had to deal with the consequences.

A sparking, orange ball of energy expanded in between Amethyst’s clasped hands, crackling with chaotic matter. She channeled every ounce of her remaining strength into it. The ball grew… and grew… and grew. Every moment it seemed more dangerously out of control. Eventually, Amethyst had no more energy with which to power it, and it was now that she launched the plasma towards Shockwave in the form of an annihilating beam. The field erupted with the blast, blinding all with an orange flash of light. When the smoke cleared, Shockwave was standing perfectly still behind a shimmering energy barrier.

“So,” Amethyst whispered, “I fail…” With that, the Golem collapsed.



***

Battle Summary (Chapter 6) - Shockwave (Pikachu) vs. Amethyst (Golem)

Amethyst - Earthquake (target: Shockwave)
Shockwave - aerial Iron Tail (target: Amethyst)

Shockwave - Swagger (target: Amethyst)
Amethyst - Rollout (building speed)

Shockwave - Rain Dance
Arena - Rain Dance activated
Amethyst - Rollout (building speed)

Shockwave - Agility
Amethyst - Rollout (closing in on target)

Shockwave - side Iron Tail
Amethyst - Rollout (diverted, crash into wall)
Arena - Rain Dance ended

Amethyst - Hyper Beam (target: Shockwave)
Shockwave - Protect

Amethyst - fatigued, KO

[Lady Vulpix]

Chapter 6: great battle! And a very original way to escape a Destiny Bond. I think the moves were clear enough to be understood without the summary (save for Mega Punch, I missed that one), but it may be a good idea when less common moves are used, or when the battle shares the focus with something else. I like it.

Chapter 7: I love your descriptions and your attention to details. :)
I found both battles quite similar in that the opponents' overconfidence was their downfall. It serves to show that both Lune and Shockwave know how to take advantage of these situations, but the fact that one happened right after the other is either a strange coincidence or a sad reflection of the state of the kingdom and its inhabitants. Anyway, I'm sure not all their opponents will make the same mistake. If I recall correctly, some were clearly smarter than these two.

Keep writing, I really enjoy reading this. :D

[Lune the Guardian]

Yay, thanks for posting, Gabi!

I'm glad that my original intent - to represent attacks clearly without having to name them - is accomplished for the most part. I'm also glad that you think the summaries can be useful. If it gets to a point where you change your mind about the summaries, let me know! I can modify or totally scrap them.

You're right - not every opponent is ridiculously outclassed. I was going for more of a Lune-and-Shockwave-are-just-that-awesome sense, but now that you mention it, the opponents just look too overconfident. I'll definitely take that into account for later battles. Thanks!

New chapters should be up relatively soon. I want to spend some extra time looking over them, and I've got some programming stuff to do this week, but it shouldn't be too long before I post more. :)

[Lune the Guardian]

Last battle of Round 1!


Chapter 7
Never Guarantees in Battle

Silvery stars twinkled softly in the jet-black sky. The golden moon cast its luminous glow on the arena below. A warm, comforting silence from the subdued crowd served, in its own way, to encourage the final battlers of the day as if excited, enthusiastic spectators cheered loudly for them from the sidelines. The silent spectators watched the two combatants, not knowing what to expect.

One stood perfectly still, holding his metallic claws up and crossing them together in a defensive position. Starlight shone onto his gleaming crimson coat, revealing his slender figure, and, just barely, the gossamer wings on his back. His opponent pawed the ground anxiously. The bulldog snapped his huge jaws and pounded his fists together, threatening to crush the opposing mantis. A hint of impatience spread across his face, as if he possessed some burning need for combat.

Awestruck, the spectators looked on as the two stared each other down, wondering who would make the first move – Bill the Scizor, with his cool, yet slightly nervous gaze; or Thor the Granbull, with his reckless, frightful glare. Above, Emperor Ryu’s face twisted into a thoughtful frown. “Hmm… I’ve seen this Granbull in a lot of other tournaments. He’s good. He’s been champ in one of our earliest tournaments a few years ago. He knows Fire Punch. Scizor is quadruply weak to fire. He doesn’t stand a chance,” Emperor Ryu commented wisely.

As things went, the more experienced and incidentally the more aggressive of the two struck first. With amazing speed, Thor lived up to his name, smelting the red mantis with massive, sizzling bolts of lightning that blackened Bill’s delicate wings. Just as the Scizor fell to his knees, twitching in agony, a distant, steely cry drew Thor’s attention to a dim corner. Out of seemingly nowhere, a crackling orange monstrosity lanced forth, catching its victim by surprise… Thor shut his eyes tightly to endure the searing pain; it was not enough that he clamped his jaws closed and clenched his fists. It was intolerable. In furious agony, the Granbull pounced on Bill, and, howling, drove his flaming fist directly into the Scizor’s chest. The impact shattered Thor’s target into pieces, revealing the real Bill some ways behind.

“Good use of Substitute,” whispered Lune.

“Quick thinking,” Shockwave agreed, “but he’s not conserving his energy enough. Hyper Beam right off the start, not to mention how much he put into that Substitute for it to take both the Thunder and Fire Punch… He can win, though.”

“Yeah. Thor’s got the experience, but Bill shows promise.”

“It’ll be interesting to see how this one works out. Watch. It looks like Thor is starting something.”

Thor laughed, but the sound that came out sounded more like a half-roar. “Good work! You tricked me. But don’t expect me to fall for that again.”

At that, Thor began firing rapidly, one after the other, greenish-yellow orbs of electricity that traveled at frightful speeds.

“Wow! Look at the speed of those Zap Cannons!” the Farfetch’d cried. “Zap Cannon is supposed to move relatively slowly, but Thor won’t have it! They don’t call him Thor for nothing!”

“Zap Cannon barrage… Too fast!” Bill gasped, barely escaping the first with a starry, nearly impenetrable barrier, then narrowly avoiding the second by jumping aside.

“He’s losing confidence,” Shockwave stated. “Disappointing.”

“He needs to focus to have a chance,” Lune agreed.

The third of Thor’s electrical assault approached Bill rapidly. If the Scizor didn’t think fast, he would be subject to its wrath… Hoping for the best, he looked towards the sky, and his wings began to whir quickly. Just seconds before impact, Bill lifted off the ground, saving himself from the electrical orb that went skimming past his feet.

“Do you think you can escape through flying, Scizor?”

This time, Bill made no attempt to dodge, but instead, closed his eyes. Within moments, his gleaming red coat shone with a mystical aura - one that would keep him safe. As the highly concentrated energy struck him, he did not feel his muscles lock up like they would have under normal circumstances. He was free of the bonds of paralysis.

“Quick reaction, but I’m not through!” With a startlingly high leap, Thor managed to grab onto Bill’s leg with his right arm, then began to pound the Scizor repeatedly with his flaming red fists.

Gasping, Bill raised a claw and brought it down onto his aggressor’s head, at the same time charging his other with crackling, yellow-green energy…

“He’s seen Zap Cannon so many times, he’s had the opportunity to Mimic it. That’s it!” Shockwave cheered. “This battle is going to get interesting again.”

“Alright, Bill! Beat that veteran!” Lune yelled.

Bill regained his fighting spirit. He flew up higher… “Fall, Thor!” he cried, while slamming the energy orb into the Granbull’s face. Thor maintained a firm grip, but, as his muscles refused to cooperate, he was forced to release his hold and fall to the ground far below…

A sickening crack marked Thor’s landing, and it looked as if he was not going to get up… Painfully slowly, though, the persistent Granbull rolled over his side until he faced the ground, then pushed his body upwards with his arms and legs.

“As expected, the veteran Thor is still going!” the Farfetch’d announced. “And soon, he’ll just use Heal Bell to remove his paralysis. Too bad for Bill the Scizor!”

Bill shook his head. “Oh, no you don’t,” he muttered. “I’ve worked too hard for this. I think I have an idea…” Addressing Thor, he called, “Hey, are you really going to be wussy and Heal Bell? I wouldn’t, but I’m probably braver than you are. You can go ahead and be a coward if you want. I don’t care. My opponent is a scaredy-Granbull! Scaredy scaredy Granbull!” Bill danced tauntingly, working his opponent into a rage.

Thor growled. “On another day, I would be tempted to turn your insults against you. However, you have shown me that even a rookie’s tricks can be dangerous.” He reached into the darkness to retrieve an ephemeral bell, which he rang. The clarity of its music resonated powerfully within those who could hear it. As Thor listened to the clear song, he could feel his stiffness fading away.

Bill had risen high in the air, a safe distance from Thor’s reach. While his opponent pondered how to reach him, the Scizor relaxed, waiting to regain lost stamina.

Seeing no simple way to connect his attacks, the Granbull sought to provoke his opponent. “You! Scizor! Too scared to come down?” Bill ignored him.

Finally, Bill’s raspy breathing evened again, and he decided to continue. “It’s now or never…” Gathering all of his remaining strength, Bill joined his claws together to house a violently sparking orb… It burned orange with its intensity, swelling as long as Bill could continue directing energy into it. At last, he began to lower himself, and Thor saw this as a chance to vent out his fury… But as much as he wanted to punish Bill for the earlier insults, Thor waited for his opponent to close the gap. There was no sense in bringing himself closer to the energy beam’s searing devastation.

The Scizor’s released energy lanced towards Thor, who summoned much of his final reserves to shield himself against it. The plasma dispersed across the invisible barrier just as the exhausted Thor let his shield collapse. Likewise, Bill had fallen on his knees. Despite their frustration at their inconclusive final clash, neither seemed able to stand.

“What an outcome!” the Farfetch’d cried. “The rookie, Bill, has put up a spectacular fight against his veteran opponent. Since both are unable to continue, the battle will end in a draw. This ends Round One. Congratulations to all!”

[Lady Vulpix]

No summary this time?

I liked this battle even better than the previous ones. It was clear that both opponents were making an effort to win, and the way it ended made the title make sense. Although there still seems to be one guarantee: Emperor Ryu's predictions are always wrong.

And I liked the third sentence a lot.

[Lune the Guardian]

Hehe, thank you :) I liked that sentence too.

I was writing the Battle Summary for this one and I think it turned out more confusing than the chapter description - so I decided to leave it be. There were a lot of non-attack attacks (if that makes sense) such as psychological attacks from either side. And there was stuff going on with the overuse or conserving of energy which I couldn't clearly express without just rephrasing what was written.

I'm not sure how to handle battles like that... Perhaps I could do something like summary-on-request? Or clarification on request - I could explain parts that were unclear, if asked. But I do plan to do a battle summary for most battles, especially the upcoming ones.

As for Emperor Ryu, we've got to give him credit - he's very consistent! His predictions help us guess the outcome of the battle.

I agree that the first two battles were rather one-sided. This won't continue with the later chapters, as the weaker opponents get eliminated from the initial rounds. And the opponents out in the world are potentially stronger too, since there is a larger base to choose from. Shockwave and Lune's debut battles are there to show that these guys are not to be messed with, and regardless of apparent type advantage, they probably have the upper hand in battle. They outclass a lot of opponents, so they are beyond petty things like type advantages.

[Lune the Guardian]

Hey, guys, is Gabi the only one reading this? :P Don't get me wrong, Gabi's comments are awesome, and I really appreciate her reading this. But if you're lurking, don't be shy, I'd love to hear from you, too!


Chapter 8
Ignorance and Unrest

Voices… Lune darted off the golden pathway and into a dense bush of sweet-smelling flowers.

“This place stinks!” an Aipom commented, referring to the neatly paved, carefully decorated, peacefully organized Sacred Kingdom.

“Yeah, yeah, I bet we can make it better!” his companion, a Mankey said excitedly.

“Hey! Look, Elbuort!” The Aipom pointed at the large greeting sign ahead. Both stopped walking to examine it.

Elbuort scratched behind his ear and began to read. “Hmm… Welcome to the Sacred Kingdom. We pride ourselves in this beautiful realm. Please take heed of our rules to ensure a pleasant stay and a wonderful experience. For entertainment purposes, we host many frequent peacetime tournaments. If you wish to participate, please register at the beginning of each tournament. You may request an Adviser,”

“…who will work hard with you to bring out your true potential in battle,” Lune continued, emerging from his hiding place. “May I help you?”

“Toidi, this tournament stuff sounds fun. Don’t you think so?” Elbuort asked the Aipom.

“Yeah. Hey, you, Eevee, do you know where we can find these so-called Enticers?”

“Advisers…” Lune corrected.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Toidi waved his hand disinterestedly. “Do you know where they are or not?”

“I happen to be one of them,” Lune replied.

“What are you waiting for?” Elbuort demanded. “Help us already!”

“First, I believe you should learn a few rules of the Sacred Kingdom. Don’t worry; we’ll do this one step at a time.”

“To hell with rules!” the Aipom yelled. “We’re not stupid. We know the rules already.”

Lune gritted his teeth. If Shockwave were here, he’d make sure that Lune didn’t lose control of his temper at the wrong time. Lune had low tolerance levels for pokémon such as these. Unfortunately, he ran into them all the time. It was all he could do to keep himself from acting rashly. Whenever he lost his temper, despite his efforts to control himself, he always regretted it. Lune just had to hope he could control himself long enough…

“All right, then,” Lune uttered with difficulty, “follow me. The forest clearing where we will have the training session is a short distance ahead.”


***

“So you’re saying that you can teach us how to do special moves that nobody else can do, right?” asked Toidi.

“I can help bring out your unique personal potential, yes,” Lune clarified.

“Good. Then here’s what you’re going to do for us.” The Mankey, Elbuort, paused to scratch his pig-like snout. “Teach me how to explode without hurting myself so that I can always win my battles no matter what!”

Lune thought he would faint when he heard the request. He had found the duo annoying, but didn’t think they would be ridiculously irrational. “I’m sorry. Perhaps I didn’t explain clearly. I can’t help you learn to do things that are physically impossible. I can only help to bring out your individual traits and refine that into an ability unique to you.”

Toidi looked insulted. “Are you saying we aren’t capable of anything good? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Is this how you treat visitors in this kingdom?” Elbuort continued. “Do you know who we are? We’re both Guardians of the Savage Wilderness. How dare you insult us? Who is in charge of this kingdom? I’m going to report to him right now.”

“I didn’t even slightly imply that you are not capable battlers,” Lune replied, sensing a dangerous situation. If the two were intent on ignoring all reasoning that contradicted their conclusions, he wouldn’t be able to escape from the situation with logic. “Nothing I said was meant to insult you. I’m merely explaining that at the moment, I do not know what your special abilities are. If you allow me to do my job, we’ll find that out together. I do, however, believe that it is highly unlikely that your special ability involves exploding without injury. Even to pokémon who are experts at creating explosions, it is impossible to cause the blast without suffering some harm.”

“Did you hear that, Elbuort?” asked Toidi. “He said we’re not experts at exploding. He really is insulting us!”

Elbuort was outraged. “It seems you really don’t understand how important we are. We’ll teach you a lesson. Then we’ll report you and get you punished!”

Following Elbuort’s lead, Toidi approached Lune, preparing to give the Eevee a beating.

Lune backed against a tree. As far as probability of winning the battle, the scales were tipped heavily in his favor. However, attacking visitors was illegal. Even more so if they held powerful positions such as Guardianships. Tempted though he was to rid the world of a couple of idiots, Lune knew that the consequences of fighting them far outweighed the risks. He would have to escape without touching them.

The Eevee assumed a defensive stance, ready to spring when the chance presented itself. “Do you two really think you can win against me?” he asked. The taunt worked, and as the pair charged at him, they converged onto the same path…

Lune leapt to avoid the assault. While he landed safely on the grass ahead, his attackers crashed together into the tree that Lune had been standing against. Entangled and dazed, Toidi and Elbuort were unable to chase after their target as he disappeared through the trees.


***

The sound of the rushing falls helped to calm Lune’s nerves. It was over… He was in the sacred meadow. He had to try to relax. But every time he sat down, he would relive the events again and pace around, growling.

Shockwave observed the Eevee with some amusement. He was accustomed to this behavior whenever Lune had Adviser duties. Still, Lune looked slightly more bothered than usual, so Shockwave thought he'd better ask. "You're angry. What happened this time?"

Instead of answering, Lune rambled incomprehensibly about pokémon whose names Shockwave couldn’t catch. Finally, the Eevee stopped muttering and asked, “Why are pokémon born without brains?”

“Shake it off, Lune. You don't have to get stressed out over every pokémon that you'll probably only have to Advise once.” Shockwave splashed cool, refreshing water onto the fuming Eevee’s face. “Hmm… What did you say their names were again?”

“Elbuort and Toidi.” Lune bared his teeth, and his mouth began to foam.

“Hey…”

“What?”

“Ever tried mirroring their names?”

Lune frowned, puzzled for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Shockwave, you rule.”

Shockwave grinned.

[Lady Vulpix]

Wow, you posted that chapter on my TPM anniversary and I wasn't there to see it! Anyway, I find Elbuort's and Toidi's stupidity amusing, but only as an outsider. It must have taken Lune a great deal of patience and self-control to deal with them so tactfully, even if this was only the beginning.

By the way, how do the inhabitants of the Savage Wilderness get their names? I mean who names them, and how are the names chosen? (And how did the tradition - if there is one - begin?)

[Lune the Guardian]

Hey Gabi! Happy belated TPM Anniversary! I didn't realize it was your anniversary, either.

You've got a good question there. Thank you for asking, that reminds me - I'll make an effort to explain each State's philosophy and such in later chapters as they come along.

The Savage Wilderness is founded on the principles Illogic, Stupidity, and Thoughtless Arguments. The best representatives of their ideals are the ones worthy of being their Guardians. They pretty much choose their own names by putting together syllables that they think have a nice ring to it. By pure coincidence, some of them unknowingly select names that grant amusement to... smarter outsiders. Not every Savage Wilderness pokémon has such a name, though; some of their names have no apparent meaning, no matter how they are arranged. But you'll see that these ones don't really fit into their State.

[Lune the Guardian]

Chapter 9
The Emperor’s Wrath

The paved pathway sparkled with the rays of the afternoon sun. It was a perfectly lazy day. No one did much but relax. No preparations for the coming second round of the tournament would be made today; the traditional rushing would come tomorrow, the day before Round Two would begin. But today was meant to be lazy.

As Shockwave and Lune ambled casually down the path, heading for the heart of the Kingdom where all the fun idleness lay, a messenger Sandshrew barred their way.

“Are y-y-y-you L-Lune?” she stammered, staring at the Eevee as if he was an atomic bomb that could go off at any minute. He nodded.

“Emperor Ryu has… has… has sent for you,” she managed.

Shockwave was puzzled. “Lune, what’s this about?”

Having a good idea of what it was about, and not enjoying the thought, Lune tried to think of a way to avoid the question. “Uh…”

Unfortunately for Lune, the Sandshrew answered for him. “Emperor Ryu was v-v-v-very angry. He needed to see you about attacking v-v-v-visitors.” The Sandshrew shrank back in fear, trembling after every word she spoke.

Shockwave turned to Lune in horror. “You WHAT?”

“To be fair, I didn’t attack them… the tree did.”

“Lune, you’re not making much sense.”

“I told them their demands were impossible. They attacked me. I dodged and let them crash themselves into a tree so I could get away. I assume they’ve gone and shown Ryu the bruises it gave them, and said it was my fault.”

Shockwave remained silent. After a while, he began to speak, slowly. “If it was that simple, why didn’t you just tell me this before?” He looked hurt. “I could have helped with some damage control.”

“Sorry…”

At this point, the Sandshrew was trembling like a water balloon on the verge of bursting. “Um, e-e-e-excuse me, but could you p-p-please hurry? Emperor Ryu doesn’t like w-w-waiting.”

“Lune…” Shockwave whispered, softly but clearly, “Be careful. And this time, bow!”


***

Emperor Ryu had chosen a rather unfavorable place for a meeting. It was dark, hot, stuffy, and horribly depressing. Lune sat dejectedly in a corner, picturing various images of electrically fried Ampharos as he waited.

Lune was willing to bet that Emperor Ryu’s silence was intentional, that it was meant to make him angry, and that Emperor Ryu was bent upon wasting his valuable time. Finally, he could take it no longer, and he confronted the Ampharos, growling. “What the heck do you want from me, you… infuriating… ARGH!”

The Emperor withdrew slightly, but remained relatively calm. “Your behavior, Eevee, is unacceptable.”

“And yours isn’t? You’re a good-for-nothing hypocrite! When are you going to do something good for the Sacred Kingdom, Ryu? You and your talk about rules, about appropriate behavior! You and your lofty speeches urging everyone to do hard work and make the Sacred Kingdom a better place! When are you going to stop talking about things and instead make them happen?”

“That’s not the point right now. The point is that you attacked two visitors here.”

“Yeah? How do you know? You just take their word for it and don’t give me a chance to say anything in my defense? They didn’t even understand the rules! They turned on me! I am fully to blame and they are not?”

“Don’t you dare give me any of that nonsense about rules. You are pushing me over the edge. If I ever hear about you causing trouble again, you will be banished from the Sacred Kingdom forever! I don’t care what your excuse is. You are wrong, and you’d better damn shut up about it before it’s too late!”

Lune glared at the Emperor. Their flaring gazes met. Each was too stubborn to back down. Each wanted the last word. Shockwave’s warning rang through Lune’s mind…

This had gone far enough. Lune had foolishly let his anger control him; he needed to stop before things took a turn for the worst. Averting his gaze, Lune turned reluctantly away and forced himself to leave.


***

“Lay low,” Lord Yoruno advised.

“Shockwave…” Lune whispered, wishing the Pikachu were here, “What have I done?”

[Lady Vulpix]

Hmm... I think both Lune and I could use the break we just can't get.

[Lune the Guardian]

Aww, I'm sorry that you've had to put up with so many difficulties.

As for Lune, he's a punishment magnet. Bad fortune seems attracted to him.


Chapter 10
Promises

“Ugh. I knew it. I was against his coronation from the very beginning. Then again, there certainly wasn’t much to choose from back then, either.”

“You’re not mad at me?” Lune felt relieved.

Shockwave shrugged. “At least you told me what happened this time.”

“Sorry… I won’t hide things from you again. I promise.”

“Okay.”

“Hmm, it’s almost time.” Lune got to his feet, shaking the blades of meadow grass from his fur.

“Huh?”

“I set up a practice battle with Lady Naien today. She said she would wait at the Misty Lake. It’ll help keep both of us in shape. The Tournament of the Eternal Flame that she wants to join will begin soon. C’mon, Shockwave, let’s go meet her.”


***

A harsh wind rattled the flimsy skeletons of the bushes, which stayed barren even in this spring. Lune shivered, panting as he climbed with difficulty up the steep mountain slope. The biting frost was vicious. Dry mountain air rarely got any crueler than this. Shockwave, of course, moved along effortlessly, stopping to wait for the struggling Eevee from time to time.

Suddenly, the bleak, deserted landscape was gone. Rugged, rust-colored dirt slopes transformed into soft meadow grass. Here the ground leveled and the howling wind stopped.

The Misty Lake was named by no accident. High among the clouds, surrounded by a ring of lush, forested mountains, this vast crystalline lake was shrouded in a light, mysterious mist. It was a tranquil scene and well worth the perilous climb.

As the day came to its end, reflected across the lake were the red and golden rays of the setting sun. Lune sighed and settled down in the soft grass, smiling when Shockwave made the point of taking a dip in the icy lake water.

“You should come in too.” Shockwave smirked.

“Heck, no way. The water’s freezing!”

“I’ll drag you in!”

With that, the Pikachu got out of the lake and began to chase after Lune.

Lune broke into a run. “Not this time, Shockwave!”


***

“Looks like she isn’t coming…” Shockwave looked over at the disappointed Lune, who was gazing blankly at the stars above. “You were really looking forward to that battle, huh?”

“Yeah, but it’s not just that…” Lune dipped his paw into the lake water, watching the ripples spread. Lady Naien had promised, and Lune valued promises. Part of the reason Emperor Ryu disgusted him was the fact that the Emperor continually made empty promises that he would never keep. For Lune, promises were not made to be broken. He wanted to believe that Lady Naien understood this principle… that she was just busy with other matters, and that this disappointment would not repeat itself. He pushed the nagging sentiment into the background of his thoughts, but it seemed to fight its way back to bother him.

Shockwave shrugged. “You can battle her some other time, you know.”

“Yeah…”

“Hmm. It’s too late to get back down now. We can spend the night up here and go back tomorrow.”

Lune nodded in agreement, then flinched. “Oh, no…”

“What is it?”

“The Tournament of Eternal Flame begins tomorrow morning. I promised Lady Naien that I would be there… I keep my promises.”

“If we move fast, we’ll make it back by sunrise. Come on!” Shockwave darted down the slopes.

[Lady Vulpix]

They had both promised to meet at two different places, far away from each other? That sounds inconvenient.

I loved the description of the Misty Lake. :)

Just a question... What did Lune tell Shockwave about Elbuort and Toidi at the end of chapter 9? He told him their names and that they had no brains, but not that they got mad at him and hit a tree while trying to attack him, right? So how much did Shockwave know before Lune was summoned by Emperor Ryu?

[Lune the Guardian]

You've got a good point there, Gabi - in my mind I envisioned that the conversation went something like this:

(Enter a frustrated Lune to the sanctuary)

Shockwave: You're angry. What went wrong this time?

Lune: (undecipherable ranting, listener catches the names "Toidi" and "Elbuort") Why are pokémon born without brains? (restless pacing)

...etc.

Though now that you mention it, I understand that it's definitely not made clear at all. Do you think I should go back and elaborate? I wanted to avoid repeating stuff that readers could guess happened, but it does look like I left it a bit too vague.


And I'm glad you liked the Misty Lake :) The Sacred Kingdom is a busy place, and from that episode we can tell that Lune and Naien have a lot on their minds. It didn't even occur to them how inconvenient their arrangement would be!

[Lune the Guardian]

Cold-hearted genius in action!


Chapter 11
The Tournament of Eternal Flame

The heavy stench of sulfur thickened the tangible air. The sweltering heat here was so dense that Lune could see it move. He found it difficult to breathe in this choking atmosphere. Even Shockwave displayed signs of discomfort. Yet they would endure it, for Lady Naien.

Hot, glowing coals paved the ground of this mysteriously natural arena. The smooth stones, white to begin with, gleamed red like blazing fire, somehow never smothered by the thick black ash that hung in the air. These, Lune suspected, had some sort of magical quality unknown thus far… He gazed down the gaping mouth of the dark cavern that seemed to lead down into the farthest depths of the land. The rough mountain range beyond was strange and unwelcoming, worse so than the dreary slopes that led up to the Misty Lake. Even Shockwave who enjoyed adventure would not venture there. The cavern itself was hostile. Lune had entered it once, and he had felt like he faced the wrath of an ever-raging inferno… He had barely made it out alive, and not without Shockwave’s help.

“Hmm, looks like Emperor Ryu will not be keeping track of this tournament. Lune? …Did you just hear what I said? Talk to me! I’m getting worried.” There was a slight tinge of alarm in Shockwave’s voice.

“Um…” Lune blinked, snapping back into reality. “Sorry, I guess I’m a little more tired than I thought.”

Shockwave laughed nervously. “Right. So, anyway, Lady Naien’s next. Look who she’s up against!”

An ever-cool Umbreon stood calmly on the burning stones, not showing the slightest sign of pain. In fact, his face revealed no emotion of any sort. His dark, gleaming fur glistened even now in the filthy atmosphere, glorified even more by the luminescent glow of his bright yellow rings. He stood perfectly still and did not blink.

“Lord Yoruno?” Lune nearly fell over in surprise. “He doesn’t seem to care that the arena was chosen so that Fire types alone could long endure it…”

Shockwave nodded. “This should be interesting. The only question now is how good of a fight Lady Naien can put up before Lord Yoruno prevails.”

Lune looked over at Lady Naien. The white skull crest on her chest glowed as her face did with determination. Her long, slender tail was lifted high in the air threateningly like a scorpion’s in an offensive stance, poised and ready to strike. Eyes blazing with fire, the Houndoom was ready to give this match everything she’d got, and more.

“Lady Naien will try her hardest… Either way, she won’t be disappointed. I give her five minutes at most,” Lune said.

“Nah, she’ll last a little longer than that. When she does, you have to jump into the Misty Lake for however long she held out!” Such was Shockwave’s challenge, but Lune was unworried.

“All right, then, it’s a bet. But don’t count on seeing me get into those hellish icy waters anytime soon! I won’t lose. Not this time.” Lune was sure of it.

Enthusiastic spectators cheered the two combatants on, impatient for the match to begin. In the confusion, all but an attentive few failed to notice Lord Yoruno. Rings glimmering even in the haze, he began to fade, slightly at first, while his body grew ever dimmer as his faint outline shone – then, abruptly, he was gone. A cry of surprise rushed through the onlookers as they finally realized that Lord Yoruno had disappeared. Lady Naien scanned the arena uneasily. Like most, she had no clue as to Lord Yoruno’s whereabouts.

“He just jumped,” Shockwave whispered, pointing. “Now he’s making his way stealthily behind her.”

At first Lune was bewildered. He could not understand how Shockwave could have spotted the completely invisible Lord Yoruno. As he strained to see, though, he realized that several stones behind Lady Naien were weighed down, barely. Lord Yoruno had nearly gotten away with it, but even he could not conceal his step, however light. Still, Lune knew he would not have caught this if Shockwave had not shown him. Lady Naien remained oblivious to it all, and her searching eyes now displayed a frantic light. She could not find Lord Yoruno.

Suddenly, the hot white stones began to glow – in spite of themselves – the coldest blue that Lune had ever seen; he shivered, chilled by the cruel light. Willingly the gleaming stones rose, some from a circular perimeter around Lady Naien, enclosing her in a glowing prison as they flew into the sky and trapped her in a sphere; the others from below her, breaking loose of the layer of ash, coming out from under her feet and forcing her to stumble. Now, it seemed, Lord Yoruno had no more intention of hiding himself, and the Umbreon revealed his position a safe distance away. With a signaling nod, he commanded the suspended stones to strike, and all obeyed their master, flinging themselves at the horrified Houndoom within.

Lightning flashed in the sky, crashing through dark clouds of ill omen. To Lady Naien it seemed the raining of the stones lasted an eternity… But she did not know that once the vicious barrage ended, a new terror began. Water gushed forth from the clouds in torrents, stinging her no less relentlessly than the flying stones. She cried for the rain to stop, but instead of slowing, the storm worsened with renewed fury, and she gave up the mental struggle. Lord Yoruno’s will was too strong now.

Just when things couldn’t possibly have gotten any worse, the abundance of stones that had clattered to the ground rose for a second time, and it seemed that nothing would prevent another assault. Gathering her courage and strength, Lady Naien now looked to the shadows for help, and they came. In three balls around her, darkness collected swiftly, and, stripped of time, unable to wait for the throbbing orbs to reach their full potential, Lady Naien struck each one, sending them lurching forward in her panic. Three separate explosions resulted; the stones involved in the collision were annihilated in the rippling ethereal eruptions. For a fleeting moment Lord Yoruno’s psionic control seemed to falter…

Taking advantage of what she hoped was her opponent’s blunder, Lady Naien howled mournfully, calling for mercy, as she turned her head upwards to the hidden sun. This time Lord Yoruno did not fight back, and the tormenting storm clouds parted, leaving the sun to shine down upon the waterlogged land, tentatively at first, then stronger. With the sun beaming down upon her, Lady Naien felt, for the first time, that now she had a chance to launch an offensive of her own. The Houndoom’s coat dried quickly under the warm rays, and every moment she felt energy from the sunlight surge through her body increasingly faster… Lady Naien radiated with a golden glow, intense as the rays of the sun. Lune saw her body sparkle with light as she walked, painfully but determinedly towards Lord Yoruno. He gazed on calmly, making no effort to escape.

With a cry, Lady Naien unleashed her gathered power in a single stabbing pillar of light that engulfed the waiting Umbreon and shattered him to pieces. At that same instant, a crackling energy beam lanced forth from the real Lord Yoruno behind the Houndoom before she overcame her momentary confusion.

When she realized what had happened it was too late. Roaring, Lady Naien shook her head with vicious rage, driven mad by the searing agony that tore at her flesh. Her mouth foamed with thick, white froth, and though the energy had faded, she continued to twitch horribly, shivering with unwanted memory of the pain.

Lord Yoruno bolted, kicking up ash and stone as he ran ever swifter, until he became merely a black streak in the smoke-filled arena. Then he swerved and made straight for Lady Naien, lowering his head to ram her… Just barely, the Houndoom’s body, lined with a red glare, flashed suddenly – and, to everyone’s amazement, Lord Yoruno was thrown back.

Still calmly the Umbreon leapt to his feet, then approached Lady Naien, emotionless, but like a silent predator ready to deal the final blow to his hapless prey. Lady Naien, however, had one last defense. In a final burst of blazing fury, eyes flashing with one last hope, the Houndoom descended upon her opponent with a terrible rush of power, dealing blow after frenzied blow with frightening swiftness, transforming her pain and weakness into strength, and turning it into her opponent’s suffering and sorrow. For an instant it looked as if predator had been turned to prey, and prey to predator, and many thought that all had been reversed. But the past events of the taxing battle proved too much for Lady Naien to bear… Bringing his glinting tail of metallic silver crashing down upon the Houndoom’s skull, Lord Yoruno ended her assault swiftly. Long silence followed.

“Five minutes and three seconds, Lune!” Shockwave yelled. “Haha! I win!” Hearing no response from Lune, Shockwave paused, then saw that the Eevee lay on the floor asleep. His careworn face was filled with lined of worry. Shockwave wondered at Lune’s unnatural thinness and the frail softness of his fur. The Eevee had been troubled much lately, worrying about something he would not tell Shockwave about, and in the meantime neglecting to take care of himself. Shockwave sighed. He couldn’t ask Lune to stop being closed and reveal his feelings, but if Lune didn’t start eating soon, Shockwave would have to force him to come to his senses. Lune stirred.

“Are you staying to watch the rest?” Shockwave asked, already knowing the answer.

“I’m exhausted. I’m heading back to the Sanctuary. Tell me what happens, and I mean every single detail. I’m counting on you! Oh, and it seems I have lost the bet. I’ll fulfill the requirements after I get some sleep.” Lune winked, and was off.




***

Battle Summary (Chapter 11) - Lady Naien (Houndoom) vs. Lord Yoruno (Umbreon)

Yoruno - Faint Attack (vanish), leap (land behind Naien)

Yoruno - Psychic (target: stones, secondary target: Naien)

Yoruno - Rain Dance
Naien - attempt Sunny Day counter (failure)
Arena - Rain Dance in effect

Yoruno - Psychic (target: stones, secondary target: Naien)
Naien - triple light Shadow Ball (target: stones)

Yoruno - Substitute (unnoticed)
Naien - Sunny Day
Arena - Sunny Day in effect

Naien - Solarbeam (target: "Yoruno")
Yoruno - Substitute destroyed; Hyper Beam (target: Naien)

Yoruno - Agility, Headbutt (target: Naien)
Naien - Counter (Agility + Headbutt combo)

Naien - Reversal (target: Yoruno)
Yoruno - Iron Tail (target: Naien)

Naien - KO

[Lady Vulpix]

Ah, that makes sense. :)

Poor Lune... again.

Your descriptions are amazing, Karin! Both of the places and the battles. I definitely wouldn't want to be in that place. And the thought of red-hot pebbles glowing blue in spite of themselves made me chuckle.

As for clarifying the ending of chapter 9... I think it could help. Something like the reply you gave me would work.

I found the summary useful this time... If I have the chance I'll read the battle again tomorrow to catch any details I've missed.

[Lune the Guardian]

Thank you, Gabi!

Also, I updated chapter 8 according to your advice. Hopefully it reads less awkwardly now :)

As for Lune, it's his fault for accepting a bet from Shockwave! He should know that Shockwave always wins. Hehe.

[Lady Vulpix]

Nicely done. Thanks. :)

[mistysakura]

I'm busy at the moment, but if I keep putting off replying the chapters will build up to the point where I won't be bothered to catch up, so I'll just review the first two chapters for now. :) Once again, it's great to see this fic back. You really get a sense of how secret the meadow is in Chapter 1, with the waterfall and everything. Although I wish we got a bit more distinctive description of the meadow itself, not just the soft grass and flowers and generic stuff. Our first impression of Lune is on quite a gloomy note, which is interesting. I wonder if he's staying as an Eevee by choice, or if he was born with the Everstone or something. It's great to see Lune and Shockwave's pure joy in their friendship.

Chapter 2: Shockwave making Lune bow made me laugh, and remember how I laughed when I read this the first time round. I'm not sure if this was done for the suspense, but it's weird reading about Shockwave asking about the look on Lune's face, when we have no idea what the look on Lune's face is. It made me feel emotionally distant from the characters because I didn't know how they were thinking or feeling. Ah, Emperor Ryu, the idiot -- at least he chooses Lady Naien, who's good if I remember correctly. His response to Shockwave's inappropriate cold amuses me.

[Lune the Guardian]

Thank you misty! :)

I really should elaborate more about the sanctuary at the beginning, just to make a point about how special it is. I do expand it in soon-to-come chapters, but perhaps it's better to talk more about it up front as well. I'll think about how to do that, thank you. ^^ Also, the Everstone will be explained eventually.

You've got a good point about the look in Chapter 2. I'm going to explain it later, but perhaps the connection might not be as clear as I think it is. You've given me something to think about, I'll work on that, thanks again!

[Lune the Guardian]

Chapter 12
Silent Assassins

Cool, fresh stream water lapped gently over Lune’s face. The sound of the cascading waterfall splashing musically upon the water’s surface above soothed him. Almost immediately, as if in a dream, whatever doubts or tenseness remained in Lune was magically washed away by the silvery notes. Suddenly he just felt carefree, purged of his troubles by the sparkling radiance of the crystalline water and the warm, golden sunlight above all. This dive was the best thing in a long time that Lune had taken for himself. It was just so relaxing to roam freely underwater, gazing at the glittering sandy bottom of the stream.

A shadow passed overhead. Another lurked nearby. Lune caught the gleam of cold, evil eyes. When he turned, the horror that he saw momentarily froze his heart. That sleek, blue figure… the red jewel on her forehead… the long, slender beak… those webbed hands and feet… Then a streak of green flew across the stream and waited on the grassy riverbed. There could be no mistake. Assassins.

But here? In the Sanctuary? Was Lune safe nowhere? The Eevee gritted his teeth. He had to think… fast. He knew he could match a regular Golduck in swimming speed, but Assassins of every breed were fabled to be the swiftest, stealthiest, and most skillful of their kind.

Only one advantage presented itself to Lune in this situation: he knew this stream’s very nature. The Assassin Golduck was in foreign waters. Lune paddled even harder, kicking with all his might although his muscles were sore and tired out. The water surface was still out of reach. Up ahead, though, he knew there was a powerful hidden current above. Even the Assassin Golduck would have trouble with it. Lune needed to go past it, all the time swimming directly beneath it, then pull up immediately after it ended. For, though his body could probably have endured the underwater flight, his lungs could not. He was out of breath, and he could already feel his lungs threatening to explode. His strokes weakened… Lune faltered… His pursuer crept up ever closer…

But Lune would not fail. He didn’t have time to die just yet. Already he felt faint, but his mind pushed him on, and his heart, despite the lack of air, thumped hard against his chest. He could sense the ending of the hidden current ahead. Just a little more…

Suddenly, Lune had gotten across. Everything seemed surreal; he was floating in a dream… But his body kept paddling, and steadily he rose, up, up, up, until he breached the water’s surface.

Then, in a shock, reality rushed back to Lune as he sputtered and choked, gulping in huge mouthfuls of air thankfully. He gave a cry of joy, for his pursuer had pulled up too soon and now she fought against the swift current. Still, Lune hadn’t much time… He paddled to the shore and dragged himself out.

Out of nowhere, Lune felt a sharp blow to the back of his head. He stumbled and fell. A wave of fear washed over him; suddenly he was afraid.

A sleek, deadly mantis stood over Lune, brandishing his cold, cruel scythes. Lune felt a trickle of blood crawl down his neck. Colors began to swirl together into a chaotic mass, and images blurred. The Assassin Scyther snickered; a menacing gleam flashed through his eyes. His body was emerald green; his bared teeth were a pearly white; his wings fluttered in the wind, but they were no less cruel than the rest of him, for the topmost ones grew upon two sharp, long spines that pointed outward. He opened his mouth and began to speak. Lune, wavering between light and darkness, had to struggle to understand.

“Fool! You should never have betrayed Emperor Ryu. Do you know what we’re going to do to you now?” The Assassin Scyther paused to gloat upon the fear in his victim’s glazed eyes. When he saw that the Eevee was not going to respond further, he cackled. “Don’t despair; the blow I dealt you is nothing compared to what you will suffer next.” The Golduck pulled beside him, smirking devilishly.

“Now,” the Scyther continued, “we must say goodbye. You’ll pay for resisting Emperor Ryu!”

“Have you figured out your sorry fate yet?” the Golduck taunted. Lune did not answer. In fact, he could not; he had no strength left. He had lost his link to the real world.

“We are going to disappear you,” the Scyther whispered in a sinister tone, with relish. “Just think: no one will ever know. They will wonder where you have gone. They might begin to panic. Emperor Ryu will reassure them. Then, in a regretful tone, he will inform them that you were found drowned in a treacherous river. He will say that you had been swimming too deep and were swept up by a current. He will tell them it threw you down a waterfall. He will say that you fell to the rocks below; with your injured head, you could not swim. He will present your limp body. They will believe him. They will mourn you for a while, and then slowly you will be forgotten. No one will know the truth.”

Lune listened, horrified but helpless. The glinting blade fell upon him… Everything went blur.

[mistysakura]

Chapter 3: I like your physical description of Lord Yoruno and his majesty. It's great to see Shockwave's serious side -- he's a funny guy, but now I understand a bit more of what drives him. It's funny how Lune's so serious, and it feels like something dramatic's going to happen when he's surprised, but it's just Shockwave as usual. I wish the same could be said for Lord Yoruno and Lady Naien though. I'm told how noble and kind they are, but until they show me their personalities by their actions, I won't be convinced.

Chapter 4: Magcargo's ability is really imaginative! I can see the appeal of helping other Pokemon like that. Magcargo trying to get wings made me laugh. I wonder how it's that Magcargo in particular who has the ability... maybe she's particularly aggressive and heated, hehe. But... doesn't the Magcargo have a name? It seems strange to have names for some Pokemon and not others. In human fics you sometimes refer to someone as 'the girl', but not with someone who's active throughout the entire chapter... I'm excited to read the tournament now, and see everyone's abilities!

[Lune the Guardian]

Thanks misty :) I'll keep that in mind - I do have a tendency to forget to build characters with their actions. And yeah, Lune is totally overdramatic, he cracks me up ^^

I never even thought about the Magcargo's name but you're right, it does seem awkward not to name her because she was featured in the whole chapter... I'll think of a name and slip it in.

[mistysakura]

Chapter 5: that battle was so cool. Not much in the way of physical description, but because every move was so logical, I could see everything happening and it flowed really well. I love how Lune outwitted Shadow by draining his energy and by using Shadow Ball on the balcony. It's also interesting to see the mechanics behind Ghost Pokemon's immunity to Normal attacks.

Chapter 6: Hehe, love how Lady Naien shuts Emperor Ryu up. I can already tell Shockwave has a different battling style to Lune -- so cheeky, baiting Amethyst right up until the last movement. Like Lune, he knows to take advantage of his opponent's weaknesses, but Shockwave seems more confident, almost on the point of being cocky. Perhaps the Iron Tail attack could be described though -- I'm having problems picturing how a Pikachu's tail can lift a Golem. The battle summary doesn't do anything for me, but other readers might find them useful.

[Lune the Guardian]

Hehe, thank you misty, chapter 5 is one of my favorite battles ^_^ And Shockwave is awesome, what can I say :D If you take his insults seriously you'll go mad.

I'll think about how to fix the Iron Tail thing - basically he stuck his Iron Tail in the way and the Golem's momentum sent her flying into the wall, much like you can trip someone in a similar fashion.


Chapter 13
Awakened Fear

“Right. I’m going to check on Lune now. He still needs to jump into the Misty Lake. Bye!” Shockwave prepared to leave, but Lady Naien stopped him.

“No, wait,” she said.

“Err… For what? It’s getting late. I really should be going.”

“I can’t tell you yet, but it won’t be long. Just hold on; it’s important,” she pleaded. Lady Naien hurried off.

Against his better judgment, Shockwave decided to humor the Houndoom’s request. Maybe. Depending on how long it took. With no better way of suppressing his anxiety, Shockwave turned his head skywards. The sun had already begun to settle behind the foreboding Shrieking Mountains – now a dark shade of gray in the shadows – and it blazed a deep red, like a ball of fire sinking through the sky. For a moment, the sky looked like an inferno, burning with intense red, orange, and gold. The vibrant flame reached across the land, now and then casting tongues of color down on hills; or caves; or stones; or grass. Then the fiery intensity lessened, and the colors in the sky became softer, like pastels. A gentle lavender seeped into the reds and golds. Here and there several white stars began to emerge and sparkle as the sky became an ocean of darkening blue. But the calmness of the heavens was not enough to reassure the worried Pikachu.

Hesitantly Shockwave lingered, until the urge that steadily grew inside him became painfully difficult to ignore. Something felt horribly wrong, and he did not want to wait any longer. Just then, though, he heard two Donphan trumpeting, announcing the arrival of the Emperor.

Emperor Ryu made his way to a high platform set a little aside from the marble bleachers, then gestured for attention. All who remained there fell silent. Shockwave’s felt a wave of cold rush through his blood, for he had just spotted Lady Naien behind Emperor Ryu in the shadows. What was that Ampharos planning to do? And was it just Shockwave’s imagination, or did Emperor Ryu actually look stern and worried?

“Ahem.” The Ampharos raised his arms in the air. “Dearest loyal subjects, there is nothing I will ever regret saying more than the words I am about to utter. First of all, a certain Eevee-” Emperor Ryu cut himself short. To Lady Naien, he whispered: “What was his name? He had an Everstone on his forehead.”

“Lune,” she replied gravely.

“Ah yes. As I was saying,” he continued, turning to the crowd, “Lune the Eevee…” Emperor Ryu’s voice trailed off.

At this, Shockwave’s leaden heart sank. “I knew there was something wrong. Lune, what happened to you?” He stood frozen, almost afraid to find out the answer.

“Well, about Lune the Eevee, if he is out there, I would like to apologize to him.”

Shockwave wasn’t sure that he had heard correctly. “What are you up to, Ryu?” he muttered.

“I would like to apologize to him for treating him so harshly. I must admit that my behavior was unacceptable, and that I was under a lot of pressure at the time he confronted me. That brings me to my second and more important issue.” Emperor Ryu took a deep breath, as if what he was going to say required all the strength he could muster. “I am resigning as emperor, and I am leaving the Sacred Kingdom in the hands of Lord Yoruno and Lady Naien.”

Shockwave stared up at the Ampharos in disbelief. Could Emperor Ryu really have said that? And why? By now, the uneasy feeling inside was choking him. Lune, please be all right… he thought, making for the Sanctuary with all haste.

[Lady Vulpix]

Oh, 2 chapters! Sorry, I had an exam and couldn't read them earlier.

Chapter 12: I wonder how you managed to be so descriptive and maintain the tension at the same time. It was amazing! And I liked how you made it so that we could figure out the first assasin was a Golduck before you said it.

Chapter 13 had a completely different pace. It was a bit shocking to read one chapter right after the other, but the tension came back with the cliffhanger. I hope you can post chapter 14 soon (not that I'm one to talk, but still).

[Lune the Guardian]

Thank you, Gabi ^_^ I think I know how you feel. I've been busy the past few weeks, too, with a few exams/projects of my own!


Chapter 14
Living Nightmares

“NEVER!” Lune wailed, jerking his head upwards. He was bathed in sweat. The sun had begun to sink beneath the forest trees. There were no Assassins in the Sanctuary.

“What in the name of…” Lune cut himself off. He grimaced painfully. “Well, Emperor Ryu, looks like you win the war. I don’t know why that vision came to me, but it’s just as well. I must leave the Sacred Kingdom by sundown. So,” he added resentfully, “goodbye, kingdom of horror! I am going home to where I belong: far away from the likes of Ryu.”

Lune had not always lived in the Sacred Kingdom. Long ago, there was a time in which he didn’t know what it was - when the only places he ever heard mention of it were in old stories that no one could confirm were true. In his time of youth, he had very little to worry about. His days in the Forgotten Kingdom were the most carefree he would ever see. He was totally different then. Still, he hadn’t been content. Lune sighed. If only he had known…

He had been too naïve to understand, Lune thought. He had longed for adventure and glory. Well, he had adventure now, he thought bitterly, but where was the glory?

Lune choked. Part of him wished he had never left the Forgotten Kingdom. The other part reminded him of the reason he had come in search of the Sacred Kingdom, the only reason worth all this pain: Shockwave. Shockwave had left to explore the world before him, finding excitement in every corner. Eventually, Shockwave made his way to the Sacred Kingdom…

Getting to his feet, Lune shook the grass from his fur. “Shockwave!” he cried, “How could I have forgotten?” Lune darted off into the thick brush nearby, ignoring the thorns that scarred his side. He tore through the dense entanglement of branches and leaves in a reckless hurry. Abruptly, the brush ended, and Lune found himself in a forest clearing. He stopped to catch his breath.

A thick, brambly ring of towering undergrowth enclosed this secluded area. Above, the treetop canopies did not reveal the clearing, though during the day, golden light would come streaming through.

“This is the spot… It hasn’t changed much in ages. It’s like this clearing never feels the burden of time upon it. Like a separate world.” Lune walked cautiously over the grass, turning his head this way and that, desperately trying to find something.

“Haha! There it is!” Lune pounced upon a small mound of grass cleverly hidden under the shadow of a tree’s magnificent roots. Growing upon it were small white flowers with many delicate outward rays, beautiful like stars. Lune dug up the soil underneath the flowers slowly, uprooted them, then placed them in the center of the clearing with intense care. “Something as beautiful as that deserves to spread across the land, wild and free.” Lune looked upon the starry flowers, and, for a brief instant, he was showered with doubt. If he left the Sacred Kingdom for good, he probably wouldn’t see anything like them again.

Lune shook his head. “No, there’s no time. I’d better finish this before the real Assassins come.” Lune headed back for the uncovered mound, then frantically began to throw dirt, stones, and roots upwards with his paws. Finally, he struck something hard. “Yes…”

The cold stone glowed in the little light that was left. It gleamed silver in the rapidly approaching night, and as the sun sank lower, it began to glitter and shine stronger than before. Lune scooped it up and hastily carried it away in his mouth. He cast one last glance at the starry white flowers in the middle of the clearing, loth to let them leave his sight.

Then his expression changed. “If they grow here, why not in the Forgotten Kingdom?” Lune scrambled to the edge of the clearing where the largest ancient tree grew. Its trunk was thick and knobbly with old age; its branches hung heavily overhead, laden with fat, ripe fruit; its strong, leathery leaves – a deep, dark green – were bigger than his face. Lune placed the Moon Stone at the tree’s roots and began to climb the short, bent trunk.

Soon after, Lune descended, grinning with a leaf full of shining golden berries. He picked up the Moon Stone, then turned his attention to the flowers growing in the center of the clearing. Gingerly, Lune pulled one flower out from the grass, being careful to leave some damp soil between its intertwined roots. He placed it amongst the berries, then folded the leaf to conceal them. “Gold Berries and an Evening Star… What a treasure. I’ll need some Miracleberries too, though. But most importantly,” Lune added, eyeing the Moon Stone, “I need to show Shockwave that I left of my own accord.” Lune bounded back to the Sanctuary, stopping on the way to collect several small but mysterious berries. At times, they blazed red like an internal flame burned inside them; or they sparkled an icy blue, like delicate frost in a snowfall; sometimes they even gleamed a rich forest green, and their scent was as refreshing as crisp mountain air or a garden of mint.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lune finally set foot in the Sanctuary once more. There he left the Moon Stone between long blades of grass. Shockwave would find it and understand.

Back when Shockwave had left the Forgotten Kingdom, Lune had hardly known him, and would certainly not have considered him a friend. In fact, their first meeting had not been a pleasant one: Lune remembered that he had begun to argue with Shockwave over some silly, insignificant matter. The argument quickly escalated into an unfriendly duel, in which Lune totally despised Shockwave’s annoying ability to remain perfectly calm. The worst part, of course, was when Shockwave actually decided to zap him “lightly”. What Shockwave considered a light zap seemed to Lune like a ferocious strike from a particularly brutal lightning bolt. It was more than just a little static shock.

After that, Lune decided that he hated Shockwave. Still, there was something about the Pikachu that drew Lune to him. When Shockwave left the Forgotten Kingdom in search of adventure, Lune followed soon after. That was when he discovered the Sacred Kingdom.

Lune remembered how excited he had felt in the new land, especially when he learned about the frequent tournaments. He could not wait to settle down in the Sacred Kingdom, which, at the time, seemed to him a far more interesting place than the Forgotten Kingdom.

The Moon Stone had been won from a special tournament that tested teamwork. He had been puzzled when he needed to find a partner, for he knew no one there… Or so he thought. Unexpectedly, and very much to Lune’s surprise, Shockwave had invited Lune to join the Tag Team Tournament as his partner, and together they had defeated all opposition. Lune felt that Shockwave should keep the stone, for he believed that their victory had been largely because of Shockwave alone. Shockwave had laughingly shaken his head and refused both the prize and the credit. In that short period of time, Lune’s respect for Shockwave had shot up exponentially just as his hatred for the Pikachu had dropped to none.

As for who should get possession of the Moon Stone, they decided that neither should keep it. Since there was no practical use for the stone, they agreed that they should hold on to it as a reminder of their victory; later, when they discovered the Sanctuary, they hid it in the forest clearing, promising never to disturb it unless it was sorely needed.

Lune breathed a sigh. He needed it now, all right. Saying one final farewell to the Sanctuary and all the good in the Sacred Kingdom, Lune padded off quietly into the night, being careful not to leave any trace of his steps behind, not knowing which he feared more: to be followed by Assassins, or by Shockwave.

[Lady Vulpix]

Touching ending. I find it as bit uncomfortable to read 5 paragraphs of flashbacks as a part of a thought, but right now I can't think of a better way to put them and they do tell a lot. It's still hard to imagine what Lune's and Shockwave's relationship was like back then, though. Then again, maybe the narrative reflects Lune's state of mind, as he wants to quickly review the past without stopping at any point long enough to feel too much.

Oh, and I learned a new word by reading this! :)

[Lune the Guardian]

Thanks, Gabi! Hmm... I'll need to figure out a way to fit that information in better somehow, if it reads awkwardly. Perhaps include some examples. I'll think about it. ^_^; By the way, which word did you learn?

Whew, I'm really falling behind! Sorry about the wait, here's the next chapter:


Chapter 15
Pursuit

As Shockwave ran, drawing in hasty gasps of air, his heart thudded urgently faster. A sense of alarm lingered about him; his eyes were glazed with terror.

“He’s gone!” cried Shockwave as he burst through the palace door, crashing into the wide lobby in which the two Guardians stood. Lady Naien looked concerned, but Lord Yoruno expressed little more than a slight interest in the matter.

Turning to Lady Naien, Shockwave uttered breathlessly, “I can’t find Lune anywhere. Something happened to him.” Shockwave had hastened to the Sanctuary, but the only traces of Lune’s footprints in the grass had faded off rather quickly as he followed the tracks, until the trail abruptly came to a halt and vanished from existence.

“Check more carefully.” Lord Yoruno was not worried. Lady Naien, on the other hand, had begun to panic, though she tried her best to hide it. The Houndoom looked over at the calm Lord Yoruno, who did not move or blink. Eventually, Lady Naien gave up trying to simulate the Umbreon’s indifferent manner and turned to Shockwave.

“How long has he been missing?” she asked. “Perhaps we could send out a search party.”

Shockwave shook his head. “You won’t find him that way.” The Pikachu could not remember feeling this overwhelmed before. In the past, he had handled any problems easily with his calm logic. Now it was different. Crying out with exasperation, Shockwave raised his arms in the air. Anything within his immediate area erupted with chains of lightning; the white marble floor beneath him was charred black from the electricity. Slowly, to calm himself down, Shockwave took deep breaths. He caught Lady Naien’s surprised gaze. “I’ve searched everywhere.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Lady Naien began, after she recovered from the shock, “except that we’ll be looking.”

“There’s no guarantee that he will ever be found,” said Lord Yoruno without emotion. “For all you know, he may be lying drowned at the bottom of some lake.”

Shockwave began to shake with visible anger.

“Or,” Lord Yoruno continued, “perhaps he’s stranded on top of an obscure mountain, buried under many feet of snow.”

Having heard enough, Shockwave turned his back to Lord Yoruno and Lady Naien. “I’ll find him,” he muttered through gritted teeth. “I’ll find him without your help.” With that, he left through the doors.


***

Shockwave splashed his face with cool river water, disheartened. He had scoured the Sanctuary for hours, and still he found nothing. The full moon had risen up above the treetops, high among the twinkling stars. It was nearly midnight.

But as the reflection of the moon in the rushing water broke into an array of white light, Shockwave saw something that he had not noticed before: a glint of silver in the long meadow grass.

The Pikachu hurriedly uncovered the stone. Light from the stars shone upon its smooth, cold surface, intensifying its glorious gleam as if it were a small, silver piece of the moon itself. Shockwave picked it up.

“The Moon Stone,” Shockwave muttered grimly. “So the matter was urgent.”

Then, bit by bit, Shockwave began retracing Lune’s steps, hoping that he could discover the Eevee’s whereabouts. He went first to the forest clearing where the Moon Stone had been hidden for so many years. There he discovered the patch of Evening Stars and the Moon Stone’s upturned resting place. He also noticed the tree laden with Gold Berries.

“Judging by the way those thick branches are bent slightly, the tree has recently been climbed,” he observed. “But why would Lune need Gold Berries? He would only bring them along if he planned to go on a long journey.”

Pacing back and forth, Shockwave began to sniff the air, then dropped to the ground on all fours and carefully followed a barely noticeable trail of slightly trodden grass out of the clearing. Soon, he came to the very tree from which Lune had harvested Miracleberries.

“Miracleberries? He was definitely setting off for a certain place. He’s always cautious; he wouldn’t want to be caught unprepared, and he wouldn’t leave in the first place without a plan.”

Shockwave frowned. “Lune left me the Moon Stone to tell me that he had left of his own will. However, that is the only thing he left me. He could have left me more. He was even careful enough to travel so swiftly and lightly that now I can’t even sense the path he took. That can only mean one thing: he thinks he’ll be followed.”

“But by what? Come on, think!” he told himself. “Well, Lune’s been increasingly worried recently, after that incident with Ryu. He couldn’t be afraid of the incompetent Ampharos himself; Lune has no respect for Ryu. The only thing that would be capable of tracing Lune if he had not hidden his trail from me would be… an Assassin…”

Shockwave nodded. “It’s possible. He doesn’t know that Ryu resigned. Lune’s been thinking too much these days. It’s likely that all the worrying finally got to him. At some point, something must have happened to make him believe that Assassins would pursue him.”

“Where is he heading for?” Shockwave whispered. He paused for a long while. “The Forgotten Kingdom… could it be?”

[Lady Vulpix]

'Loth'.

Funny, I was thinking about you when I refreshed and saw this chapter was up.

It was nice to see a wider range of Shockwave's emotions. And it's surprising how quickly Lord Yoruno assumed the worst and dismissed the subject. Or was it one of those cases in which what one means and what it comes out as are not the same?

[mistysakura]

Sorry, been busy studying! I've caught up now though :) Wow, Chapter 13 was a huge cliffhanger. What could possess Emperor Ryu to resign? Lord Yoruno and Lady Naien are stranely relaxed about it... do they have something to do with it? And why is he apologising to Lune? Does he have something to do with the Assassins? The description of the sunset at the beginning was weird though. Not in the description itself -- it was truly beautiful -- but in its placement. When something's so clearly wrong -- Lady Naien pleading, Lune gone -- Shockwave takes a moment to describe the pretty sunset. It seems to take away some of the foreboding sense. Although it did make me think "stop describing the sunset already, I want to know what happens!" so maybe it did work. :P

Chapter 14: Wow, it must be really hard for Lune to leave Shockwave like that, after all they've been through. Some of Lune's speech seemed a bit stilted (I don't know anyone who would say "It’s like this clearing never feels the burden of time upon it"), but I guess if that's how everyone talks in the Sacred Kingdom... This chapter really shows Lune's personality: how he plans everything and goes through everything step by step. Good work.

Chapter 15: Shockwave sure is observant. And Lord Yoruno is cold indeed. I expected a stupid response from Emperor Ryu, but why is Lord Yoruno so pessimistic? It sounds almost like he wants Lune to die. Is he behind the Assassins? But if he were, surely he'd be acting sad at Lune's disappearance to throw off suspicion... Lady Naien looks more innocent at this stage.

I wonder what these Assassins do, anyway... why would Lune be their target?

[Lune the Guardian]

Thanks everyone!

Gabi - Yes, Yoruno really does come off rather cold. I guess we'll have to wait and find out what he's really thinking, although that might not be such a simple feat!

mistysakura - Thanks for pointing that out, I really do have a problem with the insert-random-pretty-scene-here-just-because syndrome. I took a look and rearranged the order a bit, but perhaps it would be best to remove it altogether. ^^; As for Lune's speech, yup, in some future chapters characters will even comment on the way he speaks. Yoruno... He's a clever guy in some things, in others, maybe not so...

Let's hope that the next chapter somewhat answers some of the questions that you two have! I've written it, but I want to spend a bit more time working on it to make sure it turns out well.

[Lune the Guardian]

Chapter 16
The Emperor’s Secret

“Not that what you told Shockwave couldn’t possibly be true, but that did seem rather cruel,” Naien mentioned, addressing Yoruno. They sat on the spacious palace balcony now, overlooking the kingdom that was blanketed in darkness.

The Umbreon blinked, genuinely surprised. “Really? I didn’t realize that. I simply pointed out a possibility.”

“Well,” responded Naien, “You made it sound as if Lune had definitely been killed. That’s not something a friend would be pleased to hear.”

“I’ll remember that.”

From behind them, a third figure emerged, the bent silhouette of a weary Ampharos. He coughed heavily before joining the two Guardians.

Lord Yoruno glanced briefly at Emperor Ryu before returning his gaze to the kingdom below. “You don’t have much time left.”

The Ampharos nodded. His eyes showed hints of sadness, but on his face was a small smile of relief. “It’s been many painful years, but it will be over soon. I can depart knowing that I’ve made this Kingdom a better place.”

“Not as much as you’d think,” Yoruno pointed out. “You’ve made many mistakes. You have many enemies.”

Emperor Ryu recoiled slightly. Yoruno’s words had brought up a possibility that had not previously occurred to him. “Was I really not a good leader?”

“Everyone makes mistakes,” interjected Lady Naien, before Yoruno could add a comment.

“It wasn’t my idea to lead this place anyway. The Council told me that I was the best suited for the job. I suppose it doesn’t matter now.” The Ampharos sighed. “I am charging you two with one last important thing.”

“What can we do for you?” inquired Naien.

“For my… remaining time, I am going away. There are a few places I’ve been meaning to visit.” His tone became urgent, commanding. “I don’t want to be followed. I don’t need pity or regrets from pokémon I don’t know. Don’t let anyone find out why I am gone.” His recent speech provoked another violent coughing fit. Specks of blood littered the hand he used to cover his mouth. Struggling for breath, he managed to continue, “Don’t tell them what’s happening to me.”

“I’ll devise a cover story, but I won’t guarantee that others won’t try to pick it apart,” answered Yoruno.

Lady Naien assured the Ampharos. “You can trust us to keep your secret safe.”

Emperor Ryu nodded, then reeled in pain. The movement had triggered an unseen attack. He clasped his head with both hands and shut his eyes, waiting for it to pass. After a while, he coughed, and color returned to his face. “I’m leaving now… before I forget where I want to go. Before I forget who I am.”

“Take care of yourself,” Naien told him softly, as he faded into the darkness. Slivers of moonlight reflected in the rivers under her eyes.

Yoruno made a gesture to comfort the Houndoom, but, changing his mind, left the balcony to give her space. “It’s ironic,” he said, almost to himself. “The meaning of Emperor Ryu’s assassins has been misunderstood ever since the term leaked out into the public years ago. He could have instantly dispelled the myth, but his stubbornness led him to perpetuate a cover story instead. Even now, given his last chance to redeem his name, he is too proud to tell the truth. A foolish decision, but nevertheless, his own to make.”

Emerging from within an unlit marble corridor, a dull yellow figure padded noiselessly out of the palace, pondering what he had just heard. Still bothered by the reasons for Ryu’s resignation, the Pikachu had come to investigate before going after Lune. He was confident that his deductions as to Lune’s whereabouts were correct, but it was too risky to ignore the unknown factor. Shockwave got his answer tonight, but it was far from the one that he had expected. “Ryu never trained Assassins at all,” he realized. “All this time, Ryu’s assassins were really the silent killers destroying him from the inside.” Shockwave gazed towards the eastern sky, imagining, for a moment, the Forgotten Kingdom that lay far beyond his sight. He would have to move quickly to catch up. “Wait for me, Lune. I’m bringing you home.”

[Lady Vulpix]

Wow... had you written this in your previous version? It does make things look quite different, even if Ryu still looks stupid. It makes me wonder why the Council decided he was the most suitable for the job.

[Lune the Guardian]

This is totally new, and it was one of the things I had meant to address in the previous version but simply forgot... In the previous version Ryu disappeared with no explanation at all, although Shockwave does still mention that the Assassins never existed - but it was never explained, and we just had to take Shockwave's word for it. Not that trusting Shockwave is bad, since he has the tendency to be right, but still. :P

In the previous version, Shockwave started after Lune right away, without visiting the palace first. By the time I realized that I'd forgotten to include what happened to Ryu, it was already several chapters too late. I hope this chapter doesn't seem out of place, because I've been meaning to put it in there. Let me know if you have any suggestions :) I had some difficulty writing this chapter, but I wanted to show, without going out of character, that Ryu wasn't exactly evil (albeit an unqualified leader with an ego).

I've written and rewritten this chapter several times, afraid of how it would turn out, but the real test is what the readers think. If you've got anything to suggest, it would be very helpful.

Thanks! And thanks so much for reading my chapters so quickly!

[Lune the Guardian]

What's this? Another chapter!


Chapter 17
Flight from Peril

It was a cold night. As Lune treaded carefully upon the paved golden path, he was thankful for the starlight that illuminated the way. After he had gotten through the narrow cavern, he had decided to travel by the main road, for two reasons: the very convenient and speedy passage it provided, and, more importantly, the frequency of its use. It would be impossible, especially the next day, for his tracks, trodden upon by hundreds of others, to be remotely traced. No Assassin could follow that trail. Even Shockwave could not do it.

Lune felt a powerful ache as he left the kingdom behind. He hated the fact that he could not say goodbye to Shockwave. If he had, though, Shockwave would not have allowed him leave alone. Lune knew that the Pikachu loved the Sacred Kingdom as if it were his own native soil. It would be unfair to Shockwave if Lune had let him set off on the long journey for home. Shockwave was happy in the Sacred Kingdom, and Lune did not want it to change. Besides, Assassins were bred to kill coldly, and take pleasure in the killing. If they caught Lune, he did not want Shockwave to be caught with him. It hadn’t occurred to Lune that, regardless of what he did to prevent it, Shockwave would come after him anyway.

A fork in the road split the main pavement. One led far into the west, where green, abundant forest stretched on for miles. On the trees, an endless bloom of luscious fruit hung, beckoning to hungry travelers. The narrower road crawled into a peaceful darkness that was often mistaken for something more sinister. For this reason, many avoided that abandoned path.

At the end would be a gate, a shadowed gray under the twilight, and a faded gold under the rays of the sun; it was barely noticeable, and would usually be missed by the unwary observer. Through the gate was a long journey by a secret valley, closed in on both sides by mountains tall and proud. Those on the left remained blossoming in eternal spring, while the range on the right raged perpetually with bitter cold winter. The valley itself, Lune recalled, smelled sweet, as a meadow in the summertime. The young grass sprouted often with flowers of all kinds, and the field was a yearlong sea of joyous color. Here birds sang sweetly of their happiness, in such melodies few alive had ever heard. For those who appreciated such treasures, the long journey would seem to end too soon.

This was the beauty that Lune remembered, from when he passed through long ago. Behind that hidden gate lay a secret haven; beyond that haven lay his beloved home. Lune smiled, walking slowly down the lonely road into the darkness, dreaming of the wonders that lay beyond the gate ahead.


***

The gate was guarded. First to catch Lune’s eye was the apparent leader of the group, who now stood in the center of the circle, whispering inaudibly. The Sneasel, slightly taller than Lune would have expected one to be, was slender, muscular, and formidable. The way he stood with such confident pride reminded Lune somewhat of Lord Yoruno; but the Sneasel he saw had something else – energy, perhaps – and the spirit of a rebel fighting for a cause. Lune could see, marked on the Sneasel’s face, light of determination and the faint hint of great but well-hidden power. It looked as if the Sneasel was, like a coiled serpent, waiting patiently for something… and when the time finally came, he would strike. To Lune, though the Sneasel was of feline race, his features and the look in his eyes more resembled those of a fox: stealthy and cunning.

Behind the Sneasel was a large cat, whose pearl-white fur gleamed in eerie coldness under the moonlight. She flicked her short black ears tensely, remaining ever watchful, ever vigilant and distrustful. Blood red was the jewel on her forehead, glinting like the Assassin Golduck’s did in Lune’s vivid dream.

To the right, a Nidoqueen sat on a fallen tree, tenderly rubbing her wounded foot with an herbal leaf. She appeared to have been injured in some kind of battle. Her left ear was notched; her rounded horn was blunter than it was supposed to be, and bleeding; the bony spines on her back were cracked at parts; and her tough, blue armor was covered with bruises and scratches. Worst of all was her wounded right foot.

“Ningai,” said the Sneasel softly, “how is the leg?”

“The pain is gone, Élan,” she replied. “These healing leaves are a blessing to us. They have saved our group from utter despair many times before. I should hate to imagine what we would do without the seirin. This is the only place the plant will grow. We must not lose hold of it.”

The other group members nodded in agreement. A Slowpoke yawned, gazing into apparent space with such a blank expression that Lune could swear that it looked as if not a thought passed through the Slowpoke’s head. The Slowpoke swayed back and forth, seemingly out of boredom, and swished his pink tail in the air, lacking something better to do. His goofy resemblance to an undersized hippopotamus was mostly due to the fact that he had large lips, along with the only four big, flat teeth that he had in his mouth. His pink skin was smooth and unbroken, in sharp contrast with the rough, bruised hide of Ningai.

Slightly apart from the others lay a silent, pensive Dragonair. His long, snakelike body shimmered under the silver stars. If he moved, his skin appeared to shift color. First Lune thought it was a soft lavender shade, but it changed then to a deep, shadowed blue, and then almost to a glittering silver. Upon the Dragonair’s head was a small, sharp horn. His milk-white ears, in truth, were small, intricate wings of delicate design. The magical carbuncle under his chin glowed brightly, as did the indigo beads near the end of his tail. The Dragonair was deep in thought, and did not speak.

Lune backed away from the moss-covered stone wall. He could not get by without being seen; confrontation was not an option. And so he realized that the Hidden Valley was closed to him, and that he would have to find another route. The Mountains of Spring, protected by dense forests, were out of the question. Lune turned fearfully to the range on the right, reluctant to climb into the foreboding mountains that towered overhead in eternal winter. He paused and closed his eyes, gathering up courage. At that instant, he felt something quickly wrap around him, and uttered a muffled cry when the Dragonair looked him in the eye.

“I am Senryu. Struggle if you wish to die.”

[Lady Vulpix]

Yay, the meadow! Still one of the most beautiful locations I've seen depicted in a fic. And it's also nice to see these characters again, even with Senryu's last line. (Oooh, I missed Senryu.) Is everyone who passes by immediately assumed to be an enemy?

[Lune the Guardian]

Hehe. I like Senryu too. ^_^ They've suffered a recent attack, and Ningai is especially injured - so they're being extra cautious at the moment. Lune was observing them quietly, so his behavior might have also triggered some extra amounts of suspicion.

[Lune the Guardian]

Chapter 18
Resistance

“I don't trust him,” the Persian hissed. “It was only yesterday that Ningai had to put up with those nasty officials. How do we know he's not one of them?”

“Who the heck are you pokémon?” Lune asked irritably. He did not appreciate being constrained by Senryu like a bound prisoner.

“How dare you say that? I'll tell you who we are!” the Slowpoke cried. “Our clan fights against Emperor Ryu, and we want him to give up his throne. Not that he's a bad emperor or anything. He's just lazy, hypocritical, and mean. But he's still a good emperor!”

“Emperor... Ryu?” Lune repeated, blinking.

“Luktam, enough,” snapped the Persian. “Don’t tell every stranger about our plans. Idiot.”

“Oh, Charisma, give me a break,” Luktam retorted. The Slowpoke rolled his eyes. “I'm not that stupid, you know.”

Lune interrupted their quarrel. “Wait. You said that you are against Emperor Ryu?”

“Yes, Eevee,” Ningai answered. “We despise him. Now, please tell us: are you working for the emperor?”

“He has to be!” said Luktam excitedly. “Why else would he be prowling around here and spying?”

“Shut your oversized mouth! Don’t you ever compare me to that worthless Ampharos.” The Eevee, flushed with anger, tried to wriggle out of Senryu’s coils. “Let me go!” he cried, but his efforts only made the Dragonair squeeze harder. Lune whimpered.

The Sneasel held his hand up, signaling enough. “Release him, Senryu.”

Senryu closed his eyes and nodded slowly. He still thought that Lune was a threat, but he would trust his respected leader's judgement. Lune broke free and shook himself, relieved.

Élan approached Lune. “Unnamed Eevee, who are you, and why are you here? Do not lie, for we will know.”

At ease now that he was no longer constrained, Lune’s breathing slowed back to normal. “My name is Lune. This evening, I dreamt of Assassins.” Lune sighed, weary. He walked to the center of the ring of logs and stood by the crackling fire. Then he turned to face his captors. “I had previously enraged Emperor Ryu, and when I confronted him, he threatened exile. The dream I had today was horribly vivid. I'm afraid that Assassins may very well be after me. For that reason, I fled. I'm leaving the Sacred Kingdom for home.”

Élan was frowning. “He couldn't do it himself, so he sent Assassins instead.”

Shivering, Senryu withdrew from the group. Charisma, too, was bothered. Ningai rose. “Élan, please do not speak of the Assassins,” she pleaded. Luktam alone remained unafraid. Whether this was due to ignorance or courage was not certain, but Lune was willing to bet on the former.

“I won’t do it in the future,” Élan replied apologetically. “We are fortunate that none have confronted us so far. The propaganda officials play dirty, but we can handle them.” He turned to Lune. “Lune, as you call yourself, we won’t obstruct your path. You are free to come and leave as you please.”

“Thanks,” said Lune, beginning to like the Sneasel. “I was hoping to pass through the gate into the Hidden Valley, but if Emperor Ryu's spies ask, you can't lie for me without putting yourselves at risk.”

“We don't have to lie about your whereabouts if you don't pass through the gate. When they ask whether we've seen you go through it, we can deny it, and we'd be telling the truth.” Élan smirked.

“Élan, should we really be trusting that Eevee?” Charisma asked. “For all we know, he may just be a brilliant storyteller.”

Luktam stepped in front of Lune, glaring. “You're not going anywhere.”

“Let him leave, Luktam,” said Ningai.

“I won't! Not until he takes the Oath!” Luktam yelled. “He's not one of us. Until he swears loyalty to our clan, I won't let him sneak away from us. I won't trust him until I see our mark on his ear.”

Élan placed his hand on Luktam’s shoulder. “He seems trustworthy enough. Let him be.”

The Slowpoke hesitated, but dejectedly gave in. He hated Lune, but he trusted Élan more.

“I’m sorry, Lune,” Élan said, “but Luktam gets excited at times. Go ahead. We’ve used up too much of your valuable time.”

“Actually, I’d prefer to stay for a little bit longer. What is the Oath Luktam talked about, and what is your mark?” Lune asked.

“The Oath is taken by a pokémon who wishes to join our clan,” Élan explained. "It is an oath of loyalty that binds us together. Betrayal is punished with a permanent expulsion from the group. Depending on the potential danger of the individual to us, we will either imprison or place the traitor under careful watch. We bear our mark on our ears.”

Only now did Lune notice that each of the pokémon before him wore, on the right ear, a sparkling ring of gold.

“You do not have to take the Oath,” Élan told Lune.

“Any ally against Emperor Ryu is valuable,” Lune replied. “I was planning on hiding in my home State forever, far away from the Sacred Kingdom. However, seeing that I am not alone in my own resistance gives me hope. I will continue fighting against Emperor Ryu. I may not have been born in the Sacred Kingdom, but I am thankful for all that it has given me. I’ll find a way to save it from its incompetent tyrant. The Sacred Kingdom deserves a better future.”

“With such spiritual fire, I don’t see how you could have given up hope in the first place,” Élan said. “But all is well, it seems.”

“Well,” Lune began, turning to face each member of the group, “will you accept me now?”

“Gladly,” Élan replied. “You can travel by the valley. We will cover for you.”

“I won’t jeopardize any of you,” said Lune firmly. “I’ll travel by the Mountains of Winter.”

Senryu shivered, but said nothing. Ningai, as gently as she could, placed an open gold ring on Lune’s right ear, then let it clasp together, permanently sealed by magic. Lune flinched, but the pain vanished when Ningai treated the puncture wound with a seirin leaf. Luktam merely watched in indignant disbelief, Charisma in wavering distrust.

“We look forward to your safe arrival at your home,” Élan said, waving goodbye to Lune, who had already disappeared into the shadows.

[Lady Vulpix]

Nice chapter... even if it feels awkward to see a resistance building up to fight a threat that's no longer there. It would be nice to know more about this group's past. The previous time I read this I thought they had been attacked by Ryu's assasins.

Very minor detail (I'm only telling you because I'd like to fix it if it were one of my stories): there's a missing quote mark before It is an oath.

It was funny when Lukhtam said he was not that stupid. Did he mean he was willing to tell a stranger their goals but not their plans?

Charisma seems to be the wisest at this point.

[Lune the Guardian]

Thank you, Gabi! Missing quotation marks drive me crazy.

I'll think about how to make the distinction between officials and the fabled Assassins more clear. I hadn't thought about the possibility for confusion, but now that you mention it, the connection makes a lot of sense. Thanks a lot for pointing this out! I'll add or change some things.

As for resistance against a non-existent threat, I guess that's the irony of Lune's life ^_^;

[Lune the Guardian]

Chapter 19
The Mountains of Winter

The cold was unbearable. Harsh winds stung, biting at raw flesh. Lune’s right ear felt especially bare. Though totally frozen, the wound around the golden ring burned the worst. Whenever another hostile wind blew by, Lune shivered uncontrollably, for his fur was caked with fallen snow, and the freezing air felt magnified a thousand times, as if Lune had just jumped into the icy waters of the Misty Lake and was now in the middle of an arctic gale.

Ningai, along with giving Lune some strong vine rope so he could hang his carrying leaf around his neck, had packed several seirin leaves with Lune’s berries just in case. But Lune found that what he needed most was the lone Evening Star that he had hidden among the rest of his pack. He often looked upon it whenever he felt that he could not go on; and in its celestial beauty, the jewel of all flowers, Lune found spirit and renewed hope. Through all the trials thus far the Evening Star had survived, and its loveliness had been preserved. Lune was glad of it. Otherwise, trudging on miserably through the endless blinding white, Lune would tire soon, and in his faltering die.

He had been travelling for days now, resting scarcely if he managed to find some shelter – usually in the lee of a small rock to escape the wind for a little while – and eating precious little. He was saving his Gold Berries for desperate situations, unsure of how much longer this frozen hell would last.

A trickling of water brought the dead wasteland to life. It was the only sound of anything remotely friendly that Lune had heard for days. Its silvery song was soft and comforting, but sad. There was mystery to its notes, as if something hidden deep inside – some dark secret, perhaps – that had laid concealed for eons of time, was yet to be discovered. Lune followed the gentle stream, which swiftly grew into a wide, easy river. Gates of snow closed the river in on either side. The only way past was through the water itself. Lune prepared to dive.

Suddenly, the frozen earth trembled. A large shadow, ominous and foreboding, rose from the dark depths. Its segmented, serpent-like body sparkled like the brightest blue sapphires of all, glittering as meager light cast shades of faded rainbow upon the specks of ice and snow upon its skin. As an aquatic creature, it had no legs, nor arms, but fins: jagged ones that gleamed white along its spine and at its tail. The ones protruding from its face on each side were the largest of them all. The dragon bore long blue whiskers beneath its chin. Its jaws were cruel, filled with rows of teeth as sharp as knives. Weak from the journey, Lune wondered if he had the strength to deal with such a vicious specimen of a Gyarados.

“Who are you, stranger?” the Gyarados questioned in his thundering voice. “My name is Surge, and I’m the appointed watcher of this gate. You won’t get through until I know who you are, and you won’t at all if you’re an enemy or a spy.”

Lune was silent, too surprised to speak. Surge’s accent was intimately familiar, as was the very nature of his name. “Surge,” Lune began, “is not the kind of name that you would hear in any place but the Forgotten Kingdom, my land. Your accent suggests that you come from there. Let me pass! I long for home.”

Surge, however, was not convinced. “You sound different. If you were once from here, I can’t tell. Your accent is foreign.”

“No, not completely foreign. It has just been mixed with the dialect of another land. Don’t you hear traces of our tongue in my speech?”

“Well, maybe a little, but that doesn’t prove anything. You might just be trying your hardest to imitate the Forgotten Kingdom’s accent right now. By the way, if you were from the Forgotten Kingdom, you would definitely have preferred to go by the Hidden Valley. Why did you choose the Mountains of Winter? Please realize that your behavior is very suspicious.”

“Assassins would have pursued me. If I had traveled by the Hidden Valley, I would have been caught.”

Surge remained doubtful. “What is your name, Eevee?”

“I’m Lune. The Forgotten Kingdom is my home. Please do not keep me out any longer!”

“Lies!” roared Surge. “Impostor! Lune the Guardian died many years ago; he was never found. He had gone on a journey, promising to come back soon, but never returned.”

“That was my mistake,” Lune sighed. “I was enchanted by what the Sacred Kingdom had to offer. I was selfish not to send back news of my whereabouts. I regret it now.”

“Lune the Guardian had a light in his eyes that I don’t see in yours. Call it faith, if you will. The way he carried himself, he seemed to believe that he could do anything. You are a stranger, but I can tell that you don’t feel that way.”

“I’ve changed.”

Surge considered the Eevee quietly. When he spoke again, he sounded almost sad. “You’re different than he was. I didn’t get a chance to speak to him personally, but I could tell from what others said about him. He loved the Forgotten Kingdom long before he became its Guardian. He wouldn’t have turned his back on us to go somewhere else.”

“I don’t deserve that image,” said Lune flatly. “You may not want to believe it, but I really abandoned the Forgotten Kingdom. I’m not as admirable as you make me out to be.”

The Gyarados shook his head firmly. “Lune the Guardian is dead.”

“Would you still believe that if I showed you this?” Lune drew back his hairs to reveal the small, glowing stone on his forehead. “I’m sure you’ll remember this Everstone. You must admit that I am the only one who ever showed this feature. It is the result of an accident, neither natural nor intentional. I nearly died that day. I don’t remember who found me under that landslide at the Lonely Hills, but I was lucky.”

At this revelation, Surge was outraged. “Is this your idea of a joke? How dare you insult our late Guardian with this imitation? I don’t know what devious plans you have for the Forgotten Kingdom, stranger, but I won’t let you through.” The Gyarados brought his long, heavy tail down upon the riverbank, missing Lune by mere inches. Growling, Lune carefully placed his leaf aside and prepared to fight.

[Lady Vulpix]

Ah, Surge again. And if I recall correctly, coming up next is one of the best battles I've ever read.

But now I'll have to add a new nomination to the bulk. The descriptions on this chapter were amazing. Of course, it's not good to overdo it and write 3 or 4 full paragraphs of pure description, but I loved the language and the imagery. Especially the part about the Evening Star, and the water's song.

[Lune the Guardian]

Aww, thank you, Gabi. ^_^ I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you.


Chapter 20
Master of Darkness

“If you get past me, I can’t stop you from reaching the Forgotten Kingdom,” said Surge. “But I’ll make it difficult for you.” The Gyarados rammed into the mountains of ice that formed gates beside the river. From the tops of each, broken rocks and great heaps of snow tumbled down the gates, piling up in the middle of the river and completing the blockade. Small gaps allowed the gentle river waters to flow through, but Lune knew that small as he was, he would not be able to fit. If he wanted to cross, he’d have to climb over.

“We don’t have to fight,” Lune sighed, “but if that is your wish, I will get past you, no matter what the means.” Lune hastily collected a sphere of ethereal energy, almost immediately hurling it into Surge’s face. In the short time that the Gyarados had taken to recover, Lune had already created a perfect, lifelike duplicate of himself to act in his place, and was now swimming to the newly formed buildup of snow.

Meanwhile, Surge, oblivious to the trickery, was ready to knock Lune out quickly and mercifully before the Eevee tried anything. Trembling energy crackled at his mouth. Lune reached the snow banks and began to climb…

Surge’s beam lanced through the duplicate, reducing it to a pile of ashes. Quickly overcoming his surprise, Surge turned immediately to the gates; Lune was nearly over.

With a single lash from his tail, Surge brought the midsection crumbling down into the river. Although Lune paddled as fast as he could, his weary body could not out-race Surge. The Gyarados curled his tail around his captive. “Close, but not quite.”

“You’ll be sorry you invited this,” Lune muttered, sinking his teeth through Surge’s hide and into tender flesh. Dark energy crackled through the wound. The Gyarados roared and began to thrash wildly; he had felt nothing like it before. Lifting his tail into the air, Surge lunged. Lune, ready, let go and splashed into the water before he met Surge’s jaws. He swam to the bank. “Does the dark energy hurt, Surge?” he mocked.

Surge, already sparking violently with an incredible amount of electricity, shook his head and frowned. “No, but this will.” The charge surged forth in a loud, clattering din; if Lune did not dodge, he would be terribly burnt by the tremendous amount of energy. For better or for worse, the Eevee waited. In an instant, the electricity exploded upon him; the snow beneath melted; some even began to sizzle. Pain rushed through every part of Lune’s body. He lay crumpled on the ground. Still, he smiled crookedly; when he managed to struggle to his feet, he tossed his head to the side and cackled.

While Surge might have thought it, Lune had not been helplessly idle. On the contrary, Lune had been paying careful attention to every single detail of Surge’s recent attack. Now it was his turn to strike back. “Surge, you’ve just made the mistake that will spell your downfall.”

As Surge watched in horror, Lune began to spark in the same way as Surge had just moments ago; but the Eevee, bright yellow with the surrounding electricity, posed a more fearsome threat to Surge than Surge did to him. “Gyarados don’t like electricity, do they?” Lune taunted. “Eat this!” The energy burst forward like radiant light, blindingly bright and swift as lightning. But Surge, in his terror, would not allow himself to be subject to such torture. Just before impact, a starry barrier leapt up to save him; the energy was absorbed and dispelled. Lune knew that Surge couldn’t keep that defense up forever. Such a shield cost great amounts of energy to build; as Surge attempted to create more of them, their chances of holding out against continued offensives would grow increasingly slimmer.

“Argh! I haven’t been forced to use my special ability in real battle before!” Surge cried. “Congratulations, Eevee, you get to die now. You’re too dangerous to simply keep imprisoned.” With that, Surge began to glow. Lune, hoping to interrupt the process, blasted the Gyarados with a particularly vicious bolt of lightning… But it was no use. Surge did not even display the slightest signs of discomfort. In fact, he looked energized. Lune remembered that as the energy had struck the Gyarados’s coat, it was absorbed.

Noticing the surprise on Lune’s face, Surge nodded, laughing. “You guessed it, Eevee. My special ability protects me from any regular energy-based attacks. As long as I keep up this protection, energy attacks feed me more strength. Sorry, but this ends now.”

Lune backed away. “You have traces of magic in your blood…”

“Yeah,” Surge replied. “I come from a line of gifted Gyarados.”

“Looks like I have no choice but to do this, then.” Lune closed his eyes and bowed his head. “I apologize, but you leave me no other option.” The sky immediately darkened into deep shades of chaotic violet. Overhead, clouds of ill omen swirled together threateningly. Dread hung in the air, so strong that it was as unbearable as the stench of a rotting corpse. Surge, trembling, became overcome with fear; his white glow faltered, then faded altogether. Completely motionless, Lune was enveloped in an aura of darkness; no light dared to venture near. Surge could feel the blackness weigh down upon his mind, devouring it. Shadows emerged from infernal depths at their master’s call; they circled the Eevee, swaying from side to side, awaiting his command. They knew Lune as the master of darkness, ever since he had discovered them within himself. His was the power to manipulate the fearsome shadows. At his bidding, they came together, shivering with delight, cackling, every instant creeping closer to the horrified Gyarados…

“Wait! Stop! PLEASE!” Surge cried.

For a moment, he had a brief respite from the advancing madness.

***

Battle Summary (Chapter 20)
Lune (Eevee) vs. Surge (Gyarados)

Surge - attack (target: snow heap, result: ice blockade)

Lune - quick Shadow Ball (target: Surge)

Lune - Substitute, attempt to climb gate
Surge - Hyper Beam (target: "Lune", destroys Substitute)

Surge - attack (target: ice gates)

Surge - Wrap (target: Lune)
Lune - Bite (target: Surge)

Surge - lunge to Crunch (target: Lune)
Lune - release Bite, dodge

Surge - Thunder (target: Lune)
Lune - Mimic (copy: Thunder)

Lune - Thunder (target: Surge)
Surge - Protect

Surge - Activate special ability: Energy Absorption
Lune - Thunder
Surge - energized by Thunder

Lune - Hidden Power: Dark
Surge - Forfeit

[Lady Vulpix]

What can I say? It did not disappoint me. :)

[mistysakura]

We don't have the internet at work, but I smuggled your fic in by CD-R to read, lol. Made my day. I haven't read the lastest chapter yet, but I really enjoyed the three previous chapters. Especially when the clan was introduced. Although there were chunks of description, each description picked out the really distinctive parts of each Pokemon, keeping up the interest. It's great that although so many characters were introduced in one go, their personalities were kept so distinct. I can't help but think that Luktam is right, and Elan ought not to be so trusting on impressions alone... how have they survived for so long, if they let any straggler join and openly proclaim their anti-Emperor aims? I guess not too many people come to the Hidden Valley anyway, but still. Surge seems to have the rigt attitude... great moment when he came out of the river. Good job :)

[Lune the Guardian]

Thank you, Gabi! I'm glad. :) It's probably not healthy, but I always have these sneaking suspicions that the things I do are not good enough. Whenever I read other writers' work I keep obsessing over how I wish I could write that well.

mistysakura - It made my day reading that the chapters made your day. ^^ Lune is indeed lucky that he got off so easily, and that Élan is the leader and not someone else. On a somewhat off-topic note, I've recently realized that I haven't read any of your writing, so I did some digging today and found the gem of a short story that is "Glitter". I didn't want to be a necromancer since the last comment to the thread was in 2007, but I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the piece. Your writing style is so... elegant, I think, is the word I'm looking for - and I'm sorry that I haven't been able to find more of your work. You did a wonderful job of maintaining the tension in that story. I think I was just as captivated reading it as I would have been while watching an action scene. I'm amazed at how you turned such a small, insignificant action of one man into something that seemed so very big.

[mistysakura]

There's stuff in my sig... although my sig's pretty old. It hasn't been updated since the beginning of the year, I think. And I do have a couple of short stories up my sleeve that I haven't posted yet, but the files are at home in another country, hehe. So that'll have to wait. Although I'm currently working on a poem and a short story, so we'll see how those turn out. Thanks for the feedback! It's hard to tell from a writer's point of view whether the tension is being maintained or whether I've dragged it on for too long, so it's always good to hear that things still work from a reader's point of view.

[mistysakura]

Chapter 20: yay, good battle. The way you described Lune's Hidden Power was amazing. I really feel for Surge now, having to go though so much spiritual (?) pain. And it was great because after Surge's special ability, it felt at if Surge was invincible, so it was particularly amazing to see Lune defeat him.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Finally got around reading this. Brilliant, just brilliant. It kinda has a majestical, fantasy, Lord-of-the-Rings-but-in-pokemon-style, feeling to it. To bad I read through it in an instant. Damn my fast reading skills, it's my special ability, curse you demon.

Anyway, can't wait for more.

PS: Are there other Lune stories in the archive or something?

[Lune the Guardian]

mistysakura - Thank you ^_^ Lune's Hidden Power is a scary thing. You're also living out of the country? Same here, I'm going to college in the US, it takes me 30 hours by plane to go home. =/

MeLoVeGhOsTs - Ooh, a new reader! Hi! I'm glad you enjoyed reading this. I do apologize for all the chapters being so short, I'm not able to put together long chapters like most writers. I just think, okay, that's a good ending point, and stop, then realize the chapter is really short! Must be my small attention span kicking in. :P There are a lot more chapters to Lune under the username Charizard04621, but I would advise you not to read them, because I am changing them this time around. They are many, many years old and going back, I'm finding things there that I thought were good at the time, but reads terribly as I revise them. Sometimes critical information was missing and never addressed again... Sometimes the characters were very flat, or told rather than shown, I am trying to work on that.

I think I may have posted two or so one-shot pokémon fics under 04621 too, if you need something to keep you occupied while waiting for chapters, and would like to read those instead. One was about a Dragonair named Legacy, and the other was a Sneasel named Flint. There's another short story named Live but that's an attempt at a real-world setting, no pokémon involved.

[Lune the Guardian]

Chapter 21
Lune the Guardian

“Lune! Lune the Guardian! It really is you… I’m sorry.” Surge began to add something else, but stopped. After a brief pause, he merely said, “Welcome home.”

“It took you this long to realize this?” Lune frowned, halting the progression of the shadows. The chaotic clouds cleared out of the sky, but there still was no light. “What made you change your mind all of a sudden?”

“Your Hidden Power…” Surge’s voice trailed off; he had to calm himself before speaking again. “The only Eevee in our entire history who had the power to completely control the darkness was you. The nature of a Hidden Power cannot be faked. Besides, if you were an impostor, you wouldn’t have been so hesitant to use your dark Hidden Power in the first place.”

Lune studied Surge carefully. “You look as if you have something you want to say.”

“No… It’s nothing.”

“You still can’t believe that I chose to leave, can you? Are you wondering why I made that choice?”

At this, Surge started. Lune had guessed correctly. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” said the Gyarados, averting his gaze, giving the Eevee face. “It was a long time ago.”

“The passage of time does not excuse my actions,” Lune replied. “I had no good reason to abandon the Forgotten Kingdom. I was selfishly pursuing my own goals. When Shockwave retired as a Guardian, the Forgotten Kingdom suffered a heavy loss. Instead of filling his role like I should have done, I left soon after I was made Guardian. My reasons, my wishes, are irrelevant. I have wronged you and everyone in the Forgotten Kingdom. For that, I apologize. I don’t expect forgiveness.” Lune limped to his discarded pack as the Gyarados watched silently. The battle had crushed Lune’s entire supply of Gold Berries and Miracleberries. The seirin leaves had been incinerated. Lune pawed desperately through the mess, hoping for a miracle. If only…

Surge’s voice cut through the heaviness in the air. “I hate to bother you, but what is that strange flower behind you? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Lune felt a rush of joy. “The Evening Star survived.” He picked it up gingerly. He would plant it in the Forgotten Kingdom as soon as possible.

“It’s beautiful,” commented Surge.

“This is… one of the things that held me at the Sacred Kingdom,” Lune told him. “But today is proof that this jewel can be shared with any land. This Evening Star has weathered bitter cold and violence. I fear, however, that it might not tolerate much more.” He stopped, troubled.

Lune remembered from what he had seen earlier that the river ended almost instantly after the snowy gates; a long, steep drop followed. Far below, the water crashed into an unseen pool. Lune couldn’t just jump down and hope to survive; not without Shockwave, anyway.

Surge followed Lune’s gaze to the waterfall and immediately understood. He lowered his tail for the Eevee. “I’ll take you down to the Forgotten Kingdom.”

As Lune climbed the Gyarados, he was glad for the rough hide that provided footholds. The icy water had made Surge’s body slippery; if his skin was smoother, Lune would surely have slipped and been washed away by the river.

Even for a Gyarados, going down this waterfall was no easy task. Surge had to carefully make his way down the Crimson Falls, for the entire drop was steep and littered with sharp rocks that jutted out here and there, gleaming cruelly red as if they fed on blood. The soft, sorrowful song of the river changed here; instead, the music was loud and demanding. Exactly what it pleaded for was unknown, but it could not be denied that its tone was urgently compelling.

Lune was glad when they finally reached the bottom of the falls. He felt as if he had not been able to breathe the whole way down, afraid that the slightest movement would send him crashing into the depths below. Now that he was safely on land again, he could release the terror that had built up during the descent. “Surge… Thank you.”

“It’s all right. I would have headed here soon, anyway, to get something to eat.”

“I am thankful that you brought me here, but what I meant was…” Lune stopped himself, realizing that some things are better left unsaid. “Ah, thanks again. Please excuse me; I am going to plant this very special flower and make sure that it is tended to with utmost care. It has saved my life many times. The next things I will look for are food, drink, and rest. I haven’t had much of any lately.”


***

Shockwave, despite his usually complacent manner, was rather agitated. He looked at the Sneasel before him, then at the Dragonair, Nidoqueen, Persian, and Slowpoke. He could sense that they knew something about Lune that they were hiding. When he had asked them whether they had seen an Eevee with an Everstone on his forehead, none of them reacted suspiciously; except for the Slowpoke, who had given it away by gagging, and then accusing Shockwave of being an official of Emperor Ryu.

“I’ll say this one more time,” Shockwave started, annoyed. “Ryu gave up his position as Emperor. Only Yoruno and Naien are left now. I know that you know something about my friend, and I’m not leaving until you tell me what I need to find out.” There was still no response. The Persian made sure that the Slowpoke didn’t reveal anything more.

“He could be in serious trouble, for Ho-oh’s sake!” Shockwave cried, throwing his arms up into the air. “Lune thinks he’s being followed by Assassins. I know him. He’ll be taking drastic measures to avoid them. You five know something about him. Tell me. Now.” The Pikachu’s cheeks began to spark.

Senryu reacted immediately. A calm light descended upon the Dragonair and his brethren, warding away curses and malignant effects. “I strongly advise against what you are about to do,” commented Senryu, positioning himself between Shockwave and the others. “There are five of us here, and one of you.”

“I’ve told you before. I’m not leaving until you tell me about my friend.”

“It is not my place to judge your recklessness, but I can still teach you a lesson in caution.” Senryu tensed, anticipating an attack. Moments passed, but the Pikachu and Dragonair merely stared at each other, engaged in combat with their eyes.

Élan held up his hand. “No need to get violent. I think he’s telling the truth.”

“You know, you could have done that a little sooner.” Shockwave crossed his arms and twisted his mouth into a mock-pout, but relaxed.

“Wait, that means Emperor Ryu isn’t Emperor Ryu anymore? Just Ryu?” Luktam asked, surprised.

“That’s obvious, you dolt.” Charisma hissed irritably.

“But that also means our clan is useless now!” Luktam said disappointedly. “We have to go our separate ways now. It’s too bad. I liked our clan.”

Senryu shook his head, saying nothing. Élan sighed. “Luktam, a clan does not simply have to disband once a single goal has been accomplished.”

“But we have no other purpose to be together now, do we?”

“Our clan is not all about fulfilling missions, Luktam. It’s more than that. If you really must have a purpose, though, I can give you another.” Élan frowned. “Emperor Ryu’s resignation brings up new problems… Now that only two Guardians exist, we are in danger of a dictatorship.”

Shockwave interrupted. “You really should tell me what you know about Lune now.”

Senryu cast a questioning glance at Élan, who nodded. “Well,” the Dragonair began, “as you suspected, he was fleeing from Assassins.” Senryu paused, hesitant. “…He was heading for his homeland by the Mountains of Winter.”

“WHAT?! I’ll be going now, then.” Shockwave bounded off at full speed with dread in his heart.

[Lady Vulpix]

Lune couldn’t just jump down and hope to survive; not without Shockwave, anyway.Nice hint! It makes sense when you're re-reading.

I wonder what it was that convinced Élan. Was it Shockwave's attitude?

It was also interesting to see how the clan reacted to the loss of their original purpose.

And I think Surge was very sensible in the end. It's also quite meaningful that only the Evening Star survived the fight.

[mistysakura]

Is Elan just way too trusting, or does she know something no one else does? It seems that the clan lets any sincere-sounding Pokemon pass, which can't be wise... althouh security seems to have gone up since Lune passed through. Y'know, the clan says they've lost their purpose, but I wonder how much they were doing in the first place. Were they just a motley crew hanging around claiming to be against Ryu, or did they actually do something? I love Shockwave's persistence. And how you described going down the waterfall was realistic, especially how Lune would have slipped off if not for Surge's rough hide. I'm looking forward to the next chapter!

[Lune the Guardian]

Ask, and you shall receive :P Granted, this does not explain everything yet.


Chapter 22
Unleashed Power

Senryu gazed at the Mountains of Winter, feeling uncharacteristically cold. In his lifetime, he had not expected to see anyone travel there by choice. Yet, within a night and a day, he had watched two figures pursue the icy hell: one reluctantly, shrinking back from the mountains that could swallow him at any moment, and one with a purposeful stride that revealed no hint of the torture that he was about to endure.

Most of the others were resting now. The thought of the intruders had not faded from their minds, but it had been nearly a whole day since the Eevee had come at night, and the Pikachu at near dawn. The sky was empty now, for the orange light had just vanished behind the Mountains of Spring, and during this brief transition, the moon had not yet emerged to claim its duties from the sleeping sun. Senryu watched for this moment each day, for it gave him a sense of closure, although he knew not why. Today, however, the sky’s momentary peace did little to ease his unsettledness.

The Dragonair glided silently towards Élan, the only other clan member left awake. Ningai had made sure that Charisma and Luktam were resting comfortably before she, too, allowed sleep to claim her.

Élan was recording something on a flat piece of tree bark with his claws. He turned around, immediately sensing Senryu’s noiseless approach. “It’s been years, and you’re still trying to surprise me. Are you ever going to give up?” he joked.

Senryu shook his head. He had learned long ago that Élan rarely missed even the slightest details. Still, part of him wanted to catch the Sneasel off guard, just once, if only to see his reaction. Senryu felt ashamed of this unreasonable sentiment and tried his best to suppress it, but sometimes his curiosity crept up on him before he could realize it. “Élan, how much longer can we maintain this illusion?” asked the Dragonair.

The playful light left Élan’s face, to be replaced with seriousness. “For as long as we have to,” he replied.

“I fear that may not be possible.” Senryu turned his attention to the sleeping Ningai, feeling pain as his eyes passed over each of her scars. Ningai protected them in many ways, tending to their wounds, shielding them from enemies, soothing their sadness… and bearing secrets. She has too many burdens, thought Senryu. “Luktam may be innocent enough to believe what you tell him, Élan, but sooner or later, Charisma will find out. The illusion was easy to hold up before, because we’d encounter Ryu’s officials any time he conducted a survey, but he isn’t the Emperor anymore. From the information you’ve gathered, Yoruno and Naien are decent Guardians. How long can you keep up this story about a dictatorship?”

“From their point of view, nothing will have changed except the leadership. I’ll still visit the Sacred Kingdom regularly. They’ll have no reason to suspect that I’m going there for information, rather than causing difficulties for the Guardians.”

“I understand our intentions, Élan, but do you think they could trust us again once they find out why we really welcomed them to our clan? Their purpose, their reason for being here, would be founded on a lie. Charisma will feel like a subject of pity. You know how much she hates that. And Luktam, what about him? He’s always believed in you.”

Élan placed his hand on his companion and gazed steadily at the Dragonair. “I don’t have a solution for that,” he said. “We can only hope that when the time comes, it won’t matter to them as much.”

Sighing, Senryu looked again at the sleeping figures, wondering how long it would be before their peace was broken. “And those two earlier? Are you sure that they are harmless?”

“Even if they realize what we really are, they’re not the kind to reveal secrets.”

“Is it safe to make that assumption?”

“If I’m wrong, we’ll deal with it.”

"And what if we can't?"

"We can."

“You always say that, Élan.”

“It’s the truth.”


***

Shockwave had brought few Gold Berries along for the journey; they were simply too much of a burden. Instead, he slung across his back a container that held a crushed mixture of both Gold Berries and Miracleberries, so that he could travel lightly. The golden juice had smelled marvelously sweet, and the soothing aroma of the crushed Miracleberries had alleviated Shockwave’s anxiety.

The case itself had been fashioned quickly but skillfully by Shockwave. It was made from the sturdy, lightweight shell of a large fruit that grew in the clearing where he and Lune had buried the Moon Stone. The fruit and its juices were bitter to the taste, and its durable shell hard to crack. Shockwave had broken it open carefully, though, and cleaned it with the rushing waters of the meadow’s stream. The way he had opened it, only the very top came off. Shockwave had cut into each exposed wall in such a way that the small top lid fit tightly back on the shell like a seal. The silver shell, shaped very much like a long gourd, was large, but very light; and it fit perfectly when Shockwave strapped it on his back with a tough vine. Ningai had given Shockwave some Seirin leaves, which he crushed and added to the juice. It sparkled and shone like gold even without sunlight. The juice was clear, like a diamond, but it was every beautiful color that ever existed. It was, of course, extremely valuable, and Shockwave sipped it sparingly.

The Mountains of Winter were worse than Shockwave had expected. The frightening stories he had heard about them in youth could not even begin to express the torment that these mountains truly were. The land was bleak and dreary, an eternal desert of ice and death. Bitter cold dwelt here, lashing spitefully at trespassers with its frozen whips of wind. Misery and despair were its powerful, evil weapons. If Shockwave had merely been lost here by himself, he might have perished. But he had a goal, and he would make sure that he accomplished it, no matter what: Find Lune… alive.

Running day by day through the blinding white, barely stopping to rest, plagued by worries that he would be too late, became for Shockwave an unthinking routine. It was a strain to breathe as he ran, from lifelessness to lifelessness, from cold to more cold. The whiteness seemed to last forever. Finally, Shockwave could hear the magical sound of a trickling stream that opened into a wide, gentle river. It felt as if life had been reborn. Laughing with joy, Shockwave dipped his hands in the cold water, then dove in.

Shockwave could hear the loud roaring of water. The easy river current had suddenly become swifter, and increasingly more difficult to swim against. Shockwave, guided through the snowy gates by the rushing water, cried out in alarm. A waterfall!

But now the current was too strong and stubborn. Even Shockwave could not move against its will. As he was thrown over the edge of the water, Shockwave, in mid-air, caught hold of a red rock that separated him from the death that waited below. It was fatally slippery, and every moment, the water that beat against Shockwave’s hands tested his grip. Terror seized Shockwave as he realized that the water had won.

Rushing colors ran into a blur. As the wind beneath Shockwave howled in his face, he could only wonder: Did Lune feel this, too? No, he thought. Lune would never have jumped into the river.

Shockwave grimaced to choke back his sorrow. Never again could he look forward to tomorrow, or wonder what surprises the next day would bring. If only he could find Lune one last time to say goodbye, it would be enough. But it was impossible. He would lie forever below the thundering Crimson Falls, unknown for eternity in his watery prison. It crushed his spirit to think about his lonely fate.

Then, as if in a dream, Shockwave heard a familiar voice calling: “Union of Soul!” Time seemed to cease its flow. It was surreal; Shockwave knew he was floating in peace. He could not feel his body. The crash of the waters on the rocks beneath him became muffled, like a fading song, as if nothing existed anymore. Nothing had meaning. A great wave of relief and joy washed over Shockwave then; his worries seemed to melt away. If this had been the first time Shockwave had had such an experience, he would have thought that this perfect state of bliss must be what the dead felt upon death.

Shockwave could not feel his body because, at that moment, he no longer had a body. His essence, his very being, was pure, a glowing light that shone with celestial radiance like a star. It was in this form of divine energy that he descended safely upon the earth. The Eevee who awaited him glowed also; his eyes were closed, and on his face was something Shockwave hadn’t seen for what seemed like ages: a smile, simple and true. At that moment, Lune looked like a king again. His youth shone in his face, and his golden fur sparkled with splendor like it did in days of old. Lune was no longer the bitter Eevee worn down by many trials; he was the Eevee of his childhood days, where not a single care crossed his happy mind. This Lune, reborn with the joy and vigor he used to have, was the one that Shockwave united with as he was called. As he joined the Eevee’s body, Shockwave felt a great weight lift from his burdened heart. Lune was sound, and he was alive again.

Immediately sense and order was restored. Whatever sight and sound had been dull and gray before now surged back over Shockwave with vibrant bursts of music and color. Shockwave knew that he was alive, and so was Lune, once more.

We haven’t done that for ages, Shockwave echoed through Lune’s mind. I had nearly forgotten what your special ability was.

“It’s been too long, hasn’t it?” Years ago, Lune and Shockwave had fervently traveled far and wide across the land in search of their special abilities, but no one could tell them the answer. Adviser after Adviser had tried and failed, directing them to faraway lands to seek help elsewhere. But all the time, the answers they sought had been within each other.

Lune remembered the day that he and Shockwave discovered their hidden potential. They had been exploring a deep cavern when Lune had fallen. The Tyranitar, whose lair he had disturbed, had immediately awoken in a reckless rage, and Shockwave, above, had been powerless to help. Lune remembered thinking that he would die that day; he remembered wishing Shockwave goodbye. But Shockwave would not accept it, and had cried out in fury. The change that overcame him was tremendous. All of a sudden, Shockwave was a well of power. Lune had felt a compelling force draw him into Shockwave’s body. He remembered how frightened he had been when he could feel his being, but not the warmth of the blood that ran through his body; and yet, he had felt strangely comforted, and knew that he was safe. When he had joined with Shockwave, the Pikachu had felt energized. Shockwave’s weariness and exhaustion had left in an instant, and Lune knew that Shockwave had become capable of far exceeding his limits in power. A while after they had escaped and recovered, Shockwave had called his power the Union of Spirit.

As for Lune’s Union of Soul, the effect was quite different. “Shockwave,” Lune began, “we’re going for a ride.”

All right! Shockwave cheered. This part is the coolest!

An aura of golden light enveloped Lune as he began to laugh lightheartedly. It was a feeling he had lately forgotten, and now he was getting to know it again. Joy filled his heart, and a sense of freedom. Gossamer wings seemed to sprout out of his back, soft like the clouds. Of pure energy, the silvery wings radiated with a brilliant white, and in them swam unmistakably the colors of the rainbow. As Lune leapt into the air, his soul leapt with him; he was free.

Below, two ape-like pokémon envied the soaring spirit in the sky. “You know, Toidi,” said the Mankey to the other, “I bet he knew all along how to teach us our special abilities that would help us defeat every single opponent we faced without getting hurt, but he was too selfish to do it. I don’t feel sorry that we attacked him the other day. He was being a thief, that’s what, stealing from us like that. Serves him right that he got in trouble with Emperor Ryu.” Nodding, the Aipom replied, “He deserves to be punished for his crime, Elbuort.” With that, the two left the Forgotten Kingdom and wandered off to visit other places that would benefit from their wise justice. After all, they were never wrong.

[Lune the Guardian]

And another one down, and another one down...


Chapter 23
Sage and Blaze

“Shockwave, don’t you dare do something like that again,” Lune scolded. He had, in fact, just awoken a short while before, when the sun had just begun to poke its warm rays through the morning clouds. There was a feeling of inexplicable dread inside of him, and something had dragged him to the Crimson Falls. He remembered the horror he had felt when he saw Shockwave shoot over the edge. It was worse than what he had felt when he himself had thought that the Tyranitar was going to kill him years ago.

Oh, come on, Lune. It’s not like I ran away from Assassins that weren’t really there, Shockwave teased.

Lune blinked. “Huh?”

Ryu resigned the day that you left. He even made a special apology to you.

“WHAT?!” Lune crashed into a big cloud, struck, as if he had, for the moment, forgotten how to fly. As he fell through, wisps of cloud trailed behind his wings. Lune regained his balance, but he was still shaken. “…I can’t believe Ryu actually did something right,” Lune said after a while. “That’s just… miraculous. But why?”

It’s supposed be a secret, but I found out, because I’m awesome like that. Shockwave stopped intentionally, savoring Lune’s suspense.

The Eevee gave in. “…And? Come on. I know you’re doing that on purpose.”

Fine, be boring. Spoil my fun.

“Shockwave!”

Okay, okay. I saw him talk to Naien and Yoruno at the castle. Ryu might be gone soon.

“Does that mean what it sounds like?”

Yeah. He’s been keeping it quiet for years. He called his illness his assassins. Someone that wasn’t supposed to heard the word and brought it outside. Ryu didn’t want anyone to find out the real meaning, so he had some rumors started.

Lune was silent for a while. “That… really changes how I see him,” he finally said. “He’s not around anymore, is he?”

Uh huh. It’s just Lord Yoruno and Lady Naien now. Maybe I’ll finally get to be an Adviser.

“Yeah. Probably.”

How did you get down the Crimson Falls? You wouldn’t have jumped down, and you couldn’t have flown without me.

“I rode down on a Gyarados.”

What was a Gyarados doing there? Why wasn’t it there when I came?

“Surge was the guardian of the eastern gate. I released him from that duty when we got down. It was such a lonely job. He was really happy when he didn’t have to do it anymore. We don’t need a gatekeeper in the Mountains of Winter. We need to invite visitors to the Forgotten Kingdom, not shut them out.”

Lune, it isn’t fair to just sort of tell me what happened, Shockwave complained. You’re not going to make me guess, are you?

“Why not? You were going to hold me in suspense forever. It’s only fair, don’t you think?”

Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuune…

Laughing, Lune began to explain. “I followed the river to the edge of the Mountains of Winter. When I was about to get into the water, Surge emerged from the depths and told me that he was guarding the gate. He asked me who I was, and when I told him, he refused to believe me. It was understandable, but creepy at the same time. He kept insisting that Lune the Guardian had died a long time ago, and that I acted way differently than I do now. He was right. Come to think of it, I took care of myself a lot better back then.”

Don’t stop in the middle of things.

“Well, after a while, Surge decided to discourage my progress by attacking. He made the mistake of aiming Thunder at me, which, of course, I Mimicked and threw back at him. Mine didn’t get to him, though; he raised a Protect barrier. Then things began to get interesting. He pulled out his special ability. I tried to zap him quickly to stop him from pulling off whatever he was attempting, but his special ability had already taken effect.”

He had an anti-electric ability?

“Worse. Surge’s Gyarados line has magic in its blood. When he activated his special ability, he could absorb any regular energy attacks and use every bit of the attacks to heal himself.”

What did you do?

“Hidden Power.”

Shockwave suddenly felt cold. You used your Dark type Hidden Power on him?

“I really didn’t have much choice. He got so frightened that he begged me to stop, so I called it off before any damage was done. By then, he finally realized that I really was who I said I was.”

There was a brief silence, but not for long. Shockwave still had questions left unanswered. You knew I was falling.

“I knew something bad was going to happen near the Crimson Falls. As soon as I arrived, I saw you shoot over the edge.”

We’re telepathically connected, I guess. Shockwave shrugged. I felt the same way when you were leaving the Sacred Kingdom. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what.

“Strange, isn’t it? Most Eevee and Pikachu are not born with Psychic abilities.”

I don’t think we were born with any telepathic connection. I think our link was made.

“Yeah…” Lune was silent for a while. He spread out his energy wings so they glittered in the sunlight like a rainbow, and let the wind carry him wherever it would. He loved the peaceful sky.

You have a gold hoop earring.

“Hmm? Oh. Yeah. I offered my alliance to a clan that resisted Emperor Ryu, and the earring is their mark.”

Kind of late, huh?

“Yeah. At the time, even they didn’t know that Emperor Ryu had resigned. I didn’t really bind myself to them, though. I don’t belong with them. I think Élan understood that. I did it partly to shut the Slowpoke up, actually. He was going to be a nuisance otherwise; Luktam, I mean.”

Wait, there was an annoying Slowpoke named Luktam? And they all wore gold hoop earrings?

“Yeah.”

I think I met these pokémon.

“Really?”

Uh huh. They pretended not to have heard about you, but I knew they were lying. When I mentioned your name, Luktam gagged and sort of freaked out; he began yelling something about Ryu’s officials. I think it was kind of funny, actually.

“Hmm, I should introduce you properly to them sometime. I’m actually planning to invite them to stay in the heart of the Sacred Kingdom instead of on its outskirts. It’s pretty lonely out there.”

Are you coming back to the Sacred Kingdom?

“I’m not sure.” Lune remembered the disappointment in Surge’s face when he’d shattered the Gyarados’s faith in his old image.

Are you worried about your Guardianship here?

“Yeah.”

Not like the Forgotten Kingdom requires a lot of care, anyway. This place isn’t close to as busy as some others. Come back to the Sacred Kingdom with me.

“I guess you’re right… There are already two excellent Guardians here. I don’t think I’ll be worried if I leave the Forgotten Kingdom in their hands.” But Lune could not push the doubt away.

Sage and Blaze are still here?

“Yeah. I talked to them several days ago. We should go meet them. They’ll be overjoyed to see you. When you left your Guardianship to me and went away, the Forgotten Kingdom wept for you, and not just because it had lost you as a Guardian. You were sorely missed.”

Okay, let’s go see them.


***

Lune had landed and separated himself from Shockwave, who was relieved to be in his own body again. The flight was fun, but after a while, being in energy form made Shockwave feel empty and hollow. Returning to his solid body made him feel whole again.

“Where are Sage and Blaze?” Shockwave asked.

“Blaze is probably in the House of Guardians right now. Maybe he’ll still be eating his breakfast.”

“What about Sage?”

Lune sighed. “Sage has gotten solitary over the years, even more so than he was back then. I think he’ll be taking a walk in the Lonely Hills over there in the north. He’s keeping a constant eye on the Forgotten Kingdom, though.”

“Let’s go see Blaze first, then.”


***

To Lune’s surprise, Sage was talking to Blaze when he and Shockwave arrived at the house. The garden outside had been left untended, but here and there things sprouted of their own accord with uncontested beauty. The day before, Lune had planted the Evening Star in their midst, knowing that it would thrive there, wild and free.

“Shockwave? Is that really you?” Sage asked, amazed. “Welcome back!” The Clefable smiled a sad smile. His eyes did not sparkle like Blaze’s, for Blaze was full of energy; Sage’s eyes were deep, dark, and filled with loneliness. Although his spirit was damp, his physical build was nearly perfect. His black ears were sharp as ever, and he could hear the smallest sound; his glossy, white fur was thick and shone in the light. His sturdy legs and muscular arms could rival the strength of a Machoke. On his back, the pink fairy wings that were never meant to carry his species into the sky were so uncommonly large and strong that it looked as if Sage could actually fly.

Blaze, too, was in good health. The flames on his head and the ones that came out of his lower back burned brightly, and his fur – jet black on top and cream beneath – was smooth, like a starless night. Most Quilava preferred to walk on all fours, although they could stand on two legs; but Blaze hardly ever set his forepaws to the ground. He never tired of walking upright. With his sleek mongoose body, he could run swiftly. Lune wondered why Blaze, who was in prime condition, could not seem to evolve into his ultimate Typhlosion form. He had evolved from a Cyndaquil easily enough.

“Hey! Shockwave! Good to see you! What’s up?” Blaze asked.

“Hiya,” Shockwave responded. “How are things going?”

“The Forgotten Kingdom is very peaceful nowadays. Sage and I don’t need to do much but watch. We’ll be fine managing it even without Lune,” Blaze answered cheerfully.

“Are you sure?” asked Lune. “If there’s anything I can do…”

“Don’t worry,” Sage said reassuringly, “Blaze and I can hold the fort. You’ll visit once in a while, won’t you? It’s a nice surprise to see you and Shockwave here again.”

“Yeah, we’ll visit sometime,” Lune promised.

[Lady Vulpix]

Great chapters! It was nice seeing Lune's special ability again. And the descriptions are as amazing as ever. :)

The conversation between Senryu and Élan is new, right? It was interesting to read it, even with its gloomy feeling.

And I liked the conversations between Lune and Shockwave a lot. :)

[Lune the Guardian]

Hehe, thanks, Gabi ^_^ Yup, Élan's interactions with Senryu are new. I like Senryu a lot, and I think he wasn't explored enough last time. I'm glad you liked the interactions between Lune and Shockwave. I'm rather fond of them too. :)

[Lune the Guardian]

Yes, yes, I know, I seem incredibly bored, don't I? Accept these chapters as a payment, I won't be posting more after this Thursday for a few weeks. Off to the Caribbean for Christmas! What a treat.


Chapter 24
The Hidden Valley

The cheerful singing of the birds blended in perfect harmony with the silvery river’s serenade. All about, the sweet fragrance of the meadow flowers put hearts at ease. A pleasant afternoon breeze carried the soothing aroma far across the Hidden Valley.

The clan had awoken early and decided to go hunting, for they had not had a decent meal in days. Before long, they had been drawn deeper and deeper into the enchanting Hidden Valley. Inside, they scolded themselves for ignoring this place before. Now they knew why Lune had looked as if he would die when he could not travel by the Hidden Valley.

It had been a fortnight since the clan had watched Lune head home by the dreaded Mountains of Winter. Ningai was slowly roasting a skewered Raticate and several Pidgey that Charisma had caught, at times adding flame to the fire. She had to wait for the fire below to cook the meat, for if she simply tried to roast it with her own flame, the food would be hopelessly burnt in an instant. Senryu, meanwhile, who did not fancy rat or bird flesh, hunted down Remoraid in the river and swallowed them whole. He preferred fresh fish, for they lost some of their virtue if they were cooked.

Lying by the river, Charisma patiently fished with her claws. Roasted Pidgey flesh was deliciously sweet, but she liked the occasional taste of a young Poliwag or Horsea. But the tadpoles were slippery and the little seahorses extremely difficult to catch, especially because Charisma did not swim. Being a Persian, the weight of water caught in her fur would literally crush her to death in a short time. Charisma looked up. She had smelled something unpleasantly filthy, and wanted to either get rid of it or move out of the way.

Yelling with mischievous delight, the Slowpoke burst out of the water with a large Krabby in his mouth, splashing Charisma with the warm river water in the process. A glittering blue stone slipped quietly away from Charisma’s right forepaw, unnoticed, until it was too late…

“Luktam, you idiot!” Charisma shrieked, immediately shaking the water out of her fur. It was then that she noticed the tiny blue glow in the river, her precious gem floating away… “My sapphire! No!” she yelled, stretching over the riverbank and making desperate efforts to retrieve the blue stone. As it began to sink, a playful Horsea stuck her head out of the water, and, seeing the sapphire, picked it up and darted off, much to Charisma’s dismay.

Charisma had found the sapphire long ago, in a spectacular land that she… No, she wouldn’t think of it now. Not after what had happened there. How could she have been born there, how could it have been her home, if something like that could happen? But the sapphire reminded her of a time when things had not gone wrong, and without it, only bitter memories remained… She needed her sapphire back.

Snickering, Luktam began to bounce around happily, as if he had just accomplished something highly respected and desirable. It wasn’t a particularly clever move. Charisma hissed. “It’s not funny! I’ll turn that stupid grin into an agonized frown!”

The Persian sprang forth, and would have easily caught her fleeing prey between her sharp claws and teeth had it not been for Senryu, who wrapped his tail around her and gently lowered her to the ground. “You do not want to touch Luktam,” he told her. “I have seen where he has recently been. Do you know where some Krabby and Kingler hide?”

Face twisted in disgust, Charisma said, “I’ll get even with him later.” Senryu smiled inwardly.

“I saw that Horsea take off with your sapphire. I know how much it means to you. Do you want me to try to retrieve it?”

“You would do that for me?” Charisma asked, very hesitant.

“Certainly. Give me a few minutes to find the little thief. I’ll stun her temporarily with a mild Thunder Wave, just enough to get the sapphire back.” Senryu winked and was gone. Charisma stared after him, thinking.


***

“Luktam!” Ningai called. “I’ve cooked your Krabby. The Raticate and Pidgey are ready, too. Charisma, Senryu, Élan, come!”

Senryu did not hear. He had gone far upstream in search of the Horsea, but could find nothing, not even in the hiding places where colonies of Horsea usually dwelled. Perhaps word had gotten throughout the river that a Dragonair was hunting. But Senryu did not wish to return empty-handed. He would do anything to see Charisma smile, for nowadays, the Persian was rarely happy. Senryu could not remember the last time that Charisma had taken down the barrier between herself and the rest of the world.

Pokémon were not born to desire utter loneliness. The first time Senryu saw Charisma, he had found her stationary body under a tree. She looked detached from the world, and the folds in her skin suggested that she had not eaten in a long time. He’d carried her to Ningai and Élan, and the three had brought the unwilling Persian back to life. None of them asked her where she came from, or why she had lost her will to survive, for they thought it wise to give her the privacy that she so desperately seemed to want. Senryu’s face darkened as he recalled what Charisma had told Ningai, several years later.

Élan was making his way down a tree when Lune and Shockwave arrived. The Sneasel held several eggs in his hands, all from the nest of the Pidgey family that Charisma had caught. The eggs would be a treat, for he had not had them in a long time. Besides, it would have been wasteful to leave them there to hatch into a world where there were no parents left to care for them.

Lune was just as surprised as Élan when the two saw each other. “Élan? What is the clan doing in the Hidden Valley?” Lune asked.

“We were hunting,” Élan replied. “I feel sorry now that we didn’t enter this place sooner. It is a wonderful paradise.”

“It’s that evil Pikachu again! And Lune brought him here! I knew there was something sinister about that Eevee. Traitor! Oh, no! We’re all gonna die!” Luktam cried, running about on his short legs in a panic and frantically waving his tail in the air.

“Shut up,” Charisma demanded as she slinked slowly towards the group.

“Relax, Luktam,” Lune said, trying to hide his irritation. “This is my friend, Shockwave. To my understanding, the clan has not yet met him properly.” Lune began the introductions, pointing at each clan member as he did so.

“So,” Élan began, “where did you go, Lune? You told us that you were going to your homeland, but not where it was.”

“The Forgotten Kingdom,” Lune said, with a tinge of pride.

Upon hearing the name, Charisma hissed. “Do not mention that place any more.”

Lune was puzzled, but one look from Ningai told him that it would be wise not to pursue the matter further at the moment. Instead, he asked, “Where is Senryu? Shockwave has yet to meet him.”

“I’ll find him,” said Charisma. No one challenged her wish. “If he hasn’t found my sapphire by now, I’m going to ask him to stop looking.” With that, the Persian ran, heading upstream.

“Care to join us for lunch, you two?” Ningai invited.

Lune could feel his mouth water inside. He had not had meat for a while, for he disliked hunting. Although in battle he would be vicious, he could never find it in his heart to kill, not even if his targets were wild pokémon that had not adapted to civilization and language. For the past few weeks, his diet had consisted mainly of berries – something he felt tired of at the moment. Shockwave, however, took one look at the dead Raticate and felt sick. He did not show it at all physically, but Lune alone could feel it. Shockwave himself was a rodent, and the sight of the Raticate made him feel ill at ease. “It’s okay. I’ll stick to berries. Berries are good,” he said.

Lune accepted portions of the Pidgey, but did not touch the Raticate. Meanwhile, Luktam, having already finished his Krabby, wished that he had caught more than one. Charisma and Senryu were still gone.

After everyone had eaten their fill, and there was still no sign of Charisma, Lune ventured to ask the question that had been bothering him for a while. “By her name, it sounds as if Charisma was born in the Forgotten Kingdom. Why, then, does she hate its mention?”

Ningai sighed, and for a long while, did not speak. Finally, she said: “I know it is hard to believe, but Charisma was cheerful once, when she lived in the Forgotten Kingdom. But…”

“Tell us what happened! Tell us why Charisma is so mean,” begged Luktam, bouncing excitedly.

Casting a stern look at the Slowpoke, who immediately became dejectedly quiet, Ningai continued. “First I will tell you about Laurelin. She was an extraordinarily beautiful Bayleef, with leaves of gold in a ring around her neck, and one large, sparkling leaf growing from the top of her head. Her eyes were a bright sky blue, and her silken coat shone with the gold of her leaves. Laurelin and Charisma used to do everything together. There didn’t seem to be a more wonderful pair. Charisma thought that Laurelin was her friend; she trusted the Bayleef with her life.”

There was silence for what seemed like a painfully extended moment. Then Ningai gathered up the strength to speak again. “One day, Charisma and Laurelin were taking a walk in the Lonely Hills of the Forgotten Kingdom. Something happened, and Charisma fell, but managed barely to cling on to a ledge. Although Laurelin could easily have saved Charisma with her Vine Whip, she simply laughed and walked away. It was only later, after Charisma escaped from death alone, that she found out that Laurelin had pushed her off the cliff, intending to kill her. Charisma discovered that for all the time that she thought that she had been friends with Laurelin, the Bayleef was only looking for revenge. Charisma learned that a while back, her parents had helped the existing Guardians of the Forgotten Kingdom to secure the banishment of Laurelin’s father from the land. He was previously proven to have viciously murdered seven pokémon, who had come to the Forgotten Kingdom to visit, but he still maintained that they deserved to die. He gave no reasons. His actions antagonized all of the lands from which each individual visitor came. For a time, the Forgotten Kingdom lay in threat of a seven-front war. Fortunately, the Guardians managed to convince the other lands to remain peaceful… But the Forgotten Kingdom has had edgy relations with them ever since that incident. That was long ago. Charisma still has terrible recollections when she hears mention of the Forgotten Kingdom. Forsaken, she left and never went back. Charisma trusts no one now, for fear of being hurt again. She forces herself not to feel any love or compassion. I worry for her.”

“She told you all these things, Ningai?” Lune asked, saddened.

“Yes, and no one else,” the Nidoqueen replied.

Even Luktam realized what that meant. “I guess I’ll bother her about something else,” he grumbled, but he felt slightly sorry that he’d given the Persian such a hard time.

At that moment, Senryu and Charisma came into sight. “I do not wish to break my promise,” he said to her. “I promised you that I would get your sapphire back.” Charisma thought that the Dragonair sounded genuinely sincere.

The Persian shook her head. “If you still haven’t found the Horsea who took it, she is probably gone,” Charisma said. She would have to accept that fact, regardless of how she willed otherwise.

But Senryu tensed suddenly, distracted. Without warning, he disappeared into the river. He had felt something small brush by him: something with fins and a long, curled tail. The curious red eyes stared back at him, but soon, the Horsea’s inquisitive attitude changed into one of great fear. She prepared to dart away, but Senryu had already trapped her with constricting static electricity.

Senryu emerged from the river triumphantly, carrying the rogue Horsea and gently removing Charisma’s sapphire from her snout. He released the little seahorse, who, struggling, gratefully slipped away. Charisma followed behind, unable to hide the fact that she was a little pleased. As the two returned, Lune could see a noticeable change in Charisma’s expression: for the first time since he had met her, she did not wear a frown. But she did not smile, for she still could not tell if she should.

“Senryu showed her that we care for her. Perhaps there is still hope,” Lune heard Ningai whisper.

[Lady Vulpix]

Charisma's story was touching. Betrayal is so hard to deal with...

It feels a bit odd to see the main characters - who are pokemon - eat other pokemon. How does that work? And how do they regard the pokemon they eat? Is there some big difference between them?

Yes, I like Senryu too, and it's good to be able to read more about him.

Have a nice trip, and let me know about it when you return! :D

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

I guess it's a bit like in the animal kingdom, hunt or be hunted, foodchains, stuff like that. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Good chapters, I really enjoyed the background stories and learning something about the Forgotten Kingdom.

I'm curious to where the plot is going, and what Elan's real intentions are.

[Lune the Guardian]

Hmm, I hadn't actually thought about it too much before. I'd justified in my head along the lines of what MeLoVeGhOsTs said, that killing for food is killing for survival, and not murder because the killing isn't done for no reason. But now that it's mentioned, it feels weird thinking of someone eating someone else who can talk and think... >_< I mean pokémon would have to eat each other, not all of them are vegetarian, but it does feel kind of creepy now. I don't think I can justify it by saying the pokémon that were eaten were non-sentient beings, because everyone has thoughts and feelings.

If anyone has any suggestions to make this seem less awkward or downright cannibalistic, let me know.

[EDIT]: Added a distinction between hunters and their prey. Wild pokémon have not adapted to share a common language with other species, and they have no interest or concept of civilization.

[Lune the Guardian]

Okay. Seriously, the last chapter I post before I fly. I figured a battle would be a fitting farewell, till the next time we meet :P Happy holidays, everyone!


Chapter 25
Breaking Bondage

Lune waited until Charisma had finished eating the food that had been saved for her. “The southern entrance to the valley is only a few hours away,” he said. “Why don’t we head for it now before the evening fades?”

Élan shook his head. “You and Shockwave can go ahead if you want. I think we would like to stay here a little bit longer.” There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the clan.

“Well, we were kind of thinking that you could come to the heart of the Sacred Kingdom with us instead of living in exile on its outskirts,” Shockwave explained.

“Ryu can no longer terrorize you,” Lune continued. “There is no reason to continue living as if you were shunted from the community.”

Lune could not read the momentary look on Élan’s face. It was gone so quickly that he thought he must have imagined it. Élan gathered the clan together, and, for some time, they held a serious discussion in whispers. Finally, Élan returned to where Lune and Shockwave waited. He neither frowned nor smiled. “We are grateful for the invitation,” he said carefully, “but we must refuse. We've grown used to our way of life and do not wish to change it yet. Thanks for the offer.”

“This means goodbye, then,” Lune replied. “Perhaps we shall meet again.”

“Perhaps,” said Élan, as Lune and Shockwave prepared to leave.

“Hey, WAIT,” Luktam screamed, “You’re not just letting Lune break from the clan like this, are you, Élan? Clan members are supposed to stick with the clan! If Lune wants out, he has to defeat you and Ningai first.”

“No, that’s not nec-” Élan was cut short.

“It’s all right,” Lune said, smirking. “Shockwave…?”

“Yeah, let’s do it.” Shockwave grinned too.

Lune nodded. “We’ll battle you. Let’s make this one count.”

Ningai and Élan exchanged looks, then prepared to battle. Luktam laughed childishly. “Haha! You guys are nuts! You can’t beat Ningai and Élan!” he jeered.

“Shut up and watch us,” Lune muttered under his breath, building a more intense dislike for Luktam every time the Slowpoke opened his mouth to speak.

“Caution is necessary, of course,” Shockwave whispered. “Lune, I want to see their reaction when I seemingly disappear and you grow wings and fly.”

“Right now?”

“Right now.”

“Okay, then,” Lune replied. “Ready, Élan and Ningai? Let’s go!”

The rest of the clan members moved a safe distance away to spectate, under the lush foliage of fruit-laden trees.


***

The ground shook with utter ferocity, tearing apart the earth with its violent fits. Shockwave had sprung upwards immediately to avoid Ningai’s powerful tremors, but Lune had not been quick enough; he was thrown off his feet. From that point, all he could do was cling onto the trembling ground tightly, hoping to avoid further injury. The world began to spin around him, and it was difficult to see. Meanwhile, Shockwave, mid-air, had leapt for Ningai, and, hardening his zigzagged tail until it glimmered a metallic silver, sought to strike the Nidoqueen in the face with its iron sting. Ningai dodged, but in so doing, ceased creating the violent tremors, giving Lune and Shockwave the moment that they needed.

“Union of Soul!” Lune cried, barely managing to struggle to his feet. The evening sky flashed momentarily with blinding light. Shockwave, now in his purest state of being, a glorious white radiance, was drawn into Lune’s body. Shining rainbows burst from the Eevee’s shoulders, forming the wings with which he could fly. He laughed as he took to the air, liberated from the confinements of the ground. He loved the feel of his energy wings as they beat against the sky; it put him at ease, somehow, and yet gave him a feeling of great jubilation.

Élan, who had until now been hanging on to Ningai’s shoulder, safely away from her Earthquakes, slid downwards to the grass below. “Looks like Lune won’t be grounded again,” he said. “At least, not until we make him come down.” Ningai knew that Élan already had a plan. But neither understood where Shockwave had gone; all they remembered was the intolerable flash of light, and the sudden sprouting of wings from Lune’s back.

They seem a little confused, huh? Let’s give them a hint. Shockwave called massive storm clouds into existence high above; the sky darkened as they cast their ominous shadows. The gray forms seemed to throb and swell, threatening at any moment to burst. A roll of thunder followed the frightful flash of lightning, then, the rain, as if answering the urging call, burst forth in torrents. Ningai tried to hide her pain, and did not wince, but it was plain by the look of suffering in her eyes. The water stung her viciously. Then Shockwave made the river waters rise to towering heights, into one massive wave that grew larger as he fed it with the rain. Ningai watched in terror; Élan, horrified, finally understood.

“Ningai,” he screamed, “They’ve combined! An Eevee cannot summon a tidal wave like this, but a Pikachu is capable of using Surf. Shockwave is inside Lune’s body!”

“What phenomenal synergy they must have,” Ningai whispered, “to have special abilities that complement each other! I’ve never heard of something like this in the past.”

“Yes… But the wave approaches.” Élan was right. The river water loomed over the two, ready to come crashing down upon them, to engulf them with its dreadful might. “We’re capable of using Surf, too… Let’s turn it back on them together. Shockwave may be a strong battler, but I doubt he can take two at a time.”

Ningai agreed, and the partners focused their mental strength on repelling the tsunami. Inch by inch, they pushed it back. Its overflowing waters slowly receded. Shockwave’s will and the power of the raging river alone were not enough to withstand a double assault. But just as Ningai and Élan began to think that they were winning, Lune snickered.

“You think I’m just going to beat my wings in place and watch you two mentally fight against Shockwave, without doing anything myself, just because an Eevee like me isn’t capable of using Surf any time I want to? What, have you forgotten about one of my obvious options?” Lune called.

Shockwave grinned. I can’t count how many times you’ve turned a battle around with Mimic. Too bad you don’t permanently learn the moves you pick up during the battle, though.

“Hey, I like it anyway,” Lune replied. He had been following Shockwave’s thoughts carefully ever since the Pikachu had first begun to build up the wave, and he had enough – at least temporarily – to duplicate the effect. Lune added his recently acquired strength to Shockwave’s, urging the wave forward with renewed vigor. The ferocity of the mental assault caught Élan and Ningai by surprise; their control over the river faltered, and in that moment of hesitation, they lost the mental battle. The tidal wave submerged them suddenly, like a starving beast, too impatient to consume its prey slowly, and instead swallowed whole, and all at once. But the waters receded rapidly this time, downhill, back into the riverbed; and the heavy downpour slackened, then eventually stopped altogether. Gray clouds no longer hovered over the sky; the sun was free to shine again and give warmth. The river, now calm, seemed as if it could never have been the monster that it just was - never that ferocious. But the bitter sting of the ice cold waters, sharper than a thousand daggers, served as a constant reminder to Ningai that it was no dream; and even now, Élan still coughed violently, at times spewing forth the river water that had forced itself into his lungs. The nightmare was a reality.

Élan knew that it had to stop. Although Ningai herself was powerful and could bear plenty of punishment, she had not yet fully recovered from the wounds that she had received from the conflict with Ryu’s dirty officials. Élan could tell that this battle had already put an intense strain on Ningai; although he had a plan to turn the battle around, it could not continue. “Enough,” he cried in defeat, “We forfeit.” He did not say anything about Ningai’s previous injuries to Lune and Shockwave, who did not know. They were not at fault, after all, and he did not want to make them feel guilty.

Lune lowered himself to the ground beside Ningai and Élan. His wings, folded, slowly faded away, and in their place stood Shockwave, back in his own body. Both were confused, and both smelled disaster.

“SEE? I told you they were nasty! Look what they did to Ningai!” Luktam came running towards the four (or rather, in his case, stumbling – he was an extraordinarily fat and lazy Slowpoke, who scarcely got the exercise that was good for him), followed by an irritated Charisma and, as usual, a calm but concerned Senryu.

“I… I thought we were just battling.” Lune felt small, like a despicable murderer who had taken advantage of some helpless victim. Shockwave gripped Lune’s shoulder tightly; Lune could feel the Pikachu’s hand trembling.

“It’s not your fault,” Élan told them. “It’s mine. I shouldn't have agreed to the battle in the first place. Ningai, I-”

“It’s all right,” the battered Nidoqueen said weakly, “I’ll be fine.” She paused to take a painful breath. “It’s getting dark,” she observed, looking up at the late evening sky. “Lune, Shockwave, you two should head home. No excuses,” she added sternly. “I don’t want you two travelling too far into the night.”

“Um, okay…” Shockwave answered half-heartedly.

“Sorry,” Lune whispered, as Luktam pierced him with accusing glares. He turned around to follow Shockwave. Their forlorn frames soon disappeared into the darkness.


***

Battle Summary (Chapter 24)
Lune (Eevee) & Shockwave (Pikachu) vs. Élan (Sneasel) & Ningai (Nidoqueen)

Élan - Climb Ningai's back
Ningai - Earthquake

Shockwave - Aerial Iron Tail (interrupt: Ningai's Earthquake)
Lune - Activate special ability: Union of Soul

Shockwave - Rain Dance, Surf
Élan & Ningai - Surf counter
Lune - Mimic (Surf)

Élan - forfeit

[Lune the Guardian]

I'm not back home yet, but I found the time for another chapter. Happy New Year everyone!


Chapter 26
The Final Straw

Grand though the Guardians’ Palace was, Lune wished that he could have gone to the central square with Shockwave. He was in a quiet, pensive mood, and would have much preferred to admire the lavender sunset in silence while the idle conversations of other pokémon washed over him like murmuring ocean waves. But he had been away long enough, and had much to do.

“Since you are alive and well, I suggest that you show up at the General Tournament tomorrow,” Lord Yoruno told Lune.

“I’m still in the tournament?” the Eevee asked, surprised. “I thought I would have been kicked off of it a long time ago.”

“You will be if you miss tomorrow’s round,” Lord Yoruno replied. “You were already disqualified from Round Two. You’ll need to battle your way out of the Loser’s Bracket if you can. It’s a double elimination tournament. One more loss and you’re out.”

“Ah, at least I still have a chance. It will depend on whom I’m up against.”

“Find out tomorrow like the rest of the pokémon,” Lord Yoruno snapped. “Stop fishing for advantages.”

“I didn’t ask you for anything,” Lune said quietly, looking away. Of all the virtues that Lune valued, honor was what he cherished most. The Umbreon’s accusation had hurt his pride.

Lord Yoruno broke the uncomfortable silence. “We have two new Advisers.”

“Finally!” Although Lord Yoruno and Lady Naien were technically Advisers, too, Lune usually dealt with every Pokémon who needed an Adviser’s assistance. At last, he had two others to relieve his burden. “Who are they?” Lune asked.

“You can find out when Lady Naien and I announce it tomorrow,” Lord Yoruno told him.

“I hate it when you do that…”

“Do what?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Lune sighed, beginning to walk away.

“Well,” Lord Yoruno continued, “Don’t think that this puts you off the hook. You still have work if you want to remain an Adviser.”

“I did not need something that obvious pointed out to me,” Lune snapped. Lord Yoruno said nothing. With his back still turned, he added, “I’d like to remind you that, up until now, I’ve been doing the job for the three of us without verbalizing a word of complaint.”

“Is that a threat?”

A cry of frustration escaped the Eevee. “How could you possibly interpret it that way?” His voice had become dangerously quiet.

“You haven’t answered the question.”

In the past, because Lune admired Lord Yoruno, he had endured the Umbreon’s attitude. Today, however, it had become painfully obvious that Lord Yoruno had little respect for Lune. All the bitten-back words, the misdirected reverence, the envy of those few that Lord Yoruno held in high esteem, the confusion and the frustration because he had somehow not met the same standards – it had all been pointless. Lune wondered how he could have been so stupid. He felt his buried emotions surfacing forcefully, like a dormant volcano long past its due. “Stop it! Just STOP IT!” he stormed. “You always talk to me as if I am stupid. You always tell me obvious things that I already know, and explain them to me as if I am not capable of understanding the most trivial concepts. You always assume that I am some sort of lowly criminal out to fulfill my own selfish, greedy purposes. I am NOT some inferior, sub-intelligent life form! STOP TREATING ME LIKE I AM!”

Lord Yoruno was staring at Lune with open bewilderment. It would not be an exaggeration to state that the Umbreon had not previously lost his composure before, and yet, now, he could not conceal his shock. Lord Yoruno’s genuine confusion told Lune that the Umbreon simply did not understand how insulting his attitude felt to others. “I’m sorry!” he replied meekly, as if he was retreating. “We can talk about anything else!”

Lune would have offered some advice, but the Umbreon’s expression was so comical that he decided to satisfy himself with the moment. He doubted that he would see Lord Yoruno in this state ever again. When the Umbreon seemed to revert to his impassive face, Lune said, “Sorry about the outburst, but it was necessary.”

His thoughts collected now, Lord Yoruno replied, “It’s fine. It’s just your competitive spirit. Use it well, and it will bring you far in life.” There was no lingering trace of his previous distress.

As if drawing from a faraway thought, Lune answered, “I’m afraid I have too much.” He left the palace silently to prepare for the tournament round that would take place the next day.

[Lady Vulpix]

Interesting exchange of words! I kept wondering why Lord Yoruno was so defensive. Was it because Lune had left without a warning? In any case, he should have known Lune wouldn't try to fish for advantages. That was a serious accusation. Lune's reaction made a lot of sense, and so did Yoruno's counter-reaction.

The battle on the previous chapter was great, and the ending was very believable. I could sympathize with Lune when he realized that what he thought was a friendly battle had ended up hurting Ningai seriously. Of course, it wasn't his fault; Ningai should have known the risks.

It's nice to see you here again, Karin! How's your trip going?

[Lune the Guardian]

Hey, Gabi! Lord Yoruno may be a clever tactician, but his suspicion of others is probably more severe than it should be. He should learn who his friends are, before it's too late.

As for my trip, I'm back in the US after spending a week in the Bahamas. It was a nice place, very peaceful and pretty, with pristine beaches that I haven't seen in a while. I went on this remarkable horse riding trip one morning, and we even got to go into the ocean with the horses. Unfortunately the trip, which was supposed to be an hour and a half long, lasted only 15 minutes... Some idiot was kite surfing and let the kite fall down, which made a sound like a gun shot. The horses took off, I got thrown off the saddle and was literally hanging on to the side. Luckily for me I let go and rolled away before we reached the rocks, and I didn't get trampled by any of the horses behind me. I got away with just a severely bruised leg, nothing was broken, and no organs were crushed, so I consider myself really lucky. Oh, my parents also got robbed and lost about 700 dollars. Other than that, the vacation's been nice so far. I'm happy that I didn't die or lose something important.

[Lady Vulpix]

Whoa! It looks like you've had quite an eventful vacation! I'm glad you're alright.

Edit: I posted this earlier, but it didn't go through.

[Lune the Guardian]

Chapter 27
Rematch

“Shockwave, what on earth happened to the General Tournament arena?” What Lune saw before him was a barren field of cement roughly upturned and blasted full of holes. The marble booth had not been repaired, and very few of the once existing bleachers were anything but black charred masses.

“Erk.” Shockwave was equally confused. Having followed Lune, he, too, had been disqualified from the second round of the General Tournament, and did not have the slightest clue about what had happened to the arena.

“I thought you two might be here,” said Lord Yoruno, who had just come up from behind. “Some brilliant pokémon decided to ignore the tournament rules, despite the fact that they exist for a reason. When it became clear that he could not win, he decided to detonate himself, to the alarm of thousands of spectators. The Explosion reduced this arena to a pile of rubble. It might be a while before it is fixed.”

“Ack! Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Lune cried out, dismayed. “We’re late!”

“I suppose there will be no harsh penalty if you leave now and get to the substitute arena as soon as possible. Follow me.” Lord Yoruno dashed eastward, a black streak in the morning sunlight. Lune and Shockwave silently followed.


***

It was dark. The closed indoor arena was considerably smaller than the original one, and when it became packed with rowdy spectators, the air became hot and stifling. The little light that was provided came from lit torches that were lined up along the walls.

“Isn’t there any electrical lighting here?” Lune asked. It was unusual not to have proper facilities for major tournaments, substitute arena or not.

Shockwave shrugged. “Maybe the power blew out or something. You should go ask someone.”

“Why me?”

“Because I don’t feel like it.”

“Okay, okay… I’ll go find Lord Yoruno or Lady Naien. They should know.”


***

Apparently, there had been a terrible electrical failure: the yellow crystals that were supposed to generate power had been hopelessly shattered. Even the backup crystals had been found and destroyed, so there was no choice but to resort to torches until new crystals arrived to replace the ones that were so thoughtlessly smashed. The Guardians suspected vandalism, but investigating further would require too many resources.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen,” called a harsh but clear voice over the blackness, “I, Pukcus the Murkrow, am your wonderful announcer for today. Kento the Farfetch’d, your regular announcer, is sick and unable to attend this tournament round. It’s a pity about his sickness, but you really can’t complain when you’re lucky enough to get a great announcer like me as a sub!”

“On and on and on he goes,” Lune groaned. “Kento, why did you do this to us?”

“So, anyway,” Pukcus continued, “let’s begin! First up, let’s see… The first pairing is: Lune the Eevee versus Shadow the Gengar!”

Lune blinked. “What? That’s weird… I’m battling Shadow again?”

“Crush him,” Shockwave said, giving his friend a thumbs-up.

“It’s really dark in here,” Lune commented softly.

Shockwave caught Lune’s gaze. “Shadow’s the one who should be worried,” he whispered back.

Lune nodded slowly, then stepped into the arena. Darkness cloaked him almost completely, except for the chilling glint in his glowing eyes.


***

“Shadow, you’ve improved tremendously,” Lune commented, panting. He leapt aside from a flashing surge of lightning, which struck the earthen floor and baked the sizzling dirt. He had been doing this for quite some time without expending energy on attacks of his own, but Shadow did not seem to be tiring.

Smirking, Shadow replied, “Too much for you to handle this time, I think.” The Gengar overtook his opponent and, hovering in front of the Eevee with his arms held out and a grin plastered across his face, asked, “Going somewhere?” Before Lune could answer, Shadow threw his burning fist, and the Eevee’s face erupted into golden-red flames.

“Wow!” Pukcus yelled, “That was amazing! Unfortunately, Shadow only hit Lune with a measly Fire Punch, which is a Fire type move that only affects a Normal type like Lune with regular effectiveness. I wonder why he didn’t go for the powerful Fighting type move, Dynamicpunch, which would have been super effective against an Eevee?”

“Because,” Lune muttered inaudibly, rubbing the remaining embers away from his singed fur, “Fast though Shadow is now, by the time he finishes charging up enough energy for a Dynamicpunch, I would be ready to dodge.”

Shadow cackled maniacally. “Like my new speed and stamina, Lune? When I lost to you the other day, I couldn’t believe it. I’ve done a lot of training since then. Speedy offenses come naturally to me now and defensive tactics are little more than a reaction. I won’t let you win again.”

“Geez, and I thought you were fast before. Few ghosts can phase immediately while being faced with Quick Attack. I don’t know any others capable of escaping a Shadow Ball that way.”

As he distracted Shadow with conversation, Lune had secretly been gathering ethereal energy around his hidden forepaw. “Eat this!” cried Lune, as he revealed the orb and launched it in the same motion. The shocked Gengar nearly failed to avoid the treacherous energy, but his countless hours of obsessive training prevailed. Shadow was able to alter his form into a state of being which seemed almost empty; for a moment, it looked as if he did not exist. In this way the phantom managed, on such short notice, to miraculously phase away from the ghostly orb that threatened him. Little did he know that Lune had expected this, for even Shadow had not expected it of himself. Lune had not put much strength into that particular Shadow Ball, for it was only meant to provide a distraction that would allow Lune to slip away unnoticed, leaving a persuasive, lifelike copy of himself to act in his place.

Shadow cursed. “I need to watch out for you. You can’t cause trouble if you take a little nap, eh? Pleasant dreams, Lune! I look forward to eating them.” Shadow locked gazes with the Eevee, casting compelling rays that forced his victim’s eyelids to slowly droop; the Eevee struggled to stay awake, and at times his eyes would open for a moment, only to fall shut again. Finally, the Eevee fell into a deep, sleeping trance, helpless while Shadow loomed over him, ready to feast on his dreams.

“Well, well!” Pukcus exclaimed, “Looks like this battle’s almost over. Shadow has successfully used Hypnosis on Lune. Now all he has to do is keep using Dream Eater to feed on Lune’s dreams. He’ll sap away valuable energy for himself while Lune, in his slumber, doesn’t notice as his strength ebbs away.”

Unfortunately for Shadow, the real Lune was far from asleep. He had, from a safe distance behind Shadow, been calling forth the shadow that enveloped him, harnessing all into a single throbbing orb that he held and watched with satisfaction. He waited as it grew, and grew, and grew, into a thing of beauty, a rippling sphere of deep purple that possessed the ability to cause utter destruction.

Shadow was frustrated. He had both hands placed on the sleeping Eevee’s head, but try as he might, could not draw a single dream from his victim’s mind. Either the Eevee was far more cunning than he thought, and could unconsciously hide dreams, or the Eevee did not dream at all, which was unusual. Either way, Shadow did not want to waste any more time. Since the Eevee was asleep, and could not dodge, Dynamicpunch was very possible. Shadow took his time, charging his fist with as much chi energy as he could muster, making a conscious effort to power up the blow as much as possible. An opportunity like this was rare. He had to make full use of it in order to give himself a decisive advantage in battle.

This was time dearly spent, for every moment that Shadow spared meant that Lune’s Shadow Ball grew even more powerful. At last, when Lune saw that Shadow was ready, he sent his ethereal orb on its path of annihilation. Just as Lune’s body double crumbled under Shadow’s lighted fist, the Gengar was struck from behind and thrown to the ground; and then, when the orb erupted, shooting forth its searing energy, Shadow shrieked: a long, agonized cry, that of a tormented soul in utter despair.

“I… Uh, I knew it!” Pukcus cried, “I knew it all the time! Lune used Substitute. Shadow fell for it, but I can assure you, I didn’t! Ha ha!” The Murkrow cawed with false amusement, flapping his feathery black wings in a somewhat distressed state, trying to hide his shock. “I knew it all along, but I just didn’t want to spoil it for ya!” he claimed.

Meanwhile, Lune was engaged in a staring contest with Shadow. They stood stationary in the arena, neither one blinking. Hostility lingered in the air.

“Well, you really did get me,” Shadow said at last, with a tinge of bitterness. He had come this far. He refused to lose without fighting with all the strength that he had. It was with this courageous spirit that his face glowed, and he could feel power surge through his veins, as if his blood boiled in anticipation for combat, and all his strength poured forth from his soul. “Here’s where you finally lose, Lune,” Shadow told him. “You can’t stand against my Fighting type Hidden Power!”

“Whoa!” Pukcus yelled, “Looks like Lune really is finished now! Surprisingly, Shadow has a Fighting type Hidden Power, which is super effective against Normal types like Lune!”

“Why can’t you graduate past type effectiveness?” shouted Lune to the Murkrow, but he had wasted his breath. “Shadow, I’m sorry, but I have to do this. I can’t risk being wiped out by your Hidden Power.”

Suddenly, Lune’s expression grew cold. An impossible breeze blew by, lifting his fur up into the air; as it left, his hair floated down again, slowly, as if also in Lune’s deep trance. When the torches that surrounded the arena ring were simultaneously extinguished, a strangled cry rippled through the audience. A frightened Magby tried, to no avail, to re-light the ring of torches with her tail flame. Each time a torch seemingly caught fire, the flame would immediately die down, sinking into a mass of glowing red embers, and then vanishing forever into gray dust. The only light that existed came from torches at the far walls of the building, and these flames danced eerily; those who saw this felt chills run down their shivering spines.

Darkness rushed from Lune in a wave, and no one could see his face any longer; he was drowned in a black aura of darkness. The shadows about him came to life, towering and formidable in the artificial night. By this time the Gengar was trembling, and, as his glowing energy faded, he moaned softly, “I forfeit.”

Almost immediately, the sense of impending gloom lifted from darkened hearts, and the shadows fled back into hiding. The quivering Magby jumped back in surprise as the torches burst into flame.

Pukcus was gradually absorbing the situation. “Although Dark moves are super effective against Ghost types like Shadow, Fighting types are strong against Dark types. Why did Shadow quit?”

Shadow looked at Lune oddly. “You are full of surprises,” he said. “What would you have done if I hadn’t forfeited?”

“I would have stopped.”

“I thought you might.” Shadow scrutinized his opponent’s face for a moment, still hesitating. “But, you know, we get our Hidden Power for a reason.”

Lune frowned as he concentrated on a distant thought. “I’ve been trying to understand why I got mine.”

***

Battle Summary (Chapter 27)
Lune (Eevee) vs. Shadow (Gengar)

Shadow - Thunder (target: Lune)
Lune - dodge (Thunder)

Shadow - Fire Punch (target: Lune)
Lune - quick Shadow Ball (target: Shadow)
Lune - Substitute

Shadow - Hypnosis (target: "Lune")
Lune - charge Shadow Ball

Shadow - Dream Eater (target: "Lune", failure)

Shadow - charged Dynamicpunch (target: "Lune", destroys Substitute)
Lune - release charged Shadow Ball (target: Shadow)

Shadow - Hidden Power: Fighting
Lune - Hidden Power: Dark

Shadow - forfeit

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

I loved the fact that Lord Yurono wasn't even aware of his cold and harsh words. Lune's outburst made sence, though. I wonder how this will affect their relation in the future.

The match was nice to read, although I was a bit dissapointed with Lune facing the same opponent again. I expected something, fresher.

Still the match was good, the moves were nice, and I'm curious to find out how this hiddenpower thing works.

Keep it up.

[Lady Vulpix]

Good battle, and interesting conclussion.

Just a question: why did Pukcus mention that fighting types are strong against dark types when there were no dark types involved? Was he that confused?

It was clear that he hadn't noticed the substitute, but I wonder what he would have done if he had. A good announcer shouldn't say it, because that would mean helping the other pokemon (in this case, Shadow). Then again, Pukcus is not a good announcer. But still not as bad as Ryu.

[Lune the Guardian]

Don't worry, MeLoVeGhOsTs, there are a lot more battles. :)

And Gabi, you're right. A good Announcer would have waited until the Substitute was broken before explaining it, if it was explained at all. But we'll get into the full details of an Announcer's job slightly later. As for Pukcus, he really is that blinded by type effectiveness. He's arbitrarily implying that Shadow's Fighting type Hidden Power should be better than Lune's Dark type one because Fighting types deal more damage against Dark types. =/

[Lune the Guardian]

I actually really like this battle. Enjoy!


Chapter 28
Silver Starlight

“Match sixty-four, last one for today,” Pukcus yelled, “Shockwave the Pikachu versus Hyperion the Charizard!”

“That’s no ordinary Charizard,” said Lune, pointing shakily at the shrewd, draconic warrior who stepped calmly into the ring. By this time the magical yellow crystals had been restored, and the brightness of the powerful electrical lights that shone upon his silver coat gave it a sparkling luster, glorious with its starry splendor. Regular Charizard had orange skin, but Hyperion was a rare exception. His largely varied appearance indicated that there was strong magic in his blood, of the most potent sort; Hyperion was born with remarkable cunning. Surge, in comparison, did not possess even half the magic that Hyperion had at his disposal; that was why he was still a normal Gyarados. Only pokémon who were fortunate enough to be born with such a glorious destiny were distinguished through their appearance; their parents were not necessarily equally lucky. It was more a question of fate rather than heritage.

“I remember Hyperion,” Shockwave commented. “He totally owned in a couple of tournaments in the Forgotten Kingdom a long time ago. I guess he got bored of staying at home and came here, too, where there’s more competition and activity. I haven’t actually met him in person, though.”

Lune stood puzzled. “What’s a silver Charizard doing in the Loser’s Bracket? It’s not like Round One or Two competition is that tough.”

“Got ambushed by the gang of the Feraligatr he beat in Round One,” Lune heard someone behind him say. “Three of ‘em. Big pokémon, too. A Tyranitar, an Aerodactyl, and a Machamp. The Feraligatr couldn’t believe that a Fire type could beat a Water type like him. Says he cheated. Poor Charizard got away, but not before they managed to break his left arm. Pity that it happened the day before Round Two started. Poor thing had to sit it out and take an automatic forfeit.”

“Jerks,” Lune muttered under his breath. “Cowards had to make it a four-on-one before they felt safe, huh? Good thing his arm healed in time for this round. Shockwave, be careful.”

“Right,” he said, hastening to the ring.

Since Hyperion did not make any effort to attack first, Shockwave cautiously took the initiative. A stalemate was undesirable, but Shockwave suspected a trap. With a quick burst of speed, he darted forth, charging for Hyperion, prepared at any moment to evade at the slightest sign of trouble. The Charizard held no intention of luring his opponent into a trap, however, and merely pulled aside, immediately taking to the air. His massive body was far more mobile in flight than it could have been on the ground.

This was exactly the opportunity Shockwave had been waiting for; the Pikachu jumped and grabbed Hyperion’s tail, emitting a charge of static energy that was meant to lock up his opponent’s muscles. What actually happened, though, was not what anyone would have expected. The faint, silver aura that sparkled on Hyperion’s skin seemed to erupt and swallow the electricity. Then Shockwave felt Hyperion’s tail hardening under him, and the cold, smooth feel of metal. He knew what was coming next. Before the Charizard brought his now metallic tail crashing into the ground, Shockwave released his grip and rolled away from underneath, narrowly escaping the crushing force.

“Wow,” Pukcus shouted, “Hyperion did something weird with Shockwave’s Thunder Wave attack. Somehow he didn’t get paralyzed like he was supposed to. Then, when he was about to smash Shockwave with Iron Tail, the Pikachu jumped off in time! Amazing!”

“What an inspirational explanation of Hyperion’s immunity to Thunder Wave,” Lune muttered inaudibly, rolling his eyes. “The next time I try to sound like a genius, I’ll remember to state the obvious.”

Beads of sweat rolled down Shockwave’s neck. “Is it electricity, or…?” he whispered. He sent crackling bolts of energy surging through Hyperion, who suppressed a cry of pain.

“I think I know now,” Shockwave said, splattering a dark, venomous fluid all over Hyperion. The poison slid off his skin and onto the floor, repelled by his silver aura. “Status effect immunity,” Shockwave immediately stated with complete certainty.

“That was quick,” Hyperion responded good-naturedly, “It took my last opponent a long time to figure that out. You did it with three shots. This is going to be an enjoyable match.” Having said that, Hyperion mentally forced the ground to erupt with seismic fury, throwing it apart with earth-shattering tremors. Groaning, and shoved off his feet, Shockwave reached for Hyperion’s hanging tail and managed to grab it, clinging onto it for dear life. The Charizard, in an effort to remove his little hitchhiker, spewed forth intense turquoise flame, deadly and destructive. As the searing draconic fire met his skin, Shockwave could feel boils rising with knifelike, stabbing pain.

Shockwave gripped Hyperion’s tail even tighter, and, when he felt assured that he could maintain his hold, zapped the Charizard with the most vicious electrical assault that he could muster. Sparks sailed all over the place, and Hyperion jerked suddenly, now no longer containing his tortured cries of agony.

Golden energy gathered in an orange ball inside Hyperion’s mouth. Every moment, as he fueled it, it grew in strength, until it looked as if it might have been able to hold no more. At this point Hyperion released it with his head upturned, shifting its position rapidly as it tore through the ceiling, until he successfully created a hole large enough for him to easily fit through. Threatening sparks flew from the broken wires, and large chunks of dangerous debris fell. While Hyperion took cautious evasive maneuvers to avoid the hazards, Shockwave formed a translucent barrier above his head. As soon as the danger was over, though, he allowed the barrier to fall, for maintaining it cost a lot of energy.

Shockwave took the opportunity presented by the gaping hole in the ceiling to play a Fire type’s greatest weakness: if there was anything Charizard hated more than electricity, it was water. Already gray clouds gathered overhead at Shockwave’s summoning. They throbbed heavily like a live pulse, with lightning occasionally flashing across their swirling mass, and the loud rumble of thunder that sounded terrifyingly close. Rain poured forth in torrents, and, in massive amounts, flooded in through the ceiling like a cascading waterfall. Hyperion’s eyes were shut; the mighty dragon himself was silent, making no noise but for the beating of his great wings. His heart pounded hard in his chest, but he did not feel or hear. He was locked in a deep trance, oblivious of the outside world and of the icy, stinging water that rushed over his skin and dampened his faltering tail flame.

Finally, Hyperion awoke; his expression brightened; his eyes were filled with a blazing fire: of determination, and of hope. Then it was as if he was blessed with starlight; his sparkling skin seemed to dance with celestial radiance, as if the very glow of the heavens now lay upon him. Nothing passed through the glorious light; Shockwave could hear the pounding of the rain on the ceiling above, but as he watched the drops, they seemed to infinitely slow, until they were right before him, frozen in time, and then, as if by magic, gone.

Lune, below, could see Hyperion advancing, flying higher against the rain, effortlessly because of the divine protection. Lune felt an unease in the depth of his heart gnawing at him like a persistent pest. It was obvious that Hyperion had expected the Rain Dance, evident that he’d planned to deal with it using his special ability. For Hyperion, immunity to status effects extended past official impairments like paralysis and poison; he could use his ability to prevent any change to his state of being, including wetness. The deliberate way that Hyperion had invited that Rain Dance just to display his special ability’s true potential unsettled Lune. That, and Lune was still disturbed about how Hyperion had handled the Earthquake. The Charizard had lingered close to the ground when he could have released the tremors from high up in the air. Even for Shockwave, who was thrown off balance, escape was within reach. It almost looked to Lune as if the Charizard had allowed Shockwave to grab his tail. Assuming this was true, Hyperion was manipulating his opponent: forcing Shockwave onto him, opening access to the sky, using his special ability to its fullest extent. It was as if… he was preparing for…

“Crap!” Lune screamed, “Shockwave, JUMP!”

Shockwave heard, and tried to let go, but he could not. When he looked down, everything began to spin; he could not see; he was too dizzy. Shadows of memory returned to haunt him at that moment: the thunderous boom of the waterfall crashing against the rocks, the treacherous, slippery surface of his failing hold, the critical loss of his grip as he shot over the edge, and his terrifying fall through the sky… The only thing that Shockwave could do was hold on tighter, for he knew that he could not let go. It was impossible. So Hyperion flew higher, and higher, and higher, until Shockwave could see that thick, dark clouds surrounded them outside the light…

Then suddenly, Hyperion held his arms to his chest and began to spin, as if on an axis: slowly at first, but exceedingly rapidly as time went on. And Shockwave could feel his grip on the Charizard gradually weakening, just like the red rock at the Crimson Falls… The memory of that horror returned to him again, as he found himself failing to maintain his hold: the fear of his fate remaining forever unknown, the tremendous voice of the rough waterfall, the realization that he would die…

But Shockwave snapped out of his fearful state; for this was not the Crimson Falls, and here he knew he was not alone. It had occurred to him that, legally, he could complete his Union of Spirit without being disqualified for receiving outside assistance. All special abilities were legal in this tournament, and the announcer would have to accept the fact that Shockwave’s just happened to call on Lune for help.

Crackling plasma throbbed in a growing ball, threatening, every moment, to explode. It lanced forth in a single pillar of light when Hyperion released it on its path of destruction, ready to annihilate anything in its way. But Shockwave was prepared; a shining, concave barrier was erected before him, and when the beam struck, it glanced off and scattered into many different directions. Hyperion had not failed, however; the sheer intensity of the offensive pushed Shockwave down even more rapidly, and it looked as if nothing could be done to save him.

“Union of Spirit!” he cried, looking at the approaching ground through the hole in the ceiling. A brilliant silver light shot upwards from below, and, with a blinding flash, seemed to be gone. Hyperion raised his guard; he needed to be prepared for anything.

“Lune, I can’t grow wings and fly like you,” Shockwave whispered. “Getting an energy boost is good, but what are we supposed to do now?”

You see that Kadabra over in the bleachers on the right?

Shockwave felt his eyes being guided to a bright corner where the electrical lighting shone from directly above. A calm Kadabra was observing every detail of the battle; she did not blink.

Throw Swift stars at her.

“WHAT?”

Throw Swift stars at her.

“Lune, I can’t attack an audience member!”

Trust me. Throw Swift stars at her.

“Okay…”

As Shockwave fell through the opening in the ceiling, he aimed several sharp shurikens at the Kadabra, who, being alert, immediately responded by diverting their course with her mental powers. She eyed Shockwave in curious amusement.

Got it!

“Lune, the ground! We’re going to hit the ground, damnit!”

Lune snickered. Have faith. Suddenly Shockwave was surrounded by a blue glow, and then time seemed to stop. It was as if he were falling through the air in slow motion; he did not feel it rush sharply at his face, nor did he see the ground reach out to claim him. He was suspended in midair; Lune had quickly imitated the Kadabra’s defensive maneuver, and now he himself possessed enough mental force to slow Shockwave’s fall and clear him for a gentle landing.

“I don’t ever want to fall like that again,” Shockwave gasped.

The battle’s still going, Lune replied, and you’ve got enough energy to cream Hyperion now. But first, let’s surprise him a little. Shockwave allowed his right arm to be lifted, and stood still as the shadows from hidden places of darkness rushed towards its center to form a rippling sphere, terrifying in its ethereal beauty. Hyperion stared at the sailing orb with mouth agape, in somewhat confused disbelief, but at the last minute he pulled aside, and the energy erupted on the ceiling when it crashed.

“So I wasn’t imagining that Shockwave was talking to someone,” Hyperion commented, beginning to understand.

Pukcus flew by, yelling, “What in the name of Ho-oh is going on? What just happened here? I saw this really bright flash of light, and then impossible things started happening. Pikachu can't use Shadow Ball!”

Hyperion shook his head and smiled. “Shockwave and his partner, whoever it is, seem to work together with amazing synergy. They’re synchronized; they have to be, if their special abilities focus on helping out each other. It would be arrogant to say that I can defeat a team like that on my own, and therefore, I forfeit. Shockwave, congratulations. I’d like to see you and your partner battle Tag Team style someday. It would be a fight worth watching.”

“You’ll see us in such a match sooner or later,” Shockwave replied. “By the way, Lune, how’d you know the Kadabra would respond with Psychic?”

I didn’t, Lune answered mischievously.

If he could have done it, Shockwave might have zapped the Eevee unconscious.

***

Battle Summary (Chapter 28)
Shockwave (Pikachu) vs. Hyperion (silver Charizard)

Shockwave - cancellable Quick Attack (target: Hyperion)
Hyperion - Fly

Shockwave - Thunder Wave while attached to tail (target: Hyperion)
Hyperion - Trigger passive special ability: Silver Starlight (unaffected by Thunder Wave)

Hyperion - Iron Tail (target: ground)
Shockwave - release hold to avoid Iron Tail

Shockwave - Thunderbolt (target: Hyperion)

Shockwave - Toxic (target: Hyperion)
Hyperion - Trigger passive special ability: Silver Starlight (unaffected by Toxic)

Hyperion - Earthquake
Shockwave - grab airborne tail

Hyperion - Dragonbreath (target: Shockwave)
Shockwave - point blank Thunder (target: Hyperion)

Hyperion - Hyper Beam (target: ceiling)
Shockwave - Protect

Shockwave - Rain Dance
Hyperion - Activate special ability: Silver Starlight (unable to get wet)

Hyperion - Fly higher, aerial Swords Dance
Shockwave - fall

Hyperion - Hyper Beam (target: Shockwave)
Shockwave - Reflect (repel: Hyper Beam)

Shockwave - Activate special ability: Union of Spirit

Shockwave - Swift (target: spectating Kadabra)
spectating Kadabra - Psychic (target: Swift)
Lune - Mimic (Psychic)

Lune - Psychic (target: Shockwave)
Shockwave - channel Lune's Shadow Ball (target: Hyperion)

Hyperion - forfeit

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Good battle, although it's a shame it's another forfeit. I liked the way Hyperion used his special ability, plus he really looked cool in my visual.

Not much more I can say, keep going.

[Lady Vulpix]

Good battle indeed. Hyperion is an interesting pokemon. I think the way he used his special ability was quite original.

As for Lune, he took quite a risk by telling Shockwave to attack the Kadabra while they were falling. Was that legal?

[Lune the Guardian]

MeLoVeGhOsTs - Sometimes the gracious thing to do is to stop wasting your opponent's time if you know that you can't possibly win. Fighting while disadvantaged, if you still have a small chance of winning, is admirable indeed, but it is necessary to know when fighting is pointless. Surge and Shadow quit because they were afraid, but Hyperion recognized that he didn't have enough energy left to fight one against two.

Gabi - Shockwave was lucky getting the opponent that he did. If Hyperion hadn't decided to give Shockwave the win, he could've gotten Shockwave disqualified for using an outside resource (namely, the Kadabra's Psychic attack; without the Psychic, he would have had to use Protect to cushion his fall, which would have taken a lot more energy). Outside advice isn't illegal, though, since ultimately it's the battler's choice whether or not to listen (unless the advice alerts battlers of a surprise tactic that they otherwise wouldn't have been aware of, like an attack from behind or a Substitute). The advice can just as easily be bad. Besides, Lune is a part of Shockwave's special ability, and although it's a stretch, everything he does within Union of Spirit should be considered legal. Actually, Hyperion could also have pursued the fact that Shockwave channeled a Shadow Ball, and accused Shockwave of cheating (because not many others understood what happened when Shockwave activated Union of Spirit). Of course, Hyperion wouldn't have wanted to win that way. He accepted his misfortune of having to deal with such a strange special ability. In that match, the only truly borderline action was using the Psychic, because neither Lune or Shockwave had the ability to use it on their own. It wasn't exactly cheating as much as taking advantage of the arena, and Shockwave could've prevented fall damage with Protect anyway.

[Lady Vulpix]

Actually, I was asking about attacking a member of the audience.

[Lune the Guardian]

Oh! In that case, Lune can't really make any excuses. It would have been bad if the Kadabra had gotten hurt, although I'm sure Shockwave didn't put much power into the attack. Witnessing a battle up close is a risk that the audience takes. There are worse attacks that could potentially inflict damage on the audience, such as explosions that affect a wide area. The audience comes to watch the battle, while being aware of such risks. Despite what Lune told Shockwave, I assume that he was almost certain that the Kadabra would've been all right; that's why he picked her. That said, it's not illegal to endanger an audience member, but it's not exactly a nice thing to do, either.

[Lune the Guardian]

Chapter 29
False Pride

It was nearly the middle of the night, but the central square was bustling with life. Even the old and the sickly had made an effort to come; it was time for the Guardians to announce whom they had chosen as the new Advisers.

Lord Yoruno held up his black paw for silence, and suddenly all were so quiet that their breaths of anticipation were the only sound that could be heard throughout.

Lady Naien, clearing her throat, announced, “There were several qualified individuals, but we’ve managed to narrow them down to the best two. Many congratulations to Shockwave the Pikachu and Deux the Scizor! Welcome to the team. Please report to Lord Yoruno and me for further instruction tomorrow. It’s time for bed. Goodnight, everyone!”

Excited chatter immediately broke out among the crowd as all the pokémon began to depart. Some, talking between themselves, pointed to Shockwave, while others stole quick glances when they thought he wasn’t watching. Eventually, as more and more pokémon headed home to rest, the noise began to die down.

“Shockwave?” Lune slapped the Pikachu playfully on the back, smirking. “Why didn’t you tell me that you applied?”

“It was kind of a secret,” he said. “We weren’t really supposed to tell anyone. But I guess it worked out, huh?”

“Yeah. Awesome. Now you finally get to be an Adviser like you’ve been wanting to.”

“You’re going to show me some stuff since you’ve been at this longer, right?” he asked. “I guess I could ask the Guardians about lots of things tomorrow, but it would be much easier just getting the answers from you.”

“Mmm, sleepy,” Lune commented drowsily, not paying much attention to a word that Shockwave was saying.

“Go to bed,” Shockwave told him, half-laughing.

Almost everyone was gone by then. The two were about to set off for the Sanctuary when a tall Scizor approached them.

“Hey. I’m Deux,” he said, kneeling and extending his red metal claw to Shockwave, who shook it. “You must be Shockwave. And you?” Deux turned to the Eevee, who was falling asleep as they stood there.

“Lune,” he mumbled, still somewhat dreaming. A thought struck him, and he shook himself awake. “Wait, you’re Bill?”

“Yes, I used to be called that,” Deux replied, seeming amused. “Apparently, someone entered the wrong name under my tournament registration, although I specifically turned it in under Deux. Ever since the mix up, confused pokémon have been referring to me as Bill. I was finally informed yesterday that the problem has been fixed.”

“Bill from Deux?” Lune was appalled. “Both names consist of four letters, but they don’t even share a single one in common. That’s unacceptable.”

Deux laughed. “Well, it only matters that it’s fixed now,” he said. “Wouldn’t want to be known as Bill the Scizor all my life, now would I?”

“Hmm…” was Lune’s response. He was feeling sleepy again.

“Er… Deux, we’ll be going now,” Shockwave said, waving goodbye as he pushed Lune forward. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow when we go to the Guardians’ Palace for our briefing.” Shockwave stopped to prevent Lune from tripping over a rock. “Damnit, Lune, don’t make me drag you back,” he whispered.


***

Shockwave had gone to be instructed by the Guardians. Since every other Adviser would be attending the same meeting, it fell to Lune to handle the Adviser requests this morning. Fortunately, there was only one pending request so far.

When Lune arrived at the grassy forest clearing, he found a Spearow already waiting there. She was a small, rugged bird, with jagged orange feathers sticking out messily from her wings, and a rough pink beak that was hard enough to crack the outer shells of tough berries.

“Are you Ebannaw the Spearow, and did you request an Adviser for today?” Lune asked.

“Yep yep,” she replied. “That’s me, all right.”

“Okay, then. Let’s see… Where to start…”

“You can start by bringing out my hidden psychic powers that will tell me exactly what my opponent is thinking every second,” she told him.

“Uh… That’s what you think your special ability involves?” Lune asked hesitantly, beginning to think that he would have more trouble than he expected, after all. Spearow, being common, violent birds of prey, were not naturally born with psychic abilities. Although some who were exceptionally talented managed to pick up a few of these skills over time, after working extremely hard, such practices could only be performed by those of high mental capacity.

“I have natural psychic powers,” Ebannaw insisted. “It shouldn’t be that hard to make them come out. I’m a very smart Spearow, yep yep. Very smart,” she said. “My dear, sweet Pukcus tells me so.”

Lune nearly choked, but he controlled himself, showing no outward signs of distress. His work was rapidly degrading from somewhat difficult to utterly impossible. In a resigned tone, he said, “Okay, here. We’ll practice with these first.” Lune picked three distinct stones from the earth beneath a large tree root: one a luminescent yellow, another a deep red, and the third a sparkling sky blue. “We do this to test individual pokémon psychic abilities. You will close your eyes, and when I tell you that I’m ready, you will tell me which colored stone I am holding.”

“No!” Ebannaw yelled, “That’s too easy. Are you doubting my special skills? If you are doubting my skills, you are basically saying that for all the time I’ve been here, I haven’t had any psychic skills at all. That means that I’m not special at all and that’s not true. You know, no one has ever told me that I don’t have psychic powers except for you. That to me is a big insult indeed.” She folded her wings across her chest sulkily.

“Is that because you haven’t been criticized, or because you have selective hearing?” muttered Lune.

“What? What did you say?”

Lune sighed. “Look, I didn’t say that you have no psychic powers. I’m just trying to do my job. As an Adviser, I am supposed to take things step by step systematically. Please cooperate so that we can finish more quickly.”

“If I do this simple exercise then I would be lying about my true potential because I would have to go down to a lower level for you. Then I might as well lie every time to make you happy. What’s the point? Maybe I should get a better Adviser.”

He wasn’t sure how, but Lune managed to maintain his composure. “Ebannaw, I understand that you believe that you possess high psychic potential, but please bear with me. I need to bring you through this entire process, and this mental exercise is the first step.”

“Fine then!” the Spearow snapped, shutting her eyes. “Hurry up and give me this test so that I can show my true power.”

Lune picked up the yellow stone. “Okay, Ebannaw, which stone am I holding: yellow, red, or blue?”

“Is it blue?”

“No.”

“Red, then.”

“No.”

“Aha! I got it! It has to be yellow!” she exclaimed triumphantly, opening her eyes to see if she guessed right. “You see?” she said, with a smug expression pasted across her face, “I told you I have natural psychic abilities! Now can we do something that’s not a waste of time?”

“I’m afraid not,” Lune answered.

“What? WHY NOT?!” Ebannaw demanded, shrieking at the top of her lungs. “You’re useless, you know that? You’ll never change! There is no help for you!”

A winged black figure descended from the treetops and landed beside the Spearow, and then the two embraced for longer than Lune would have liked.

“Hello. What’s wrong, my lovely Ebannaw?” the Murkrow inquired.

“That Eevee says I don’t have psychic powers, even after I proved it to him,” she said, pointing at Lune. “He asked me what stone he was holding, so I said red, and he said no. Then I asked if it was blue, and he said no. Then of course I knew it was yellow, but then he told me that I didn’t have any psychic powers!”

“You predicted it right. That’s perfect proof,” Pukcus replied. He turned to Lune. “What’s the big idea, hmm?”

“Pukcus,” said Lune with a surprisingly level voice, “What Ebannaw accomplished didn’t involve the use of psychic powers; it was just a simple process of elimination.”

“You and your big words.” Ebannaw spat. “You’ll never stop being so arrogant. Come on, Pukcus, I don’t want to see this guy anymore.”

The Murkrow and Spearow flew off together, and Lune waited until he could no longer hear the sound of their wings before he beat his head against the forest floor until his vision blurred.


***

Lune was beginning to wish that he hadn’t abused his head so readily. He’d forgotten that there was a Council meeting today. Regular meetings were held every month, although emergency meetings could be scheduled at the discretion of the Head of the Council.

“I don’t want to see that Pichu,” he had whined, but Shockwave had told him not to test his luck. Defying Emperor Ryu had been one thing, but unlike the Ampharos, Pig held the ultimate administrative power over every Guardian State in the Council. Her decisions were carried out with absolute finality. So here Lune sat, trying to decide whether his head ached more because he had battered it earlier, or because of the nonsensical dribble that he now had to endure.

Lune suspected that Council meetings were part of the reason that Shockwave discarded his Guardianship. He grinned inwardly as his thoughts wandered to Surge, who would be scandalized if he heard that a Guardian had abandoned the Forgotten Kingdom because Council meetings were unbearable. On that line of thought, where were Sage and Blaze, anyway? I guess I’m the only one who was stupid enough to come. Too bad. I was looking forward to meeting you guys.

“Hey! Look at me when I’m talking to you!”

Interrupted from his reverie, Lune found himself the subject of stares.

Pig had her stubby arms folded upon her chest. Her triangular black-tipped ears were twitching as she repeated her question. “Where are the other Forgotten Kingdom Guardians?”

Hell if I know. Aloud, Lune said, “Blaze is quite ill, although we’re not sure what his ailment is. We’re especially worried because Blaze doesn't get sick often. Sage stayed behind to take care of him and find out how to cure him. I’ll relay the details of this meeting to them later, so please overlook their absence.”

The Pichu’s expression softened. “Blaze is sick? Well, I hope he gets better soon.” She turned next to Lord Yoruno. The Forgotten Kingdom was not the only State with absentees. “And your excuse?”

“Lady Naien has developed a rather troublesome cough,” he explained. “She decided that hacking blood at the meeting would not be in anyone’s best interests.”

“That's convenient,” said Toidi. “Do you have proof that she’s sick?”

“Toidi has a good point,” Pig agreed. “I told you in the previous meeting that the next time one of you Sacred Kingdom Guardians was absent, you would be replaced. This is Lady Naien’s second offense.”

“Wait, what? When I said Blaze was sick, you didn’t ask for proof. What’s the difference between the Forgotten Kingdom and the Sacred Kingdom?”

“Don’t misunderstand me,” snapped the Pichu. “I trust Blaze because I know him personally. I’ve heard bad things about him, however.” She pointed at the silent Umbreon, whose face was twisted in a rather crooked, knowing smile, as if he’d predicted her reaction.

From whom? Lune wanted to ask, but he did not. “I can confirm that Lady Naien is often sick with the same chronic cough. I bring her medicine from time to time. Lord Yoruno isn’t lying.”

Feeling like a spider approaching an entangled moth, Elbuort clapped his hands with glee. “If you’re bringing medicine to her, you must be in the Sacred Kingdom. But you’re a Guardian of the Forgotten Kingdom. If you’re in the Sacred Kingdom, you aren’t doing your job, then, are you?” His eyes glinted as he closed in on his trapped prey. “Well, which is it? Your position, or hers?”

Lune was struck by the suddenness of the attack. He hadn’t expected Elbuort to corner him at a Council meeting, nor had he believed that Toidi had the wits to set up such an innocuous-seeming trap. Did I underestimate them, he wondered, or was this someone else’s idea? And who else would be interested in this kind of thing? Damn it, I was careless. “Lady Naien is every bit as sick as Lord Yoruno says she is,” he responded. “I know what you’re going to say next, so I’ll save your breath for you. I resign.” He turned his back to the Council members and walked away.

[Lady Vulpix]

Savage Wilderness pokemon can be really annoying, whether their motives are their own or not. I pity Lune for having to deal with them again and again. The worst thing is they don't even seem to be evil they're just egocentrical and dangerously stupid (phrase borrowed from one of my characters). By the way, do they always turned to Lune for advice, or have they bothered anyone else as well?

Lune's thoughts about Surge made me laugh. And seeing Lune nearly fall asleep as he walked was funny too.

As for the multiply-named Scizor, his story was funny too, even if the effect was diluded the second time around (the second time I've read it, I mean).

So well done! You've managed to combine a series of funny and irritating events in a single coherent chapter. :)

I'm not sure if I said it the first time, but it's interesting that a Pichu holds so much power.

Just out of curiosity, where was the meeting held?

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

I lolled at the fact that a Pichu holds all the power. Also, very remarkable that Lune resigned. What will be next?

[Lune the Guardian]

Thanks for replying ^_^

Gabi - Oh, I'm sure that the Savage Wilderness pokémon have talked to others. They're a rather social bunch. Up to this point, though, Lune's the only one who's been doing Adviser work, so that's why it seems like they're only bothering him; there's nobody else to bother, although the Guardians are supposed to be Advisers too. That'll hopefully change soon, with the addition of Shockwave and Deux. I'm glad you found all those parts funny, I liked the Surge comment too. Hehe. I'll answer the meeting location in the next chapter, since it totally crossed my mind to mention it in this one. I believe that you also mentioned it last time, but yes, it is interesting indeed that all the power falls into the hands of a Pichu, and rather unfortunate indeed.

MeLoVeGhOsTs - Ironic, isn't it? I'm having a hard time imagining what other pokémon would produce a more comical aspect than a Pichu that makes the big decisions. Lune made a mistake, or rather, was forced to make a mistake when Lady Naien's absence was questioned. At first he was covering for Sage and Blaze, but when he chose to defend Lady Naien as well, he trapped himself inside a location paradox. Since he couldn't be in more than one place at a time, he had to choose between retreating from Naien's defense, or admitting that he hadn't been living in the Forgotten Kingdom, which meant he wasn't doing his job there. This led to his forced resignation. I'm working on the next chapter now. :)

[Lune the Guardian]

I've been distracted by drawing characters for my other story idea that I'll probably never post, but here's the next chapter, finally. :P


Chapter 30
A Plot

“You’re still awake, Lune?” Shockwave was not pleased. “You said you’d go to sleep last night. It’s mid-morning already.”

“I’m not tired.”

“You covered the distance of two States in the time it took for the first stars to come out after the sun had set. It’s impossible not to be tired. What happened to you at the Common Plains yesterday?”

Stifling a yawn, Lune plunged headfirst into the Sanctuary stream to hide his sagging eyelids. Summer rays had made even the refreshing water lukewarm. “If you stop telling me to sleep, I’ll let you know after you get back from Adviser training. You’re going to be late, aren’t you?”

“Lune, that’s not important right now.” He joined the Eevee in the river and held his friend’s head still. “Your eyes are half closed. Why won’t you tell me anything?”

Lune broke free and leapt onto the bank, turning his back to Shockwave. “Maybe I don’t want to admit that it happened yet. Look, just give me some time to sort this out myself. I’ll be fine. I promise.”

Although Shockwave did not believe the Eevee, he knew that words would have no further effect at the moment. He glanced backwards once more at his friend, who had not moved, then disappeared behind the waterfall’s curtain with a frown.

Lune listened to Shockwave’s departure with the impassiveness of a statue. He waited until he could no longer hear the wet feet sliding along the cavern floor before slinking off into the trees. Even under the heavy canopies, in the shadows of the surrounding forest, the heat was close to unbearable.

Shockwave had been right; the Council meeting site lay more than half a day’s walk east of the Sacred Kingdom. For other Guardians, the journey was longer, but this inconvenience did not concern Pig. Ho-oh forbid if she had to travel anywhere. No, they would all have to visit her home State whenever a meeting was called.

Lune wasn’t angry that he’d lost his position as a Guardian. He was furious at how he’d lost it. Where has my sense gone? Lune kicked at some dried berry shells that had fallen from the laden branches above him. Am I really less intelligent than a couple of Savage Wilderness Guardians? How shameful. He shut his eyes and broke into a reckless run, tearing through bushes and evading trees that he did not see, his body carrying him down paths that he’d raced through many times before.


***

“Looks like there are a couple of new tournaments to choose from, Luktam,” said Élan.

“I’m gonna go for the Azure Championship,” the Slowpoke announced confidently.

Shockwave rounded the corner, certain that he had heard familiar voices. “Oh. Hey, you. I thought you wanted to stay near the Hidden Valley?”

“Ah, Shockwave, hi!” The Sneasel waved. “We still live there. I’ve always come to the main part of the Sacred Kingdom regularly, regardless. You just hardly see me in tournaments – never, in fact – because I’m unfortunate and tend to miss them. I’ll participate in one this time for sure, though.”

“Which?”

“The Tournament of Impenetrable Darkness.”

“The one in the Sea of Shadows, huh?” Shockwave suppressed a shiver. The Sea of Shadows was well known for its complete lack of light even on the brightest of days. It was a large area of barren earth where not even the hardiest of plants could grow, and it was surrounded by miles of foul-smelling bog, in which the skeleton frames of tall, black trees with thick trunks and evil-looking tangled roots stretched out their many bony branches. The air there was unwholesome, but even stronger than the stench of decay was the terrible sense of fear that lingered there. Shockwave remembered how Lune teased him about being afraid of that place, but he wasn’t going to let that silly Eevee provoke him. There were some things in the world that should be avoided if possible.

“I heard a rumor that Lord Yoruno will be there,” Élan said, his eyes glinting. “I intend to defeat him.”

“Interesting.” Up to this point, Lord Yoruno had a reputation for never losing a battle, although Lune had managed a draw against him once. “I need to battle him too, at some point. He has a tendency to be, er, well, elusive when I try to challenge him, though.”

Élan laughed. “Lucky him.”

Up to this point, he had tried to be patient, but now Luktam tugged on Élan’s arm. “Are we going to sign up for those tournaments or not?”

Shockwave took the signal. “You go and do that. I’m late for my Adviser meeting at the palace anyway. See ya.”

“Later,” Élan replied.


***

Two figures sat opposite each other in the darkness. One was tall and slender, and had his thin arms folded across his chest. Between his bony yellow fingers, he held two silver spoons, one in each hand. His long moustache fell past his chest and flared out to the sides. On his forehead he wore a large red jewel wrapped in gold, which formed a circle about the stone and drew around the front in a semi-circle around his ears to point forward: a sign of royalty in his homeland.

Facing him was a small creature with a tail as long as his body. He resembled a little monkey with large, round eyes and a big mouth filled with grinning teeth.

The Alakazam stared at the spoon in his right hand, which promptly folded in half. He straightened it perfectly with mental force, then looked his visitor in the eyes. It was handy to have his spoons as stress relievers, though they served far more important purposes. “You’re late.”

“That’s because you made me come all the way here,” protested Toidi.

“Is there no brain in that little head of yours?” hissed the Alakazam, already knowing the answer. “I don’t have time to leave the Slith Territories, especially now, when research for the development of our new weapons is coming to a close, and their actual fabrication has become possible.”

A long time ago, every existing independent State had signed a treaty banning weapons forever. In fact, this was done in response to the Forgotten Kingdom situation, for it was with weapons that Laurelin’s father had disposed of the visiting pokémon. Killings due to these weapons happened very often and almost instantaneously, for the technology behind them was difficult to control. And of course, once it exists, it is far more difficult to make technology less effective than it is to improve on it. This strictly enforced rule did not bother the Alakazam (he preferred at all times to remain unnamed, as did many pokémon from the Slith Territories, for they were a secretive lot). The aged wizard had no qualms about ignoring the fact that weapons were forbidden.

“But I did what you told me to,” Toidi snapped back.

The Alakazam could think of many ways to punish Toidi’s insolence later, but for now, he controlled his temper. This tool was still useful. “So he is no longer a Guardian?”

“Not anymore.”

“You managed to follow my instructions?” He made no effort to hide his surprise. “…Good. The Forgotten Kingdom won’t get suspicious if he disappears for a while, then. You are sure that he is no longer a member of the Council, right?” he asked suspiciously. He had to be prudent, for after all, Toidi was a leading, well-respected Guardian of the Savage Wilderness, a land known for breeding masters of poor logic and stubbornness.

“I’m very damn sure,” said the Aipom through gritted teeth. “How many times are you going to ask me?”

“As many times as I feel is necessary,” replied the Alakazam, dangerously on the verge of carrying out the postponed punishment. He calmed himself with the thought of converting Toidi into an experimental subject as soon as he no longer needed a pawn in the Council. “I’ll send my best Retrievers, Stealth and Hunter. You make sure that the Sacred Kingdom Guardians come after their little pet. Their blood will be a fitting celebration for the revival of weaponry.” My thanks for twenty years ago. He smiled to himself.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Interresting revelations. So the gang has joined a tournament in the Sacred Kingdom. This alakazam seems like the crazy wizard with idealistic goals, the mandatory nutjob:) Toidi is really stupid. I just hope Lune doesn't drag himself into selfpitty, but I'm sure Shockwave could do something about it, since his life is going pretty well actually.

[Lady Vulpix]

Oooh! Can I see the drawings?

And how dare you call that a delay? You're making me ashamed of myself.

"You covered the distance of two States in the time it took for the first stars to come out after the sun had set." <- I liked that phrase. :) And it was followed by a nice and subtle way to reveal the location of the meeting too.

Lune's reactions were very reallistic.

Your descriptions are as good as ever. I wonder what happened to make the Sea of Shadows that way. The presence of dead trees suggest that there used to be life in there at some point.

And so the bad guys make their first appearance (or get their first mention, at least). They kept getting on my nerves the first time. I chuckled as MeLoVeGhOsTs's phrase "mandatory nutjob".

[Lune the Guardian]

MeLoVeGhOsTs, the nutjob comment made me laugh too. XD We'll see what happens to Lune soon. I'm halfway done writing the next chapter. :)

Thanks, Gabi! ^_^ I'm planning to bring the Sea of Shadows back a lot later. I'll definitely show you the drawings when I finish them, but it might take a while. As for the delay... Well, you write much longer, more complex chapters that are filled with character and plot development. My chapters aren't as cohesive and shouldn't take a tenth of the time to put together. :P You shouldn't feel ashamed.

[Lune the Guardian]

I think you're going to get sick of triple asterisks in this chapter.


Chapter 31
Time Won’t Wait

When Shockwave woke up, light had flooded the Sanctuary, a sign of late morning. Lune was already gone. After returning from the palace yesterday afternoon, he’d found the Eevee asleep beneath a Gold Berry bush. Finally, he’d thought, and left lest a noise should interrupt the light sleeper. He came back at night to find that the Eevee had shifted his bed to the cool river bank. There were so many things he’d wanted to ask, but he’d decided to let his friend rest. And now Lune wasn’t here anymore. “Are you avoiding me?” he wondered aloud, sighing.


***

The Charmeleon leapt aside from the feeble Shadow Ball, retaliating with a bright spurt of flames that Lune, who stood frozen in place, could not dodge. His body was bent over, hairs blackened from the fire, and he was wheezing as if his breath had been seized from his lungs.

“What are you doing?” demanded the Charmeleon angrily. “If I’d known that you’d try to go easy on me, I wouldn’t have challenged you to a battle. I hate it when you do that.”

“Kera…”

“Shut up and fight!”

Lune sighed. He scanned the forest clearing, hoping that nobody was watching this humiliating battle. He wouldn’t have accepted the challenge, but he hadn’t had the chance to spend time with Kera for months; although he saw her at Council meetings, they always dragged on too late. As a Guardian of the Sparkling Forest to the south, Kera had little free time. She would come to the Sacred Kingdom in search of powerful opponents whenever she could, but this did not happen often.

“You’re going to regret looking away,” warned Kera.

Reacting to her voice and the painful heat that was rushing towards him, Lune forced a burst of speed out of his unwilling muscles. The tremendous kanji razed several meters of grass before suffocating in its own ashes.

“Bastard! I’m not going to forgive you if you don’t fight me properly. You shouldn’t have a hard time dodging a Fire Blast.” Kera’s voice had grown harsher. “Why won’t you take me seriously?”

“Ugh, it’s not that!” he insisted. Lune backed away from the Charmeleon, maintaining distance as he threw several shuriken stars that she deflected easily with her claws. When Kera approached the Eevee, he continued to flee from her, alternating between meager projectile attacks. A sudden frustration seized her. She struck the ground with her claws and hurled the moist earth aside in a frenzy. Lune watched with frantic eyes. From where would she emerge? Instead of waiting to find out, the Eevee took shelter under a bush and began to gather energy in his forepaw. She shouldn’t be able to see him there.

Beneath him, the earth erupted, revealing Kera as she grabbed him roughly and pinned his head to the ground. She placed the rest of her weight onto his body so that he could not move.

“How did you find me so quickly?” asked Lune.

“Your aura of fear is so thick that it makes me sick. What the hell happened to you?”

“You saw what happened.” Lune dug his front claws into the ground. His eyes were shaking. “I’m a bigger fool than the Savage Wilderness Guardians.”

It took a moment for Kera to understand. When she did, rage filled her, stronger than the resentment of being taken lightly. “Yes, you are,” she agreed through bared teeth, and punched Lune so hard that he heard a crack. “You’re a damn fool for getting depressed over something so stupid.” She released him and stood, regarding him with narrow eyes. “I would never have guessed that you were such a coward,” she said quietly, and left.

“Kera…” Lune struggled to raise his head. Although could see a faint outline of the departing Charmeleon, his vision was blurred by red dots. “Thank you.” But she had already gone.


***

When Lune regained consciousness, he saw Shockwave watching him from the Sanctuary river. “Hey. You’re awake. Are you going to tell me what happened to you now?” asked the Pikachu. “I’ve waited for two days, you know.”

“I’m sorry for worrying you. I should’ve told you right away.” Lune bowed his head. “Forgive me. Please?”

Shockwave crossed his arms, feigning annoyance. “That’s still not telling me anything.”

Lune laughed, and the tension dissipated. “Well, at the Council meeting, I did something pretty stupid.”

“I kind of figured that.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Lune hurled water at Shockwave before continuing. As if it would make a difference; Shockwave was already wet. “Anyway, I lost my Guardianship.”

“How?”

“Sage and Blaze weren’t there, so I told Pig that Blaze was sick and Sage was looking after him. She was okay with that. But Lady Naien wasn’t there either.”

“Right. She’s sick. We had to stop Adviser training early.”

“Lord Yoruno explained that she was sick, but Toidi asked him to prove it, and Pig agreed. She was going to remove Naien from her position. I had to say something, so…”

“Oh. Then they figured out that you’ve been here instead.”

“Yeah.”

Shockwave shrugged. “You didn’t like the Council anyway, right? Why did you avoid me for two days?”

“Would you have been happy if you’d been tricked by Elbuort and Toidi?”

“Of course not. That wouldn’t happen to me.” A shadow crossed Lune’s face, but Shockwave had not finished speaking. “It wouldn’t have happened to you, either. Someone obviously gave them the idea.”

“Maybe.” In spite of his noncommittal voice, the Eevee’s expression brightened considerably.

“By the way, your ear is crooked.”

“Oh. Kera did that.”

“You battled Kera? How was she, anyway?”

“Scary.”

As much as he tried not to, Shockwave laughed. Lune’s distress only made him laugh harder. The Eevee took the opportunity to slip away behind the waterfall. “Hey, where are you going?” asked Shockwave.

Lune had already put his front leg through the crack in the wall. “Naien’s still sick, isn’t she? I’m going to visit her.”

“Can you do that later? There are a lot of Adviser requests today,” Shockwave pointed out.

“You handle them,” Lune yelled back, squeezing into the cavern before Shockwave could protest.

“That’s what I’m supposed to say, you line stealer.”


***

Although the sun had hidden behind the clouds, it was already exerting the full extent of its heat. Lune scolded himself for allowing half a day to go by. He hadn’t even done anything yesterday except sleep. Time wasn’t going to stop for him. Apart from the Adviser requests, Announcer requests could be piling up as well. Lune had been lucky to have run into Kera; Shockwave would have given him time to recover instead of beating sense into him.

“Hey, Lune!” called a little Meowth, whose golden charm flashed on her forehead as she waved.

The Eevee stopped. “Hi,” he said. “Need something from me?”

“Actually, yes.” The kitten turned her head to hide her flushed cheeks. “My yellow scarf got blown into this tree. I’d climb up myself, but I pulled a leg muscle yesterday.”

“Ah, no problem,” Lune replied, leaping up and grabbing a branch. The bark of the tree trunk was rough when he pushed against it, but he tried not to display his discomfort. He didn’t want the Meowth to feel guilty for no reason, something she tended to do quite often when she asked for favors from him.

Within a short time, Lune reached the branch that held the scarf, which, unfortunately, was stuck on the very tip. Deciding against trying to reach it, he shook the branch vigorously until the cloth decided to fall.

Now, Eevee are not accustomed to climbing trees. They are typically a little over a foot tall without a particularly muscular build. Unlike cats, they do not have sharp extendable claws on their paws. Out of necessity, however, Lune had conquered this weakness in the Forgotten Kingdom because there were many trees there, and his inability to climb them had cost him several battles. Descending the tree was another painful matter, since Lune had nothing to grip the bark effectively.

The Meowth smiled and thanked him. Her name was Ana Lightfoot, and like Kera, she was a Guardian of the Sparkling Forest, which was named for its richness in bright precious gems. “I’m really sorry for bothering you,” she added.

“Anytime,” Lune said, smiling back to prevent himself from thinking about his sore feet. “No trouble at all.” He waved goodbye and continued his trip to the Guardians’ Palace.

On the way, Lune passed the house of a particularly old Espeon who needed routine treatments from a pharmacy an hour’s walk away, under the shade of the mountain upon which sat the Misty Lake. Otherwise, her silver fur would turn unattractive and dull, the skin beneath her four paws would flake off, and she would lose the hair on her two long, thin tails. It just so happened that she needed to collect the herbs from the shop that very day. She was, however, getting too old for long journeys.

“Oh, Lune,” she called as he walked by.

He turned around. “Need me to do you a favor?” he asked.

“If you would be so kind,” the Espeon pleaded. “I wish I could do it myself, but…”

“What do you need?” Lune asked.

“There’s a pharmacy below the Misty Lake at the mountain’s foot,” she said.

“Yes, I know the place.”

“I need to collect herbs from there, but I don’t think I’ll be able to make the journey.”

“Right. I’ll go get them for you after I visit Lady Naien,” he told her.

“Oh, thank you!” cried the Espeon. “You’re such a dear.”

“No problem. I’ll probably be heading there for Lady Naien anyway,” Lune replied.


***

“How are you feeling?” Lune asked.

“Ugh… I could be better,” said the Houndoom. She lay on her side with her tail and legs dangling off the soft feather bed. Her usually orange muzzle had a greenish tint to it, and a somewhat dazed look lingered in her eyes. “My lungs have decided that it would be funny to fill up with liquid and make me cough until I feel faint,” she groaned. At that moment, she fell into a fit of coughing so severe that Lune thought she would cough her brains out if she didn’t stop soon.

“Hmm… I’m going to the pharmacy under the Misty Lake. I’ll see if I can get something for you.”

“If you want.”

“I’ll ask the medicine guy about it. See ya later.”


***

The pharmacy was an hour’s walk away from the central part of the Sacred Kingdom. Moving quickly, though, Lune arrived in slightly less than half an hour. The building he searched for was a simple wooden shack hidden under the shade of leafy trees, with a single painted label on the outside that read ‘Medicine’. Lune knocked tentatively and entered.

Surprisingly, the inside was well lit and quite spacious. Bottles of all shapes and sizes were arranged neatly upon the many rows of sturdy shelves attached to the walls. In spite of this, he did not see the shop owner.

“Hello?” Lune called. “Anyone here?”

“Oh, pardon me. I was not aware of your presence,” replied a voice. An aged Hypno with faded yellow skin stepped out from behind a tall stack of boxes. He held his suspended pendulum in one hand and a small package in the other. The once thick ring of fur around his neck had grown thin over the years. On his face was a look of wisdom, the kind that made you feel at ease. “I was expecting Hana, but she has not come for her herbs yet.”

“She sent me to get them for her,” Lune replied. “She’s not feeling up to long journeys these days.”

“Oh, poor soul!” the Hypno exclaimed. “At least she found someone to collect these for her.” He handed Lune the package, which was wrapped around dry medicinal leaves.

“Hmm, I’d better not break these.” Lune accepted the package gingerly.

The Hypno chuckled. “Oh, it’s quite all right. Hana has to crumble them and boil them in water, anyway. Don’t worry about it.”

“All right,” Lune replied. “By the way, I need to ask you something about a friend’s condition.”

“Please.”

“Lady Naien’s lungs are loaded with some kind of nasty fluid. Apparently it irritates her body so much that she can’t stop coughing. And I mean, really coughing.”

The Hypno’s eyes grew wide. “You don’t mean Lady Naien, our Guardian?” He tsked as Lune nodded grimly. “That’s terrible! But I know just the thing that will help.” He rummaged through a drawer, and, after a few moments, drew out a tiny bottle of shocking blue liquid. “Take it for free; it’s a pleasure to help Lady Naien. Tell her to drink one drop a day until the potion is finished. No more, no less,” he warned.

“I understand,” he said. “And… thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, one more thing,” the Hypno said.

“What’s that?”

“Could you please remind Hana that she needs to pay me again? She doesn’t mean to, but the dear thing forgets.”

Any other Eevee might have cursed his luck at this point, but Lune was used to this kind of thing. Knowing that he would have to make another trip back to the pharmacy, he put Lady Naien’s bottle among the dry herbs temporarily and made his way back to the heart of the kingdom at full speed. As soon as he reached Hana’s house, Lune extracted the bottle and delivered the package.

“Oh, thank you, dear.”

“No problem,” Lune replied. “One thing, though… The Hypno says he wants to be paid.”

“Oh, by Ho-oh, I forgot again!” she exclaimed. “Oh, dear. I feel guilty asking this, but do you mind…?”

“I’ll take it to him,” Lune answered.

“Thank you.” Lune thought that he noticed a flicker in the Espeon's eyes, but it could have been his imagination. “Wait here, will you?” She disappeared into her house.

Quite soon she came back out again, carrying a bag of gold in her mouth, along with a curious-looking amulet. She handed both to him and said, “The sack is to pay for the herbs, but this amulet is my gift to you.”

“I can’t accept something like this,” Lune told her, returning the amulet. It was a beautiful thing with a sparkling silver chain, and the mystical crystal sphere that hung from it, framed by gold in the shape of an upside down tear, was remarkably clear. At the moment, it looked as if half of the inside blazed with white fire, great and glorious, while the rest was black flame brooding in darkness.

“Oh, dear. Is it too little? That’s my most valuable possession.”

“No, no, you’ve misunderstood,” he insisted. “I don’t need any payment, and that amulet looks way too valuable for you to give it away.”

“I have my reasons for giving it to you,” she said, her voice suddenly strange.

Puzzled, he tried to find out more, but Hana had left the amulet on the floor and walked indoors in a trance. Since she wasn't going to take it back, Lune hung the amulet around his neck and placed Naien’s medicine bottle inside the sack of gold before heading to see her.

When Lune went into the Houndoom’s bedroom, he found Lord Yoruno there. Lady Naien was sleeping. “Ah, so the Umbreon knows how to worry, too,” Lune teased.

“It is not pleasant to run a kingdom alone,” Lord Yoruno replied. “Hopefully she will get better soon.”

“It’s confirmed. The Umbreon has feelings! I know your secret now,” Lune added with a wry smile, savoring the Umbreon’s reaction. “Anyway,” he said, becoming serious, “I brought her some medicine that I hope will work.”

“Let’s see it."

Lune produced the bottle of blue liquid. “Exactly one drop a day until she finishes it all,” he said.

“I’ll be sure to remember that,” Lord Yoruno answered. “By the way, before she went to sleep, she asked me to tell you to watch the two new Advisers and take care of any Adviser business.”

“Will do,” Lune replied, and he set off for the pharmacy, holding the sack firmly between his teeth.


***

Afternoon was already giving way to evening when Lune returned. A pleasant, cooling breeze was blowing, and the sun shone gently from behind a cloud. Lune was happy to make it back so swiftly, for he still had time to tend to Adviser duties, and then some. When Lune had told Shockwave to handle everything alone earlier, they both knew that he hadn't really expected the Pikachu to do it. Surely enough, Lune found Shockwave taking a late-afternoon swim in the Sanctuary. He popped his head out through the waterfall curtain. “I’m going to do Adviser stuff,” he told the Pikachu. “Wanna come?”

“Er, okay,” Shockwave said, swimming to shore and drying himself.

When they arrived at the forest clearing where Advisers conducted their sessions, they found Deux standing there alone.

“You mean you took care of all of them?” Lune was impressed. There had not been anyone who had made such quick progress since Lune himself was first hired. He was enthusiastic about the job then. Now he found it a painful burden.

“Yup,” the Scizor responded.

“Thanks. Since that’s settled, I’m going to see what I can do to fix the General Tournament arena that some ingenious pokémon decided to blow up in spite of the rules. If Lady Naien and Lord Yoruno don’t have the time to fix it, I will. Shockwave…?”

“Erk… I’m supposed to battle Élan quite soon,” Shockwave replied. “Really, I am.”

“Okay,” Lune said, “See ya later. Good luck!” He bounded off to the central square where the arena lay.

Shockwave, noticing Deux’s aghast face, laughed and explained, “He does that a lot.”


***

“I smell him close,” the winged terror whispered coarsely. “But I may be mistaken. The hair that Toidi brought was a very old one. The idiot. But Master wants this done, so it must be beneficial to the Slith Territories. He doesn’t tolerate idiots for no reason.”

“Hmm. Hunter, I think I see the Eevee down there. Your eyes are sharper. Can you confirm?” asked the Venomoth of his fearsome partner.

The great prehistoric creature slowed his large stone wings and turned his piercing gaze downwards. “It is definitely an Eevee,” said the Aerodactyl, showing his sharp, dagger-like teeth in a sinister grin, “And apart from wearing a golden earring, he has an Everstone stuck in his forehead. He is the Eevee, all right.” Hunter cackled.

“Perfect,” Stealth said, with pleasure. “This will be over as soon as I loose my Sleep Powder upon him.”


***

Lune was refilling the holes in the ground with debris and fitting cement coverings over them as well as he could, but most of the relevant pieces had been blown into worthless rubble. He would have to come back the next day with new cement and some tools.

He did not see the large shadows that loomed up behind him, but he heard the rapid movement of a pair of insect wings. “Deux, is that you?” he asked, but then he heard more wings. Huge wings. He turned around to face the Retrievers and cried out in horror. “Wait, you’re not-”

Lune never finished that sentence. Breathing in the blue cloud sedated him almost immediately. Hunter silently scooped the limp Eevee up in his talons, and, nodding to Stealth, headed for the Savage Wilderness.

[Lady Vulpix]

A cliffhanger! I guess we're even now.

Very informative chapter. And it was nice to see Hana again, I really missed her.

As for Ana, I think her mid-sentence background description would go better somewhere else. Possibly as a separate sentence. In any case it was also nice to see her.

Oh, and thanks for the praise! *Hugs.*

[Lune the Guardian]

*hugs back* Yeah, I've been poking that sentence and wondering what to do with it. I'll try to split the sentences and move stuff around. Thanks :)

[Lady Vulpix]

It looks much better now. :)

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Very nice chapter, one of the best IMO. I like how Lune was like a messenger/logistic service for everyone, although he must get tired of doing most things alone right?

Shockwave is laid-back as always, but I can't help but wonder if this is going to affect his Adviser duties. Seeing that there is always something to do. Thank god for Deux, though.

So the plot starts to unravel... Interesting.

[Lune the Guardian]

Thank you ^_^

It's sad, but Lune really is like that. You're right, though - everyone has a limit, even if some have higher limits than others.

Shockwave definitely has what Lune doesn't, the ability to ignore stuff that needs to be done. Lune can't stand leaving work undone for too long. Shockwave's got a different priority list; he'll put everything he has into what he feels is important, and the rest of the stuff doesn't matter to him either way. He'd eventually get some of the tedious work done if nobody else was around to do it, but the problem is, Lune is around :P I think they complement and balance each other in a funny way.

I wonder if I'm unfolding the plot at too slow a pace =/ 31 chapters in before someone's in any real danger.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

It is moving at a slow pace, but that's cool since you really get to know your characters here. Kinda like in a Harry Potter book where the plot usualy starts really late, although with some hints to the future plots (like you did with the alakazam).

I see nothing wrong with it.

[Lune the Guardian]

^_^ Guess what's here? Another chapter!


Chapter 32
Forgotten Fury

Deux’s arm trembled. In his claw he held a note that he had removed from the blue Sleep Powder spores on the cement floor. A hasty message had been scrawled onto the piece of paper:

Dearest Lord Yoroono and Lady Nighyen… We have Loon the Eevee. If you want him back, come and get him.
- The Savage Wilderness Authorities

This is bad, he thought. I need to find Shockwave.


***

Lune groaned. For some reason, he had a splitting headache and his body ached horribly. He opened his eyes to discover that he lay within a spherical force field encompassing his body. There was little room for him to move. He poked at the clear blue energy wall before him, only to find that whenever he did so, it would throw his paw back to where it came from with a vicious jolt of electricity. The shield was impenetrable from the inside.

“Ah, so he finally awakens,” said a soft, icy voice. “You slept like a Snorlax, Eevee.”

Lune would have jumped from surprise if he could have done so. As the room stopped spinning, he saw the Alakazam look at him with cold, cruel eyes. “Who… are you?” Lune asked weakly.

“Since you are under my control, I shall tell you,” the Alakazam answered. “I am the sole Guardian of the Slith Territories. I shall not reveal my name, however, and you shall never know where my hidden State lies.”

“Yeah, and you’ll never guess that it’s in the Eastern Marshes, either,” Toidi added.

“Fool!” the Alakazam cried, lifting the Aipom in the air and slamming him into a wall with mental force. “Keep your mouth shut! Stealth, put both the Savage Wilderness Guardians to sleep before they do any more damage.”

“With pleasure, Master,” the Venomoth replied. Elbuort and Toidi began to snore. “It’s a pity Hunter could not fit into this pathetically small room, or he would have enjoyed scaring these two out of their wits. They wouldn’t have dared to utter a word then.” In fact, the Guardian Tower was quite spacious. The only problem was, Hunter’s wings could have spanned close to thirty feet. He couldn’t come through the tiny entrance doors at the bottom of the tower, nor could he hope of squeezing through the flight of pointlessly narrow stairs.

For the first time, Lune realized that the Alakazam was not the only one in the room. His mind was still in a torpid state, and his headache had gotten worse. He looked around. The Alakazam was sitting in front of Lune’s prison and looking down upon him, and the Venomoth who had put him to sleep earlier was watching over an unconscious Mankey and Aipom. There was also someone far in the back of the room that Lune could not see very clearly.

“What do you want from me?” Lune asked the Alakazam.


***

“There’s more to this than it looks,” Shockwave said. “Notice how ‘Savage Wilderness Authorities’ is spelt perfectly while all of the other names er… aren’t? Someone wanted to make sure that Lady Naien and Lord Yoruno knew where to go. And there’s no way that Savage Wilderness representatives could have kidnapped Lune by themselves. They’re too stupid.”

“We’ll be the ones that go after him,” Élan said. “Lady Naien and Lord Yoruno must not find out about this. Whoever is really behind this wants to draw them into the Savage Wilderness. There’ll probably be a counterattack in the Sacred Kingdom itself. Those two will have to handle it.”

“We won’t be needing this, then,” said Deux as he tore up the note into miniscule pieces.


***

The Alakazam cackled. “You see the force field that you are trapped in? I hold in my hand the only device that will shut it down.” The Alakazam waved the remote control in front of Lune’s face, taunting him with his fingers on the lever. “Slith Territories technology. Very advanced, you must admit. It’s a pity that I can’t punish the fools from twenty years ago, but they can toss in their graves when I kill the current Guardians and destroy the Sacred Kingdom!” More maniacal cackles.

“You’re sadly mistaken if you think Lady Naien and Lord Yoruno would come here for me,” Lune told him.

“Oh? How sad. You lose your Guardianship to protect them, and still, they wouldn’t do a thing to save you?”

Lune’s lips tightened, but he said nothing. So, the real pokémon responsible for cornering him at the Council was in front of him. Lune refused to give him the pleasure of acknowledgement. The Alakazam knew many other ways to provoke his captive, however.

“By the way,” he said with a sneer, “As you might have guessed, Stealth and Hunter, my faithful elite Retrievers, were born in the Forgotten Kingdom. I snatched them as eggs and trained them myself.”

Lune’s temper flared immediately. “How dare you? Pokémon are not tools!”

“Naïve,” replied the Alakazam indifferently. He beckoned to the obscured pokémon. “I’m finished. You may torment him now.”

The pokémon crept out of the shadows. He was a rather big snake about six feet long, with sharp red fangs that could puncture the toughest hides. His body was black, with several yellow dots here and there surrounded by bright rings. The top of his head and his entire lower jaw were also yellow. Indigo bands streaked down either side of his face, and along his neck and tail. His eyes were blood red, as was the triangular cleaver blade on the end of his pointed tail. Lune recognized the Seviper immediately. “Ytos,” he said darkly.

“Hello, murderer.” Ytos was originally born in the Savage Wilderness, but his ability to formulate bitter schemes of vengeance upon those that he found a reason to hate quickly scared the natives of the State, and he left to find someone who shared his evil and hateful will.

“That’s amusing, coming from you.” But Lune was visibly shaken from the insult.

“You are a killer at heart and you know it,” hissed Ytos.

“I haven’t taken anyone’s life before, not even a wild pokémon’s. You know nothing about me. How dare you accuse me like that?” The crystal on Lune’s amulet was almost completely black.

“You can pretend to be good all you like.” The Seviper’s eyes glinted. “I know that you have a Dark type Hidden Power.”

Lune froze. His Dark type Hidden Power was not something he liked to talk about, and he was more than reluctant to use it. The unfortunate victim of a complete assault would go irreversibly insane, regardless of his strength of mind. He would be reduced to a mumbling fool, unaware of what went on in the world, imprisoned by his eternally lingering fear. The cackling shadows would haunt him forever, and he would never again find peace of mind for the rest of his terrible life. Lune had never completed an assault before, nor had he even gotten close. No one had withstood the fearsome darkness for long. Lune knew that, if it should come to it, he would rather lose the battle than allow the shadows to progress. No pokémon deserved to live in perpetual terror.

“Just as I thought. You can’t respond because you secretly agree with me. Hidden Power types reflect the character of their owners. Not so deep inside, you aren’t the good pokémon you pretend to be.”

Lune was silent for a while. Ytos’s words had some truth in them. The Seviper himself had a Poison type Hidden Power, for his thoughts were malicious and his heart rotten. But when Lune thought about his own Hidden Power, he always thought: Why darkness?

“You’re just unhappy that you can’t harness the darkness yourself,” Lune finally answered, somewhat shakily. A while ago, Ytos had been in the Sacred Kingdom. He had demanded that Lune teach him how to manipulate the shadows, but Lune had refused. Even if he knew how to help Ytos change his Hidden Power type, Lune wouldn’t have done so, because he knew that Ytos would not hesitate to imprison others in a fate as grim as death. Powerful pokémon with black hearts were the most dangerous wielders of Dark type Hidden Powers.

“Stupid Eevee,” hissed the Seviper. “You have a vicious nature and you know it. Stop changing the subject.”

“All right, I’ll admit this much: the fact that I refuse to grant your selfish wishes makes me a vicious murderer in your world. Unfortunately for you, the world we share is not yours.”

A dangerous look flashed in Ytos’s eye, but he could find no response. He slithered into a corner with a curse and continued to brood darkly upon revenge.


***

“Er, Élan, I really think we need a more solid plan. We can’t just barge right into the Guardian Tower,” Shockwave said.

“We’ll sneak in,” Élan replied. “Deux may have to crawl up the stairs, though.”

“That’s not very different.”

“Élan, I think you are absolutely crazy,” said Deux. “Might I remind you that we are walking into a trap set for someone else?”

“Why, of course.” Élan winked. “Now, come on!”

And when Shockwave and Deux looked, first at each other, and then at Élan, they realized that the Sneasel was completely serious.

“Fine, but you’ll have to tell me the way,” he said, holding Shockwave under one arm and Élan under the other. His fine, steely wings buzzed to life, beating faster than a hummingbird’s so their movement was marked only by a single blur to most eyes.

“No problem,” Élan said, “I’ve visited the place with Luktam before. We’re only two hours away.”


***

Toidi and Elbuort stirred. Immediately, Stealth looked outside at the position of the sun, then turned and nodded at Ytos. The serpent slithered towards the two small monkeys and whispered something so viciously in their ears that they turned very pale, but they nodded and promptly disappeared.

“Those were my teleporters,” the Alakazam answered before Lune could ask. “Mechanically induced for those not capable of doing it naturally the way I can. Technology is wonderful for those who lack the appropriate magical abilities, is it not?” The Alakazam nodded dismissively to the Venomoth and Seviper. “You may go.” And they vanished.

“Now what?” Lune muttered.

“I think you would like to know that a host of angry Sacred Kingdom residents is on its way right now to wreak havoc at the Guardians’ Palace. The pokémon can’t teleport directly into the heart of the kingdom, of course, or they will risk re-materializing irreversibly into something solid, which would be a real disaster.” The Alakazam wore a smug expression, apparently pleased with himself. “They will appear about a five hours’ march away from the palace, in a special meadow I discovered at the foot of the Mountains of Spring. It is a large area empty of rocks, trees, and the like. Perfectly foolproof. They’ll have to make their way through the dense forests, of course, which is the reason for the annoying delay, but at least they won’t starve along the way.”

“It’ll take more than a mob of your pawns to topple the Sacred Kingdom.”

The Alakazam merely laughed. “You expect me to believe that?”

Lune fell silent. He had felt moments before, somehow, that Shockwave knew. And he had felt hope again. Light now flickered visibly in the blackness of the amulet’s crystal.

“You’re boring me, Eevee,” said the Alakazam, his eyes filling with wicked pleasure. “Do something interesting.” He fixed his gaze on the Eevee’s right foreleg and willed it to break. It did so with a sickening snap.

A sharp pain shot up Lune’s leg, but he was determined not to scream. “Is that the best you can - AAAAAH!” The Alakazam shook his broken foot vigorously with mental force and jammed it into the electrical force field, which crackled and hurled the bleeding thing back. Lune’s face twisted as he held back tears of agony.

His captor had made a mistake by using telekinesis that Lune was determined to use to his advantage. The Alakazam, in his arrogance, had neglected to realize that, in using the only method of getting into the force field, he was providing Lune with the only method of getting out. Lune had already temporarily copied the Alakazam’s telekinesis, and now he simply needed to wait for an opportunity. He hadn’t much time. The effects of Mimic lasted, for an average pokémon, no longer than half an hour. Lune had intentionally trained himself to draw this time out to two.

It turned out, however, that Lune need not have worried. The Alakazam’s only intention was to abuse him with telekinesis until someone else came, so Lune found plenty of opportunity to refresh his memory. He did not know how long had passed before the Alakazam stopped crushing his lungs, throwing him against the force field, or shaking his broken foot.

The Alakazam pointed to a small monitor that had been set up beside Lune’s prison. “It seems that some of your friends are here,” he said, evidently disappointed that he had not lured the Sacred Kingdom Guardians. “They won’t make it past the security system that I installed. It’s too bad that I won’t get to see the lasers vaporize Naien or Yoruno, however.”

“You brought weapons? You have weapons?” Lune’s voice grew small. On the screen, unmistakably, he saw the silhouetted figures of a rodent, a feline, and a mantis.

The Alakazam yawned. “Three, two, one,” he said. And suddenly, huge streaks of light, all focused upon the three intruders, collided in the middle and exploded, covering the scene with debris. When the smoke cleared, Lune could see three bodies on the floor. He turned away and did not look back. The Alakazam did likewise. If they did chance a look, however, they would have seen three very surprised pokémon stagger to their feet, winded but unhurt.

Lune glared at the Alakazam, narrowing his eyes. “I won’t forgive you,” he said quietly. There was only a miniscule speck of light in the flaming black crystal.

Deep purple negative energy gathered into a sphere at Lune’s left forepaw. The ball grew monstrous in less than a second; Lune had channeled his anger into it. The Alakazam looked frightened, for Psychic types like him suffered horribly from Ghost type assaults, but he still believed that he was safe, and that the Shadow Ball had nowhere to go.

That’s what he thought. But when Lune willed the switch on the remote to flick off and the electrical sphere containing him faded, the ethereal energy exploded in the Alakazam’s face before he could respond. Lune leapt off the floor and rammed hard into the Alakazam’s chest, pinning his prey down upon the floor. “You really shouldn’t have done that,” Lune told him.

“If you kill me, my army will turn on the Forgotten Kingdom. Karkas the Second shall not go unavenged!” For Karkas, revealing his name was quite significant; a pokémon born in the Slith Territories only did so when he believed he was facing death.

“You can suffer a living death,” Lune whispered, extinguishing the lights in the tower. For a moment the beautiful stars outside promised a false peace, and then even they were no longer visible. Everything was in darkness. Lune laughed, a nervous high-pitched laugh that rang with his crazed denial. He did not want to think about what he had seen on the screen. He did not want to believe it. Then the Eevee’s laughter changed into maniacal cackling. A shadow came over his face. “Goodbye, Karkas the Second,” he said to his terrified victim.

Karkas whimpered. He could hear voices, cruel voices, jeering at him. He could sense the presence of… of… things; he could feel them near him, and he knew they were drawing closer. Shadows had erupted into life, and they surrounded him, closing tightly around him… Karkas felt them wrap around his throat, felt them choking him, and then, to his alarm, felt them clawing their way into his mind…

But the moment never came. Lune was wavering for two reasons. Firstly, he was not emotionally ready to reduce anyone into a lost lunatic that muttered gibberish, even though he believed that the subject in question had just murdered three of his closest friends; and secondly, he thought that he had felt Shockwave close by, alive… And suddenly his amulet glowed brightly with urgency, and white flame erupted within.

“You’re getting too emotional,” called Shockwave’s voice from the stairs. “Do you really think that’s necessary?”

The shadows retreated, leaving Karkas dazed but sane. Lune smiled, and although light had not yet returned to the room, he could have sworn that Shockwave had grinned back.

“Impossible,” the Alakazam moaned. “I programmed my lasers to fire at all intruders and to make especially sure that they kill all those of Sacred Kingdom blood.”

“Well, there’s your problem, then.” Deux smirked. “None of us seem to be of Sacred Kingdom blood.”

Karkas’s face suddenly turned haggard. He blanched, then looked weakly up at his enemies. As if answering the pale Alakazam’s unspoken question, Deux and Élan said at the same time, unintentionally, “The Silver Havens.”

Really? thought Lune, but Élan and Deux were even more surprised. They had not met each other in the Silver Havens before.

“That’s pretty cool,” Shockwave said, and left it at that.

The Silver Havens was a legendary state, the very first, for it had risen to order before the rest, and had somehow spread harmony throughout the entire world. The ancient land of this blessed realm was the first to receive the gift of life from golden Ho-oh, the phoenix of seven colors. But soon after all the States had come to power, the Silver Havens vanished out of known existence. Only its inhabitants knew where it lay hidden. There was a rumor that the Silver Havens went into hiding because it guarded something important, something that would preserve the good of the world forever.

“Those from the Silver Havens know where it lies hidden,” the Alakazam croaked. “I will find it, and when the First State falls, the world will be mine!” Karkas’s image flickered, but before anyone could stop him, he had gone.

“Damn! I should have drained some of his energy as soon as we got here so he wouldn’t have had enough to Teleport,” hissed Élan.

“Let him run,” Lune said. “We’ve got bigger problems. I’d go into a Rest trance right now to heal all my injuries, but there isn’t time. I’ll do it immediately when we get back. Right now, we need to fly. Union of Soul!” he cried. The room flashed. “By the way, the Slith Territories lies somewhere in the Eastern Marshes.” Without another word, Lune shattered the large glass window with an ethereal orb and leapt out with his wings spread. Deux clutched Élan tightly and followed, guessing that Lune would fill them in on the way. He did.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

The chapters and the story in general is really getting better. I was actually very sad that the chapter ended, which is saying a lot.

I lolled at the spelling. Idiots.

The hidden power aspect you use is magnificent. I like how they reflect the person's personality, even the deepest inside of that pokemon. I can really relate to being different on the outside, although I wouldn't say my hidden power would be THAT dark:)

The best part is however that you informed us of some background, like with the Silver Havens. I like how each country/territory is different and they all have their own characteristics and traditions (like with the name-thing in the Slith Territories) . When the story is over I'd appreciate a schedule of all the kingdoms and their properties. Or even a world map. That would be cool.

So I'm guessing that Karkas will alter his evil scheme from revenge and destroying the Sacred Kingdom, to discovering the Silver Havens, crushing it and gaining world domination + revenge in one.

It seems like ages ago when we we're reading about minor annoyances like King Ryu. Lol.

Keep it up!

[Lady Vulpix]

Exciting chapter indeed.

I liked Lune's mention of wild pokemon. And Ytos's logic is really twisted, but he seems to have a way of getting to Lune.

The details you keep slipping in about each State are also very interesting. :)

And the plot is deepening, which is also a good thing.

[Lune the Guardian]

MeLoVeGhOsTs - I'm glad that you're enjoying the chapters. :) Haha at the spelling thing. My original version had a ridiculous spelling that I decided was too terrible even for the Savage Wilderness Guardians. Interesting comment about the Hidden Powers. Made me think about what my Hidden Power would be in real life. ^^; Scarily enough, I'm pretty sure it would be Dark. Or Ground. Nobody knows what I'm really like deep down but me :P I keep layers and layers and layers buried within myself. I actually do have a rough map in my head, it would be cool to make one, and an informative piece about each territory. Good idea, I'll keep it in mind and implement it when I've got the chance.

Gabi - Yay! Ever since you mentioned it in the Hidden Valley chapter, I've been trying to think of how to distinguish between the hunters and prey. I finally settled on explaining that "civilized" pokémon aren't the same as wild pokémon, because wild pokémon haven't developed the ability to share a common language / coexist with other species. And it's way too easy to bother Lune. He should be more like Shockwave. ^^;

[Lune the Guardian]

This was painfully difficult for me to write for some reason.


Chapter 33
Wave and Shadow

Pukcus wrapped his wing around Ebannaw to bring her closer. “Today, my dear, we will put up a historic fight that will never be forgotten,” he told her. “The Guardians of the Sacred Kingdom are corrupt. Someone needs to keep them in check. To think that they would give me three warnings for harassment! Elbuort said that they even tried to get Pig to banish me once. I haven’t even lived there for a year. That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

“They are just jealous that they are not as clever or skillful as you. Yep yep. Don’t worry. As long as Pig is there, those stupid Guardians won’t get to do anything unfair.”

Yes, as long as I have you, Pig is on my side. Pukcus silently congratulated himself for choosing such a useful mate. At that moment, three figures warped onto the field a short distance away from the rest of the mob. Toidi went to converse with the pokémon that had gathered there, while Elbuort hung back with Ytos. They disappeared into the surrounding forest after the Seviper said something that made the Mankey’s fur whiter (as if that was even possible). Pukcus took this as his cue to follow. “Will you excuse me, my dear?” Without waiting for Ebannaw’s answer, he flew away to meet his fellow conspirators.

“Come back soon,” she called.

When Pukcus found the other two within the densely packed fruit trees, Ytos was fuming. “What’s the matter, hmm?”

“This coward is the matter!” The Seviper wrapped his tail around Elbuort, who nervously eyed the cleaver hanging in front of his face.

“Oh?” Puckus lifted his black hat so that it did not block his vision of the Mankey. “What are you afraid of, loser?”

Although the closeness of Ytos’s tail blade unsettled him, Elbuort reacted violently to Pukcus’s taunt. “I’m not afraid, you jerk. You’re the cowards, if anything. Why don’t we attack the Guardians head on instead of using Karkas's stupid fake recordings?”

“Use that pitiful microscopic thing that you call a brain!” Ytos pulled his tail tighter around his constricted captive. “It’s impossible to win a direct attack in the middle of enemy territory. It’s much easier to convince Sacred Kingdom residents that they’re unhappy with the way that the kingdom is being run. Then, instead of forming a barrier against us, they could be used to our advantage.”

“But... we’re lying to our friends. They all believe that these recordings are true. You didn’t even let me tell Toidi. And…”

“This isn’t your first time deceiving others. Have you already forgotten how happily you agreed to the first part of this plan?”

“There’s a difference between tricking our friends and tricking our enemies!”

Pukcus interrupted; he wore a curious smile. “Is this about Ebannaw?”

The suddenness caught Elbuort off guard. “You mean she doesn’t know? I thought, of all pokémon, you would have told her.”

“That’s why you’re an idiot.” Pukcus condescendingly stroked Elbuort’s head with his wing. “I’ll tell you something good. The closer you bring someone to you, the more useful they become.” He savored Elbuort’s appalled expression. “I see you understand now. Don’t worry. When I don't need her anymore, I’ll give her to you.”

“You… She believes everything you tell her. You mean the whole world to her. How could you?” The Mankey was trembling.

“Shut up, both of you.” Ytos spat at Pukcus’s feet. “This isn’t about some worthless Spearow. And you,” Ytos hissed, baring his venom-laced fangs to Elbuort, “The only reason that you’re here is because you eavesdropped on us. I’m going to explain the plan one more time, and we’ll carry it out exactly as planned. No more questions.”


***

“Lune, you plan on meeting that army by yourself in front of the Guardians’ Palace?” Shockwave asked, a little doubtfully.

“I’m going to disguise myself and talk to them,” Lune replied. “And the way that Karkas said it, I don’t think we’d really have to worry about a real military threat. It sounded more like a mob than an army.”

“Er, okay, but I’ll be perfectly content just watching,” he said. “Élan and Deux should be nearly done telling everyone they can to get to the Guardians’ Palace.”

“I won’t be needing wings, but stay close by in case you have to back me up.” Lune sighed. “I’m going to warn the Guardians now. You go help Deux and Élan.”


***

The army had arrived: a wild-looking group with blank expressions on their faces. Some were scratching their heads, others muttering while they shoved each other back and forth; one was even picking his nose. This was not a very impressive army, if it could be considered an army at all. Their numbers were small, and the individuals did not look very threatening, unless stupidity was a contagious disease. Still, the crowd of Sacred Kingdom residents who were gathered at the sides of the pathway leading up to the palace seemed interested. The most sharp-sighted ones might have noticed a shadowed Seviper in the very middle.

Lord Yoruno and Lady Naien were waiting on the marble porch of the palace when the mob came, showing signs of intense displeasure when they saw Pukcus and Ebannaw flying in the lead. Fortunately, Lady Naien had just taken the Hypno’s medicine, and had stopped coughing out her insides for the moment. The mob stopped moving. And then, suddenly, the storm burst.

“Tyrants, haters of order and peace!” Pukcus bellowed. “We are here to tell you our grievances, so listen!” The Murkrow cleared his throat, as if preparing for a big speech. “You are dictators, and you don’t care what we want,” he accused. “We, the people, are sick of being oppressed by the corrupt government. It’s time that you listened to our voices!” At that, the mob roared in agreement. “Until now, pokémon have been frightened of speaking up. But now,” Pukcus said, a tear of pride in his eye, “we are standing up for ourselves! Now we have the courage to speak against you! Listen to what we have to say!”

Toidi hopped up and down excitedly. “I’ve been here for quite a while, and what I have to say is, you two are too uptight! And that Lune is a bitch too!” The Aipom nodded. “Look what me and Elbuort do for the Savage Wilderness,” he said, “We don’t care if anyone breaks laws, laws shouldn’t be enforced! You should have good laws, we do, but if you make pokémon obey laws, then you need to loosen up!”

Elbuort remained silent and tried to hide his face. Maybe if he closed his eyes, he could pretend that he had nothing to do with the mob’s outburst.

A Zubat named Fel Loudwing (he was born in the Sparkling Forest) flew up to the front next. “For all the time I was here,” he said in his squeaky voice, “I was scared to say what I thought. I was scared because of what I thought Lord Yoruno and Lady Naien would do to me if I said anything. But now I’m glad I told everyone all I was thinking.” He returned to the mob, completely unaware that he had not told anyone anything worthwhile. Of course, he hadn’t lied; when he said that he had revealed all his thoughts, he told the truth, for there wasn’t a thought in his head.

Then, to Lune’s utter disgust, Ytos slithered forward with a small black box slung around his fat neck. Lune was horrified to hear Lord Yoruno’s voice coming out of the box. He could see the Seviper cackling inwardly as murmurs bubbled through the neutral crowd. What… what is he saying? And how did Ytos get those recordings? Fearfully, Lune turned his head to scan the faces of the Sacred Kingdom residents that had gathered there. Their gazes were directed at the Umbreon who stood quietly on the porch.

The voice droned and repeated as Ytos flipped through the recordings held by his black box. “Of course. This is our kingdom.” Static. “We don’t have enough power to do that.” Silence. “It would be convenient if Pig just disappeared, wouldn’t it?” Static. “Let’s do it this way. They won’t know any better.” Silence. “He needs to be taken care of. The sooner, the better.” Static. “I refuse to take that suggestion.” Silence. A longer silence than before; Ytos allowed the audience to interpret the words privately. Then, Pukcus addressed the crowd.

“My dear comrades,” he cawed, “What you have heard is the voice of none other than the tyrant we mistakenly trusted as our leader, that very Umbreon that stands on the palace porch now, looking down upon us all!” He pointed his wing at Lord Yoruno, and the rest of the kingdom’s eyes fell upon the Umbreon. “Blackmail. Conspiracy to murder. Usurpation of power. This Umbreon is guilty of them all! And what’s more, he does not take suggestions. My friends, this is the mark of a true dictator.” He raised his right wing upright and began to chant, “Down with Yoruno! Down with Naien!”

His followers echoed. “Down with Yoruno! Down with Naien!”

Some of the Sacred Kingdom residents joined the chant. Others, seeming doubtful, shifted uncomfortably, looking first at Yoruno, then at Pukcus and back again. The chanting grew louder until it assimilated a compelling rhythm, a wave that rushed through the gathered crowd and forcefully swept them away in the current. Some pokémon had begun to advance towards the porch. The Guardians stepped backwards.

“ENOOOOOOOOUGH!” The cry, coming from a single pokémon, pierced impossibly through the deafening chant. Shocked by the noise that had disrupted the tempo, searching eyes darted towards the source. And the wave of bloodthirst that had so suddenly began now crashed into a premature finale, leaving silence in its wake.

Whatever being had just yelled did not resemble any known pokémon. Poised between the crowd and the Guardians, he was veiled by darkness, a darkness so fine that it was beautiful like the mysterious night sky above that glittered with stars. His features were shadowed, and the nebulous cloud about him that continued to shift in shape gave no visual clue as to his identity. A few attentive pokémon could pick out a faint glitter of gold in one corner of the cloud, or the strange, indistinct mingling of white and black somewhere indefinite, but they shrugged, dismissing it all as a hallucination.

“What ill has befallen this kingdom!” he cried, his tone grieved and weary. “Pokémon of the Sacred Kingdom, please have some sense. Tell me, have you known what it is like to starve?” The being paused, turning his head around, glaring with eyes of cold fire, as if daring someone to speak. Those in the mob muttered unsurely amongst themselves, but finally, they were forced to shake their heads. They had all been fed well. Satisfied, the being continued. “Have you ever been forced to serve these two?” He gestured at the Umbreon and Houndoom behind him. They shook their heads again. “Have these two physically hurt you to get their way?” More shaking. The being’s eyes flashed with indignation. “Then you obviously don’t know what real tyrants are, or you would not have accused Lord Yoruno or Lady Naien of being such… things. As far as I have seen, and you’ve agreed yourselves, these two have always taken good care of the kingdom, making sure that everyone gets enough food to comfortably live. None of you have died of malnutrition or poverty. And yet, you say that they don’t care about your needs?” he said sarcastically. There was a painful silence. “None of you are slaves. None of you do anything to help Lady Naien and Lord Yoruno if you don’t want to. These two have never forced you into physical labor, nor have they ever resorted to any form of torture. I’m sure that every one of you has heard stories of Assassins at least once in your lives.” A shiver ran through the crowd. “These two don’t have Assassins to kill pokémon with. They don’t want assassins to kill pokémon with. And you call them dictators?” The being made a curious sound, a mixture of a groan and a cry of exasperation. “Let me tell you something. Dictators have absolutely no concern for their subjects, couldn’t care less if pokémon are starving as long as they themselves have more than enough to eat, regard subjects as worthless unless they work as slaves, and torture or kill anyone that remotely annoys them. Lord Yoruno and Lady Naien do not fit this description. They don’t even fulfill a single requirement! Pokémon, I beseech you once again: please have some sense. The Guardians of the Sacred Kingdom have cared for you. You should be rejoicing that they are in power, not doing your best to drive them away. Think, for a moment, about what these two have done for you. Think carefully about whether you should trust the questionable evidence of a snake that does not even live in this kingdom. I’ll take my leave now.” And he melted into the shadows.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with you guys?” shouted an audience member at the mob. “I only saw you arguing for one side. Even if Lord Yoruno really said those things that came from the box, what happened to the rest of the conversation? How much of that was even true? You claim to speak for all of us, but we don’t all agree with you!”

Then Deux raised his voice. “You know,” he said to the mob, “The Sacred Kingdom may be a nice place to stay, but there are other good States to live in. If you don’t like it here, why don’t you just leave for someplace else instead?”

“I think this is ridiculous.” Kera Starflare swished her flaming tail in annoyance. “If you have a problem with the Sacred Kingdom Guardians, settle it face to face instead of hiding behind a mob. Cowards.”

Some of the audience members had started laughing at the mob, which was now shrinking… and shrinking… and shrinking… Obviously, the pokémon involved had expected support, not ridicule. They were quite disappointed at their reception, and very embarrassed. Ytos had already vanished.

Lady Naien cleared her throat. Everyone fell silent. “The accusations brought here today have no solid basis, and it is obvious that the evidence provided was tainted or distorted. It seems that your sole intention was to slander and insult us,” she said, addressing the mob. “We will gladly accept any real constructive criticism and productive suggestions, but we will not waste our time listening to pointless insults. Thank you, and good night.”

To Lune’s grim amusement, Pukcus and his mob suddenly began to grovel and apologize, pretending to be regretful of the trouble that they had caused and trying to sound sincere. It was a very disgusting and sorry sight.


***

“What a nightmare,” Lune sighed. He plopped down onto the soft Sanctuary grass back first and stared up at the stars.

Shockwave shrugged. “I think your disguise was pretty cool,” he said. “You worried me when you started with ‘What ill has befallen this kingdom?’ though. I thought you were going into dramatic mode.”

“What’s wrong with dramatic mode?” Lune asked, grinning. He pushed Shockwave into the river, only to get pulled in himself. “Hey!”

“It’s my fault that you pushed me in first?”

They splashed each other until the late night gave way to dawn.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Good filler. Nothing really spectacular in my opinion. I like how this marxistic revolution failed to the bone, although I wonder why Ytos fled so early on.

[Lady Vulpix]

I liked the phrase "the individuals did not look very threatening, unless stupidity was a contagious disease".

It's clear that Ytos didn't plan things very carefully. He had nothing on which to base his complaints. Upon reading that chapter I started wishing Yoruno and Naien ruled my country instead of the Kirchners.

Also, good way of sorting out the meat issue (reply to your reply to my reply). :)

Edit: I found the details about Pukcus and Ebannaw quite interesting.

[Lune the Guardian]

Eeyah, I've meant to post the next chapter for so long but my programming project has gotten in the way. Sorry, I've been working on it.

MeLoVeGhOsTs - Haha, just shows the kind of pokémon Ytos is, I guess. He pretty much used the others as a shield, and was the first to abandon the whole thing. I agree that the chapter wasn't very interesting, but I believe it was necessary for character development.

Gabi - That phrase made me chuckle when I wrote it, too. I'm glad you enjoyed it, hehe. I would say more, but I've been up till 3 AM each day for the past week staring at code... I'm losing my ability to communicate in a human language at the moment. Sorry. ^_^;

[Lady Vulpix]

Oh, poor Karin. *Hugs.* You need to get some rest.

[Lune the Guardian]

*hugs back* ^_^ I might have a bit more time today and tomorrow so I'm going to try to work on it. I finished my concept document last night and I've turned in one programming project, so we'll see how it goes. :) I have about half of the chapter done.

[Lune the Guardian]

Finally, here's the next one. ^_^;


Chapter 34
Interference

Gentle morning rays crept into the Sanctuary, leaving little spots of light in places on the grass. It would be a reasonable assumption that the two who lay there might continue sleeping until the afternoon sun arose.

Lune’s eyelid lifted. He could see Shockwave still sleeping comfortably, but he would change that soon. “Shockwave?” the Eevee whispered, placing his paw on the sleeping Pikachu and shaking him gently. When there was no response, Lune chuckled to himself. “This is payback for what you’re making me do today.” He rolled Shockwave towards the river, taking care not to wake the Pikachu, but when they reached the bank, he abruptly dunked the sleeper’s head into the water.

The Pikachu awoke spluttering, so suddenly that he fell completely into the river with a great splash. Shockwave emerged, pulled himself onto the grass, and observed in confusion as his friend laughed at him. “I don’t understand all this sudden hostility,” Shockwave complained.

“It’s your fault for winning the bet against Lady Naien by three seconds. Three seconds less and I wouldn’t have had to jump into the Misty Lake. I hate you,” said Lune, with a laugh.

Shockwave grinned. “It’ll be good for you.”


***

Lune was on the verge of smacking Shockwave really, really hard. By entering the Misty Lake, he had experienced several seconds of icy hell that even froze his sense of time. The look on his face when he was in the water must have been something worth seeing. Luckily for Lune, the wind wasn’t blowing on the mountain when they descended, and the noon sun was unobscured by clouds. “Shockwave,” Lune muttered through teeth that chattered from the memory, “I don’t want to do that anymore.”

“At least now you can claim that you’ve done it once. I mean, come on. It’s not like you swam to the middle and back or anything. You walked into a few inches of shallow water and immediately walked back.”

“Oh, shut up,” Lune answered, grinning. Shockwave was right.

“By the way, where’d you get that necklace from?”

“Amulet,” Lune corrected.

“Necklace,” Shockwave maintained.

“Amulet,” Lune replied stubbornly. “Amulet sounds a lot cooler than necklace.”

“Oh, okay. So, where did you get that necklace from?”

Lune sighed. “I got my a-mu-let from Hana the Espeon, who gave it to me for running errands for her. Amulet, amulet, amulet, amulet. It’s an amulet!”

“Sure.”

Now that they had come down the mountain, they were only an hour’s walk away from home. Mischief sparkled in Shockwave’s eyes. “You should race me back,” he said. “It’ll be fun.”

“You’re on! Three, two, one… go.” And they bolted off.


***

Shockwave had gone to gather fruit from the lush forests at the western end of the fork that lay at the outskirts of the Sacred Kingdom. After stuffing a few berries in his mouth, Lune, however, had gone to gather supplies for the broken arena instead. It was a good thing that Deux offered to help, for Lune would not have been able to carry the heavy materials by himself. He was, after all, just over a foot tall, while Deux approached six.

They were busy filling in the holes with wet cement and smoothening them with their tools when Pukcus arrived with Ebannaw.

“Hey, guys, what’s up?” Pukcus called cheerfully.

“Um, hi.” Lune sensed trouble; he hadn’t been expecting the Murkrow and Spearow.

Deux waved at the two. “I invited them here,” he said. “We could use some help.”

“Indeed.” The Murkrow bowed. “Pukcus and Ebannaw, at your service. So, whaddya need us to do?”

Lune pushed aside his unsettlement for the moment, showing none of it on his face. “Hmm… You two can’t risk getting wet cement in your feathers, or you can forget about flying for a while. Deux and I are filling in the holes, but the cement will take a few hours to dry. It would be bad if someone stepped into some before that time, so maybe you two could help warn them?”

“Sure thing,” the Murkrow replied, and Ebannaw nodded. They flew off together to stand guard at the entrance.

Shockwave came in the middle of things, bringing along some of the fruit that he had picked. Although he was surprised by the unexpected amount of pokémon there, he had brought more than enough to share. Everyone took a break to enjoy the fruit, which turned out to be a wonderful treat. Refreshed, Deux, Shockwave, and Lune finished the job quickly while Ebannaw and Pukcus kept watch.

“You know what would be cool?” Lune mentioned while leaving the arena, “To be the first ones to battle here once it’s dry tomorrow.”

“I accept that challenge,” Pukcus replied. “I would like to see how I fare against you in battle. I’ll probably lose, you being the excellent battler that you are, but I am sure as heck going to do my best, so don’t underestimate me. Of course, the mere honor of battling you is great in itself,” he said.

Lune’s warning signals lit up within him. Your name is oh so appropriate. Aloud, he said, “Why don’t we make this a Tag Team? That way, no one gets left out.”

“Hmm… It won’t be easy against you and Shockwave, but Ebannaw and I are prepared to battle strategically against a disadvantage,” he said. He was referring to the fact that electrical assaults were very effective against Flying types.

Shockwave and Lune glanced at each other and simultaneously reached an unspoken agreement. “Deux will be my partner,” Lune answered. “Now we need an Announcer.”

“Could Shockwave be the Announcer, then?” inquired Pukcus.

Shockwave began to observe some clouds, so Lune answered for him. “Shockwave hates being Announcer.” Such unnecessary responsibility, he would say, but Lune did not repeat that thought aloud.

“In that case,” Pukcus said, wrapping his wing around Ebannaw and looking at her tenderly, “Ebannaw, my love, would you be our Announcer? You’re such a wonderful Announcer, and beautiful, too.”

“Of course,” Ebannaw replied affectionately. “I’ll be a very good Announcer.”

“I’ll… watch,” Shockwave said. “It’ll be a good battle to watch.” He grinned cheekily at Lune with eyes that said, Nyah, I’ve escaped and you’re stuck.

Pukcus reached a decision almost immediately. “I will ask Kera Starflare to be my partner,” he said. Kera Starflare of the Sparkling Forest was a tough Charmeleon whose final evolution form was a powerful Charizard like Hyperion. Being a Fire type, she possessed attacks that were deadly for Deux. The Scizor had attributes of Bug and Steel, both types that resisted fire poorly. Needless to say, Deux was excessively weak to fire.

“Perfect,” said Lune. “Same time here, then, tomorrow.” I’ll teach you that you can't rely on type effectiveness in a battle where you’re outclassed.


***

“But I’m surprised that you agreed to be his partner.” Lune looked in the direction of the arena, where Deux, Pukcus, and Ebannaw chatted while waiting for Kera and Lune. Shockwave was seated with Élan in the bleachers. Two Chansey were also there, ready to provide medical aid after the battle to any who might be in poor condition.

“Of course I wasn’t happy about it,” she puffed. “Ebannaw really wanted me to, though.”

“Can’t turn down a friend’s request, huh?” But to himself, Lune thought grimly, I’ll never understand why she’s your friend. He wouldn’t forget the day that Ebannaw mistook process of elimination for psychic prowess.

“I don’t like that bastard…” Kera’s tail flame flared as she thought about the Murkrow. “I don’t think he really cares about her. I keep telling her, but…”

“You’ve done your best. It’s only going to hurt if you keep thinking about it. Let’s just have a good battle, eh? I guess I kinda owe you one.” Lune averted his eyes. He could feel his cheeks flushing from the shameful memory. “About that day… thanks. And I’m sorry.”

“I’ll hit you again if you battle me like that today,” warned the Charmeleon. “Let’s go. We should start.”

“Right,” he said, and followed her onto the arena.

Ebannaw flew up into the air, beckoned for the battlers to take their positions, and cleared her throat. “Begin!” she yelled.

A lot of things happened at once. Lune shot off into a blur; Pukcus, who was trying to peck him, halted when he saw that the Eevee was no longer there; and Kera’s jet of flame glanced harmlessly off of Deux as he spun rapidly in place like a miniature whirlwind.

Lune came from behind Pukcus and jumped on the bird, who squawked and was promptly pinned against the ground. Lune was about to begin hitting the Murkrow in the back of the head when Ebannaw intervened, pulling him away from her mate and muttering something about dishonorable behavior.

Meanwhile, Deux faced multiple Charmeleon, only one of which was real. He showered them in sharp yellow shurikens, causing the mirror images to fizzle away into nothingness. While he was distracted with this, though, the real Kera spewed flame from behind him, catching him by surprise. His fine metallic wings were badly burnt, and the fiery scars on his back tortured him with searing pain.

Concerning himself at the moment with defense, Lune had, unbeknownst to his opponents, left a convincing lifelike double to act in his place, while he crept quietly behind Kera with a purple orb in his paw to which he drew power… “Deux, hit her now!” Lune cried. The spherical energy exploded upon Kera’s back, sending her skidding face forward into the ground. The Scizor immediately responded, bringing his claw down upon the back of her neck. Kera gasped and remained still.

Pukcus was busy making many mirror images of himself, which both Lune and Deux promptly wiped out with sailing stars. The Murkrow, exposed, squawked in fright, fled from Deux, and crashed directly into Lune’s duplicate as he hurried, reducing it to pieces.

Having gotten to her feet, Kera held rubble that she had collected from the sides when nobody was paying any attention to her, which she hurled as hard as she could at Lune. The Eevee was already mid leap when Deux stepped into the rocks’ path and raised a protective barrier, upon which the sharp chunks of debris shattered.

Lune had not expected the intervention. “I was fine. Save your energy for yourself,” he told his ally. But whether Deux had heard him, Lune didn’t know, because at that moment the Scizor had begun to spin again, dispelling Kera’s fiery assault.

Pukcus had flown up above them, and, opening his beak, let loose a chill wind that left frost everyone’s faces. Lune shivered. “I can’t reach him up there.” At least the idiot hit Kera too. She must be really annoyed.

Suddenly the Murkrow vanished from sight; his presence could only be detected by the beating of his wings. Kera wondered what her partner was up to, for he had been doing things randomly at whim instead of trying to work with her. She guessed that he was preparing for a sneak attack, and, following the cue, sent a burst of fire at Deux, who reacted by spinning into a whirlwind to evade the flame. At that instant, Pukcus appeared out of nowhere, wings outstretched, diving sharply in a fierce position and reaching Deux before anything could be done. The glowing Murkrow crashed into his target’s head with terrific force, nearly shattering his own bones as he hit the hard steel carapace. He wondered if he had chosen the wrong target. Nevertheless, Deux fell to his knees and clutched his head. “I can’t see,” he whispered. “Everything is spinning too fast…”

Kera seized her chance. As the massive tornado of swirling embers rushed towards Deux, Lune knew that the Scizor wouldn’t have the strength to defend himself. He would have to evade the attack. “Deux, get to the side and recover. I’ll handle them while you’re resting. Go, now!” But Deux shook his head and wearily scrambled upright, attempting to defend them both with a feeble barrier that he struggled mentally to maintain. Cursing, Lune jumped out of the way. He had to. The flames ignored the shield and passed through, trapping him in a ferocious vortex.

Lune, knowing that he had just lost his partner, was seized with desperation; he attacked the Charmeleon blindly, cuffing, scratching, and tearing at her whichever way he could, not relenting until she looked as if her legs would crumble beneath her. Then, regaining his senses, Lune raised his head to the sky and howled a battle cry. “It may sap all the energy from my body, it may drain all the blood from my veins, it may tear all the flesh from my bones, but whatever happens now, I will not lose this fight!” He ignored Shockwave’s ‘You’re going into dramatic mode again’ look and scanned the battlefield.

Pukcus was somewhere that Lune could not see, while Kera stood in plain sight. Lune remembered how Kera had distracted Deux earlier so that Puckus had an opening for his Sky Attack. Okay, I’ll fall into your trap. Lune lowered his head and charged directly at Kera, who met him with hardened silver claws. He crashed into her stomach, throwing her backwards before dropping like a lead weight to the ground. The Charmeleon pushed herself to her feet. When Lune attempted to follow suit, he collapsed again. “Damn… My body won’t move.”

“After all that you said earlier, this is really disappointing.” As she drew closer to deal the finishing blow, however, she was greeted with a cloud of debris. Tears filled the stinging eyes, her body’s attempt to remove the intrusive dirt. But it wasn’t just dirt that they needed to flush. “What did you put in here?” she shrieked.

“Kera, what’s the matter?” called Pukcus. “That just looked like a Sand Attack to me. Surely it wasn’t that bad?”

“He mixed in some venom,” she groaned. “It’s too painful to open my eyes.”

“It’s okay, he’s not moving either! Move to the side a bit, Kera. I’m almost ready to finish him off.”

She staggered towards the direction of the audience while Pukcus’s body accumulated a glow. Although his wings were beating steadily faster, the Murkrow hovered in place, gathering energy for the attack that would finish everything. He could see the Eevee lying motionless. An easy target. “It’s over!” he cried, setting himself free from the tense stance, plummeting from the sky with light radiating from his wings.

Kera heard the declaration, but her eyes still burned too much for her to confirm the truth. She gasped as a sudden force thrust her forward.

“Why are you moving next to him? I can’t stop!” warned Pukcus. The collision shattered the false Eevee and sent Kera skidding across the arena floor. She could feel the rubble scrape her skin off, but that no longer mattered to her. She was clawing her way through darkness, slipping away into something cool and black and vast…

“Hey, thanks for doing my work for me!” Lune waved at the bewildered Murkrow from afar. "You're not supposed to hit your partner, though."

“When did you…?”

“When I kicked up that dust cloud.”

“But how can you still move? You even said you couldn’t get up after Kera hit you!”

“Oh, yes, I did say that.” The Eevee smirked. “If you think about it, though, that was the first time I’ve really been hit for the entire battle.”

Pukcus fled and faded away. Although he had turned invisible again, the sound of Pukcus’s wings overhead was loud. Lune, ears erect, listened carefully and sprang into the air, catching the unseen bird by the feet and dragging him to the ground. Ebannaw, whose attention had wandered elsewhere for an extended period of time, remembered that she was supposed to be an Announcer when she heard the Murkrow’s call for help.

Dark energy crackled excessively as Lune shook Pukcus in frenzied agitation, tearing away at the Murkrow’s flesh. Specks of blood and tattered feathers flew out in all directions as Lune continued mercilessly. He was the predator, and Pukcus the prey. His victim tried frantically to escape, but the struggling only tore open more wounds. Ebannaw screeched, “Stop! Cheater! Somebody stop his cheap attempt to win!” But Lune would not stop for Ebannaw, not when she called his perfectly legitimate tactics foul play.

Shockwave nodded from afar. “Nice Va’szlain execution,” he said.

“Va’szlain?” Élan asked.

“It’s an attack combo I came up with, the weakest version being a fusion of Bite and Flail, which Lune is using, while the strongest consists of Crunch and Thrash. Imagine a predator shaking its bleeding prey vigorously, and you have the basic idea. Just think about what a Tyranitar would do with a combo like this.”

“Niiiiiiice.”

A soft, weak cry came out of Pukcus, and had Lune not been so close, he would not have heard it. “It was an honor battling you. I knew I’d get stomped,” he managed. Then his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Lune spit the Murkrow out onto the ground to decontaminate his mouth of the foul flesh. “If you call me a cheater again, you can join that unconscious bastard,” he said to Ebannaw.


***

“I… don’t think I’ll be battling another Charmeleon for a while,” Deux said. He had been revived and treated by the Chansey medics.

“If you’d focused on protecting yourself instead of me, you wouldn’t have gotten into that situation,” Lune pointed out.

“Well, it worked out, didn’t it? That’s all that matters.”

“Guess so.” I’ve worked with Shockwave so long that I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have a normal partner. Deux isn't a bad battler, but we were just as unsynchronized as Pukcus and Kera.

Shockwave jumped out of the bleachers and ran over to Lune and Deux, followed by Élan. They were the only pokémon there now.

“So,” Shockwave whispered in a low voice, “What are we going to do about Karkas?”

“I have to talk to Lady Naien and Lord Yoruno about it first,” Lune replied. “I mean, if we need to send an army…”

“I’m not so sure we need an army just yet,” Élan said thoughtfully.

Shockwave nodded. “Lune, we need to know exactly where in the Eastern Marshes Karkas’s hidden base thingy is.”

“Wait a minute,” Deux said, “Are you suggesting that we’re supposed to find this place on our own before saying a word about it to the Sacred Kingdom Guardians?”

“That would be the recommended course of action, yeah,” Shockwave replied.

“A smaller group can take on Karkas by surprise more easily,” Élan added, “Especially since he’s probably on heavy guard right now.”

“Then let’s give it some time,” Lune said. “Since he’s expecting a counterattack soon, shouldn’t we just wait for a while before we go?”

“Lune, I don’t like the idea of giving Karkas time to build up more nasty weapons and other such things he may have already,” Shockwave answered.

“Now, if only we can figure out a way to do this without nearly getting killed by lasers this time,” Deux joked. “Unless, of course, any of you want to be killed, which, I assure you, I don’t.”

“I doubt any of us do,” Lune answered.

“I don’t plan on it,” Shockwave responded.

“Me neither,” Élan replied.

“Good,” Deux said, “Then we’re all in agreement. None of us want to die.”

“Uh huh. How are we supposed to go about doing this, though?” Lune asked.

Élan frowned. “Hmm… I’m not quite sure yet,” he admitted.

“We can call a meeting whenever one of us gets a solid plan,” Shockwave suggested. “I don’t have one at the moment.”

“Agreed,” Deux replied.

Lune smiled. “I don’t think I could have chosen a better team to pull this off with.”

***
Battle Summary (Chapter 34)
Lune (Eevee) & Deux (Scizor) vs. Kera (Charmeleon) & Pukcus (Murkrow)

Lune - Agility
Pukcus - Drill Peck (target: Lune, miss)
Kera - Flamethrower (target: Deux)
Deux - Swords Dance (deflect Flamethrower)

Lune - Body Slam (target: Pukcus, interrupted)
Kera - Double Team
Deux - Swift (eliminate Double Team images)
Kera - Flamethrower (target: Deux)

Lune - Substitute

Lune - Shadow Ball (target: Kera)
Deux - Metal Claw (target: Kera)

Pukcus - mass Double Team
Lune & Deux - Swift (eliminate Double Team images)

Pukcus - flee, destroys Lune's Substitute
Kera - Rock Slide (target: Lune)
Lune - dodge (Rock Slide)
Deux - Protect (Rock Slide)

Kera - Flamethrower (target: Deux)
Deux - Swords Dance (deflect Flamethrower)

Pukcus - Icy Wind

Pukcus - Faint Attack
Kera - Flamethrower (target: Deux)
Deux - Swords Dance (deflect Flamethrower)

Pukcus - Sky Attack (target: Deux)

Kera - Fire Spin
Lune - dodge
Deux - Protect (failure)

Deux - KO

Lune - Flail (target: Kera)

Lune - Headbutt (target: Kera)
Kera - Metal Claw (target: Lune)

Lune - Toxic-laced Sand Attack (target: Kera)
Lune - Substitute

Pukcus - initiate Sky Attack (target: "Lune")
Lune - Tackle (target: Kera)
Pukcus - connect Sky Attack (target: "Lune"), hits Kera, Substitute destroyed
Kera - KO

Pukcus - Faint Attack
Lune - detect by hearing

Lune - Va'szlain: Bite + Flail combination (target: Pukcus)
Pukcus - KO

[Lady Vulpix]

Wow, Shockwave must be a really deep sleeper if he can be rolled over without waking up!

The childish quarrel between Lune and Shockwave about the amulet/necklace was quite funny.

The battle was interesting, but Shockwave was right about the dramatic mode.

A certain Scizor is way too proud. Pukcus, on the other hand, lived up to my expectations.

The conversation at the end was interesting too. Everyone raised good points.

[Lune the Guardian]

Hehe, thank you, Gabi! ^_^ Shockwave is just awesome.

I haven't started working on the next chapter yet, but I'm hoping that it'll be a good one.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

I was impressed by Puckes, both by his battling techniques and his stupidity. Ebannauw really should go away, ignorant fool. Get a life.

Deux is indeed a tad to proud, whilst Lune a tad to dramatic. It was cool seeing Kera again, I wonder how she'll fare as a Charizard. Gigantic.

Wondering about Karkas..

[Lune the Guardian]

Haha, Pukcus and Ebannaw irritate me too. Deux will be Deux, and Lune does have the tendency to blow things out of proportion. I think Kera would be positively scary as a Charizard. Whew, imagine a 1 foot tall Eevee trying to battle that.

Oh, and we'll see Karkas again pretty soon. ^_^;

[PancaKe]

I am so dissappointed that its over! Well, not over, but the amount of chapters and material is over for now and I have nothing to read. I sat at work and home and read this in a day and a half and ... wow.

I have tried to read this before but was put off by the first chapter - not that it's bad... just that I guess it's something that takes a little while (one or two chapters) to get into and I was being naughty and judging by the first few lines. So I'm very very sorry for that.

BUt yeah.

Wow.

Fantastic story. Compelling characters that I have fallen in love with. For the first twenty chapters I was asking myself "So what exactly is the plot?" but I still had to keep reading to see what happened! It moves very slow; but that's a good thing because its more story to enjoy! Hooray!

But yeah; I liked it lots! :D

[Lune the Guardian]

Hehe, thank you! ^_^ I'm glad you liked it. I agree with you about the first chapter, I don't like it much either. Going back and reading through, the whole beginning chunk of chapters are pretty much, "So, what's the point?" I kind of took a long time to set up the story world. The lack of a solid plot line is really bad at attracting attention. My chapters aren't very long either, so readers could wait a while for a new chapter and then pretty much nothing happens to advance the plot. >_> But thank you for reading. :)

[Lune the Guardian]

*whistles* La de da...


Chapter 35
Respective Fights

“All right, everyone. You may come closer now, but stay behind the arena lines. We’re about to start.” Lune surveyed the group of Announcers that had gathered there. Most of them were either new applicants or those of mediocre rank that hoped for a promotion. Traditionally, the Guardians were the only ones with the authority to accept or promote Announcers. While Lord Yoruno managed the State’s defense and economics, one of Lady Naien’s tasks was to act as the Head Announcer. Ever since she had fallen ill, however, there had been nobody with the power to perform her duties. Lune had watched over time as the Announcers grew increasingly unsettled, and he had decided, whether he had the authority or not, to take over Naien’s responsibilities before some of the Announcers turned rebellious.

One of the battlers, a Scyther, leisurely licked his blades clean. As far as Lune could see, Kensei’s blades were not stained with blood or anything remotely sinister. Regardless, the Scyther’s opponent seemed intimidated. The Ditto restlessly shifted its weight as it waited for the inevitable call for the battle to start. Lune nodded, and Kage seemed to melt into a fuchsia blob.

While Kensei stood poised, his eyes closed and scythes in striking position, the amorphous Kage took form. It grew steadily in height, accumulating a bony green carapace, and sharp wings nudged their way out of its back. When its metamorphosis was complete, Kage wielded scythes of its own and could now meet its opponent with a level gaze.

Lune remained expressionless as the Announcers chorused, “Kensei started off with Focus Energy! While he was concentrating, Kage Transformed into a Scyther!” As an Announcer, Lune preferred to give details only when explanation was necessary; the audience should be able to understand straightforward movements. He wouldn’t penalize the trainees for this, though, for it was a matter of preference, after all. Lune noticed a Medicham standing at the far end of the line, watching the battle without speaking. Interesting.

Kensei’s image blurred as he surrounded his opponent with replicas. Telling the real Kensei apart from his mirror images and the Transformed Ditto had become rather confusing. Lune silently thanked the Scyther for remembering their agreement; the less promising Announcers would surely panic in this situation. Curious, Lune cast a glance at the Medicham that he had noticed earlier; the quiet Announcer was watching a single Scyther, which Lune recognized as the real Kensei. As a battler, it was difficult to keep track of the original, but the task was easier for a spectator expecting the replication. So, did that Medicham expect the Double Team, or was he able to determine the original by some other means? Either way, he seemed impressive.

By the time Lune turned back to the field, Kage had wiped out the mirror images with a barrage of stars. The Announcers, no longer sure of which Scyther was the original, simply said, “The Double Team was removed by Swift!” So they didn’t even know that Kensei was the one who had replicated. Lune sighed. He couldn’t be picky, because it was difficult to find Announcers these days. Still, even considering the promotions of most of the Announcers in this group made Lune feel uneasy.

“Now the Scyther has been poisoned by Toxic! His opponent has covered himself with a Safeguard to avoid a similar retaliation!”

Lune had to admit, they were creative with their comments at least. If the audience wasn’t paying much attention, the Announcers’ identity confusion would not even have been noticed. But they had missed one thing.

“It’s a Substitute,” said the Medicham seconds before Kage’s scythe slashed the duplicate into pieces.

Kensei’s pillar of light lanced forth from behind his opponent. The faux Scyther turned, widened its eyes at the sight of the beam, and hurriedly placed an opaque wall of energy in front of its body. The hemispherical surface rippled as it seemed to momentarily absorb the beam, before sending a larger beam back at Kensei. He met the energy with crossed scythes, but the defensive stance was not enough to protect him; it took immense effort to avoid falling when he was struck.

“Stop the battle!” Some of the Announcers had gotten excited. Lune could see Ebannaw among them. “That was cheating, wasn’t it? Scyther can’t use Reflect!”

“That wasn’t Reflect.” The Medicham had joined the rest of the Announcers.

Lune nodded. “He’s right. That was a legal move. Now, can anyone tell me why?”

“Was it Hidden Power?” asked Ebannaw.

“Not quite. By the way, do you guys even know who the supposed cheater is?”

“It’s Kensei, of course!” said the Spearow. “Kensei is the Scyther.”

The Medicham corrected her before Lune could. “That was the Transformed Ditto, actually. The move was Kage’s special ability.”

“Exactly,” Lune replied. He turned to the group. “Please consider every single possibility before you stop a battle. If you make a mistake, you would have revealed a battler’s strategy, while forcing a rematch. Intentionally or not, this would hurt the battler’s chances because the opponent would know to watch out for the same trick next time. Reflect works differently from the special ability that Kage showed you. Did you notice that the rebounded Hyper Beam was more powerful than the original? Reflect wouldn’t add power to an attack in such a way. If you looked carefully, you would also notice that there was a moment of delay between the time that the Hyper Beam struck the barrier and the time that it was released back at Kensei. Kage’s special ability works really well for a Ditto in one-on-one combat. As you know, a Ditto can transform into a single enemy to share its ability pool. This particular special ability captures the enemy’s attack, allowing Kage to enhance the first attack with the same kind of energy while redirecting everything in a more powerful retaliation.”

“So can I get promoted?” asked Ebannaw.

Lune dreaded all the questions and protests that he knew were coming. “I’m afraid not. You didn’t catch a lot of the tricks in that battle.”

Some of the new applicants were waiting anxiously. “What about us?”

“Ah, yes, you’re all accepted as trainees. I’ll make a note of your ranks and write your first paychecks immediately. Except for you.” He turned his attention to the Medicham. “What’s your name?”

“Vanguard.”

“Well, Vanguard, how does this amount look?” Lune scrawled a number into the dirt ground. Ebannaw, seeing it, immediately lost her temper.

“You can’t do that! That’s the same rank as me! He’s a new Announcer. I’ve been here longer. It’s no fair that you won’t promote me but you suddenly make a new guy the same rank as me!”

Lune ignored her. “I hope you stick around, Vanguard. We need Announcers like you.”

“I plan to. By the way, is this really okay?”

“I’ll talk to Lady Naien about this; I’m sure I’ll be able to convince her.”

“That’s not what I meant. You’re in the General Tournament, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I am. Why?”

“They’re holding matches for Round Four right now.”

“...It would be nice if they’d warned me about this, considering that I helped fix the tournament arena. Well, I’d better go. Thanks for telling me.”


***

Lune popped his head through the waterfall curtain. “Um, Shockwave, we really need to get the heck to the General Tournament arena right now,” he said. The bright midmorning light streamed into the Sanctuary.

“We do?” he asked, slightly surprised. “Any particular reason?”

“Uh huh,” Lune replied. “We have to go now. Remember how I went to the palace the day before to tell the Guardians that we’d fixed the arena? Well, they got organized surprisingly quickly. Round Four started a few minutes ago.”

“Lune, why don’t you find these things out earlier?” They ran so fast that even Shockwave thought he might drop dead when they arrived.

A Rapidash was galloping around her opponent, her fiery mane trailing behind as she moved gracefully like the wind. Her opponent was a blue Altaria, who floated above ground in her encircling clouds. She looked, oddly, more like a bird than anything draconic, although she was partially of the Dragon type. Her slender neck was arched like a swan’s, and her blue feet resembled those of a hawk’s. Long feathers grew out of her head and bunched together at her tail.

Lune could feel the ground tremble slightly as the Altaria began her assault. The fiery unicorn realized what was happening and swiftly sprang upwards. She looked as if she was floating in a dream; she seemed to fall very slowly, like a soft feather in the air.

“What gives?” Lune heard someone ask.

“She used her special ability,” some other audience member replied. “Featherweight, she called it.”

Special ability or not, the Rapidash could not stall her fall forever. The Altaria saw this, and, seizing her chance, increased the power of her tremors until even the pokémon in the bleachers could feel them. The Rapidash crash landed on the shaking ground and fell to her knees, unable to stand again. This continued for quite a while, with the Rapidash occasionally firing off shots at the Altaria or trying to shield herself from the perpetually shaking ground, but in the end she submitted to the Ground type assaults.

“Oh!” Kento shouted (yes, he was back), “It looks like the poor Fire type couldn’t stand all those Earthquakes. The victory goes to Mystic the Altaria!”

“Too bad the Rapidash couldn’t get to the core of the Earthquakes,” Lune thought aloud. “If she had gotten directly over the source instead of moving further away to reduce the damage taken, she wouldn’t have felt the disturbance.”

“It would have been cool to see her jump on the Altaria,” Shockwave agreed.

“And now,” Kento blared, “time for our next combatants! We have Shockwave the Pikachu versus Lune the Eevee!”

“No,” Lune said. “No way.” He hadn’t expected to battle against the Pikachu.

“Oh, come on, Lune, it had to happen sometime,” Shockwave told him. “Think about it. We’ll have some fun before I beat you, too.”

“And who said anything about me losing?” Lune answered back. This time he was smiling. He had gotten so used to making plans with Shockwave, doing things with Shockwave, and fighting battles with Shockwave that he had nearly forgotten about their old rivalry. It seemed hard to believe that he had actually ever been against Shockwave before. Now that he had to battle against the Pikachu, his old memories came rushing back.

His first meeting with Shockwave had not been a pleasant one. Lune was, in his younger years, an Eevee without a sense of order and balance. He had done things at whim that he would only regret later, after he had failed to think about it. He used to strut around with a superior attitude, believing, foolishly, that he was as good as or better than everyone else. He had been arrogant. It was Shockwave who had put him into his place, an action that the Eevee had hated him for until much later.

Lune remembered being utterly humiliated in front of the crowd of Forgotten Kingdom residents on that day. He and Shockwave had gotten into an argument over a trifling matter so small that Shockwave would surely have forgotten about it now; but Lune, unlike Shockwave, remembered these kinds of things. They were quarreling about how effective electrical attacks really were, and it had become so violent that they decided on a battle. It wasn’t really even a battle. Shockwave had Lune screaming for mercy within the first attack. After that, Lune had always tried to prove himself to be better than Shockwave. He took every opportunity that he could to attempt to defeat his rival.

But things had changed since then. They had grown, grown in individual strength as well as grown used to each other. They worked together as a team, and had not felt bitter towards each other for as long as they had been friends. After a while, they had begun to think alike. They knew each other that well. Lune wondered if perhaps that was what forged their telepathic link.

The amulet that hung around Lune’s neck displayed a confused array of mixed emotions: excitement from the re-ignition of his former rivalry, reluctance to battle against his close friend, fear of Shockwave’s immense potential, and the determination to emerge from the battle triumphant, as he had gotten used to doing. Strangely enough, it was not even clear whether the flame in the crystal was white or black, no more than it was clear that there was any flame at all. It was an odd gray mix that was unpronounced, like fog, but looking at it produced a puzzling sensation that made it seem as if the answer to the mystery was just out of reach.

“Come on, Lune,” Shockwave called out, “This will be fun.”

His words knocked the doubt out of Lune’s mind. The Eevee nodded, planning to win this match and retain his undefeated record.

With a spurt of unnatural speed, Shockwave dashed at Lune with sparking cheeks. The Eevee reacted with a shining, nearly impenetrable barrier, which Shockwave had already been watching for. With reflexes just as incredible as the speed he used to propel his body forward, the Pikachu did an aerial back flip, avoiding a collision with the mental wall separating him from Lune. His cheeks stopped sparking.

The Eevee allowed the shield to fall, and he grinned widely at his opponent. “I’m not getting paralyzed this early in the match, not even if you launch that Thunder Wave with a Quick Attack.”

But Shockwave had already jumped again, feinting to the right in the air and landing on the left. Before the Eevee could get away, he splattered his target with brutal venom that would deal out exponentially growing pain as time went on. The Eevee looked positively frightened.

“That didn’t seem quite right,” Shockwave said. “It was too easy. How could you just let me get you with Toxic like that?” he asked. “Don’t tell me you let your guard down.”

Lune smiled from afar. His Substitute was a good actor, but Shockwave knew him too well. While Shockwave’s cheeks surged with electricity, Lune crept up from behind him, trying not to reveal his position. The Pikachu’s vicious bolts reduced his Substitute to a pile of ashes instantly, but Lune was already in mid leap. Shockwave turned around just in time to see him and duck while Lune sailed overhead, swinging a temporarily metallic tail at Shockwave’s head that the Pikachu met with his own. Metal clashed against metal, and Lune landed on his feet, swerving around to look at his friend.

“I think this is a pretty even match.” The Pikachu grinned.

Lune nodded, and, without another word, sprang onto Shockwave and sank his teeth into his arm. The dark energy crackling around the wound made the Pikachu’s blood sizzle, and even Shockwave’s usually unperturbed expression was broken slightly with signs of pain. He reacted quickly, however, using the close contact as an opportunity to channel highly charged electricity into his opponent, who screamed and had no choice but to let go.

Ethereal energy swarmed around Lune’s raised paw at his command, forming a deep purple sphere that pulsed like a throbbing heartbeat as it grew. He watched Shockwave warily, noticing that the Pikachu was waiting and watching… Lune knew that Shockwave had a planned counterattack, and he knew to be extra careful. The Eevee feinted to the right and changed direction mid-swing, tossing his Shadow Ball from the left and immediately shielding himself in a protective dome of energy, fully expecting his attack to be turned back against him in some way. The Pikachu, however, just grinned mischievously. Lune was bewildered. That is, until Shockwave shattered into pieces when the Shadow Ball exploded on him.

“Substitute!” Lune cried out, alarmed. He swung around just in time to receive a faceful of chi energy from Shockwave’s glowing fist. The blow knocked him clear off his feet and sent him skidding roughly into the ground.

“Ohhhh,” Lune groaned. His head was spinning. Shockwave’s Dynamicpunch had left him dazed. He could not battle effectively in such a condition. There was only one thing he could do… he had to concentrate. Lune closed his eyes, falling into a meditative trance. His breathing became calm and even. Gradually, his scrambled thoughts began to fall into a state of order, and when he opened his eyes, he felt refreshed, having dismissed the mental hindrance. “Maybe I should use Focus Energy more often,” he said to himself.

The calmness soon vanished when Lune found out what his opponent was up to. Shockwave had his eyes closed and his arms raised, as if he was calling for power. His facial expression was blank, and his body seemed to be surrounded by an eerie flame. The sky above Shockwave’s body had attracted a dark mass of storm clouds, a sight that filled Lune with dread. This was it: Shockwave’s Dragon type Hidden Power.

Lune knew that he would have to act quickly. It was already too late to stop the progression of Shockwave’s Hidden Power, but he could still try to pull out a victory before he became a victim of that horrendous assault. Lune could see electricity flickering out of Shockwave’s body, crawling towards the clouds. He hadn’t much time left. The Eevee looked grimly at the cement floor and nodded. Hardening his soft tail so that it glinted of metal, he smashed the cement under it, shattering it into many pieces. He scraped away the broken bits, took one last look at Shockwave’s position, and began to dig.

Shockwave’s intense focus was disturbed when Lune erupted from the ground beneath him, pinning him down and going into a berserk frenzy. The Eevee was desperate, kicking about wildly and attacking in a rushed, agitated manner in an effort to do as much damage as he possibly could in as short a time as he could manage. Shockwave found it very difficult to break free of the Flailing Eevee’s frenzied assault, and when he did, he sighed with relief and tried to support himself with his wobbly legs. Lune’s act of desperation had taken a lot out of Shockwave. Still, with his attack close to completion, the Eevee was just where Shockwave wanted him. He sent a final pulse of electricity into the brooding clouds. Shockwave’s glowing body had been encased in a barrier of pure electricity; it was no longer possible to interrupt him. The sky darkened and roared, casting down bolts of lightning that set fire to the ground.

No matter where Lune ran, the storm followed him. Water poured from the sky now, as sharp as needles, sinking its teeth into his skin. But although enough rain fell to fill a river, the ground stayed aflame. Lune squealed as lightning tore through his body, lightning so terrifying that it kept fire alive under the full torrential fury of a storm. The Eevee fell, unable to move although unnatural flames engulfed him, helpless although every nerve in his body begged for him to escape. Overhead, the storm bellowed like a legendary beast, baring its fangs to its prey. The mercilessness of the elements.

But even the mightiest storm has its beginning and its end. It took the tormented victim several moments to realize that the beast had retreated back into its lair. The immense dread lifted from the Eevee; he was free now. He would end the battle before the storm returned again. Lune shot to his feet and tore around Shockwave like a mad dog, and soon it became clear that the blurs dragging along behind him were not a result of his high speed, but rather his created mirror images. They got mixed up pretty quickly as they slowed to a stop, and Shockwave found himself closed in by a circle of smirking, stationary Eevee.

Suddenly all of them converged upon Shockwave in rapid bursts. The Pikachu felt teeth sink into his flesh and could smell his fur burning with the crackling dark energy. Which Eevee had attacked him, though, he didn’t know, although it would have been good if he did, for only the real Lune could have hurt him at all. Mirror images had no essence.

Shockwave thrust his arms outwards as the white energy radiated impressively from his glowing form. Blue sparks shot out of his body, forming an enclosing sphere with him at its core, and then the electricity surged outwards in an expanding spherical wave that annihilated Lune’s false copies and left only the real one standing.

Kento screamed with excitement. “Did you see that? Shockwave just cleared the field with his Shock Wave! Don’t confuse the attack and the pokémon, now,” he joked.

Lune swayed unsteadily, taking heavy breaths. “I suppose it’s about time to end this, eh?”

“Right.”

Lune and Shockwave shot at each other at the same time, with Lune lowering his head and diving for Shockwave’s stomach while the Pikachu charged forward. At the last moment Shockwave leapt into the air and Lune swerved, jumping and ramming into his opponent from underneath, but when he noticed the chi energy charging on Shockwave’s fist, it was too late… The punch connected with his head, and both combatants tumbled to the ground, rolling away in opposite directions. Shockwave barely managed to stop himself; it was all he could do to turn his head in Lune’s direction.

“Okay, Shockwave,” Lune said with a stupid grin plastered across his face, “You win.” Everything went black.

***

Battle Summary (Chapter 35)
Lune (Eevee) vs. Shockwave (Pikachu)


Shockwave - Thunder Rush: Quick Attack + Thunder Wave combination (target: Lune)
Lune - Protect (prevent: Thunder Rush)

Lune - Substitute
Shockwave - Toxic (target: Lune)

Shockwave - Thunderbolt (target: "Lune"; destroys Substitute)

Lune - Iron Tail (target: Shockwave)
Shockwave - Iron Tail (target: Lune)

Lune - Bite (target: Shockwave)
Shockwave - point blank Thunder (target: "Lune")

Shockwave - Substitute
Lune - Shadow Ball (target: "Shockwave"; destroys Substitute)

Shockwave - Dynamicpunch (target: Lune)
Lune - Focus Energy (remove: confusion)

Shockwave - Hidden Power: Dragon (charging)

Lune - Iron Tail (target: cement floor)
Lune - Dig (target: Shockwave)
Lune - Flail (target: Shockwave)

Shockwave - Hidden Power: Dragon (release)

Lune - Agility + Double Team

Lune - Quick Attack + Bite (target: Shockwave)
Shockwave - Shock Wave (destroys mirror images)

Lune - Headbutt (target: Shockwave)
Shockwave - Dynamicpunch (target: Lune)

Lune - KO

[PancaKe]

Why is hidden power so powerful in your story, when in the game it's just soooo annoying?? Haha. It seems like hidden power is the move to end all moves in your story, but in the game I just found it a waste of time.

Nice battle though. I like your characters a lot. :) How come the battle summary (which I love by the way) was as a spoiler this time?

[Lune the Guardian]

Hehe ^_^ Well, when I was looking at previous chapters, I realized that I could accidentally notice the outcome of the battle for the <1 second that I was scrolling to the top of the chapter. So I decided to just cover it up a little :P It was really late last night and TPM was moving slowly, but I'm gonna find all the battles and do that for each one now. Thanks for reminding me!

My version of Hidden Power is a cheap attempt at showing off who's better than who :P More powerful pokémon have more powerful Hidden Powers. I should probably show some random pokémon's Hidden Powers just so that there is a comparison, because not everyone's Hidden Power is an instant I-win button. There is one point where Shadow uses it in the rematch against Lune, but he gives up almost right away when Lune starts his own Hidden Power. Actually, you gave me an idea now for one of my incoming chapters, and I think I'll use it :P Also, Pikachu's attack pool is good but Eevee just has a terribly uninteresting moveset so I needed to give Lune some other tool to win battles with. I could have done that with his special ability, but his special ability can't be used if Shockwave isn't around. And of course, if Lune has a powerful Hidden Power, I can't give Shockwave a weak one, hence Shockwave's ridiculous Hidden Power, which would be more destructive than Lune's if not for the Dark type side effect. I was also doing a rather geeky thing, because I remember with GSC if the pokémon had max 15 value in every stat, its Hidden Power would always be Dark. So that's why Dark type Hidden Power is feared so much in this story :P I twisted a lot of things for convenience, but those are the basic ideas. ^_^

Oh, and thank you for loving my characters, that's a big compliment. ^_^ I like Shockwave the best, I think he's Gabi's favorite too.

[Lady Vulpix]

That was an amazing chapter, Karin!

I liked the Announcer selection battle, it was very interesting to see how the exam was conducted, and the battle itself was quite original.

As for the battle between Lune and Shockwave... I knew they were both very good battlers, so I expected something good, but that battle was excellent. You certainly know how to make a pokemon battle exciting.

The descriptions in general are still as great as ever, maybe even better.

I smiled when I read about Lune's Double Team. He performed it in the same way as Hero (my Ninetales), although I'm sure that was just a coincidence (oh, I miss writing for Dragon Tamers, I wonder if and when I'll get to do that again).

And yes, I do love Shockwave. So far he's the only Pikachu who has all my respect.

Tara: if you're looking for more reading material, why don't you try reading my fics?

[Lune the Guardian]

I second Gabi's suggestion. Her fics are very, very good ^_^ They're also original fiction so she has absolute freedom to do what she wants with her story, which is awesome.

Thank you Gabi! I was hoping that the battle would not be disappointing. I was very worried, since Shockwave and Lune's skills have been built up so much and I was afraid that the battle would not live up to expectations. I'm glad that you liked the Announcer battle too. ^_^ When Lune is in charge, the Announcer test battles have many tricks to watch out for; they are never just regular battles, he is always testing something.

I really miss Dragon Tamers too. :( I was searching through my files the other day, and I saw an old file that I'd never completed. It makes me sad to think about those days that might never come back. Sometimes I wish we could attract new activity and start again.

I can relate to you about the Pikachu. They're overused in so many annoying ways and I didn't really use to like them. Writing about Shockwave softened my aversion to Pikachu a bit, though yes, he's probably the only Pikachu I absolutely admire. I must sound a little crazy talking about a character in that way, but that's how I feel. ^_^

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

It was indeed a good battle. I'm glad Shockwave won. Although I like Lune better, Shockwave is the better battler, no doubt about that, so it's only fair that he won the battle.

The Hidden Power thing still interests me, and I like the way you explained the Dark-typed one to be the most powerfull.

Vanguard is a cool new asset to this fic, he seems the cool, sturdy, 'never-give-in-a-smile' pokemon. lol. I'm keen on seeing what he'll do, besides announcing.

I'd like to see more about Elan and his crew..

[Lune the Guardian]

Very true, Shockwave has both power and wits, while Lune has mainly wits. There's no way he would've wanted to bring out his Dark type Hidden Power against Shockwave. That wouldn't have been a real win anyways. So you are right; it would not have made sense if Lune won, even though the fic is named after him. ^_^;

I like the Hidden Power thing as well. I think it's a cool concept that was not done justice by the game. Well to be fair, the way they implemented it in the game was probably the best that could be done in a structured medium like that.

Vanguard's an interesting guy. We'll see more of him, just not right away. Élan and his crew, though, we'll see very soon.

[Lady Vulpix]

I second Gabi's suggestion. Her fics are very, very good ^_^ They're also original fiction so she has absolute freedom to do what she wants with her story, which is awesome.Aww, thank you! *Hugs.*

[Lune the Guardian]

Hey everyone! I haven't really had the time to write and the next chapter is somewhat big. I did randomly doodle something while I was thinking about insomnia, though :P Here (http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m407/LuneTheGuardian/HeSleepsForBothOfUs.png) it is if you want to see it. Thought I'd share my silliness.

[Lady Vulpix]

Aww. Poor Lune. I also wish I had the secret.

[mistysakura]

Finally caught up! I'm too lazy to comment on all the chapters at the moment, so I'll just do the current one. It's original to read about a battle which isn't battling for something, but is almost staged... and the whole idea of a test for Announcers is great. I would have been so confused by the Substitutes and Double Teams as well.

And Lune vs. Shockwave... it had to come some time, eh? Amazing battle. I agree that you have to show other Pokemon's Hidden Powers some time though, because Lune and Shockwave's are just so powerful. It would be a nice change to see Lune's battles end with strategy rather than because of Hidden Power's strength. Although here you've combined Shockwave's Hidden Power with a bit of strategy (waiting for the right moment to unleash the attack), so that's okay. The Hidden Power itself was described awesomely, and I like the tactics Lune and Shockwave used in the beginning, and how they were evading each other's attacks and tricking each other. Great job.

[Lune the Guardian]

Hi hi, yes, I'll definitely need to do something about the Hidden Powers... *ponders* =/ Lune will get his punishment for relying on his Hidden Power sooner or later :P My favorite win of Lune's so far is his first battle against Shadow, no Hidden Power or anything involved. He did win the 2 vs. 2 almost by himself without using Hidden Power but I think that was a shameful battle for both sides, it almost can't even be considered a team battle from the terrible teamwork that was going on.

The next chapter has a much more different battle, look forward to it. :P

I am sorry sorry sorry that it's taking so long guys. This is what happens when you have 3 different programming projects for 3 different classes, you happily think you've completed two of them before Spring Break is over, then you come back and look at your code and realize that it's ALL WRONG and it's impossible to comprehend what possessed you to write such terrible code in the first place. Also, teachers that don't know how to code the projects that they've assigned, should not assign those projects... >_> I am going to scream if I have to calculate the location of another freaking GL triangle for my animated skeleton's smooth skin.[/END RANT]

In other words, the next chapter might be delayed as much as another month :< I'll try to get it done before then.

[Lune the Guardian]

Here it is, a month later! I'm sorry that it took so long.


Chapter 36
Memories of Rain

The merry flame danced in the middle of the circle, as if it could not make up its mind. It flickered this way and that, heading for one pokémon, then shifting to the next, casting shadows on their smiles as they drew comfort from its warmth. Ningai rose to clear the remnants of the evening meal. “Élan will be back soon,” she said, voicing the thoughts that the others had not spoken aloud. When he returned, their circle would be complete. And so would have passed another day of peace.

Peace based on lies, thought Senryu, but he cast his eyes to the grass so that Ningai would not see. He had shared his guilt before. Like Élan, she had only told him that time would provide an answer. Senryu was patient, very patient. But he did not believe that he could solve this by waiting. “Charisma.” He slithered towards the Persian, who was wearing a rare, contented smile, though not so rare as of late. “Will you come with me?”

She blinked at him, then nodded, wondering what it was that Senryu wanted to show her. Charisma wasn’t sure if she would fully understand him, given eons of time. She wasn’t sure if anyone could. Senryu belonged to another world; sometimes, she could see his eyes gazing at visions that were not there. He brought her to a hill upon which they sat, without words, and yet Charisma could feel the vastness of the Dragonair’s thoughts as she followed his infinitely deep eyes beyond the golden horizon. Although the hill was not tall enough to be seen from behind a tree, and the Hidden Valley below had barely shrunk upon their ascent, Charisma felt as if Senryu had brought her to a place where the sun met the earth, as if the fading golden light was an endless ocean in the middle of eternity.

“You’ve been wondering where I go every evening, right?” Senryu’s gentle voice broke the silence, but it did not shatter the calmness that had settled upon the two. “I come here alone when I need to think.”

“You’ve been thinking a lot lately, then.” She already knew that something had been bothering the Dragonair, but it was not her business to pry. Besides, Senryu had always been pensive. Lately, he was just more distracted than usual.

He studied her. The other day, when he retrieved her sapphire, Charisma had clutched it as if she had been reunited with a lost dear one. Then, she had disappeared, missing the evening meal, returning only when the stars had joined the moon as sentinels of the night sky. Before they slept, she had whispered, only to him, that she had buried the sapphire. Because she had found a home outside of her distant memories. But how much of this home’s foundation would crumble if he admitted to her now what was gnawing at his conscience? And how much more if he waited, and she found out for herself? “I’ve… got something to tell you,” he decided.

She didn’t respond, only listened. Waiting to be offered a piece of the puzzle that was Senryu.

But either Senryu had forgotten what he was about to tell, or he had chosen an indirect way to do it, for the distance returned to his eyes, and he said, “Do you remember the first time we met? You didn’t seem to hear me when I called to you, but when I approached you, you tried to scratch out my eyes.” He smiled his sad smile, amused by the memory but lacking the sparkle that accompanies happy thoughts.

“I’m sorry that I did that. It wasn’t aimed at you.”

“Ah, but you don’t need to apologize for such a thing. When I brought you to meet Élan and Ningai, do you remember what you asked? When Élan invited you to join us.”

Charisma’s grin was a mixture of amusement and remorse. “You three brought me back to life when I didn’t want to be saved. I remember cursing you for interfering with my business. And I asked for the reason that you did that to me. Élan said, ‘We need you.’ And he explained to me that we were on the outskirts of the Sacred Kingdom, and he talked about Emperor Ryu and Assassins and all of the things that he told Luktam later, too, when we found him wandering around lost. It was a brilliant speech. I almost believed it.”

Senryu started. “You knew?” His face wrinkled with his overwhelming guilt. “I’m sorry, so sorry… I can’t be forgiven for lying to you, but the least I can do is tell you. The real reason-”

She placed a paw over his mouth, stopping him. “I don’t need to know a thing like that.” She leaned against him, and they spent the rest of the evening in silence, watching the veil of stars settle upon the world.


***

When Lune finally awoke, he discovered that he was lying on a soft couch in Deux’s house. Élan, Shockwave, and Deux were sitting at a circular wooden table, leaning in close and speaking in low voices for fear of disturbing Lune. Of the four, Deux was the only one who lived indoors, and it seemed appropriate that the meeting be held in his house, for security’s sake. They couldn’t be overheard there.

Lune stirred, pushing the down-filled pillows away and sliding onto the floor. “Mmh… How long was I out?” he asked.

The three turned to him in surprise. They had not noticed that he was conscious. “Several hours,” Élan answered. “In fact, we were just about to have an early dinner. Hungry?”

Lune looked groggily at the food on the table and shook his head. The scent of the revival herbs lingered, making him feel somewhat detached. Potions were much better at revival; they came into effect almost immediately after exposure, and nothing negative resulted from using them. Potions, however, took a long time to brew, and required a skilled potion maker in order to produce the best results. They were also very expensive, and therefore, for public tournament purposes, quite impractical.

“You’re refusing dinner?” Deux asked, incredulous. “Fine by me, but it’s your loss.”

Shockwave nodded appreciatively. “Lune, this stuff is really good.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to try my cooking?” Élan faked a sob. “I’m hurt.” He winked at Lune, who was still not quite alert.

“Mmmhmm.” Lune jumped back on the couch and lay there. “Since we’re all here, I’m assuming we have a plan. What is it?” He soon discovered that it was very difficult to understand words coming between mouthfuls of food. Sighing, Lune waited until the others were done eating before he asked about the plan again.

“Er, I’ll leave it to Élan to give the plan summary,” Shockwave said.

“We’ll be sneaking into the Eastern Marshes with the help of some equipment,” Élan explained. “We’ll find Karkas’s base and sabotage it ourselves. There’s no time to return for reinforcements once we’ve found it, and a big army would warn Karkas from many miles away. Not that we’d be able to find a big army, of course.”

Deux rose from his chair and disappeared into a room full of ancient chests. When he returned, he held a glistening sword three times as long as Lune was tall. Its golden hilt, carved in the shape of Ho-oh the phoenix, sparkled with the glint of the shining jewels set upon it: rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds. The flawless blade had a glow of silver that seemed cut as sharply through the air as the finely wrought metal itself. It was truly an impressive sword; all who saw it were awed by its presence. “This sword will cut through anything,” Deux announced.

Next, Élan produced a shadowed medallion that bore the engraved crest of Ho-oh. The faded gold seemed to have lost its luster, which was replaced by gentle darkness that cloaked it entirely. The medallion hung on an intriguing band made of a soft material so perfect that it felt soothing to the touch, but did not tear easily. It looked like a veil of evening stars shining softly with faded glory, shadowed under the dusk. “My medallion can cloak us all, and so much more,” the Sneasel said, with a tinge of pride.

Lune blinked, unsure if he had accidentally wandered back into the realm of dreams. “Where did you… get these things?” he asked finally, after a long pause.

“They’re farewell gifts from the Silver Havens,” Élan replied.

Brave pokémon of Silver Havens descent who chose to set foot outside of their homeland were given one parting gift before they left. Most born in the Silver Havens remained in the paradise for the rest of their lives. The ones who chose to leave did so with a firm resolve, for once they made the decision, the doors to their homeland were shut to them forever. The only remnant of their land of ancestry was the single piece of treasure they were allowed to remove from there. This artifact was the most precious possession of a wandering pokémon of Silver Havens birth.

“We’re going to sabotage Karkas’s mechanized, weapon-packed base with a sword and a cloaking device?” Lune asked.

“Pretty much.” Shockwave shrugged.

“This is not just a sword,” Deux reminded the Eevee, “This blade can cut through any material, including energy. No matter what Karkas’s things are made of, they can be cut.”

“And this is not just a cloaking device,” Élan continued. “As long as we’re under its influence, this medallion can fool anything and everything into thinking that we don’t exist. Basically, even Karkas’s high-tech weaponry can’t detect our presence when we’re cloaked. DNA or body heat searches won’t do him any good.”

“Are we going to get away with this?” Shockwave asked.

“We should,” Élan replied. “And if we don’t… eh…”

“If we don’t, we’ll be dead, or worse,” Lune finished. “Probably worse, especially if Karkas mentioned his little experience with me to Ytos. Leave it to the Seviper to find something new that causes extreme suffering.”

“You’re sure confident,” Deux joked nervously.

“So, how do these things work, anyway?” Shockwave asked. “I’m particularly interested in seeing what this medallion can do. How and when do its effects come into play?”

“My medallion is directly connected to my mental state,” Élan responded. “It cloaks whatever I want it to, for however long I want it to; at least, as long as I can think straight. The good thing about this is, you guys can be thousands of miles away from me and still be cloaked. As long as I know you personally or have you within my range of sight, you’re good to go.”

Lune regarded the medallion with renewed respect. “Amazing.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Shockwave agreed.

Deux nodded. “Silver Havens artifacts tend to be that way,” he said. “I still prefer my sword, though. Anyone else think I might just be a little biased on that?”

Lune laughed, and Élan returned a polite smile.

It was already late evening, and the sun had just begun to set. The flaming orange sky cradled the setting sun, which had fallen behind clouds of billowing smoke. “Well,” the Sneasel said as he made for the door, “I’ve got to run. Catch you guys tomorrow.”

“Wait, you’re not going to leave us to do the dishes, are you?” Shockwave called as Élan walked through the door. The Sneasel poked his head back in.

“I cooked, you clean,” he shot back, and he left, snickering.

“Fair enough,” Shockwave said.

Lune eyed the dirty dishes mournfully. “But I didn’t even eat anything,” he whined. “Whatever,” he sighed, giving in. He didn’t trust Shockwave to do the washing, anyway.


***

“Ningai! Charisma! Luktam! Escape, please.” Senryu threw his tail helplessly at the translucent barrier. If only he had sensed the intruders before they sprang their trap. If only he had not been so careless, the danger might have been averted. But now, while he fought a pointless battle against the spherical force field, the owners of this forbidden technology were threatening the pokémon he cared about, and he could only watch.

The Nidoqueen towered over the intruders, and yet, Senryu feared for her life. Not even iron could dent his prison. He had not seen such an advanced form of technology before. He knew what it was, but this version had been improved from the ones that had become illegal years ago. Possessing this was almost certain proof that the intruders owned more destructive weaponry. He searched their figures wildly, hoping that he would find nothing, yet knowing that it was there. “What are you doing? All of you! Don’t fight! Escape!” Panic had crept into his voice, had spread its ugly roots all over his face. The face that had successfully hidden expression for so many years.

Ningai smiled to reassure him, but it only escalated his fear. She didn’t understand. She knew, and yet she didn’t understand. “I’m not leaving you here,” she said, the words piercing through Senryu like ice. “I won’t let them hurt anyone. I won’t let them take away the home that we’ve finally found. The peace that everyone created.” But her voice was spiraling away into the distance and Senryu knew he could no longer reach her. And his heart froze when Charisma took a place beside the Nidoqueen.

Desperate, the Dragonair turned to the tensed Slowpoke. “Luktam, please… Find Élan. Hurry.”

Whether out of fear or concern for the others, the Slowpoke obeyed. What bothered Senryu the most was that his captors had just watched Luktam go, and laughed. As if all their struggles were meaningless. He scanned their bodies again, first the Alakazam that had placed him in his prison, then the Seviper that had venom in his eyes. Neither had moved, and yet, their expressions were infuriating. They wore the faces of hunters toying with prey.

“I’ve found a place to belong to, and I won’t let you take it away.” Charisma raised her paw and hurled a pulsating orb at the Alakazam, who would have been hit if not for the Seviper that redirected the sphere with his tail. The energy exploded soon after impact and dissipated into the night sky.

This turned out to be a feint, however; while the enemy’s attention was focused on the Shadow Ball, neither suspected that the Nidoqueen had left behind a body double… Ningai crushed the Alakazam from behind with her full weight and covered his entire body with venom. He shuddered as the poison seeped into his veins, poison that would cause increasing devastation to his body. This had quickly become a battle against time.

The Seviper’s glinting tail cleaved Ningai’s replacement in two while Charisma extended her claws and dug them into the snake’s thick skin. When he realized that she did not intend to let go, he bound the Persian with his body and began to crush her bones. She had expected this reaction, however, and instead of succumbing to the Seviper’s pressure, Charisma channeled a highly charged burst of electrical energy that would have been difficult to aim at a further range. Feeling the beginnings of unresponsive muscles, the Seviper freed himself of his outer carapace, revealing new skin underneath. He would have to be careful about approaching the Persian.

Meanwhile, the Alakazam had thrown off his assailant with mental force, but not before she had stolen both of his spoons. Without them, it was more difficult to focus. Haphazard power was a dangerous thing, for power is not meant to hurt allies. Although another Alakazam might have been reluctant to unleash forces that might harm his partner, this one had no such reservations. He merely felt exposed because being unable to control his own possessions felt ugly to him. The Alakazam closed his eyes, building an image of his opponent in his mind. He did not see Ningai cover her ears according to Charisma’s signal. And then the horrible cacophony began.

Ningai lunged at the disrupted Alakazam with dark energy seething out of her fangs. His thin arm snapped easily under the pressure. Charisma, who had been following Ningai’s movements, would have done the same to the psychic’s leg, but was intercepted by his partner. He raised his fangs to puncture her shoulder and inject the same brutal venom that Ningai had splattered over the Alakazam, but a blue glow surrounded the snake and tossed him at the wizard. The same glow encompassed the Seviper’s partner.

“Thanks,” said Charisma, turning to the Dragonair.

Senryu’s voice had risen in pitch. “Get away! They have weapons. Don’t fight with them!”

But even if Senryu’s warning had moved them, the two did not flee. Ningai grabbed her chest and fell to one knee, while Charisma’s face contorted with pain as she started to wheeze.

“What did you do to them?” Senryu made an effort to tighten his mental grip, but he felt the Alakazam push back with such overwhelming force that he released both of his captives.

“Fool. Did you think that you, a mere Dragonair, could restrain me with such hastily learned telekinesis?” The Alakazam’s mouth twisted upwards crookedly. “And did you really think that we would allow you to fight for your lives, if the battle hadn’t already been won?” The spoons were prised from Ningai’s clutch with invisible hands and floated back to their owner. He welcomed them, and Senryu watched helplessly as the Alakazam erased most of the wounds that he had accumulated in the battle. Ningai and Charisma twitched on their stomachs, unable to stop him.

The Seviper regarded his victims with poisonous eyes, plotting the most enjoyable way to administer their pain. “Let them suffer their slow, certain deaths,” he suggested, and his partner agreed.

“While you were sleeping, I injected my latest technology into their bloodstreams,” explained the Alakazam. “It finds its way into their nervous systems, disrupts signals, and slowly kills them. The machinery is so small that you would never be able to remove it. Do you want to try?” He laughed again at his restless captive, and suddenly the barrier containing Senryu disintegrated.

The Dragonair immediately threw himself into his captor and bound the Alakazam with his long body, but this did not stop the laughing. Senryu squeezed tighter. “How do I remove your technology?”

“Do you want revenge? Or do you want to save your friends?” And the two squirming figures were lifted by a mental force and tossed into the river. Their leaden bodies sank, leaving weak bubbles at the surface as the air left their lungs.

Senryu cursed, knowing that he had lost. He released the Alakazam to retrieve Ningai and Charisma before the current swept them away. By the time he had resurfaced, their attackers had teleported to safety. “Charisma? Ningai? Can you still hear me?”

Sputtering, the Persian touched Senryu with a shaking paw. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. Yet, that very effort alone tired her, and she laid her head back down on the grass. The Nidoqueen had not responded; the unseeing eyes revealed that she had fallen unconscious.

“Charisma, listen to me. I’ll try to remove that Alakazam’s machine, but I need your guidance. Your Hidden Power gives you passive insight. You can tell where the machine is. If I’m going in the wrong direction, dig your claws into me. I’ll go slowly. After we cure you, we’ll help Ningai. Give me a sign that you understand.” He felt the pressure of her paw increase slightly on his skin. “It’s all right. Everything will be all right.”

As Charisma felt the gentle touch of grass entering her ears, she felt vaguely reminded of the fragrance of flowers. She thought that she could hear someone calling her name, but then she realized how silly this thought was, for she didn’t have a name. What was a name? She was lying in a distant field and the voice that was calling a name transformed into a song, lamenting someone who had long been forgotten. And as she turned her head up to face the cloudless golden sky, suddenly there was a rain of tears, and the voice grew softer and the song began to disappear, and she felt like she had lost something that she could not remember, and it saddened her. Then she could no longer hear the voice, which was a pity, for it was soothing although it was filled with the sense of longing of a wish that would not be granted. And the sky turned into a veil of stars, and the world grew dimmer, and then even the light of the night sky vanished, but even as darkness descended upon her, she remembered the gentle caress of flowers and the mourning of the rain.

***

Battle Summary (Chapter 36) - Charisma (Persian) and Ningai (Nidoqueen) vs.
Karkas the Second (Alakazam) and Ytos (Seviper)

Charisma - Shadow Ball (target: Karkas II)
Ytos - Iron Tail (target: Shadow Ball)
Ningai - Substitute

Ningai - Body Slam (target: Karkas II)
Ningai - Toxic (target: Karkas II)

Ytos - Iron Tail (target: "Ningai", destroys Substitute)
Charisma - Slash (target: Ytos)

Ytos - Wrap (target: Charisma)
Charisma - Thunder (target: Ytos)

Ytos - Shed Skin (remove: paralysis)

Karkas II - Psychic (target: Ningai)
Senryu - Mimic (copy: Psychic)
Ningai - Thief (target: Karkas II's spoons)

Karkas II - Psychic (target: Ningai)
Charisma - Screech (interrupt: Psychic)

Ningai - Crunch (target: Karkas II)
Charisma - Mimic (copy: Crunch)

Ytos - Poison Fang (target: Charisma)
Senryu - Psychic (target: Ytos, interrupts Poison Fang)

Ningai - collapse
Charisma - collapse

Karkas II - Recover

Senryu - Wrap (target: Karkas II)
Karkas II - Psychic (target: Ningai & Charisma)

Karkas II - Teleport (target: Karkas II & Ytos)

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Good chapter. The language was very artistic this time, which I like, reminded me of something Japanese. Don't ask why.

I'm interested in Élan's gang, they seem to very close to eachother. Now I can't help but wonder even more what this big secret is.

The Silver Haven items were also very cool.

Is Charisma's Hidden Power a Psychic-based one?

[Lune the Guardian]

Hehe, now that you mention it, I can see some Japanese influence there. XD Blame it on watching too much animé, maybe?

The big secret isn't so much of a secret as it seems, you'll get to find out soon, although I hope you won't be disappointed. I tried to make it inferable from actions, but I probably did not do a very good job.

I am glad you liked the Silver Havens items too ^_^ They are so fun to play with.

And yup, Charisma's Hidden Power is Psychic-based.

I am hoping to turn out the next chapter sooner than I did this one. I am graduating this month though, so no promises because my parents are coming to visit and I might have, erm, interference :P

[Lune the Guardian]

Chapter 37
After the Rain Falls

“I lied to her again.” The doleful Dragonair tore his soulless eyes away from his reflection. Élan was still staring up the river, watching the ashes mingle with petals that Senryu had coaxed out of the earth.

“We’re both liars, aren’t we?” He laughed. It was a chokingly ironic laugh laced with emptiness. Luktam had ushered him back to the Hidden Valley in a panic, but by the time he had arrived, the fighting had ended. He had found Senryu hunched over the motionless bodies. And Luktam had shrieked at him for being late, today of all days. Then the Slowpoke ripped away his earring, laid it between the two still figures, and left. Leaving the two that remained to bid their farewells. The kneeling Sneasel brushed the river’s surface with his claws, grasping for what he knew was there no longer. The water trickled through his empty hand. “Senryu… Is it a sin to lie for the peace of others?”

The Dragonair followed the trail of ashes out to the horizon, wondering when they would meet the sea. “I don’t know,” he said. “The only one who could have told us is floating away in a bed of silver petals.” He paused to touch the river bank with his nose, letting a tear escape onto the soil. I’m sorry, but this is the only thing I can do for you. The tear shivered before breaking on the earth. Out from the earth sprung a leaf, and from that leaf silvery pointed petals in the shape of a star. Senryu nudged the flower into the river. As the current swept it towards the night sky, he thought he could hear the voice of a soul that was drifting far away. “You know,” he said to Élan, drowning the memory of the voice, “I tried to tell her why we invited her that day. She stopped me. Maybe she already knew.”

“Charisma was very clever. She probably realized a long time that we invited her because she had nowhere else to go. She was also proud. Our excuses gave her a reason to accept while maintaining that pride.”

Senryu absent-mindedly set more flowers afloat, staring into the darkness while seeing nothing. “She was beginning to smile, Élan… I wanted to help her smile even more. And Ningai, she carried the weight of all of our burdens. Whenever we ached, she ached with us. I wish she could have seen Charisma heal. But it’s foolish of me, isn’t it? To long for something that won’t come back.”

Élan had set his gaze on the smoldering funeral pyre, which had burned down into a charred heap. Surrounding the remnants were delicate flowers that tilted their heads in mourning, ephemeral blossoms born from Senryu’s tears. It looked as if, in a breath, their translucent petals would turn to dust and follow the ashes far away to sea. “Who did this?”

“A Seviper and an Alakazam. Ningai and Charisma were winning the battle, but then we found out that in their sleep- What’s wrong, Élan? Why are you making that expression?”

“Did those two use any technology?”

“They did. How-”

“I know where to find them.” Élan rose to his feet. “I’m going to deal with them now. Do you want to come with me?”

Senryu did not answer. He turned his head to the sky, wondering if Ningai could see him now. She would not approve of vengeance.

“This isn’t about revenge,” clarified Élan. “I’m going to stop them from taking away anyone else’s peace. Ningai would forgive me for that, wouldn’t she?”

“If that is your purpose, I think she would understand.” Senryu’s eyes filled again as his gaze fell on the waning moon. “But I won’t go with you. The last thing I said to Charisma was a lie. That everything would be all right. That I’d save her, and that we’d save Ningai. I couldn’t keep my promise, but at the very least, I can stay here to watch over the place that they had come to love as home.”

“You did all that you could.”

“It wasn’t enough.”

“I’m sorry that I was late.”

Senryu would have stated that it wasn’t Élan’s fault, that Luktam’s accusations had been unfair, but then he realized that his companion was not apologizing to him. Élan had bent over the river bank and his eyes were on the river that was ferrying souls out to sea, into another world. Could they find another home there? Could they find peace? And as Senryu watched the forlorn figure shaking, he realized that the Sneasel’s tears were a waterfall feeding the river tribute for carrying such a bitter burden.


***

Élan was difficult to reach the next day. Lune had looked all over the central square and even around the Guardians’ Palace, but the Sneasel was nowhere to be found. With the sun already shining brightly to signal the coming of noon, Lune finally made his way to the fork in the road at the easternmost path’s end, where the hidden gate lay. Senryu was there, alone.

Lune approached the silent Dragonair. “What’s wrong?” he inquired softly. “Where are the others?” When he did not respond, Lune searched his face. Then he realized that gold hoop earring on the Dragonair’s right ear, the sign of the clan, was gone. An ugly hole remained in its place.

Senryu met the Eevee’s gaze with empty eyes. “Disbanded,” he said. “Forever.”

“Broken apart? How did this happen?”

“They’re dead,” he said quietly.

Lune blanched. His eyes widened with horror.

“Élan went to stop them. They took Ningai and Charisma from us… He won’t let that happen to anyone else.”

Lune placed a paw against the Dragonair’s neck softly to provide comfort. “Who did it?” he asked darkly.

“They had weapons,” Senryu answered painfully. “It was a Seviper and an Alakazam. Ningai and Charisma, I asked them to escape, but their deaths had been decided while we were still asleep. I couldn’t save them.” Senryu’s voice trailed off. Recalling the memories drained him. “…Luktam was furious at Élan for being late that day. He’s never been late before. Last night was the first time. Luktam tore off his earring and laid it beside the bodies. He said to Charisma, ‘You’re not going to call me an idiot any more, are you?’ Then he walked away without looking back. I think he was crying. After he left, Élan and I built them a funeral pyre. Luktam’s earring melted in the blaze. I burned mine, too, but Élan kept his own. We sprinkled their ashes into the river that flows through the Hidden Valley.” Senryu stopped and gazed past Lune without seeing. When he spoke again, it was unclear whether he was addressing Lune or someone else. “We were just beginning to find peace together… In the next world, is there also a place to call home?”

Closing his eyes, Lune allowed Senryu a few moments of silence before he spoke. “What will you do?”

“When I slept last night, I hoped that I would awaken to find that I had been dreaming. But that wish cannot be fulfilled.” Senryu turned his head to look through the gate behind him. “I’ll stay here to remember them and honor their memory. I’ll make sure the river of the Hidden Valley is always kept pure. Nothing will taint it as long as I am alive. I’ll give everything to ensure that their resting place remains undisturbed.”

Lune nodded, averting his gaze. “I’ll keep my earring to remember them,” he said with an air of sadness. “Take care, Senryu.” With that, he turned to head home. “And so the war begins,” the Eevee whispered to himself. “The Slith Territories has made the first move. Now it’s our turn to strike back.”


***

Shockwave was quiet after Lune told him what had happened. There was anger in his eyes, so uncharacteristic of the Pikachu. It took a lot to anger Shockwave. “We’re going to stop them before they kill anyone else,” he said finally. “Innocent pokémon should not have to suffer like this.”

“Yeah. They’ll never cause suffering again.”

“Let’s find Élan and Deux. The sooner we do this, the better.”

Even the soft Sanctuary grass could not provide enough comfort to relieve the sorrowful air, and the waterfall seemed to join the lament with its sad, mournful tune.


***

They found Deux first at his house. Lune wasn’t sure if the Scizor understood the whole story. First of all, he didn’t even know Ningai and Charisma, although he was outraged when he heard that they were murdered by weapons; and secondly, he seemed critical of Élan. Lune had gotten a slight feeling that Deux had never liked Élan much in the first place, but he was not sure yet why. The Scizor was distrustful of the Sneasel. Nevertheless, he went to fetch his sword, and the three went to search for Élan.

Élan was sitting alone in a forest clearing scrutinizing a piece of wood. His medallion hung forlornly around his neck. At first, Lune thought, judging by the collection of shavings on the grass, that the Sneasel had spent his time idly scraping away at the wood to keep his mind off of Ningai and Charisma, but it turned out that it was not so. What the Sneasel had actually done was carve out a detailed map of the Eastern Marshes onto the wood.

Deux frowned slightly behind the group, but Lune didn’t notice. He had already walked up to Élan. “Whoa. How’d you do this?” he asked, pointing at the map.

Élan looked up from the piece of bark. “Have you met Senryu already?” he asked. Lune nodded. “Good, then I don’t have to explain anything,” the Sneasel continued. He turned back to the map. “After last night, I collected all the information I could about the Eastern Marshes. I know a Sableye who’s traveled around a lot, although he’s a shady character and doesn’t like much of anything to be known about him. Not a lot of pokémon even realize that he exists; he spends his time hiding away from prying eyes, and he’s got a very secret living place that no one’s going to stumble upon without looking hard for it. He is very useful when it comes to these kinds of things, though, and I wasn’t disappointed when he traded me the info I needed for a large portion of my gold.” Lune noticed the earring missing from Élan’s ear. The Sneasel nodded. “That earring was very valuable. The Sableye has a thing for magical gold, and he’s been eyeing my earring for a very long while. He knows how much it’s worth.”

“So you do have dealings with shady characters, huh?” Deux muttered. It was so soft that perhaps none of the others managed to catch it.

“The Sableye gave you this map, then?” Shockwave asked Élan.

“Well, sort of,” the Sneasel answered. “He told me every single thing he knew about the Eastern Marshes, and I had to memorize it. He even mentioned his favorite hunting spot. Anyway, I broke this piece of wood away from a log and shaved it myself. I’ve been carving out this map for a very long time. I hope I didn’t forget something.”

Lune watched the Sneasel in silent admiration. He wondered if he would have been able to concentrate on his objectives if he had been placed in Élan’s position. He was almost certain that he could not. “Now we’ve got a map to go by. Good work.”

“Oh, so now I have to carry that piece of wood, too?” Deux said a little bitterly. Lune looked at him in surprise. “Excuse me for having doubts about going into enemy territory, having to trust a Sneasel’s memory and the word of a ‘shady character’, in his own phrasing.”

“I was planning on carrying the map, actually,” Élan said quickly. He picked up the piece of wood and slipped it under his arm. “Right. Let’s go, shall we?”

Shockwave nodded. “Are we going into invisible mode right away?” he asked, looking at Élan’s medallion.

“We’ll wait till we get a little closer first. Constant use of my medallion tires out my mind.”

Lune nodded. “Makes sense."

“Okay,” Shockwave answered.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out later that the enemies could see me when we get there,” Deux said to himself. He followed the other three pokémon as they set off on their journey.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Ok, good chapter!

Tragic incidents. They will lead to doubts and arguments later. Eventhough they all think about eachother, they will all think about their own feelings, expierences and actions. This will form a clash between the partners, or that's what I think.

I also think that Deux doubts confirm this, but we'll see reasons later I believe? Or hope.

Even though I adore happy endings and I hate to see a character die (even in Animé, books, movies, etc.) it kinda gives another dimension to the story. A reason for acting in a specific way. You really portraited that very nicely.

I also like the way Senryu acted, and how his life will be solitary now. Its very sad, but I can comprehend.

On a funny note: the sableye seemed interesting.

I'm glad you picked this story up again:)

[Lune the Guardian]

Thanks for reading so quickly ^_^ I'm also happy that I picked up the story again, and I intend to finish it this time. I hate not finishing things, but when I gave up, I'd lost all interest in pokémon. I stumbled upon the story again one day, though, and decided that it would be a waste not to complete it, because I really like the characters.

I agree with you about happy endings. I get sad about tragedy too, but if I can understand why it happened, then I'll be satisfied with the story. I don't like when things seemingly happen for no reason, though. I was afraid that I had not properly explained the events, but you cleared my doubts, thank you :) I hope that the reactions weren't melodramatic or anything - it's hard to balance between too little emotion and going too far.

As for conflict and mistrust, yup, there's probably going to be some. We'll find out why Deux doesn't like Élan later.

Élan does have some sources, he probably knows more places by exploration than Lune does. The Sableye is a pretty secretive guy, though, so I'm not sure if we'll see him again. He's already been very helpful (albeit expensive).

[Lune the Guardian]

I hope this isn't SPAM, but I thought I'd share since it has something to do with the story... There was this art prompt for a triptych, which was cool cause I've never done one before. The topic was "If only". I totally thought about these scenes right away ^^

Rain of Tears (http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m407/LuneTheGuardian/Rain-of-Tears.png)
Memories of Rain (http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m407/LuneTheGuardian/Memories-of-Rain.png)
After the Rain Falls (http://i334.photobucket.com/albums/m407/LuneTheGuardian/After-the-Rain-Falls.png)

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

I like the first one the best, pretty cool.

[Lune the Guardian]

Chapter 38
Cloaks of Invisibility

The eastern sky was a deep, quiet shade of blue. Behind the four, in the west, the setting sun was disappearing below a sea of red and gold. Wisps of clouds reflected the fiery light, looking like flaring sprays of foam in the orange sea. Soon, the moon would rise among the twinkling stars, when color faded and the blazing brilliance gave way to a soft, dark calmness. Travelling by moonlight gave the group a chance to advance quickly, as they were quiet and skillful enough under the darkness to avoid prying eyes.

Lune was unfamiliar with this route. He knew the way to the Forgotten Kingdom in the North, had been to the Sparkling Forest once in the South, and had learned that the Savage Wilderness lay in the West. The Eevee, however, had never set foot to the East. In his childhood, he had been told terrible stories about the lands that lay there, of the frightening evil and dark terror that lurked in the shadows, waiting. The stories gave him an ominous feeling of foreboding, and he had trembled in fear whenever he listened to their telling. Although he was not afraid of darkness, a shadow fell over his heart when he heard mention of the lands to the East.

Night was falling. The evening sky was a veil of cool darkness. Several stars prodded their way hesitantly into the night sky, and, upon success, shone with confident brilliance. More joined them, and soon the sky was speckled with the glory of celestial radiance. The silver moon, tinted with faded gold, hung overhead in full splendor, casting its cooling light downwards and guiding the travelers with its friendly glow.

The group progressed for hours like this until they reached a monstrous, roaring river; on the other side was an unwelcoming forest full of large, evil looking trees with messily entangled gnarled roots, and many sharp, spindly branches that were long and crooked. The trees stood like sentinels in the night, guarding the path like an unsurpassable wall and glaring coldly at prospective intruders, as if to warn them, ‘Beware.’

Here Élan held up a hand and signaled the group to stop. He made sure his map was still with him. Then he looked tentatively at Deux, then the treacherous river, and then back at the Scizor again. “That thing has a lot of hidden currents and whirlpools,” the Sneasel said softly. “It takes pleasure in smashing heads against sharp rocks. Nothing trying to swim over can survive. The river will eat it alive.”

Deux had his arms crossed and was watching Élan warily, as if calculating something. He saw Lune look at him expectantly, so he nodded. “I’ll carry you over,” the Scizor said. “Just don’t touch my sword, or else…”

Deux’s sword was not actually a problem. He had it slung across his back in a clever fashion so that it maneuvered around his wings perfectly, allowing him to still use them without any kind of hindrance. The sword lay in a case made of the same shining material so that it could not cut through. There was a magic seal on the outer casing to reinforce its strength.

“Thanks.” Élan closed his eyes momentarily. When he opened them, he looked as if he were in a dreamlike state. “We’re invisible now,” Élan informed them, with a distant look in his eyes. “We still need to be careful, though,” he continued. “Be really, really quiet when we get into those woods. Don’t break anything. There are supposedly a lot of spies in there.”

“Wonderful,” Lune sighed. “Ready, Shockwave?” he whispered. “Union of Soul!” The resulting light seemed to be held in by an invisible barrier; none of it disturbed the night outside. No one but the cloaked few could see the rainbow energy wings sprout out of Lune’s back as the light faded.

The magical cloaking itself was strange. Lune could see, barely, the twinkling outline of a magical veil that surrounded his body. Whenever he moved, the outline moved with him. He could also see the other two quite clearly, enshrouded in a similar outline.

A Noctowl flew directly overhead, and Lune jumped around, making faces at it. The Noctowl, hearing the soft thudding, looked down to find its source (maybe a juicy Rattatta for dinner?), but it saw nothing there. When the thumping continued to get louder, it stared hard at the empty spot, blinked, and then flew off with a frightened screech, convinced that it had gone insane. Lune snickered in amusement.

Lune, I don’t think that was a particularly good move. Shockwave’s voice echoed through Lune’s mind.

“But it couldn’t see me,” Lune protested.

Still.

“Shh, you two,” Élan cautioned. “When we get into that forest, let’s try not to make a sound. I’ve studied the map, so I should know the way. Just follow me closely, and don’t talk if you can help it.”

“You’d better not lead us the wrong way,” Deux said.

Élan looked at the Scizor doubtfully. “I don’t plan on it,” he answered, after a moment of silence.

Are we going or not? Shockwave asked.

“Shockwave wants to know whether we’re actually going or not,” Lune repeated for the others to hear.

“All right, fine,” Deux said, picking up Élan and flying across the river. Lune spread his wings and followed suit.


***

Shockwave stretched. Being in energy form was tiring, even though this time he hadn’t even done it for that long. He looked at the dark forest that loomed overhead.

The trees were even more frightening up close. Their large, jagged roots tore up from the ground at places and curved over to touch the soil, forming what looked like cages with many imprisoning bars. The bark on the thick trunks was rough, and the barricade of trees as a whole was uninviting. They looked like they were frowning, daring trespassers to enter and never come out alive again. It was an intimidating sight. Shockwave was glad that Élan had decided against attempting to get through the forest that night. “On second thought, maybe we’d better tackle the forest tomorrow,” the Sneasel had said. Thank Ho-oh for that.

There was a problem, though. Élan’s cloaking medallion wouldn’t work while he was asleep. And out in the open, stuck in unfamiliar territory, the four would be live bait to be picked off by anything hostile that lived around there. They needed to find shelter.

After frowning in thought for a while and poring over the etched wood, Élan began to chuckle softly. “I knew it would be useful to record that Sableye’s favorite hunting spot somewhere,” he said. “It should be right… here,” he continued, pointing a claw at a mark on the map slightly further south along the forest line. “The river we crossed begins there, but the Sableye specifically mentioned that there are no hills or mountains for miles. The river has to originate from something. If it’s not hills or mountains, there’s really only one last option: a cave, which explains why the Sableye likes it so much.” Élan paused to let the words sink in.

“Ah, excellent work,” Shockwave replied.

“Well, at least now we don’t have to worry about sleeping out in the open,” Deux said. “You do know how to get there, right?”

“Yup,” Élan answered. “Come on, guys, we get to sleep tonight.”

“I’ll take the first watch,” Lune volunteered.

“And I’ll go second,” Deux added.

Élan looked at Shockwave, who was whistling and gazing intently at the moon. “Fine, I’ll get the third shift, then,” the Sneasel said, giving in.

“Well, since you guys have decided it and all, I guess I’m left with the last one,” Shockwave said, not quite so interested in the moon anymore. He grinned. “Just saying, y’ know.”

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Short chapter, nothing new, but I'm really keen on knowing what will happen. And some of the history of the four kingdoms that lay North, South, East and West.

Looking forward to the next chapters.

[Lune the Guardian]

Yep, sorry for the shortness, but I felt like that was the way to split it since stuff happens next chapter. I am going overseas less than 2 weeks from now. I might finish the next chapter by then, but it's not certain.

[Lune the Guardian]

Chapter 39
The Haunted Cavern

The others were on the floor, sound asleep. As Lune watched their chests heaving gently up and down, then turned his head to scan the dark cavern, he wondered how he was crazy enough to offer to watch first. It was nearly midnight. The mournful howling of the Houndoom outside was a disturbing sound, and the eerie dripping of water against stone sickened him. He couldn’t tell what it was, but something did not feel quite right. Even looking into the vast stretching distance sent a shudder through his bones. As he continued to gaze deeper into the pitch-black interior, he caught a whiff of something that scared him… And maybe, just maybe, he thought he could hear strange noises coming from the darkness: soft, creepy moans that made him shiver. The blackness seemed to reach out to him with probing tendrils, seeking to pull him in and hold onto him forever.

Lune shook himself. He should have known better than to allow his imagination to run wild. What was so terrifying about darkness, anyway? He could control it. It did not make sense to be terrified by something that he drew power from. And yet – why were his teeth chattering? What was this scent of dread? There had to be something else…

And then he heard it. It was unmistakable: a sharp, taunting cackle. And suddenly, a shrill nearby shriek made him tremble. “Show yourself!” he demanded, though his voice quivered.

“Wahahaha!”

Lune turned to where the voice came from, but there was nothing there.

Again, “Wahahaha!”

This time it was on his left. Curses, the fiend had escaped again. Lune growled a low, menacing growl, tensing into a fighting stance and silently drawing shadow energy to his paw…

“Wahahaha!”

Above now. This time, Lune caught the culprit, who was not amused by the orb that exploded in his face.

“You!” screamed the Banette, descending to the sandy floor. He glared at Lune, who, despite his resolve not to show fear, shivered slightly. The Banette’s body was jet black, but his eyes and wide mouth burned orange like a glowing jack-o-lantern. More orange flared out of his back, shaped like an expanding cone with petal-like edges: a tail of some sort, perhaps. The Banette was a live possessed doll that had been corrupted to evil; Lune did not want to know what made him function. The ghost stood on the ground with his two legs, crossing his arms and frowning. The dangerous look in his eyes was intimidating; Lune had not been so frightened of a Ghost type pokémon before. But then again, the only other one he had encountered up close was Shadow, and the only thing he had been concerned about then was defeating the Gengar so that he could advance to the next round of the tournament. This Banette, in his home environment, was different.

With difficulty, Lune managed to free himself from the locked gaze. This took much effort, for his eyes were drawn to the Banette’s, although he knew not why. Avoiding direct eye contact, the Eevee asked, “What do you want?”

The Banette shrieked with laughter. “What do I want?” he repeated mockingly, a sinister gleam flashing in his eyes. “Wahahaha!”

At that, he vanished, and the last thing Lune remembered was a peculiar red flash. All fell silent, and it seemed as if the ghost had disappeared, but Lune felt suspicious. When he looked behind him, he shrieked.

There, laying sprawled across the floor, were the bodies of Shockwave, Deux, and Élan. Their heads, arms, and legs were detached from the scattered pieces of their bodies and lay in a bloody mess; the viscous pool expanded impossibly fast, and before Lune could avoid it, he was standing in the stuff. He jerked his feet up in fright and disgust, feeling sick as he saw the blood continue to paint the sandy floor red…

Then, as Lune continued to watch, eyes widening further and mouth agape, the sickening body pieces began to rise into the air! He saw it all: torn flesh, sinew, bloody bone, and cut veins dangling out of the chunks of meat that now began to dance about wildly in the air as if possessed. The bodiless heads of the Pikachu, Scizor, and Sneasel joined the bloody fragments, and their lifeless eyes rolled towards Lune, accusing him…

They sang a haunting song that froze Lune’s heart, a chant with cold, cruel words: We trusted you, and now we’re dead. You failed in times of need. You shall be ours now to behead; repay us for your deed!

Lune fled. His entire world was spinning; nothing made sense. The hysterical cackling of the floating heads was frightening enough. It was worse that he did not know where he was heading; he just kept running deeper and deeper each moment into unknown terrain. He chanced a backward glance, and to his relief, the maniacal heads were no longer following him. Then the reality of the matter sank in. Things making no sense. General chaos. The red light before the Banette seemingly disappeared. They all pointed to one thing: Confuse Ray. He had been hallucinating all along! As he came to this realization, the blackness swallowed him whole.


***

Deux awoke to the sound of tortured cries in the distance. How strange… The Scizor yawned and stretched slowly, still not fully awake. He idly wondered why Lune had not woken him. Where was the Eevee, anyway? What a strange time it was to go exploring… Suddenly, Deux froze. LUNE! The Eevee was missing! He was gone! Deux frantically shook Shockwave, trying to wake him.

“Hmm? Five more minutes,” the Pikachu begged, flopping over on his side to sleep.

“No more minutes,” Deux told him. “Lune’s gone.”

“Huh?” Shockwave shot upwards, blinking. He shook himself to remove the remaining traces of grogginess and then began to shake Élan, who lay beside him. “Wake up,” he said. “We have to go find a missing Eevee now.”

The Sneasel got up quickly. “Wait, what happened?”

“Lune wasn’t here to wake me for my shift. Someone’s screams acted as my alarm clock. Three guesses whose,” Deux said, frowning.

“Erk… where’d he go?” Shockwave asked.

The Scizor pointed down he seemingly endless mouth of the hungry cavern. “In there,” he replied.

“No sense cloaking in this place,” Élan said. “We’ll be making a lot of noise as we hurry, anyway.”

“How are we supposed to see where we’re going?” Deux asked.

Shockwave grinned. “Like this,” he said, as light began to flow from his glowing cheeks. It was a cool light, and not too bright, just enough for the three to find their way by it.


***

“Look, this isn’t funny,” Lune snarled, trying to get around the ghosts who blocked the maze’s open exit. “If you don’t like trespassers in your cavern, just say so and we’ll be on our way, never bothering you again.”

“But that’s just it,” snickered the Banette whom Lune had met earlier, “We love visitors. Don’t we, Phobia?”

The Misdreavus beside him smirked. Her red bead necklace sparkled, enhancing the deep vermilion shade of her eyes. Next to her floated a Haunter, who took pleasure in bothering Lune with his detached arms and making faces at the frustrated Eevee with his long pink tongue. Lune’s hair was ruffled messily, full of dirt that the Haunter had mixed into it.

“We hardly ever get visitors who aren’t ghosts,” Phobia said, “and the resident Zubat, Spinarak, and Rattatta don’t like playing with us, for some reason. I can’t imagine why.”

Lune hated Phobia’s voice. It sounded so bubbly and gentle, but Lune knew better. The Misdreavus, like her Banette and Haunter friends, enjoyed tormenting other pokémon.

“Let’s make him do the maze already,” the Haunter urged. “This one seems pretty smart; I don’t think he’ll get skewered by spikes so soon like the last one.” Lune did not like the sound of ‘maze’ or ‘spikes’.

Then the Haunter made a grave error. He extended his detached hands, grasping Lune’s amulet and taking it away. The effects were immediate. Lune growled, springing into the air to snatch the amulet back, but the Haunter floated out of his reach. “You want this back?” he taunted. “You run the maze, and we’ll meet you at the end to hand it back. Of course, then you’re on your own. You either figure out how to retrace your steps, or you chance entering that maniacal Alakazam’s freaky base that’s loaded with all sorts of nasty weapons. Either way, you won’t survive.” The Haunter snickered. “So, which will it be?”

Lune’s heart had skipped a beat upon mention of the Alakazam, but he kept calm and showed nothing. He had to find out more. “You want me to go into some laboratory run by a nameless psycho, who, for all I know, might blast me into pieces if he sees me?”

“Bingo! And that’s Karkas the psycho to you, by the way,” the Banette answered, grinning. Phobia cackled. The Haunter fingered Lune’s amulet with curiosity…

“Okay, that’s it.” Lune felt uncomfortable with his amulet in the Haunter’s possession. “You’re going to give me back that amulet. You’re also going to allow me to leave this cave. Stop blocking the door.”

“Ooh, I’m scared,” the Banette jeered. “What are you going to do to us?”

Phobia giggled. “We’ll make you a deal. If you manage to defeat all three of us in a battle, we’ll let you leave any time you want.” She said this slowly and gently, as if talking to a baby.

The Eevee frowned. “Three to one?” he asked. “As you wish. I only have to make one move.”

Raising an eyebrow, the Banette closed in to attack, while Phobia and the Haunter circled close by, ready to lend a helping hand. Suddenly, the three screamed. Cold darkness pressed upon them, trapping them… Maniacal laughter rang through their heads…

“Hidden… Power… Dark,” the Banette gasped, “I don’t believe it…”

“Stop!” squealed Phobia, trembling.

“Enough, you win!” agreed the Haunter. “You can have this back!” he added, tossing the amulet at Lune. To his relief, the shadows receded. As soon as he was free, he cackled. Lune saw, too late, that a large panel coming out of the side of the wall completely blocked the opening of the maze. The chamber was left in complete darkness.

“What the?!” yelled the Eevee. “Not fair!”

“Hehehe, but it is fair,” said an invisible Phobia from somewhere above. “Remember, I promised that we would allow you to leave anytime you want. We’re not physically preventing you from leaving, now are we? Go ahead and leave if you want! We’re playing completely fair this time, see?” With that, the Misdreavus whisked away with the Haunter and Banette to cause grief to others.


***

“This is not looking good,” Shockwave said. They had been searching for hours, and day was probably already breaking far outside, but Lune was nowhere to be found.

“Well, he’s in here somewhere,” Deux answered, “and I’m not giving up on him anytime soon.”

Élan looked at the Scizor carefully. “Neither are we,” he said, gazing directly into Deux’s eyes. “We’re going to keep on looking until we find him.”

“Hmm, I wonder,” thought Shockwave aloud. The others looked at him questioningly. “If I concentrate really, really hard on a thought… Concentrate on trying to reach Lune… Maybe he’ll hear me. We’ve got some sort of telepathic bond, and I think I can get this to work.”

“Worth a shot,” Élan answered.

“Since when did a Pikachu have psychic powers?” Deux shrugged. “Anything’s worth trying, I guess. As long as we find Lune in the end.”

“Right… Let’s hope this works.” Shockwave closed his eyes.


***

Lune examined the rectangular stone panel. It was carved from solid rock, and definitely unbreakable for him. Digging under it was not a better option, for, although he could attempt to create a deep enough hole for the stone to fall into so that a space would open up above, attempting it would be dangerous; his paws could be crushed at any time. His only option, if he wanted to make progress, was to go through the maze alone and hope to put an end to Karkas’s weaponry by himself. That was impractical; even with Élan, Deux, and Shockwave, failure was always lying in wait at every step of the way. So, the best thing that Lune could do was wait to be found. He sighed.

Suddenly the Eevee’s ears pricked up. He thought he could hear someone whispering his name.

Lune… said the familiar voice. Lune, are you there?

Realizing that the voice was inside his mind, Lune began to tremble with excitement. He knew whom that voice belonged to… Shockwave? he thought. Shockwave, is that you?

There was silence from the other side. Lune felt a peculiar tinge of relief and jubilation, as if there was a celebration. Then the Pikachu answered. Good, it worked, he said. Now, Lune, here’s what we’re going to do. Do you know where you are?

Trapped at the entrance of a maze behind a door, Lune answered. If you want directions, though, I can’t really help. I was under the influence of Confuse Ray most of the time, so I have no idea where I am in relation to you guys.

That’s not good…

Yeah… But Shockwave, listen. I’ve found out that there’s an entrance to Karkas’s base at the end of this maze. We don’t have to go through the forest, and we don’t have to look for it, because we KNOW where it is now.

Really?

Yeah.

Hmm. Shockwave was silent again.

Shockwave, I’ve got it, Lune said suddenly. Union of Soul. There won’t be a nasty glare from it here. The light’s going to be obvious in the darkness, and, if they’re fast enough, Élan and Deux can follow it.

That will work.

Hmm, Deux should carry Élan. We only have one shot at this, so we’ve got to make sure we don’t mess up. I have no idea what’s between you guys and me, so flying’s probably our best bet. And anyway, even if this doesn’t work, at least they won’t be separated.

Good thinking, Shockwave answered. We’re going to have to synchronize perfectly, of course…

Yeah. Tell me when you’re ready.

Okay, hold on. I need to tell the other guys the plan. There was a long silence from Shockwave’s end. After a while, Lune began to panic. Perhaps he had lost the telepathic connection? What if he couldn’t contact Shockwave again? His fears, however, turned out to be unnecessary. Shockwave’s voice echoed through his mind once more. Right, we’re ready, he said.

Great… Okay, I’m going to count to three. As soon as I reach three, give Élan and Deux the signal. Ready? One… two… three. Union of Soul!


***

Deux’s wings buzzed frantically. He couldn’t lose sight of the shooting energy form in front of him at any costs. The stakes were too high. But, flying as fast as his body would allow him to go, pushing himself to the limit to keep up with the white streak, he felt more and more fearful that he would fail… For once, he was actually glad of Élan’s company, for the Sneasel, with his sharper eyesight, could help to keep track of the light. Finally, the light seemed to vanish through a wall. Deux stopped. Now what?

“Hey, Deux! Élan!” Lune called from behind. “Shockwave got here okay. Are you guys there?”

“Somehow, yeah,” Deux replied.

“Present!” Élan was glad to be on his feet again. The high-speed flight had been very uncomfortable and quite unnerving.

“Great. Now you guys just have to get through the door. Deux, Shockwave says that he wants to see some neat sword tricks.”

“As you wish,” the Scizor said, drawing out his blade and effortlessly slashing the rock to pieces. He returned it to its sheath, the metal still unscratched from the experience.

Lune and Shockwave were waiting. A preliminary Flash had revealed flat, level ground for miles. Flight would be unnecessary for now.

“So what happened to you, exactly?” inquired Deux as they walked.

“Ghosts,” Lune answered. “A Banette lured me deeper into the cave… He and his friends thought it would be funny to watch me go through this maze.”

“Lune, you let an evil possessed doll lead you far into a dark, unfamiliar place?” Shockwave asked. “How could you be so careless?”

Lune shifted uncomfortably. “Confuse Ray… You guys… Dismembered limbs… Blood… Floating heads… Laughing… Glaring… Red everywhere… Thought you were dead…”
Lune trembled violently as memories of the horrifying visions returned to him. The Eevee tried to calm himself, concentrating on the fact that the visions weren’t real, and that his friends were right there beside him, alive and well. But he couldn’t stop shivering, and, although he had managed to expel the images from his mind, he felt as if he was still part of the nightmare.

“Those were some pretty nasty visions, by the sound of it,” said Élan. “You don’t have to relive that kind of thing.”

“Happy thoughts, Lune, that’s the key.” Shockwave grinned convincingly. Lune had to smile.

Something swished by the four strangely, like a breeze. But there could be no drafts in this part of the cavern.

“What’s this? New visitors to play with?” giggled a feminine voice delightedly. The Misdreavus revealed herself in front of them, accompanied by the Banette and Haunter.

Lune, obscured in his position, stepped out from the shadows. “If you thought you were going to have fun, think again.”

“Uh… Um, it’s that Eevee again,” whimpered the Haunter. He cowered behind the Banette, detached hands grasping the other ghost tightly. Was it his imagination, or was the darkness closing in uncomfortably again?

“I’ll make a deal with the three of you,” Lune said softly. There was a cold glint in his eyes. “You lead us to Karkas’s base and I won’t give you nightmares for the rest of your lives.” His amulet flashed a warning.

“Eh heh… Sounds fair.” The Banette quivered. Phobia, beside him, nodded quietly.

“Good, then. Shall we continue?” Lune suggested cheerfully. But his burning amulet warned the ghosts not to cause any more trouble.

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” the Haunter answered, terrified.

“I… I have a question.” Phobia shrank back from Lune as she said this, as if he would tear her to shreds for speaking.

“Go on,” Élan replied. “It’s not like he’s going to eat you. That is,” he added with a mischievous grin, “At least you hope not.”

“Nah, I think he’d much rather do something more painful,” Deux said on cue. “I know I would, after what you jerks did to him.”

“But you know, Lune’s really not that bad,” Shockwave said in feigned assurance. “Trust me. You shouldn’t worry about things like that. It’s bad for your health.”

Phobia wasn’t very assured. She believed that the Eevee before her would be far worse for her health than simple worry. It was not until Lune prompted her to speak that she continued.

“Well, I… I was wondering… Why do you want to go to that meany Karkas? He’s crazy! He has all these nasty weapons, and… and…”

“And…?” Lune asked expectantly.

“He won’t let us play with them!” Phobia pouted. “He makes us go away when we try to touch them. It’s not like we’ll do anything. You know what I mean?”

“We want to go to ‘that meany Karkas’ so we can play around with his weapons.” The ghosts missed Élan’s sarcasm.

“Really? Really?” The excited Haunter had an almost childish expression on his face. He bounced around happily. “We’re gonna bother that Alakazam! Yay!”

“He always manages to chase us away somehow. But you…” The Banette stole a glance at Lune. “Yeah, I have a feeling you guys can torture him right.”

“So what are we waiting for?” Phobia said brightly, suddenly cheerful. “Let’s go pay back that meany Karkas already!”


***

Hours had passed, maybe even days. But they had carried on, without food, without rest, as if obsessed, in total darkness. Even Shockwave’s Flash did little to penetrate the black void. Lune had fused with him again, and Élan walked close to Deux, for the ghosts had warned them of sudden, steep falls. With the almost complete absence of light, the dark holes were practically invisible, hiding the sheer drops that awaited the unwary traveler…

The floor here was rough. Lune frowned uncomfortable each time he took a step. The vicious material scraped away at the bottoms of his soft paws, exposing raw flesh that stung.

His thoughts were interrupted by Phobia’s warning. “Be careful,” she hissed. “We’re approaching the spikes.”

That’s good to know, Shockwave said.

“Yeah… Thank Ho-oh we have wings.”

“Er… Deux? Care to give me a lift?” Élan sounded nervous. It probably had something to do with the mention of spikes.

“Yeah… If I ever manage to find you,” Deux replied, groping around in the darkness. “Where are you, anyway?”

Erk… Hold on.

“Shockwave’s going to Flash,” Lune reported. “Get ready.” A flash of light illuminated the area momentarily, long enough so Élan and Deux could see each other.

Soon, they were all ready, hoping that the ghosts would guide them properly over the spikes.

“You have to be careful,” Phobia warned. “Don’t fly too high, or you’ll hit the stalactites.”

A loud clunk was heard, followed by a groan from Lune. “Too late,” he said. “Argh, what are these things made of? They’re hard!” Shockwave stifled his laughter. Not that it mattered, anyway; Lune could sense his amusement. “You know,” he told the Pikachu, “I don’t think you’d find it very funny if you smashed your head into a stalactite.”

“How much more of this is there left?” Deux asked. “Élan’s slipping…”

“It would be nice if we could get back on land before I fall to my doom.” The Sneasel had no intention of being skewered by spikes.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” the Haunter promised. “Yup, almost there.”

“All right, when I say so, immediately dive,” the Banette called out. “You guys may not be able to see it, but the stone ceiling is very low overhead, and the stalactites there are sharper.”

“That’s… nice,” commented Lune nervously.

“Ready? DIVE!” shouted the Banette. Lune folded his energy wings and plunged… Deux allowed himself to drop, while Élan flattened himself against the Scizor, painfully aware of the proximity of the stalactites. At times like this, it might have been better if he did not have keen vision.

A light came from an opening ahead, and, instinctively, the group followed it. It lit a wide passage below. The soft, cool light drew them in, and they landed, as if in a trance. A clear crystal, the central core, radiated in the room. This part of the cave was enclosed; the ice blue walls were smooth, unlike the rough stone surfaces Lune had scraped his feet on.

All three ghosts had stopped at the entrance of the area. “We’re not going in there,” the Banette said firmly. “Not again. The last time we did, weird stuff happened with the glowing things. And we don’t really want to go near Karkas’s place anytime soon, anyway. He’s got some new mean stuff that looks really painful. He’s right on the other side. You can’t miss his place. Really. You don’t need us anymore.”

Is there an alternative route to Karkas?

“Shockwave wants to know if there’s another way,” Lune reported.

“No, sorry, this is it,” Phobia answered. “This is the only one we know of. We’ve always used this way – touching the crystal, I mean – but lately Karkas made light come out of it… I don’t want to go there again…”

“So you expect us to go by ourselves into something that for all we know might be a trap?” Deux asked skeptically.

“No, it’s not a trap, we swear,” the Haunter said, waving his detached hands frantically.

“Yeah, yeah.” Deux pointed an accusing claw at the ghosts. “Do you really think that we'll believe you?”

“The light… Please don’t make us go in there,” begged the Banette. “It’s scary!”

“I can quickly change your opinion of what is scary and what isn’t,” Lune threatened. “Remember your end of the bargain. You’re coming with us until we get to Karkas’s base.”

The Banette submitted. “All right.”

They gathered around the crystal, making sure that their ghost guides touched it first. A bright light enveloped the entire group, shooting up from the ground. In effect, they appeared to be encircled by a flat hemisphere of soft blue light. Suddenly the scene changed, and the smooth walls of the cave disappeared, to be replaced by only a dark void. Lune felt a strange sensation that steadily became more severe, from a slight tingling to an almost lurching feeling, as if he were being thrust forwards violently. He found it difficult to breathe; his heart seemed to have been pulled down to his stomach, and his lungs felt like they were going to explode. Then, Lune came abruptly to a halt. It took a while before his head stopped spinning so that he could finally look around. The change of scenery came as a shock.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

I liked the ghosts. I hope to see more of them.

Lune abusing his hiddenpower, lovely. Poor ghosts. Lol.

The maze looked interesting and the crystal is mysterious.

I loved how you portraited Confuse Ray. Really original.

Thanks for a longer chapter!

[Lady Vulpix]

The drawings were sad and touching, especially after rereading those chapters.

Sorry I didn't post before, I don't really have a valid reason, I've just been doing so many things that I've been falling behind on just about everything.

Your descriptions and writing style are still amazing, and Deux was already getting annoying, but he's better when he's focused.

I've once seen a natural spring where the river emerged from under the ground, so there's still another possibility for how a river can be born. In any case, acave makes more sense for the Shuppet's favorite hunting spot.

As for the latest chapter, that was a particularly nasty form of confusion. It made me feel sorry for Lune (although, I admit, that's a feeling I've had more than a few times).

Keep this up, but please let me know if I'm missing a chapter or something. >.>

[Lune the Guardian]

Thanks MLG ^^ There will be other strange things in Karkas's lair. We might see the ghosts again, but it will be quite some time later. The way I see it, Confuse Ray's got to be a disturbing thing if it causes a pokémon to get crazy enough to hurt itself. I'm glad you liked the interpretation :) And thank you for your comments every chapter. They give me something to think about.

Don't worry about falling behind, Gabi. You've had a lot of things on your plate. Hmm. You're probably right about the river emerging from underground. I hadn't thought about that. I should edit that part a bit. I don't mind if you take breaks from reading; I did not want to inform you about my chapter updates in case you felt compelled to read them after I told you. I really appreciate you as a reader. I don't want to cause you distress!

[PancaKe]

I loved these chapters. I love your writing :) You know that.


I still find it frustrating that Lune conveniently has this hidden power that is so supreme that it can easily defeat any opponent. It just seems too perfect, you know? Like, so convenient. Kind of like in Twilight (sorry for comparing your story to twilight, its much better) how Bella can not be affected by other vampires attacks, but she has a shield that can protect everyone. But yeah.

Aside from that well written. Loved your description of confuse ray. I keep forgetting which names belong to which pokemon. I'd like to see what happens to Luktam. And I can't believe that... forget her name now... died. I felt that whole section with the battle where they died was a bit rushed, a bit sudden. I was sure that I was reading a dream sequence or something. You know?

Yeah. :)

[Lune the Guardian]

Hi PancaKe! ^_^ Yup, you'll see Lune's reliance on Hidden Power stop very soon. It seems a bit much, and I'm taking a long time to turn out each chapter, so I guess it drags on forever to the point of being unbelievable :P Charisma and Ningai's battle almost was a dream sequence. I wanted it to be that way, I'm glad it came across like that. Although if it seemed too rush, that's not good either, hmm...

I've got to run for now, but we see the inside of Karkas's lair in the next chapter. ^_^

[Lune the Guardian]

Sorry, I have been pretty busy here in Qatar. Flying 30 hours away to the middle of the desert always throws me off. Oh, and I've been working on a different story with my own fantasy world rather than pokémon. Don't worry, I won't forget about this; I plan to finish it.


Chapter 40
Into the Fire

Bright red light shone upon them, light that seemed revealing in more ways than one. Lune shuddered, feeling as though he was being pierced by the probing rays. But there was a cloaking sphere around him; Élan had prepared well. Lune watched silently as the ghosts, thinking that the four must have gone elsewhere, touched the glowing crystal once more. Their forms retreated beneath a white flash, and they were gone.

Lune surveyed his surroundings. They were in a low-ceilinged room, probably underground, bathed in the glaring crimson of the unfriendly light. Cameras were mounted everywhere: behind boxes, hanging from ceilings, obscured in corners of the steel floor. Wiring was plainly visible in many places, as were all the metallic parts that held the room together and supported the one above. Jutting out of the walls were great pipes and large metallic oddities – levers, gears, computerized equipment, and such – that all shone with a sinister glint of silver, tinged with the deep blood-red light.

Shockwave had been separated from Lune on the journey. While the Eevee had sat, dazed, Shockwave had already sprung to his feet and begun to investigate. Lune still felt dizzy, although whether his sight was blurred due to his disorientation or the effects of Élan’s cloaking medallion, he could not tell.

Deux had landed close by. His largest problem lay in the fact that he was too tall, and the ceiling, too low. Even while sitting, his head touched the low hanging ceiling, so that standing was practically impossible. The Scizor grumbled to himself. First he needed to crawl up the steps of the Guardian Tower, and now this. Being tall just wasn’t very fun at times.

Meanwhile, Élan, having examined the various levers and overhanging cameras, appeared somewhat satisfied. He checked around carefully to make certain that no one else was within hearing range before he spoke. “Let’s not mess with the cameras,” he said. “If we turn them off or block them, Karkas will know that someone doesn’t want him to see something.”

“I assume we should be looking for an opening elsewhere, but I don’t see anything,” Shockwave commented. “I think the cameras have everything covered.”

“I know. I checked,” Élan replied.

Lune was puzzled. “Hmm… How to get up there without being spotted… Well, they can’t see us because we’re cloaked, but they’ll notice if part of the ceiling moves or something.”

It was then that Shockwave made a connection. “Didn’t you say that you could cloak anything?”

“Yup.” The Sneasel nodded. “I’m going to cloak the panel. These cameras seem to have a horizontal 360-degree range, but they’re hanging pretty low down. A camera can’t see what’s happening to the small part of the ceiling directly above it. If I cloak the piece of metal, we can take it out and wave it in front of the camera without it spotting anything.”

Lune turned his head upwards. A camera hung from the ceiling a short way in front of him. The thing was supported by a beam that, attached to the ceiling, was shaped in the form of a capital L, so that part of it came down vertically and the flat camera itself rested on top of a circular plate on the horizontal ledge. The camera was a curious object; its sight range spanned a horizontal area of 360-degrees. It was circular in shape, and could rotate of its own accord on its metallic plate. The red band that marked its eye glared coldly at Lune, as if it saw through his invisibility. This, of course, was strictly the Eevee’s own imagination; he had the tendency to worry excessively and blow concerns out of proportion. That was part of the reason that Shockwave could always relax, while Lune remained stressed and on edge.

“That metal ceiling seems solid,” Shockwave observed. “How are we going to move it?”

“I have a sword,” Deux pointed out.

“You’d have to cut very carefully,” warned Élan. “Er… can you do it?” Deux couldn’t so much as draw his sword, even though he tried. There simply wasn’t enough room for him.

“Um, guess not,” Lune said. “Shockwave needs to do it. Élan has to concentrate on cloaking the sword and the piece of metal; plus he’s already cloaking us right now.”

“Well… if you say so.” Wandering Silver Havens pokémon were not eager to allow others to touch their treasured belongings. “I’ll lie flat on my stomach, and you pull out the sword. If possible, though, I would really appreciate it if my head is still attached to my body at the end of this,” he half-joked, laughing nervously.

What seemed like an eternity later, they had reached the level above, Deux got his sword back, and they had replaced the large tile. Fortunately, Shockwave had thought to cut diagonally outwards as he sliced up the thick layer, so that the top would span a larger area than the bottom, effectively forming a sort of bowl that allowed them to replace the piece of metal without having to weld it back in place.

The upper interior was, unlike the reddish basement below, brightly lit. Lune found himself in an extraordinarily large circular room. They seemed to be standing in the middle, which was a vast open space. High above stretched an impressive dome of glass, which now let in the radiance of stars in the night sky. Lining the circular walls were so many doors that Lune did not even try to count them. He wondered what horrors could be lurking behind each one.

“Karkas, it’s dinnertime,” called a poisonous voice. Lune recognized it immediately. Ahead, to the right, a pair of automated doors were thrown wide open, and the Seviper came slithering out. Somehow, Lune managed to prevent himself from lunging at the snake and tearing him apart, though his blood boiled at the very sight. A curious sensation quelled his anger as delicious smells wafted out of the kitchen. The enticing scent reminded Lune just how hungry he was, having neglected food and drink for days. He cast a meaningful glance at the others. They had the same thoughts. Carefully, they crept into the kitchen through the open doors.


***

Having secretly eaten their fill, Lune, Deux, Élan, and Shockwave remained in the kitchen. Karkas had closed the automated doors upon entering, and they had to wait until the doors were open again to leave. To pass the time, they played tricks on Karkas and Ytos as the two ate, snatching food from the table and prodding them occasionally. Once, Lune even sank his teeth into Karkas’s foot. The Alakazam howled, cursing the infesting Rattatta, but when he put his head under the table to look, he saw nothing there. Lune had to stifle his laughter when the Alakazam bumped his head against the table on the way up.

“This is getting strange,” Ytos commented. “We seem to be under attack by invisible pests.”

At that moment, Deux felt particularly mischievous. He picked up Karkas’s food and drink, and, with a satisfied grin, emptied the contents of the glass upon the Alakazam’s head while smearing the food on his victim’s face.

“It’s those pesky ghosts again,” hissed the livid Alakazam, clearing the food off his face impatiently. Apparently the light didn’t scare them away. Fine. The next time I upgrade that teleporter, I will make sure it hurts them.”

“Shall I get out the specialized weapons to exterminate them?” asked Ytos.

“That will not be necessary,” Karkas answered. “Those ghosts are cowards; they hit and run. They’re probably gone by now.” As if to confirm his statement, there was no more movement or mischief.

“How disappointing,” Ytos said. “It would have been fun to see the looks on their faces once we stripped them of their ability to turn invisible and phase out. After that, the lasers would have handled them well. Remember the pathetic Nidoqueen and Persian? Priceless.” The Seviper cackled. Élan’s and Lune’s faces had turned sour.

“Those two? Yes. They made useful test subjects. Their friends would have spread word of our power by now, if they had other friends.” Karkas shrugged. It didn’t really matter to him. “I should be making my final preparations. We will revisit that site again today. This time, we shall successfully create our warp point. Come, Ytos.”

As the two left the kitchen, the cloaked pokémon silently followed.

They crossed the center of the room. Now that the moonlight was directly over the central ring, Lune noticed that a circle, previously invisible, was drawn there that was not metal but highly decorous marble, which had been meticulously laced with gold. On the gold were beset jewels, precious stones that sparkled under the light of the twinkling stars above. Beautiful as they were, the gems could not match the enchanting splendor of the radiant stars, which, through the crystal dome, shone magnificently as if they contained all the light in the world. But under the revealing moonlight, now that Lune had the time to pause and look, the purpose of the marble circle was revealed. Here Karkas had stopped to admire its beauty.

“Splendid, isn’t it, Ytos?” voiced Karkas softly. “This map alone contains more riches than some of the puny States could ever dream for.”

“And some of this once belonged to these weak States, didn’t it?” Ytos asked. Karkas’s eyes gleamed wildly.

“The precious stones mark the States which have already submitted to my control. Poor fools. They pay me tribute just to stay alive! They will do anything I tell them to, under the false impression that I won’t dispose of them once they are of no use to me. Hahaha!” The Alakazam smirked. “They will fight if I say fight. They will bow if I say bow. And once the time comes, their armies will die under my name, fighting for my cause, for my ultimate profit. And the Sacred Kingdom will be the first to fall. Eventually, all States will be marked, and I shall rule. Then nobody will impede my weaponry research, and I will have all the materials of the world at my disposal. Ah, what a good day that would be.”

Ytos was studying the engraved compass. “You have full control of the East already, sire,” the Seviper remarked, “And the Savage Wilderness dominates the West with its sheer numbers. The South is beginning to weaken, but we have been unable to penetrate the Sparkling Forest. Their Guardians defend their land religiously. Then, of course, there are the northern States.” Ytos’s face darkened. “But no matter how strong a hold the Forgotten Kingdom and Sacred Kingdom have of the North, weapons will crush them, won’t they?” At this the snake’s eyes glittered with malice.

“Yes,” answered Karkas, with relish. “As things stand, the forces I have rallied for the Slith Territories greatly outnumber the enemy. But as long as the Silver Havens stands, they still have hope of survival; so the legends read.” Karkas frowned. “Curse the First State. What secret weapon does it hide? Where does it lie? When will the cowards show themselves? Oh, bother. I will think about them later. Come, Ytos. There is little time. We invade at dawn, three days from now. It is time to prepare. Crippling the Sacred Kingdom will be my pleasure.”

The company followed Karkas and Ytos through a sliding door. If Karkas had not led them there, Lune might not have noticed it. The door, obscured in the shadows, camouflaged perfectly with the walls beside it. There was no apparent entrance. Only when Karkas placed his hand on the smooth metal and muttered some inaudible command did the opening reveal itself. The secret door closed as silently as it had opened.

Inside the enormous circular room were controls everywhere; millions of tiny flashing buttons and little levers lay on the walls or on tall, intimidating machines. Large though it was, and completely packed, the control room was incredibly organized. Glass cases neatly arranged in one section exhibited the deadly weapons within them. At another end stood a sturdy table with many drawers, upon which were placed many of the teleporters Lune had seen Toidi and Elbuort wear. Further in front of the table, strapped firmly to the wall, were a great variety of tools, from large ones for repair to those meant for the finest, most delicate machinery. Surrounded by all these things, in the very center of the room, hung a curious, glowing orb; below this, attached to the floor, were electrically powered columns of the same ethereal substance. Lune stared openmouthed at the wisps, captivated by their mystery. He felt almost drawn to them, slowly hypnotized… Despite his efforts to battle the feeling, or warn Élan, Lune could not break free of the spell. He could only submit to it helplessly.


***

Karkas had picked up one of his favorite laser gun models. He loved this design because it was, by far, the most effective, destructive, painful weapon he had created. By cranking the dial placed on its side, directly above the trigger, the bearer could change the intensity of the laser. It was most concentrated in its narrowest form; in that state, it could melt through any material Karkas could imagine, including the hardest diamond. Once the material had been penetrated, the beam could be widened, to destroy the target from the inside out. This laser was especially useful for pokémon like Steelix and Forretress, whose reflective armored carapaces were exceedingly difficult to penetrate.

“No work required here,” Karkas muttered, eyeing his weapon lovingly. “I have a thousand copies of this. It will be enough. Those good little law-abiding fools won’t have weapons or any sort of defense against us. It’ll be over quickly.”

Ytos nodded. “Soon the reputation of the Slith Territories army will strike fear in the hearts of all enemies. Ah, the taste of victory. Yes… Sire, I ask permission to personally eliminate that vile Eevee. I want to see the look on Lune’s face when he knows he’s lost. Yes, that will be a face worth remembering.”

“Have fun,” Karkas said. “My prey will be Yoruno. That sickening Umbreon has had enough success. It’s time to give him failure once and for all. And this time, he won’t be able to make a miraculous escape from imminent defeat, like he’s gained a reputation for doing. I’ll force-feed it to him. Oh, yes, that would be lovely, to see Yoruno fail. A fitting payback for his predecessor.” Karkas closed his eyes for a moment, imagining the satisfaction that the event would bring him. Then he turned his attention to the weapon in his hand. “All I have to do, when the time is right, is activate these weapons, and then we can strike. It will be glorious, oh so glorious! Gahahahahahaha!”

A shrill whistle pierced through his laughter. The room flashed red. All light was directed at the center of the room, where, previously unseen, there stood four shocked pokémon who had been rudely awakened from their wisp-trances. They were fortunate that Karkas had not built in security weapons, for fear that his equipment might be damaged. But dead or not, they were trapped. Upon the alarm’s sounding, the room had begun to fill with guards.

[PancaKe]

Interesting. I rushed read that, which is a shame because it's kind of an insult to your writing for me to rush it, so I will read it again later. But I thought I'd let you know that I did read it, and I particularly enjoyed the dinner scene, with Karkas and the invisible jokes. It's something that I would do if I had the power to be invisible too! Tee hee hee :)

[Lune the Guardian]

Hahaha, what a coincidence, I was just reading Full Moon :P I have been slow about checking Fanfiction lately, so I was catching up with everything. Thank you for reading! And I know, right? Invisible mischief is a fun way to get back at people :P

[PancaKe]

I guess , after rereading your chapter, I feel like not that much happened. Like, I suppose this whole fic doesn't move the fastest because there's plenty of character development going on and that's fine because I like this character development. But I felt that nothing really happened... Although things did happen. I mean them progressing through the head quarters is really important... maybe it's just because it was a simple chapter with a few good laughs, and it's not really until the last paragraph things become really intense!

:D Thanks for checking out Full Moon by the way. Very much appreciated

[Lady Vulpix]

Hi!Sorry for the delay, I've been too busy lately.

The idea of cloaking the panel was smart. :) And the design of the camera was interesting.
The thought of Shockwave relaxing while Lune worriede about everything made me chuckle, but it doesn't feel like a fair arrangement.
I think the food stop was a nice touch, as well as the way you made the group's intentions clear without explicitly stating them.
Playing practical jokes on Ytos and Karkas was risky. They were lucky to be mistaken for the ghosts. Not so lucky with the wisps, though. I'd say "how dare you leave us with such a cliffhanger", but I'm not one to speak, so I'll accept it as it comes.

[Lune the Guardian]

Hehe. Hopefully this chapter is better? ^_^ By the way, I'm sorry about missing you online! I'm only on for a few minutes each day. Vacation is so busy for me.

Also, before anyone asks, there is still quite a bit left of the fic :)


Chapter 41
Tortured Soul

It was over quickly, although the four had fought the best that they could. When the alarm had been triggered, a strong gas, part of the security system, had poured into the room along with the guards. They, as well as Karkas and Ytos, had previously developed a resistance against this substance’s effects, so that it did not affect them at all. Karkas had made sure that he and all under him got immunized from his special sleeping mixture long ago, almost immediately after he had developed it. Lune and his companions had no such resistance. It was all Élan could do to prevent himself from falling asleep; escape through invisibility was out of the question. The four, weakened by the powerful gas, were easily captured and restrained despite their desperate attempts to flee. Karkas had enjoyed watching them stumble clumsily, but secretly, he admired their strength. Most pokémon would have been knocked out upon the gas’s emission.

Karkas waved away the guards, who held the drowsy captives in tight grips – a Sandslash with Shockwave, a Machamp with Deux, and a Granbull with Élan – but Lune, who lay motionless on the floor, remained. I can deal with you now, thought the Alakazam. You won’t beat me twice.

Lune stirred slightly, groaning. He tried to open his eyes, but blinding red dots made him close them again. His throbbing head felt like it might just tear apart. Tentatively he opened his eyes again, only to be greeted by the same swirling dots that made his head spin. He decided he would simply have to wait.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” accused Karkas’s icy voice. “You bit my foot at the dinner table.” The Alakazam kicked Lune’s crumpled body with his sore foot. The Eevee had a moment’s respite listening to Karkas’s anguished howls, but then he felt himself lifted and thrown into a wall by Karkas’s telekinesis. Hard levers prodded at his flesh. “You may finish him, Ytos,” Karkas hissed.

“My pleasure.” The Seviper cackled, eyes gleaming drunkenly with triumph. This Eevee had outsmarted him several times before, and now he was going to end it all, as the victor. Ytos bared his vile blood-red fangs, which dripped with venom powerful enough to kill almost instantly upon puncture. “Well, that’s that,” he said, and added spitefully, “The best pokémon won.” He hissed and lunged.

At that moment, the Seviper’s jaw cracked under the force of Lune’s swing. The Eevee’s tail, now hardened and metallic, brushed off the poison without harm. Then, before Karkas or Ytos could strike again, the lights were extinguished. All of them, in the entire building. There was no refuge in the darkness.


***

Now that they were forced forward at a vigorous pace, the effects of the sleeping gas were wearing off quickly. Shockwave, who had come to his senses, could see the beginnings of a labyrinth-like dungeon. Its walls glowed like the eerily seducing substance that he had seen in Karkas’s control room earlier, the same light that shone from the warp point that had brought them here from the cavern. He realized that they were being marched underground, but also that, aside from the pokémon who restrained them, there were no guards. And these three seemed to want to hide fear, for they were careless and distracted as they rushed their prisoners on the descent. Shockwave, too, could sense an air of fearsome foreboding; his instincts told him that, were it not for the strange, ghostly properties of the wisp-like lighting, he would be enveloped in total darkness. Even now the corridor was dull and dreary.

Shockwave knew that his companions were also awake and looking for any sign of the others’ revival. At length the three caught each other’s gazes without their restrainers noticing, signaling the time to strike. A searing lightning bolt, a stream of frost, and a glinting metallic claw fell down on their respective targets, Shockwave’s electricity at the Granbull who held Élan, Élan’s ice at the Sandslash, and Deux’s own attack onto one of the Machamp’s four muscular arms. The bulldog and hedgehog collapsed immediately after the unexpected attacks struck their heads. Deux’s captor was shocked enough by the sudden assault for Shockwave and Élan to turn on him when they were freed. The Machamp fell unconscious after a few joint blows.

Despite the complete lack of light, it did not take long for the three escaped pokémon to retrace their route and once more find Karkas’s control room. When they got there, however, the entrance was sealed shut. They were puzzling over how to enter when they heard a voice somehow familiar to them but still strange and alien, for it was cold and without compassion. Here the darkness seemed to weigh the heaviest.

“You are a danger to the entire world!” said Lune. “If only you had kept to yourself, focusing your revenge only on private grudges, without threatening mass destruction, I could have let you walk free.” There were frightened whimpers from the inside; neither Ytos nor Karkas ridiculed Lune’s threats. A sense of imminent doom lay upon them, heralded by the impending taste of dominating fear. “I’ve never wanted to do this,” Lune continued. “Ever. No one deserves this fate… But this time, you truly leave me no other option. Goodbye, Karkas the Second. Goodbye, Ytos. For real.”

Terrible wails and piercing shrieks tore through the air, reflecting the agony and horror felt by the victims of the darkness. Their pleas to the shadows to leave them be and their cries for the darkness to subside went unheard. Eventually their moans and sobs ceased, to be replaced by a disquieting silence.

The moments dragged on, moments in which even the slightest sound seemed inappropriate in the choking quiet. Then a banging broke the stillness and the locked entrance shook from the other side. Shockwave and his companions stepped aside as the doors burst open.

“No! Away! Leave me alone, leave me alone! Don’t come any closer! Stop! Somebody help me!” The Alakazam’s wild eyes scoured the corridor, unseeing. The lights had come back on, but there was only darkness. And the shadows.

“It’s a door!” the Seviper gasped. He stared past his enemies towards the far end of the room. “There, there’s my escape!” The snake and wizard considered the exit, and then, seemingly driven by a single thought, both bolted for it.

“Out of the way, fiends. Let me leave this place!” screamed the Alakazam. His knees shook, and he clutched his head tightly in his hands, perhaps afraid that it might explode. “No! Shut up! SHUT UP!” he cried. “Stop the whispering! I know you’re plotting to come after me. Don’t get any closer! Fiends! Fiends! Shadows! Fiends!” He swatted at the air absently, as if that gesture would somehow drive away the impending shadows.

His companion was in a similar state. Eventually they reached the door and proceeded to babble, seemingly frozen in their places. After some time, the two managed to burst out of the door; the Alakazam’s arms flailed wildly and the Seviper’s eyes were glazed as they ran. Shockwave, Élan, and Deux quickly entered the control room in case the door decided to close.

“…Lune? You okay?” Shockwave looked worriedly at the unresponsive heap of fur crumpled on the ground. He walked closer. “Lune?”

“Stay away from me,” the heap of fur demanded. “I’m dangerous. Don’t come near me. Don’t you know what I did? Don’t you understand what I did?”

“You saved the world,” Shockwave answered matter-of-factly.

“I destroyed two souls,” mouthed the despondent Eevee. He raised his tear-smeared face and looked his friend in the eye. “For your own good, don’t come near me.” His head sunk again into his paws, and his shoulders shook with his sobbing.

“For someone who just saved a whole lot of lives, you sure aren’t very happy,” Élan commented. “Cheer up, will you?”

“I destroyed two souls!” the Eevee repeated. His sobs grew more violent.

“They would have destroyed millions,” Deux pointed out.

“I destroyed two souls!”

“Okay. You know what? This is not going to work,” Élan said.

Shockwave nodded. He began to kneel. “Right. Lune, this is what we are going to do. I’m taking you home right now.”

“No!”

“Sorry, Lune.” Shockwave grimaced before knocking the Eevee unconscious as painlessly as possible. “I think he’ll be okay. I’ll just need to watch him for a while. Of course, ideally, we should get back as soon as possible. He needs to get some rest. Rest is good.”

“Indeed,” answered Élan. “But first, we’ve got to figure out what to do to this place. I don’t like the idea of just leaving all these things here.”

“Right. What should we do?”

At that moment, a small explosion drew the attention of Shockwave and Élan. Deux had already wandered off and begun to smash everything he could reach – machinery, weapons, and such – with his metallic claws. Stray sparks flew out of broken wires in complete disarray. Some tools had colored liquid contents that now oozed all over the floor.

“Deux, I really don’t think that’s a-” Shockwave was cut off by a piercing alarm. The room flashed red, and the strange wispy substance in the middle began to collapse into itself. Words ran across the large computer screens on the walls: ONE MINUTE TO SELF-DESTRUCTION.

“Uh… Oops,” Deux said. “I believe we are royally screwed.”

“Teleporters,” Élan breathed, scrambling for the watch-like machines on the nearby table. He tossed one each to Deux and Shockwave. “We’ve got less than a minute to figure out how these work. Got any suggestions?”

After a few seconds of scrutiny, Shockwave began to smile. “It’s simple enough.”

Élan, also understanding the simple design, began to smile, too. “Well, Lune did say that Toidi and Elbuort could use these. Looks to me like Karkas made these Toidi-proof; or perhaps I should say foorp-idiot.”

“Twenty seconds,” Deux warned. “I’m getting out of here, even if you guys aren’t.” He flickered and disappeared.

“Looks like we should be going too,” Élan said.

Shockwave nodded. “I’ve got Lune.” He picked up the Eevee’s limp paw and held on tightly. With that, the three remaining pokémon vanished from the scene with several seconds to spare.

[Lady Vulpix]

Toidi-proof... nice.

I felt this was also the darkest part of the previous version of the fic (no pun intended). I can understand Lune's reaction. You can never predict what you will do in a limit situation and it makes sense that he was hurt by the way he ended up reacting. But still, he wasn't given the time nor the means to come up with a better choice, and it would have been much worse if their plan had succeeded.

I liked the description of Shockwave's initial reaction. "Shockwave, too, could sense an air of fearsome foreboding; his instincts told him that, were it not for the strange, ghostly properties of the wisp-like lighting, he would be enveloped in total darkness." Does this mean he had an idea of what was going on? In any case, I believe he'll have a lot of work to do after this, right? (Someone needs to help Lune recover from what just happened.)

[Lune the Guardian]

Hey, Gabi ^_^ Shockwave probably guessed what was happening when he realized that Lune wasn't accompanying them. He definitely should have a lot to do after this, but how will he end up handling the situation? We'll see :) Lune is especially shaken by the event because he feels like his Hidden Power type does not really suit him - but now that he's used it, is he any better than the other soul stealers?

[PancaKe]

Lune!!!! Karin!!! I totally read this chapter but wher is my reply?! Awww mang. And now I'm late to uni so I don't have time to write an indepth analysis.

I want you to know that I enjoyed reading this once again! :D