Chapter Nine: Impending Doom
While in round about the same area, Charizard and his band of misfits were resting miles away from where the Shining Beacons were stationed, totally oblivious to their plan of redemption. The only plan that Charizard had right now was to get back to the castle and report his findings. Maybe then, he would be finally released to go back to his wife. He smirked at the idea. Wishful thinking Charizard, he thought. The moon was casting a wondrous light that was reflected off the water to create a dazzling image of Milotic, sitting in the pool, her body recovering after that days trauma. Beside her, Sceptile was lying on the soft sand, his fingers slowly caressing the smooth water. Behind him, Mudsdale had collapsed with a mighty thud, causing stones and grit to fly up, and conked out fast asleep. Scizor was perched on top of the low rock wall staring out at the vast landscape which now had a blue tinge thanks to the dark sky. All the while, Lopunny was looking at him on top of the pile of stones, sitting laid back while staring away at the desert. She was so intrigued with Scizor, and she didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. Him saving me and trying to help us was the sweetest thing ever, she thought. Plus, he is totally gorgeous so that's a bonus. However, Lopunny had suspicions at the same time about his past in Shan'rala and what he was really up to. She then came back to her senses as Charizard approached them, rolling his shoulders and stretching his wings.
'This is where I leave you.' he said, watching everyone turning to him.
'Oh Charizard!' Lopunny hugged into him, surprisingly tightly for such a petite pokemon. 'Thank you so much for everything! None of us would be here if it wasn't for you.'
'Well technically, I was the one who guided you guys to this place.' piped up Scizor.
'Lopunny, you flatter me.' smiled Charizard, as Lopunny let go of him. 'When are you guys leaving here tomorrow?'
'Well, the place tends to fill up just before the afternoon,' said Scizor, looking back out at the desert. 'Best get out before it does. The hippowdown here can get very territorial.'
Charizard approached the wood in the middle that was spitting some weak embers. He dipped his tail in it, and it flared up again. Lopunny nodded her appreciation.
'It can get quite cold out here at night,' said Charizard, addressing the group. 'and it's pretty dangerous too. Someone keep awake to be on guard duty.'
'I'll do it.' said Scizor quickly.
'No you won't.' rebuffed Lopunny. Scizor snorted.
'And why not?'
'I can do it.' she said, much to Scizor's incredulous look.
'Oh, can you?'
'Yes I can, stop patronizing me.'
'So, we can rely on you to beat up any bad guys that come our way?' Scizor asked, sardonically.
'I'm sure Lopunny is more than up to the task.' Milotic smiled. 'Isn't that right?'
'...Of course!' she said, Scizor shooting her a skeptical look.
'If you say so!' he shrugged, turning away and laying his head on one of the rocks.
'Charizard.' said Sceptile, as Charizard spread his wings, preparing himself to take off.
'Yeah?'
'We want to help you.' he said. 'So, if ever you need help or anything, just call us. We are more than eager to take down the Clan of Shadows.'
'At least I can find good pokemon who haven't succumbed to their darkness yet.' Charizard's wings started flapping, blowing sand everywhere around him.
'Farewell!'
He bent his knees and fired off into the night sky, causing Lopunny to shriek. They could see him quickly disappear into the distance, his flame tail shrinking and then he was gone, traversing his way to the castle.
'Wonder if we'll see him again.' wondered Milotic.
'I hope so.' said Sceptile. 'He could prove vital to winning this battle.'
'What makes you say that?' she asked, turning to him.
'I don't know!' admitted Sceptile shrugging and looking back at her. 'He seems smart, he's the type of guy you want to follow into battle you know?'
'I can see what you mean.' Milotic smiled. She relaxed back in the pool and closed her eyes. 'I think we should all sleep now. Goodnight all.'
Sceptile followed suit, resting his head on the sand, and rolling onto his back.
'You want to sleep too, Lopunny?' Scizor asked, sarcastically. 'Oh wait, you have to save us if we're attacked don't ya?'
'I assure you Scizor,' Lopunny smiled. 'I will. Maybe I'll escape with the others, and leave you to fight the monsters of the desert.'
'Been there, done that.' he said, as he closed his eyes and put his arms behind his head. Lopunny smirked and sat down on the ground. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, yet there was still a sense of foreboding creeping through her body. Apart from the crackling of the fire, the desert was deadly silent. The sheer size of the place was enough to put Lopunny on guard as she scanned the distance but the fact that she had absolutely no idea what could be out there was a nail in the paranoia coffin. She had reported on strange happenings that took place at Shan'rala, most involving violent incidents. She remembered years ago, the conflict between the dragons of Rylus and the beasts of Shan'rala threatened the safety of the land itself. The two regions were tearing each other apart in a brutal war for reasons she couldn't recall but it was a scary time, as the other regions of the land were tempted to get involved in the conflict. Lopunny gave a weak smile as she remembered King Volcarona, who had stepped in and created a peace treaty between the two reluctant regions. Lopunny sighed as the memories of Volcarona's kindness seeped into her mind, and how he could make any situation better. It was scary now, the situation in Charom, and how powerless she seemed. She looked over at Milotic and Sceptile, who had their eyes closed, presumably already asleep. She admired both of their bravery, even if their efforts today managed to get them hurt badly. Sceptile stood up to Gengar despite being young and inexperienced, while Milotic had managed to recover from the torment of Banette. She nodded in appreciation, wishing she could be like that. She sat on the soft sand for several minutes, looking up at the sky. It was now dotted with hundred of stars, all gleaming, their presence ever mysterious. What even are they? thought Lopunny. When she was little, her mother told her that the stars are the spirits of every pokemon that had gone on, and they were looking down on them as they spoke. Her fathers theory was a bit stranger, with him claiming that a mysterious pokemon called Necrozma stood at the centre of the universe and fired light off in every direction, creating huge spheres of light that became stars. It seemed far-fetched at the time, she thought. But honestly, we could do with a legendary pokemon or two right now.
She heard a crunching sound to her left, her ear twitching. She turned to face whatever happened, and saw nothing. Just the rock wall. Which was exactly the problem. She leapt to her feet and ran over to the stones, bounding on top of them with her huge jump and then dropping softly onto her toes on the other side.
'Where do you think you're going?' she asked, as Scizor froze where he stood, having rolled off the rocks as quietly as he could. He sighed, slowly turning and seeing Lopunny with one hand on her hip, the other by her side with a sassy look on her face. She's actually pretty hot, he thought, looking at her up and down. Maybe I should stay.
'I forgot,' Scizor waved his arm around the side of his head. 'you would have good hearing.'
'Well?' Lopunny took a step forward. 'Answer my question.'
'I have to go.' he said, jerking behind him to the vast shadows.
'Why? Where?' she demanded, walking up to him and poking him in the chest.
'That's none of your concern.' he said back, turning away. Lopunny grabbed him by the arm.
'Why are you being so shifty?'
'What are you talking about?' Scizor rounded on Lopunny.
'Well, for a start, why are you so eager to get away?' Lopunny listed the most obvious reason on her hands. 'Also, you seemed relieved to be back at Shan'rala so why would you go anyway? You're home aren't you? And what were you doing in Tanapas anyway when we first met? You also claimed we couldn't wait for rain so are you in a hurry or something? Just who are you, Scizor?'
They stood there in silence as Scizor's brain attempted to process Lopunny's excellent attention to detail. He knew he wasn't getting out of this. Plus, he owed her an explanation. Albeit, an explanation that took some liberties.
'Look,' he said, bowing his head down at Lopunny. 'people have a negative pre-conceived notion about mercenaries.'
...You're a mercenary?' asked Lopunny, her mouth open.
'A number of pokemon from Shan'rala take up this occupation.' continued Scizor. 'It's dangerous out here, so we toughen up when young. I was a bug pokemon growing up with ground and steel pokemon so you bet yourself anything that I trained to be the best fighter I could.'
'Have you...killed pokemon?' Lopunny asked, tentatively. Scizor turned his head slightly, noticing a ruined structure in the distance that looked like it was once part of a small house. He looked back at Lopunny and shook his head.
'I don't do killing.' he said, vividly remembering the war here and refraining to use the word 'anymore'. 'If my job involves killing then it's usually me softening the target up before he is finished off by my client. Then I get paid and move on.'
'You sound like you're dealing with a lot of bad pokemon.' Lopunny said, her eyebrows raised.
'Or maybe you're just fed and report a lot of false news on them.' replied Scizor.
Lopunny scowled.
'You just admitted that you beat up and bring pokemon over to their deaths!'
'And your news organization just stand back and watch as pokemon around you die instead of doing something about it!'
The two of them stood there, glaring at each other. Despite being almost two feet shorter than him, Lopunny stood her ground.
'So what were you doing in Tanapas?' she asked.
'Another job.' said Scizor, his face softening. 'It doesn't matter anymore. I don't want to complete it.'
'Why not?' Lopunny raised her eyebrows. 'What was it?'
Scizor did not answer. Instead, his feet gave way underneath him and he sat on the ground so he was now a little bit shorter than her.
'Let's just say I had a wake up call.' he said, flatly.
'You weren't hired by a leader from the Clan of Shadows were you?' she asked, her voice suddenly stern.
'What?' Scizor scoffed. 'If I was part of the Clan, why would they try and cart me off after knocking me out?'
'Well, how do you know Bisharp then?'
Scizor hunched his shoulders while still looking up at Lopunny.
'I heard stories about him taking up contracts while he worked in Shan'rala for a while. Some of these jobs he took up were too fucked up for description apparently.'
'He definitely killed then?' Lopunny affirmed. Scizor nodded.
'The guy's ruthless. Completely devoid of any remorse or empathy.' Scizor explained, his expression contorting into something in between disgust and pity. 'Something must have snapped inside him after his wife died like Charizard said.'
Lopunny sighed.
'A lot of bad pokemon out there...' her voice sounded defeated.
'Wasn't always like this.' Scizor admitted, his trained eyes noticing more in the distance, more relics of a civilization long past. 'The dragons of Rylus targeted and assassinated the leader of Shan'rala, Chief Sandslash for blasphemy. Can you believe that? Speaking out against their stupid religion so they hunt him down and slay him! That sparked the war between Shan'rala and Rylus. Since then, it's been the most hostile place in the whole land.'
Lopunny pulled a genuinely sympathetic face, her hands fidgeting with one another.
'I'm sorry,' she said, resting her fingers on Scizor's shoulder. 'I didn't know.'
'It's okay.' Scizor smiled feebly. 'Before you say anything, no I don't fully mistrust dragons. Well I do but that's beside the point.'
He tilted his head, scanning Lopunny's features. She brushed the back of her legs off, then lowered her body to sit beside Scizor. He hesitated, then moved up slightly to give her room and a little bit of his body heat.
'So, what was your story?' asked Scizor, lying down on the ground, still looking at Lopunny. 'You were seeing Mayor Gumshoos?'
'Oh please,' Lopunny waved it off and lay down next to Scizor. 'The guy was a sleaze. He had a different woman every other week. I knew what I was getting in for, I just wanted a nice night at the theatre.'
'You considered a big celebrity in Tanapas, or have I been living under a rock?' asked Scizor, smiling a cheeky smile to which Lopunny returned.
'Well, you do live in Shan'rala so you probably do live under a rock.' she joked, which caused Scizor to deliver a high pitched laugh that Lopunny found actually really adorable. 'I would say I am a bit.'
'What made you want to become a news presenter?' asked Scizor.
'I've always loved finding out information.' Lopunny said, to which Scizor nodded.
'Yeah, as I've come to realise.' They both laughed, as they looked at each other on the ground.
'Investigative journalism was the goal,' continued Lopunny. 'but apparently I wasn't practical enough. They didn't want a normal type pokemon doing that work.'
Scizor shrugged.
'I've known a couple of normal types who are pretty tough and like getting dirty work done.' he said. 'I know you can choose whatever you want, but there will always be types of pokemon who are better at some jobs than others.'
'Are you saying I'm not good enough for that?' she asked. Scizor turned on his side to look at her.
'I'm not saying that. For all I know you could be.' he said, as Lopunny twisted her body to face him, a wry smile appearing on her face. 'But it won't help you if people aren't honest with your ability?'
'What does that mean?'
'Well let me tell you something, Lopunny.' he said, the two of them staring at one another with a little bit of intensity. 'There are pokemon who are great at some things, while also being terrible at others. I'm sure you're both great and terrible at different things just like the rest of us, but you won't find out what you can do if you keep being told you can do everything.'
'I like that.' whispered Lopunny, her smile widening. They both moved a little closer together. Scizor could see the moon reflected in Lopunny's eyes.
'Are you afraid?' asked Lopunny.
'Of what?'
'Of the Clan of Shadows and what they can do to you?'
Scizor paused for a moment.
'A little bit.' he admitted. 'I know I can handle myself in a fight, but it becomes problematic when I have to battle someone who is able to match me.'
'Like Bisharp?' Lopunny tilted her head slightly.
'We'll see.' smirked Scizor. His pincer edged forward a little. Lopunny noticed it out the corner of her eye. Their hands touched slightly.
'I'm quite afraid.' she said, their hands slowly moving around each others. 'Can I ask you something?'
'Anythin..yeah.' Scizor said, quickly diverting his course.
'Show me how to fight.'
Scizor blinked slowly.
'You want me to show you how to fight?'
Lopunny nodded.
'I don't want to rely on anyone to protect me.' she carried on. 'In order to survive this thing, I want to beat them back. I want to win.'
Scizor nodded in appreciation. He admired that.
'Alright then.' he said. 'When do you want to start?'
'Right now.' she replied, taking Scizor aback.
'Now?'
'Yes.' Lopunny said. 'I'm not tired and the sooner we do it, the better.'
Scizor rolled onto his back, sighing. Lopunny raised her back and rested her head on Scizor's chest. Her ears pricked up as she heard something.
'Is your heart beating a little faster?' she asked, her smile widening.
'Nope.' Scizor said quickly. He tried to sit up but Lopunny grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him back down.
'It totally is!' Lopunny giggled, moving on top of Scizor pressing him into the ground playfully.
'It is not!'
'Is too!'
Scizor shook his head in denial but he was holding back a huge smile, to which Lopunny laughed at. Their faces were even closer now, with Lopunny resting on top of Scizor's chest, both of them smiling. They moved slowly closer, with Lopunny and Scizor gradually closing their eyes. Their mouths were inches apart.
'...You need to learn to fight.' interrupted Scizor. They opened their eyes. The two of them stared at each other.
'I need to learn to fight.' clarified Lopunny.
'You need to learn to fight.' repeated Scizor.
Sceptile couldn't sleep. He twisted and turned but his body was not adjusting to the sand underneath him. He sat up and started swiping at his back, trying to brush off the dirt that was covered on his back. He groaned, as he dug his hands into his spine, trying to displace a very persistent speck of sand that was niggling him.
'You struggling there?'
Sceptile turned to see Milotic looking at him with one eye opened. She gave a tinkering laugh and raised her head from the edge of the watering hole. She shook off the dirt underneath her chin.
'At least you can cope in there.' Sceptile gestured at the water. 'I'm too accustomed to sleeping on a bed of leaves and not this.'
'Look on the bright side.' she said. 'At least it's not that terrible cell we were in.'
'Yeah, you're right.' admitted Sceptile. 'I hope you're recovering from your injuries well.'
'It's a miracle what an aqua ring can do for you.' Milotic said. She looked sadly over at the huge figure of Mudsdale lying asleep on the ground. His injuries had not recovered yet. While no longer bleeding, the cuts were still very red and he occasionally let out a little sound while asleep, possibly dreaming.
'No luck for him though.'
'It's totally barbaric what they do.' said Sceptile, angrily. 'I don't know what Gengar is planning but we cannot let it happen. I hope Charizard has ideas or reinforcements.'
'You know what I think?' wondered Milotic. 'I think when he finds out you have escaped, he may have you as a priority.'
'Why do you think that?'
'Well, you've stood up to him twice.' Milotic clarified. 'He may be surprised that you don't cower in fear like everyone else does.'
Sceptile said nothing. Have I been marked out by Gengar? he thought. He dismissed it. There were probably loads of pokemon that defied him and he had just gotten off lucky unlike them.
'You'll build me up only for me to fall far down.' he gave a dry grin.
'But still...' Milotic's face went sad again. 'Whatever they have done to Gyarados... I can't think straight at times.'
Sceptile sat where he was, hoping this wasn't going where he thought it was going.
'In the fleeting moments we had together,' Milotic continued. 'he was always so kind to me, always wanted the best for me. Oh, I don't want what Gengar said to be true.'
Fleeting moments? Sceptile was puzzled at this statement. Did Milotic even know this guy that well?
'Milotic.' Sceptile said, looking back at her. 'What is your connection with Gyarados?'
'Oh I don't know...' said Milotic, gazing into thin air. Sceptile gave an internal groan. 'He was special.'
'And what makes you say that?'
'Well I just think that his courtesy and politeness towards me was a welcome change.' she explained, sounding more and more like a teenage girl. 'Not many pokemon will talk to me first and the ones who do are mostly pricks but he was a much more civilized and gentle soul. I really liked him.'
Sceptile stared into space. He had no idea what he was really thinking. Was Milotic just messing with him, or was he just overreacting?
'And what if he didn't like you back?' he asked, much more blunt than he intended.
'Don't be stupid, of course he did.' Milotic sank a little in her pool, with her long pink hair touching the smooth water. 'In only a few meetings with each other, the affection was clear.'
Sceptile murmured something under his breath, causing Milotic to ask for a repeat.
'Must suck being so good looking.'
'What do you mean?' she asked, turning to face Sceptile who had folded his arms.
'Literally, you could get any dude you wanted.' Sceptile said. 'You claim you like this guy but you've met him like what, twice? That makes no sense.'
'It means I can identify when he's being true to himself.' Milotic replied, her serene mood fading. 'Infrequent encounters with someone who acts like a gentleman but still remains relatively mysterious can be an attractive quality.'
'You mean like someone who stands up to the worst kind of pokemon?' Sceptile asked, his lip curling.
'Sceptile, where is this going?' Milotic's voice was slightly exasperated.
'Maybe you should just let go of it.' he said. 'If he wasn't interested before and now happens to be in the Clan of Shadows, perhaps it isn't worth it.
He had made a big mistake as Milotic's nostrils flared.
'You can't just emotionally detach yourself from someone like that, Sceptile!' she hissed at him. 'You try it!'
Sceptile made a quizzical expression at this statement.
'Emotionally detach?' he asked incredulously. 'Milotic, I had no idea you could establish such a connection with someone you ran into only a handful of times.'
'Well you know at times like these,' Milotic sniffed, rather haughtily. 'it wouldn't hurt to try and establish some sort of companionship with someone you feel you can trust? I did it with you did I not? When we met in Vortur Forest!' She glared at him, feeling her anger rise. 'Thought you'd be more sensitive to this.'
'Oh I'm sure you're hurt.' Sceptile said, sarcastically. 'It's not like you're not worshiped and admired by all back at Fayonra are you?'
'And you've seen a handful of them back there haven't you?' she retorted. 'Would you like to have those kind of guys as the people who follow you around?'
'Maybe out of respect because of achievements.' Sceptile said loudly. 'I don't really see the downfall of being admired.'
'There's a big difference between being admired on the outside and admired for what's inside!' Milotic looked angrily at Sceptile. 'I thought you of all pokemon would know that.'
Sceptile stood up sharply and started walking to the exit.
'Where do you think you're going?'
'For a walk.' Sceptile replied, not looking back at her. He heard an angry splash behind him.
'Why are you acting like a child?' Milotic asked, her eyes set on Sceptile. 'What do you hope to gain out of this?'
Sceptile didn't answer. Instead, he walked away from the watering hole, leaving Milotic bitter and unhappy back at her pool. She sat back and watched him turn the corner and leave her sight. What was that about? she thought. She was shaking slightly. Sceptile just blew up at her for no reason. Those comments about Gyarados were just uncalled for. She wondered if Sceptile had developed a new attitude about things after she complimented him on his bravery against Gengar. Or maybe, he feels something for me? We just met the other day. Ugh, I should get used to being valued for how I look rather than what I can do practically. Milotic then heard a little noise to her left, sounding like a swinging sound, then a thud. She raised her long body and peered over the top of the rocks to see. Lopunny was sitting on the ground, looking out of breath while Scizor offered her a hand to help her back up. They were a fair distance away so they were inaudible but Milotic saw Scizor mime a few instructions then raise his arms in a defensive pose, causing Lopunny to start projecting her long legs in a flurry of kicks towards him. Milotic smiled, and lowered herself down into the water as Sceptile continued his frustrated walk into the night.
The wind howled as the night got colder and colder. Sand was flicking up violently, causing Sceptile to cover his eyes with his arm as he trudged to a destination he knew not where. He stopped where he was and sat down on a rock, still agitated by the argument he just had. Had he blown it with Milotic? Maybe I did make some insensitive comments back there, he thought as he looked down at his large green feet. I should go back and apologize. Are my feelings for Milotic starting to cloud out everything else? He thought back to his confrontation with Gengar, and remembered what Scizor and Lopunny told him. That Gengar was wary of him, and kept his eyes on Sceptile at all times, even when he had him as his subservient and prisoner. Had they been lying to try cheer him up? Was this all him trying to be a dominant, take charge leader when he was far from it in real life? He shook his head and looked up, staring up at a sand dune nearly fifty metres away. Was that a glimmer of light? Sceptile craned his neck to get a better view, and he saw...the shape again. It was the pokemon from before, the one that only he saw, he knew it! He leapt off the rock and started walking quickly over to it, the little white light it emanated was getting brighter. He almost stumbled over a stone as he made his way towards the mysterious creature, whose appearance was made visible. It stood on four clawed legs, with its entire body covered in white fur. Out from the side of its beautiful face jutted out a sharp accessory that looked a lot like a scythe. It watched Sceptile carefully as he approached, cautious about the nature of this pokemon.
'...I saw you today.' Sceptile said, his voice coming out slowly as the pokemon stared at him unblinkingly. It nodded, as Sceptile inched closer.
'Who are you?'
'...I am Absol.' the pokemon said, the voice coming out from it unmistakably female. 'And you are Sceptile, correct?'
'Correct.' replied Sceptile, nodding. 'So you are an Absol? I've never seen one in Charom befo-'
'It's just Absol.' she cut Sceptile off. 'There are no other absols on this land.'
'What happened to them?'
She remained quiet, still staring at Sceptile who was curious to know more. Instead she said;
'Why do you come here?'
'To Shan'rala?' said Sceptile, pointing down at the ground. 'We were taken by the Clan of Shadows and escaped here, taking refuge...wait.'
He suddenly stopped talking, thinking about what Scizor would think of him dishing out information to a complete stranger in these times and in this place.
'Why should I tell you anything?'
'I am not your enemy, Sceptile of Harfawn.' Absol said.
'You claim that but-'
'The Clan of Shadows have overwhelmed the Plains of Marikus.' Absol explained, slowly taking steps around Sceptile, who tracked her every move. 'I came here for refuge after Shan'rala did not appear in my visions.'
'Visions?' Sceptile asked, apprehensively.
'Yes.' Absol replied, her expression finally changing from stony-faced to slightly concerned. 'There is impending disaster coming to Charom.'
'I think we've already had disasters.' said Sceptile.
'If you are referring to the fall of Tanapas,' Absol raised her voice slightly as another howl of wind rushed through their ears. 'let me make it clear that it is only the tip of the iceberg.'
Sceptile stayed silent. He felt some sand blow on his shoulder, then realized that Absol had not blinked the entire time they had been talking even with sand blowing in her face.
'Listen to me.' Absol came close to Sceptile, the two pokemon standing alone in the moonlit desert. 'Shan'rala is safe for now, but in order to take on the Clan of Shadows, we need to strike to the east where they come from. The likes of the Pariliun Cliffs or even Giruphin City should harbor pokemon that are willing to rise up.'
She paused and took a deep breath.
'Something terrible is about to happen.' she said, the words sending chills down Sceptile's body more than the cold air. 'I can sense it.'
'Are you sure?' he asked. She nodded.
'I cannot say for certain what it is, but I can feel it.' she turned and looked around her at the bleak wasteland. 'Whatever is going to happen is going to completely break Charom apart, and unless pokemon act soon and resist, then Charom is gone forever.'
The two of them stood where they were, looking at each other. Absol may seem too mysterious for her own good, but Sceptile had experienced the cruelty of the Clan first hand and was inclined to believe her. What would happen next? This was so ominous to him.
'Absol...' whispered Sceptile, bending his knees and resting his elbows on them. '...I have no idea who you are. You could be anyone for all I know. However, for the safety of my friends, I may consider organizing them and setting off really soon.'
'Head east.' repeated Absol, nodding over Sceptile's left shoulder. 'It's your choice however. You stay here and wait for the inevitable return of the Clan, or you go there to increase or decrease your chances of survival. I'm sorry Sceptile.' she shook her head sadly, as he frowned. 'You'll just have to rely on faith.'
'Faith isn't enough.' said Sceptile, dropping his shoulders and starring at the sky. 'All based on something unproven.'
'As is everything else.' Absol said. 'Your morality. Your sense of what's right and wrong, where do you get them? From faith.'
Sceptile said nothing, his mind racing. Absol then moved past him and started slowly walking away, her paws sinking into the sand slightly.
'Where are you going?' he asked, turning round to speak to her as she shuffled away.
'Embarking on my own path.' she said, slightly glancing back in his direction. 'I suggest you do the same before the storm comes.'
She continued her slow walk into the wilderness as the wind picked up, her white fur flowing beautifully.
'Wait!'
Sceptile tried to pursue her, but another whirl of cold wind blew by, spreading sand up in the air and causing Sceptile to shield his eyes with his hands. When the dust settled he looked up, and Absol was nowhere to be seen. Sceptile stood there under the moon, completely baffled by what had just happened. The warning signs he had taken from Absol were extremely ominous. He looked back at the direction of the sanctuary containing his friends, and he thought of them. He thought of Milotic, and the stupidity of his comments earlier. How vulnerable she could be to the most evil and sadistic of the Clan of Shadows. He thought of Lopunny and how out of her depth she was, and just like him not fully prepared for what was at stake. Then Scizor, initially brash and arrogant yet seemingly caring for his new friends around him. Sceptile sighed, and nodded to himself. He knew it was time to return, and tomorrow they would set out a new plan: leave Shan'rala, get Mudsdale back home safely and then continue their journey to the east.
The lights surrounding the castle shone brightly in Charizard's face, making his landing a lot less comfortable than he anticipated. His clawed feet splintered into the ground as he fell in front of the huge steel gate and turned to the two guards standing watch over that door.
'A mission report for the queen.' stated Charizard, his voice brimming with authority. 'Regarding activity from Shan'rala involving the Clan of Shadows.'
After many questions designed to prove he really was who he said he was, Charizard was finally let in, the steel doors closing behind him. He made his way to the throne room. As he proceeded, he heard some of the guards outside suddenly start shuffling and talking as if they had just seen something outside. He stopped where he was and tried to listen with his ear to the wall. Eventually the noise died out and the guards continued their small talk. Charizard snorted and continued his walk until he reached the throne room, knocking on the grand door. It swung open for him to greet the scowling armored face of Aggron.
'Your majesty!' yelled Aggron, causing Charizard to recoil at his volume. 'Charizard has returned!'
Charizard was let into the gigantic throne room as the graceful Vespiquen floated over. Charizard knelt down on one knee, feeling blessed at seeing her wonderful smile again.
'It is good that you're back, Charizard.' she said, kindly.
'It does me good to see you again, my queen.' said Charizard, standing up right and reaching out for her extended hand. He kissed it, and Aggron shut the door.
'So, what findings?' she asked, putting her hands behind her back and walking to the middle of the room.
'Well I had to wait until much later before anything came about,' Charizard admitted, as he and Aggron followed her to the centre right below a gorgeous glass chandelier and onto a circular carpet depicting the legendary bird pokemon. 'but after much scouting, I eventually discovered prisoners taken from Tanapas being imprisoned and taken to a location.'
'A location?' asked Vespiquen, her eyebrows raised. 'Where?'
'I don't know.' said Charizard. 'I had to save the prisoners as one was being tortured.'
'Charizard, why didn't you interrogate any of the Clan of Shadows?' Aggron asked, his face still scowling.
'I...' Charizard thought back, remembering that he had knocked out Rhydon when attacking the truck. '...It did not cross my mind.'
Aggrons nostrils flared as Vespiquen sighed. It turned out that Aggron was completely right about Charizard's carelessness.
'Charizard, I thought you would know better than that!' Aggron shouted at him. 'I'd expect one of the highest ranking soldiers in the army to remember how to know their enemy!'
Charizard shook his head in despair, recalling his advice to Flygon and how he completely ignored his own words. How could he have been so stupid!?
'I have names though!' he said, hoping to redeem himself for his error. 'We have Gengar, Nidoqueen, Banette and then we have Bisharp.'
'Bisharp is in the Clan of Shadows?' Aggron's eyes widened in horror. 'The same Bisahrp who once served us?'
Charizard nodded. Aggron growled.
'He will pay for his treachery.'
'This is more serious than I thought.' muttered Vespiquen.
'Yes ma'am.' Charizard nodded. 'We all know how skilled Bisharp was at-'
'Not him.' Vespiquen looked at Charizard. 'Gengar.'
'What do you mean?'
'Do you not know about Gengar?' she asked, to which Charizard shook his head. 'Gengar once served Mayor Dusknoir of Giruphin City as his top agent in his secret service. He knows almost every secret of this land, and he can use his knowledge to access any point of Charom.'
'Why did he join?' asked Charizard, now starting to fret about this Gengar guy.
'It doesn't matter.' said Vespiquen, sternly. 'All that matters is the safety of Giruphin. With Tanapas down, I would suspect that the Clan will start growing in numbers and confidence and aim to take one of the other cities.'
'I would suspect they would aim for Giruphin next as well.' stated Aggron. 'That way, they could converge on Sheasip and the castle from both the east and the west. We need to act quickly.'
'How many troops we got stationed nearby?' asked Vespiquen.
'We got our most experienced and skilled soldiers on standby tonight.' said Aggron. 'I think we should deploy them to Giruphin. Send Charizard and Flygon ahead to scout and then push forward with the rest.'
'If that is the best course of action go ahead.' said Vespiquen. 'Aggron I imagine you will stay with me?'
'Your majesty,' Aggron thumped his hand to his chest, standing up loudly and proudly. 'I would take on a thousand clan pokemon at once to ensure your safety.'
'Very admirable.' she smiled. 'We can send the top warriors in once Charizard and Flygon give us the assessment of the land. The likes of Rhyperior, Blastoise and Darmanitan will prove to be huge assets to us.'
'There were a couple of pokemon I met at Shan'rala who seem keen to help us.' said Charizard, remembering Sceptiles words before he left. 'I don't know about their ability in a fight but we need all the help we can get.'
'If they want to fight, so be it.' said Vespiquen, her eyes now fiery. 'I would encourage the whole population of Charom to help. It is time to put this vile clan to rest once and for all. Charizard, thank you for your help. You are dismissed.'
Charizard bowed and turned to leave. As he opened the door, there was a clattering sound, and then a yell. Aggron and Vespiquen heard it too, and all three stared past the huge door cautiously.
'What was that?' asked Vespiquen, her eyes gone from passionate to concerned.
'Stay here, your majesty.' said Charizard, flapping his wings. 'I will go down and investigate.'
He floated through the door and then flew down the stairs on the way to the door. He stopped metres close to it and raised his voice.
'Breloom, what was that noise?' he yelled, banging on the door with his fist. There was no answer. He hammered on it again, raising his voice.
'Breloom! Answer me!' he shouted, as Vespiquen and Aggron peered down at him. Then suddenly, the door was blown off its hinges, colliding straight into Charizard and sending him flying into the stairs. Vespiquen screamed and hid behind Aggron, who roared a mighty roar, ushering her back into her room. Charizard threw off the heavy door and stood up, about to face the attacker. Before he could shake off his dizziness, Aggron stormed down the stairs screaming 'YOU!'. Charizard was flung to the side of the hall by his rampage as Aggron headed towards the enemy with scary ferocity. Aggron was about to smash his tail down before he was then thrown up in the air by the same energy that exploded the door off. He yelled as he was sent hurtling into the ceiling. Before Charizard could act, the attacker stepped into his view and the fire in his belly erupted. He let out a jet of searing flames from his mouth which he dodged away from, as Aggron smashed into the roof of the castle, causing the inner layer of rock and marble to shatter and send the fragmented pieces down onto the floor. One large chunk collided with Charizard's shoulder, causing him to yell in pain and buckle. Aggron's impact then began to affect the wall that Charizard was directly next to, cracks to begin forming that threatened to bring down the inner part of the kitchen down on top of him. Another blast of flames came from Charizard's mouth as he tried to somehow hit anything that was a threat, but the rubble came pelting down fast, with a particularly heavy shard crashing into Charizard's head, knocking him out and burying him under a heap of cold stone.
'Charizard! Charizard!' a voice was heard in the background as Charizard stirred. His eyes opened to a blur of shapes and colours. The voice he heard was familiar, and it sounded distressed.
'Charizard! Wake up!'
Charizard sat upright quickly, causing his head to rush and send the blood flowing back to his brain. He was covered in dust and rubble, with the entire room around him completely destroyed. The ceiling had completely dropped on him, the white rock was covering the floor while pokemon were gathered in unison. There was so much noise and commotion that Charizard's mind was struggling to concentrate. He looked round to see whoever was calling his name.
'Flygon!' he said, relieved to see the insect like dragon watching him with concern.
'Are you alright?' Flygon asked, waving in front of his face. 'I'm so relieved to see you-'
'Where is he!?' Charizard shouted, getting to his feet and shaking Flygon. 'Lucario! Where has he gone!?'
'He vanished after...' Flygon trailed off, his voice cracking slightly. Charizard's heart sank to the pits of his stomach.
'Is...' Charizard was shaking. He looked up at the throne room, completely separated from the downstairs part due to the collapsed staircase. He feared the absolute worst. 'Her majesty...'
Flygon slowly nodded, causing Charizard to lower his head in despair. The two of them then flew up to the room, passing the doctors trying to revive the motionless Aggron, their efforts unfortunately in vain. Charizard let out a noise of grief as he looked back at the lifeless body of the steel dinosaur.
'He was one of the best we had...' said Charizard, as the two of them landed on the broken floor on the upstairs part. 'This is awful.'
'As is...' Flygon trailed off again as Charizard turned to see a horde of weeping pokemon surrounding a body on the floor. Charizard's worst fears were well and truly confirmed. It was Vespiquen, and she was dead.
'Lucario...' Charizard growled. He then turned to Flygon, whose head was bowed solemnly. 'Flygon, you're coming with me.'
'Where are we going?' he asked, as Vespiquen's body was lifted by multiple grieving citizens. Below them, other deceased soldiers were carried in. The likes of Breloom, Donphan, Feraligatr and many others who had all been picked off one by one.
'We're going to find Lucario.' said Charizard, the fire in his belly reaching searing point. 'We will find him and we will make him pay. We will destroy him for his treachery, his murders and his actions to bring pain and misery to Charom.'
Flygon slowly nodded, both of them making way for Vespiquen's corpse to be carried down to the lower platform.
'Who will accompany us?' Flygon asked, his voice full of despair as he gestured below at the carnage on the bottom floor. 'Lucario has killed all the best soldiers down below. Those who are alive are too inexperienced and their morale will be shattered!'
Charizard punched the wall in frustration, knowing that it would take too long to round up each individual soldier with what time they had. Then he had an idea. It wasn't a good one but it's all he had at the moment.
'I think I know a few pokemon who can help.' he whispered, with Flygon listening intently. 'We can go after him with this group.'
'Are you sure about this?'
'...No.' Charizard admitted. 'However, if we pull this off then we can further recruit more helpers to assist us with taking down the Clan of Shadows from within. It's win or bust.'
Flygon sighed, then nodded.
'I'm with you.'
The two of them walked out the castle, sadly observing the heaps of bodies that had been attacked and killed by Lucario. Charizard remembered years ago, how Lucario had been a symbol of courage for pokemon all over Sheasip City and even beyond. How he had even looked up to him sometimes as a shining example of loyalty and service to the king. Whatever happened in the space of time that caused Lucario's barbaric behavior was totally beyond Charizard. Was this a plan that had brewed up for some time, or had something triggered a change? It doesn't matter right now, thought Charizard, as him and Flygon left the castle to greet the night sky. We will find out.
'Let's fly.' Charizard muttered, and he and Flygon took off from the ground to embark on their quest.
