A/N:
You know the drill, leave a review. :D No, seriously, I've created an energy machine that absorbs reviews for fuel and uses them to power me on through the nights in my conquest to give you all more chapters on shorter amounts of time!
Jokes aside, I've recently turned sixteen, so, whoopee, I guess. I'll appreciate any and all well-wishes and fan mail sent my way, especially if they happen to involve art. Or Art, though I cannot say I would like a real-life Mawile to chew up the already-adorable plushie of a Mawile in my room. Or worse - he might try to flirt with it!
Ignore that last part, I'm still pulling your leg. Do as much or as little as you want, because, in the end, I'm just happy to keep writing for your entertainment. Without further ado, allons-y!
Phantom's Crown: Crusade
Chapter 9
Detention
As the documents emerged from the printer, a hand gathered them up, and leafed through them with the patience of a Tauros.
That is to say, none at all.
"Tia Harmon. Born in Velvet City, only child of Lord Damon and Lady Elicia Harmon, sixteen years of age this year, noted to have a Poochyena whose nickname appears to be 'Fang'. Specializes in stealth and reconnaissance missions, personally trained by Lord Thomas Callaghan in knife-fighting and self-defense. Disappeared from active rollcall in the thirteenth year of the King's reign, one year ago, at the age of fifteen."
The girl in question flinched as the man holding the papers - her former boss, Glenn Callaghan - slammed them down in front of her. "Confirmed turncoat of the Crown and currently a member of the resistance group known infamously as Phantom," he smirked. "You know, the day you left, I almost considered deleting your files. You were pretty much dead to all of us, including your dear mum and dad."
"Leave my parents out of this, Viscount," she hissed. If her wrists weren't handcuffed to the table, she would have socked him in the face by now, and that was including the likely repercussions it would entail.
While by nature a calm and collected girl, there were quite a few things that would set Tia off. Case in point, the shit-eating grin of the man whose actions were personally responsible for her defection in the first place.
"But they convinced me otherwise. Had faith that this was just a phase, that you'd go back to being their faithful little daughter and soldier of the Crown." He shook his head. "Now I gotta tell them the bad news: she ain't ever coming back. What a crying shame..."
He cupped a hand around her chin - having removed his gauntlets before the impromptu interrogation session, it was much less uncomfortable than the first time he'd done it directly after her initial capture. "I wonder who's gonna take it worse? Them, or your friends over at Phantom, like Gilan-"
"Hey!"
Their heads both turned towards Mae, who was still struggling against the handcuffs. "How in the world do you even know him?! Gilan told me no one knew he was a part of-"
She stopped struggling and stared at him, only noticing the physical similarities at this point in time. "Hang on - why do you look like Gilan?"
Stopping his interrogation with the older girl, Glenn turned his attention to the redhead. "So you're one of them too...Well, let me tell you a story."
"One year ago, there was a major accident in Kanto, specifically, in Velvet City. On a regular patrol around the neighbourhood, three guards came across an escaped rebel from the King's dungeons, and attempted to accost him on the spot. In retaliation, the man sent out his Steelix, and in a moment of blind frenzy, two of the three guards were caught in the rampage."
He paused in his storytelling to hold up three fingers. "The first of them was a young woman, barely in her teens. Although she was not well-known, she had been trained by one of the best men in the area, and was both a skilled knife fighter and recon specialist."
"The second was the very son of the man who trained her, a young, brown-haired man who enjoyed stick-fighting. He also happened to have a twin brother- Do you see where I'm going with this, ginger?" Glenn asked, receiving...a snore in return?
Tia couldn't help but giggle slightly - even though they had been trapped in a very serious predicament, it looked like the fatigue had caught up, causing Mae to go out like a light in the middle of his apparent soliloquy.
Crack!
It was considerably less funny when the Viscount slapped her awake, however.
"Ow...What gives?" was the first thing Mae said, shaking her head.
"The insolence...How dare you fall asleep in the middle of my-"
"How dare you slap a girl!" she retorted, "Seriously, didn't your parents ever teach you not to hit girls?"
A snort escaped from Lucas, who, having also slept through the monologue, was jolted awake by the familiar comment. "Déjà vu."
"Well, my parents conceived Gilan, so I'm pretty sure neglecting to teach me proper gentlemanly etiquette was the least of their sins!" Glenn snarked. "There's a good reason I'm the older brother, even if it's only by ten minutes - I'm more responsible, more loyal-"
Mae cut him off. "But compared to him, your fashion sense sucks!"
Unfortunately, that might have been the straw that broke the Camerupt's back. "Why you little-" he howled, winding up a fist, before throwing it-
A hand stopped him short.
Following the arm back to its owner, the Callaghan glared at his green-haired teammate. To his credit, Lucas scowled back with the same intensity.
"That's going too far, Glenn. We're Fraternity - we're a taskforce, not a torture squad." he asserted, keeping his grip firm on the former's hand.
They continued the staring contest, neither willing to back down. Until suddenly-
"Look, if you two are going to kiss, get it over with."
The two immediately scrambled away from each other and backed up against opposite ends of the room, allowing for Lynae, who was carrying a box, to pass through between them. "Honestly, I could cut the tension between you two with one of Lucas' katanas."
"Oh, shut your face, Lynae!" Glenn howled, the red tinge on his face plain for all to see - though whether it was due to rage or embarrassment was up for grabs.
"Can't believe I'm agreeing with him on something, but seriously, it's not like that, sis!" Lucas continued, just as flustered.
Swishing her ponytail as she walked, she set the box down beside the two captives, before turning to her teammates. "Then stop trying to get in each other's faces. We're supposed to be working together, not against each other, y'know?"
Evidently, she had gone unheard, for the two resumed their glaring contest, though the distance remained at room-length.
"They...do know we're still here, right?" Mae whispered.
"I think so?" Tia murmured back, unsure.
"You."
They both leapt in their seats. Lynae was holding out an ice pack, presumably from the inside of the cardboard box she had just opened. "Did Glenn hit you? If he did, I'm terribly sorry - he's a prick."
"I can hear you, y'know!"
"Doesn't make you any less of a prick." she muttered under her breath, such that only the two other girls could hear her. Following a brief laugh, she held the cold bag to Mae's cheek, prompting the younger girl to sigh in relief.
"Look, we don't really want to keep you gals here, but you can't exactly deny that you're not members of Phantom. Even if we choose to ignore that fact, you still injured our commanding officer, and broke into private property," she explained sympathetically. "Like it or not, we're obligated to keep you for questioning, and besides, you're only going to spend the night here."
"Really?" Tia raised an eyebrow. She had never met the greenette before, but the Crown soldier sounded sincere, which didn't make any sense.
Lynae tilted her head to the side. "You're bound for Goldeneye City on the morrow. Right now, it's technically just...a detention of sorts, I guess."
Oh Arceus... Well, this certainly complicates matters. Section E has the capabilities to break into this place, but breaking us out from the royal palace?
Do they even know we're gonna be transferred there?
The raven-haired girl groaned. "As if things couldn't get any worse."
Suddenly, Mae perked up. "Talis!"
Lynae, who had been distracted by watching the silent squabble that was going on in the background, turned her head back. "Sorry, what?" she asked.
"Where's Talis? What have you done with her?" the redhead demanded.
Tia, figuring that the greenette didn't know about the Vulpix's nickname, piped up on her behalf, "What she means to say is, what happened to our Pokémon?"
I wonder how Fang fared against that Mawile…?
Urgh...What the hell happened?
The last thing I remember is...trying to run away?
Run away? From what?
Slowly, the consciousness returned to Fang. He was lying on something soft and furry - it wasn't unwelcome, but it certainly did not feel like anything he had woken up on before.
Too much hair to be Uncle Jax. Too warm to be Screech. And definitely bigger than Ria...What in the world am I sleeping on?
To be fair to Fang, he hadn't yet opened his eyes, but once he did, he was greeted by orange, and lots of it. His head was lying on what appeared to be a rather large, soft, pillow, and it felt really comfortable...He nuzzled it with his nose, enjoying the charcoal-like smell, and the slight heaving of the-
Wait...what?
"Y'know, she's probably going to roast your arse three ways from today when she finds out what you're doing to her."
He flinched, and whirred his head around. The speaker had been a grey-and-white Pokémon - it looked like an Aron, but much bigger, and more imposing. Maybe it was an evolution?
"No, seriously, kid, get off her before she wakes up." Aeon continued, though his expression of amusement couldn't be deciphered. "Or else, well, I dunno, I'm not gonna ask her what'll happen to you when she finds out."
Her? She? Who's… Fang's mind processed all the possibilities and all the females he knew (which weren't many to begin with), before finally coming to a conclusion, his jaw dropping with each passing second.
Her.
"You mean...if she finds out," murmured Fang, carefully lifting himself up from the rear end of a certain Vulpix. "Yeah, if...'If' is good."
Slowly, back away...She won't ever find out...What she doesn't know won't hurt her...or me-
"Bwahahahah! He touched the butt!" a shrill voice yelled, and Fang collapsed in shock. Luckily for him this time, he fell backwards, and avoided a grisly fate at Talis' hands- er, paws.
On the other hand, he certainly didn't fancy his chances against the Chandelure that had just phased in out of nowhere, even if she only had one visible arm.
"Urgh...Who touched whose butt?" Talis groaned, rubbing the underside of her chin. Something inside her mouth felt like a chipped tooth, but that wasn't important, was it?
Desperate to quickly avert the answer, Fang pointed at Wisp with a paw. "Talis, enemy, burn them!"
Immediately, she sprung to action, jumping a small distance away, before crouching down on her forepaws.
No time to centralize my aim, but the thing's so close, I can't possibly miss!
Drawing from her completely untapped internal reserve (she wasn't sure how that was possible, seeing as she remembered being in a battle before blacking out), she felt her mouth heat up to a good temperature. This time, she made sure to concentrate hard in priming her attack, and was rewarded for it. "Fire Spin!"
The ensuing flame was once again released, but this time, it was much more controlled and focused. The stream of fire left the fox's mouth, travelling in a magnificent cascade-
And was absorbed by the Chandelure, who cackled in glee.
"C'mon, why won't you burn?!" Talis yelled, increasing her firepower.
Words couldn't even begin to describe what Fang felt at that moment. He dropped his snout into his paws, so completely done with the situation he was in.
"As much as we would like you to continue your pointless attack-"
Suddenly, Talis felt much hotter than usual. Looking around, she realized she was being contained in an invisible dome. The fire she was releasing was being deflected back at her, resulting in her entire vision being filled with the red-hot flames itself.
It didn't really affect her, since she had figured out long ago that she could absorb fire-
Oh. So that's why that oversized candelabra was unaffected.
Shutting off the attack, she looked around. Everything was tinted a light pink, but that was likely a side-effect of the forcefield or whatever it was.
Her eyes settled on the Gardevoir that had just appeared in her field-of-view, whose red eyes blinked back owlishly, before she closed her fingers. Instantly, the pink hues disappeared, and immediately after, the flaming chandelier turned to the new arrival. "Oh what the hell! I was almost done regenerating a finger!"
"-We have no intention of letting our associate here regain her arm quite so fast, you see. That means you, Wisp," the Gallade next to the Gardevoir finished, with a frown.
While the three continued their conversation, Talis turned to her 'partner', seeing him covering his eyes with his head drooped low.
"What are you scared of looking at, huh, Fang?" she asked, tapping the wannabe wolfling on the shoulder.
"I think he's not scared, little one; just heavily disappointed."
She yelped, before turning to the Lairon - she had seen the Pokémon before in one of Mae's picture books. Preparing to attack again, she was interrupted by an outraged yell.
"Oi, I deserve at least a little respect, you pricks!" Whatever the blue-and-black thingamajig was, it shot out a stream of fire towards the two Psychic-types, who dodged the attack.
"I have returned-"
As the door to the makeshift recreational room opened and Tabitha stepped in, she was immediately assaulted with fire.
"Whooooooooooooops!" Wisp giggled cruelly. "Didn't mean for you to become my target!"
Ceasing the attack, the Chandelure looked on at the Audino, now coated in a fine layer of soot, and looking back at her, unimpressed. She laughed again, before aiming back at-
"Wait, what the fu-"
In the blink of an eye, she completely phased through the ground, shooting downwards as if something was dragging her underneath the surface. Indeed, it was the case - once Tabitha was satisfied that she was kept in a fixed position about two metres below, she stopped her hold on Gravity, and left the Ghost Pokémon where she belonged - six feet under.
"...As I was saying." The Audino shook off most of the smudge. "I have returned with the basic profiles of the Pokémon right before you, though they have now been lost to our dear associate that will not be leaving her subterranean prison anytime soon, and the necessary bindings required to keep them in line."
Producing a pair of handcuffs, she turned to Mae and Fang, who instinctively flinched once they saw that she had a very unnerving smile on her face. "We could do this the easy way, which involves you cooperating with us fully, and if you do, we'll put these on for you nicely."
"And on the other hand," Aeon droned, the Lairon patient but stern-sounding. "If you want to resist, go ahead. Just know that there's four of us and two of you."
"You've just born witness to what I can do with a simple Gravity. Do you want to see what else I'm capable of? Or what someone like Valdus and Valerie here," she pointed at the Gallade/Gardevoir twins, who nodded in sync, "Show you your place? Whatever decision you make, you're getting into those links in the next minute. The choice is all yours."
At this, Fang lowered his voice sharply. "The hell do you think we should do now?"
"Why are you asking me?" Talis asked, slightly uneasy. "You have more experience, what do you normally do in this sort of thing?!"
"I haven't done this sort of thing, and besides, you have the authority here." Fang retorted.
"That was a one-time thing! Look, can you just think of something we can do?"
"Well, we'll resist, of course! At the very least, we can't show them that we're pushovers!"
"Alright, let's do it!"
They would stand strong. They would stand defiant. They would escape from this place, free their masters, and then-
"Yo, we're back with some munchies, what's new on the agenda?"
At the very moment, a very familiar pair of faces pushed open the doors. Lunete flew in and took a stand on the nearest chair, letting the small box of food strung up by her tail to drop onto the floor below. Mmm… Aeon could smell the tastiness radiating off of that one.
Following that, Art, his hands full of paper clips, strode in, munching on a few. Stepping on one of them that had probably fallen through his small fingers, he tripped and fell face-first, scattering his snacks across the linoleum floor.
That wasn't the highlight, though.
Now, Aeon had seen quite a few white Pokémon in his tenure. Aside from himself, there were the Gaga twins (his nickname of choice for Valdus and Valerie, not that he'd ever tell them that), who were white-and-green, and Elise, his boss, who also had some red-and-blue on her anyhow.
But he had never seen a Pokémon turn completely white quite so fast.
The colour drained from the Poochyena and Vulpix so quickly, it was there one second and gone the next. Immediately, both Pokémon let out a high-pitched yip (the Poochyena moreso than the Vulpix, he noted), and, to put it nicely-
"OHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHIT-"
-tried to get the everloving heck out of there.
The female of the two immediately pounced over to Tabitha, shocking the Audino for a fraction of a second. "GET THAT MONSTER AWAY FROM ME PUT ON MY CUFFS-"
The Poochyena shoved the Vulpix over, before yelling, "HEY, CUFF ME FIRST, I WANNA LIVE A FEW EXTRA MINUTES!"
In response the fox got up and tackled the wolf, screaming all the while, "NO LET THAT MONSTER GRAB HIM! I HAVE LESS MEAT ON MY BONES, CUFF ME EASIER!"
The rest of the Crown Pokémon looked on as Art got up, before dusting himself off, and picking a paper clip off the ground to munch on.
"That's dirty, bro, at least wash them first..." Lunete said, distracted. Her eyes weren't on him, but instead on the carnage he had unleashed by simply stepping into the room.
"Holy Arceus. Art, what the actual hell did ya do to make 'em so scared like that?" Aeon asked, genuinely curious. He knew the Mawile was a pragmatic fighter, but really, woah.
What could have possibly happened when he was taking down that Feraligatr?
"-and as such, we shall commence transfer of the two captured members of Phantom, including ex-Crown soldier Tia Harmon, to Goldeneye City as soon as your assigned escort arrives tomorrow. They will then be turned over to your majesty's interrogation squad for further questioning. Thank you. Respectfully yours, Taryn Riordan."
Satisfied with her reply, she sealed the letter in an envelope, before walking over to the window. There, the Pidgeot she had loaned from the capital waited as she tied the letter to a claw, and dropped a few coins into the pouch strapped around it, and patted it on the head gently. "To Goldeneye. Thank you."
Watching the retreating form of the bird, she leaned back in her chair and sighed. "I don't understand why we have to make this so official since Morgan can just contact him at any time, but I suppose better safe than sorry." Taryn smirked, as her mind wandered to the leader of the prince's security back in Goldeneye City. "William always did prefer an official record of stuff going on, even if he doesn't-"
A knock on the door interrupted her train of thought - at this point, Taryn was sure it was quickly becoming a recurring happenstance for her. "Enter." she said, nonplussed.
The door opened to reveal Morgan and Cordelia - the former had shed his cloak and traded in his t-shirt and under-armour for a regular long-sleeve shirt. The tip of the bandages was just visible by the crook of his shoulder, but otherwise, he didn't look any different from the first day she had met the boy. "Are you feeling better, Morgan?"
"Evening, Miss Rio- Taryn." he corrected himself. "I am well, thank you for asking. Anywho, judging by the fact that I don't see the Pidgeot anymore, I assume that the wrap-up has been completed?"
"Done and done," she shrugged. "I do think we could have handled the situation ourselves, but considering Glenn's history with Tia, it's best we turn the girls over to headquarters to settle. The both of you will be flying off tomorrow morning, is that correct?"
"Yes, I- wait, both?" He turned to the blonde by his side, seeking confirmation.
Cordelia nodded. "It is as she says, Lockwood. My father has instructed that I fly back to the capital to settle some matters on his behalf. I admit I am rather curious as to what these matters are since he has not informed me as to what they entail, but nevertheless, I shall heed his request."
"As such, you will accompany Noble and the two captives back to Goldeneye City." The other blonde in the room finished with a nod.
...Wait, huh?
Now, Morgan didn't like to flaunt his title as the Right Hand of the Prince very much. Aside from putting himself on an uncomfortable pedestal, it was a constant reminder of the fact that he was considered more important than a good portion of his friends, acquaintances and most of the commonsfolk - his prince and counterpart notwithstanding, amongst other more important people like the King himself.
But for him to have to accompany Cordelia and not the other way around? That meant that she had to be someone extremely important...But then what was she doing as a soldier in Fraternity?
Just who exactly is she?
Resolving to clear his doubts later on, he answered clearly. "Duly noted. I don't suppose you'll be calling for me again anytime soon?"
"Possibly. I see that look on your face, and I assure you - don't worry, we'll take care of ourselves just fine," Taryn rolled her eyes good-naturedly at that last bit, before she walked over and opened the door again. "Now, let's relieve the others from guard duty. I'm fairly certain something very amusing has occurred in the meantime and we were the unfortunate ones that were unable to bear witness to it."
"You left the Callaghan brat and the Valedin musclehead in the same room together. What did you think was going to happen?" Cordelia snarked, walking through the doorway.
"Hey, insulting Lucas was uncalled for." Morgan quipped, following right after.
Walking the short distance to the impromptu holding room, Taryn pushed open the door to a very...odd sight.
In the middle of the room, over a table, Lucas Valedin and Glenn Callaghan were staring at each other again, waged in a silent battle of wills over what looked to be...cards?
"Pray tell, what do the two of you think you're doing?" her stern voice caused the two boys to look up from their game.
"Poker, Taryn, don't act like you've never played it before. And with that being said," the brunet slammed his hand down. "Full house, Aces over Kings! Bring it on!"
His opponent laid down his hand with a smirk. "Royal flush, hearts. Consider it brought, Glenn."
"Bullshit, you cheated!" the Viscount swept the cards off the table, before grabbing Lucas' hand. "I challenge you!"
The green-haired youth, knowing exactly what he was proposing, nodded. "Challenge accepted!"
"One!" "Two!" "Three!" "Four!" "WE DECLARE A THUMB WAR!"
Unimpressed, Taryn turned her attention to the trio of girls sitting by the bench. The younger of the two captives from earlier today was holding an ice pack to a rather sore-looking cheek with one handcuffed hand, and holding what appeared to be an ice-cream cone with the other.
In fact, all three girls were simultaneously licking these ice-cream cones.
She quirked an eyebrow, and received a clearer answer. "Lucas and Glenn got into another catfight over how to go about talking to these two girls," Lynae motioned to the captives on her right. "So far, they started with just staring at each other, but it escalated from that to Rock-Paper-Scissors, arm-wrestling, to poker-playing-"
"Ha! I win again!" "That's only round one, best of three!"
"-and as you can see, they have progressed on to thumb wrestling." Lick.
"I have to admit, Glenn embarrassing himself is one of the few reasons I'm not in any urgency to escape." the other girl confessed, taking another cautious lick.
Tia had to admit, the girl probably hadn't poisoned the ice-cream considering her honesty with them, but she had to be careful nonetheless.
Mae had no such problem, and was in the process of devouring her third.
"Oh, when did your aunt sent in a new batch of Casteliacones?" Morgan strode forward and bent down, inspecting the package of sweet treats.
"Just this morning, actually. They arrived a while ago, and they're still packed in ice, so..." Lynae reached into the frosty interior of the box and pulled out a few more. "Care for one, Morgan?"
"Oh, yes, thank you, I will care for one." He accepted the ice-cream, before getting back up. "I'll just be around, I guess - and Lucas, Callaghan's distracted, go for the kill now."
"Oh, screw you too, Lockwood!" But it was too late, for Morgan had already left the room. Simultaneously, Lucas' thumb found home, and he whooped in celebration.
"That's complete bullshit! Three out of five!"
Through this, the Iron Lady watched the proceedings with an impassive look on her face, before sighing in defeat. "May I have a Casteliacone too?" she turned to the greenette, who was only too happy to oblige.
Nobody seemed to have realized that Cordelia had already left the room a long time ago, except the blonde herself, who was now walking back down the hallway.
"I doubt I'm ever going to understand the inner machinations of these plebeians," she muttered under her breath, eager to get as far away from the holding room as possible.
Stopping at the lounge that the Crown Pokémon had unofficially deemed their own room, she opened the door to find her partner. "Tabitha, I am in need of-"
"ESCAPE!"
A sudden flurry of activity by her feet caused Cordelia to stumble backwards briefly. Looking down and away, she only recognized the fleeing backs of a Vulpix and a Poochyena - the two Pokémon that had been confiscated from their captives.
She then looked inside to see her faithful Audino, Tabitha, admonishing the Mawile that belonged to Morgan (Art, was it?). She seemed to be in the process of scolding him, and to the Deceiver Pokémon's credit, he looked at least somewhat sheepish. The rest of the assembled Crown Pokémon were content with watching the two of them, digging into the Pokéblocks and rice balls that her father had sent with his letter.
She sucked in her breath. My word, what has that brutish rogue done to cause such raw fear amongst the two?
Pushed back into the storeroom, Talis got back onto her feet just as fast. Preparing to launch a Fire Spin, she suddenly found that she couldn't open her mouth - the reason for that came in the form of the black-and-yellow Pokémon she had been tasked to take down.
"Nuh-uh!" the self-proclaimed hellion sneered, right in front of her eyes. "No fire for you!"
Jamming his fists in the same direction, Art effectively forced Talis' jaws into each other with a Sucker Punch. She felt one of her teeth crack under the blow, before blacking out.
Meanwhile, Fang got up, only to see his partner down for the count, and currently being held by her tails by the black-and-yellow beast.
"Batter up!"
The Poochyena whimpered and turned to flee, before the Vulpix caught him over the head.
And again.
And again.
And again- you know what I'm implying with this.
Wiping off the single bead of sweat, the Mawile grinned as he surveyed the two unconscious canines. He briefly considered the list of things that were appropriate to say at this point in time, but a proper pun didn't come to mind, so he opted for the simple, "Nailed it."
Satisfied, he went to go find some paper clips.
Once he was certain none of his associates had tailed him out of curiosity, and that he was definitely alone, he turned on his Pokétch. Messaging the silent pictures he had taken of Tia and Mae with it to one of his other associates, he stopped for a moment to admire it.
The watch was a technological work of art, and had been provided to him graciously by the very same person he was now intending to call.
Selecting the appropriate number from his contact book, he entered the digits in reverse order - one of the many precautions he took to ensure the secrecy of his employers. Polishing off the Casteliacone (it was delicious, he had to ask the Valedin twins to thank their aunt for it later), he waited as a few rings passed, before the call patched through.
However, the answerer wasn't the prince.
In fact, the answerer wasn't human.
A yellow-and-red electric mouse grinned back at the blond, who recognized the Plusle as Joule, one of the castle's Pokémon. But if she's the one picking up, that means-
"Is Maeve there?" he ventured.
Recognizing the name as belonging to her mistress, Joule nodded excitedly. Presumably, she picked up the Pokétch (as the screen shook and wobbled), before throwing it into the air. A pale hand caught it, screen facing its palm, before turning around to face its owner.
From what he could see, she was dressed in the newest standard-issue maid uniform that Queen Marilyn had commissioned about half a year ago - a white apron over a black dress, with a white, short frilled headband that kept the ebony hair to just above her forehead. Her choice of hairstyle - a high ponytail, bound by a red hair tie - exuded an air of self-assurance and serenity, complemented with brown eyes just like his own (and their employer, now that he thought about it).
Indeed, it was his counterpart - the Left Hand of the Prince, Maeve Harker.
"-please don't do that, Joule, this is really, really expensive and- oh!" It was then that she realized that he was watching from the other side. "Morgan!"
"Good evening, Maeve," he greeted with a smile. "Can't say I was expecting you or Joule to pick up the watch, though it isn't unwelcome."
"Likewise. Might I enquire as to the purpose of your call?"
It was an open secret between the two that Morgan did consider her to be rather attractive, but they had agreed quite early into their acquaintance that neither had any real romantic interest in the other. It was less complicated than it sounded, but simply put, their relationship was strictly professional and would remain that way in the (hopefully) years to come. That, and if the whispers of the other maids in the palace were any indication-
"Is Gabriel preoccupied at the moment?" he asked.
She looked to the side. Judging by the position of the lights in the office she stood in, it was directed towards the prince's personal room. "He is currently in the showers, as it were. It has been a long day of training."
"Explains why you picked up, I guess." Scratching his head, he wondered what to say next. "Umm...if it's not too much hassle for you, can you ask him to call me back as soon as he is comfortable? Today's mission...ended in a way I did not expect."
A flicker of confusion danced across Maeve's eyes. "Did not expect? Surely it could've only ended in success or failure?"
"Well, yes. I mean, no- I mean-" he coughed. "I'll explain later, promise."
"If you say so. I'll brew up some tea in the meantime - I feel like this explanation of yours might take quite a while," she smiled neutrally, setting down the Pokétch. "I'll see you with Gabriel in a bit, I suppose?"
"That you will. Thank you. Goodbye for now." And with that, he cut the connection, before entering his call log and clearing his records.
Your safety is my priority.
Checking his inbox to see whether or not a certain person had replied, he was greeted with...nothing.
No new messages? he frowned. Great, now I have to check up on her again.
He didn't even have her name saved as one of his contacts, in case his watch really would fall into enemy hands, but it wasn't an issue. Punching in a number he had memorized by heart by the fourth week of his service, he waited for the answer tone.
The call patched through, however, no one showed up on screen - his contact had probably set it to voice-only, which was definitely new for her-
"Dunham Funeral Services," the peppy voice on the other end greeted. "You stab 'em, we slab 'em!"
If it had actually been her. So much for memorizing the number by heart. "Oh, sorry, I must have keyed in the wrong number." he apologized, embarrassed. With that, he cut the call, before a look of comprehension dawned on him. "Wait a minute..."
Checking his log, he groaned, and re-dialed the same number. Instead of a blank screen, this time, it lit up to show a rather youthful-looking girl, who had chest-length dark-blonde hair. A pair of hazel eyes, filled with mirth, indicated that she had been the one behind the last prank answer, while she covered her mouth with the sleeve of her black roll-neck jumper. It certainly was the person he was looking for, but at this point, he was just peeved at falling for her trick...again.
Even though, and with great embarrassment did Morgan admit this, she was two whole years older than him.
"Psychic Take-Out!" she stifled another laugh. "That'll be $12.68, and it'll arrive in about half an hour. Please remember to tip the delivery girl-"
"DQ!" he admonished, mildly annoyed at the now-laughing visage of the girl on the other side of the call. "Stop doing that, seriously!"
"Well, if you'd stop falling for it, I'd quit!" Wiping away a tear with a turquoise-dyed end of her hair, she continued, "So, what's up? You don't usually call me at this hour - heck, you don't usually call me at all! Did something important happen to Gabey?"
She clutched herself and mock-swooned. "Or perhaps, you've finally worked up the courage to confess to someone as beauteous as muah?" Giggling, she faux-kissed the air a few times. "Oh imagine that, the valiant Right Hand of the Prince is about to profess his long-held feelings to his gorgeous, intelligent and magnificent senpai who's two years older and-"
"Faces." Morgan deadpanned. "Names."
This caused the blonde to sober up almost immediately. "Details," she motioned.
"Sent." He facepalmed. "You're supposed to acknowledge the fact I sent you an important message with a reply affirming that you've received it. I only called you because, as you're very well guilty of, you haven't replied." he muttered, massaging his forehead.
"...Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. Sowwy!" Impishly, the girl known to him as DQ shrugged. "Well, no harm done, here's your reply, so toodle-oo! Say hi to the others for me!"
And with that, the feed cut off, and the screen showed a 'DISCONNECTED' sign to indicate that the call had, indeed, ended.
Morgan sighed heavily as he cleared his log once again. How he managed to stay sane dealing with her for the better part of a year was still beyond him.
She's not bad at her job, don't get me wrong, but she needs to takes it more seriously... He thought to himself, pacing a bit to clear his mind. If anything, Maeve would probably be better suited for it-
Said Left Hand sneezed - she wasn't sure why, though it was probably the air conditioning. Shrugging it off, she set down the tea set that had survived the calamitous sneeze uninjured, if a little shaken.
Pouring the first serving of Pecha Berry tea, she fanned the teacup slightly, before waiting for the arrival of her master. And arrive he did - the nineteen-year old prince walked through the door that connected his study to his personal bedroom.
He was dressed in a light-grey top, with black trousers and a pair of equally-black slippers, and was drying the last droplets of water from himself with a dark towel, in sharp contrast to his dirty-blonde hair, which swept over his brown eyes in a wave. The other things on him that exuded colour were the bright red pendant adorning his right wrist, secured in place with a leather cord, and the blue-and-yellow electric mouse that was currently hitching a ride on his shoulder.
"Good evening, Prince Gabriel." she greeted with a curtsey.
"Good evening. Is there anything I should now be aware of, Maeve?" He addressed the young woman, eyeing the refreshments. Without hesitation, Ohm, his Minun leapt from his shoulder to the worktop, grabbing a few assorted berries in his stubby little fingers.
"Yes, my prince," she answered, watching as the blue mouse leapt down from the mahogany table to offer a Pamtre Berry to Joule, who accepted it with a smile. This in turn caused Maeve to smile herself, before she recomposed her thoughts. "Morgan has quite a few things to discuss with you. He bade you call him back at your earliest opportunity."
"Again, Gabriel is fine." He laughed. "No need to stand on formalities when it's just the two of us, Maeve, I thought we had gone over this last time."
"As you wish, pr- Gabriel." she corrected herself, smiling. It was one of the many quirks that made the prince such a desirable employer to work under.
Sitting down on the swivel-chair, he drank a sip of the refreshing beverage, before picking up his Pokétch from where it lay and a small book. The first page contained the name he needed, and he entered the corresponding number into his device.
"My prince," Morgan greeted with a bow as soon as the call patched through, "I have a lot to discuss with you."
"So I've heard. Again, Gabriel is fine-"
He was interrupted by the youth, who pointed to the prince's left with a grin. "Ah, but there's not just the two of us present, now is there?"
Looking at an equally-grinning Maeve, who was standing by his side, ready to act at a moment's notice, he shook his head in mock-defeat. "Point conceded." Gabriel acknowledged with a small grin of his own, before frowning slightly. "You seem to be favouring your right side of the body while standing...Were you injured in combat today?"
The blond laughed - he hadn't quite put it past his liege to notice details like that. "It's nothing serious, don't worry. Just a small nick on the arm that's still healing." He lied smoothly - no need to trouble Gabriel more than was needed. To prove his point, he rolled up his sleeve to where Tia had actually grazed him - the wound had been bandaged and cleaned, much like the bigger wound on his back he didn't feel the need to publicize.
"That's good to hear." He nodded, before reaching over for a tape recorder.
"Authorization: Gabriel Kingsley, Crown Prince. The following is a recording of a meeting of the utmost secrecy, conducted between myself, Gabriel; Maeve Harker, my personal maid; and Morgan Lockwood, my personal bodyguard. Let us begin council."
Phantom
The Hidden Huntress: Tia Harmon and Fang (Poochyena) - We're All Okay
Mae and Talis (Vulpix) - Skittlinq
Crown
The Viscount of Velvet City: Glenn Callaghan and Wisp (Chandelure) - emosewa13
The Dancing Saber: Lucas Valedin and Valdus (Gallade) - TreblePlayer67
The Mystical Maiden: Lynae Valedin and Valerie (Gardevoir) - TreblePlayer67
The Iron Lady: Taryn Riordan and Aeon (Lairon) - Altomere
The Parasol of Pain: Cordelia Noble and Tabitha (Audino) - SDproductions
DQ: ? and ? - CrimsonSkyTamer
The Right Hand: Morgan Lockwood, Lunete (Swoobat) and Art (Mawile) - SDproductions
The Left Hand: Maeve Harker and Joule (Plusle) - WereDragon EX
The Crown Prince: Gabriel Kingsley and Ohm (Minun) - WereDragon EX
A/N:
Gonna be doing a little something different now. The space below will henceforth be declared the bonus space (to be renamed and at my own discretion), where I'm putting scenes that either a. did not fit in the main story but are helpful to explain certain events, or b. omakes that should be taken just for fun.
So...Have a few bonus scenes, I guess. The first one is canon, but didn't have the same tone as the rest of the chapter, which is pretty much why it's here. The second on the other hand… well, you'll see.
BONUS: If you want a nurse, be patient.
Of all the people in Fraternity with medical experience, he certainly hadn't expected her to have the most.
Morgan tensed as the pin dug into his flesh. "I wasn't aware you treated people on a regular basis, Lady Cordelia-" he winced slightly when she started sewing, but forced himself to relax. "I'm sorry I have to burden you with my injuries, though."
Cordelia's features softened, though he wasn't privy to it, by virtue of not facing her. "I am a registered nurse, Morgan," she claimed, suturing the stab wound with pinpoint precision. "It is my duty to attend to any and all wounds as I see fit. There is no need to place me on a higher pedestal for that notion alone."
"I wasn't exactly going to..." he trailed off, coming to a conclusion that offending her when she had a needle to his back was probably a very bad idea.
Evidently, she hadn't heard that last part. "But alas, credit must be given where credit is due, Lockwood - I will acknowledge that you are certainly much more adept at staying still than some of my other patients." Cordelia admitted, dipping the needle back into the salt solution.
After a few more stitches, she got up, and walked over to the pink-and-yellow medical kit she had left on the other bed, removing a roll of gauze.
"This is waterproof dressing; as such, you will not require to see me again to change it for some time, nor will you be unable to bath. I will still implore you to keep as much moisture away from it as possible, to avoid any unfortunate mishaps," she looked at him directly in the eyes. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal."
OMAKE: The Dancing Saber VS The Viscount of Violet City!
LUCAS VS GLENN
BATTLE: START!
Lucas used Glare to the Left! It's super effective!
Glenn used Sneer to the Right! It's not as effective…
Glenn used Patented Callaghan Scowl™! It's a critical hit! It's not as effective...
Lucas used Emo Pout! Lucas regained health!
Glenn used Angst about Brother! It's super effective!
Lucas used Whip Hair Back and Forth! It's not as effective...
Glenn slips into his 'I'm-an-angry-pretty-boy' stance! Glenn has maximized his attack!
Lucas slips into his 'I'm-angrier-and-prettier-than-you' stance! Lucas has maximized his attack!
ENTER: LYNAE!
Lynae used Yaoi Fangirling! It's a one-hit KO on both sides!
Lucas Valedin and Glenn Callaghan have fainted!
The entire room was silent as the greenette took in the magnificent sight of her archrival and brother falling to the ground in a heap, chests touching, and faces inches away from the perfect kiss.
Then, slowly, she fistpumped the air. "I ship it!" she hollered cheerfully, resolving to take a picture as soon as she could.
Leverage over Lucas and Glenn? It was like Christmas had came early!
Please note that if you want Lucas/Glenn to be a reality, please contact CrimsonSkyTamer and ask her to commission art of it for you.
Nah, just kidding. Seriously though, this entire omake was all her fault, I take zero credit. Wwwwwww
Also, her next artpiece, Fraternity as highschool students (sans faces) is now available for viewing on the Starfield's showcase thread. Anything else to say on that, Sky?
(wow, go burn. -Sky)
Funny how I guessed that was coming. But remember, if I burn, you burn with me, capiche? XD
Anyways, explanations, explanations. How was Art able to take out Fang and Talis so easily in the flashback? Remember that Art is a trained veteran who doesn't hesitate to fight dirty, with at least five years of formal combat training under his belt. At best, Fang also has at least four years of training, but suffers a significant disadvantage in terms of pure typing and power, while Talis really couldn't withstand a Sucker Punch long enough to burn him.
Tl;dr, I simulated a match between them on Pokémon Showdown, and Art came out victorious with 98% health. It was a curb-stomp from the moment he got the drop on them.
To more serious things, this may or may not be the last update before the new year, but considering the nature of next chapter's plot, I might be able to finish it just before then. No promises, but if all goes well, we might be talking again just after Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, I'll be spending mine in Macau, away from most of my family, so...Can I get a hug around then?
Just kidding.
Anywho, that's all from me. Hope you continue to enjoy the Crusade. Cheers! (\(OwO)/)
Stay tuned to Chapter 10: Tomorrow.