Chapter One: Memories of a better day
The feraligatr panted lightly, looking to the entrance to his cave. Now boarded up with everything he could salvage from the remnants of his furniture.
"That should keep them at bay for now..." He thought to himself. Looking to the three pokemon who were with him. A garchomp named Gar, his brother, Angus, a shiny, kilt wearing, scottish feraligatr. And his son, Quaker, a guitar playing Krokorok. He sighed softly and walked over to the wall of the cave. Leaning back against it before allowing himself to slide down to the ground. The only thing on his mind being, how had all this happened?
Just a few hours ago it had been his birthday party. And now, here he was, fighting for his life. Struggling to survive against... He glanced at the barricade. A few soft moans coming from behind it. ...them.
"Dad... Are you alright?" Quaker asked, walking over to him. His guitar strung up behind his back, blood still fresh on it.
Repto nodded weakly before forcing himself to chuckle. "Yeah... I'm fine Quaker... Heh, this certainly will be a birthday to remember..." He muttered, closing his journal and leaning his head back, staring up at the roof. The events of that morning playing over in his mind...
"Where are we going, Quaker?" He asked as his son led him along, making sure he didn't bump into anything. He was blindfolded after all.
"That's a secret dad," Quaker said, chuckling softly. "One that you will know soon enough"
Repto grinned lightly as he sniffed the air. The scent of his cave lingering in the surrounding air. Although, he wasn't sure if he was near his cave. Or if he just smelt like it, having spent many a night sitting up, playing games. Soon, he noticed another scent. A sweet one, that he knew quite well
"Pechas?" He said under his breath, taking a deep breath to get all the scents. Upon doing so, his nostrils were assaulted by several sweet scents. All from the berries he adored. One however, was alien. He frowned lightly, wondering what this scent was before he was suddenly stopped by Quaker. Who instructed him not to take the blindfold off.
He waited patiently, before having his blindfold whipped off. All his friends and family there, and a pair he didn't recognise. Lurking quite far back in the cave, were a pair of draconic looking pokemon. Both identical except in colour. One black with red eyes, the other white, with yellow eyes. He frowned at them before turning his attention to the table before him. Which was laden with food. Berries of all flavors, a few jars of honey, moomoo milk, and best of all, a huge cake. Which towered over everything else.
"Gar, Angus, Quaker! You all did this for me?" He asked, getting a nod from the three.
"Those two helped out a bit, too" Gar said, nodding at the two dragons who walked up. Now showing they were in fact wearing armour.
"That we did," The white one said, smiling as it offered it's paw to Repto. "My names Volt, and this is my friend, Hades." He said, nodding at the black dragon. Who grunted lightly.
"Hmph, someone's a grumpy bastard, do you need some hugs?" Primal said, gaining a soft chuckle from Repto.
"Nice to meet you, Volt, and Hades. My names-"
"Repto, we know" Volt interrupted. Smirking lightly. "We knew each other once." he said before hastily adding "More or less"
Repto shook his paw and nodded. "Well, we can get to know each other some more!" he exclaimed before the dragon shook his head almost sadly.
"Unfortunately, I can't stay. Got business to attend to, uh, elsewhere" Volt said, "Repto, hold out your paw please"
Repto obliged and watched as Volt waved a paw over his, a box appearing in his palm. "That is my gift to you, use it wisely. Until we meet again. I bid you, adieu" He said, before turning and walking out, spreading his wings and taking flight.
"Aren't you going to go with him Hades...?"Repto said, before spotting the black dragon had seemingly vanished into thin air. He shrugged and opened the box. Pulling out a pair of stones. Ones that he knew quite well, at least, one of them was.
One of the stones was a key stone. The other, a mega stone of sorts. But, this one he didn't recognise. With a shrug he put them down and looked back to the box. Finding a small note which read: "Dear Repto, I found these during my travels, and, having no use for them, decided to give them to you. You'll need to upgrade a bit. But, trust me. It's worth it. Yours truly, Volt"
He frowned at it, before shrugging once more. Tossing the note back into the box and turning to the food. Grinning as he declared. "Let the feast, begin!"
"Uh, dad?"
"Yes Quaker?"
Instead of speaking, the krokorok merely pointed at the cake, which Angus had lit. 23 candles burning on it now.
"Oh, right!" Repto smirked and walked down the table to the cake as the three pokemon sang in unison.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Reppy, happy birthday to you. Hip hip, hurray! Hip hip, hurray!"
Repto smiled at his little family, before blowing the candles out in one breath.
"Make a wish dad!" Quaker said, grinning warmly as his father obliged, closing his eyes and making a wish.
"D'aww... Reppy... That's so sweet" Primal said, having seen what Repto had wished for.
Repto nodded lightly, blinking a few times to hide the fact he was tearing up a bit.
"No! Get the hell away from me!" A voice cried out, obviously terrified.
Repto was instantly on his feet, dashing out of the cave to see what was going on. He froze in shock at what he saw however, the infernape, the one who had tormented him so, and cost him his arm, was slowly backing away from... A lucario? Repto shook his head lightly and turned away, only for the infernape to spot him.
"Help! Please!"
Upon hearing the Infernapes cries for help, Repto's natural instinct to help kicked in. And he was off, running, no, sprinting around to the infernape.
He clenched his mechanical fpaw into a fist and delivered a crushing blow to the lucario, knocking him away a few feet.
"You okay...?" Repto asked the Infernape, frowning as he saw the blood on its arm.
"I-I'm fine..." It replied, visibly shaken by what had happened before Repto arrived.
"What happened?" He asked, only for the infernape to shake it's head. Not wanting to relive the scene. Repto nodded knowingly and helped it up, leading it away. But, he couldn't help but notice some blood on the nearby trees, along with a broken pokeball lying on the ground.
Back in the cave, Angus and Quaker ran over to Repto, and upon seeing the Infernape began to question why he was here. But, Repto silenced the with a cold glare. Both pokemon knowing that something bad had happened.
He lowered the infernape down, letting it sit against the wall as he walked deeper into the cave. Finding his bedroom with ease and grabbing his bag and hurrying back to the infernape. Once there, he pulled a hyper potion from his bag and used it on the infernape, who smiled weakly at him.
"Thanks..."
"Don't mention it..." Repto replied with a knowing smile. "What's your name?"
"Ember," He replied, holding his arm. "The names Ember"
Repto nodded and offered his paw. "The names Repto,"
Ember pushed his paw away and stood up, looking to the caves mouth with a look of fear on his face. "You need to seal the entrance..."
"Why's that-" Quaker began, only for Repto to hold up a paw, telling him to wait a moment.
"It's... That lucario... Luka... He's... Different now... Something happened to him. He... He..." Ember trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.
"Just, take it easy, Ember."
Ember nodded before continuing. "He tried... To kill me... Did the same for our trainer... But he got away, thankfully..."
Repto stepped back and glanced out of the cave. Looking for the lucario, but found no trace of him.
"Any idea why he'd do that?" Gar asked, finally speaking up.
The infernape shook his head. "No... One minute, we were battling a pair of poochyena... The next, he's trying to kill me..." Ember shuddered before continuing. "But, something about him was wrong, he, he tried to rip my throat out..."
"Creepy..."Quaker muttered before getting a glare from the other pokemon. "What?" He asked, shrinking down from the others. "It is.."
Repto turned back to the others and without saying a word, the got to work. Moving the furniture they had there, save for the table, and putting it up against the opening.
While they did that, Repto slunk away, grabbing the box Volt had given him, before heading deep into the cave to his work room. Where he maintained his arm. Taking it off, by grabbing it and twisting it roughly, he placed it down on the bench and looked at it. Soon opening the lower half and looking at the wires that controled the fingers. With a light frown, he ran a finger over them, feeling for anything wrong with the wires. Seeing if they were any less taut. Which they were not. He shrugged and put it back together before putting his arm back on and flexing his fingers. Satisfied they were all working right, he pulled the key stone, and mega stone from his bag. Placing the key stone on the bench he held the mega stone up to the light, which was supplied by a torch burning on the wall, and looked at it with curiosity. Pondering why Volt had given him this.
"Unless..." He said, looking to the key stone. "Unless this is a mega stone for me.. For a feraligatr!" he exclaimed. Tossing it up and catching it in his paw. "Wait... I'd need a trainer to mega evolve, or do I?" He questioned, before looking to the entrance as he heard a few screams and then a very loud 'Thwak!'. With a growl, he shoved grabbed the keystone and shoved it into his bag. Running up through the corridors of the cave until he was back with the four pokemon. Except, now there were only three, three alive that is. For, Ember lay in the middle of the room, his head having been crushed. Blood was splattered around his body, and above him stood Quaker, holding his guitar by the neck. Panting lightly as he stared at the dead pokemon.
"Y-You fucker..." He said, before dropping his guitar, blood splatted over it too. With a burn mark on it.
"Quaker!" Repto screamed, staring at the dead pokemon, unable to contain his shock, and hold himself together. "What the fuck did you do!?"
"Calm down Repto, the lad was protecting us all. Ember there tried to kill, us all, if it weren't for this wee lad, we'd all be pushing up daisy's"
Repto placed a paw on his neck, trying to process what had just happened before he turned to the barricade. A dull thudding sound coming from the other side. Before he could question what it was, the barricade exploded, wood blasting everywhere. Smashing through everything on the table. Ignoring what had just happened, Repto looked to the table, seeing instantly that his cake was smashed to pieces. With a growl of anger, he looked to the entrance. Where the lucario Ember had mentioned stood, blood dripping from it's maw, and it's neck.
"Gwaroooh..." It moaned, before walking towards Repto.
Repto stared at it for a moment, completely silent before he finally spoke. "I'm going to kill you, and all my cake is gone..." He said, eerily calmly, before charging forwards, punching the lucario as hard as he could in the chest, before pulling his arm back, and spreading his palm. Leaving his claws out as he hit the lucario again. This time, with such force, he broke the lucarios ribs, a sickening crack echoing through the cave.
The pokemon winced at the sound, watching as the lucario was knocked onto it's back.
"Was that really needed, Repto?" Gar asked before falling silent as he saw the Lucario stand up, seemingly unfazed by the crushing blow.
"Want some more, eh?" He asked, running forwards and grabbing its arm, preparing to throw it, only for the lucario to grab his arm, and sink it's teeth deep into it. At least it would of sunk it's teeth in, had it not been his mechanical arm. Instead, it only scratched the metal.
With another growl, Repto kicked it away, before opening his jaws and hitting it with a hydro pump. Knocking it into the barricade. And onto a long wooden spike which stuck out from it. Piercing it's back and coming out from it's chest. Blood soaking it.
"Y-You killed him dad... W-Why..." Quaker stuttered as Repto panted angrily.
"Reppy... What's going on... Why are you so angry..." Primal asked, only to be ignored by Repto, who remained focused on the lucario. Watching it.
"Go on..." He muttered. "Prove me wrong..."
As if it had been listening, the lucario twitched lightly, before stepping forwards, the spike sliding back, out of it as it moved towards them, moaning softly. A hole now visible through it's chest.
"Uuuuuughhhh..."
Repto sighed lightly, flexing his paw and running up to it. Ducking as it grabbed at him before grabbing it in a deadlock. Making sure he held it with his mechanical arm. With a snarl, he tightened the hold before twisting the lucarios neck violently, a crack echoing out as he let go of it. Letting it fall to the ground. Not moving. Except for it's mouth, which it snapped at Repto hungrily, and it's eyes, which followed him as he walked.
"Quaker... Give me your guitar..." Repto said calmly, before repeating himself, sternly this time. Quaker obliged and handed him the guitar, watching in horror as Repto turned to the lucario, raising the guitar up and slamming it down on its head. Splitting it open and splattering blood about. Repto brushed some flesh off the guitar and handed it back to Quaker, who shook lightly, before falling to the ground in shock, shaking his head lightly.
"W-What the hell is going on..."
Repto sighed softly and glanced at the two dead pokemon, before looking to the barricade. "I don't know... But we need to fix this barricade..." He said, picking the lucario up by it's paw and tossing it out. The infernape soon following.
"Dad..." Quaker asked fearfully, looking to the feraligatr. "What's happened to you..."