Chapter 8, or Inquiries.
This chapter has 13,168 words. Maybe I shouldn't have taken all of these characters, ha ha. At least I know now this is going to be a very long-term project.
So yeah. Next chapter of aQoF. I hope you enjoy, and please review or PM with any questions, complaints, or general comments. I probably messed up some stuff in here, too, so if you'll catch those typos for me I would be forever grateful.
I don't own Pokemon.
OCs will be accepted for the entirety of the story. Please review the form on my profile and send them in by PM only. You can send two OCs!
You don't have to be a good person to be a hero.
Those words were pretty deep, Xander thought. Knew. Thought. No, he knew they were pretty deep, because they were deep. And, much to the Flying-type's chagrin: considering that phrase came from Nero, it was apparent they held a hidden meaning, besides the blatantly obvious one.
Still, the Gallade hadn't really answered Xander's question, am I doing the right thing? It was almost as if his fellow Rider was saying he would have to find the answer himself. Although… why Nero couldn't just say straight-out that the Misdreavus who led them was bad, and what they were doing wasn't quite right, didn't sit with Xander too well. Still, the Swellow turned the information he knew over and over in his head, sitting against the worn bark of the tree, wings tucked carefully behind him, rocking back and forth, elbows resting loosely on his knees as he chewed his lower lip in thought.
He was on the outskirts of Hearthome City – right outside the walls, in fact, some distance away from the west gates – and was currently located in a tree, not very high up but enough to make him feel more at ease. Birds belonged in the air, after all, he mused, then shook his head and readjusted so he could be more comfortable. Then he squawked loudly when he lost his balance, though he managed to duck and roll upon contact with the ground. Instead of standing up, though, he simply lay there, staring at the leaves above him.
He remained in the position for a few seconds, mortified at the noise he had previously released, but when he sat up and crawled his way back over to lean against the same tree's trunk, dusting himself off on the soft grass, he couldn't help but grin widely, chuckling some. That had actually been pretty hilarious (and he should've seen it coming).
But anyway… heroes. Good guys. Or in this case, not necessarily good guys. Man, sometimes he hated Nero for making things so confusing. You don't have to be a good person to be a hero? Of course you do! Only the good guys were heroes, right? Duh. That was obvious. That was how it was in most books, that was how it always was actually: the protagonist always prevailed because he was good, he chose to do good things, he did what was right and plowed forward because of his bravery and – and – his – goodness. His righteousness! His desire to help others and his belief and his hope! Or her. The protagonist could be a her, too – Xander kicked himself for being unwittingly sexist.
But in any case, Rhy was not really… good, in that sense, the Swellow supposed. Sure, the ghost'd been alive for, how long, two centuries or something? That didn't make it okay to be, like, "oh, sorry, can't help you, not my problem". He was supposed to help anybody, anything, in any way he could. That's what good leaders did! That's how they gained followers and, most importantly, kept those followers.
If he wasn't good, then why was Nero, a perfect asshole who actually had good ethics and morals, following a dark and dreary monster? And why was Vee, the most friendly and optimistic person ever, doing so as well? They were some of the most loyal people he'd ever met, most possibly the pair most devoted to the cause and the organization of the Flame Riders itself. They had no reason to follow Rhy's plans and decisions, and yet, they did, gladly. They would even lay their lives down for him if they had to.
Why? What about him made Rhy so trustworthy, even when he had so many actions and choices that pointed otherwise – ?
He yelped in surprise when he bit through his lower lip with a burst of pain. So deep in concentration was he that he had failed to notice how hard he'd been grinding his teeth, and he released his hold on his now-sore lip while removing his glove and carefully pressing his fingertip against the wound. When he brought it out so he could see, his skin showed a bright blotch of red. Nothing he could do about a split lip, for now, but he growled under his breath as he wiped his finger on his jeans and slipped his glove over his hand again.
"I heard that," a familiar voice called, and Xander sighed audibly when Luco trotted into view from behind a tree, grinning like a shark. His white jeans were stained with dirt and grass, but he didn't seem to mind all too much despite his generally vain attitude. The Swellow supposed it had something to do with Rein not being around. "What d'ya do now?"
"Bit my lip," Xander grumbled, and Luco let out a light laugh. Something in his voice, though, got the Swellow's attention, and he gave his fellow Rider a careful looking-over, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Indeed, the Pachirisu had a little less bounce in his step, and his smile looked slightly forced despite his normally cheery demeanor. "Something wrong?" the Swellow asked him, cocking his head when Luco's lips twitched into a frown.
"Nothing important," he replied, but it was obvious he was lying through his teeth, given how he actually scowled a bit.
"And you expect me to believe that?" Xander got to his feet, wiped his hands over his pants and then his shoulders for good measure. He shook out his wings as well, cartilage bending, and fluttered his feathers a bit. Arceus, he wanted to be flying right about now…
Luco threw up his hands and said in a light, teasing tone, "Jeez, man, I know I'm really bad at lying, but there's no need to rub it in." He ran his fingers through his white hair with the blue stripes, his lips set in a thin line, before realizing what he was doing and jabbing them into his pockets. "It's just." He sighed. "You know."
"Rein?" Xander guessed, and at the glum look that flitted across Luco's face, like a passing cloud, he decided he was right. "Why? You'll see her pretty soon."
"In like a month, if that," Luco shot back, and then he moaned out loud. Xander almost flinched at the sound, not because it was miserable but because it was… actually kind of pathetic that the guy was so worked up over a single girl. "And Nightingale's with her. I can't stand it, Xander."
"What's wrong with Nightingale?" the Swellow asked, one eyebrow quirked. As far as he knew the Weavile was strictly business – so much so that if life were a protest march he'd be holding a sign saying "I'm too busy protesting do give a shit about anything" or some sort of thing like that. His metaphors kind of sucked. "I doubt he'd make a move on her."
Luco sent him the pitying look he'd ever witnessed, and it raised Xander's hackles slightly. Then the Electric-type said in a miserable yet irritatingly condescending voice, "You really don't understand anything, do you?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Perhaps not the best of responses he could've chosen, but it would have to do.
"That was the point of the comment, Xander." Ouch. "But anyway, Rhy's gone and ruined the dynamic I'd set up." Cue dramatic sigh, and then abruptly Luco fell lifelessly to the ground, landing splayed all over the place. There was no indication that it had hurt, though Xander knew it had to, considering how he had just fallen in a similar manner. "And Nightingale's not stupid, he's noticed."
"Noticed what, exactly?" The Swellow knew he'd regret asking, given how pissed Luco looked right now, but his curiosity got the better of him and the words escaped without a second thought. As he'd predicted, the Pachirisu gave him another withering look, though this time Xander didn't even bother looking, instead bending down and plucking a blade of grass for no reason except to briefly entertain himself.
"Would it be surprising if I told you I wasn't actually dumb?" Luco snapped, and Xander rolled his eyes, paying only half-attention as the Pachirisu swept on, "Nightingale's gonna spill everything to Rein about how carefully I've been manipulating her – and others, too. She'll be angry as hell and probably kick my ass the next time she sees me."
"Don't see why you wouldn't deserve it," the Swellow responded absently, dropping the blade of grass and lacing his fingers together. He straightened his arms, palms facing outward, fingers cracking as he added, "From what I can understand, you were basically marking her as your territory in a sneaky way, which always pisses people off once they find out."
"I don't need you to tell me that," he snarled, and then crossed his arms and seemed to – curl into himself, rocking slightly even as he lay in a ball on his side.
Xander frowned, looking over at the Pachirisu in slight concern. He was an easygoing Pokemon by nature – the both of them were, in fact – but now his feathers were getting a little ruffled, no pun intended. He didn't know quite what to say that would ensure the argument would not escalate into something that might be potentially be catastrophic in nature. Instead, he said nothing and simply shrugged, looking away from his friend.
"Sorry," Luco said after a moment, running both hands through his short hair. "I'm not really. Um. Sorry."
"It's fine." It wasn't any of his business anyway, and Xander had no intention of sticking his metaphorical beak into a place where it didn't belong. "Don't worry."
"You're a good friend, Xander."
Xander shrugged again with a small smile on his face, settling himself down at the base of the tree where he'd fallen. Luco, after a moment's hesitation, got up and joined him, and together they sat in silence, listening to the chatter of voices and the wind brush the leaves above them.
"That reminds me," Luco said after a few minutes' silence. "There was huge gaggle of Pokemon in Arceus garb. I saw them when I was going around town."
"Order of Arceus?" Luco nodded. "That could be a problem," Xander murmured, though he had no idea what they would want to do with Hearthome. But at least, he might be able to use this to his advantage, as he stood up and shook out his wings. "You think I should take a look?"
"Can't hurt," Luco replied, raising his shoulders in a shrug. Then he looked up at Xander and said in a more serious tone, "They looked dangerous, though; some had swords and axes and the like. Be careful."
It was rare for the Pachirisu to say anything in that manner – seriously, that is – so Xander took his words to heart and nodded. "Will do."
And with that, he took a running start and flung himself into the air once he'd reached a big even space between the trees, wings flapping powerfully to pull himself upwards. He could feel Luco's eyes upon him as he banked to the left and soared over the city, before he saw exactly what Luco had described: a group of Pokemon with the clothes from the Order of Arceus.
And then he saw what they were doing, and he screeched in alarm, an instinctive sound. Townsfolk looked up, other Flying-types looked round, and soon the whole city was in pandemonium. Xander couldn't bring himself to go any closer, but he couldn't move from his spot, his wings beating up and down to keep him bobbing in place.
Why was the Order of Arceus burning down Hearthome's eastern gates?
Jin was quite the character, though Rein was pretty sure he was just a little off in the head. For one, he pretended he wasn't cold when it was so very obvious he was freezing; for another, he was brilliant, in the sense that his intelligence was so tremendous she felt – no, she knew she was completely outclassed.
And yet another point: he was ridiculously powerful. They were trudging through a blizzard and he had erected some sort of Light Screen that shielded them from the wind and snow. No normal psychic could do that without breaking a sweat and remaining able to maintain a witty conversation with one of the sharpest people she knew, metaphorically and otherwise (which brought up a good point: why wasn't Jin just teleporting to his location? That would be a lot easier for him, and she doubted he didn't knew how to).
In any case, she was walking ahead of Nightingale and the Alakazam, thinking and calculating whether they would get to Snowpoint in time. She was pretty certain they would make it with at least two hours to spare, thanks to Jin's ingenious use of his powers, and that they were very close now. Thus, it took her a little bit to realize they were trying to get her attention, to which she brushed her hair behind her ears and looked around, slowing her pace. "Sorry," she said apologetically, followed by "What?"
"And so she graces us with her awareness!" Nightingale said dryly, and when she gave him the finger, Jin winced while the Weavile smirked. Her half-hearted snarl in response simply made his teasing smile widen.
"We were simply curious enough as to inquire your thoughts," the Alakazam clarified, giving the Weavile besides him an unreadable look, eyes flashing once before returning to meet her own. "You seem to be incredibly focused on something."
She stared back for a moment, running his word choice through her head, before she waved a hand and shook her head. "It's nothing, really. Just wondering if we'll make it to Snowpoint on time – which we will," she added at the stricken looks on both of her companions' faces. "And this whole shield thing you got going? It's helping a ton."
If he was flattered, it doesn't show on his face, though the shield in question pulsated quietly outside of them, a ring of gold traveling from the front to back. "Your praise is too much," he said instead, evenly, and then he told her, "It is really the least I can do for you – I enjoy finding traveling companions such as yourselves."
Rein supposed she could take that as an insult or a compliment, depending on how to chose to approach the comment itself. She decided to ignore it entirely and instead asked bluntly, "So, what do you do for a living, Jin?"
Nightingale shifted slightly, eyes alighting on hers for just a moment – a flicker of understanding passed between the two, so swift she was sure the Alakazam missed it, though she could be wrong – before they flicked over to Jin. The Psychic-type didn't say anything right away, evidently pondering his answers before saying anything, but when he spoke, it took both of them by surprise.
"I used to be a freelance scientist," he told them, and then Rein felt her cold blood chil with shock when he admitted quietly, "I was the one who developed the original formula for cloning and creating life in a test tube, if you will. My research has been used by the Order of Arceus for over ten years."
"Um" was Nightingale's immediate reaction, and the Mightyena could barely force her mind to function before she could convey information coherently.
"So, uh, Jin." Rein cleared her throat at his questioning look. "How old are you right now?" She knew it was a prying question, but he didn't look old, quite the attractive young man in fact. His intelligence must be even more pronounced than she had originally thought.
"I am eighteen."
"… And when did you make these notes?"
Jin had the audacity to shrug, as at the same time he told them, "I perfected them – they had been my father's originally – when I was around, say, a year or two of age."
There was a long and pointed silence. Nightingale shattered it by yelping, "You wrote algorithms when you were only a year old? Is that even possible?" At Jin's wordless nod the Weavile shook his head violently, scarlet eyes as wide as dinner plates. "I'm sorry, I've heard of prodigies, but that – that's beyond even me."
"As it is for most," the Alakazam responded tonelessly, and his green eyes seemed somewhat sightless, almost glassy orbs, as they met Rein's. Quite suddenly she felt she could peer into his soul using his eyes as her medium, almost knowing that somehow, somewhere, this young man had aged in circumstances where he was forced to grow up far to quickly and give up all too much – and she knew that for all of his genius, his life had not been an easy one.
"What's it like, being so smart?" she asked quietly, and his expression, which had been completely neutral and unreadable, instantly twisted into a deep scowl. His answer was similarly pronounced.
"No one trusts you or talks to you, for fear of appearing stupid or simply because they find it is not their place." Nightingale opened his mouth to interject, no doubt something ridiculous, and as if sensing this Jin swept on. "Very few treat me as an ordinary person, and even less find themselves able to talk with me easily. And the number of people who know what I've done and researched – I can count on the fingers of one hand – "
"Why did you tell us?"
For once, the Weavile had asked an intelligent question, and once again he and Rein exchanged a lightning-quick glance before focusing their full attention on the Psychic-type in front of them. Jin looked incredibly unsure, slightly pensive, even, though at their unwavering gazes he sighed and muttered, looking down, "I'm not sure. I just felt that I could trust you to keep a secret."
If only he knew half of it, Rein thought as she and Nightingale locked eyes once again, this time for a more noticeable amount of time, being a Flame Rider in itself is a secret not easily shared. Jin did not remark upon it, however, and then Rein said, with a tone of seriousness that was not heard often, "We'll take this information to the grave."
The grateful look was all she needed to see to know she'd done the right thing, and then Nightingale did what he did best, which was lighten the atmosphere: "So, can you fight?"
"If I could not fight, I would be locked in a cell and be enslaved for my intelligence." Rein winced, though Jin looked unruffled by the inquiry and continued, nonplussed, "Can you?"
The response was so rapid-fire even the Weavile looked a little winded, a rare occurrence, but then a cruel smirk curled the Dark-type's lip and Rein turned away, sensing verbal bloodshed in the near future. Fortunately, they were practically at the town's doorstep – in fact, they were plodding past the entrance to Lake Acuity, where Rein knew the mysterious body of water would remain liquid rather than being covered by a sheet of ice, shielded from the blizzard by high, dominating pines.
She got both of the males' attention by slapping the side of Nightingale's head and snapping her fingers in front of the Alakazam's face. "We're here," she said with exaggerated patience, and Jin had the decency to look embarrassed while Nightingale merely shrugged and walked past the sign that proudly declared 'Snowpoint City'. Jin and Rein followed, only stopping once they had reached shelter next to a building's wall.
"It was very nice to meet you both," the Alakazam said after a moment, and then, without preamble, he gave a short bow and walked away, taking his shield with him. The full force of the blizzard hit the two of them, and they quickly made a decision and made their way blindly to where Rein knew a PokeCenter was, with her making her path with sheer willpower alone.
"Didn't even say goodbye properly," she grumbled as they felt their way to where the door was. They opened automatically, and while Rein entered and looked back expectantly the Weavile did not follow.
"I'm going to tail him," Nightingale told her in explanation, already backing out into the cold winds. She nodded to acknowledge she had heard, and then the doors closed and she was alone in the place, with other numerous Pokemon scattered around and a Chansey scribbling busily at the front desk. She secluded herself by claiming a corner of one of the couches, making sure to save a spot for Nightingale by throwing her pack on the other end.
Then she settled in for an extensive wait, picking up a random magazine from the coffee table in front of her, for she knew in this weather, and due to Nightingale's traumatic past, the Weavile would be taking a long time in returning.
They had been the most remarkable duo he'd met in a while, Jin had to admit. It was getting increasingly rare for him to run into indifferent Pokemon such as them – not to say they were unkind and ignored him, just that they did not seem to care which side he was on. Nowadays, all that seemed to be spoken about was the upcoming war, led by the most fervent Servants of the Order of Arceus and Kyurem, while the other Orders' followers shied away and hid in their basements.
He could not blame them. The heretics and insane actions of both of the Orders were some things he was keen on avoiding himself.
In the meantime, he was making his way to the Temple located in Snowpoint, not for any particular reason but merely because he wanted a point of seclusion, somewhere he could think. If it weren't for the damned cold – here he shivered, suddenly reminded of its icy weight on his clothes and body – he would most likely have come here earlier. At least now, once he had visited, he would be able to teleport here without a problem.
The large, foreboding building loomed into view quite suddenly, the blizzard restricted his vision to a number of feet, and with one last shiver he entered its gray arch. He maintained his shield though weakened its power considerably as he padded in further, noticing the freezing, desolate place was deserted save for an individual standing very still near the center of the building. Despite his misgivings, he walked closer; perhaps they would be able to explain the inner-workings of the once-majestic building he was in.
The Pokemon turned as he came closer, and quite suddenly the blood chilled to an even lower temperature in his veins. It was a Gardevoir, and its striking similarity to his beloved Teacher caused his limbs to freeze in place.
"Can I help you?" It – his, that voice was male, his voice did not match, not quite, but still, Jin was unable to get his mouth to form the words, his tongue feeling thick and heavy in his mouth. The Gardevoir frowned in concern and swept closer, somehow walking elegantly despite the ragged jeans he wore. The Alakazam vaguely wondered why the other Psychic-type did not seem cold as he pressed, "Are you all right?"
It took him almost five tries, but then Jin got out, in a near whisper, "You look exactly like someone I know." The Gardevoir raised an eyebrow, gesturing to his wrinkled, periwinkle shirt, the torn jeans, and the worn boots, but the Alakazam insisted, "Your face looks exactly like of my teacher's."
"I apologize for that, however, I am not this teacher of yours." He looked earnestly sincere, his green eyes accenting his styled green hair perfectly, and once again Jin was violently reminded of his mentor. "My name is Mitch." He held out a hand, and the Alakazam remarked that he was rather trusting for a rather delicate-looking individual. "And you are?"
"Jin," he said, reaching out to shake the other's hand. At the contact he felt not the smoothness he was anticipating – rather, Mitch's hand was rough and sturdy, despite its thin and lithe appearance. It seemed the Gardevoir worked hard at whatever he was doing, and Jin released his hand with a newfound respect for the individual in front of him.
Mitch offered him a smile, showing off perfect, white teeth, so familiar to Jin, before turning his back to him again and gesturing widely to the temple. "A wonderful place, is it not? I come here often. It's always rather quiet, and I enjoy the solitude."
The Gardevoir continued to chatter on, and Jin felt faint, unable to distinguish the words. Even the stranger's melodious voice rang familiar in his ears, and he wondered if this particular Pokemon was perhaps, just perhaps, related to the one he had always held most dear.
"Here we are!"
Pepper blinked at Vee's excitement, as the blonde swept her arm widely to gesture to the small courtyard that was, currently, empty of all people save themselves. It reminded her of the open plains at home, where she and Silver and Spark would – she shook her head violently to rid herself of thoughts of her late friend. In any case, Silver was similarly unimpressed with older girl's excitement, though he had far more tact and hid it cleverly with a shift of his body as the Shedinja continued, "We'll be practicing stealth, because we have no time to waste!"
There was a bout of silence, one that stretched out for nearly a minute, and then Pepper ventured, "How are we going to practice that?" Because in all honesty, how could one even begin to do that? Would it not be easier to be put into a dangerous situation and then see how it's done, rather than just being, well, taught how to be stealthy?
At Vee's huge smile, both Pepper and Silver stepped slightly closer together, for moral support more than anything, and then the girl said, "We'll start simple. Find a hiding spot here, and I'll come look for you." When neither of the two moved, Vee's grin faded slightly and she told them in a more curt tone, "Make it snappy!"
"What?"
The Shedinja did not respond – she had closed her eyes and was beginning to count slowly, rhythmically, and both Pepper and Silver scrambled to find cover of anything sort in the sparse area. There was a single tree, which the Minccino scaled with the ease of long practice; meanwhile, she tucked herself in a corner made by two walls, slowed her breathing until her chest barely rose and fell, and then waited with her eyelids slid shut as Vee called out, "Ten! Here I come!"
She was found almost immediately, when Vee's soft chuckle sounded above her. "Good try, but I can see you from any angle here," the girl told her, gently, and Pepper sighed and got to her feet, finding a comfortable place on the grass as Vee floated to the tree and looked up into its branches, calling out Silver's name with a trace of amusement in her light voice.
"Not bad for a first attempt," she said approvingly when both Pepper and Silver were seated primly before her. They looked over at each other and Silver rolled his eyes while Pepper's frown became thinner, and Vee laughed and said even more sincerely, "You made use of what you had and did your best. But I'm going to teach you how to use what you have and make yourself invisible."
"In one day?" Silver asked, his tone dubious.
Vee chuckled and shook her head, either at his ignorance or at his tone. "Not one day," she said, and Silver nodded in understanding; but then she told them, her lips curling up into a wicked smile, "In one hour," and his eyes widened into the size of dinner plates. Pepper resisted the very strong urge to giggle, for it had been ages since he had looked so surprised (back when they had left with Spark – dammit) as the dual Bug- and Ghost-type told them, "I'm going to demonstrate. Give me five seconds, close your eyes, and then look for me."
"You're a ghost," the Minccino pointed out, and Pepper nodded; he had a point, and he continued with it by telling Vee, "The playing field isn't level."
"I can't go intangible, you know," the older girl huffed, something Pepper had forgotten – and so had Silver, from the way his expression changed from annoyed to stricken – and then she added, "But I'll walk on the ground if it makes you feel better." Her feet then floated down to touch the ground with impossible lightness, and then she repeated, less gently and more sternly, "Close your eyes and count."
Pepper and Silver exchanged glances just once, shifting closer to one another as their eyes closed and they counted, his deeper voice intertwining easily with her higher one, and when they reached five and their eyes opened, their new mentor was nowhere to be seen. The Electivire pushed herself to her feet with a soft sigh and looked down at Silver as he stood up as well, asking him hesitantly, "You take left, I'll take right?"
At his tired nod they split up, prowling around the seemingly empty courtyard for any signs of the girl teaching them how to hide. After five minutes of searching every nook and cranny, with Silver even scaling the tree and taking a look up in its branches, Pepper called over to him, her voice hollow, "I don't think we're going to find her."
"We're going to keep trying" was the Minccino's curt answer, and with a small frown and a larger hesitation Pepper murmured assent and began the search anew, this time going over everything with a careful eye and exploring every place she found even more intensely than before. Silver was employing his ultra-sensitive hearing in order to locate the older girl to, it seemed, no avail; as it was, they scoured the entire area more than once and turned up empty-handed.
But eventually, Pepper ran right into who she was looking for, and Vee kept her from exclaiming her position to Silver with a finger to her lips and a small, secretive smile on her face. Pepper rolled her eyes and stepped away, but admired the older girl's cunning: she had certainly not been there before when Pepper had gone to look, which meant she'd been moving around and had let herself be found. Even more surprising was how Vee had not been detected by the Minccino, considering the high degree of which the boy could hear, and anyone who could sneak by Silver was someone Pepper had respect for.
(Spark had been one of such people, she remembered, and the sweet taste of success on her tongue immediately soured to bitter loss.)
Silver caught on to the ploy with much grumbling and mumbling, for he hated to be outmatched. Pepper quietly interlocked her fingers with his – not as a romantic venture, far from it, but to show him that she was still here – in order to calm him, and it seemed to work well enough for he fell silent. Vee didn't even bat an eye at the setup, though the Electivire was certain she made note of it.
"The trick is to keep moving without being noticed, or at least in a small space like this," she instructed them. A hand rose up and she tapped the skin just to the side of one of her eyes, explaining at the same time, "The eye tracks movement very well, however, so when there's a chance someone is looking at your hiding spot, freeze in place, no matter where you are."
"Even in the middle of the hallway?" Pepper asked, feeling stupid nigh instantaneously when Vee gave her an unreadable look. The Electivire would have faltered were it not for a squeeze of her hand from Silver, and with renewed confidence she continued with, "When do we know that it's useless to hide and we should put as much distance between ourselves and our enemies?"
"We will be assuming you have enough common sense to know the crucial difference," an icily cold voice said from the doorway, and a wide smile split across Vee's face as the three turned to Nero – something the younger girl did not miss.
"Hello," Pepper said quietly, to which Nero gave her a small nod, sweeping closer with elegant and deathly silent steps. He was the epitome of stealth, in his dark color palette and matching cold personality, but somehow he seemed to loosen up somewhat when he went to stand closer to Vee, his stance becoming less hunched and more neutral. Obviously, there was something going on there… Pepper reasoned that she would be able to ask the older girl about it later.
"I was just giving them the basics about stealth," the Shedinja was telling her taller friend, automatically floating up a few inches from the ground to make up for the lost height, with her knees bending slightly as she did so. Nero nodded, his single visible eye flicking to first Pepper, then to Silver, and when he gave a questioning look to Vee the blonde said defensively, "They're both better than you would think."
"Gee, thanks," Silver muttered. Pepper elbowed him hard in the side and sent him a look that he ignored, and she was shaken to see the corner of his lip curl up slightly in a smirk. This was not the same boy she had left the orphanage with, and then she was reminded of the emptiness of a certain spunky, sarcastic friend by their sides and a long sigh escaped her lips.
It must have also shown on her face, as Vee's and even Nero's gaze softened slightly. "Is something the matter?" the Shedinja asked her, brow furrowed with worry, and Pepper gave a soft shake of her head; no, nothing was wrong, or at least the older girl wouldn't understand. She might be able to speak of it later, but not now, not when Spark's death was still so fresh in her mind. Vee accepted Pepper's bluff with a hesitant nod and then looked over at the tall, dark Gallade besides her.
"I keep forgetting how young they are sometimes," Silver whispered next to her, and Pepper glanced over at him, eyebrows lifted in surprise. It wasn't often that the Minccino chose to eavesdrop, but he had repeated what the Shedinja had said to Nero for Pepper's benefit – though why he found it worthy of noting was beyond her. He kept repeating after them as he leaned in closer and said even more quietly, "They remind me of Nightingale in a lot of ways."
Nero's visible eye swiveled to rest sternly on Silver, and the Minccino dutifully fell silent, though he glared right back, scowling deeply. Vee obviously noticed this whole exchange but didn't say a word until the silence stretched into an awkward one, in which Pepper gently nudged Silver in order for him to calm down, and then she said lightly, "Shall we spar? I find it always makes me feel a little better."
"Sure," Pepper said, seeing no reason not to. Fighting would get her mind off things, like Silver's disturbing new persona and Spark's – demise. She shivered at the formality of the word and berated herself for using it with the name of one of her dearest and only friends; then she curled her fingers into fists, her fingernails digging into her palm, all in order to distract herself from processing the thought further by saying hastily, "Um, but we're not going to win, are we?"
"Of course not" was Nero's prompt answer, his voice smooth and distant and barely audible, and Pepper felt a thin smile spread across her lips as Vee frowned and rammed her elbow into his skinny frame, reminded of doing the same with her own friend. He winced and a hand rose to hover over his torso, but he was not too winded to not speak, and he pointed out in a slightly strained voice, "However, that is not to say you should not try, I should think."
"True enough," Silver agreed, and then without warning he dropped Pepper's hand and lunged directly for Vee, lips pulled back in a snarl. Pepper took a few rapid steps forward in an effort to stop him, fingers reaching out to grasp him, but as it turned out there was no point; by the time he had come close enough to be within arm's reach, the two Riders across from her had parted swiftly in opposite directions and come back together behind the Minccino, moving in near sync as they reached out to grab one of his arms as he went past.
"Too slow," Vee said, her voice devoid of its previous warmth and cheerfulness as she released the Minccino. Nero, Pepper noticed, held onto her friend's wrist for slightly longer, and when they did fully let him go Silver jumped back, tail waving wildly, eyes full of a manic fire she'd never seen before. She shivered at the look and Nero glanced back, as if sensing her discomfort, as Vee continued in a flat tone, unperturbed by the Minccino's ferocity, "If you're going to try a surprise attack, don't prepare for it five seconds beforehand."
Silver growled something unintelligible in response, but the two Riders merely arched an eyebrow at almost the same instance, both equally unimpressed. "Patience is a virtue," Nero intoned, as if he'd said it many times before, and then he tensed up slightly for what appeared to be no reason at all. Pepper noted this with detachment as Vee turned to her and grinned widely, her fingers brushing over Nero's elbow as she floated over to her.
"Let's leave the boys to it," she said in explanation, "and you and I can have a go after they're done."
"Fair enough," Pepper agreed, and they settled themselves on the ground, Vee still remaining an inch or less above the grass, and cast their eyes to the small clearing where the Gallade and the Minccino currently stood, glaring at each other.
Nero stood straight, head facing his opponent, his arms crossed but his positioning otherwise relaxed; it was clear he would be able to move or dodge in mere seconds, and it was just as easy to see that Silver sensed this. The Minccino was tensed up, bent down low, eyes trained on Nero's shoulders, and he lunged to the left – but then quickly sidestepped to the right, hands outstretched in some kind of attack. Predictably, the Gallade twisted elegantly and allowed the younger boy's fist to punch empty air, proceeding to grab the offending arm and allow Silver's momentum to toss him to the ground. Pepper winced at the force at which her friend fell, hearing the clack of his teeth as his jaw slammed together.
"Pathetic." Nero's tone was cutting and jarred the fiery light out of Silver's eyes, and then Pepper came forward to help him into a seated position. She felt an icy glance on her back before she looked up to see it, and then Nero said pointedly, "You will perhaps stand a better chance, as you are not a reckless fool as your friend is."
"I resent that," Pepper replied, trying to make her tone as stony as possible, though she faltered when Nero's gaze remained unmoving. Still, with an encouraging cheer from Vee nearby, she hesitantly released Silver and moved so she stood across and some distance away from the older and much taller Pokemon. Silver, for his part, did not complain, instead seating himself next to Vee with only the slightest grimace. There she stood, for a few moments, and then she asked tentatively, "What do I do now?"
"I don't know," Nero responded with a slight lift of his shoulders, and Pepper glared, feeling a burst of angry flames light inside her. She hated it when people chose to be obtuse; they liked to rationalize it by stating that it would help them in the long run, but the Electivire found the whole practice pointless and only there to annoy people.
This train of thought was derailed, however, when Vee called out, "You have lots of options to choose from, since you have both long-distance and short-distance attacks. Try combining them and see what happens!"
Combining them? That was something Pepper had yet to attempt. She glanced nervously at the intimidating figure in front of her; but to her surprise, he actually gave her something akin to an encouraging nod, and with a shaky breath she nodded determinedly back and thought long and hard about what to do.
In a matter of seconds she then jumped forward while loosing a Thunderbolt attack from her fingers; while he deftly dodged this and even blocked stray sparks with his hands, somehow (psychic powers, she mused), she continued forward in a roundhouse kick that clipped his waist. She had a moment of triumph then, just a moment, and then her ankle was being dragged around and she fell flat on her face in the grass, barely catching herself with her hands.
"Good effort," Nero said shortly, stepping back and dusting off his spotless clothes as Pepper pushed herself to a seated position, flipping herself around so she was facing the Gallade. He said nothing else, instead turning and striding away back indoors, and Vee called a cheerful "See you later!" behind him as he went that he acknowledged with a slight backwards glance. When Pepper wriggled an eyebrow at Vee, the blonde smiled and brought a finger to her lips: don't tell.
The Electivire shrugged and walked over to Silver, helping the older albeit shorter boy to his feet once more, and his fingers clung to hers even after he was standing. Pepper then asked Vee, "Are we done for the day?"
The blonde looked amused as Silver muttered something under his breath, leaning heavily on Pepper. It wasn't quite discernable, but presumably it was begging her to say yes, the day is over, "Can we just be done?" and yep, Pepper was right. She didn't feel good about it, though.
In any case it was apparent Vee was about to say no but then a Pokemon stumbled out the doors, looking rather rattled, whose name Pepper gathered was James from the way the Shedinja said cheerily, "James! What brings you here?"
"Pardon the intrusion," the young man said apologetically to both Pepper and Silver, sketching a quick bow as he did so; then his attention focused entirely on the blonde across him. "Nero has requested your presence, as several units are ready to move out and require direction."
"Is that so?"
"So are we done?" Pepper pressed, and the Shedinja looked over at them as James beat a hasty retreat.
"Yeah, I guess. We'll continue stealth later," the blonde responded, flapping a hand that was obviously meant to be some sort of dismissal, her smile becoming a wry one. "Be good and don't get into trouble, now!"
Pepper eyed the girl dubiously for a few seconds, but then she shrugged andturned on her heel, pulling Silver with her towards the same doors Nero had just departed. As she opened them and gently pushed her friend into the cooler hallway of the building, though, she couldn't help but wonder if the older girl had spoken in code, perhaps, or tried to tell something to her in a subtle fashion. Why are people always so opaque?
Or maybe she was reading too much into it?
What am I supposed to do now? she thought with a sinking feeling of despair in her stomach, as her arm encircled her friend's waist, bending down to accommodate his height.
Vee found, much to her initial surprise, that James was quite a good companion. He was clever and witty, in a quiet sort of way; oftentimes he would murmur something under his breath with a small smile, and if she heard him the comment was usually humorous in nature and made her chuckle as well. Thus she was disappointed the Budew didn't stay longer to talk, though she did understand his duty as essentially deputy to the Speaker kept him quite busy.
She made the walk to the conference room that Nero had claimed as home base leisurely, for she was in no rush. War was not something she enjoyed dabbling in, no matter what the result (though especially so if it was bad), and she figured the master strategist wouldn't be hampered without her there. So she was slightly surprised when someone stepped into her way, half-hidden by a sharp shadow made from poor light sources and tall, dark walls.
"Can I help you?" she asked politely without looking up to meet the person's eyes, shifting slightly. She kept the soles of her feet on the ground when she wandered the building, more out of manners than anything – others here gave her funny looks whenever she floated around.
The other Pokemon did not respond, and at this she did raise her eyes – only to be startled by the height of the potential threat in front of her. He was an inch shorter than her, his hair dyed jet-black with violently clashing red streaks, and his black clothes helped him blend in effortlessly in any dark place he so chose.
His eyes were as deep and black as onyx as she asked again, this time more slowly and pointedly, "Can I help you?"
"Maybe."
She furrowed an eyebrow; that wasn't an answer she could work on. She tried again, this time taking a different approach: "Who are you?"
There was a silence where she could have heard a ghost pass through the walls. Then, without warning, the person told her in a low, raspy voice, "Nexus." She nodded and then attempted to slip past; she would ask around to see where this Pokemon was from and what he wanted.
The next thing she knew, he had a fully-prepared Shadow Ball in his hands and he smashed it point-blank at her stomach. It hit her square in the abdomen, and she was launched backwards, landing on the ground coughing and holding the wound. There was no external marks, as was the traits of all ghost-type attacks, but she couldn't move, not when it was super-effective against her. The other Pokemon, once so short, seemed endlessly tall as he loomed over her. But then he was by her ear, and her teeth clattered, her body suddenly cold, as his breath brushed her ear.
"Tell Silver to find me," he said, his words barely audible, and she nodded as best as she could in acknowledgement, feeling her world spin on its axis as she did so. She felt as though she was drowning in a sea of black, unable to tear her eyes from the Pokemon crouching next to her, quiet and elegant.
But then the perfect silence was ruined. "Vee?" someone called, and the person looked up. His black eyes flicked down to meet her green ones for just a moment; then he was gone, and a harried, worried James filled her view. "Are you all right?"
She opened her mouth to speak, only to turn her head sideways and hack up alarming amounts of blood. The Budew's eyes shone with horror, and he raised his head and began barking orders to whoever was near. Footsteps echoed loudly in her ears; the world was fuzzy at the edges, tinged with a red she hadn't seen in many years.
Concentrate, she told herself, but her stomach hurt so much and she could barely focus on holding her hands to it through the pain. Still, somehow, she made out the words "Nero" more than once in James' rapid-fire speech, and her hazy brain managed to make the connection and assume he was summoning the Gallade over to her.
The last thing she registered before falling unconscious was being lifted ever so carefully, gently, and a familiar, dark blue eye gazing down at her – except this time, rather than being empty and expressionless, it was filled with something akin to panicked worry.
"There is so much work to do. I can hardly stand this. Look at this atrocity, my hand's shaking."
"Everyone's hands shake, smartass. You can never keep them completely still."
"Don't be obtuse, you stupid Furret, I'm not in the mood. It's cramped up again, and I still have to finish this report for the Branch of Meloetta. Speaking of which, do we know where the Assassins are?"
"No. I think they understand we're not out to kill them, though, so they will probably return on their own accord."
"I hope you're right. I need their skills right about now."
"What do you mean?"
Pause. "Can you keep a secret?"
"You're asking me?"
"I would never doubt you, my dear Oriole. Seriously, though."
"I'm not your 'dear', asshole. And of course I wouldn't tell unless you wanted me to. What are advisors for?"
"I'm going to die."
"… Excuse me?"
"I just told you. I'm going to die. Soon."
"Uh-huh. Come off it, Polen. How could you know that?"
"I just do, okay? I just know. I don't know how, or why. But I'm going to die soon."
"You're… you're sure?"
"I am."
"…"
"… You don't believe me, do you."
"No, it's just – if you die, then… who will take your place?"
"It's right in front of your face, if you so chose to look."
"Wait, you mean the Assassins? You mean to make one of them your successor?"
"Yes."
"I can't even begin to tell you how stupid of an idea that is."
"Yeah." Pause. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"There are so many better choices, I'm not even kidding."
"Like you?"
"Oh hell no. I'm not going through that again."
"Then what should I do?"
"Well, you might not die."
"I'm going to die, Oriole. There's no question about it."
Silence.
"We'll figure something out before then. How long before you…?"
"I don't know. Soon."
"Don't worry. Just… it'll be fine."
"I don't want to die."
"I know." Pause. "I'm sorry."
His voice cracks at the end. "At least someone is."
Jayden leaned on the counter, minding the blades on his wrists against the worn wood, and repeated, "The OA's going after Hearthome?"
Jeckyel nodded, not looking up from the dish he was scouring clean with a washcloth by the café's sink. "Yep. They're already there, actually, and they'll probably start attacking right away instead of waiting for night, those dumbasses."
Jayden whistled, long and low, and then told him, "We're probably the most unsecretive agents you could ever meet."
Jeckyel grinned at that, looking up. "Considering I just told you top-secret information? Probably."
"All's well that ends well, I guess."
Jeckyel gave him a look that read sometimes you are such an idiot and said, "If only the world worked that way."
Jayden sighed morosely at that. "Touché."
"You don't even remember your name?"
The Shuppet across from them shook her head slightly, brown hair flipping smoothly with the motion. It was so hard to focus on her; her figure kept fading in and out of view, with no definite lines rendering her body and her motions jerky and uncertain.
"I do not remember anything like that," she said glumly, her eyes focused on her transparent feet like they were the most interesting things in the world – which they could be, considering how they kept blurring and solidifying in front of Zila's eyes. "Only anger, and how someone stabbed me here." Her hand moved to the vicious tear in her dark robe, where blood had stiffened the edges and coated her ghostly flesh. Zila eyed it cautiously, though he knew that if he were to try and touch it his fingers would merely pass through her.
"Anger? What for?" Yue was really grilling the girl on this, though he didn't know why. Although – he felt as though he had seen her around somewhere before, though he had no idea where or why. Her face kept flickering just as a spark of recognition came in the back of his mind, and so his mind kept going through the cycle of an aha! moment, then nothing, then almost aha! again. It was getting rather annoying.
"I was stabbed," the girl repeated, giving Yue a look that raised Zila's hackles; it clearly told them that she thought the older girl stupid. But wait, he couldn't make assumptions quite yet, as there was a fair chance the ghost was older than she looked. He doubted she would remember her age if he asked, though.
After a moment Yue nodded tersely, saying, "Fair enough. Are you sticking around?"
There was a ghostly shrug, a ripple passing from the slight girl's shoulders down to the tips of her flowing robe. "I have nowhere else to go." Her tone was hollow, as was her eyes, as they flicked upwards to meet the Arcanine's. She said nothing more, even when Yue prompted her with silence.
After a moment their leader of sorts turned to both him and Hikaru. "You all right with this?" she asked in a low voice, though it was obvious the ghost girl could still hear. Zila nodded while Hikaru gave a noncommittal shrug, indicating he wouldn't argue. Yue turned back and a small smile forced its way onto her face. "You're welcome to come with us. We're on our way to Sunyshore."
Something registered in the ghost's expression, which had remained largely unchanged during the whole conversation – but it was gone as soon as it had come, and Zila wondered if he had almost imagined it. "Thank you," she said instead, without any other words, and she fell into step next to them as they began to walk, with her floating, of course.
About ten steps into their trek Zila blurted, "We need to call you something, though." Everyone turned to look at him, and he was grateful for the hood that hid his face, no matter how fake it was. "You know, a name. It feels wrong to call you, well, 'you' all the time, get my drift?"
The ghost tilted her head and nodded slightly, brow furrowed with an almost delicate air. She seemed to be thinking hard, and Zila supposed that made sense; names were something you couldn't mess up, because they were things that stuck with a person for the rest of their life, no matter what happened. "Crythania," she said at last, after such a delay that they had begun walking again, thinking she would not respond. "I'd like to be called Crythania."
There was a brief pause, in which Zila immediately felt the name register somewhere deep in his mind, and he knew right then that he somehow knew who this ghost was. It was apparent he wasn't the only one; both Hikaru and Yue were frowning more deeply than usual, or at least Hikaru's eyes were flashing with something unreadable. The Shuppet regarded them patiently, gauging their reactions without so much as a bat of her eye.
Then: "Crythania it is," Yue said coolly, and with that, they turned and trekked onwards with their new ghost friend floating close behind.
The sunlight was warm against his eyelids, but even when muted it burned his retinas. His wrist immediately flung itself across his face with a hiss, shielding his eyes with a blessed curtain of shadow, and he groaned as he registered the pain flashing in various places in his body. Most prominently, he could feel the crackle of dried blood on his forehead, right by his temple, indicating he was either suffering from a concussion or had gotten a nasty head wound. Considering the pulsing pain he felt there, as his free hand meandered around and located a sizable bump, he decided it was the beginnings of a brain injury.
He tried to remember where he was and why he was lying very obviously on the ground where anyone could see him. It had something to do with… hm. A ghost, and an Arcanine, there was conversation, and then Nina fucked something up and – oh, that was right, Rhyne knocked them out because the Ninetales tried to attack him, and Blade just so happened to be in the crossfire. Ow, his head.
He decided that it would be in his best interests to check on his fellow Assassin.
His whole body shrieked in protest the moment he pushed himself up with his elbows, but he gritted his teeth and managed to get his body into a sitting position, slouching over and his palms flat on the ground for support. He held his breath and arched his back as far as he dared, hearing bones crack and feeling flashes of pain running up and down his spine. Still, once it was done, he felt a little better, and he grunted with effort as he got up onto his feet. He felt like he'd run ten miles without taking a break, as well as falling down a ravine halfway through (he could make that analogy because he had done just that, though in a far more dramatic matter).
Nina lay close by, her face bloody and her nose obviously broken. He supposed he would do her a kindness and flipped her so she was on her back, slipping one hand to support her head and neck while the other settled near her face. He put three fingers on the bridge of her nose – middle, index, thumb – and with a prayer that she wouldn't kill him, he pulled them down, pulling bone and cartilage back into a straight positioning. Nina's eyes snapped open and she gave a half-hearted snarl, but she didn't stop him and only seemed to regain her wits when he released her nose.
"What – happened?" she asked thickly, only to turn her head and hack up a sizeable amount of blood. It was lucky for her that he was holding her head up, otherwise there would be a chance of her choking on her own bodily fluids. "I feel like shit."
"You look like shit," Blade responded mildly, pushing her unmercifully into a seated position so she couldn't retaliate to the remark. In the end it didn't seem like it was necessary; she was as immobile as a sack of potatoes. He felt her bones shift under his hands as he did push her up in any case, and she let out a pitiful moan as he began to dig his thumbs into her shoulders in a massage of sorts. "You remember what happened?"
She leaned into his skillful fingers, her head lolling back with her scarlet hair brushing his hands. He honestly had no idea why he was helping her, but he supposed it had something to do with her being his superior – and she'd kick his ass if he just left her here in the dust. There was a prolonged pause before she said anything, and once she did, Blade couldn't suppress a chuckle: "No."
"Nothing?"
"You're obviously enjoying this. Don't push my fucking buttons." At that he knew she was still Nina at any rate, and now one of her hands rose to finger her forehead as he continued to loosen the muscles in her shoulders. She poked the direct center of the bump there, where blood from it still trickled down her face, and immediately she hissed, "Arceus, my head."
"Yeah, you hit it pretty hard," Blade said neutrally, omitting the fact that it was his fault that the wound was there in the first place, when he'd driver her down with his knee against her neck. "That's probably why you don't remember much."
"Urgh." She used him as a footstool of sorts and pushed herself to her feet, swaying as she gritted her teeth and forced herself to regain her balance. Blade watched this with amusement, straightening up besides her, and then he shoved his hands in his pockets, knowing that if he tried to help her he would likely end up with a black eye. Speaking of which, the skin around one of them felt a little puffy – he should probably get that looked at later.
"Back to the HQ?" he asked her, nudging her along in the correct direction with his foot. She grunted assent and obediently followed him when he began to walk, albeit with a slight sway and unsteady foot. Normally he would've made fun of her, but now he wasn't sure if that was a good idea, seeing how vulnerable she was at the moment, so he kept silent. Besides, once she regained her senses and remembered he'd mocked her, she would avenge herself for sure.
After a few moments of padding along, with him silent and her breaths ragged, she asked him, her voice pathetically small, "What happened?"
He debated whether to give her the shorter version or to go into detail, and then shrugged and decided to go with condensed. "We saw some Assassins of Meloetta and the Speaker of Mew knocked us out when you decided to attack him."
She blinked stupidly at him for a few moments, rapidly, though her step did not slow – nor did his, after all, and she was merely following him – and then she said, with the tone of someone who had discovered something something shiny, "I attacked the Speaker of Mew?"
"Yup," Blade confirmed without preamble.
She was quiet for a while longer, and they drew nearer to the town's gates. "I hate to say this, but in retrospect, that was pretty stupid of me," Nina admitted grudgingly, and Blade froze in place for just a second, his step wavering just for a second before continuing on. She gave him her signature glare when she saw him staring in shock, one that could peel paint within seconds, and he only realized his jaw hung open when she gave his head a smart slap and hissed, "Stop it."
He closed his mouth and managed to tear his glance away from her, but it still took him a while to gather his thoughts and then utter them in coherent sentences. In the end it came out as "I think that's the first time you ever – and I mean fucking ever – have said you made a mistake." Then he cursed mentally and resigned himself for the flurry of anger that would follow, for no one, not even him, could get away with insulting Nina to her face.
Once again, to his utmost shock, she didn't even retaliate, at least not violently. "I don't need you to tell me that, asshole," she grumbled instead, shoving her hands into the pockets of her green, skin-tight pants. "Let's just go talk to Niko."
He didn't reply, in fear of reawakening her fury and causing her to go after him. He was at a distinct disadvantage against her, him being a Bug-type after all, so he couldn't afford to get hit by one of her fire attacks. Instead they walked alongside each other in silence, passing the guards in front of the town's gates without even glancing their way. The guards were, of course, smart enough to know not to say a word, instead eyeing them with a wariness that was becoming more and more common in the people of the region.
It appeared to be early morning, so there was little hubbub in Veilstone's center square for the moment, but even so Pokemon went out of their way to avoid the pair as they continued to walk to the Temple of Arceus, sensing correctly that they were dangerous and not afraid to rashly attack those who bothered them. Thus Blade and Nina arrived without event to the doorstep of the headquarters, walking in with small nods to the door guards, and then Nina sniffed with her nose and held an arm out to stop Blade from walking further.
"I smell something," she hissed, her nine tails waving softly, all in synchronization, and the Scizor nodded and gestured for her to go, he'd follow. She bounded away, running despite the wounds that had weighed her down earlier and the concussion blurring her vision, and he was right behind her, prepared to steady her if she showed any signs of falling.
They eventually arrived in the courtyard located near the west wing of the place, where she burst through the doors and bared her teeth in a snarl, Blade close behind. Three people looked up, one with no change in facial countenance at all, another with fire burning in their eyes, the last with a politely surprised expression.
"Can we help you?" the last one, a girl with blonde hair and electricity crackling around her hand, asked, shifting her stance to face them. She was young and inexperienced, but Blade sensed that even despite that, she was powerful, and not too dumb to get herself hurt that easily, seeing as she did not dissipate the sparks dancing between her fingers. Her other two companions, one tall and dark, the other short and furious, stood in silence.
Nina growled deep in her throat, placing one foot behind her and preparing to lunge forward, "Flame Riders," and Blade didn't question how she knew who they were, he simply believed her. So when she charged forward, dangerous even though she was injured, he followed, feeling rather weak in the knees but still lifting his arms in a cross, ready to unleash an X-Scissor attack.
The taller guy, whose dark hair shielded one half of his face, immediately placed himself between the two younger Pokemon, his single visible eye glowing violet. Blade grinned to himself, twisting out of the way of a Psychic attack by ducking behind Nina, and while she yelped and took the full blow he lunged for him.
To his surprise, one of the kids blocked him with a skilled, elegant roundhouse kick, her foot landing soundly in his stomach. He screeched when electricity ran up his body and he was launched sideways, twitching on the ground as the current ran its course, though he quickly got to his feet – only to be kicked back down by the same girl, this time without sparks, but then Nina was on her and he was free to scrabble to his feet.
"Pepper!" the short boy yelled, and then Blade landed a solid Iron Head on him and the guy went flying in the air. He flipped in the air and landed hard on his feet, wiping his mouth with a hand, and the Scizor saw blood running from his lip; he'd been fighting before and losing, it seemed, and Blade grinned viciously and utilized his speed to come close, kneeing him hard in the stomach.
As he'd suspected, the boy coughed violently and blood came out, and he watched, satisfied, as his trajectory came close to the ground – only to be caught by a violet glow, and the boy was floated gently to the ground, where the girl immediately put herself between the foes and what was probably her friend. The tall one's facial expression had still remained unchanged, which was a little spooky, but Blade took courage from Nina's unending bloodlust and lunged at them again, feeling a manic grin on his face.
Then, quite suddenly, both he and Nina were constricted and fell forward flat on their face, as a tangle of weeds and grass had woven itself around their ankles, and a familiar voice said coldly, "What do you two think you're doing?"
There was a crackling noise and Blade assumed Nina had burned through her bonds. He confirmed this when he turned over on his back, eyeing the action as Nina now turned her sight on the small Budew, being unable to contain herself when a new foe fell into her way. Blade opened his mouth to tell her to stop, only to start coughing and hacking violently, curling in slightly on himself.
He was still able to watch, however, as Nina got her ass handed back to her on a fucking silver platter.
James had summoned up a wall of green as Nina continuously bathed it in fire – Protect, Blade's brain supplied a moment too late – and was doing some sort of complex motion with his hands that the Scizor didn't quite know what meant. It was only when someone murmured "Swords Dance" somewhere behind him that he got it, and even then it was far too late for Nina, who took a neat punch to the stomach. She folded over without preamble, and then James simply performed Grass Knot again, this time over her hands as well.
Man. It had been forever since Blade had seen James fight. Then again, one couldn't become the Speaker's assistant without reason.
"I repeat, what do you think you're doing?" The Budew's voice was as icy as snow.
"They're Flame Riders, James!" Nina said through gritted teeth after a moment, turning her head to spit out the dirt that had worked its way into her mouth. Blade regarded this with blank comprehension; he mused belatedly whether he'd hit his head again or something.
The Budew, small and soft-spoken yet not weak, said quietly, coldly, "The Speaker will not be pleased that you attacked his guests, both of you. You'll be coming with me." The Scizor sighed but didn't complain. "As for you, Nero, Pepper, Silver," here Blade mentally attached each name to a face, guessing with the names but assuming Silver was the shorter boy, "Continue on, and I apologize profusely for the immature actions of our top two assassins."
The vines came off his ankles then, and both he and Nina were rudely pulled to their feet by a hard-eyed James, whose glare clearly told them not to say a word and not to fight him, even when they heard snickers and the girl say thoughtfully, "For Assassins, they're pretty rash," with Nero's response being "Assassins of Shaymin were never known for being clever." Then they were dragged out the door and into the many corridors of the place, and soon he lost track of where he was.
And then, before he was fully aware of it, Blade found himself and Nina in Niko's office, with James standing slightly behind Niko's seat as the Speaker himself looked at them. His irritation and disapproval in his eyes sent chills down the Scizor's spine, and a fire started in his stomach in anger as the Pachirisu growled, "Next time do anything of that magnitude of stupid we'll see how you like being thrown in the streets."
Nina butted in right then and hissed, "But Niko, they're – "
"That's 'Speaker' to you." The Assassin recoiled, glaring with deep fury, as Niko continued harshly, "Do not think you can be rude to me when you have clearly done something I did not tell you do to."
"Speaker, they were – "
Niko glared even more intensely at her, and Blade stared at his feet, as the Speaker snarled, "You take orders, you do your orders, you wait for more orders. That's what an Assassin does. You do not go off on your own and try to do things I did not ask you to."
"But they were – "
"Shut up and get out of my sight."
"Flame Riders!"
Niko went silent then, staring at her with eyes as hard as stone. Then: "It seems I failed to tell you that I retracted your previous mission. You are currently not assigned to have anything to do with the Flame Riders."
There was silence, and then Nina said doubtfully, "What?"
He did not offer an explanation and instead said icily, "I'll send for you if I need your services – which, at this point, I don't think I'll ever want again."
Even Blade winced at that, and Nina gritted her teeth but bowed deeply at the waist before retreating. The door slammed behind her, though, clearly showing her anger, and then Blade was left alone, shifting on his feet and feeling his head throb with pain. His whole body hurt, actually, from that shock he had received from the girl, Pepper; she was as strong as he had assumed, and a little more, even.
"I would give you the same talk I gave to Nina," Niko began, and Blade's head snapped up, only for him to sway with the dizziness the motion brought, "But that would be pointless, because you are not dumb enough to blindly follow her orders." He wondered if he should take that as a compliment or an insult as the Pachirisu continued, "I will be going on the assumption that you originally tried to stop her from doing something stupid, only to join in when you realized that she would be getting herself killed."
He'd done that when she'd tried to attack the Speaker of Mew, though he'd failed to stop her and he hadn't joined in, but Blade realized he probably shouldn't say he hadn't attempted the same thing when she attacked the three in the courtyard as well. "Thank you, Speaker," he mumbled instead, feeling as though his tongue was far too large for his mouth, and far too clumsy as well.
Niko nodded in acknowledgement of the comment and swept on. "Therefore, while she will not be demoted from her post for the moment, I'll consider this your probation period. Prove yourself worthy and I might put you in her slot. Understood?"
He was being… rewarded? What sort of punishment was this? "Understood," he rasped, coughing and covering his mouth with his elbow. Arceus, he felt like shit. "Thank you, Speaker."
Niko nodded, his eyes cold and his demeanor distant as he turned to his trusted assistant. "James, if you would get him to the ward, please."
"Of course, Speaker." Blade blinked groggily as James stepped neatly around the Pachirisu's desk and hooked his hand through one of his arms, gently leading him out the door and into the hallway. He couldn't get his mouth to work and instead followed the Budew blindly, and when James released him and then someone new took him aside at the infirmary he was already half-asleep.
By the time skilled hands had settled him into a bed, he had already passed out.
Even though his eyes were sightless, Shuet detected the ghost far earlier than most Pokemon, if one ignored those with a sensitive nose – which he had as well, seeing as he was a Lucario.
In any case, he knew right away that he should stay out of this ghost's way, considering the magnitude of aura coming off of the guy, in waves that he could feel in his very bones. This person was ancient and powerful, definitely not someone he'd want to come across badly. Best to avoid him entirely, then; it wasn't as if the ghost could detect someone who didn't want to be found, now was it?
Shuet had learned early on in his career as runner to wear dark clothes and to never let anyone see you, if one didn't want any questions to be asked. This policy paid off once again as he blended into the trees and continued to trek, albeit silently, past the ghost drifting forward, intent, it seemed, on the Temple of Kyurem.
He briefly considered following to find out the ghost's purpose, but quickly decided against it. Not any of his business, and besides, he couldn't find it in himself to care all that much. Polen was, for a higher-up, pretty chill, and with that cunning Furret at his side, he could handle a ghostie. Well. No, he couldn't, not in a fight in any case, but if the ghost came in peace, they would be fine. Besides, he didn't care all too much, as stated previously.
It wasn't a long way to Veilstone, so Shuet settled on a steady jog through the thick foliage located off the main path, easily dodging branches and roots with his ability to 'see' with auras. For a job, it was also pretty straightforward. The last Speaker had sent him on complicated shit that really didn't make much sense – there was much ado about being stealthy and killing himself rather than giving up his message, which was pointless seeing as they would find it even more easily if he was dead – and had paid him minimal wage. He wasn't sure about Polen but hey, with an old friend, he was willing to work, plus he'd probably get more money.
And then he tripped on a vine snaking its way on the forest floor and he straightened himself up with a grumble. Focus, idiot.
It was complicated business, trying to explain how he could usually know where plants were – after all, they didn't have auras, right? And then he'd have to inform the ignorant that yes, all living things have auras, or at least they did in his vision, before either knocking them out or absconding with their goods. Yes, their goods. Pickpocketing, man. A good skill, that.
He maintained the fact that it was passive-aggressive even though it wasn't, just to get a rise out of people. He enjoyed it far too much when people got angry, even more so when he messed up their plans and they have to flail around to regain their footing. That was probably why only fellow assholes get along with him (not naming any names Polen), because they understood him. Sort of.
He hit a low-hanging branch with his face and banished all thoughts, focusing entirely on 'seeing' and not slamming into or tripping on things. Which is when he sensed the exception to the asshole rule, making a beeline to intercept his path. He braced himself for impact in three, two, one –
"Hey, Shuet! Fancy meeting you here!"
He groaned inwardly and turned in the direction where a violently blue aura awaited him. He knew without seeing that the guy was grinning a blindingly brilliant smile.
"You stupid Oshawott," he snapped, exasperated. "How the hell do you find me all the time?"
"Ha ha, call it a sixth sense! Nice to see you to, by the way." A slight pause, and then the Oshawott asked eagerly, "How's it going?"
"Ace, I'm busy right now. Kindly fuck off and leave me alone."
Normally that would send someone running, but Shuet knew well enough it would be entirely ineffective, and, as it were, it was. "Fat chance. What're you up to?"
It was then that he remembered, belatedly, that Ace worked for the Order of Kyurem and the Order of Arceus as a double-agent, so of course he would know Shuet's schedule, or at least have an outline of it. "Super secret shit, the usual. You?"
"Good alliteration! I'm on my way to do some super secret shit, too. I bet yours in more exciting than mine, though." He wasn't able to see Ace frown unhappily, but more in a bored sort of way, as the Oshawott continued, "Been a while since I've seen you last. You wanna meet up in a few days or something?"
If he was sane, he would refuse, for no one could stand the company of this idiot for long. But then, considering who he was and what he had been through, could he ever safely say he was ever in the right mind?
"Yeah, sure. That one café in Veilstone in two days at noon?"
"You got it, buddy. See ya then!"
And just like that, he was gone, and Shuet was trekking onwards, feeling a little bit more hopeful of the future. Until he ran straight into a tree's trunk, earning him a bloody nose and no way of knowing if he looked like he'd been punched, or even whether if you'd cleaned it up well enough. Being blind kind of sort of sucks.
Credits, in order of appearance (be prepared, there are a lot of these. I am currently juggling 25 OCs in total):
Xander is from AtmosBreak.
Luco is the OC from AshKetchumDarkSide.
Jin belongs to BladeOfTheEclipse.
Rein comes from Silverdragon98.
Nightingale is owned by SparkLuxLucios.
Mitch the Gardevoir comes from Tisuro.
Pepper belongs to Whismur Publishing House, previously known as xXViridianPhoenixXx.
Vee is mine.
Silver belongs to BalancedHex1232.
Nero belongs to BladeOfTheEclipse.
James is mine.
Nexus belongs to BalancedHex1232.
Polen is mine.
Oriole is from SnowKiter.
Jayden belongs to Whismur Publishing House, previously known as xXViridianPhoenixXx.
Jeckyal hails from the land of pokefan113. I'm back now :)
Crythania belongs to Tisuro.
Yue is from xiLovePandas
Zila belongs to TheGlaceonFanatic. Remind me, did you change your pen name? I'll go change it on my list if so.
Hikaru comes from Nightfall00, whom I've always respected because of his OC stories... and also because he always seems to find them.
Nina belongs to KCNederland.
Blade comes from Flash3.
Niko is from Raven Kat.
Shuet belongs to LiteShadowXIII. Sorry for potentially going OOC, but I imagine Shuet as a 'I-don't-care' sort of guy.
Rhy comes from stelladog0090.
Ace belongs to XtremeBlaze. Good to have you back ;)
OCs will be accepted for the entirety of the story. Please review the form on my profile and send them in by PM only. You can send two OCs!