Chapter 14: Call to Arms

Izzy's hair blew slightly in the wind as she sat next to William. They were perched in the upper branches of one of the trees outside of Hearthrome City. The skyline was beautiful; the spires and bell towers from the many churches in the city were silhouetted perfectly against the glowing evening sky. Above them the first signs of night were visible as the brightest stars were already coming into view.

"It's beautiful." Izzy said admiringly.

"I guess." William replied unenthusiastically. The duo had been traveling nonstop ever since the night they had met in the forest outside of Celestic Town. United by their hate for the Overlord and his minions they'd decided that working together was smarter than going their separate ways which, though sometimes a strain, was working out alright so far. "I just wonder how long it will stay that way."

"Oh don't worry so much!" She said waving her hand as if by that simple motion she could make the problems go away. William sighed and looked back out over the city, scanning the building for the one he was looking for. After a few moments he found it and pointed it out to Izzy.

"There. That house is where Mr. Fujiki lives." He said excitement now in his voice. Mr. Fujiki was the head of the local Pokémon fan club, but aside from running that he was also a very well versed historian. William knew that he had to speak with him if only to better understand what the Royal Guard wanted destroyed so badly back in Snowpoint.

"Well let's not sit around all night!" Izzy said as she released her Shiftry to ferry them to the ground floor.

The walk into town was a stark contrast from the dreary paths of the forest floor that had been their main path for the past week. Everywhere William looked there were people playing and laughing; children ran through the streets accompanied only by their Pokémon, and adults conversed over cups of coffee and hot chocolate. The smell of fresh Oran flowers filled the air and sure enough the trees were in full bloom; they decorated the sidewalks of Hearthrome with their open blossoms and not yet ripe berries.

Izzy seemed to be enjoying herself much more than William; every time he looked around she was staring at some building or running over to a vendor, her long orange-peach hair flowing behind her like a banner. She seemed so happy that William did not even see the need to mention that Hearthrome was not the paradise it seemed. Though it was true the people were happy here the Overlord's servants sat quietly in the background. During their walk he had spotted at least three patrols behind buildings, on top of roofs, and anywhere else it seemed they could find to keep out of plain sight.

If he were to be honest this worried William. Why would the Royal Guard hide in the shadows like a child trying not to be caught? He had never heard of this behavior before and he doubted he would have believed it if he had not seen it with him own eyes. Regardless of what the reason was it was driven from his head as he realized that they were standing in front of the Pokémon fan club official headquarters.

"Perfect." He said happy that they had not gotten lost even once. No sooner than he spoke than a ball of flames burst out of the side of the fan club, and an explosion that rattled the very cobblestones of the streets emitted from the structure. Izzy having seen the blast seconds before William threw herself at him and they both rolled down the street away from the blast zone in a mess of tangled arms and legs. When they finished disconnecting from each other William stood up and looked back at the former fan club—now only a pile of debris and ash.

Lila Landgraab woke up in her room a very excited fifteen year old girl. She combed her purple hair into its usual straight down look with her bangs hanging at an angle across her forehead. After slipping into a red and white striped mini-skirt and a white polo she grabbed her Pokéballs and ran out of her house towards the Pokémon fan club.

Today was to be Lila's first day as a full member! She couldn't wait to be able to compete in the Pokémon contests they held. She was a sucker for any even remotely cute looking Pokémon, often stopping on the streets to greet and hug the Pokémon she saw. Today however she wasn't stopping for anything; her pink shoes played a steady beat as she raced through the streets of Hearthrome, desperate to get to the fan club.

After what seemed like forever she finally arrived at the building. It was a small building that looked like a small cottage. On the side of the fan club was a sign that read "Pokéfans Welcome!" which was placed just below a red ceramic heart hung above the door. With exhilaration she swung the door open to reveal a room full of happy Pokémon and their trainers. In the back of the room sitting on a rather large purple chair was Mr. Fujiki—the head of the fan club. When he saw Lila standing in the doorway he cracked a wide smile and beckoned to her. She walked across the yellow carpet, admiring how bright yet cozy the place was. Mr. Fujiki was still smiling his bright smile when she sat down on a couch across from him.

"Lila, I'm so glad you could make it today!" He said excitement in his voice.

"I wouldn't have missed it for anything." Lila responded laughing a little as she did so.

"As you know I have decided to make you a full member of the club." He said in a more serious tone. "And as such there are responsibilities that come with that position." Lila was a bit confused by this remark; she had never heard of the club actually doing anything save staging contests and showing their unanimous love for Pokémon.

"What do you mean?" She asked befuddled by his cryptic words.

"We are much more than simply a fan club." He said pausing as if to choose his words carefully. "We are an organization that is sworn to keeping the old legends alive. Though our magnificent overlord seems to want all records of them eliminated, it is our job to strive to keep them remembered." He said these last words with such obvious distaste that Lila was startled for a moment. But the look of disgust on his face was quickly replaced by his usual good cheer.

"What legends are you talking about?" Lila asked, not sure she knew what it was she was getting herself into. She didn't know if this was really something she wanted, after all she was only fifteen! What sort of organization was this? "I don't know if I'm very suited for this—"she began, but was cut off by a wave of Mr. Fujiki's hand.

"Nonsense, of course you are. You joined this club because of your love of Pokémon, am I right?" She nodded her head still not convinced. "We here protect these legends because of what they mean to the history of our land and what they mean to our Pokémon friends. But if I am to pass these legends on to you I need your promise that you will never reveal them to the prying eyes and ears of Sharakor." Mr. Fujiki finished in a hushed voice as if he was afraid that, even in the confines of this crowded room miles from Dragon's Reach, Sharakor could hear him

Lila Thought about his proposal for a few moments before deciding that what he was saying was not all that farfetched and she was curious to hear about these legends he spoke of.

"Alright, I'll do it!" she said enthusiastically, her excitement outweighing her fears. Mr. Fujiki smiled again and handed her an old book he pulled from underneath the chair. The book was heavy and leather bound with protective metal edges that served a dual purpose of making it the most beautiful book Lila had ever seen.

"This book contains all of the legends of our land or lands as I should say." He said with a faraway look in his eyes. "I compiled these documents into one book through years of research and now I am entrusting it to you. Be careful with it, the information inside is very valuable and if Sharakor knew of its existence I'm sure he would stop at nothing to see it destroyed." Lila held the book reverently and very carefully put it into the messenger bag she always carried with her.

Something black flashed by the window and a look of terror and anger shot into Mr. Fujiki's eyes.

"He's here." He said softly standing up and grabbing a Pokéballs off of the table next to him.

"Whose here?" Lila asked, startled by his rapid change of attitude. Mr. Fujiki did not respond but rather released his Alakazam. The green Pokémon created a barrier of energy around Lila and Mr. Fujiki addressed her very quickly.

"The Overlord has been spying on me for years now. His spies just caught sight of that book and the fire snake will be here soon. I should be able to hold him off but I'm no match for him. When you see an opening run for it! And find William Landry he will help you!"

Lila watched in horror as the now deserted Fan club exploded in a burst of white hot flame around her. Though Alakazam's light screen protected her from the blast nothing could protect her from the sight of Mr. Fujiki being incinerated and the place that she had come to love crumbling around her.

When the smoke cleared Izzy and William stood awestruck as the small cottage before them lay in ruins. Then suddenly out of the rubble a girl came running towards them. Behind her an enormous Houndoom erupted from the building followed closely by its master. The man now infamous around Pantera as a cold blooded killer stood dwarfed by his Pokémon laughing at the carnage he had caused.

Lila stood behind William shivering with the fear of such a fearsome creature. Luckily neither William, who had prior dealings with this maniac, nor Izzy were as easily intimidated. Both released a Pokémon, William his Walrein and Izzy her Absol.

Houndoom released a torrent of flames from its gaping jaw, the same flames that had destroyed the building behind them. Walrein did not stand down and at William's command dove straight through the flames to deal a massive blow to the vulnerable Houndoom. Meanwhile Absol slashed its side with razor sharp claws.

However even as the battle raged in front of them the Fire Snake's troops formed behind them. Lila shook herself from her panic attack in time to see a pack of Mighteyena followed by their trainers slowly pacing towards the unprotected backs of William and Izzy. Summoning all of her courage she pulled a Pokéballs from her belt and released her most trusted companion. Ursaring towered above the canine Pokémon the yellow ring on its stomach glowing as it flexed its massive claws and let loose a roar that caused them to stop their slow pacing.

Consumed by a raging furry Ursaring charged into the group knocking mighteyena aside like ragdolls. Its mighty claws found target after target and soon the entire platoon turned tail and fled from the fearsome sight. Behind her William and Izzy were returning their Pokémon after successfully fending off the Fire Snake and his Houndoom.

"Thank you." Lila said breathlessly. "I'm Lila." William looked toward Lila then back towards Izzy as if asking her whether they should help this girl. Izzy answered his unasked question by looking into Lila's eyes and smiling.

"You seem to be in trouble." She said making light of the situation. "How would you like to join us for a while?" Lila's eyes got wide at the offer of protection from the forces of Sharakor that even now she knew would not stop pursuing her.

"You would let me go with you?" she asked awed by the thought of traveling with trainers who possessed the raw power she saw when these two battled.

"Of course." William responded. "Though I suppose we should get moving, this kind of scene is going to attract attention and I think it is too late to get what we came here for." He finished, his last comments aimed towards Izzy.

"By the way I'm Izamina Tessman, but you can call me Izzy." Izzy said making introductions to her new travelling companion. "And that book nerd over there is William Landry. Welcome to the team." She said with a laugh and a smile.

Call to Arms- Angels and Airwaves

Do you feel like you lost everything you can lose
This is it can you hear me
When you cry do your tears reach up the room
Calling out in a moment of need
Do you ever lay awake with the look in the eyes