Petal: Terribly sorry about the lack of update last week!
Copper: Yes, teerribly sorry!
Petal: We were figuring some stuff out for the story...
Copper: Yes, yes, figuring stuff out...
Petal: And Lenalee did not go bald!
Copper: Yes, yes, mmhm, of course not!
Petal: Off-screen chattering and misunderstandings. I hope we freaked you out. :D Anyway, we don't own Genevieve, Mithril, Kaz, Lustrous, Eleanor, Nicholas, Adamant, Leon, Kara, or Monopoly. The joke Gold attempts to make at the end comes from the webcomic "No Need For Bushido." Lyra and Genevieve's exchange was inspired by a pair of best frenemies not-so-affectionately dubbed by each other BaKanda and Moyashi. People who get this, you know who you are.
Gold and Lyra had departed from the castle a second time, this time galloping rather than cantering.
"What're we gonna do if we don't find any leads?!" Gold demanded, his goggles over his eyes to protect them from the wind rushing into their faces.
"We have to find leads even if we have to challenge local crime lords!" Lyra yelled back.
"...Our kingdom has crime lords?! Didn't Silver get rid of them all twenty years ago when he was made captain?!"
"According to the records, yes, but evil never rests, Your Majesty, and neither must justice. Unfortunately, justice has less people on its side." The girl squinted, her eyes watering from the cold sting of the air. "You aren't going to run off and try to fight them without me, right?" The king simply grinned. Lyra sighed and shook her head. "You're as bad as Dad says you are... WHOA!" She reined in her Rapidash. The unicorn pokemon reared up on its hind legs with its forelegs flailing in the air. Lyra tugged the reins to the side which caused it to serve and land with its hooves mere inches away from a silver-haired human head. Lyra dismounted and knelt down beside the person and immediately gave a disgruntled frown. She recognized her.
Gold, meanwhile, was trying to wake the woman up. "HELLO? MISS?" he shouted in her ear, placing two fingers on her neck to find a pulse. "IT'S KINDA DANGEROUS TO NAP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, YOU KNOW?"
"Your Majesty, could you stop that?" Lyra deadpanned. "She works for The Boss."
Gold was silent for a minute before looking up to grin widely at her. "This is like an adventure novel. Let's take her prisoner!"
Lyra rolled her eyes but nodded, tied up the woman and wrapped the scythe in a sturdy cloth. The king attempted to swipe it, but she stored it in the her pocket (she enjoyed the look of astonishment on the king's face- Queen Crystal had actually had the court mages enchant the ninja uniforms' pockets to make them larger than they actually were) and dumped their new prisoner in front of her on the Rapidash. "Okay, let's go."
After they rode for a while longer, Gold spoke up again. "Why won't you let me have the scythe?"
"Aside from the fact that it's pointy and sharp and my father warned me never to let you near something like that?" she responded dryly. "Take a good look at it. Notice anything about the blade?"
Gold squinted and caught a crimson sheen where the sun hit it. "...It's red?"
Lyra nodded. "There's Yul Berry juice on the blade. They're berries that grow exclusively in the mountains of southeastern Qi'Dreh," referring to a kingdom to the east of them, "and they're poisonous."
Gold rolled his eyes. "You could've just told me what it was. Super Serious Gal drilled the rest of it into my head hundreds of times, you know?"
"I don't suppose you listened any of those times?" Lyra asked dryly. She had heard of the king's infamous ability to tune out long-winded lessons.
"Sure I did!" he protested. "They also don't trade it with anyone, and hardly anyone knows about it. It's fast working and the only known cure is a buttload of common antidotes, powerful healing magic, and a lot of luck." He paused. "Say... how do the not-ninja know about it?"
Lyra shook her head dismissively. "One of our agents was on a mission in Qi-Dreh a few years back chasing down a defector and was lucky enough to see a known assassin collecting the berries on his way back. He later saw him crushing them and dipping arrows into them... We're still researching it, and we've had healers try to develop a cure."
"And how's that working?"
She sighed. "Slow-going. There appear to be magical properties to the berries as well, and the mages are being extremely careful with the samples."
"What, is it gonna explode?" he joked.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but my scythe isn't explosive."
Both travelers immediately turned their eyes to their prisoner. Now that she was awake and in control of her facial expressions, they could clearly see she was irritated. Then again, so would most people if they awoke to being tied up and uncomfortably strewn on their stomachs across a horse. She scowled at them. "You look like a bunch of fish."
Lyra shot her with the patented Gin Glare. "Watch your words," she warned. "You're our prisoner. Don't test my patience. I'll tell you now: I don't have a lot of it."
The woman did not back down. Instead, she retaliated with her own heated glare. A blazing aura of hostility seemed to rise to surround them.
Gold attempted to break the tension with a joke. "I guess you're a little tied up at the moment!"
"Stay outta this."
Gold flinched at the harsh, freezing tone of their words. Well, that at least explained where all the coldness went...
"Why are you here?" Lyra hissed.
"I could ask you the same question," the woman hissed back. "You're supposed to be with The Boss."
Lyra glared at her for a minute longer before using her leverage. "I have your scythe."
"How do I know you won't just keep it even after I tell you?" the woman demanded with a raised eyebrow. Her neck hurt from the strain of keeping her head up, and she wanted to move it back down, but that would mean surrendering, and there was no way she was going to surrender to this little upstart.
Lyra snorted. "Oh, just tell me already. It's not like you've got anything to lose."
"Could someone please tell me who this lady is?" Gold asked. "I don't really have a problem with calling her Scythe Gal in my head, but it's kind of getting old."
"Introduce yourself first," the woman said icily. This guy sounded like someone she was supposed to know but she couldn't quite put her finger on it...
"Oh, I'm-"
Lyra kicked him. "No one of importance," she finished. Gold looked scandalized by her blatant lie, but the woman didn't see because she was facing the side opposite to him, and Lyra just plain didn't care. "You may as well tell him, or I'll do it."
The woman pondered this for a while before deciding that she really didn't want the spiteful redhead to introduce her. "Genevieve."
Gold grinned. "There, was that so hard?" he asked cheerfully. "So, Scythe Gal," he ignored her suddenly stiff posture at the unwelcome nickname, "why in the name of my best bud's grumpy attitude and offspring were you lying unconscious in the middle of the road?"
"My coworker," she began, still stiff, "had the audacity to send me flying with a gust of wind. And she doesn't even know any air magic."
Lyra froze and glanced at the king. Luckily, he had come to the same realization as she had, and he nodded. Whoever this coworker was, she had miraculously learned how to use air magic. However, no magic comes easily- it is learned through weeks and months of training. But if there was a magic item that granted power... Like, for example...
The gemstone that was stolen from General Claire.
"Which coworker?" Lyra demanded, shaking Genevieve slightly. "Did she have a gray stone with her?"
Genevieve snorted. "How should I know? And FYI, stones are gray."
"FYI, she's your coworker, and there are stones that come in different colors," Lyra snapped back.
Genevieve shook her head. "I was answering the second question," she corrected her, not deigning to respond to the new bit of trivia Lyra had oh-so-graciously given her. "My coworker is a kid named Mithril who is a disrespectful brat."
"I bet it'd take one to know one," Gold muttered darkly. Honestly, kids these days... No respect for their elders nor their betters...
"Anything else?" Lyra interrogated impatiently. "Where she is, any plans of destination?"
Genevieve's eyes narrowed. "Are you going to kill her?"
"If we are?" They only would if the girl was uncooperative and wouldn't let go of the stone otherwise, but Genevieve didn't have to know that.
The two females glared at each other once more. Then Genevieve let fall from her lips a sentence that made Lyra's day.
"For even a possibility of payback against that brat, I'll tell you everything you need to know."
After Genevieve filled the pair in on what Mithril was doing and who had last been seen in her company, Lyra changed the course to the direction Eleanor's last transmission had come from, and the group fell silent.
"...Have you heard the one where a Christian priest, a Hindu guru, and a blind Taoist monk walk into a Japanese bar?"
"Sir, please stop."
"Yeah, old man. No one appreciates your jokes."
"Kids these days..."
"Ms. Kaahn?" Lustrous called, huffing as she barely managed to keep up with the rest of the group with her shorter legs.
"Yes, what is it?" the woman responded, not slowing her pace one bit. If this kid asked her to slow down, she'd tell her that exercise is important for children...
"Why are we heading for a cave?"
Kaz glanced back, eyebrow raised and a faint smile hovering on her face. She would turn it into a full-blown grin, but she was too stressed to completely keep up her facade at the moment. "Because that's what we saw when Nicholas scried for Leon. We should be able to get there before their tracks disappear, and then we'll be able to find them.
Lustrous frowned. "...But if Orange is in the group, then they're heading for Mt. Silver." Kaz stopped in her tracks, causing the little blonde to crash into her back. "OW! What was that f-"
"How do you know that?" Kaz hissed through her smile, whirling around and clamping her hands on the girl's shoulders.
Lustrous gulped. This lady was scary, and the fact that her eyes were currently closed made her all the creepier; there also seemed to be some sort of shadow hooding her eyes... "W-Well, Nicholas told m-"
"Not that! The Mt. Silver destination!" Kaz interrupted.
Lustrous managed to summon up her courage for a sarcastic response. "Does this pink look natural to you? We were heading to Mt. Silver to repair a staff that's supposed to be able to turn us back. Presumably he's still headed that way."
Kaz glowered at her but somehow managed to maintain her smile. "So you're telling me that we've been trekking all day in the wrong direction?"
Lustrous flinched back. Had she mentioned that Kaz was scary? "...Well, really, that depends on which way Mt. Silver is-"
"I've heard enough," Kaz said firmly, releasing her and raising her voice to alert the rest of the group. "Everyone! There's a change of plans! We're heading to Mt. Silver!"
"Why?" Mithril asked, blinking.
Kaz shook her head. "It appears that we have someone here who knows their real destination." She frowned slightly at Lustrous, who flinched.
"Ad knew it, too!" she said defensively, jabbing a finger at her friend. He held up a hand and gave a small, calm, unfazed wave.
Kaz shrugged and pulled out a compass to determine where north was. "Alright, it's this way. Let's go." She marched off in the direction she had just pointed, everyone else hurrying to catch up with her. At the back of the group, Eleanor was tapping out a message to her superiors.
ME NICHOLAS SAFE GOING TO MT SILVER
It caused Lyra's group a less inconvenient direction change from west to northwest.
Leon trekked through the woods, looking for a Key Stone. He couldn't find one. Reluctant to let his time have been wasted for nothing, Leon kept searching. He was grateful for DarkFlare's assistance in laying out a scent trail to bring him back to the camp, but Leon had to admit that this was one of the few times a Pidgey's Keen Eye would have been useful. Though he didn't want to, Leon eventually gave up as night drew closer.
Kara realized her mistake several minutes into her search. She had forgotten, in her ecstasy, that Key Stones were rarer than Mega Stones, and that a Mega Stone appearing didn't guarantee a Key Stone showing up. Kara quickly concluded that her search was hopeless and returned to camp.
Orange just ended up turning around somehow during his searches and always ended up in camp.
Once all three had gathered, Kara spoke up. "I don't think we're going to find a Key Stone."
Orange sighed. "Yeah, I didn't find a single one."
"Tch. We'll have to hope to come across one on the go," Leon muttered.
"For now, let's just rest," Kara sighed.
Just as the three were getting to their sleeping bags, a rustle was heard in the trees.
"Who's there?" Kara demanded, turning to face the trees.
Leon and DarkFlare prepared to fight.
Chu ate one of Orange's snacks.
Orange started tussling with Chu.
The figure emerged from the trees.
The mysterious creature was a mostly black, tailless canine. Its front left paw was green while the others were black. It had a green muzzle that had black at the top. Something green and scarflike protruded from its neck, and a luminous green hexagon was stationed at the base of the protrudance.
"Kara. What is it?" Leon demanded.
"I don't know," Kara replied. "I've never heard of a Pokemon or animal like this!"
Orange stared in awe. "Wow... It's so cool!"
The creature walked forward until it was within lunging range. Orange and the others heard a voice in their heads.
Come back to me, the voice said. I will need you soon.
The three stared questioningly at the canine. Then the Mega Stone floated out of Leon's bag. Leon tried to grab at it, but a green light repelled him.
As the Mega Stone reached the creature, it split into many gelatinous flat green things that turned into light and were absorbed into the creature. After that, the mysterious being loped away.
"What was that?" Orange asked. "The Mega Stone went all wom wom and then it was like shoomp and then it was absorbed into the thing!"
Kara was bewildered. "I don't know," she muttered before getting into her sleeping bag.
Leon recalled DarkFlare and retired to his own sleeping bag.
Orange shrugged and went into his bag with the Eclipse Wing in his hand. He would ask Darkrai, 'cause Darkrai seemed pretty smart.
Grisseo, Lukree, Lapis, #IHateGarconMorris, and Darkrai were playing Monopoly. Lapis was in the middle of scamming Grisseo into trading Park Place for Oriental Avenue when Orange fell on the game board.
"Orange! Whaddid ya do dat for?!" Lapis exclaimed. "I was about ta git Park Place!"
"Ow... Sorry, Lapis..."
Lukree and Grisseo were more intent on arguing about where Orange had landed.
"His head was on Indiana Avenue, which is mine!" Grisseo yelled.
"He landed on his hand, which was on my Pacific Avenue!" Lukree insisted.
"Why don't you just make him pay both of you?" #IHateGarconMorris suggested.
"That's a good idea!" Grisseo exclaimed.
"Orange! Pay up!" Lukree demanded.
"AAAH! WHAT DID I DO?!" Orange sobbed running away from the two.
"Orange! I had two houses on Pacific, so you owe me 390 Poke!" Lukree said.
"I had a house on Indiana! 90 Poke! Pay up!" Grisseo said.
Orange backed away rapidly, his hands in the air. "I don't know what's going on!" Orange cried. "I just wanted to ask some questions!"
"What do you want to ask?" Darkrai demanded icily. It had finally monopolized yellow, even had a hotel on Marvin Gardens, and now this happened. "Make it quick." Or I'll make your life quick, Darkrai added in its head.
"Uh... um... Adogcamanatamegastone!"
Darkrai sighed. "Repeat that?"
Orange nodded furiously. "Right. We saw a dog that ate a Mega Stone!"
Darkrai stared at Orange. "Dogs don't eat Mega Stones."
Orange resumed nodding. "Yeah, but this wasn't a dog. It was more like a wolf dog with a scarf. Yup."
Darkrai pondered that. "Did this thing have a hexagon on its scarf?" it asked.
Orange nodded even more furiously. "Yes! It did! A shiny green one!"
Darkrai nodded sagely. "Yes, that was probably the original Zygarde. I didn't know that it ate Mega Stones though."
"Well, he didn't really eat it," Orange correxcted himself. "The Mega Stone was like voom and then it went all zam and then it was like zoomp."
"...That tells me absolutely nothing."
Orange prostrated himself. "PLEASE DON'T EAT MY SOOOOOUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLLL!" he begged.
"Umm... Darkrai don't do that..."
Orange perked up. "Great!"
Then his vision went black.
Petal: ... *sighs* Orange, Orange...
Copper: Yes, oranges are tasty.
Petal: ... Anyway, please review.