Chapter 4: Impudence of Jude
It was funny how different things seemed walking away from Ingrid's lair. The air seemed to be fresher, plants and bug-types were abundant, and there was no oppressive feeling that lingered about like a heavy fog.
The trio of dark-types seemed a bit out of place in this somewhat idyllic setting. Treading through the meadow of tall grass and flowers, even Jude seemed to be relaxing a little.
Hearth was glad to see this. She had worried that his exposure to Ingrid would taint him irrevocably, as the witch so often did to anything she came in contact with. The delphox was much like a disease which blighted the land and spread into the hearts and minds of those under her sphere of influence.
Shard, on the other hand, was the mopey grump for the day. After getting directions from the Noivern, Hearth and Jude both had to force her to let it go. Shard had begged and pleaded to keep it, promising to take it flying and feed it, the latter of which probably was a mistake as the bat-like creature tried once again to devour her after being set free.
Ever since then the Weavile had been a real downer, freezing a butterfree in place for the crime of landing in her way as she trudged along at the back of the group. Hearth, however, was having none of this today and quickly freed the insect.
"That was completely inappropriate, Shard," Hearth scolded, her voice a little more tense than usual as her patience had been worn thin over the past few days. "You can't just vent your anger on others when you aren't happy, then you just turn into Jude."
"Hey! I thought you were proud of me!" Jude growled, his demeanor going from somewhat happy to as grumpy as Shard in a heartbeat. "Should have just taken her offer, been a mega absol, killed Hilde."
Hearth sighed. Jude was going off now too. Why could they not just have a single day without there being a fight or an argument, or really anything? All she wanted was just one single day of just acting like they were actually friends.
"How much farther is it?" Shard moaned. The weavile was dragging her feet through the fresh soil, leaving behind a little trail of frost, an odd sight for the warm summer's day. "I just want to get my beating over with, then maybe we can put this whole thing behind us and have real lives again."
"We have real lives," Jude snorted, swiping at a rather large log in the way of the group, the wooden obstacle bouncing a few times before coming to rest. "I mean what more could you want out of life than hanging out with your friends on a grand adventure?"
"A home, a family, someone who'll tell me nice things and bring me gifts without me asking," Shard grumbled, the little weavile freezing a flower as she passed by. "The sort of things that hanging out with friends in the middle of nowhere doesn't provide."
"Sounds like you just want a new master," Jude sneered, pressing on through the tall grass and flowers. "We're still his, we'll always be his, nothing will change that."
"She wants to move on Jude," Hearth growled, trying very hard not to beat the absol herself over that last comment. "We all do, but moving on has different meanings for each of us. Shard wants a stable and happy life with someone else. I want to go back to hunting evil. All you want is to make Hildegard hurt for what she did. But tell me this, when that's done, what then? Where do you go after the problem is gone and the pain is still there?"
"It won't be there!" Jude shouted, the absol turning to face Hearth, tears streaming down his face. "I'll have avenged him, made him proud of me!"
"Jude, you need help," Hearth said sternly, not flinching in the slightest as the absol rounded on her. "And not the kind of help I can give you, certainly not the kind of help that Ingrid offers."
"And what kind of help is that?" Jude snarled, pacing back and forth impatiently as he looked at the houndoom with a great deal of frustration. "The kind of help where we all sing about our feelings and prance around like little ponyta?"
"The kind of help that offers inner peace, and real healing," Hearth said, at this point walking past Jude. "It's a shame that you're not a fire-type. I'd march you up to the Pyre dojo so fast you'd think you were using extreme speed."
Jude trotted up to Hearth, the absol mere inches away from the houndoom's muzzle. The two of them began to circle each other, teeth bared at the other, a low growl emanating from both of them.
Shard began to back up, knowing full well that this was a fight she wanted nothing to do with. The pair of them had never been this cross with the other, and the weavile was not sure how this was going to end, but she had a good notion that it would not be pretty.
Jude lunged at Hearth, his teeth grabbing on to one of her horns and clamping down hard, claws scratching into her chest. As his teeth ground against the bony protrusion, Jude continued his assault on the older canine, his youth a strong asset in this fight.
Hearth, while older, was by far not weak. The demon dog had been in many fights in her lifetime, both with their former trainer and in the wild. The absol was indeed younger, faster, and possibly a bit stronger, but he lacked discipline. Hearth used this to her advantage, tossing her head to the side as she flipped Jude up and over her. The absol crashed into the log he had previously batted out of the way.
Jude's speed saved him from a world of hurt as he rolled quickly behind the wooden barrier, Hearth's teeth clamping down on a branch, splintering it from the force of the bite. Jude quickly took the momentary lapse in her attack to go back on the offensive, attempting to attack her with his scythe-like horn.
Hearth, once more on the defensive, caught the absol's blade in her own curved horns. The houndoom's own bony head growths were far more suited to being clashed against similar horns, like the butting of two rams, but could be used well enough as a guard against other attacks as well.
Now stuck together, the pair reared up on their hind legs, attempting to bite and claw the other while looking for an opportunity to break free of the other and get in a good solid attack.
Jude ought to have been thankful that up to this point, Hearth had not used any of her fire-based attacks on him. But caught like he was, the absol knew that he was in serious danger of just having her unleash a torrent of hellfire right into his face. A danger that became ever more possible as sparks and embers began to emit from Hearth's mouth with each breath.
Finally, Jude caught a break, his sickle-shaped horn sliding out from underneath Hearth's curved horns, dragging along her face as he did so, leaving a deep cut along her brow. Boiling blood streamed down the houndoom's face as they both backed off from each other slightly, though neither had given in.
In a fraction of a second, they were back at it, the pair viciously attacking with no real end in sight. Fangs and claws dug into each other with such ferocity that neither seemed to even care about their surroundings.
Finally, Hearth snapped, no longer holding back. As Jude came in for another attack the houndoom opened her mouth wide, a torrent of dark flames flowing from her mouth.
Jude, unable to dodge, simply stared wide-eyed as he was engulfed in the fiery wave. Forced back by the blast and crumpling on the ground, his fur was badly burned, as were parts of his body.
Hearth padded up to the defeated absol, staring down at him, teeth still bared. The houndoom was fairly certain that the fight was over, but she was taking no chances.
"It's not so bad you know," she growled, her voice seeming almost demonic. "The family you have now, the people who actually care enough to head out here with you, they aren't so bad. Get your head on straight and start thinking about what you have and not what you've lost, cause next time I won't pull my punches."
"Is it done?" came a somewhat timid voice, Shard peeking out from behind a clump of large grass. "Are we all good?"
"Put some ice on those burns would you?" Hearth replied, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself. "And, yes, for now, it is done."
Hilde looked around her. She was surrounded- a hitmonchan, hitmonlee, and scyther stared down the lucario. Hilde closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in before exhaling. She focused herself on the conflict.
There was a sudden boom. Hilde knew it immediately as Mach punch, that massive sound being the hitmonchan's fist breaking the sound barrier. She had not even had a chance to finish her focus before they had decided to attack, a wise move on their part as Hilde was completely unprepared for the impact to the side of her face.
Hilde's eyes opened wide as she flew through the air. The lucario growled a bit in disgust at letting her guard down like that. Hildegard, though, was not about to make the same mistake twice, forcing a hand to the ground to slow down and control her landing, righting herself in the process.
There was little time to prepare for the next attack, however, as an extendable leg shot towards her. The move was quick and precise, but it was also straightforward and predictable, easily blocked by the experienced fighting type.
The sound of blades clashing against each other let Hilde know that the scyther was performing a swords dance. The bug-type's blades would cut extra deep at this point, an experience she hoped to avoid.
If she had planned on taking the fight to the mantis-like pokemon, she would have to wait as the hitmonchan had returned, raining down a barrage of lightning-quick punches. Bullet punch- it was something she herself had once known how to use, though she had abandoned it for more powerful moves that could quickly end a fight.
Hilde simply absorbed the lightning fast jabs as she waited for an opening, only blocking those that would strike at key areas which might disable or disorient her.
Soon enough she found one, noting that the hitmonchan favored his left arm over his right. Striking hard and fast, Hilde delivered a massive mega punch to the hitmonchan's right shoulder, sending the attacker flying.
There were still two more to deal with though as she rounded about, catching a roundhouse kick in her arms. It was far too predictable she thought, as she prepared to toss her attacker aside. Once again the sound of blades clashing signified another swords dance.
Hildegard hefted the hitmonlee up off the ground, her arms firmly around the elastic leg of the now captured pokemon. She swung her body around, using the poor pokemon at the end a makeshift flail as she smashed the fighting-type into the scyther.
"All three of you are pathetic," she shouted as she stood in the midst of her fallen foes. "But that's why we're here, to work on that. So everyone come over here and we'll talk about what went wrong, and what you did right."
The three battered pokemon limped over, sitting around the lucario. The trio looked down at the ground in shame.
"Chan, you did well," Hilde said with a small amount of approval. "You attacked while I was weak, and put a great deal of pressure on me to follow up. Your moves are weak though. Don't focus so much on speed moves. They help, but if you can't take out your target with your first punch, they become far less useful. Also, keep your guard up on your right side."
"I'll keep that in mind," the hitmonchan said, rubbing his shoulder with his boxing gloved hand.
"Lee, you're too direct," Hilde said, turning to the hitmonlee. "Even when you tried to attack me while my guard was down, it was so predictable I had no problem stopping it. High jump kick might have been better there, though Fleur uses that a lot, so I still probably would have been able to counter it."
The hitmonlee just nodded a little, the pokemon remaining quiet in his thoughts.
"Finally, Mary," Hilde said, turning to the scyther. "First where did you get a name like that? I mean, why not something fierce like Bladewing or Thrasher?"
"My trainer thought Mary was a fine name," the Scyther scowled, struggling to get up to her feet. "You got a problem with that, Fido?"
"Where was that in the fight?" Hilde asked, a bit surprised, but not at all displeased by the response. "Instead you double swords dance in the background and get wiped out in the process."
"I, well, I'm a show pokemon OK?" the scyther blurted out as she crossed her scythes across her chest. "I was building up the crowd for the finisher."
"Less show, more force," Hilde said, smirking a little at the bug. "One swords dance is enough in most cases. Follow it up with a slash or cross scissor. This isn't a show, and if you wait too long to attack, you'll probably end up dead."
"If only you put this much effort into the things I tell you to do."
Hilde turned around, her gut sinking a little as she came face to face with Fleur, the lopunny standing a few feet away, Bernard close at hand.
"Valley needs a defense force," Hilde grumbled, not bothering to address Fleur directly, turning back to the three pokemon.
"Don't turn your back on me, Hildegard," Fleur growled, the rabbit at this point very much done with the lucario's attitude. "I told you to work with Bernard. We don't need a defense force. We are a place of peace and healing."
"If that old pervert was still alive I might agree with you," the lucario sneered, waving off the three pokemon as it was clear they would not be continuing their training. "But he's not. He died. Why? Because all of you were too weak to do anything. You and your little team almost got yourselves killed by the self-same abomination. And it is still out there, extremely angry, and probably just licking its wounds readying for another go at you."
"At me? You're the one who sucker punched it," Fleur replied defensively, the rabbit taking a step towards Hilde. "What makes you think it's going to come after me?"
"Because you humiliated it, and then got away," Hilde said calmly, the lucario staring down the lopunny. "It's going to come back here, it's going to hold you responsible for its humiliation, and it's going to tear a bloody path right to you."
Fleur paled at this. It was a very blunt, and probably accurate description of what would happen. Malice had toyed with the witch after the strange pokemon had killed sage, and she had almost killed all of them as well. If not for the power dampeners on her wrist and the lucario's intervention it would have most certainly toyed with them until it tired, then simply killed them.
"Fine," Fleur huffed, her foot tapping rapidly, portraying her irritation. "But you're still in charge of helping Bernard."
"Why?" Hilde asked, looking at the rock wolf sitting in the background. "I can't fix his condition, I don't even know how it started. All I can tell you for sure is that there are definitely two different entities inside him."
"Well then use your aura and fix them, make them one, separate them, lock the evil one away," Fleur replied in exasperation.
"Aura doesn't work that way," Hildegard said simply, really not that surprised that the lopunny did not understand what she was capable of. "I'm not a delphox or some other psychic-type. I can't eat dreams or magically solve problems by deleting memories. I can't cast spells and charms to alter the fabric of reality. The only pokemon in a thousand miles that probably can is the witch. What do you want, for me to give him a map!"
"Do you have one?" Bernard asked shyly, both Hilde and Fleur turning their attention to the lycanroc. "I'll do anything to get rid of this... thing... inside me. So do you have a map?"
Jude growled as he shook himself free of snow. The Absol had been under the watchful care of Shard ever since his fight with Hearth. Jude shivered a little, the air around him even feeling cold. His burns, starting to blister, sent searing pain through his body.
Shard was nowhere to be seen. The weavile had left some time ago, though Jude was unsure why. He was not overly concerned with it, however, especially seeing as her bedside manner was atrocious. He was unsure if he would ever be able to get over the icicle thermometer she had attempted to use on him.
Jude took a few steps, gingerly trying to get back into the swing of walking. The absol would need to be able to soon if he had any hope of catching up with Hilde. He suspected that the lucario would leave the moment that the bat got back to wherever she was staying.
Jude was so focused, that he was completely unaware of what was around him, tripping face-first over a pair of rawst berries left to help heal the burns. The absol cried out in agony as his burned body hit the rough ground, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"You really should rest some more," Hearth's motherly voice came from above. "You're going to get some really nasty scars if you don't."
Jude looked up at the houndoom, his face seething with rage. It was her fault he was like this, she was the one who had burned him in the first place. She was trying to keep him from reaching Hilde, from reaching his true potential.
Hearth, however, just looked down at the absol with concern. She had known he would be angry with her over the fight. It was a needed learning experience though. Perhaps now he would realize the folly of his desire to fight Hildegard.
"You'll be well enough to continue tomorrow," Hearth continued, her voice showing no anger in it. "That is if you don't push yourself."
"What do you care?" Jude growled, pushing himself up and crawling over to the snow pile. "You don't really want me to fight Hildegard anyhow."
"No, I don't," Hearth said, not bothering to argue with what was a truth. "But I'm not trying to stop you from doing it either. I would have just told Shard to leave you if that was my intent."
"What do you want then?" Jude snarled, curling up in the snow pile. "Why do you keep holding me back if you don't care?"
"I care a great deal," Hearth said bluntly, her eyes showing a bit of the anger from before. "I care so much that I took you to one of the most dangerous places in the entire world."
"You knew I'd chicken out," Jude huffed, the absol taking a bite from the rawst berry in front of him. "You knew I'd run away. It's because you think I'm weak. Just like my family."
"This, right here, is your problem," Hearth said firmly, getting up and pacing back and forth. "You won't let go of the past. Why do you really think I took you to the witch? To laugh at you as you cowered in the face of real power? Don't you get it yet?"
"That I'm weak, and I should just accept my place as some worthless omega, living out my days happily being a subservient nobody?" Jude growled, batting the half-eaten berry away in anger and disgust. "That I should just learn my place and be happy? Isn't that what you wanted to teach me?"
"No, you idiot," Hearth snapped, looking at the absol in utter disbelief. "Ingrid is you! If you keep going down the path you are, you'll have all the power in the world, but you'll be alone, dying just to have some little glimmer of your old life to hold on to. A visit, from Shard perhaps, giving you that feeling of love that you discarded for power and vengeance years ago."
"I'm nothing like her. Hilde killed our trainer," Jude said, growling a little at the implications that Hearth was making. "I need to avenge him, since I couldn't save him."
"And Ingrid wants to kill Ignatius because he killed her trainer," Hearth said, absolutely shocked at how dense the absol was. "Or was that not clear enough to you when I told you my story? He murdered Ingrid's trainer, Jude. And unlike Hilde, we know why he did it."
"What does that matter?" Jude asked, his eyes starting to tear up slightly. "Reason won't bring him back. It won't undo the hurt. It's just an excuse they use for themselves to explain away why they choose to do harm to others."
"You're impossible," Hearth growled, leaving Jude in the pile of snow. "I'm going for a walk."
Jude lied in the snow, listening to wind blowing through the tall grass. The pile of snow in which he laid slowly melting, wetting his white fur, and causing him some discomfort on his burned flesh.
Looking up, the absol noticed that the sun was starting to set in the western sky. He guessed it was likely six or so in the afternoon, though he never was very good with human times. He just knew that his master went to the dojo at four, and the sun was higher then than it was now.
Jude huffed angrily, the absol moping in the snow pile, slowly nibbling at the other rawst berry. He really hated that Hearth was right about almost all of his problems. If he'd just talk about them then he might actually be able to move on. But she would never understand.
"You know, maybe you don't want to talk to her, but I'll listen if you like."
Jude turned to see Shard, sitting on a recliner made of ice. The absol wondered just how she had managed to make that so silently. She even had a little ice notepad and glasses.
"You're not helping, Shard," Jude growled, turning away from his team member. "You wouldn't understand anyhow."
"Why?" Shard asked, the weavile scribbling on her little icy notepad. "Because I didn't have a hard life like you? News flash Judy, you're making my life hard now."
"Then why don't you just leave?" Jude snarled. "You and Hearth and everyone can just get lost. Then you wouldn't be bothered by me anymore."
"Because you need us," Shard said, putting her icicle down. "More than we really need you."
Jude looked at the weavile a bit shocked. The absol could not believe she had just said that, especially Shard of all people, who barely pulled her weight and made his life miserable every chance she got.
"I need you?" he said, a mocking tone in his voice. "Yeah, I just love all those times you totally humiliated me, in front of our trainer no less."
"So that's what this is about," Hearth said as she came back, the houndoom dropping a farfetch'd in front of the pair. "Alright, that does it."
Hearth picked up the absol, throwing him over her back. The houndoom started off in the same direction that they had been traveling.
"What gives?" Jude shouted, trying to get off. "I don't want to be carried like some pup!"
"And I really don't care," Hearth snapped back, the houndoom trotting along. "Shard, freeze our dinner, dear, and bring it along."
"Is wittle Judy too tired to walk?" Shard mocked, freezing the farfetch'd and dragging it behind her.
"Shard, not helping," Hearth barked, the trio once more on their way. "When we get to this Sanctuary, you're going to get the help you need, Jude, and then, if you still want to, you can fight Hildegard."
"I don't want any help," Jude snarled, though there was little he could do at the moment. "Let me go! I'll find her myself!"
Hearth ignored the absol's protests, and Shard seemed more than content just to come along if for no other reason than to watch the poor absol's misery. Jude slumped down and sighed, resigning himself to being carried.
Bernard trotted quietly along the river that led towards the edge of Sanctuary. The wolf-like pokemon paused only momentarily to get a drink before continuing onward.
Fleur had been utterly against the idea of Bernard going to see the witch, protesting that she would want to use his dark half to attack their little haven. Hilde had more or less been on her side, stating that she felt that this was foolishness at its finest, but in the end, she had agreed to tell Bernard how to find the witch when he had said he would go with or without their help.
There was a moment that Fleur almost locked the lycanroc back into his cell, stating he was too dangerous to be let go. Hilde though had strenuously protested, going so far as to threaten to break Bernard out if Fleur did any such thing.
Bernard honestly felt like it was best to leave after that. He was not about to let them just lock him up again when he had done nothing wrong. And he was not going to be a danger to anyone in particular out in the wild.
The rock-type began to wonder what he was thinking, though, as he began to draw nearer to the mountains. The world around him seemed to die with each step closer to the witch's lair.
Something seemed off as he walked through the mountain passages. Melting ice formations and large puddles made it seem as though a massive snowstorm had just been through the area, but it was the middle of summer. There were also paw prints of a group of pokemon heading away from where Hilde had said to go.
He wondered for a moment if there was a group of pokemon that had been sent out by the witch to attack Sanctuary, and whether or not he should go back. But in the end, he decided against it. What had they really done for him anyhow, aside from locking him in a cage? Without the old delphox there, there was no reason to stay. The new leadership was terrible anyhow.
The pathway was difficult, to say the least. It was clear that the witch had no real desire for people to reach her. Perhaps it was something of a test; perhaps she really did not want visitors. It was hard for the lycanroc to guess.
Finally, however, he reached the lair of the dreaded Witchfox. The lycanroc looked at the cave feeling a bit unimpressed. It looked like any other cave really. He had even stayed in similar ones from time to time.
"You're not going in there are you?" a voice from deep inside mocked, the darker half of the lycanroc beginning to awaken. "You don't have the guts to go in there. Little crybaby Bernard, scared of his own shadow."
"I have good reason to be afraid of my own shadow," Bernard growled to himself, the lycanroc steeling himself to enter the cave. "Especially since my own shadow is you."
Bernard pushed into the cave, the dark passages seeming to wind around forever. The lycanroc would have been quite lost had it not been for the scent of others recently passing through. He was now quite certain whoever was coming down the mountain had, indeed, first been to this cave.
As he came upon the central chamber, however, the cave began to light up. Purple, silver, green, and red colored crystals gave off a faint glow, bathing the chamber in an eerie otherworldly glow. It almost seemed hard to focus as the colors of the light seemed to shift when one looked one way to another.
"We shouldn't be here," the dark wolf shouted in Bernard's head. There was a real sense of panic in its voice. "Bad things happen here. I, I almost can remember."
"Now who's scared?" Bernard laughed. It was almost cruel and demeaning, much the same as how the other half treated him. "It's just like when..."
A flood of memory hit Bernard. It was something he had long since buried deep in the recesses of his mind- something that he had hoped would never come back to the surface now assaulted his mind.
Two rockruff brothers were fighting over a scrap of cloth. Their mother watched over them as the two played tug-o-war, the older of the two managing to take the cloth in the end.
"I wish you had never been born," the smaller of the two growled, kicking a pebble aside and running off.
He ran and ran until he could not run any further, coming upon a massive black crystal in the woods. A beautiful shiny braixen sat nearby, puzzling over the massive rock.
"If only I had some way to test this, to figure out its secrets," she muttered, turning around to find the rockruff pup. "Oh, what do we have here?"
"Please don't hurt me," the small pup said, cowering before the braixen. "I just wanted to get away from my brother."
"We'll see," the braixen cackled, her mouth curling into a cruel, almost viscous smile. "Maybe you and I can help each other out. I need to find a way to unlock this rock's secret and you need to rid yourself of your brother."
"Would you help me?" the rockruff asked, his soul itself screaming to run. "Would you get rid of my brother if I help you?"
The braixen laughed, things beginning to fade away.
Bernard found himself once more in the cave, his fur standing on end from the experience. He knew what had happened now, and he had to get out of there fast.
As he turned to leave, there was a bright flash of brilliant purple light, and that same wicked laugh that had just moments ago been only a memory reverberated throughout the dark cavern. Then everything went black.
Hearth, Shard, and Jude made their way slowly into the valley, the absol finally having convinced Hearth to let him at least walk himself in.
The trio had a hard time believing just how green it was in the area, especially as the route to the witch's lair had been nearly barren. There were not only all manner of plants but pokemon as well, pokemon that did not seem overly happy at the group's arrival.
"They're scared of us," Shard muttered, the weavile looking over at an espeon and umbreon that had been playing a game, now cowering as the group approached. "We haven't even done anything and they're petrified."
"We came in on the witch's path," Hearth said softly, walking over to the pair of eeveelutions. "Which way to the central complex?" she asked them.
"That way," the bespectacled espeon said, pointing down the pathway, trembling a little in fear. "Just keep going until you reach the old human place."
"Thank you," Hearth said, smiling pleasantly at the pair. "Shard, Jude, let's not keep anyone waiting."
"I think we are needed elsewhere," the espeon said, trying to step away from the group. "Come on, Antsu."
"Yeah, good idea, Noel," the umbreon said with a nervous smile, following the psychic cat out of the area, waving goodbye as he left.
"What a bunch of cowards," Jude snorted, watching the two run off into the forest. "There's no way that Hilde would be here. She couldn't stomach that sort of cowardice."
"If the old phox is here, then this is a place of healing," Hearth said with a scowl, the houndoom starting towards the central ruins. "Most of the pokemon here are likely outcasts in one way or another. You probably have more in common with them than you realize."
"So, is Hilde here or not?" the absol growled, starting to realize that the houndoom knew more than she was letting on. "I'm not here to meet more of your old friends."
"I sense her," Hearth said calmly, using what little she remembered of the old magic to feel for the lucario's aura. "I imagine you'll get your fight soon enough, but first you are going to meet one more of my old friends."
"Fine," Jude huffed, the absol turning back to check on Shard only to find her missing. "Oh for Arceus' sake. Hearth, they've captured Shard, we have to.."
"Shard will be fine," Hearth said, shaking her head slightly. "The pokemon here aren't violent, I can promise you that."
"And what makes you so certain?" Jude huffed, the absol looking about warily for an ambush. "They could be torturing her right now, or maybe they're picking us off one by one."
"And maybe you're being paranoid," the houndoom said rolling her eyes. "Now hush, we're almost there."
"And how do you know that?" the absol scoffed, looking around and seeing nothing of the ruins they were supposed to find.
"Because there's the welcoming party," Hearth replied casually.
Blocking the way of the two dark-types was Hilde's valley guard, the hitmonlee and scyther behind the hitmonchan on point. Hearth smirked a little. She wondered if Jude could see it: the stances, the posture, so much like Hildegard. It was sloppy but it was there.
"You'll go no further, vile henchmen," the hitmonchan said, his bravado attempting to hide his obvious inexperience. "Turn back now or we'll be forced to make you turn back."
"Get out of the way," Jude spat, the absol not even fully recovered, stepping forward to challenge the group. "I'm not here for you, so move before I make you."
"Don't say we didn't warn you," the hitmonchan said, dashing in with blinding speed at Jude.
Jude was well aware of what was going on. He had been in plenty of fights with fighting-type pokemon at the dojo where Hilde and his trainer had trained. The move was a mach punch, and Jude knew he would have to take it, but then he'd get his own attack.
As the boxing glove was about to connect with his face, he heard a whimper. Hearth had taken the hit, being in much better shape than the absol.
Jude snarled, jumping over Hearth and tearing into the hitmonchan, the absol in a blind rage, biting and clawing at the fighting-type. His years of experience fighting them helped to keep the pressure on.
Hearth was still shaky as she watched the absol. The houndoom growled a little as she could hardly move after taking the punch.
"Jude, stop this," she shouted, the houndoom trying desperately to get back up. "We don't need to antagonize them."
"Antagonize? I'll murder them!" Jude snarled, giving in to his anger. A dark aura building up around him as he fought. "You can't hide her from me! Where is she!"
"She?" the scyther asked, barely able to dodge the absol as he charged her. "You fools didn't even ask to find out about your target, or has the witch switched her sights to Fleur?"
"Hildegard, you wretched little insect," Jude howled, his anger hitting a crescendo. Darkness radiated off of him, starting to take form. "I can see you've been trained by her, you can't hide her for long."
"What?" the bladed insect asked in shock, only to be clawed fiercely.
Hearth had to do something, had to stop Jude. His vision would come true even without the witch's help at this rate if he continued. As Jude rounded on the last of his foes, the hitmonlee, Hearth jumped between them. Jude's attack smashed into her instead.
"Wha- why?" Jude asked, stopping only once the houndoom had taken yet another blow, this time from him. "Why are you stopping me from finding her?"
"You need to calm down unless you want your vision to become reality," the houndoom growled, getting back onto her feet. "You need to talk to Ignatius."
"You won't find him here," a female voice said, calm and collected, but cold as well. "He passed from this life very recently. Your master knows this, she was there."
Jude and Hearth both looked beyond the trio of guards to find a lopunny slowly approaching. Her ceremonial dress and commanding presence made it clear she was in charge. The trio of fighters stepped to the side as she entered.
"I'm somewhat relieved to hear that the witch doesn't seem interested me," the lopunny said, her face stern and commanding. "But I won't let her harm anyone here, so you just go back down that path and tell her that she should come here herself if she wants Hildegard."
"Dead?" Hearth cried, her voice quivering a little with emotion. "He can't be dead, I feel him here, all around, he can't be dead."
"Well so much for meeting with old friends," Jude said with a growl, the absol readying for an attack. "I don't care who you are, or why you're protecting her, but I'm going to kill Hilde and anyone who gets in my way."
"Enough of this," Hearth barked, turning to Jude tears in her eyes. "I will not watch you walk down this path, Jude. If you insist on being like Ingrid, then by my vows as a hunter I will stop you here and now."
"Hunter? Like the witch hunters that my master used to speak of?" Fleur asked, relaxing a little and looking curiously at the houndoom. "The ones who trained at the Pyre Dojo? Who are you?"
"Hearth," the houndoom said, stepping over toward the lopunny and putting herself squarely between Jude and the others. "I don't know how much Ignatius told you of me if anything at all, but I am no servant of the witch, not anymore."
"I think we should talk," Fleur said, looking now between the houndoom and the angry absol. "Perhaps we can work something out. It doesn't have to come to violence."
Jude now looked at his situation, realizing that he stood no chance against Hearth, the three guards, and the lopunny who had an air of power about her that even Jude could feel.
The absol scowled, shouting angrily into the air. Pacing back and forth, Jude was torn between his thirst for vengeance and his loyalty to his longtime friend.
Hearth stood fast, the houndoom not intending to let any harm come to the lopunny, her teeth bared ready for an attack from the agitated absol. Hurting badly from taking two attacks, she honestly was unsure if she could stop Jude if he did decide to attack, but she would give it her all.
Fleur motioned to the trio of pokemon, having them stand down. She could see that Jude was suffering, and that suffering went far deeper than some petty grudge. The lopunny felt a swelling of pity in her heart, realizing that Hearth had brought him here, hoping that her friend who had helped her could aid him now.
But Ignatius was dead, and if his life and his work were to mean anything, Fleur knew she had to try and help. Trying to clear her mind, the lopunny expanded her energy outward, just as her master had taught her. She was still unskilled in this ability, but it might help to defuse the situation.
A warm calming wind blew through the trees and ruins, its warmth a healing wave, pushing back negative emotions and bitter memories.
Slowly, Jude began to calm himself, the absol giving a small huff before sitting down. The dark aura around him faded away like smoke in the breeze.
"Why don't you and I have a talk, Jude?" Fleur said with a smile, the lopunny gesturing for the absol to follow her. "Just you and I, nobody to judge you or tell you what to do."
"I'd... I'd like that," Jude said, following the lopunny towards the ruins.
Hearth sighed. Looking about at the trio of pokemon guards. The houndoom would not follow the pair, knowing that her presence was not needed at this stage. Instead, she would follow the paths towards the outskirts of sanctuary, noticing Shard showing off her ice sculpting to an azumarill.
Hearth smiled at this. Shard was making new friends, hopefully friends that would last. Her friend, however, was dead, and the houndoom needed time to grieve.
