Chapter 11

The Arcedix (part 2)

At first Rowan was relieved that his mentor was here, until he realized where he was. Why was Aves here?

The absol stalked up to them, and Rowan began to feel nervous. Was Aves here to kill them? If he was, he and Zav were as good as dead. He took a step backward as Aves grew nearer.

To Rowan's relief Aves spoke, "Calm down Rowan. You're smart to not trust me in a place like this, but I assure you, I'm not here to kill you." Aves spoke in a low yet reassuring voice.

Rowan relaxed and sighed, "They got you too Aves? How are we gonna survive this maze?" Rowan said.

Aves shook his head, "I was captured two days ago. I already won and am one of Torin's master servants." Aves explained. Rowan cocked his head in confusion, he already won?

"What do you mean?" Rowan asked.

Aves nodded, "Torin has four of these deathmatches a year. He uses them to pick his royal guards, and once someone is the last one standing, he retrieves them and brainwashes them to be one of his guards. You and Zav here seemed to fall on the last match of the year." Aves explained.

Rowan nodded, "But if you won, why are you out here? And more importantly, how can we trust you if you've been brainwashed?" Rowan said, growing nervous again.

Aves nodded, "Torin sends his royal guards into the maze every night to make sure they aren't forming any alliances. I spotted you two and I had to make sure I got to you before someone else did. Oh, and I can't be brainwashed, but I convinced Torin that I could. Don't ask how, because even I don't know exactly why." Aves said.

Rowan understood, but he still needed to ask one last thing for Aves before he left, "So only one can be left standing right? So how are both me and Zav going to survive this?" Rowan asked. He that he couldn't rely on Aves to save them, but now that he knew he was here, and that he was one of Torin's royal guards, he thought maybe they could both get out of here alive.

Aves shuffled a stone around, "That's what I was I was thinking of. I don't have a full plan yet, but I have an idea." Aves said, "But I'm going to probably need you to survive another day at least." Aves added.

Rowan nodded, he assumed Aves wouldn't be able to get the out tonight, "Got it." He said.

Aves sat up to leave, "Alright. I'll try to meet you again tomorrow, but for now, you need to forget this conversation existed. Don't mention it to anyone, not even Zav. All you need to do now is survive." Aves said as he gestured to Zav, who was sleeping soundly.

Rowan wondered why he couldn't tell Zav, but he didn't ask. He nodded in agreement and Aves returned the gesture and walked away.

Rowan sat down again, alert. He hoped they'd get out of here soon.

Dawn came early, or at least that's what it felt like to Rowan.

"Get up!" Zav said, prodding Rowan.

"Fine…" Rowan mumbled as he got up. He shook his head and refocused. They would need to be alert to survive today.

As the two began to wander through the maze, Rowan thought about yesterday night. Aves said he was planning something, and Rowan wished it was ready now. He frowned in frustration as he tried to figure a way out.

"What's wrong?" Zav asked from behind him, apparently Zav had noticed.

Rowan quickly thought, "Um… nothing really… I just want to get out of this stupid Arcedix." Rowan said. It was easier to say because he wasn't completely lying.

Luckily Zav bought it, "Ugh, I know. I hate this place, but then again, I don't think you're supposed to enjoy it here." Zav agreed.

They kept walking until a thought popped into Rowan's head, "Hey, if Arceus made this, how come he just abandoned it, and why is he letting Torin use it to murder other pokemon?" Rowan asked, gazing at the giant stone walls.

Zav bit his lip, "Hmm… Arceus is probably too busy, you know, keeping the world in balance to notice. Arceus is also still recovering from what happened." Zav said.

Rowan was about to ask what had happened, but suddenly the ground began to shake. It started out a light, gentle rumble. They both stopped.

"What was that?" Zav called from behind him, but Rowan was too occupied on the small crack beneath him to respond. He lowered his head to get a good look at it, but suddenly the ground shook again, this time more violent.

Rowan struggled to stay on his feet as the shaking grew louder and more violent. He thought he heard Zav shout something behind him right before the ground beneath his back legs slid back and he was left grasping on to the edge of a crevasse with his front paws. He shrieked in alarm and tried to get his back legs to grip on something, but there was nothing to get his feet on.

Rowan heard Zav shout from behind him, but he couldn't understand. He looked back to see The Jolteon standing on the other side of the now twenty foot large crevasse, shouting and pointing in front of him. He turned his head back in confusion to see a Sandslash standing over his paws. He gulped as he met its eyes, it was staring at him menacingly.

Rowan shrieked as it grabbed Rowan's paws in it's claws and held him over the cliff. He heard Zav shouting behind him. Rowan closed his eyes, expecting the Sandslash to let go, making him plummet into the endless darkness of the crevasse. But instead, the Sandslash grunted and pulled Rowan up to solid ground. Rowan flopped on the ground and turned back to look at the Sandslash, who was approaching him. He got up and sighed in relief. He turned toward the Sandslash.

"Thank you! I'm not sure what I would've-" But Rowan was cut off by a slash of the Sandslash's claws. He yelped and barely ducked in time to dodge them. He jumped back.

"Um… I'm sorry, why are you-" Rowan tried to say but the sandslash lunged forward and tried to grab Rowan's legs. Rowan jumped over her and dashed away.

"I don't understand! You just saved me, why are you attacking me? Rowan asked, but the Sandslash ignored him and dug its claws into the ground. They were glowing white with energy, as she spun around quickly, creating a tornado of sand and dust. It flew at Rowan and he tried to dodge, but he was caught in its vortex and was soon spinning around in it, screaming. He was thrown out of it and into one of the walls with a thud.

He got up in pain and looked up to see the Sandslash jumping down to him, its claws glowing white and swinging over head. He dove out of the way and he heard the claws digging into the earth. He swung around to see the Sandslash snarling in frustration and she looked around to find where the Umbreon had gone. She spotted him and began charging toward him on all fours. It lunged to slash him, but Rowan sidestepped the attack and pushed the Sandslash away with his paws. She spun around, her face angry and confused.

"Why aren't you fighting back!?" The Sandslash demanded angrily. Rowan didn't know what to say. He didn't want to kill any more pokemon, and he certainly didn't want to hurt one that saved his life.

"Why are you attacking me?" Rowan asked. The Sandslash snarled in confusion.

"Isn't it obvious?!" She said as she rolled tightly into a ball and began speeding at Rowan. He tried to leap over her, but she caught his legs and brought him down to the ground with a heavy slam. He gasped as his breath was knocked out of him. The Sandslash brought her claws around Rowan's neck, opening up his gashes from yesterday. She dug her claws in and began squeezing Rowan, choking him. He heard Zav shouting desperately from far away, but he knew it was to no use.

As her grip grew tighter, Rowan desperately tried to find the energy he had when the Zangoose was about to kill him, but it didn't come. He struggled helplessly, until he remembered something.

"Are… are you… have you… lost your son…?" Rowan asked as he was trying to get any air he could. He had a feeling this might work, and he had little time left.

Something flashed in the Sandslash's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by anger. Rowan saw it.

"YOU MURDERED MY SON DIDN'T YOU?!" The Sandslash demanded angrily. Its grip grew tighter.

"N… no… I… I saved… I saved him…" Rowan choked out. He met the Sandslash's gaze and her look changed from anger to hope. She let go and dropped him. Rowan gasped and panted heavily as he forced as much air he could into his lungs. The Sandslash looked out into the maze for a second, then returned her glare to Rowan.

"You saved my son?" She asked, pressing her claws up against his throat, in case he decided to do anything trick, "How do I know you're not lying?" She demanded.

Rowan nodded and thought back to yesterday. He shuddered as he remembered the Zangoose, but he found it. He remembered looking at the terrified Sandshrew. He got it.

"I'll prove it too you." He said. The Sandslash looked at him, confused. Rowan nodded.

"I ran into him yesterday. He was terrified and running fast. When he saw me, he froze. I could've killed him right there, but I passed by him and kept walking. He sighed in relief and kept running." He explained to her. Her eyes flickered with hope.

"That doesn't prove anything, you could've just made that up." She said. She pressed her claws against him again. He thought back again and remembered.

"I can, your son has an odd eye color..." He tried to remember. He found it but it seemed odd. He shrugged, "Purple?" He said while smiling.

The Sandslash's gaze turned from hostile to overjoyed. She smiled and helped Rowan up. She immediately hugged him and gave him a grateful look. Rowan just sighed in relief.

"You… you saved Akkos. I can't ever repay you." She said gratefully, "I'm so sorry for attacking you, I… I thought you were like all the other savages in this dreaded place." The Sandslash said. Rowan nodded in understanding as he remembered the Zangoose. He had hoped the others weren't as bad as him, but apparently he was wrong. But Rowan tilted his head in confusion.

"If you assumed I was like everyone else, why'd you save me first instead of just killing me while you had me over the cliff?" Rowan asked. The Sandslash nodded.

"I believe that a fight needs to be fair or else you're a coward for killing." She explained. She looked at Rowan for a moment.

"An Umbreon… never thought I'd see one of your kind ever again." She said as she stared at him. He felt awkward, he knew she was talking about the Exen, but he still didn't know much about it. He shrugged and gestured to Zav, who was calling to him from the other side of the crevasse.

"Actually I think you could repay me…" He said as he looked at Zav. He had something in mind, "How strong are your rock attacks?"

"I honestly think this is a horrible idea, Rowan!" Zav called as he stood shaking on a small, floating rock platform.

Rowan had asked Fellesk, the Sandslash, to help him out in repay for letting her son go. He had asked if she could levitate a rock over the crevasse with Zav on it. She had agreed and was currently bringing Zav over the crevasse. The rock platform wasn't very big, as her powers weren't exactly that strong, but they were still fairly skilled.

Rowan was worried that Zav might fall off, but he couldn't help but laugh as he saw the Jolteon huddled on the small rock, his legs spread on as much of the rock as possible.

Zav sighed as he finally leaped off the rock onto solid land, "Can someone please tell me what just happened? One moment she's trying to kill you, Rowan, and the next she's repaying you for something? Honestly Rowan, one day…" Zav said as he looked at them, expecting an answer.

"Your friend Rowan saved my son's life. Nothing I could do could repay him." Fellesk explained. Rowan turned to her and spoke.

"So what are you going to do now?" Rowan asked the Sandslash. She looked to the sky and responded.

"Same as before, I keep searching for my son. Because of you, I have faith he's still out there." She said, not taking her eyes off of the sky. She paused for a moment, then continued.

"I thought you were all extinct, killed off with the rest. How did you survive?" Fellesk asked them. Rowan turned to Zav and saw something flash in his eyes. Grief? Anger? Sadness? He couldn't tell, but he quickly responded.

"I fled to a Mystery Dungeon when I heard it was happening. I've been living there my whole life, basically." Zav said. Rowan knew he was lying, Zav had told him earlier. Aves had found him after his parents were killed and brought him to The Order, where he was raised under the mentorship of Aves. To Rowan, it made little sense how Aves knew Zav or his father, but he decided not to ask Zav anymore about the Exen, as it seemed like a topic that he didn't like very much, for a good reason.

The Sandslash nodded, "Smart, but I would have to ask, how exactly did you survive in there for that long?" She asked. Rowan looked at Zav. How exactly would he explain that?

"My memory was wiped except for a couple moments that I can vaguely remember, so I honestly have no idea." Zav replied. Rowan frowned but didn't show it. How could Fellesk possibly believe this? Even if Zav somehow survived over ten years in a Mystery Dungeon, how would he have lost his memory, so conveniently that he couldn't remember how.

"Well, I guess there's nothing I can do about that. So is your family alive?" Fellesk asked, as if it was no big question.

Zav froze.

Rowan shot a glance at him. He had his eyes closed, and shaking his head slightly. Fellesk suddenly realized what she had done and quickly comforted him.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't realize… so, no then?" She said slowly. Zav nodded, his head still down. She placed a claw on his pelt.

"I'm sorry, may I ask… how young were you?" She asked softly. Zav slowly lifted his head up, his eyes surprisingly calm.

"Six." Zav said. Fellesk replied with another 'I'm sorry' and more comforting. She turned to Rowan.

"So how did you survive?" She asked him. Rowan turned pale. What was he gonna say?

"Well-" He started but was interrupted by a roar from behind them.

A Rydon and a Tauros were charging at them. Rowan turned to look ahead to see another Tauros running to block them off.

They were trapped.

"I'll take the Rydon, you guys take care of the Tauros." Fellesk said before springing off to attack the Rydon. Rowan nodded and turned to Zav.

"Take the one in front, I got the one in the back." Rowan ordered. Zav agreed and rushed forward to attack the enemy. Rowan yowled and charged to fight the Tauros.

Rowan did what he normally did on the first move. He waited until he was close enough to leap over the Tauros and rake his claws across it's pelt before landing behind it. It snarled in fury and stamped its hoof to the ground and charged at him again.

This time, it's whole body glowed white and he flashed from side to side quickly as he charged toward Rowan, confusing him. He yelped as the Tauros slammed into his side, sending him flying into the wall. His head spinned as he looked up to see the Tauros charging at him again, its horns glowing white. Rowan dodged out of the way to hear the sound of it hit the concrete wall and take a small chip off it.

Rowan lashed out as he retreated backwards as the Tauros swung his horns around, trying to stab them into Rowan. Rowan narrowly avoided each swing until he jumped away from the Tauros, thinking of a plan.

The Tauros didn't care and charged again. Rowan noticed he was back against the wall, with nowhere to go.

But he knew exactly what to do.

As the Tauros jabbed at Rowan, he jumped over it and onto the pokemon's back. It grunted in surprise and tried to throw Rowan off. Rowan almost lost his grip but managed to stay on, grasping onto the its horns. Rowan pulled them towards the wall and slammed its head into the wall, twice. It knocked the Tauros out, and it fell to the ground, defeated. Rowan sighed in relief, he wouldn't have to kill this time.

He looked over at Fellesk, who was battling the Rydon. But it currently had her in a makeshift chokehold. She glanced at Rowan helplessly as she struggled to breath. Rowan bolted towards the Rydon and leaped onto its back, pulling it off Fellesk. She stumbled down and gasped for breath.

The Rydon snarled and turned around to glare at Rowan. It's claws glowed white and it slashed out at Rowan. He sidestepped the first couple attacks, but the Rydon swung its leg under Rowan's and tripped him. He fell to the ground and the Rydon slashed at him again, but was interrupted.

Fellesk jumped onto his back and dug her claws into his neck, making blood gush out heavily. The Rydon screamed and blindly swung its claws behind him, hoping to catch a piece of the Sandslash. But Fellesk kept digging her claws into him until eventually he collapsed to the ground, dead.

Rowan backed away, looked away and gagged. Fellesk looked at him, confused, "What's wrong? Have you never killed another?" She asked. Rowan closed his eyes.

"Once. But I hated it, so I never do it unless it's absolutely necessary." Rowan said. He wondered if he should've told her that, in case he would have to fight her, but he shrugged. He also left out the part that he had done it only a day ago, assuming she would think differently of him.

Fellesk nodded, "Hmm… Although that is very generous, you might not want to always think like that. There may be a time where death is the only solution, and it's either theirs or yours, and you'll need to kill at a time like that. But otherwise, I think it is very wise to think like that." She said as she glanced at the unconscious Tauros, who was breathing softly.

Rowan noticed Zav walk up from behind them, seemingly unscathed. He gave Fellesk a nervous look when he saw the dead Rydon, then glanced at Rowan and gasped.

"Rowan! You're leg!" He exclaimed. Rowan tilted his head in confusion, then looked down at his leg and his eyes widened. His back leg was slashed deeply on the outer side, and blood had already flowed down it, covering the leg. A small pool of blood had also began to form at the bottom. Rowan placed his paw on it and immediately was overcome with excruciating pain. He yowled in pain, and Zav and Fellesk came over to help. He lie down on the ground, suddenly feeling lightheaded. His vision slowly faded into darkness as his eyes closed.

When Rowan awoke, there was a throbbing pain in his back leg. He wondered why until he remembered what had happened. The area where the cut was, now wrapped in a bandage like wrap made of leaves, and didn't hurt as much as before. He tried to stand up, but his leg gave out and he slumped back down to the ground. He looked around, it was dusk, and Zav was sleeping soundly next to him. He looked around for Fellesk, and spotted her a couple meters away, staring into the night sky. He got up and hobbled over and sat down next to her. He glanced at the Sandslash. She didn't look away, but he knew she saw him there.

"You passed out because of loss of blood. We found some leaves and bandaged you up. By the time we were done, it was almost dusk. So we found a suitable spot and set up camp." She said, without looking away. Rowan assumed Zav had taken the first watch, and she was taking the second.

"What are you thinking about?" Rowan blurted out. He immediately blushed and looked away, and Fellesk let out a little chuckle.

"Akkos. I'm always thinking about him. That's the reason I fight, to protect him." She said, "I must find him." Her tone was more serious. She turned to Rowan, "What's yours?" She asked.

"What's what?" Rowan said, confused. Fellesk looked to the sky again.

"Everyone fights to protect themselves, but really everyone fights for a reason. The reason I fight so fierce is because of Akkos. So my question is: What's yours?" She said. Rowan stopped to think about that.

First he thought of what would happen if he died. Would he never know why he was a pokemon? Would all his questions go unsolved? but then he remembered.

He remembered his rage, his anger, and his hatred.

He remembered when he had no control, when he had no limit.

And it was terrifying.

But that wasn't the only time. Whenever he fought, he fought not because of the questions or the answers, not because of the mysteries.

He fought for the one who he could trust with his life.

He turned to her, "I fight for him." He said as he pointed towards the sleeping Jolteon. Fellesk nodded.

"I've noticed that. Eon's had always shared some sacred bond, but I've never seen one stronger than the one between you two." She turned back again, "You trust one another, and sometimes trust can be more powerful than anything in the Universe. Trust can mean the difference between life and death. It truly is extremely rare to come across the trust you two share nowadays." She spoke. Rowan thought for a moment. Could trust be that powerful? He shrugged, probably not, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

He turned back to Fellesk. He knew what he had to do.

"Hey," He said, shaking her to get her attention. She turned to look at him, her ice blue eyes cutting into him, "I'm going to make a promise, okay? I promise I'll help you find your son, and get you both out of here, alive." He oathed. SHe looked down at him, shocked.

"How exactly do you plan on doing that? There can only be one victor, so unless you have an escape plan, that will be the only way." Her gaze was mostly sceptical, but there was a faint glimmer of hope that she and her son would survive this.

Rowan nodded, "I'll think of something…" He promised. He really meant that he hoped Aves would think of something, quick, but he kept that to himself. Fellesk stared at him for a moment, smiling.

"You're something this world needs more of Rowan, I want you to know that." She said. Rowan simply smiled and yawned.

"Well, I'm tired, and I don't think this place is giving us any rest, so I'm going to sleep." Rowan said as he hobbled away from her and back next to Zav. He lied down and glanced at the Jolteon. He was curled up into a ball, and muttering in his sleep. Rowan dismissed it and closed his eyes, exhaustion quickly overtaking him.