The Zoroarks at Sunset
The prologue may have been a little boring for you, but don't worry, because this chapter will most certainly perk up your interest! Oh, and here's a fun fact! Some say that Grass-form Shaymin is female but then changes to male when it turns into its Sky-form! Weird! But hey, Mew is genderless!
The song is "Leaning On the Everlasting Arms" by Elisha A. Hoffman. It's a good song. Listen to it on You Tube.
Chapter 1: The Battles at Sunset
As Zorua sat in a state of euphoria as he enjoyed his Pecha Berry milkshake, Zoroark just sat back on a stool in front of the counter and looked around the Saloon.
"Strangers in these parts, aren't you?" the Treeko said.
Zoroark nodded, and she said to the room at large, "One of you sent me a message via a Shaymin that you'd meet me here. You said that you needed my help very badly."
Suddenly, they were all interrupted when a Shaymin in its Sky-form zoomed in and landed on the counter near Zoroark.
He smiled and said, "Here I am! See Zoroark! I told you that I'd meet you here! And yup, you're right! The guy I delivered the message for really needs your help!"
Zoroark nodded and said, "Alright, so whoever you are, step forward."
A Combusken with a gold star pinned to its chest feathers stepped forward. He smiled and said, "I'm very glad you came-."
"Ahem!"
Combusken gave a clucking laugh and said, "Yes, I am glad you came too Shaymin, and thanks for delivering the message for me."
Shaymin grinned and said, "Well, you sure were lucky I decided to pay a visit to this section of the Pokemon world, or else you'd still have no way of getting a call for help out. And, if I hadn't visited Ash, Dawn, Brock, Pikachu and the gang, I would never had found out about Zoroark and Zorua from their latest adventure!"
Combusken continued, "I'm Sheriff in these parts-."
"And I'm his Deputy! Well, I am whenever I'm in the Pokemon West I am!" Shaymin interrupted, showing off a small gold star pinned near the red flower petals on his back.
"And I need your help, Zoroark!" Combusken concluded.
Zoroark sniffed and said, "You'd think a Sheriff would be able to take care of his town himself. That's why he's a Sheriff, isn't it?"
Sheriff Combusken hung his head in shame and said, "I know, but what's going on here is not exactly what you'd normally think would be happening in a Western Pokemon Town. Especially a town like Master Ball City." He glanced out the window and said, "Oh boy, it's already almost that time..."
Immediately, all of the Pokemon began to rush out of the Saloon.
Zorua, who clearly didn't like being interrupted from his Pecha Berry milkshake, hopped down from the counter, still holding the tall, frosty glass, and said, "Hey! What's going on? What's happening? Where's everybody-."
SMASH!
A Pichu about his size had bumped into him, causing him to drop his milkshake. The glass smashed to bits, and the sweet drink was splattered all over the floor.
Zorua looked with wide eyes at the Pichu, who ran out of the Saloon even quicker in response.
Zorua began to cry as he ran out of the Saloon and over to his mother. "Meema! Meema!" he sobbed, "A Pichu made me spill my-."
Zoroark gently put her tail over his mouth to silence him. Zorua wiped his eyes and looked up. He noticed that Shaymin, Combusken, and Zoroark were all staring at the setting sun. Zorua forget his bad luck for a moment and looked off into the orange light as well. A sound suddenly came to the young fox's ears. It was the sound of an ocarina. It was a flute music that was sweet, and yet sad. As the song grew slowly louder, Zorua could see a figure beginning to materialize out of the setting sun's golden light. Slowly walking into town while playing his ocarina, was a male Zoroark.
The four of them watched as the male Zoroark walked into the town. When he stepped onto the street, he suddenly stopped playing his ocarina, and began to sing words in tune to the music he was singing. His voice was slightly deep, and it was actually on the sweetly- sad side, strangely lacking the gruffness you would expect from a shadow fox Pokemon.
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms,
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
The Zoroark played a few more bars of the song on his ocarina as he walked toward the center of the town. A determined male Raichu suddenly began to approach him. After they were about 3 yards apart, they stopped. The Zoroark stopped playing his ocarina and let it hang from his neck by the chain round his neck.
"That Zoroark-," Combusken said.
"Is Zorro!" Shaymin chimed in dramatically, "The fastest illusionist in the West!"
The tension could be felt in the air as the two Pokemon stared at each other eye to eye. The seconds crawled by slowly as the sun slowly sank down, down, down. Until, the bottom of the sun gently kissed the horizon. At that very second, Zorro was soon the very mirror image of the Raichu standing before him. The entire town shouted out, "Sunset Strike!"
Both Raichu and Illusion Raichu leapt at each other, their tails glowing brightly, and struck at each other with Iron Tails.
Both opponents zoomed by each other in a blur, and landed a few feet from each other, their back to each other. After a brief moment of agonizing silence, the real Raichu fell forward, a bruise on its head. Zorro's Iron Tail had made its mark. The Raichu had been knocked out cold.
The entire town was dead silent.
Zorro returned to his true form. Wearing his mysterious, sad, gentle frown on his face, Zorro returned to playing his ocarina, turned around, and left the town. As he disappeared into the sunset, he sang:
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms,
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
A group of Pokemon; the Pichu among them, clearly the Raichu's son; ran up to attend to the Raichu.
Zorua looked into the setting sun and said, "Wow...Oh wow...Whoa...What an awesome...He's just so...Cool..."
Within the Saloon; Zorua, Zoroark, Sheriff Combusken, Shaymin, Treeko, and Mayor Buizel of Master Ball City all met.
"Zorro entered this town about a month ago-," Mayor Buizel began.
"Yep! All dramatically, at high noon, with the sun high above him! And his shadow all long down main street!" Shaymin interrupted excitedly.
"How do you know?" Treeko said, "You weren't even there!"
"You told me," Shaymin said with a smirk.
"Anyway," Sheriff Combusken said, "Zorro announced to us all that he desired rest, and that he could only find that rest if he found a worthy opponent and lost to that opponent."
"And so," Mayor Buizel said, "The Pokemon of this fair town have been battling him every sunset since the first day he arrived here. Mostly out of pity. They wanted him to finally find this rest and peace he kept referring to. However, he has never lost."
Combusken nodded an said, "Yes, not even I-."
"Or me!" Shaymin shouted.
"Have been able to defeat him. Although Zorro has never seriously hurt anyone, he has brought an aurora of bad feelings to this normally joyous town, famous for its milkshakes. Here's mot a bad Pokemon, I can tell by the way he sings. Also, I sense great pain in Zorro's heart. Pain that apparently can only be healed by his defeat if we are to believe what he says. Zoroark, only you, a fellow master of illusions, cam defeat him. Only you are a worthy opponent for him. Only you can set him free. When you triumph, you will bring peace to this town, and to the tortured soul that is Zorro."
Treeko scratched his head and said, "But I still don't understand how him loosing a battle will help heal the pain in his heart. I mean, what even caused that pain in the first place?"
"I know," Zoroark said.
Everyone gasped.
"You do? Tell us! But wait, how could you possibly know?" Treeko said.
Zoroark looked over to her son, who had fallen fast asleep. She picked Zorua up and cradled him in her arms.
"The tortured soul must be given what he seeks," she said, "And I am sure that when I triumph, Zorro will admit to you all what his pain is, for I will use the knowledge of his past and the perfect words to melt his heart and reveal his past to the town which he has deeply connected his destiny to. I cannot tell you what his past is right now. You will know soon enough."
She then slowly walked up the stairs with her child in her arms and up to the room that had been freely provided for them by their new friends.
"Cool...he's so cool..." Zorua said in his sleep with a wide smile on his face.
Zoroark smiled and nuzzled him, and said, "Yes, my son. Admire him. Idolize him. For you are the key to freeing the tortured heart of Zorro. For it is not only part of me that lies within you..."
In the middle of the night, Shaymin felt someone nudge him. He yawned and rolled over saying, "Aw, is it morning already?" He opened his eyes to see Zorua facing him. "Why are you waking me up at midnight!" Shaymin said in a loud whisper.
Zorua gave a quiet snicker and said, "Listen up, Shaymin, I need you to help me with something. Very early, tomorrow morning, before sunrise, maybe 5 A.M..."
Knock-knock.
Who's there?
Interrupting Shaymin.
Interrupting Shay-.
"SHAYMIN!"Shaymin shouts.
Ha-ha-ha! Very funny, right? Get it? He keeps interrupting... Every story needs a comic relief character! Shaymin will be in Sky-form during the entire story by the way.
Anyway, what is the mystery of Zorro the Zoroark? What is his connection to Zoroark and Zorua? You'll just have to wait until future chapters.
