Lune (Chapter update - May 23, 2006)

[Count von Dark]

Depends...

If you focus on plot twists, then Shockwave.
If you plan on the boring old steady kind, then Lune.
But I guess the most likely would be a tie. Hmm... How about using Union of Soul at the end of the battle?

[Charizard04621]

Hmm, interesting to see what you guys think. It's good to see that you know it's definitely going to be a close match. You'll have to wait for the next chapter to see what happens... ^_-

@Lady Vulpix: I'm a copyvee. Yup.

@Count von Dark: The thing about Union of Soul and Union of Spirit is that it requires mutual cooperation. Basically, if one of them doesn't want to combine, it's not going to happen. They both know it, so they won't even try it. I'll tell you that much, but no more. ^_^;

[Charizard04621]

And... here we go. ^_-

Chapter 38

Shockwave versus Lune

Lune had really not expected things to turn out the way they did. 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 had, in his younger years, been rash and unguided, 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 in two seconds flat. After that Lune had always tried to prove himself to be better than Shockwave. He took every opportunity 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 never 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 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 all the doubt out of Lune’s mind, and the Eevee nodded, smirking. He planned to win this match just like he had done with the others.

Shockwave began by dashing rapidly at Lune with sparking cheeks, thrusting himself forward for a double assault. 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. “No quick Thunder Wave for you!” he called. “I’m not getting paralyzed this early in the match.”

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 pain that would grow exponentially as time went on. The Eevee looked immediately sicker and 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 make a sound. The Pikachu’s vicious bolts reduced his Substitute to a pile of ashes in no time, but Lune was already in mid leap. Shockwave turned around just in time to see him and duck while Lune sailed over him, swinging a temporarily metallic tail at his head that the Pikachu met with his own. Metal clashed against metal, and Lune landed on his feet, swerving around to look at Shockwave.

“I think this is a pretty even match,” the Pikachu said, grinning.

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. The Pikachu 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 shook his head and grinned mischievously. Lune was bewildered. That is, until Shockwave shattered into pieces when the Shadow Ball exploded on him.

“Substitute!” Lune cried out in horror. 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 focus. Lune closed his eyes, falling into a meditative trance. His breathing became calm and even, and he did not move a muscle. Slowly but surely, his scrambled thoughts began to fall into a state of order, and when he opened his eyes, he was smiling triumphantly, having dismissed the mental hindrance. “Maybe I should use Focus Energy more often,” he said to himself.

The smile soon vanished when he 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; he was in a state of deep concentration, and his entire body surged with power. Shockwave was surrounded by an aura of burning white energy, a sight that filled Lune with dread. This was it: Shockwave’s Fighting 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 his time ran out. As soon as Shockwave came out of his trance, he would be able to fight with greatly increased strength, agility, reflexes, and endurance. Lune needed to gain a decisive advantage before that happened. He 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, it didn’t take long to renew his glow, and he felt strength coursing through his veins once more.

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, only one of which was real.

Suddenly all of them converged upon Shockwave, darting towards him like lightning. 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 stood up firmly, thrusting 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.

Silence fell on the arena. Lune and Shockwave locked gazes, both of them panting very heavily. Each had eyes that blazed with determination, and each smiled at the other for pushing him to his limits. Neither of the two would last for very much longer, and it was obvious that this would be the final conflict. It all came down to this. Not a soul dared to breathe.

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 even managed to stop himself; it was all he could do to turn his head in Lune’s direction.

“Okay, Shockwave,” Lune said slowly, grinning stupidly with a dazed look on his face, “You win.” Everything went black.

[Lady Vulpix]

Great battle, Karin! It's good to see that they both did their best and put a lot of thought into it. They had to, since they knew each other so well. Excellent work!

[Count von Dark]

I can see that you went for the plot twist after. Good choice, as usual, nad the batle was very descriptive, but surprisingly short, I guess it was a tad rushed, but the quality is still quite amazing. I should say, the battle wasn't as i planned to be, but turned out even better!! Good work Charizard04621!

[Charizard04621]

@Lady Vulpix: Glad to see you like it.

@Count von Dark: Oh, you caught that too? Yeah, I had a problem with figuring out good moves and counters because Eevee has a surprisingly... small... moveset. ^_^;;

Chapter 39
Treasures of the Silver Havens

When Lune finally awoke, he discovered that he was lying on a soft couch in Haldir’s house. Élan, Shockwave, and Haldir were sitting at a circular wooden table, leaning in close and speaking in low voices for fear of disturbing Lune. Of the four, Haldir 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 off him 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. He didn’t feel like eating at the moment. The scent of the revival herbs lingered in his head, and it made 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?” Haldir asked, incredulous. “Fine by me, but it’s your loss.”

Shockwave agreed. “Lune, this stuff is really good,” he said.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try my cooking?” Élan asked, faking a sob. “I’m hurt.” He winked at Lune, who was still not quite alert.

“Mmmhmm,” the Eevee answered. He jumped back on the couch and lay there. “Since we’re all here, I’m assuming we have a plan. What is it?” he asked. 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 said simply. “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 will warn Karkas from many miles away.”

Haldir 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,” Haldir announced softly.

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, thoroughly confused. “Where did you… get these things?” he asked finally, after a long pause.

“They’re our 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 continues to remain in the paradise for the rest of their lives. The ones who chose to leave had to have a firm resolve, for once they made the decision, there was no turning back. A pokémon who left the Silver Havens would never be allowed to return again. The only part they would have 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 answered. He shrugged.

“This is not just a sword,” Haldir reminded the Eevee, “This blade can cut through any material, including energy. No matter what Karkas’s things are made of, they don’t stand a chance.”

“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,” Haldir joked, smirking.

“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 mind,” 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.”

“Awesome,” Lune said in wonder.

“That’s pretty cool,” Shockwave agreed.

Haldir nodded. “Silver Havens artifacts tend to be that way,” he said, smiling. “I still prefer my sword, though. Anyone else think I might just be a little biased on that?” He winked.

Lune laughed, and Shockwave and Élan couldn’t help but smile.

It was already late evening, and the sun had just begun to set. The sky was a flaming orange, and the setting sun, falling under the clouds, a crimson flare. “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, and he went to help Shockwave and Haldir with the washing.

[Lady Vulpix]

Nice objects! ^_^
And nice deal Élan made, only that it didn't turn out well in the end. He ended up cooking and cleaning! :/

[Charizard04621]

@Lady Vulpix: Yeah, I like the objects too. And btw, Élan ran off and made everyone else do the dishes. ^_-

Chapter 40

Separate Ways

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, deep in troubled thought.

Lune approached the silent Dragonair. “What’s wrong?” he inquired softly. “Where are the others?” Suddenly realization struck. The gold hoop earring on the Dragonair’s right ear, the sign of the clan – it was gone. An ugly hole remained in its place.

Senryu looked mournfully up at Lune. “Disbanded,” he said. “Forever.”

“Broken apart?” Lune cried in disbelief. “What? How did this happen?”

A shining tear fell from the Dragonair’s eye. “They’re dead,” he said quietly. Lune blanched. His eyes widened with horror. “We were asleep,” Senryu managed to say. His voice was trembling. “A noise awoke us. Ningai and Charisma…” The Dragonair could not continue. He burst into loud sobs, hanging his head. The blue carbuncle under his chin was dull, and his long, slender neck was bent in sorrow.

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. “They were laughing… They killed Ningai and Charisma for fun, and then they left before we could catch them. They took two lives for fun…”

Upon the mention of weapons, Lune’s eyes narrowed. He growled fiercely. There could only be one possibility.

“It was a Seviper and an Alakazam…” Senryu’s voice trailed off. He was emotionally drained. He felt as if he did not have the strength to even talk. Sighing, he continued. “Luktam and I built a funeral pyre. We threw our earrings into the fire and bowed our heads to show them respect. We sprinkled their ashes into the river that flows through the Hidden Valley. They deserve that kind of peace. Ningai and Charisma were good pokémon…” The Dragonair broke down again. Tears streamed down his face.

“Ytos and Karkas are going to regret this,” Lune muttered to himself. Senryu’s words still bothered him… “Why did only you and Luktam built the pyre?” Lune asked. He sensed something wrong.

Lune’s fears were confirmed by Senryu’s answer. “Élan came home late last night,” said the Dragonair. “By then, Ningai and Charisma were gone… When he found out, he fell to his knees by the river, gazing far upstream after their ashes… But Luktam blamed him for everything, accusing him that it was his fault, saying that Élan should have been there to help… Even the Slowpoke realized almost instantly after he said it that he had made a horrible, unkind mistake. He apologized, but Élan just remained silent and looked away… After that Luktam left on his own and didn’t speak to Élan again. I stayed here, turning to sleep as my final means of escape… I wished that when I woke up again I would find out that I had been dreaming.” Senryu shook his head, devoid of all tears. He had cried until he could cry no more.

Closing his eyes, Lune allowed Senryu a few moments of silence before he spoke. “What will you do?” he asked the Dragonair. Senryu sighed.

“I’ll stay here,” he replied. “I’ll remain 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 to do something about it. Their resting place shall remain undisturbed, or, at the very least, I shall die trying to make it so.”

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. He usually did not show such powerful emotions, even if he felt strongly about something. He only did so when the situation was serious enough to call for it. “We’re going to stop them before they kill anyone else,” he said finally. “Innocent pokémon should not have to suffer like this.”

“Yeah, we’ll put those two out for good,” Lune replied. “They’ll never cause suffering again.”

Shockwave nodded. “Let’s find Élan and Haldir. 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 Haldir 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 Haldir 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 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.

Haldir 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 ever 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?” Haldir muttered nearly inaudibly under his breath. 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.”

“Great work, Élan,” Lune said in admiration. He respected the Sneasel’s undeniably incredible talent, as well as his ability to think properly most of the time, even under stressful situations. “Now we’ve got a map to go by. You’ve thought of everything, huh?”

“Oh, so now I have to carry that piece of wood, too?” Haldir 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.” The Scizor frowned.

“I was planning on carrying the map, actually,” Élan said quickly, avoiding Haldir’s glare. 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,” Élan answered. “Constant use of my medallion tires out my mind.”

“Makes sense,” Lune said.

“Okay,” Shockwave answered.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out later that the enemies could see me when we get there,” Haldir said to himself. He followed the other three pokémon as they set off on their journey.

[Count von Dark]

I have a bad feeling about this... The truth will be that either Haldir or Elan will have to die. I think it's going to be Elan but I'm not sure. Failure will not happen. They are going to succeed, but at the price of the death of one teammate.

My predictions are always true

[Charizard04621]

@Count von Dark: Dead pokémon make me sad. ;_; We'll see what happens, shall we?

Chapter 41

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 (especially Lune and Élan) 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 the lands to the East were mentioned.

Night was falling. The evening sky was a veil of cool darkness. Several stars poked 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 Haldir, 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.”

Haldir 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…”

Haldir’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 replied. He 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 said, sighing. “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 in surprise, 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,” Haldir 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,” Haldir 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.

“Awesome,” Lune said, smiling.

“Ah, excellent work,” Shockwave replied.

“Well, at least now we don’t have to worry about sleeping out in the open,” Haldir 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,” Haldir 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.”

[Lady Vulpix]

Nice move, Shockwave! Things got serious. I'm intrigued about how everything will unfold, and especially about the reason of Haldir's distrust towards Élan.

I'll miss Charisma and Ningai. That was quite sudden, but it makes sense that they would attack when they were least expected.

[Charizard04621]

@Gabi: Yup, you'll find out later. And yeah, dead pokémon make me sad, too. ;_;

Sorry for the wait... One word: school. >_<

Chapter 42

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 howls 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 for something that he had great control over to be potentially terrifying. And yet – why were his teeth chattering? Why was he afraid? Why did the scent of fear linger in his mind? Why did a feeling of dread weigh down upon his heart? There had to be something else…

And then he heard it. It was unmistakable: a sharp, taunting cackle. And suddenly, a shrill, close-by shriek nearly made him jump out of his skin. The Eevee looked around fearfully. He began to tremble. “Who… 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.

“Why you!” screamed the Banette, descending to the sandy floor. He frowned, glaring at Lune, who, despite his resolve not to show fear, shivered a bit. 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, which was difficult, considering his eyes were drawn to the Banette’s for unexplained reasons… 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 screamed in horror.

There, laying sprawled on the floor, were the bodies of Shockwave, Haldir, and Élan… Well, sprawled over the floor would be a more accurate term. Their heads, arms, and legs were detached from the scattered pieces of their bodies and lay in a bloody mess; the red pool expanded fast, and before Lune knew 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!

“Aaaaaaah!” the Eevee cried in terror, running away as fast as he could. 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 confusion. The red light before the Banette seemingly left. They all pointed to one thing: Confuse Ray. He had been hallucinating all along! By the time he realized it, it was too late. The blackness swallowed him whole.

***

Haldir 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, Haldir froze. LUNE! The Eevee was missing! He was gone! Haldir frantically shook Shockwave, trying to wake him.

“Hmm? Five more minutes,” the Pikachu begged, flopping over on his side to sleep.

“No more minutes,” Haldir 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 was right beside him. “Wake up,” he said. “We have to go find a missing Eevee now.”

The Sneasel got up quickly and rubbed his eyes. “Wait, what happened?”

“Lune wasn’t here to wake me for my shift. Someone’s screams acted as my alarm clock. Three guesses whose,” Haldir 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?” Haldir 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, and full of dirt that the Haunter felt like mixing 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, so innocent, but Lune knew better. The Misdreavus was evil. She, 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, cackling mischievously. “You want this back?” he asked tauntingly. “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 said testily, uncomfortable with his amulet in the Haunter’s possession, “I’ve had enough. You’re going to give me back that amulet. You’re also going to allow me to leave this cave. Stop blocking the door, or else.”

“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. It irritated Lune greatly.

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. Their eyes widened with fear. 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,” Haldir answered, “and I’m not giving up on him anytime soon. Never, in fact.”

Élan looked at the Scizor carefully. “Neither are we,” he said, gazing directly into Haldir’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. Sensing their puzzlement, he decided to explain. “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?” Haldir asked. He shrugged. “Anything’s worth trying, I guess. As long as we find Lune in the end.”

“Right… Let’s hope this works,” Shockwave said. He closed his eyes.

***

Lune examined the rectangular stone panel. It was carved from solid rock, and definitely unbreakable for him. He couldn’t get through it. 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 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, Haldir, and Shockwave, failure was always lying in wait at every step of the way. The only thing 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 Haldir can follow it.

Ah, Union of Soul! Good work, Lune!

Hmm, Haldir 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.

Oh yeah, good thinking, Shockwave answered. We’re going to have to synchronize, of course… We have to be extremely careful. Failure is out of the question.

Yeah, Lune replied. 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 Haldir the signal. Ready? One… two… three. Union of Soul! Lune cried.

***

Haldir’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. Haldir stopped. Now what?

“Hey, Haldir! Élan!” Lune called from behind. “Shockwave got here okay. Are you guys there?”

“Somehow, yeah,” Haldir replied.

“Present,” Élan answered, glad to be on his feet again. The high-speed flight had been very uncomfortable and quite unnerving.

“Great,” Lune answered. “Now you guys just have to get through the door. Haldir, 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 and perfect.

Lune was waiting with his wings spread out. “Time to reach the end of this maze and mess up Karkas,” he said, grinning.

[Lady Vulpix]

Great chapter, Karin! I'd thought of the same solutions (more precisely Hidden Power, telepathy and Union of Soul), but didn't know if they would work until I saw they did. And I'm glad they did, because it was great to read it! The ghosts' actions did catch me by surprise.
As for the visions... How nasty! That Banette was really vicious! And all the Wahahaha was beginning to get on my nerves, so I really wouldn't have liked to be in Lune's place.
Keep writing like that and I'll keep reading every single letter you type!

[Charizard04621]

@Gabi: Lol, you seriously predicted it all? You're good. =P And yeah, "Wahahaha" was supposed to be really annoying. *scurries off to read your fic* x_X

[Lady Vulpix]

Not everything, only those 3 things. And thanks.

[Charizard04621]

Chapter 43

The Maze

“So what happened to you, exactly?” inquired Haldir as they continued to walk. His worried look had disappeared when he saw that Lune was all right.

“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. He had recently returned to his own body again, once there appeared to be only level ground for miles. “How could you be so careless?”

“Well…” Lune shifted uncomfortably. There was a tense silence. Then, as he forced himself to speak, words began to spill out of his mouth: cluttered words and incoherent strings of thought that were difficult to make sense of. “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. He stood rooted to the spot, unable to continue. The Eevee, closing his eyes, tried to calm himself, breathing deeply. He concentrated 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 the nightmare would never end.

“That’s all right,” Haldir whispered soothingly. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Élan nodded in agreement, much to Haldir’s surprise. He had thought that the Sneasel was heartless and arrogant. “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,” Shockwave said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible, “That’s the key.” He 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,” he said in a low, threatening tone.

“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 slowly and 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 dangerously.

“Eh heh… Sounds fair,” the Banette said, quivering. Phobia, beside him, nodded, speechless. Her eyes were wide with fear.

“Good, then. Shall we continue?” Lune suggested, smiling cheerfully. But his burning amulet warned the ghosts not to cause any more trouble. Its black fire, although enshrouded by pure white flame, scared even them with its evil.

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” the Haunter answered, terrified.

“I… I have a question,” Phobia said meekly, as if Lune 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, smirking, “at least you hope so.” The Sneasel snickered.

“Nah, I think he’d much rather do something more painful,” Haldir 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.” The Pikachu winked.

Phobia wasn’t very assured. She personally 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?” inquired the Misdreavus. “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?”

“Uh huh.” Shockwave grinned.

“We want to go to the ‘meany Karkas’ so we can play around with his weapons,” Élan mocked. The ghosts missed his 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!”

“You know, it would be interesting to watch you die… I mean, um, diestroy… No, de-stroy, that’s it. It would be interesting to watch you destroy some of that selfish Alakazam’s stuff just to make him mad,” the Banette said. “He always manages to chase us away somehow. But you – (He looked at Lune as he said this) – 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. They were 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 Haldir, 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 horrendously.

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,” Lune responded.

“Er… Haldir? 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,” Haldir replied, groping around in the darkness. “Where are you, anyway?”

Erk… Hold on, Shockwave said.

“Shockwave’s going to Flash,” Lune reported. “Get ready.” A flash of light illuminated the area momentarily, long enough so Élan and Haldir 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. I have a headache…”

“How much more of this is there left?” Haldir asked. “Élan’s slipping…”

“It would be nice if we could get back on land before I fall to my doom,” said Élan. He 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… Haldir allowed himself to drop, with Élan hanging on for dear life.

A light came from an opening ahead, and, instinctively, they 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 brightly 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 and now trembled in fear. “Th-th-th… We’re not going in there,” the Banette said firmly. “Not again. The last time we did, weird stuff happened… 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 asked.

“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?” Haldir asked skeptically.

“No, it’s not a trap, we swear,” the Haunter said, waving his detached hands frantically.

“Go ahead and say what you want,” said Élan.

“The light… Please don’t make us go in there,” the Banette begged. “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.”

“Oh… okay,” replied the Banette submissively.

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 he could finally look around. The change of scenery came as a shock.

[Lady Vulpix]

Wow! I really didn't expect the ghosts to join forces with the good guys. Excellently played!

Now, will you tell me next time you post a new chapter, please? I wouldn't like to miss it.

[Charizard04621]

Lol, sure, Gabi! ^^ I'll remember to tell you when I get a new chapter up next time. As for the ghosts, yeah, it was kinda lucky that they agreed (eheh, were forced, rather) to guide the group through the maze... Spikes would have been nasty. >_<

[Charizard04621]

Ugh... Sorry for the long wait... Writer's block, coupled with lack of time. And, considering that next week I'm gonna be on a school trip for three days, this chapter probably won't be satisfactory... Really, really sorry.

Chapter 44

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.

Haldir had landed close by. His only 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 Haldir made a connection. “Wait. Didn’t you say that you could cloak anything?” he asked.

“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,” Haldir pointed out.

“You’d have to cut very carefully,” warned Élan. “Er… can you do it?” Haldir 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,” said Haldir reluctantly. Wandering Silver Havens pokémon were never 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, Haldir 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 that 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 the 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, Haldir, 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, so that they could avoid discovery. To pass the time, they played tricks on Karkas and Ytos as the two ate, stealing food from under their noses 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, Haldir felt particularly mischievous. Quietly, he picked up Karkas’s food and drink, then walked away with it, waving it in the air out of the Alakazam’s reach. Grinning widely, he slowly emptied the contents of the glass upon Karkas’s head and smeared 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. The Sneasel clenched his fists.

“Those two? Yes. Unfortunately for them, they saw us when we were setting up teleportation points in the forest for our full-scale invasion. An annoying interruption, but they provided some entertainment, nonetheless. It is a pity that they didn’t put up much of a fight. I prefer to hunt elusive prey.” 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.

[Lady Vulpix]

Originally posted by Charizard04621
Lol, sure, Gabi! ^^ I'll remember to tell you when I get a new chapter up next time. As for the ghosts, yeah, it was kinda lucky that they agreed (eheh, were forced, rather) to guide the group through the maze... Spikes would have been nasty. >_<

You'll remember to what? (^_~)
It's ok. Good chapter. Ytos and Karkas are really hateful.

[Count von Dark]

HO! And um, no, I'm not dead. Heheh. Just posted to show you that!! I'm still a loyal fan of Lune!! k. seems that they are in it for good. But why wouldn't Lune kill Karkas before he can react though? Sure saves a lot of trouble!

[Charizard04621]

@Gabi: Yeah, hateful maniacs who enjoy killing and torturing.

@Count von Dark: Just watch. The next chapter should explain things, or if not that, the one after. And remember, Lune is not a killer. Despite his dark powers he doesn't like causing hurt.

[Charizard04621]

ARGH! One word: Chemistry. >_<

Chapter 45

Karkas’s Lair

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 smile and gloat at 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 did indeed once belong 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. Ah, life is good.” Karkas snickered, satisfied.

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 are too virtuous to be swayed, try as we might. Argh, stupid stubborn goody-goody females… 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 would never 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 bore 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 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.” The Seviper smiled maliciously.

“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.” He 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 ripe, 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 trances and alerted to their danger. 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.

[Lady Vulpix]

O_O
What happened to the cloaking? What's going to happen now?

[Charizard04621]

@Lady Vulpix: Oops, I didn't see your post. O_o Well, here's your answer. ^_^;

Chapter 46

Hour of Darkness

It was over quickly, although the four had fought the best 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. Normal pokémon would have been knocked out cold upon the gas’s emission.

Karkas waved away the guards, who gripped the drowsy captives tightly – a Sandslash with Shockwave, a Machamp with Haldir, and a Granbull with Élan – but Lune, who lay motionless on the floor, remained. I can deal with you now, the Alakazam thought scornfully. You won’t beat me twice.

Lune stirred slightly, groaning. He tried opening his eyes, but blinding red dots made him close them again. His head throbbed painfully, and he thought that 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 cruel voice icily, “You bit my foot at the dinner table.” The Alakazam kicked Lune’s crumpled body angrily with his sore foot. The Eevee had a moment’s respite listening to Karkas’s anguished howls, but the 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 wildly; his eyes gleamed drunkenly with triumph. He had won, and he knew it. 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. Towering over the now broken Lune, Ytos snorted. “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 vicious 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, which glowed eerily like the strange, seducing substance that he had seen in Karkas’s control room earlier, the same light that was in the warp point that 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 Haldir’s own attack onto one of the Machamp’s four muscular arms. The bulldog and hedgehog fainted immediately after the unexpected attacks struck their heads. Haldir’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 society – 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 hissed angrily or 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 cries for the darkness to subside went unheard. Eventually their moans and sobs ceased, to be replaced by a disquieting silence.

[Lady Vulpix]

[/disquieting silence.]

[Charizard04621]

Originally posted by Lady Vulpix

[/disquieting silence.]

Poo, my mimickry got mimicked.

[Charizard04621]

Chapter 47

Tortured Soul

“No! Away! Leave me alone, leave me alone! Don’t come any closer! Stop! Somebody help me!” The Alakazam’s horrified eyes wildly searched the room for any kind of escape. The lights had come back on, but all he saw was darkness. And the shadows.

“It’s a door!” the Seviper gasped. “There, there’s my escape!” The snake and wizard stared at 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, almost hysterical now. 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 were both reduced to incessantly babbling right next to the door, 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 Haldir quickly entered the control room in case the door decided to close.

“…Lune? You okay?” asked Shockwave, looking worriedly at the unresponsive heap of fur crumpled on the ground. Shockwave 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,” Haldir 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!”

Shockwave grimaced. “Sorry, Lune,” he said apologetically, before swiftly knocking the Eevee unconscious as painlessly as possible.

***

“I think he’ll be okay,” said Shockwave. “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. Haldir 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.

“Haldir, 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,” Haldir 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 Haldir 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,” he replied.

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 idiot-proof; or perhaps I should say foorp-idiot.”

“Twenty seconds,” Haldir 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! XD
But poor Lune. That must have really shattered him, and his personality won't help him stop beating himself up. Though maybe his friends can. I hope he can recover from it somehow.

[Charizard04621]

Gabi: If Lune broke down that easily, I wouldn't have a story, now, would I? ^_^

Chapter 48

Duty Calls

It was a week before Lune started to speak willingly in full sentences again. He had refused food and water for three consecutive days, oftentimes slipping into the obscured regions of the Sanctuary with the help of his darkened amulet. Fortunately, Shockwave managed to convince him to eat and drink. Still, Lune remained silent and brooding for a very long time.

The crystal sphere had become a cause for great concern. The darkness inside it had grown so intense that the black flame cast gloomy shadows over the amulet’s golden frame. The curved, leaf-shaped gold bearing the sphere in its center could not shine under the gloom.

Yet, amidst this dearth of hope, if one looked very closely, there might have flashed an ephemeral glimpse of light in the very core of the black flame. Despite his tough trials, Lune had not completely given up on the world, nor, more importantly, himself. He believed that he stood some chance of redemption, and reason told him that he had only done what needed to be done, performing a sacrifice for a greater cause. In taking the task upon himself, he had saved others from the guilt and despair associated with the destruction of souls. He might never forgive himself for what had happened in that locked chamber where nobody else was watching, but he knew that he needed to put it aside for the moment. He would simply have to find Hana and talk to the Espeon seriously… later.

Day by day Lune’s condition had improved under Shockwave’s care. Ironically, Lune got better faster because he believed that it was his duty to recover. He reminded himself constantly that he had work to do, and that if he didn’t cast away his gloom soon, there would be no one to do his job. The fear of leaving work unfinished managed to expedite Lune’s progress. He had responsibilities, and he could not bear to neglect them. It just wasn’t right.

Today Lune felt that his energy had returned. He had arisen in the morning, when the sun’s rays were just beginning to reach out into the sky. The song of the waterfall and the sight of its silvery veil had been calming. Lune realized that for the first time in what felt like an eternity, the chaos and anguish tormenting his soul had been banished from his heart. On his face, he wore a smile.

Shockwave was still sleeping. Typical. Once a lazy rodent, always a lazy rodent. Grinning, Lune headed to the bushes, then, turning around to face the river, proceeded to run towards it at full speed. With a loud “Here goes nothing!” the Eevee leapt into the air and dive-bombed the river, sending ice cold water splashing everywhere. Next to the bank and drenched, Shockwave awoke with a start.

“Luuuune…” Shockwave rubbed his eyes luxuriously, stretched, and yawned. “Sleep is good for you, you know.” Then he realized something. Lune was laughing.

Lune feigned innocence. “I was just taking a bath,” he claimed. “You know that I feel nasty if I don’t get clean as soon as I wake up. You should, too.”

“It’s dawn. You really shouldn’t be awake,” Shockwave told him. “But that’s fine. Moving onto more important matters: you’re feeling better?”

Lune nodded. “I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’ve wasted a week. Time to catch up and get back on schedule. In fact, I should probably go now.”

Shockwave groaned. “Have you eaten breakfast?”

“Nope. I’ll do that later. Right now I’ve got tons of important stuff to do. Breakfast can wait.”

“Okay, but remember, if your stomach decides to devour itself later, and you find yourself in a state of horrible agony, you can’t say I didn’t warn you. It’ll be all your fault.”

“Oh, fine, I’ll eat breakfast.”

***

The Meowth greeted Lune enthusiastically. “Hi! How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Better, Ana,” Lune answered. “Thanks.”

“We were all getting kind of worried because no one knew where you were. At first we thought you’d just gone on a trip somewhere, but then some pokémon said they might have seen you around, so we didn’t know. I’m glad to see that you’re back.”

Lune nodded. “I haven’t been feeling very well, but I’m all right now. I’m going to be busy catching up, though. In fact, I should probably be going now.”

“Oh, sorry to bother you,” Ana apologized. “I just thought I would say hi since you passed by.”

“Nah, you never bother me,” Lune assured her. He grinned inwardly. The kitten had a strange habit of apologizing for being a burden. It was kind of comical, really.

“Again, I’m glad to see you’re all right,” Ana added with a sincere smile.

“Thanks, Ana,” Lune answered, and walked off.

***

“And now, it’s Yaburu versus Jouiki!” chorused the trainees. “It’s a match-up of power! Will the towering behemoth of a Snorlax prevail, or will the smaller terrestrial Marowak, with the aid of his magical bone club, claim the victory?”

Lune nodded. So far, so good, but it was all still just talk. Flavor text entertained spectators, but it was useless if the Announcers couldn’t spot battle violations. When it came to Announcing, Lune was far more concerned with the technical portion of the fight. Today, he had organized another new battle demonstration for the Announcers-in-training to practice with. He wondered who, if anyone, would catch today’s trick first.

Yaburu was the aggressor. While Jouiki waited patiently, calmly acquiring a deep spiritual focus, his opponent exuded an aura of red flame: Hidden Power Fire. While this was a relatively weak version of the attack, its effects made themselves very obvious. Yaburu’s exhaled kanji of flame fed off of his burning aura, doubling in size. The roaring projectile blaze sped onward in Jouiki’s direction, but his eyes remained closed, and he moved not a muscle.

“Yaburu literally heats up the battle with his Fire type Hidden Power!” chimed a Spinda. “Thanks to this, his subsequent Fire Blast attack grows twice as large as before! Jouiki had better do something, because the fire’s heading right for him. The weird thing is, that Marowak’s just sitting there. Is he nuts?”

As if in answer to the trainee’s question, Jouiki opened his eyes, inhaled deeply, and, wielding his sacred weapon, began to charge headfirst into the inferno.

“I don’t believe this! Jouiki’s attacking!” cried another. The Grumpig rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. “It looks like Jouiki plans on running through the Fire Blast to attack the Snorlax on the other side!”

The atmosphere changed from one of nervous apprehension to doubt and fear. Trainees who were originally concerned about how Lune was grading their comments now shifted their attention to the charging Marowak. His feat seemed suicidal. Fire Blast in itself was commonly known as the most powerful Fire attack. Doubled in strength with a Fire type Hidden Power, it would be devastating. Whispers of “Is Jouiki going to be all right?” and “I know it’s just a mock battle, but what is Lune thinking?” echoed through the group of trainees.

It turned out that none of the pokémon needed to worry. Brandishing his now glowing club, Jouiki deliberately thrust it into the flames before him, which fled rapidly into his magical weapon as if they were sucked inside. Then, expertly, the Marowak sent his club spinning into the air as a boomerang towards Yaburu. Waiting until it reached a point above Yaburu’s head, Jouiki clapped once, and his club spewed forth scorching flame. For a moment, it looked as if a great whirling firecracker had been let loose into the sky. Fountains of flame cascaded downwards from the rotating burst of fire.

Yaburu was stunned; the flash of fire had been directed at his eyes. As his concentration broke down, the flames around him vanished, and the Snorlax was left holding his face in his hands without protection of any sort. When Jouiki calmly reached an arm out to catch his bone from the air, silence reigned supreme.

Hesitantly, a Chimecho cleared her voice to speak. “It looks as if… as if Jouiki has used his special ability,” she stammered nervously. “Apparently his club can absorb elemental energy and regurgitate it whenever he chooses.” She looked at Lune, who kept his eyes focused on the two battlers. He showed no sign of approval or rejection. As always before the test was complete, he revealed nothing. The students would just have to wait.

Jouiki wasted no time. The earth warrior conjured up a fantastic snowstorm, blowing the shards of ice in Yaburu’s direction. As the snow, directed by the arctic wind, pelted Yaburu’s fur, the Snorlax shuddered and winced. Such a sudden drop in temperature from his recently burning body agitated his skin, which cracked under his fur. It was a painful experience.

A Ditto piped up. “Jouiki has just used her Blizzard attack on Yaburu! I don’t think Yaburu enjoyed that at all.”

Lune flinched. Making mistakes on the genders of combatants was embarrassing and distracting. In real battle, it could give the opponent a critical advantage for the split second of distraction the error caused. Because the Ditto, being genderless, could not have known any better, Lune would have to excuse the amorphous purple blob momentarily. No sense in putting the Ditto under the spotlight now. Lune would, however, take it aside in private later and make sure the mistake would never be repeated again.

Yaburu recovered from the assaults. Holding his arms up in the air, he ignited his corporeal blaze once more, only this time, a great egg of flame formed between his raised hands. Jouiki waited, club ready. The large fiery egg cracked open, and out burst a distinct flaming phoenix, which spread out its scorching wings and glowed proudly under the sun’s golden rays. This small, blazing apparition took flight, soaring towards Jouiki as if to attack. The Marowak held out his magical club, attempting to pull the phoenix inside it, but the bird of flame refused to comply. It charged right through his weapon, erupting upon him as a wrathful inferno more violently than an angered volcano. The searing flames scorched his entire being: they blackened his white skull helmet, as well as his bone club; they left their vengeful legacy upon his once earth-colored body, now scarred; and they created roasting boils on his single-thorned tail. The raging flames showed no mercy.

Courageous warrior that he was, Jouiki hid the twisted agony that had flashed momentarily through his eyes. With one swift motion, the Marowak thrust his weapon into the ground, which tore apart in a zigzag line, unzipping. A great, gaping chasm opened up in the earth.

“It’s Fissure!” screamed a Plusle, hugging the Minun beside her for comfort. Her pink plus-shaped ears were suspended, stationary, as if frozen with fear. A gleam of sweat trickled down the little rodent’s pale yellow skin. The Minun beside her was also horrified; his blue ears were stiffly erect with fear, and his nose twitched nervously. Fissure was the ultimate Ground type attack, an assault that, although extremely slow, was massively devastating. Ground type assaults were an Electric type’s worse fear: Fissure, most of all. The terror of the electric-based lookalike rodents, then, was easily imaginable.

Snorlax were known for their large bulk, slothful nature, and lack of speed. Their sluggish movements and massive size made them easy targets for slow, devastating assaults. For a moment, it looked as if the ground would crack underneath Yaburu’s feet, to swallow him whole and claim him in its dark chasms.

Then Yaburu jumped. High. Impossibly high. When he landed a safe distance away from the crack, the ground trembled slightly under the force.

Lune looked around. No one made a comment, and it didn’t look as if anyone was planning to. He sighed. “No one noticed anything?” he asked. Silence. They failed this one, too… “Okay, stop,” he said disappointedly, walking up to Yaburu. “Thanks, Jouiki. Thanks, Yaburu.” He nodded, then gestured towards the Snorlax’s feet. Yaburu lifted them and removed the enhancing springs hidden beneath them.

“Yaburu performed an illegal action,” Lune explained, holding up the enhancements for display. “Snorlax are not renowned jumpers, and Yaburu basically defied the law of gravity. Now, it would have been all right if he had a Flying type Hidden Power, but as you said yourselves, his is of the Fire type. Another explanation could have been his special ability, but you saw that too: the phoenix. I hope you all know that this was not part of a Fire type Hidden Power. Thirdly, because you did not see the characteristic blue glow of telekinesis, you know that his jump was not aided mentally. Finally, Yaburu is a normal-colored Snorlax, so he does not possess the extraordinary abilities associated with those of a magical bloodline. With all these possibilities ruled out, there was only one remaining option: cheating.” Lune exhaled heavily. “You cannot miss things like these in a real match. You are trained specifically to spot these errors. Without capable Announcers, the battle system will fall apart. Foul play will run rampant.” The Eevee shook his head. “Well, we’re done for today. If you’ll excuse me, there is someone I need to talk to now.” With that, he walked towards the sun until the light claimed him.

[Lady Vulpix]

Oh, interesting!
You know... Lune's reason for getting back into action reminded ne a lot of myself. x_x
And the announcers' training was quite interesting. It was nice to see a battle from a different perspective.
As for Ana, she seems like a nice character. I'd like to see her more in the future.
Now let's see what Hana has to say...

[Charizard04621]

Gabi: Yeah, Ana will be around. As for your other comment... Don't worry, you're not the only workaholic. ^_-

[Lady Vulpix]

XD
Oh, by the way, I've posted a new chapter too.

[Charizard04621]

Ooh! New chapter! Time to read. ^_^;

[Charizard04621]

Chapter 49! O_o

Chapter 49

Revelations

It had started off innocently enough. Lune had decided, rationally, that the removal of Karkas and Ytos was a necessary evil. He had chosen, though he utterly loathed even the thought of committing such an atrocity, to take the task upon himself. It was simple logic, and he had felt terrible for it.

But when darkness fell, things had gone horribly wrong. His amulet had flashed, black with consuming dark fire; and suddenly, Lune had felt some sort of madness force itself into him, a wild ecstasy, as if he had been anticipating the dreadful deed all his life, hungry for the destruction of souls.

What was the amulet, exactly? Where did it come from? Why did it make him feel this way? These were questions that Lune hoped Hana would answer. She had given it to him; surely she knew something about it – at least where she had obtained it. That in itself would explain a lot.

Hana was tending flowers in her garden when Lune arrived. The aged Espeon was surprised to see him, but greeted him pleasantly. Being a Psychic type, she guessed his purpose soon enough, and immediately became more serious.

“Sorry to arrive without notice, Hana,” Lune apologized, “but this is urgent.”

The elder Eeveelution nodded. “I understand.”

“Where-”

“The amulet was my husband’s,” Hana answered. “He was born in the Silver Havens, dear. The poor soul, he died early of poisoning. He knew he would be poisoned, and he knew who would do it, how, and when – he never told me, and I never found out – but he accepted it as his destiny. He was a deep believer in fate, dear.”

“How sad…”

“Oh, but he was very calm about it, dear. He never made a judgment on his fate – whether sad, unfair, unfortunate, or likewise. When he died, he was at peace. The amulet he gave to me to guard.”

“I have a feeling I don’t fully understand this thing.”

“As I’ve told you before, dear, the amulet measures the balance of light and darkness in your heart; but it does more than that. You see, dear, the amulet’s sole purpose is to protect its bearer’s soul by whatever means necessary. If your heart is about to plunge into total darkness, the amulet will do anything to preserve some light in the black fire. Usually it counters darkness with positive emotions: joy, relief, excitement, love.”

That’s what happened in that room, thought Lune. But it felt so wrong… Why? If that’s all the amulet does, why did it feel evil? “Hana, I want to show you a memory of mine. Maybe you can help me understand it better.” He closed his eyes and relaxed, removing all resistance to Hana’s telepathic probe. The vivid images flowed back through his mind: his great anguish, the darkness, the intervention of the amulet, and then the hysterical cackling of the shadows – and the maniacal blood lust along with it. When Lune opened his eyes, Hana looked concerned.

“I didn’t know you had a Dark type Hidden Power, dear…”

“Not something I’m proud of,” Lune answered.

“Dear child…”

“Is there something wrong?”

“The amulet has one weakness, dear. Because it was built to be very sensitive to darkness, it can be exploited as a channeling medium for evil. Dark type Hidden Powers tend to push their users into insanity, bit by bit. And the more they are fed, the hungrier they become for souls. I’ve known some good pokémon like you, dear, that have been taken over by the darkness. Terrible.”

Lune shuddered. “As long as the amulet is around my neck, every time I call forth the darkness, I run the risk of… falling?”

“Poor child, yes…”

“Then I won’t use it anymore,” Lune resolved. “I never liked it, anyway.” One less thing to rely on in a jam… But then again, he thought, if Hana’s telling the truth, which I know she is, my Dark type Hidden Power will be anything but reliable from now on.

“There’s another story that I haven’t told you, dear. Even before he foresaw his death, my husband received a prophecy. By then he had been holding this amulet for some time, so he knew much about it. My husband’s instructions were clear: ‘Give this treasured heirloom to the one that the prophecy specifies.’ That was his dying wish.”

“And the terms of the prophecy?”

“Yes, I remember the whole thing,” Hana told him. “My husband recited it many times to make sure that I did. The prophecy went like this:

One shall arise in times of sore need
Whom destiny binds to this sacred amulet;
Master and Servant of Darkness he is,
Of Kingdom ere Forgotten.
To light this treasure shall bring him,
Long as his instincts he trusts;
But should he waver a moment,
Into dark Oblivion he shall be thrust.

And how that I understand the line about the darkness, the prophecy makes more sense,” Hana finished.

But should he waver a moment, into dark Oblivion he shall be thrust… Lune was stunned. He had been given a prophecy of his doom or salvation. Every decision he made could cause his fall. Calm down, Lune, he told himself whilst inhaling deeply. You’re not lost yet, are you? No, you’re not. Aloud, he thanked Hana. “This cleared up a lot of questions,” he told her gratefully.” And opened up many more… But he decided not to pursue that. It was getting close to evening, and he still had work to do. Thanking the Espeon one last time, he turned his back to the sun and headed home, surrounded by fading light. The shadows avoided him.

[Lady Vulpix]

Intriguing.
I'm sure that was a telepathic probe, not a telekinetic probe. But it doesn't matter.
This chapter gives even more depth to the story... Now I'm intrigued to see what comes next.
Well, Lune got it better than Hana's husband after all. He got a prophecy in which he can determine the result.

[Charizard04621]

Yeah. If Lune got a prophecy about how, when, where, and by whom he was going to die, though, I guarantee he wouldn't sit there and take it.

[Lady Vulpix]

I can imagine.
And neither would I. Unless the conditions were acceptable.

[Charizard04621]

Chapter 50
The Coming of Winter

The dark, cold winder days had come. Lune could smell it in the air. A chill would come first, then the storm – and, inevitably, the stark, stretching expanse of bleak whiteness littered with the murdered black skeletons of trees. The cold was a sad and terrifying thing.

Lune had finished his daily work early (Lady Naien had promised to pay the overdue salaries of the Announcers the next day). He had gone to the central square to lie down and relax for the evening, but the effort did not help him. The conversations there went along the lines of: “Yes, I’ll bring over some tomorrow. You simply have to try them. They’re delicious!” or “So, what do you want to do tomorrow?” Lune knew what he was doing tomorrow, and it was not something he wanted to do.

The only talk that seemed remotely interesting came from a Skiploom complaining about his father, and Lune found that one depressing. “He expects me to be perfect,” said the Skiploom to his friend. “If I do something wrong, he’ll lose his temper and yell at me. It’s all about what he wants me to want, not how I really feel. Yeah, I go along with it so that I don’t get scolded or beaten, but it seems as if I’m living someone else’s life. I can’t be who I am; I have to be a stranger… Everything I like or take seriously, he calls nonsense. I want to go into research technology – I think I can build this kingdom a better power source – but my father calls it a childish obsession that I must wean myself from. He believes that technology is not real. I know we’re not used to it here anymore, but I have real confidence in it. I think it might be just as good as magic. These are my honest opinions, though I’m afraid to say them out loud to anyone else.” Lune pitied the fairy flower.

Lune left the pokémon in the square to talk amongst themselves. He had fallen into a pensive mood, and he needed to get away from the crowds to think. Gazing at the dark, brooding clouds looming in the melancholy air, Lune suddenly felt sick of everything: working on behalf of the Sacred Kingdom Guardians; being seen by everyone as a free source of help; and continuing to be under Lady Naien, whom he always had to cover for because she was always either physically, mentally, or emotionally ill. He remembered once when he was recommended at the Council as a third Guardian of the Sacred Kingdom. Naien had stepped in to say that she and Lord Yoruno were eternally grateful for his services, but that they didn’t want him as a Guardian simply because he was already a Guardian of the Forgotten Kingdom. Lune had been silently outraged. There were several Guardians who had responsibility over more than one State; there wasn’t, and never had been, a rule against such a practice. Lune figured that such a ridiculous reason was simply an excuse to keep the Guardianship out of his reach. Perhaps they don’t want me to ruin that little twosome they’ve got, he thought.

Lune decided that he would visit Élan. They had shared similar sentiments on this subject before, and Lune felt the need to talk about it. After the deaths of Ningai and Charisma, the Sneasel had moved away from the Hidden Valley gate and come to live closer to the heart of the Sacred Kingdom. Refusing to get a house to live in like other pokémon did (he found it constricting), Élan searched until he discovered the perfect abode. It was a small, cozy cave that faced the morning sun. As the day broke, the golden light would illuminate the blades of grass and the surrounding lake. The cave lay in a forest clearing, carved inside a small green mound. It was a beautiful sight.

Élan was preparing dinner. “Lune! Great timing. Come join me for dinner? You missed out the last time.”

“Mmmm… That really does smell good, Élan,” answered the Eevee. “Sure, I’ll stay.”

***

“Ah… Best meal I’ve had in a long time.”

“Of course! I cooked it. What did you expect?” He winked. “So, anyway, what have you been up to?”

“Ugh…”

“Aww, man! When you put it that way, I never feel right telling you my funny stories.”

“Nah, that’s okay. Go ahead. You first. I could use a funny story.”

“Okay, so I went out to dinner with a group of pokémon. We went to this new shop in the marketplace. The stuff was pretty good, actually, but then there were the Spelon Berries.”

Lune grinned. Spelon Berries were incredibly spicy. “You ate one, didn’t you?”

“Well, we weren’t sure what they were, so we started daring each other to try some. One guy took one, and his face turned as red as the Spelon Berry itself. He ran around like a madman trying to find all the water he could. Of course, that motivated me to try a Spelon Berry and see what the big deal was. Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn’t the best idea. Anyway, I took one, stuck it in my mouth, and bit straight into it. Nothing happened at first, and I was going to say that it really wasn’t so bad, when suddenly a bomb exploded in my mouth and lit it on fire.”

Lune couldn’t help laughing. “Never bite hard into a Spelon Berry, especially after you’ve seen what it does to others.”

“Obviously. I know that now, but still. I was challenged. Anyway, I jumped into the square’s fountain and splashed water onto my tongue for fifteen minutes. Pokémon were staring at me like I was insane, but I didn’t care. I wanted to extinguish the fire in my mouth.”

“Hehe. Élan, you silly, silly Sneasel.”

Élan grinned widely. “I can assure you that I’ll never try that again. You know, some of the girls put Spelon Berries into their mouths and began calling us wimps when nothing seemed to happen, but I doubt they actually bit into them.”

“I’m sure they didn’t. They’d have been raising hell if they did. I’ve had a Spelon Berry before, on accident. It was a small piece, so I missed it, and then I bit into it and… yeah.”

“You know how I felt, then. Anyway, why so glum before?”

“Hmm… Élan, have I told you about what Naien said at my most recent Council meeting?”

“Nope. What was it?”

“I got recommended as a Guardian for the Sacred Kingdom. Guess what she said.”

“Um… ‘No thanks, we’re fine’?”

“‘Although Lune does some wonderful work for us, we’ve decided that if we ever need a new Guardian (which we don’t right now), we would get one that isn’t already a Guardian of another State.’ Is there anything she could have said that would have been more idiotic?”

“Nope. Looks like they really don’t want their monopoly to be broken.”

“I’m beginning to think that. Two is not a good number. Remember what you said about a possible dictatorship?”

Élan nodded. “It sure is looking that way at the moment.”

“You know, up to that day, I had been planning to secure a Guardianship so I could subtly ease the balance of power, but I don’t think that approach will work now. Any suggestions?”

“We could force them to listen to us – you could bring this subject to the Council, right? The Council will listen if we’ve got good reasoning. We’d need to gather supporters, pokémon who share our opinions. I’m pretty sure Luktam will help us.”

Lune nearly choked. “Luktam? You’re kidding, right? This is the guy that said Emperor Ryu is a lousy, good-for-nothing hypocrite, and a wonderful Emperor.”

Élan snickered. “That’s true. But I believe there is some sense to him. I have a knack for spotting intelligence.”

“Well, good luck finding some in him,” Lune responded. “I tell you what. You manage to miraculously dig out some sort of brain in that Slowpoke, and I’ll consider trying to talk to him.”

“Hehe. It’s a deal.”

[Lady Vulpix]

Now that's a hard task.
Strange, Lord Yoruno and Lady Naien didn't seem like that before.