Hey there, it's been a while! Well, this long absence should end now. I can't remember when I started writing this chapter, I think it was meant to be for Halloween seeing as the actual chapter uploaded on Halloween wasn't really fitting. Well, here's 11.5, 12 coming very soon!
Big thanks to Mysterious Panther and iiWishes-Chann for reviewing!
I can promise it won't be over a year for the next chapter!


Spirit Wind 11.5

Rocky Detours (Of another kind)


The feel of the damp wall was no longer unfamiliar. Every day, day in, day out – an endless hell unfamiliar surroundings. It was an unfamiliar place, surrounded by the dregs of society, surrounded by those who were making themselves out to be part of a crazed cult. The lowly grunts who were fresh recruits into an organisation which was known as 'Ghosts of Armor', learning the ways of the path they had taken.

That is all he knew from their voices, and his body no longer responded to the pain he felt and his eyes were darkened, a blindfold wrapped tightly around his head. He had heard screams, crying and worse from the area around him, some from prisoners and some from the grunts who could not handle the sight.

He felt weak, his body dying from hunger and his mind on the verge of collapse, only his name kept him sane. His name kept him alive, though it barely lingered within his mind, threatening to be forgotten at any moment due to the daily struggle. Ricky. Ricky Runos.

Only a short time had passed since his arrival and he was subject to torture, interrogation. He vaguely remembered the reason. His father, something his father had created.

He heard footsteps. In his short time, he had learned of breaks in the wall of his cell. Small cracks which would not give away, but these cracks had shown him a path of another kind. It was through these cracks he knew not to believe their niceties during interrogation, and their schemes true brutality. This is because, behind the wall, there was a hidden room, where he heard many things, and learned of the state of the outside world.

The footsteps stopped as they entered the hidden room. Two sets of feet, carrying a large object.


"Is this room completely secured?" One of the men asked, his gruff voice resounding through the small cracks at a volume only Ricky's heightened senses could hear. The blindfold robbed him of his sight, but his hearing had become sharpened.

"Affirmative." the other replied, a soft feminine voice tainted with a deadly undertone laced with malice.

"My men failed to kill the voice of the desert" the man whimpered, his finished sentence followed by a sharp crack.

"What else?" the woman asked sweetly, poisonous words baiting her breath.

"One had left a camera. It was too dark and the sound is barely audible but, we managed to discover something"

"Oh?"

"We persuaded a ghost to do our work for us, but, he failed. This is the recording we salvaged"

Ricky heard a small voice from the recording, followed by another voice, a familiar voice. The small voice sounded as if it were a Pokémon, while the familiar voice was a human.

The noises continued until a roaring resounded through the cracks. A vicious angry voice followed by another. The other voice was an angry, weakened voice of another Pokémon.

The sound began to screech violently, followed by a deathly silence.
The woman's voice broke the silence, her words now a violent, angry tone.
"YOU CALL THAT A DISCOVERY?!" she screeched, followed by a soft cough. "So, what was so special about distorted voices?" her voice returning to a calmer level.

Ricky heard no reply. He heard another familiar sound, the click and rush of air of a Pokéball opening.
"Stand up, back to the wall and tell me what this discovery is" the woman asked.
Ricky heard footsteps draw closer to him, a soft thud as the man placed his back on the wall. A faint realisation crossed his mind. The wall was thinner than he thought.

"The… discovery we made... is that there was a human present… while we couldn't understand what was going on… that human seemed to know about the voice of the desert and its link to the sea of illusion" the man said slowly, his dull voice echoing through the wall. The other man seemed to be walking away, his footsteps growing fainter with a quickened pace.

A scream reverberated throughout the chamber. Ricky stumbled in shock, his hand sliding across the wall, stopping on something which had not been there before.

In his mind, he knew he had traced the room's walls dozens of times, but not once had there been an object in the way. It was cold to the touch on some parts; the rest was warm and sticky. He heard another scream, this time he felt the cold sensation against his right ear. Instinctively, he put his hand up to protect it, the grimy fingers brushing against the blindfold.

The object was sharp, the same warm sticky sensation accompanied it soon after. His fingers found a rip in the fabric, where the object had caught it. The tough fabric easily gave way, the blindfold ripping away from his head, the dim lights of the room slowly coming into focus as he opened his eyes for the first time since his capture.

Ricky looked at his fingers, stained with dirt, dried and fresh blood; he looked at the wall again, the sharp objects revealed to be icy spikes, dripping with blood. He looked at his hands again, the fresh red liquid stinging his wounds from interrogation and digging.

He flew into a silent panic, fear overpowering all other thoughts. The screams continued with more spikes penetrating the wall. One of the spikes broke through completely, continuing on to hit the door of Ricky's prison, the devastating force of the attack breaking the door completely.

He took his chances. With what little strength he could muster, he ran out of the door, sorrowfully viewing the inhabitants of the other cages. Most were Pokémon, chained up and heavily restrained, while others were people in similar rags, all bearing the same logo. The spike had smashed the prison in front of him too, wiring and broken machinery scattering the floor.

A small white Pokémon with a red horn crawled out, the matted green hair on its head blackened by dirt. Remnants of the wires were attached to its body in various places.
"Ral…ts" the small Pokémon whimpered.

Ricky scooped up the small Pokémon in his arms, making his way towards where the footsteps always led. The small Pokémon began shuddering in his arms, its horn glowing gently.

The world began to swim before Ricky's eyes and the scenery changed before him. He looked around, to see stains on the walls. His eyes widened in horror. This was the room behind the cell.

He struggled towards the door, his legs beginning to shake with hunger and fear. the large object appeared was an open crate, filled to the brim with empty Pokéballs and supplies. Grabbing what appeared to be a bag, Ricky hastily scooped in what he could, rations, blankets and a variety of healing supplies .The small Pokémon began to glow again, the scenery changing once more, the sudden shift almost causing Ricky to lose his grip on what could be his only lifeline.


The became a rocky outcrop, trees stretching as far as the eye could see, where ever it was, it was away from the hell he had survived. His mind began to race, memories returning. He remembered a workshop, an icy town, a warm face. He looked once more to the distance, mountains just barely coming into view.

Another memory came to mind. A map was laid out on a table, with one particular area circled in bright red ink. The one area which even Tyranitar herds would not touch, the wilds of the Armor region, enclosed by a mountainous wall, covered with ancient forests, the once place untouched by humans.


Desert sun beat down from high in the sky. The small steel buildings were covered in sand, windows bolted tightly shut, the first signs of life beginning to emerge. Three figures walked into the midst of the buildings, their weary faces lighting up at the sight of a Pokémon centre.

"Hey, Luna, Sora, we made it" Jasper gasped.
"So this is Sandbay village?" Sora yawned, the desert trek having drained her energy.

The buildings began to open up more rapidly, people emerging from the small dwellings.
A stout man in what appeared to be a suit approached the trio.

"Young travellers, welcome to Sandbay!" The man bellowed cheerfully.
All the trio could do was nod. The man motioned towards the seemingly barren Pokémon centre.

The trio stepped inside, to find only a staircase.
"Sandbay is an underground village in tune with the desert, if you follow this staircase, you'll reach the main centre" the man explained.

"And, who are you exactly?" Luna cut in.

The man laughed heartily. "I am the museum's head expert; I'm standing in as mayor while our gym leader is away on business"

He ushered the three trainers down the stairs, waiting until they had descended far enough. He reached for a small radio device in his pocket.

"This is Number 2, three targets have entered the building"
A small pause hung in the air, followed by a crackling sound.

"Number 2 this is Number 4, we are in position. We'll send them the same way as the others"

"Roger that number 4, they'll never know what hit them" he laughed


Unexpectedly short, back to full length next chapter!
Chapter 12 – That which is truly reversed.