Kalazeth, the male Horsea's POV:
Cool pond water gently lapped over her face, but she didn't seem to feel it. She loved to enjoy the soft caress of the lazy ripples as she rested from her afternoon swim; at least, she did, but lately she seemed to have lost all interest, in anything, really. Including talking and eating. I had been very worried about her.
"Elwing? Are you all right?"
The Dratini's face did not change. In fact, I doubt that she'd heard me at all. She lay still in the mud facing the middle of the pond, unaware that the shallow-water algae had wrapped around her and left traces of dirty green on her perfect skin.
Sighing, I approached her and splashed her gently, calling her name in whispers. "Elwing, tell me what's wrong." I nudged her softly. "You can trust me."
Reacting instantly to my touch she swiveled around and lashed her tail out at me, so suddently that I hadn't enough time to avoid her unexpected attack. The force threw me against the hard bank, knocking my breath out of me.
"Don't touch me!" screamed Elwing, inexplicably frantic. "Don't come near me! I hate you! I won't let you hurt me again!"
I didn't understand what I had done; why was she angry at me? I'd never wanted to see her hurt. The accusation pained me, and yet, I could tell that something terrible had happened to her and she was in pain, too. But why was her wrath directed at me?
"Elwing," I pleaded, with an injured look. "It's me, don't you know me? I'm Kalazeth. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want you to be hurt. Please," I sputtered desperately, trying to convince her to believe my words. "I'm me. Kalazeth."
At the sound of my name, she seemed to stir a little. Recognition filled her eyes, followed by a look of remorse. "Kalazeth, I... I'm sorry I screamed at you."
I accepted her apology, of course, but now I was more worried than ever. "Elwing, I know something's been bothering you... I want to help." My eyes begged for her confidence. Whatever had happened to her, she could not keep it to herself, or it would destroy her from the inside. I locked gazes with her, not once looking away from her deep, fearful eyes. "You can tell me."
Immediately after I said that, I regretted ever doing so. Elwing choked and began to cry, her tears streaming down her face in a continuous flow, falling into the pond like forlorn waterfalls.
"Elwing, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything..."
She shook her head and her sobbing became increasingly worse. Leaning against me for support, she tried, unsuccessfully, to withold her tears.
"It's all right to cry," I told her softly. I do it sometimes. You have to let it all out, and then you'll feel a little better, even if it's just for a short while." I decided not to ask her why she was suffering so much. She wasn't ready yet.
Shar, the female Absol's POV:
Why did they help me? Why did they care? Many possibilities arose, but I spat disgustedly at every one of them. They didn't have a use for me. If they were afraid of me, they would have let me die. And I didn't need their pity.
I frowned, still left to ponder the same question. I had no choice but to ask.
The Eevee and the Scyther had gone for a late morning walk in the encircling forest. I assumed they'd wanted to escape the blazing sun and spend their day instead under the cool leafy shade.
Much as I hated to admit it, if they had not saved me at Sector Alpha, the Fearow and Pidgeot would have torn me to pieces.
Crimson Blade. That name had a sinister ring, and every time I thought of it I licked my lips as if to taste blood. Perhaps my real owner was a Crimson Blade. It was an appealing thought, and yet I remembered how those bloodthirsty birds of prey, with glints of malice in their eyes, had not hesitated to hunt me down for the kill. That, and the Vibrava's words still clung to my head. That I was welcome here. That this was my home.
I had no reason to believe him, but I had none to disbelieve him, either. He seemed like a harmless enough guy, and, to his credit, he had sought me out so he could talk to me personally. Perhaps there was something in what he had said, after all. He did strike me as an honest pokémon.
Up ahead, I could see the Eevee and Scyther engaged in combat training. They seemed to be practicing several evasive maneuvers until the Eevee said something and I could feel tension in the air. The Scyther stalked off and he chased after her, calling her name.
As I grew closer, I could hear him shouting. "Ruth, I didn't mean that in a bad way! I'm sorry!" But she had gone, taken off into the air so he couldn't follow.
The Eevee turned back, his ears flopped downwards and his tail between his legs. "Why did I say that?" I heard him mutter.
As soon as I came into view, the Eevee fell back, startled. "Oh, hello, Shar. I didn't know you were here."
I looked at him, unblinking. He returned my gaze curiously, although I could still see that he was distracted by his companion's sudden tantrum.
"Why did you help me?" I asked abruptly.
He smiled, traces of sadness still remaining from his previous encounter. "I felt, Shar, that it was the right thing to do. I would have done the same for anyone; any fellow pokémon deserves a helping hand once in a while, yes?"
Ignoring his question, I stated, "I attacked you without warning. You had your injuries for months."
"Forgiveness is a virtue." I could feel his smile burning me again.
"Well," I snapped, growing increasingly uncomfortable at the knowing look he gave me, "Manage your own affairs next time. I didn't need you." I ran away into the woods to escape his unending knowing smile, surprised at the suddenness of my outburst.
Nimrodel, the female Lapras's POV:
"This cave was a lucky discovery, wasn't it?" I smiled at the Lileep on my back, enjoying the cool, dank air in the crystalline cavern. The water felt icy on my flippers, a truly blissful feeling that I'd been fortunate to enjoy lately.
Mandragora enjoyed exploring as much as he enjoyed the things we found. I was actually glad that I'd met him; neither of us talked much outside of ourselves, finding it difficult to mingle with the others, to whom, mostly, battling was a lifestyle. I disliked conflict, whereas, at the slightest mention of a fight, Mandragora retreated within his shell in shock and fear for a very long time. I sensed there was a darkness that clouded his history, but I did not want to ask him; he would tell me if he chose to, with time.
"Are we going deeper into the cavern today?" the Lileep asked, a hint of quivering excitement in his voice.
"Would you like to?"
He agreed happily, eager already to start the journey.
Travelling was a favorite pastime that we shared. When Karin found out, she did her best to find places for us to go, to feed our passion. Not far into the woods around our house, we were fortunate enough to meet with a stream, which grew rapidly into a river. Karin left us there each day to follow its trail and discover wherever it led.
The pristine caves where we spent our days were vast; they had been cut in the base of a mountain, through which the river flowed that led us to this beautiful sanctuary. Crystals sparkled on the cavern walls, the glassy water felt refreshing to the touch, and everywhere little rainbows glowed from corners in the rock or over small waterfalls that fed into the swift river.
"We can explore a little today, but we've got to meet Karin in the woods shortly for lunch," I told Mandragora. He agreed silently.
Switchblade, the *male* Porygon's POV:
Evenstar was working in the kitchen; I could smell the delicious aromas wafting through the air. The Sneasel had a real knack for cooking. Karin, Evenstar, and I had found that out really early on, back when it was just the three of us in the house and none of us knew a lot about what we were doing.
I missed the old days sometimes but not too awfully badly. It was nice to reminisce about the past, like the day when we first saw the Eevee House after trudging miserably through the snow, or when we were in the Winter Olympics with Nimrodel and Élan, or... My mind fell back to Élan. I wondered what he was doing now. Silently, I regretted yelling at him when I'd had the chance to see him; there were so many other things I could have said or asked about instead, like what adventures had he had, and what had he seen, and what was it like out there when he had only himself to rely on and his own strength. I made up my mind that, if the Unown ever showed up again, I would ask him these things, maybe more.
Sitting in my favorite bean bag (it had been moulded comfortably into my shape after years of constant use), I scanned the television for any news. Usually this channel aired battles, where pokémon were shown in friendly engagements and sometimes a newly registered trainer showed up, but the screen had gone blank in preparation for important news. When I saw the images on the recorded broadcast and listened to the words of the man who called himself Armand DiAnnio, my heart froze. "Um, Karin? You might want to see this."
My POV:
I fingered my necklace nervously; the silver dragon, his eyes glowing a heated red, seemed eager to push me out of the house. This only increased my anxiety. You're a big help, I thought. The phone call and news broadcast had both spoken the same unsettling message: Armand DiAnnio and his Crimson Blades were back and ready to end our dealings with them, once and for all. My urge to leave the house got the better of me so I told everyone to gather outside. Nimrodel, Mandragora, Kalazeth, and Elwing were already there, so it didn't take long for all of the others to assemble. To my surprise, Lune didn't want to go to the Shifting Isles, but when I realized that Rúthruin was not here with us I mouthed the word, "Go," and he shot off into the forest.
"Why is it called the Shifting Isles?" Switchblade asked me suspiciously.
"I'm not sure, but I get the feeling we'll find out when we get there." I chuckled nervously. "I've already got the map, so we can head out right after we eat. Who wants to come?"
It turned out to be everyone but Lune, Rúthruin, and Shar, who never showed up much anyway, especially if I'd called. She seemed to be growing less hostile than before, but she still isolated herself from the others and cast me reproachful looks. I sighed, bewildered that nobody had yet claimed her. I'd resorted to searching the Breeding Center for any pairings with a female Absol, but either I had carelessly overlooked something or I simply had no luck. It looked as if Shar might have to learn to make her home here. I decided to switch her back to an unmarked pokéball the next time I saw her, realizing that she might think that I was purposely isolating her, rather than my original intent to protect her more carefully than the others.
After everyone had eaten and comfortably rested, we decided to embark on our journey. Switchblade agreed to go into his pokéball - he had less and less reservation about that lately, and it was almost becoming something not of note - so it was only me left to ride Gwaihir as we headed for DiAnnio's likely trap.
"What do you think about this whole thing, Gwaihir?" I asked the airborne Aerodactyl. He turned his head and lifted his sunglasses, his royal blue scarf blowing into his face because he was flying at such sheer speed. Trademarks of his father, Dodger.
"I bet the Blades'll have something waiting for us when we get there, but we'll be ready to face anything, won't we?" He winked.
Smiling, I managed to relax slightly. Gwaihir's carefree attitude was one of the few things that kept me remotely cheerful on flights like this. It was in times of danger, grim days when I needed it most, that Gwaihir always pulled through for me. The sun seemed to shine slightly brighter when he talked, and, with a little bit of imagination, light performed a subtle dance on his strong wings.
Gwaihir went into a sudden nosedive and proceeded to somersault in the air with me clinging on for dear life. When he levelled off again, he realized his error. "Whoops, sorry. Forgot you were there." The Aerodactyl grinned sheepishly.
"It's all right; I'm used to it," I replied, with a laugh.
Before long, we had arrived in foreign territory; the elaborate instructions DiAnnio had given convinced me that had he not told us how, it was unlikely that we would discover the secrets to revealing his hidden stronghold. When Gwaihir landed on one of the outer islands, I was almost certain of it.
Kalazeth, the male Horsea's POV:
Elwing's condition had, by lunchtime, improved slightly; she wasn't crying anymore. Much to my delight, she also ate the food that was offered her. I hoped that she would feel better soon.
Now, in the deceptively complacent sea of the Shifting Isles, I made her a promise: "I won't let anyone hurt you." I don't know why I said it, but something about this place, more than the fact that it was dreaded Crimson Blade territory, instilled in me a sense of anxiety and fear that I could not ignore. Although Elwing was a strong Dratini and could usually protect herself just fine, days of neglect had weakened her physically, and her devastating experience, whatever it was, haunted her every waking moment.
"Kalazeth, swim with me."
Elwing seemed slightly distracted. No doubt she was trying to keep out of her mind what had been bothering her all this time. I still didn't know what it was, but I was not going to ask. I smiled, urging her to come underwater with me. "Let's go."
She didn't need to be asked twice. I found out immediately that she planned to race. "Hey, Extremespeed! No fair!" I teased her, trying to follow after an unsuccessful attempt to put rainclouds in to the sunny sky.
To be honest, I was glad that we'd split up into groups. I didn't think that Elwing wanted the others to see her in her condition, although I had the feeling that they knew more than I did about what had happened to her. Elwing's wish to race was a positive development, though; I could hear her giggling up ahead.
"Hey," I called, "Wait for me, won't you? You know I can't catch up to you." But she had already stopped. Something was up ahead, something that she was staring at with unmistakable fear. That something turned out to be a Dragonair.
"Elwing...?" I voiced uncertainly.
"You've got nothing to worry about," scoffed the Dragonair haughtily. "I don't go for seconds." He paused, as if having contrary thoughts, but shook his head almost regretfully. "You know, you are an extraordinarily pretty Dratini. My new teammate would like to meet you." He swam for the shore, leaving behind a particularly nasty-looking Poliwag.
"Why, hello, Elwing," he snickered, "I'm Wrath. Night told me a lot about you." He looked at her hungrily, as if... calculating something. Elwing had begun to shiver.
"Don't you dare touch her!" I placed myself between Elwing and the Poliwag. "It's going to be all right," I told her. "I'll fight for you."
Shock had not left her eyes. "That was him," she said, in an eerie voice that was not her own. "Kalazeth, that was him..."
The Poliwag seemed to savor her fear and devour it. "Sweetie, soon I'll be him, too."
"Not while I'm still alive!" I did not know what that Dragonair had done to her, but it had made Elwing feel terrible and I would not allow the same thing to happen again.
"Suit yourself." Wrath fell into a battle stance.
Kalazeth, LV12 male Horsea vs. Wrath, LV15 male Poliwag
It didn't take long for me to realize that the Poliwag was fast. He was also amphibious, which allowed him to taunt me on dry land where I could not follow. I found it excessively difficult to keep Wrath still.
I had the feeling that Wrath wanted to get rid of me quickly; he cast his greedy eyes on Elwing from time to time, and the first thing he did was attempt to defeat me mentally in a furious wrestle for consciousness. His eyes somehow found mine; I felt myself being lulled by the pleasantly lazy sound of the waves above breaking upon the shore. When he stole another glance at Elwing, though, I blackened the sea around us with a dense underwater smog. Whatever happened, I could not allow Wrath to claim Elwing.
In the confusion, I could sense the Poliwag, but he could not see me. I took the opportunity to throw all my weight into him, having propelled myself rapidly with my tail. He seemed out of breath. I repeated the maneuver from above him, grinding Wrath against the shallow reef at the bottom of the seafloor.
By now my ink cloud had cleared. Able to see again, Wrath swam away from the reef, quickly surfacing and running onto land. I found it odd that my enemy wanted to escape from me instead of launching a counteroffensive strike, until it occured to me that Wrath currently specialized in speed and speed alone. It was enough to make an escape, but I doubted that he could do actual damage. This knowledge was the only thing that helped me keep my head clear when, taking refuge on land, Wrath threw at me vicious insults, the likes of which I shall not repeat. These, like everything else he had thrown at me thus far, were a trick, a distraction; they were meant to ensure his escape. Still, if he wanted to get at Elwing, he would have to submerge. A thought struck me: keep him on land. But how?
Suddenly I remembered something Ryu had once told me when I was with Elwing: "Type effectiveness is not the key. If it serves the purpose, use it."
I wanted to hit myself for overlooking the obvious. Of course, I could freeze Wrath in place! I hadn't thought of Ice Beam before because in my mind I was only looking for ways to knock the motion-happy Poliwag unconscious before he caused any harm. With luck, I could turn the battle to my advantage.
When my head broke the surface of the water, the dancing tadpole was still laughing at me. Just as well, because by the time he noticed the swirling white frost that was coming out of my mouth, it had frozen his wet feet to the ground.
Now that Wrath had been temporarily immibilized, I took my time gathering energy for a more powerful attack. Aiming above the ice that imprisoned him, I inhaled deeply, focusing always on Wrath's now not-so-confident face. I unleashed the stinging draconic flame and willed them to torture him as they pleased. To my delight, his delicate skin erupted into boils, his agonized scream pierced the calm air, and I got my satisfaction seeing his hateful face twist in pain.
Unfortunately, I had not aimed well enough, for my Dragonbreath melted the ice encasing the Poliwag's feet. With a squeal, Wrath dove back into the sea. He seemed to have lost all interest in Elwing and was now focused only on getting away. However, he felt a compulsion to fit in his final, vulgar word, which I will retell only because I need a reason to explain my consequently uncharacteristic behavior: "You want to know what happened to Elwing? She came to Night. He humiliated her, and she liked it!"
Wrath was still talking when I lunged for him, but I wouldn't hear any more of it. Fury possessed me, dictated my actions, told me to wrap my tail around his fat body and suffocate him, drag him roughly along the reefs until his skin had been entirely shaved off and I was swimming in a cloud of blood. I would have continued until every ounce of his flesh and bone had been ground to dust, but Elwing stopped me and at once I was ashamed of my actions. What had I done?
I looked at Elwing fearfully, dropping the mutilated, yet still breathing body to the floor. "Elwing, I'm sorry... Please don't be afraid of me."
She looked at me sadly, then swam closer and coiled herself around my body. "Let's go somewhere else." I could still feel her shivering, but her face had lost its pallor, and her body wasn't stiff anymore.
Even so, she felt so fragile around me; I knew that she needed me. "It'll be all right," I told her soothingly, as I swam us both as far away from the blood and horror as possible.
Kalazeth grew to LV14!
"Ryu", the male Vibrava's POV:
The moment I saw that Dragonair, I knew it was he who had hurt her. He who had caused Elwing such despair, he who had tormented her dreams, he who had ruined the innocence in her happy ilfe. It was through practiced restraint that I did not kill him on the spot. Instead, I followed him until it seemed that we were alone and would not be disturbed.
"Who are you?" he asked without turning his head as I began my descent.
I frowned. My injured wing had given me away; on another day he would not have heard me had I not chosen to reveal myself.
Despite many worried pleadings, I did not stay idle while I waited to heal. The Crimson Blade had put a bullet through my wing, not my heart. As long as I was alive, I would continue to train; should I stop for a moment, I feared I would fall out of practice. Just as I had when I was prevented from flying for two days, during which time I'd lost the chance to practice my stealth. Which was why I had inadvertently been detected now.
"I must first ask," I said coldly, controlling the rage in my voice, "Who you think you are, that you have the right to destroy a life of innocence."
"Ah." He flashed me an infuriating smile, "You must know Elwing."
I answered him with silence and a stony glare that eventually made him avert his gaze.
"My name is Night. An echo of a trainer's wish, I'm afraid. I doubt I'll succumb to evolution when the time comes. Being a Dragonair is much too fun." His eyes glittered maliciously. "I get to play more with pretty little things like your Dratini friend."
"You'll wish you never said that," I growled, dashing at him with as much speed as my wings could muster. Unfortunately, it was not enough. Night, who had been prepared for my attack, reacted with a frost beam that pinned me to a tree by my now stinging wings.
"You are brave but foolish," he said. "Never fight with an injury." He observed my twitching body, knowing that the ice was burning through my flesh. Because I couldn't risk further damaging my wings in an attempt to free myself, I would have to wait a long time until the ice melted. Night met my eyes; I could see amusement in his, and a look of scorn. He prepared to leave, but turned back to say a few last words to me, upon a second thought. "And," he added, with a nasty smile, "Never fight me."
He left, snickering, before my Dragonbreath could connect to his already fleeing body.
Aglárien, the female Charmeleon's POV:
Naurmir walked close to me, his small Charmander hands holding my arm as tightly as he was tense. Don't worry, little brother. I'll protect you. I promised the moment we were born, didn't I?
I think that silently Naurmir was wishing that we didn't have to be walking through the forest. Still, he knew it was better than being with the group that remained by the beach; the sea, calm though it was, seemed ominously deceiving.
Ryu, Gwaihir, Elwing, and Kalazeth were to stay where we had first landed. Nimrodel and Mandragora, both not suited to fighting, had offered to swim along the coast to see if they could find anything of interest; they'd be less likely to encounter a battle than if they waited in the same place like the others. As for the rest - me, Naurmir, Switchblade, and Evenstar - Karin accompanied us inland. We braced ourselves for traps and danger.
The reason we'd split into groups was simply this: upon arrival, we noticed that we were completely alone. Because our threat was so great, it would have been better if all the Tamers were united against our enemy. Hence, we needed to search the sea, the coast, and inland, for any sign of friendly trainers.
A sudden snap beside my foot caused me to instinctively grab Naurmir and jump out of the way; the net, knotted to a nearby tree branch, closed full of leaves.
"We got them! We did it, Pimpernel!" A gray-uniformed girl danced in front of us, and then, realizing that none of us were in her crude trap, stopped celebrating. "Oh, no! It's the Crimson Blades! They're still alive!" An irritated moo came from behind the tree, and then, at her trainer's nervous urging, the Miltank emerged from her hiding place.
Karin looked at the Rocket oddly, then shook her head, not amused. "It would do you well not to associate me with those disgusting killers. I want no part of it. I'm not a Blade."
"Oh, no! Then you're a spy, a spy dressed like Team Rocket to spy on us!"
More irritated now, Karin answered, "Do you see me wearing your dirty thieving outfit? I am not a Blade, I am not a spy, and I am certainly not a filthy Rocket. I am a Dragon Tamer, if you must know."
"Oh, no! A Dragon Tamer!" she yelped, with an exaggerated cry. She added in an undertone to her Miltank, "What's that?"
The girl then removed a little booklet from her pocket and began to read aloud. "Let's see... Team Rocket, friend. Crimson Blades, enemy. Spies, enemy. Dragon Tamers... Enemy! Oh, no!"
Karin wasn't the only one annoyed by the little girl's "Oh, no!"s by this point. "Will you shut up and get out of our way already?" I snapped at the Rocket-who-should-not have been. Children being taught to cheat and steal? How desperate had Team Rocket become these days? "You're wasting our time and we've got more important things to do."
The girl stared at me suspiciously. "Oh, no! That Charmeleon's growling at me. Enemy?" She looked questioningly at her Miltank, obviously not going to leave until we made her.
"Yes, yes, enemy!" I answered irritably, hurling a crackling ball of electricity at her and hoping she'd go away. Her Miltank absorbed the blast, unfortunately, leaving the girl and her never-stopping mouth still intact.
Aglárien, LV18 female Charmeleon vs. Pimpernel, LV25 female Miltank
Pimpernel wasted no time, but neither did I. While she induced seismic tremors in the gruond below us, I willed the earth to tear out from underneath me, bearing me into the air. The rocks that emerged from beneath the surface, I rode into Pimpernel, knocking her over to feel the ground tremble before her.
I reacted too slowly after my Ancientpower had levelled the Miltank; with a quick roll, she flattened me under her weight, knowing that if I didn't remedy the situation soon, they would surely snap. But how to get rid of a heavy cow ten times my size?
Understanding that movement was not an option, I turned to the only part of me left that I could control. I was glad that I'd by chance practiced for this moment by playing Ember tag with my twin brother. As I fueled my tail flame, it grew both in size and intensity. I could smell the burnt hairs that the fire had touched, and apparently so, too, could Pimpernel. She howled as she leapt to her feet with agility that was surprising for a Miltank.
I moved out of her range and began my spinning ritual. Already I could feel strength reinforcing my wavering resolve. This power, I felt, was enough to win me the battle against this lumbering beast.
With a war cry, I sidestepped the Miltank's icy assault as I dug into the back of her skull with cold, silvery claws. It occurred to me that her pathetic excuse of a trainer had been very quiet during the course of the battle. Pimpernel must have been a gift from a far more accomplished trainer; the girl's silence was an ignorant one, not an understanding courtesy toward her pokémon. Still, lack of training had made the Miltank rusty.
Pimpernel, running out of options because I evaded all her attacks, lowered her head and attempted to ram me, which turned out to be her worst idea yet. I leapt up onto her head and locked myself around her neck.
"No offense, but you're in our way and we need to hurry," I told her before pounding my fists repeatedly into her head. It didn't take much of this torture for her to sink to the floor in submission.
Aglárien grew to LV20!
Aglárien learned Rage!
Aglárien learned Overheat as her free TM!
Lune, the male Eevee's POV:
"Rúthruin," I cried, my voice now hoarse from my many unanswered calls. "Ruth, please, let me talk to you. I'm sorry..."
As much as I tried, the Scyther was nowhere to be found. I felt like an idiot. How could I have been so tactless? I should have known not to say something so stupid.
I sat defeated in the grass while I started to breathe again. Could she ever forgive me? I didn't want to believe anything else, but she wouldn't even let me see her. She had to be seething.
Rúthruin could have flown anywhere; I needed a better vantage point to find her. Looking up the bank of the tall tree beside me, I searched for the rough areas that would provide footholds and the occasional sturdy branch. This tree seemed simple enough to climb, fortunately for me.
I progressed by placing my feet in my already planned path one by one. Not long after I'd begun my ascent, I reached the leafy region of the tree, where I stopped on a long, steady branch. "Ruth?" I ventured.
No beautiful Scyther, no familiarly comforting voice, no quiet flitter of wings as she hovered nearby. I scolded myself for making such a stupid comment. Why did I have to go and make her angry?
"Ruth, I'm sorry!" But my cry echoed to the trees and did not seem to reach her ears. Miserably, I scanned the surrounding area for any other ways that I might meet her. The branch I sat on led close to another on a nearby tree, which was taller and could allow me to perceive a wider area. Treading carefully, I made my way to the tip to climb onto it and move closer to the base where the branch was thicker. As I shifted on my perch, however, a crack split through the air and I found myself falling while I clasped the broken branch. I released it, brace my legs for impact, and waited.
Rúthruin, the female Scyther's POV:
"Lune? Can you hear me?" The Eevee did not stir. Sighing, I dipped his injured leg in more water to clean his wound. Someone would have to bind it later.
With the back of my scythe I caressed the sleeping Eevee's face. Strands of hair, which I kept telling him were too long, had grown over his eyes. I would give anything for him to be able to joke that they might just turn out useful and he thought he should keep his hair like that. I was already regretting that I'd stormed away from him; I should have known that he'd meant no harm.
The worst part was that I let him suffer. He looked for me but I didn't answer him, and now he wouldn't hear me even if I wanted him to. "Lune, I'm sorry," I whispered in his ear. "Please wake up. I love you."
My POV:
Cradling Ryu in my arms, I sighed as I gently scolded him for taking such poor care of himself. "You know you shouldn't be picking fights. Your wing is just going to take longer to heal, and that's not what you want, is it?"
He was undoubtedly my most powerful and experienced fighter, but he did not seem to understand the dire consequences of mistreating himself when his body needed desperately to heal. If he continued stubbornly with his harsh training routine, he could turn his injury into a lifetime scar; his wing might never be as strong as it once was.
"Elwing..." was his only answer.
At last, I understood. Ryu was not restless enough to risk his injury on a random target, but he had seen the one whom, ever since poor Elwing had been found that day after the assault of the Crimson Blades, he had sworn he would hunt down to the very depths of the earth.
After Aglárien had chased the meddlesome Rocket away, we'd ventured further into the jungle, but found no one. We even came around to the other end of our particular island and met Nimrodel and Mandragora on the way. After the Lapras had borne me back and forth along the coast in that area, I could have sworn that the islands surrounding us didn't look the same twice. Switchblade's question echoed in my head: Why is it called the Shifting Isles?
I'd decided that searching for friendly trainers would be futile. For all we knew, Armand DiAnnio could just be waiting for frustrated Rockets and Tamers to go at each other's throats. Gwaihir moved much too quickly for us to be able to scout by air, so the only thing left for us to do was to go home. What could we do if we found the other Dragon Tamers, anyway? Staff or no staff, I certainly wasn't ready to tackle the Crimson Blade leader and his cruel Salamence, Reaper. Feeling unsatisfied and useless, I'd asked Nimrodel to bring us back to our original landing site.
We'd learned from Gwaihir that Ryu had flown into the trees in pursuit of a Dragonair. Luckily, he hadn't gone too far, and we'd found him in time to give him a little warmth before shock took over his body. He'd suffered from a prolonged Ice Beam, apparently; I was glad that his wings did not seem to have taken more severe damage from the exposure.
When stepped onto the empty sandy beach, wondering where everyone had gone, Gwaihir brought Kalazeth and Elwing back to us. The Dratini seemed shaken, but Kalazeth seemed to have taken good care of her, so I wasn't too worried. It gave me hope to see that maybe he would be able to help her, with time. I couldn't force her to recover from the atrocities that the Dragonair had subjected her to.
"Shall we?" I asked. Gwaihir lowered his wing so I could mount him, and when I was safely on his back, spread himself out to his greatest span and with one swift motion lifted gracefully into the air.
Lune, the male Eevee's POV:
Too dark... couldn't see... but I could hear.
"Lune? Lune, talk to me."
A smile spread across my face and I answered, "Whose is that lovely voice I hear? Is it an angel's?"
Rúthruin laughed and gave me a playful nudge. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm just a plain old Scyther."
"You are my favorite Scyther, and definitely not old or plain," I replied. Finally managing to open my eyes, I gazed into hers happily, hoping that I was not simply dreaming. "I love you so much," I told her. "Ruth, I'm so sorry."
"You shouldn't be sorry for loving me," she teased.
"You know what I meant."
She laughed and answered me with a kiss.
[EDIT]: Whoops, I messed up. Aglárien grew to LV18 in the Battle Tower, so she starts at LV18, and not LV16, in her battle.
¤Game¤ Dragon Tamers Battle Range v.23 {MA Pidgeot}
Have 14 stamps (I gotta say I really loved Solitude and she's prolly responsible for at least some of those stamps. Hehe, does this surprise you in any shape, way or form?) and is it me or has the max post length been stupidly shortened, I swear that would have been at most a two-parter once upon a time...
