Well, this is chapter 10. A lot of things will be happening. Sorry for the slow update, this chapter is long and I have other things to do.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
Chapter 10: Trying to Escape the Tunnel
Welfino is currently swimming across the sea to Boundless Waters. Where is Boundless Waters? It is pretty much the entire water area between Crystalia and Artern. It is wide and gigantic to the point where it should be called a country than a place.
Welfino arrives at an island somewhere in Boundless Waters. This is the Water Nation main headquarters. The island doesn't have a name of its own. Some Pokemon call it Water Nation Island to keep it simple. It is quite small but that doesn't matter. Most Water Nation members don't stay in the headquarters anyways. Only the boss resides here with a few other members. There is a mini castle in the middle of the island. Welfino slides through the beach to the entrance of the castle. The guards recognize him and move immediately. There are only two guards, one is a talented Mantine that is promoted through the ranks quickly from just being a new recruit in Mt. Scorch. The other is a wise Slowking that takes the guard duty for years.
Welfino steps inside the first out of two rooms. The first room is called the assembly room. This is where the high rank members gather to listen to the boss orders monthly. The next meeting is about to come soon. As Welfino looks around, his memory detects the familiar surroundings. The walls are painted blue and there is a chandelier at the top of the room. Otherwise, the room is empty with no significant objects to look at. The room is large enough to the point where a battle could take place here. Welfino hopes it doesn't come to that. At the other end of the room, lies the door to the boss. A Huntail (the boss personal messenger) guards the door.
"General Welfino, what carries you over here?" Huntail asks.
"I have an important matter to discuss with the boss." Welfino answers.
"Fair enough." The Huntail knocks on the door and waits for the boss response.
"Come in." The boss permits entry to Welfino.
Before Welfino enters, he breaths deeply. Hopefully, his evidence and reasoning will be enough to convince the boss.
"Master Crawdaunt, I successfully spy on that moron Barc. I think he tries to seek help from Welfino." Rico reports.
"Welfino? I doubt that he is any different than Juan. Too scared to risk his child's life. Pathetic circus Pokemon like him doesn't have a backbone. It is not worth my time going after him." Crawdaunt dismisses the idea that Welfino will be bold enough to tell the boss everything.
"I absolutely agree Master, his show is lame, it is a disgrace that circus Pokemon like him belongs in the Water Nation." Rico agrees. In actuality, Rico has some doubts on whether or not Welfino will stand against Crawdaunt. However, disagreeing with his master means death.
"Tomorrow, I will enjoy seeing the showdown between Aero and Tentacle." Crawdaunt smirks as he looks at the calendar in his office.
Welfino enters the boss room slowly, this room is quite an unfamiliar territory for the Walrein. Even though Welfino is a general, he doesn't meet the boss personally often. Most of the times, he encounters the boss in meetings. It is not that the boss is cold or distant in Welfino's mind. It is just that he is at another class of Pokemon that mere circus Pokemon like him can't associate with. Similarly, you would not expect a commoner to be close to the royal family or vice versa.
The door closes behind Welfino as he looks at the boss, who is sitting on a throne. Welfino directs his eyes at the boss as it is discourteous to not pay attention to him, especially when you ask for permission to enter his room. It is not like Welfino doesn't know the furniture in this room already. This isn't the first time to he enters this sacred place after all. In conjunction to the throne, there are golden frames around personal images of the boss. The image on the left wall illustrates ancient Artern, where water and land Pokemon co-exist with each other. The image on the right wall is a picture of the boss as a shiny Magikarp. Next to him, a Feebas can be seen. These images are pretty obsolete. They are once specially made by the most talented of Smeargle. Welfino waits for the boss to speak first.
"Why do you come here to personally meet me General Welfino, is it something that can't be revealed to everyone in meetings?" Boss questions Welfino.
The boss voice is a bit worn out, not only because of his age but also because of recent events. The boss is not young anymore-true. However, the boss isn't about to reach his curtain call either. The boss is probably around his fifties if Welfino tries to guess. Most likely, the thing that gives the boss a tired and lifeless expression are deaths of his members. The boss knows very well that there is a Flygon on a rampage.
"I must apologize for the sudden intrusion. However, it is very important that I am here to reveal some confidential information regarding recent events." Welfino formerly answers.
"I assume it is about Aero, what else do I need to know other than the deaths of our members? I acknowledge the deaths of two Octillery, a Greninja, a Jellicent, Juan, Mr. Clyde and etc. During the next meeting, I will send our elite members to kill him." Boss says with remorse as he counts the number of deaths.
"This is the problem, the Flygon isn't the true culprit behind these atrocities. I encounter him in Royale Carnival and he is quite friendly and generous. Instead of being a revenge hungry beast like we believe, he is just a lost Flygon. I have a witness and evidence that point to the true culprit. For evidence, we just need to investigate the corpses of our members. The cause of death for some of our members isn't possible to be accomplished by a Flygon." Welfino explains.
"Who is this culprit?" Boss asks Welfino before he can explain further. Welfino dreads this moment but he needs to get straight to the point.
"General Crawdaunt" Welfino releases two simple but powerful words.
"General Crawdaunt? Dissect the situation so that I understand why this is your conclusion." Boss calmly orders Welfino to explain the situation further. Deep in his mind, "calm" is the last word that is appropriate to describe him.
"Boss, I believe you already know that General Crawdaunt and General Juan is involved with the Mahi Mahi Desert incident. Juan passed information to a Barbaracle named Barc before he died. Barc tells me that General Crawdaunt ruined our image during that accident by falsifying our goals. In addition, he fueled Aero desire for revenge and gave him a handicap. In my opinion, I believe that General Crawdaunt tries to destroy the Water Nation for his own benefits. Mr. Clyde's death gave General Crawdaunt the interviewer position. How many members has he recruited so far? Three, all of them don't have a good record if we dig into their profile. General Crawdaunt framed General Juan in Tallruin Forest, through a Zoroark. Apparently, the Zoroark keeps the record of this transaction in his hideout. Barc manages to find this and immediately report to me." Welfino hands over the book showing the 200,000 P transaction. The boss nods as he checks it. "With undeniable, sufficient amount of evidence, I can't ignore the situation. Therefore, I report to you with a heavy heart. Please investigate further and deal with this situation fairly with your righteous judgement." General Welfino tries to explain to the best of his ability. He hopes that the boss understands and believe him. The boss is silent for a moment. This makes Welfino nervous.
"Fair enough, General Welfino. I will send Hanguil to check the corpses. If everything is valid and correct, I will deal with this by tonight. How I deal with it is entirely up to me and you shall have no rights to debate or discuss about it. Dismiss." Boss ends the conversation.
Welfino steps out of the room, he knows that his life is shorter by at least 10 years. Nevertheless, Welfino sighs with relief and joy. He could never be more proud of himself. Hopefully, Sieg will be proud of him too.
Hanguil the Huntail is called by the boss as General Welfino exits the castle completely. The guards ask him how the it went. General Welfino only smiles to the guards before he leaves.
"Cura, look at that new attraction! It just opens today." I get a bit too excited and drag her over to see it. I hope she doesn't mind it. She drags me once after all.
"A new attraction? Nice, there will be more variety in Royale Carnival now." Cura smiles as she says that. Royale Carnival is a major part of her childhood, I am glad that this place is still going strong after all these years.
"Look, it is called 'Send the annoying kid to the pool'." I read the title of this new attraction. It is settled near the claw machine. From what I see, there is a pool and above the pool is a Pancham. He seems pretty annoyed and depressed as he sits on a droppable chair with his arms crossed. A Pangoro notices us and immediately introduces the new attraction.
"Welcome our first two customers to my new attraction. Pay 200 P and you get 3 balls. See that target over there? If you manage to hit it, the annoying kid will fall to down to the pool." Pangoro explains.
"Dad, why must it be me? Can't you know, use pretty girls to lure customers instead?" Pancham complains.
"Nah, Pokemon nowadays like to send annoying kids soaking. Customers don't want to hurt pretty girls. Remember our deal, I will pay you 50 P each time you fall." Pangoro reminds the Pancham of the deal. This father and son duo certainly have an interesting relationship. Fortunately, my parents don't force me to do things like this.
"Anyways, are you two a couple? Couples get a 20% discount." I blush as the Pangoro assumes that we are a couple. I turn to see that Cura also blushes.
"No" Both of us answer at the same time. Even though I have a crush on her, we are not officially a couple yet.
"Fine, you could try to lie you know? To reward your honesty, I will give you four balls instead of three." Pangoro offers.
"Dad!" Pancham whines.
"This raises the maximum amount you can earn to 200 P. Come on, try to be annoying so customers have an incentive to hit you." Pangoro persuades the Pancham to do his job.
"Fine, you two Flygon have a bad aim. Even if you use a move that never miss, it misses regardless." Pancham insults us.
"Cura, can you give me 200 P? We can each have two balls to hit this annoying kid." I ask for money as this Pancham is starting to get on my nerves.
"Yeah, I am starting to get annoyed as well." Cura pays the Pangoro 200 P.
I allow her to throw first, her first throw misses barely. I throw next, it also misses.
"Hah, you losers are probably blind. The target is like three metres apart from you." Pancham gets more annoying. I can see that he really wants to earn money deep inside.
Cura throws again and this time, it hits the target. Cura smiles with satisfaction at the results. Pancham is soaked as he drops into the pool. It makes for a satisfying splash. The Pancham climbs back up to his seat once again. It is my turn again. I look carefully at the target. It is around the size of the ball I am holding, not very big. I concentrate and aim properly.
"You can do this Aero. Send the annoying kid soaking." Cura cheers for me. I can't disappoint her. I throw and it hits the target as well. Pancham screams as he is soaked.
"Yes! How does it feel now annoying kid?" I ask the soaked Pancham.
"It feels like I am 100 P richer." Pancham grins. We all laugh at his optimism.
Afterwards, we go and grab some food to eat. There is a food court near Welfino Circus. They serve meat and berries. Finally, we exit this place and return to Cura's home. I excuse myself to finish the painting that Cura wants. I really appreciate the fact that she buys art equipment for me. She doesn't see it yet. However, I plan it to be astounding. I want her to like it. No, love it. Tomorrow is the day that I leave Artern after all. I put the finishing touches on the canvas. I pick it up and hide it behind my back.
"Cura, close your eyes." I want to build the feeling of suspense.
"Fine" Cura closes her eyes.
I put the canvas in front of her face.
"Open it now."
Cura opens her eyes to see the painting. It is the painting of the first night where I start to notice my feelings for her. In the painting, you can see shooting stars, the Moon, both of us, the surroundings of the Royal Lands and the little details. I don't know if she notices it but her body shines a bit. This is a symbolism towards the fact that she is the light that pierces through the dark tunnel I am in.
Cura starts to cry in joy.
"This is too perfect. I don't think I deserve it." Cura cries even more.
"Why? You help me throughout a lot of things. You totally deserve it." I assure.
"I guess I deserve it." It is unlike her to say something like this. Cura is the one that reassures me that using some of her money is fine. Why does she feel burdened? I don't understand but at least she still takes the canvas.
The rest of the day pass by pretty quickly. We laugh, we have fun, we enjoy ourselves. I like it more when Cura acts like this. When it is late at night, we have a conversation as we look at the Moon.
"The Pangoro and Pancham seems to have a positive relationship don't you think? Even though Pangoro makes his son be the 'annoying kid', he still pays the little guy. Deep inside, I can see that Pancham really enjoys it too." I talk about their relationship to Cura.
"I agree. It is nice to see a somewhat happy family enjoying their time together, even if it is in the form of a business. Artern isn't a friendly place for families. Bandits, evildoers and psychopaths are everywhere in general. I have seen countless families being torn apart. The darkest street in Ganchor City is filled with homeless orphans. That is one of the main reason why I don't want to live there. I feel like Pokemon there aren't generous, they are only looking out for themselves. They put on fake smiles. In actuality, all they care about is money." Cura contrasts the friendly nature of Pokemon in Royale Carnival to the unfriendly Ganchor City. I am a bit surprised, I never really see something like that in Ganchor City. I guess no matter how open minded you are to your surroundings, you will still be blind if you only see things from your own perspective. I have only two eyes. I can't see them all. I guess this is why it is important to have friends.
I try to improve the mood a bit by changing the conversation. "What about your friends? You have them in Ganchor City right? They aren't that bad right? How come I never see them?"
Cura eyes sadden a bit. Perhaps, I should never ask her.
"It is fine, you don't have to tell me." I try to make her comfortable.
"No, I should tell you the truth Aero. They are not really my friends. At most, they are just acquaintances." Cura admits. I am confused, why did she lied?
"Artern is never a friendly place. It is hard to make friends here. Every chance I get to make friends, I end up ruining it because Mr. Zero haunts me. I am always paranoid for so many years. After my childhood friends left, my condition is getting worse. I believe that everyone in this world is no better than Mr. Zero. I think of everyone that pass by me as bandits. Eventually, I quit going to the Royale Carnival and stay in isolation for decades. I am lost in this scary tunnel. I lie about having friends because I don't want to seem desperate. This reclusive life sickens me so much. One day, I get extremely desperate. Fortunately, I meet you. You share your stories with me, you trust me, you destroy my worst nightmare. Knowing that you are going to leave Artern soon, I… I manipulate you." Cura sobs.
"What?" I shout in surprise.
"I am sorry. I lie about the ferry to Crystalia not leaving until a few days later. In reality, it leaves Ganchor Port everyday. At first, being with you is nostalgic, I feel as if my childhood friends return. However, the longer you stay with me, the more attached I feel to you. You are the only one I see in Artern that fight against evil Pokemon. You are generous to others and you feel burdened when taking advantage of others. However, I take advantage of you for my own personal pleasure. I waste your precious time. I don't deserve your painting or kindness." Cura continues to cry.
"You silly Flygon, I enjoy every single moment here with you. I am not angry or mad." Cura has a surprise expression as I say this.
"Can't you see the smiles and laughs I had because of you? I can't ask for anything better than this. These past few days break me from the vicious cycle of revenge and depression. I am always lost and alone. However, you are the light that pierces through the tunnel that I am in. Because of you, I learn that I can't conquer this tunnel I am in alone. Because of you I act generous and try to impress you. Because of you, I feel burdened for using your money and abuse your hospitality. Even if you lie, I don't mind that. I have done worse things like killing innocent Pokemon. Your lie can be justified, mine can't. If I am in your position, I would do the exact same thing." I console her.
Cura wipes off her tears. "Really?" Cura asks me. I nod.
"Also, I have a confession." I say as Cura eyes widen.
"I also have a confession." Cura says as well.
"Let us reveal it the same time." I suggest. Cura nods to this.
"Three"
"Two"
"One"
"I love you!" Cura reciprocates my feelings? We both blush at this.
"I also have a gift for you." I hand her the ticket to Crystalia. Cura grabs it carefully as if it is 1,000,000 P. Despite all the attacks it received alongside me, the ticket is still in one piece. I appreciate the fact that they make these tickets durable. Or else…
"I can't express how I feel in words." Cura says.
"I want to go there with you. I want you to be my light and I want to be your light. Without you, I feel blind. Who knows what will happen to me when I am alone? I might attempt suicide and take the Crawdaunt to the hell with me. I know that you love the Royale Carnival and…" Cura suddenly hugs me, interrupting me before I finish.
"You don't need to persuade me. I obviously want to go with you. Even if it is a dangerous, turbulent path, both of us will overcome it together. I will protect you to the best of my ability. I swear with my life." Cura swears with great determination.
"I also swear that I will protect you with my life." I want to freeze the time at this moment. A gust of wind passes us as we hug each other. The Moon shines brightly, vanquishing the darkness of the night.
King Haphei is sitting on the throne, contemplating meticulously about his next plan. He has countless ambitions, being the king of Artern isn't enough. He desires the land of Crystalia as well. However, the citizens oppose against war strongly. Haphei is struggling to create a foolproof plan. Therefore, Haphei consults with his royal retainer Bravissimo the Bisharp. Bravissimo is known as the strongest knight of Artern. The Bisharp line is trained from birth to serve the royal family. There is a rumor going around that Bravissimo never take a day off from his training. He trains, eats then sleep. In a battle between him and Derek, no one can predict the winner.
"King Haphei, what do you need of my service?" Bravissimo speaks comfortably. He doesn't seem to be threatened by Haphei royal presence. His face is serious and stoic.
"I want to know how to conquer Crystalia, do you have a plan?" Haphei asks.
"Perfect, this is why I don't oppose to your decision of killing your own father. You are strong and ambitious, like a ruler should be. To conquer Crystalia, kill their ruler and wage war against them while they are weak. If you want, I can initiate my plan straight away. Tomorrow, I will board the ferry to Crystalia, take around five years to explore the place. Return to report everything I discover then head back to Crystalia for the final time. At that specific moment, I will kill Queen Diancie. Simple." Bravissimo says with a monotone voice. This task doesn't intimidate him at all.
"Excellent, please proceed right away with the plan. This is why I choose you to be my royal retainer." Haphei praises Bravissimo. However, the Bisharp doesn't care. He just nods and exits the room.
We agree that before we board the ferry to Crystalia, we will visit Mr. Smeargle's family. He requests for me to tell them that he loves them after all. I must respect his wishes. I remember that Mr. Smeargle informs about his house in Ganchor City to me once. It is a white house with the number 1283. Apparently, the numbers are used so that mails can be delivered to the correct destination.
I ask a passerby Grumpig for information. He wears a golden necklace. He must be that Grumpig I see when I enter the city. He gives me a weird look before saying something.
"Get out of the way, loser." Grumpig rudely replies. I start to see why Cura hates Ganchor City now. Speaking of Cura, she taps my shoulder. I turn around to face her.
"I can guide you if you want. I don't exactly know the house you are speaking of. However, I have an idea." Cura offers to guide me.
I follow her around the city. Cura explains the house number system to me. Seemingly, the house numbers are in order from how far they are from the gate. However, it is not that simple, the city is not a straight line, there are twists and turns.
After an hour, we reach the house. I knock on the door and wait patiently. I have an urge to knock on the door again but it is impolite. All I can do is wait.
"Who are you? Get out of here if you are a sales Pokemon." A mysterious voice asks.
"I am Mr. Smeargle's student." I hope this Pokemon believes me.
This Pokemon opens the door and peek to look at the outside. Then opens the door and welcome us.
"My name is Smogona. I am Smorgan's mother. You probably know him as Mr. Smeargle. You are Aero correct? Smorgan sent me some letters to me about you. It seems like you evolved." Smogona introduces herself to us. She then turns to Cura and gives a questioning look. Cura introduces herself to avoid any confusion.
"My name is Cura and well we are a couple." It is weird to hear her saying that after we deny this yesterday. Still, it warms my heart.
"I see, come and have a seat." Smogona offers us a seat.
We sit and listen to her talking about Mr. Smeargle. Calling him Smorgan is just odd. It doesn't click to my tongue.
"Smorgan is a very young, talented boy. He is talented enough to the point where the royal family offers him a position as their personal artist. He accepts with giddiness at first. However, he witnesses pretty cruel things inside the royal palace. After that incident, he quits and escape from Ganchor City. At least he still sends me letters. How is he? Is he doing fine in Mahi Mahi Desert?" Smogona asks with heavy concern.
We both look down and I cry a bit. Smogona is anxious immediately. I have no choice but to bear the bad news to her.
"Mr. Smeargle, he… he dies while trying to protect me from a group of intruders. His last words are he loves his family." I mutter it out with slight difficulty. Smogona immediately cries, her tears fall down like a river. There is nothing else I can do except telling her that his corpse lies around my cave. I give my words of consolation and we leave. We need to get on the ferry before it leaves after all.
"Do you think that Crystalia will be a better place?" I ask Cura.
"Crystalia is more developed than Artern. That is all I know. Hopefully, that will be the case." Cura answers.
Finally, we reach Ganchor Port. It is just a port with a single ferry. How unimpressive, I guess you can't expect there to be a lot of boats. Each of them cost billions. You need several talented steel, fighting and psychic types to assemble it. In addition, the materials and machinery are very rare.
We see a Chatot collecting tickets, he wears a pretty cool sailor hat. We immediately run over to him when he announces something.
"Final call for the ferry to Crystalia. Final call."
We arrive just in time to hand him the tickets and enter the ferry. The ferry isn't that big, still that is to be expected as not a lot of people have money to travel around like this. There are three waiting rooms filled with chairs and chairs only. I expect the accommodation to be better than this. At least, there is a kitchen with a chef. A restroom, a storage room for transporting goods. Most importantly, there is the control room. I wonder who is the captain.
We both take a seat and Cura puts the canvas down on the seat next to her. It is the only thing that both of us brings except some money of course. Still, we need to find a job immediately if we want to survive in Crystalia.
I look around at other Pokemon that are heading to Crystalia with us. There is the Furfrou family and a Bisharp. The Furfrou just talk to each other while the Bisharp sit alone in a corner, reading a book about battle tactics. His eyes are glued to the book. I never notice a second where his eyes move away from the book. This guy is probably antisocial. He doesn't get out of his seat to grab something to eat, he doesn't look at the window and he doesn't talk to anyone. I waste my spare time by stalking him. I am starting to feel like a creep and stop doing it. Regardless, there is this powerful aura around him that lures me. It makes me feel interested, how is he this strong? It sends a shiver down to my spine sometimes to be with someone who can just immediately kills you. Hopefully, he doesn't want to do that.
"Aero, do you want to grab something to eat? Are you alright? Why are you stalking the Bisharp?" Cura waves her hand in front of my face and asks with concern.
I snap myself out of this trance before replying. "Feel it, his aura."
Cura trembles instantly after feeling his powerful aura. It is very rare for a Pokemon to emit an aura that can be felt by others that is not a Lucario. Most Pokemon aura are too subtle. If you think that you notice someone's aura, it is probably just your imagination. However, Cura feels it too so it is probably not my imagination. Even Crawdaunt doesn't emit an aura like this. I can feel Crawdaunt's aura as well but it is a lot weaker.
"Who is he?" I ask Cura in case she has an idea.
"There is only one explanation, he is probably the general of the royal army. The Bisharp line go through harsh and unforgiving trials until they steel themselves to be this overpowered. I read from books that this method of training is inspired by the Greninja Village but it is much worse. A single mistake and you are dead. This is why there is only a few Bisharp in Artern. They pretty much have no life except to serve the royal family." Cura explains.
I wonder why Artern creates system like this. It ruins Pokemon lives. I guess it is because of the Artern-Crystalia war, they probably need strong soldiers. Still, they should abandon this obsolete perception. I feel some sort of sympathy for this Bisharp.
"Don't you think it is a bit impolite to gossip about others?" The Bisharp comments without taking his eyes off the book. Both of us stop moving, please have mercy.
"I will satisfy your curiosity, incompetent Pokemon. I am the royal retainer of King Haphei, the general of the royal army, the heart and soul of this nation. I am taught to be your savior. After this delicate and insufferable nation lose to Crystalia during the war, they always have the upper hand. Whether it be in trades or resources, we are abused. Why do you think bandits and psychopaths crowd this land? Why do you think the royal army doesn't have a backbone? It is because of our poor economy. Do you know that guards and soldiers are bribed every single day by bandits and psychopaths? Closed-minded Pokemon like you two can't comprehend the burden of this nation. All you do is complain and ditch your birthplace like traitors. What this nation need are strong, capable Pokemon. Cowards like you are a disgrace to this country. Run, hide and scram. You will not escape my grasp once I am done with Crystalia." Bisharp finishes his speech. I detect some emotions from this speech. Is it rage?
"Aero, I don't think it is a smart idea to stalk him. Let us grab something to eat." Cura suggests.
"I am sorry. I am just curious." I apologize to her for putting us in that degrading situation.
"Just put it out of your mind." Cura says as she holds my hand. Together, we head to the kitchen.
The kitchen serves some soup and bread. We both enjoy eating it until the ferry suddenly stops. The captain makes an announcement.
"Unfortunately, we run out of fuel so our trip to Crystalia must be redirected to a place called hell! Hahaha." Captain laughs like a psychopath at the speaker. Don't tell me that a Water Nation member is the captain. Suddenly, a Tentacruel appears in the kitchen.
"Mates, it is time for your curtain call." Tentacruel announces.
"Cura, we should separate and surround him." I tell her our strategy and she nods in agreement. This Tentacruel can't take down both of us at once when we are separated. I signal Cura to get behind his back while I will take him upfront.
"Bad strategy" Tentacruel criticizes as he releases Sludge Wave. This move swamps the area with a pool of sludge. Unfortunately, it hits both of us.
"Eww" I try to swipe the sludge of my body with some difficulty. I decide to forget about it and concentrate on the battle. I look up to see that Tentacruel is going after Cura. I immediately rush in and use Dragon Claw. I successfully slash his body.
"Ouch" The Tentacruel yells as he grabs a table and fling it towards me. I sidestep and dodge it.
"Close your ears." Cura orders and I immediately know the move she is going to use.
I close my ears and she uses Boomburst. A loud screeching sound makes Tentacruel ears bleed.
"Screw you." Tentacruel screams as he uses Muddy Water. It floods the kitchen and deal some nasty damage to our body. The mud blinds my eyes a bit. Why must he use dirty moves like this?
"Aero, he is grabbing the Furfrou family as hostages!" Cura tells me as I wipe the mud of my face. This guy only knows dirty tactics.
Both of us fly after the Tentacruel to see him on the roof of the ferry. He uses Acid Spray on the hostages that he grabs with his tentacles. Acid Spray reduces your Special Defense harshly.
"When you hurt me, I suck the life force out of others. Hahaha." Tentacruel laughs again and use Giga Drain on the hostages.
"Help!" The little Furfrou screams in pain.
"Don't hurt our son, you dirty Tentacruel!" The Furfrou parents shout in anger and pain.
"What are other moves that you know Cura? Moves that don't affect the hostages?
"I have Boomburst, Bug Buzz, Earthquake and Draco Meteor." Cura lists her moves. It shocks me that she knows Draco Meteor. Cura should tell me sooner. Although, I never ask about her moves after all.
"There is nothing that you can do. If you try to hit me, I will use the hostages as a meat shield." Tentacruel declares.
"Pathetic, weaklings like you are the reason that Artern lost." This voice, is it Bisharp?
In a flash, Bisharp suddenly appears next to Tentacruel and uses Night Slash. This attack is so fast that Tentacruel couldn't even use his hostages as a shield. Terrifyingly, it splits Tentacruel in half. Blood splatters everywhere. No one say anything for a while until the Bisharp breaks the silence.
"Unfortunately, your trip is canceled and there will be no refunds. Return now, unless you want to fly or swim over to Crystalia as an alternative. Even if you manage to reach your destination, I doubt that the Crystalians will welcome you." Bisharp analyzes our situation before he jumps out of the ferry and swim. Is he crazy? All of our jaws drop as Bisharp swims over to the wide ocean. Is he that confident that he will survive? There is a chance that he might encounter the Sharpedo Mafia. Whatever, that is his business. It is more important that I check on Cura.
"Are you alright?" I ask her with concern. She doesn't seem to take a lot damage. However, the fact that we are stuck in Artern is my main concern.
Cura seems to be a bit sad at first but then she beams with optimism.
"I am fine. I still have you, my love. No matter where we are, if you are there, I will always be happy." We share a hug. I am glad that Cura has break free from her tunnel. Only if that Crawdaunt perishes, I will happily live in Artern. We stop hugging each other as the Furfrou family approach us.
"Thank you for trying to save us." The Furfrou family thank us all at once.
"It is the Bisharp that you should thank." I don't want to accept the praise after my incompetent performance.
"Still, please accept it." Mr. Furfrou assures.
Afterwards, we chat a little. Pretty much, we talk about why we want to go to Crystalia. Apparently, they are millionaires until a Crawdaunt robs them of their entire savings. Luckily, they still have enough money to travel. I am pretty sure that it is the same Crawdaunt that I know. They also want to go to Crystalia because there is a Furfrou stylist there.
We eventually fly back to Artern and part ways with them. As they can't swim, we tell the Chatot to call the authorities to help them.
In the end, we hold our hands as we walk back to Royal Lands.
General Crawdaunt arrives at the Water Nation Island. He is very frustrated. Rico told him about Tentacle's defeat already, let say his response isn't pretty. Desperately, Crawdaunt clings to his last resort, Corona. Crawdaunt knows the truth behind Corona's origins and strength. That is why Crawdaunt makes Corona his disciple at such a young age. If Crawdaunt manages to unleash Corona power, he will win. The risky thing is Crawdaunt knows that he can't control Corona forever.
General Crawdaunt walks past the guards without saying a word. He finally arrives at the grand door. Crawdaunt is prepared to fight the boss if he must. Without any hesitation, he enters to see the shiny Gyarados.
"Bianco, you have change a lot." Boss makes a comment.
"Don't call me by that name, Gyanoki." Crawdaunt hates it when people call his name for some unknown reason.
"General Crawdaunt, do you really want to turn the world upside down that much?" Gyanoki asks the Crawdaunt.
"Someone like you will never understand my vision. A world with boundless power, the world where no matter what Pokemon you are born as, you can still obliterate others." Crawdaunt rants about his world.
"No one understand you better than me. If I can't understand you, no one can. I know your past; I am your teacher. You have a searing, infinite hatred for Pokemon that are born with exceptional stats like dragon types. You despise them for making you their slave and torture you for years. However, you meet me one day and-" Crawdaunt interrupts the story while closing his ears.
"Don't talk about my pathetic past. I escape from that pitiful shell that is my former self decades ago! I am now the predator and they are the prey. I will make them suffer and scream in agony for the rest of their lives. Hahahahaha…" Crawdaunt loses his sanity and starts to laugh.
"Such a shame that you can't control your sanity. If you can, you will truly be a valuable asset to the Water Nation. I pity you my student. Therefore, I want to you to take a vacation for five years. Learn to control your sanity. Dismiss." Crawdaunt walks out of the room. Along the way, he laughs and talks about his perfect world. Crawdaunt is just an insane psychopath. After his agonizing childhood, he loses all common decency and basic empathy for others. All he wants is to crush and obliterate the ones that make him like this. He needs to train harder than those pathetic dragons. Therefore, he deserves to win in his own opinion. It is hard to control his sanity. Occasionally, he has crazy out of the world ideas. It is better to not speak of them unless you want to puke your intestines out.
"Aero, after this five years vacation, I will make you scream in agony for the rest of your life." Crawdaunt says after he regains some of his sanity.
Rico appears before him and Crawdaunt whispers something.
"Tell Corona to train and wait for my return in five years."
Corona is planning his strategy intricately. Crawdaunt is dealt with. Aero can be obliterated easily. The biggest obstacle is Bravissimo. That Bisharp knows about his plan, sooner or later Bravissimo will kill Corona. Stupid guards, they spill their secrets to their beloved general. It will take Corona five years to come up with a decent plan at this rate. Attacking him directly is suicide. Assassination? It is suicide for the poor assassin. Corona believes that Bravissimo is stronger than Derek. Perhaps, he is wrong. Still, Derek will obviously reject his offer. Money, fame, threats? They are all meaningless to the Hydreigon. Corona knows Derek a bit from secret royal records. Corona lets out a chilly sigh as he considers his other options.
Corona is in a place called Everlasting Mountain. It is a snowy tundra where ice types mostly live. It is settled near Royal Lands, a perfect place to spy on Aero.
In the distance, Rico appears. Corona will use this opportunity to his advantage.
"Master Crawdaunt tells you to train and wait for five years." Rico delivers the message. To the Pelipper demise, Corona attacks using a powerful Ice Beam that instantly kills him.
"Too bad Rico, it is too risky to keep you in this world."
If you read the chapters carefully, you will realize that the ferry to Crystalia leave sooner than what Cura said. Captain Tentacle states that tourists think they can go over to Crystalia whenever they want, making him misses his lunch shift. The ferry leaves when there is at least one customer alongside a one hour wait in case there are more customers. They make enough profit out of one ticket to cover the costs. Poor Tentacle, he is such a picky eater. Fun fact, he hates the ferry's food.
Another hint is that Cura doesn't interact with other Pokemon much at all except for Aero.
There will be a five years skip next chapter. I hope you anticipate it.