If you ever had the chance to ask the ancients of their thoughts, they would tell you that the night was the safest time of the day. After all, day time was spent worshipping and fearing the sun. Especially in places like Johto and Hoenn, who had sun related gods and all. Funny how things would change. Now you would have kits trembling in the night, claiming to have terrors in their minds and sense evil presences about.
Of course, as people grew up, these night terrors had a curious tendency to fade away. As such their attention would ever return to the sun and keeping it's various gods happy. Only kits were sensitive to the long night, or the moonless night, when true evil was said to plague the land and the influence of Darkrai itself could be felt.
Heh, the long night. Sinnoh was such an odd place, especially when it came to it's myths and histories. I myself had always thought-
"AH!"
"Huh? Wha?" I practically scrambled to my feet, snapping out of my thoughts in a mere instant. The scream came from a small fox den a few feet from where I had been stargazing. I cursed under my breath and walked over to the den's opening, sticking my head inside.
"Hey, lad, you okay? What's the matter?" I asked, still a bit shaken up myself. My eyes adjusted to the darkness of the small den and I could make out the form of a curled up Pokemon. His white fur certainly helped, but his face was so black the only his red eyes could be made out, and they were open quite wide. He didn't respond to me at first, just looked at me and panted, his small frame trembling in fear.
I made eye-contact with the young Absol and took a calming breath. It wouldn't do any good for me to be all riled up too. If I could stay calm then I could show the lad that there was nothing to fear, and he would calm down too. So I shot him a small smile and backed up a bit from the fox den.
"It's all right lad, you're here now," I started softly. I couldn't see him anymore but I could imagine that he nodded in response. I gave him a few more seconds to recover from his shock and spoke again, "You had another one, didn't you?"
"...Not another one," His young voice said back, quiet like a whisper.
I quirked my eyebrow curiously, "The same one, then?"
Silence, which meant another invisible nod. I let out a sigh and stepped back further from the fox den to give him some space. "Come out then, Celsius,"
After a few seconds the young Absol crawled out of the fox den and looked at me. He seemed a bit less shaken up, as his body no longer trembled, but his eyes were still rather wide. This young Absol, Celsius, was a bit of a prodigy. All Absol were famous throughout history to be present during disasters. This was for various reasons, but primarily because they can sense large scale events before they occurred. Now I was no Absol myself, so I had no idea how this ability usually worked, but Celsius seemed to have a much stronger version of that ability.
He'd see the disasters in dreams as well.
I smiled reassuringly at Celsius and gave his head a pat, careful not to skewer my paw on his horn. Couldn't have that now, could I? After all it was the only paw I had.
"I need you to tell me what it was that you saw, no matter how scary," I said to him soothingly. Celsius nodded up at me before looking down at the grass, quietly collecting his thoughts.
"I saw two crowns, hovering above a bloody forest, same as before," He started. I grunted to show my acknowledgement, so the lad continued, "One was finally victorious and the blood got cleaned up, but that's when the fire came. There was...just so much of it..."
That was the only issue with the lad's premonitions. I was convinced that, while most Absol could only sense large scale disasters, Celsius was privvy to even smaller ones with his dream visions, but they were prophetic in nature. One had to decipher their meanings in order to find out what was truly going to happen. It was like hearing the whispers of the ancients when he spoke.
So two crowns in a forest of blood...sounds simple enough. Celsius had this same dream a few nights prior and I determined where this event was going to transpire, so we had been en route since then. As for the fire, well, that could mean just about anything. We'd have to keep our eyes open for a fire type it seemed.
Celsius had calmed down completely now, his expression a far more relaxed one than before. His eyes were half-lidded, showing how tired he was, but he focused his gaze on me. I chuckled and flicked his nose lightly with a claw, prompting the young one to wrinkle his nose in protest.
"All right. We should be arriving at Eterna tomorrow. Certainly we'll find the source of this dream there, mm?" Celsius nodded once again, "Until then, try to get some more rest if you can lad. You're going to need it,"
Aye, and I as well.
Morning came swiftly enough and we didn't stick around that ravine for long. Celsius seemed more incensed than ever to reach Eterna Forest, either out of curiosity or desparation. The boy hated the dreams he had, and that was part of the reason he decided to travel with me. Ever since I first met him I decided I'd go around and try to find meaning in his premonitions. I wasn't sure how Sinnoh treated their Absol, but back at my home Pokemon learned to respect what they had to say, and many times it prevented grave disasters from happening.
Thankfully that ravine had not been far at all from Eterna. In fact we likely could have reached the forest that night, but it would have been unwise to enter the forest during that time, to say the least. Especially with Celsius' dream happening once again. Two crowns in a forest could only mean one thing...
As we entered the forest border I stopped and looked back at the young Absol. "Remember, lad, we're going to be found and we're going to be questioned. Just stay calm, and leave the talking to me,"
"Understood," Celsius replied with an even tone. Hm, he was an odd lad to say the least. The most emotion he'd ever show was fear and shock from his visions. Otherwise he was calm as could be, giving away very little. One had to look hard at his expression to see how he truly felt.
"Hmm, that's a good lad," I replied with a smirk before turning to face the forest once more. Oh we would be found, of that I had no doubt, but I had no clue which side would find us first. One was far more preferable than the other, I knew that much.
We made our way through the trees rather aimlessly. Again, the goal was to be found, not to find on our own. So though we walked with purpose we had no clear destination in mind. I was only vaguely familiar with the layout of Eterna Forest myself, for the forest was unseemly large and well known as being maze-like to newcomers. Only it's denizens could navigate those trees properly, all others either had to follow a hidden path or walk straight and pray to Shaymin.
Still, for such an unfamiliar area, I couldn't deny the welcoming feeling these trees gave me. Eterna had always been labeled sacred ground to the people and Pokemon of Sinnoh, and so no human company had ever been granted permission to harvest the forest's trees or plantlife whatsoever. It was a zone protected by both the government and Shaymin itself, touched only by time and none else. To walk through a place that has hardly changed over the course of centuries was a mystical experience.
It was one I certainly appreciated the value of.
Of course, I didn't need to be familiar with the trees to see the shadows that had stalked beneath them. It followed us for at least two minutes before I decided to humor it, chuckling loudly and looking up at the sky. Not that I could see the sky, of course, the tall trees blocked out most of it with their branches and leaves.
"You know, in Hoenn it's customary that a clan's guard make his presence known to their guests," I called out in a whimsical voice, unable to hide my grin. The shadow growled in response and I held my paw out to Celsius as sign to stop where he was. My gaze was fixed on the shadow behind the trees and I tensed the muscles in my legs. I knew what was coming next.
The large shadow burst from the trees in a blur of orange, it's form revealed to be that of a large canine-like Pokemon. Thankfully I was ready for this charge. When the Arcanine closed in on me I placed my paw on his head and pushed up while jumping, essentially leap frogging over his body to avoid his charge. I landed and shot the creature a smirk over my shoulder while the Arcanine forced his charge to a halt, whirling around and shooting a smirk of his own back at me.
"Spry as always, you old Zangoose," The Arcanine growled, standing up straight and taking a more relaxed stance.
"Old?" I guffawed, "First you make that horrible attempt to catch me off guard, and then you insult me! In front of my young protege at that!" I gestured towards Celsius, who was still a bit shaken up by the Arcanine's assault. Still his expression had shifted from one of shock back to an even one and he seemed to be studying the Arcanine curiously. No doubt it was the first time he ever saw one.
The Arcanine, who I knew to be Orion, grunted and spared Celsius a glance of his own, "I see. I dare not ask where you found this Absol. He's not yours, is he Swipes?"
I chuckled and shook my head before shooting a smile at the young Absol. "Go on now, introduce yourself,"
"My name is Celsius, it's nice to meet you," He said with a quiet but polite tone. The Arcanine gave Celsius a nod before responding.
"Well met Celsius. My name is Orion," Orion then turned his eyes to me, "So what brings you to our clan grounds, Swipes?"
I didn't have a clue as to how I would explain that answer to Orion. He was a straight-forward sort of man, blunt as a hammer and all that, so prophetic dreams from a young Absol wouldn't exactly fly with him. At least not if I was the only one vouching for it. However I knew there was one Pokemon whose word Orion would not question: his alpha's.
"Well we came here to pay Bel a visit," I replied with a grin, "But I'm afraid I'm not familiar with this forest yet. Would you mind giving us an escort?"
Orion cocked his brow but nodded, saying nothing else as he walked back through the trees. It was astounding how such a serious fellow, just moments ago, was playful in his greeting. Truly it only verified the dire situations that had cropped up across Sinnoh, and they mostly involved the clans.
Clans were interesting on their own. They were essentially societies of Pokemon, grouped together for any number of reasons. Some were born into a clan and stayed out of familiarity, some joined because they had neither a home of their own nor the strength to take their own territory. There were as many reasons to join a clan as there were restrictions of a clan's acceptance. Some clans only took in mammalian Pokemon, for example, while another may only take in Normal types. Some clans had different structures and hierarchies than others as well, though most followed an alpha who was determined either by blood inheritance or combat prowess.
Pokemon clans were a common sight in Hoenn, but only a few had deep histories throughout that region. In Sinnoh nearly all of the clans were very, very ancient. The three great clans of were prime examples of clans that had been around since before recorded history. Nobody knows how they were formed but the clan members, but all knew that they had existed since the legendaries walked among us.
In Eterna there were three major clans that ruled the area, one of which Orion was a border guard for. It was a smaller clan that focused on the combat prowess of it's members, all of whom were incredibly loyal to their alpha: a powerful Slaking named Belphegor.
Always thought his name was a bit much, so I called him Bel for short.
Thankfully our wandering had brought us close to enough to the clan grounds. It took only a few minutes of Orion escorting us to reach a clearing amongst the trees. The clearing was grassy and full of berry bushes and small hills, and it was surrounded by a wide border of tall trees. Throughout the clearing was a fascinating sight of various Pokemon honing their battle skills, either solo or with others, and not a single one bothered to stop their training to inspect myself or Celsius.
Celsius himself seemed to take great interest in the training. When I looked back to check on him I saw his gaze was firmly set on a female Buizel and Linoone partaking in the dance of combat, darting in and out of each other's space to land swift strikes. His gaze lingered for quite a bit...was he at that age? It ocurred to me that I had never asked him, and I couldn't help but grin.
If he was at that age, I could tease him to the ends of the earth.
"Belphegor!" Orion barked. My head snapped away from the young Absol and I looked straight ahead. Before us rested the great Slaking himself, who lay flat on his back with his eyes closed. His large belly raised and sunk with slowly, with each breath, and his arm twitched at the sound of Orion's bark.
Mighty Belphegor, the great alpha of this clan, was taking a nap.
I burst out into laughter while Orion continued to bark and growl at his alpha. Celsius merely shifted his weight awkwardly, unsure what to do in this situation, while I patted Orion's side with my paw "Hoo boy. Last I checked old Bel was a Slaking. Didn't realize they evolved into Snorlax!" It was a terrible joke, I know, but that's what made it funny! Unfortunately Orion didn't agree and merely shot me a quick glare before resuming his efforts to waking the alpha.
Eventually the combination of my laughter sounds managed to stir the large Pokemon and he opened his eyes with obvious reluctance.
"Hmm?" His voice rumbled like thunder as he studied the three of us, "Swipes...is that you?"
I had calmed down from my laughter at this point and shot the great ape a grin, "Aye. It's been a while, Bel,"
"Not long enough," Belphegor replied with a chuckle. The Slaking forced himself up from his back and onto his rump with what looked like great effort. He stretched his arms up into the air and let out a mighty yawn, "What brings you to my clan, friend?"
"Well, I'm sure you've noticed this young Absol I have with me," I started, gesturing to Celsius. The Absol said nothing and merely studied the Slaking, "His name is Celsius, and he's my protege,"
Belphegor chuckled once again before he crossed his arms. "This boy chose you as a protege? Some might call it a poor choice,"
I frowned in mock offense before retorting, "Oy, I take offense to that! Most would call it a great choice, eh lad?" I turned my head to Celsius and he just stared at me, the tiniest hint of a smirk tugging at his mouth. Ah, so that's how it was hm? He wouldn't insult me but he wouldn't defend me either, "Yeesh, I thought Absol were dark types not ice..."
At this point I realized I had gotten a bit side-tracked, but at least it wasn't entirely my fault. I turned my head to the Slaking once again, "Anyway, I'm sure you're familiar with the unique ability Absol possess,"
Belphegor's demeanor shifted instantly. His relaxed facial expression tensed to one more stern and serious. He didn't need to nod, I knew that he knew. "Celsius has that ability as well, of course, though his is a great deal stronger I believe. Lately he's had dreams involving two crowns battling in a forest,"
"Two crowns..." Belphegor mused, bringing one of his massive paws up to his chin, "You thought I would be doing battle?"
"Aye, and if not you then perhaps Hive Queen Elizabeth, maybe with the leader of the chateau ghosts?" I suggested. One of Eterna's three major clans, by far the largest, was a legion of bug type Pokemon unified under a lineage of Vespiquen. The current leader was named Elizabeth, and while she wasn't aggressive towards the other clans she was a stern negotiator, and quite territorial to all non-bug types.
As for the leader of the Chateau ghost types, well, I wasn't quite familiar with him. I didn't know much at all, only that he identified as a male. Rumor had it that he was a Gastly.
"I've heard nothing of the sort. Perhaps your boy there is a bit off in his prophecy," Belphegor replied. Celsius shook his head firmly and took a step forward.
"Sorry...sir," He started before continuing, "But I know what I saw, and I haven't been wrong yet. Nothing may be happening now, but if not now then soon, and if not soon then eventually," I hadn't expected such boldness from the Absol. His vision must have really shook him up if he was willing to speak so boldly to a stranger, let alone a clan alpha.
Belphegor was not one to take offense to this, thankfully. Instead he gave the Absol's words more thought and turned his eyes to the sky.
"Sir..." Orion spoke up now, taking a small step towards his alpha, "Perhaps the Medicham?"
I quirked my brow. Medicham were hardly common around Eterna, though a few of them made homes around . It must have been a traveller to have come out that way. Belphegor looked at Orion and gave a nod before turning back towards us.
"Yes. A Medicham visited us not long ago, and challeneged me personally,"
That was quite shocking. Belphegor was alpha because he was undefeated. He was the stronged member of the clan and one of the most powerful Pokemon I had ever known. His might and prowess were known across all of western Sinnoh. If anyone were to challenge him they were brave or arrogant, perhaps power hungry.
"And how did that go?" I asked. Belphegor grunted and shifted his weight, as if he was uncomfortable.
"It came to a draw...but I feel as though she held back," He answered honestly, "She was more concerned about sharing some interesting tales. Tales of evil in the southwest,"
"Evil?" I inquired further. Belphegor nodded, his expression grim as they come.
"Yes. Tales of the dead come to life...and I don't mean ghost types. She spoke of necromancy,"