DAISY'S POV
"How in the world do you expect me to get over to that island?" Storm grunted, every fur on his pelt bristling. "Are you nuts?"
Daisy sighed, her heart sinking. It didn't help that she didn't know how to swim; Storm was acting as annoying as always, and it was bothering everyone in the group.
"There must be something we can do," Shade murmured, ignoring Storm's annoying personality. "Not all of us can swim. We'll drown."
Ruby gazed proudly over the three rescue teams. "I can fly."
"Yeah, well, we can't," Storm growled. "So shut your mouth."
"Don't be mean, Storm," Sapphire snapped, obviously protective of her partner. "I think she's saying she could carry one of us. Right, Ruby?"
The Togetic nodded cheerfully.
"She can't carry everyone," Storm pointed out, still seeming angry, especially since he was proven wrong. "Don't you know that? Or are you too stupid?"
Suddenly, Shade made his way in between the three bickering Pokemon. "Enough," he growled. "We have enough trouble as it is. We don't need you guys arguing, either."
"Sorry," Sapphire muttered. Ruby shrugged while Storm just glared fiercely at the Empoleon.
Darn, Daisy thought, her eyes widening. Shade's basically the leader of the whole group. How could Storm stand up to him and not apologize?
Shade returned the glare, but he was silent as he turned around. "Well, what do you think we should do? Anyone have an idea?"
"Make a boat?" Daisy suggested, knowing that it would take forever. She didn't even know if anyone knew how.
Everyone stared at her blankly.
"Did you seriously just suggest to make a boat?" Shade growled. "No one knows how, Daisy. And even if they did, it would take a while."
Daisy narrowed her eyes. "At least it's possible."
"Yes, it is, but no one here knows how to make one," Ruby pointed out. "Sorry, Daisy, but he's right. Does anyone else have any ideas?"
Daisy couldn't help but giggle as Shade glared at the Togetic. He was the leader here, so he was the one who was supposed to ask if anyone had any more ideas.
Everyone was silent. Daisy's heart sank as she dipped her head. How exactly would they get to the island?
"There has to be something," River growled from his position next to Daisy. "Maybe there's a bridge or a path of rocks or something farther out."
"That has to be the most ridiculous idea I've ever head," Shade growled. "Why would there be a path of rocks? That only appears in your fantasies, River."
The Buizel crossed his arms, huffing. "Not true!"
"We should at least give it a shot," Daisy pointed out. "Please?"
"Yeah, it is possible." Blast shrugged. Daisy gave him a glare. Obviously, he didn't care if they found Star Point or not. All he wanted was to go back to sleep. It's a surprise Team Waterfall made it to Silver Rank with him on their team. He probably joined afterwards.
"Fine," Shade grunted. "But don't blame me if we don't find it. And I know we won't."
The sand was comfortable against Daisy's paws, and she relaxed as she padded along the beach. Maybe she should take a walk here more often, perhaps with River. Thinking about the Buizel made her light on her paws, and she walked a little faster.
A few minutes passed; there was still no sign of a bridge or a rock. "I told you, River," Shade growled. "We should've never done this. The island is right there, and I can't find any-"
"Hey! Look!"
The voice of Blast was heard against the breezy wind. Daisy frowned; what was he up to now? Probably found some stupid rock that meant nothing.
"I found a stone! It looks like hail, but for some reason it's blue." Blast seemed to be excited, and Daisy's eyes widened. The only blue hailstone she could remember was the one she kept on Floor 13...what could it be doing on the beach?
Sapphire seemed just as surprised as she was. Every piece of fur on her pelt was bristling, and she was glaring at the blue stone. Daisy stared at her, puzzled. Did she possibly know about the piece of hail the Umbreon kept?
"What is this?" Blast murmured, turning the stone upside down. Was he trying to look for clues for something?
"Are you done staring at rocks?" Shade growled, grabbing the blue hailstone from Blast. "We have a job to do, and I don't need you looking for stupid stuff."
Daisy decided it was best not to speak up. If she said the hailstone was hers, no one would probably believe her, even River.
"This is not a rock!" Blast protested, grabbing the hailstone. "It's a piece of blue hail."
"Are you an idiot? Hail isn't blue." Shade reached for the hailstone again. "Now give me it so we can get on with this mission."
River was staring at it, puzzled. "It does kind of look like hail - just a different color."
"What could it mean?" Sapphire gasped.
"It means nothing," Ruby muttered, giving his partner a flick on his shoulder with her tail. "Now let's keep moving, Blast. Geez, you're always holding us back, aren't you?"
Blast didn't seem to take that as an insult. He was too excited. "It's a sign! Watch!" With that, he threw the stone in the water.
Nothing happened.
"Great," Shade said sarcastically. "What a nice sign."
Suddenly, the water started to create a blue glow. Daisy's eyes widened as the light grew brighter and brighter, almost blinding her. She tightened her eyes shut for a moment, then narrowed them as the light illuminated the whole sky, turning it from blue to yellow.
"What's going on?!" Shade yelled, his eyes closed.
"I don't know! Blast, what did you do?" Sapphire screamed, covering her eyes with her tail.
"You have some explaining to do!" Shade growled loudly. "What if you get us all killed?!"
All of a sudden, the glow stopped. The light grew dimmer and dimmer until the sky turned normal again. Daisy held her breath as a path of rocks appeared directly in front of them, all leading up to Star Point.
"See? I told you!" River hissed, not seeming happy at all they finally had a way to get to the island. "I told you there'd be a path of rocks, but you didn't listen!"
There was no reply. Daisy's heart sank; she almost thought it was a stupid reason, too. Luckily, she didn't voice her thoughts aloud, but she still had them.
"Sorry, River," Shade grunted, obviously not wanting to apologize.
This time, River's eyes gleamed. Daisy giggled as she realized he always liked to be right. "It's fine."
"I made the path of rocks!" Blast beamed proudly. "I told you I could do something right!"
"You did." Shade's voice sounded impressed. "Usually you're lazy and don't want to think of ideas. This time, you thought of throwing the hailstone in the water."
Blast frowned. "Don't you remember? The Gardevoir told me!"
"The Gardevoir?" Everyone in the group exchanged puzzled glances; Daisy was the only one who flinched. Blast couldn't possibly know about Gardevoir. Only she did!
"You didn't see her?" Blast was confused. "She was right there! She told me to throw the stone into the water."
Daisy gulped, letting out the deep breath she'd been holding in for so long. How does he know about Gardevoir?! He can't be a human, can he? He's useless!
"None of us saw her," Shade growled. "I don't know what you're talking about a Gardevoir for, but it was probably just your imagination or something. I should've known you were worthless as a team member. Now, are we going or not?"
An excited Sapphire and calm Ruby were the first ones to hop on the rocks. "Careful," Shade warned as he followed a close second behind them. "You could fall in the water."
"Thanks for making me feel better," Sapphire said sarcastically after dipping one paw in the ocean. She fluffed up her paw, shivering. "That's really cold!"
"I told you," Shade snapped. "If you even fall in there for a second, you'll get hypothermia."
Sapphire rolled her eyes at him. "Thanks for the reminder."
"You guys act like children," River joked, stepping one foot over the rock. "It's not that hard to jump, unless you're clumsy."
As soon as he said that, he tripped over the ledge, and screamed as he plummeted into the water.
Daisy's heart clenched as Shade laughed. "River!" she called. "Are you okay?"
For a few seconds, there was no reply. It almost seemed like hours before a Buizel head appeared above the water, gasping and choking up water. "I-I'm fine!" he exclaimed, his teeth chattering. "J-just a b-bit cold, that's a-all…"
"Let me help you," Daisy squeaked, still a bit worried that he would catch hypothermia. She reached out and covered his pelt with licks. "You have to lick his fur the wrong way, and that'll warm him up," she added once she was done.
Shade scowled. "How come you know so much about that?"
"I'm a human, remember?" Daisy narrowed her eyes at him.
Shade was silent, but he still glared at her as they hopped over the rocks. Luckily, no other Pokemon seemed to fall into the water. Sapphire almost tripped, but Ruby caught her just in time. Again, Daisy seemed worried that the Espeon would fall, even though she barely knew her.
It wasn't long before they reached Star Point. A cold, eerie breeze drew across the island as Daisy stepped onto the beach and fluffed up her fur. "It's getting a lot windier here," she said, not forgetting at all what River had said about the danger. What if they went missing here as well? The thought chilled her, and not just because of the wind.
Trees dotted the island all around, and Daisy's stomach clenched as a haunting feeling arose from the group. Something was definitely wrong about this place.
"It feels creepy," Blast said, shivering. "S-shade, I don't think this mission was a good idea. Maybe we should head home."
Shade glared at him. "And give up? What if we gain another rank from this mission? You need to start thinking, Blast," he growled. "Because you usually never do."
Blast hung his head, and Daisy almost felt sorry for the poor Squirtle. Almost.
The wind seemed to whisper in their ears as they began to walk forward. Daisy walked next to River, their fur barely touching. "Something's wrong here," she whispered.
"I told you about the danger, didn't I?" River hissed in her ear. "Just stay by me. I'll protect you."
"I don't need protection," Daisy pointed out. But the haunting breeze still sent shivers down her spine, so she stayed by his side anyway.
An eerie silence spread across the clearing, which just made Daisy even more worried. She took a step forward, not wanting to be at the rear of the three teams in case someone was behind her, watching her.
"You seem frightened," a voice joked from behind her. Daisy sighed. Storm.
"Why are you being so rude all the time now?" she snapped, not wanting to deal with his attitude when there might be something stalking them.
For a moment, hurt flashed across Storm's eyes. "I'm just teasing, that's all," he protested. "You don't have to be so mean."
You're the one who's mean! Daisy wanted to yell in his face, but she decided against it. She didn't want to stir up an argument.
"Relax," River said, glaring at Storm from his place beside Daisy. "Sometimes teasing is rude to certain Pokemon. I don't like it when my friends joke about me."
Storm glared at him. "Of course, you would defend Daisy." He stalked off with his nose in the air and a furious look in his eye.
"Why is he always acting like this?" Daisy muttered to herself, barely audible for River to hear.
River sighed. "I think he's just jealous of our relationship. You should ignore him."
"That's what I wondered, too; but why would Storm like me?"
"Maybe because you're likeable?" River joked.
Daisy rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help cracking a smile. River was the best at jokes. It was barely enough to make her feel better as she padded farther into Star Point, unaware of a strange darkness that was following the three teams…
ECLIPSE'S POV
"Moon!"
There was no reply.
Frustrated, Eclipse yelled again: "Moon!"
Silence.
"I can't find her anywhere," Eclipse grunted. "And I'm for sure we looked all over Smoky Woods."
Skye dug her claws into the ground, growling. "She can't be dead. I know she isn't. Maybe she's hiding somewhere or something."
"Or she left," Eclipse muttered. "Or we haven't looked hard enough. Although I'm sure we did."
"We should head back," he continued. "Kasai, Rin, and Swift are no where to be found, either." His shoulders slumped, trying to act like he didn't know where they were even though he knew perfectly clear. "Guess we're not gaining another rank after all."
"We can't give up!" Skye protested.
I doubt she's thinking about the prisoners. She only wants to find Moon, Eclipse thought, scowling. He could understand why she wanted to find Moon so much, but sometimes it felt like she only cared about the Vulpix and not anyone else.
"We have to. We looked all over Smoky Woods," Eclipse said gently. "That's the only place we were supposed to go, anyway. Let Team Violet and Team Vine find them. We're done."
Skye dipped her head in defeat, but her eyes gleamed as she whispered, "I won't give up finding Moon, you know that."
"Of course I do," Eclipse replied, admiring her courage.
"But you're right. We've been gone long enough - it's time to go home." Sighing, Skye looked like she had given up completely, even though Eclipse knew she didn't.
"Don't worry; we'll find her," he promised. "Maybe not today - but later. I'm sure of it."
It wasn't long before Pidgeot's Training Camp came into view. Eclipse sighed with relief as he opened the doors and instantly collapsed on the ground.
Skye giggled. "You must be really tired."
"We've been walking all day; what do you think?" Eclipse snapped, getting up again and padded to the elevator, tail down.
"Did you find them?" Flame asked worriedly, walking over to Team Darkness.
Eclipse looked away. "What does it look like?" he snapped.
Surprised at his attitude, Flame frowned. "Well, we still have Team Violet and Team Vine. I just hope one of those teams finds them…"
"Me, too," Eclipse grumbled, even though he knew they wouldn't. Pidgeot was smiling at him, a wink in her eye. Eclipse just glared at her. She was insane. Even he wouldn't think of making a dungeon and putting innocent Pokemon in it.
He pressed Floor 5 on the elevator, muttering inaudible curses to Pidgeot underneath his breath. I'll kill that rotten camp leader right after I kill Flame. A smirk planted on his face. None of those stupid humans will survive except for me.
DAISY'S POV
Shadows flashed across the woods. Daisy stiffened as she saw a dark one appear right beside her. Luckily, it disappeared soon after.
"Ignore them," River murmured, a cautious look in his widened eyes. "They're probably just trying to scare you."
Sapphire frowned. "What are they, ghosts?"
River didn't answer. He obviously still meant to keep the dangers of Star Point a secret. "Are they?" Daisy whispered in his ear.
"I've heard it's Darkrai," he said back, startling the Umbreon. Darkrai couldn't possibly be here, could he? "But don't worry; I think that rumor is fake," River added, noticing Daisy's sudden look of fear.
"I hope it is," Daisy growled. "We've had enough trouble already, and now I have to worry about Darkrai being here."
"It's probably just a ghost, like Sapphire said. I don't know a lot about Star Point, only that there's danger."
Daisy shivered. "It does seem pretty haunting here."
"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet," River growled. "Many teams who have been here and survived told me all about their quest. I don't know why Flame's letting Normal Rank teams go here, even if they have a Silver Rank team with them. Star Point is for Master or Ultra ranks."
"Aren't those two the highest ranks?" Daisy asked.
River nodded. "The only team I know that's Master Rank is Team Darkness. If we get lucky, they'll graduate soon," he growled. "I don't want Eclipse bothering us anymore. Oh, and Team Space is Master Rank, but that doesn't count because Flame's the Guild leader."
Daisy shivered. Even if Eclipse graduates, he'll still be after us. Not being in a rescue team anymore won't stop him from achieving his goal.
Suddenly, the wind got a little chillier. Every fur on Daisy's pelt pricked up as she stared at the woods ahead of them. A sudden ringing sounded in her ears, and she flattened them worriedly. "What's going on, River?!"
The Buizel didn't seem to hear. His hands were balled into fists, and his eyes glowed bright red. "No!" River gasped. "It can't be happening! Not again!"
Daisy whipped around wildly to glance at the other Pokemon. Their eyes were all glowing red, too, except for Sapphire. She was staring at her partner, gasping in a mixture of shock and fear. "What happened to your eyes, Ruby?!"
"Hehehehehe~" Sudden laughter sounded from deeper into the forest, and Daisy gasped.
This place is worse than Smoky Woods!
"What's going on?!" Daisy yelled to Sapphire, who was still staring wildly at Ruby.
"I don't know!" the Espeon yelled back. "We are the only two that seem normal... Everyone else is acting possessed!"
The laughter sounded again; this time it seemed familiar. "You thought you could get out of here alive again... Well, you were wrong~"
Daisy's heart sank as she recognized the cold voice of Zeke.
"Who's that?" Sapphire whimpered, moving a little closer to Daisy. Daisy's belly clenched in fear and anger; how dare Zeke try to possess them like this? And why were her and Sapphire the only ones not possessed?
For a moment, the large Cyndaquil looked at Daisy and Sapphire, puzzled. "Why can't I possess you? Something must be wrong… Arceus and Darkrai are fighting, aren't they…?"
"What are you talking about?" Like most of the humans, Daisy knew that she had to stop Darkrai from destroying the three dimensions - the Pokemon world, the human world, and the human world with Pokemon in it. The only Pokemon she knew from that dimension was Blue, and the friendly Minun had died. Daisy's heart sank as she remembered her former friend. She hoped she would see her again if she ever died.
The one thing she didn't know, however, was what Arceus had to do with it. Why would Arceus and Darkrai be fighting? Was Arceus fighting on their side? The thought made Daisy want to sigh with relief. Arceus was a strong legendary; with any luck, he would defeat Darkrai himself. But if he didn't, Daisy and the other humans might have to try to save the dimensions themselves. And Daisy didn't want that. It was like being in a fantasy book, except this was real life.
She looked over at River, who still had his hands balled tightly into fists, but he seemed to be fully possessed. Her heart sank. Would everyone here stay that way? She recalled what had happened at the dungeon; Storm and her old friend Kasai were possessed then. But not for long. Would that happen here at Star Point?
"You know what I'm talking about," Zeke said sharply, lifting his head. "Arceus doesn't agree with our plans. The weak little legendary instead wants to keep the pathetic worlds we have right now - doesn't he realize that we can make Pokemon live peaceful lives instead of suffering?" The Cyndaquil snorted, shaking his head. "Obviously not. Why are you here, anyway? No Pokemon belongs to Star Point."
On the inside, Daisy was shaking with fear - what would Zeke do to them? She attempted to keep her head held high and her voice steady as she said, "Why are you here? I thought you lived on Floor 6 and died there."
Sapphire gasped. "Floor 6? Isn't that the haunted floor everyone kept talking about back in the Guild?"
"Yes, it was," Zeke said with a smirk. "And you were right. I was the one haunting it. And I'll haunt you again when it comes back. You will never escape my and Darkrai's wrath."
"I'll stop you!" Daisy threatened. "Me, River, and the other humans!"
Zeke chuckled. His laugh almost made Daisy recoil in disgust. "Fool, do you really think you can stop us with one human in your little 'group' evil? And there may be more."
"W-what do you mean?" Daisy whispered. "River isn't evil!"
Zeke rolled his eyes. "I take it you haven't found the last two humans, huh? Well," he said with a sly grin, "here's a hint: Darkrai has one of them on his side. The other one's missing."
"Gone for good?!" Daisy flattened her ears, hissing. She couldn't believe this Cyndaquil; how dare he try to scare her? "You're lying, and I know it. Because without all of the humans working together… We can't save the world." Her voice dropped to a whisper at the last sentence.
Zeke nodded. "I will let you go, only because I would like to see you suffer once your world ends, including all you pathetic group of humans besides Eclipse."
"The world won't end! We'll save it!" But Daisy couldn't even convince herself that. Zeke, Eclipse, and Darkrai were too strong. And if another human was evil… It was only her and River and whoever the missing Pokemon was, if they would ever find them.
Zeke's eyes flashed, and suddenly, all of the Pokemon seemed to turn back to normal. Daisy sighed with relief when she noticed River slowly rubbing his head. His eyes didn't seem red anymore. "Are you okay? I think Zeke possessed you…"
For a moment River seemed confused, and then he sighed. "So this is the evil, huh?"
"Apparently. I hope that's all we have to deal with," Daisy groaned.
"Did Zeke tell you anything? I was too busy being 'possessed', from what you said," River explained, laughing lightly. Daisy didn't think it was very funny.
"Yeah, he actually did," Daisy said, explaining the words the Cyndaquil had spoken to her.
After her story, River's eyes widened in surprise. "He actually gave a hint to who the Fourth and Fifth are?" River didn't seem to care about the world ending at all. "One's missing, and one's possessed... All we have to do is find the one that's acting odd, and find a missing Pokemon!"
Daisy sighed. "You're not thinking this through, River. The world could end!"
"I know. And we'll be saving it if we find the two other humans."
For some reason, anger and frustration pricked at Daisy's paws. "You don't understand!" she hissed quietly. "How will we save the one that's possessed? How will we find the missing Pokemon? He or she could be anywhere! And Eclipse, the third human, is evil. How will get to change him?! It's too difficult, River. Right now, there's only you and me."
River sighed. "Why are you complaining so much?" he argued. "We can get the other Pokemon to help us! And Arceus. Zeke said that he and Darkrai were fighting, right? So Arceus must be on our side!"
"I'm not complaining," Daisy growled, feeling slightly annoyed at the Buizel. "Yes, Arceus may be on our side, but that might not be enough. The other Pokemon might think we're nuts. Sapphire, I think, heard my conversation with Zeke already... So she knows the truth." Awkwardly Daisy turned toward the Espeon, who was stood frozen on the ground, staring at the place where Zeke had been.
River crossed his arms. "How could Arceus, one of the strongest legendaries, not be enough?!"
"What are you guys talking about?" a familiar voice asked curiously from behind them. Daisy's heart sank as she turned around and met the confused gaze of Sapphire.
"Nothing, Sapphire," Daisy growled impatiently. "Now come on, guys," she continued, raising her voice. "Let's find that Fennekin."
Sapphire still looked curious, but she shrugged and padded back over to Ruby.
All seemed to be normal again as they padded through the dark forest. Daisy sighed with relief; maybe they had already faced the danger, and there was nothing else to be afraid of. The bird Pokemon were chirping as if nothing could go wrong.
"I think Sapphire found out about Darkrai," River groaned.
Daisy sighed. "Remember when Rain first came to the Guild? He told everyone about Darkrai."
"Yeah, but no one believed him," River whispered.
"We did. Especially since Eclipse kind of proved it." Huffing, Daisy continued, "Sapphire probably thinks we're crazy now."
River crossed his arms. "She'll find out soon enough that we're not," he scoffed.
Daisy glanced at him. Was he saying that Darkrai's attack may be a bit sooner than expected?
The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and the fur on her back lifted. All Daisy wanted was to get out of Star Point as soon as possible.
"Ouch!"
A noise from up ahead startled Daisy, and she careened right into Storm, who had, for some reason, stayed silent for a long while.
"Hey, watch it!" Storm growled, flinching. "No one wants your butt in my face!"
Daisy wasn't sure if he was joking, but she had no time to think. The noise sounded again, this time clearer. "OW! Stupid rocks!"
"What's going on?" Shade said in confusion, scratching his head. "What's that noise?"
"I don't know and I don't care," Storm grumbled. "Unless it's that Fennekin, we've gotta get going."
A yellow shape began to appear up ahead, and Daisy widened her eyes. "I can hear you, you know!" the Fennekin snapped. "I don't have that bad of an ear."
"What do you mean?" River asked.
Before the Fennekin could reply, a large shape of darkness seemed to loom over him.
The fur on Daisy's pelt began to bristle with fear and worry. Darkrai?!
Luckily, her eyes adjusted to the darkness and instead of Darkrai, a Sceptile came into view. Daisy sighed in relief; she must have been thinking too much about the evil.
But then, they'd still have to worry about fighting him.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the Sceptile spat. Daisy recoiled in disgust as his spit landed right in front of Shade's feet. "This side of Star Point belongs to me, and me only!"
Shade lifted his head high. Daisy was surprised at how brave he was acting. "We've come to rescue the Fennekin," he spoke.
"You can call me by my real name, you know," the Fennekin mumbled. "Fuse."
Daisy giggled. He sounded like Storm.
"Well, you can't have him," the Sceptile snapped. "That Fennekin has something in his belongings that I need, and until he gives me it, he isn't going anywhere."
"WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!" Fuse shouted, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "My name is Fuse!"
Ignoring him, the Sceptile continued, "If he doesn't give me that gold, I will kill him. As for you guys - I'll have to kill you, too, for trespassing on my land." His eyes narrowed. "You're not from here, are you? Everyone in Star Point knows that this side of the woods belongs to me."
"No, we're not, but you won't get out of here alive if you don't hand us that Fennekin right now!" Sapphire yelled, her voice trembling with fear.
Again, Fuse looked mad at being called a 'Fennekin', and the Sceptile just rolled in eyes in amusement. "Aw, a puny little Espeon thinks she can defeat me."
"Why aren't you scared?" Shade growled. "You're outnumbered."
"Don't you know anything about Star Point? Pokemon don't get scared here no matter what!" the Sceptile snapped.
Is he being serious? To me, Star Point seems like the scariest place on the planet, Daisy thought, but she didn't say a word.
Apparently, Shade didn't believe the Sceptile. Without hesitation, he lunged toward him, using Aqua Jet. He almost seemed invisible as he attacked his opponent.
Screeching, the Sceptile fell face-first on the ground. "What are you doing?!" he spat, throwing up a whole bunch of water. Daisy forced herself to look away. "I'm the one that always attacks first!"
"Well, not this time," Sapphire said proudly. Using almost the same speed as Shade, she ran toward the Sceptile with a Quick Attack.
Unfortunately, however, her enemy was ready. He leaped on top of a tree, the Fennekin wrapped tightly in his grasp. The only thing Sapphire managed to attack was a trunk, and that didn't turn out too well.
"No!" Shade yelled as the Espeon fainted. Daisy wasn't sure why he cared so much. He usually didn't care about anyone. She also felt a spark of sadness, but she knew Sapphire couldn't have died - her head wasn't split open and the scratch was tiny.
Feeling like she needed to help out, Daisy took a step forward. Sceptile's attention seemed elsewhere; his eyes were focused on Shade as if waiting for the Empoleon to attack. Crouching on the ground and moving slowly through the tall grass, Daisy's eyes narrowed. She was determined to get around the Sceptile and use Tackle on him.
Luckily, she remained silent and didn't step on a twig she was concentrating so hard. The sight of the Sceptile's butt was unsettling, but at least he didn't notice her. Tensing her muscles, she let out a yowl and leaped toward her enemy.
Screeching, the Sceptile jumped away just in time; Daisy scratching the air where he had been a second before.
What? I thought I got that under control! Not sure why she had been so slow, she leaped toward the Sceptile again. Unfortunately, he was ready, and he leaped out of the way.
"Hmph. You're just as weak as the Espeon. Anyone else want to try to attack me?" the Sceptile chuckled, throwing Fuse on top of a tree.
"Hey! You know I'm afraid of heights!" Fuse squeaked, his voice high-pitched in fear.
Sceptile simply laughed. "It's fun watching you suffer."
"You're sick," Shade spat, lunging toward him again with a Drill Peck.
This time, Shade was too fast. The Sceptile hit his head right on the tree trunk where Sapphire was.
"Give up yet?" Shade yelled.
There was no reply.
"Wow, that tree trunk must be cursed," Daisy joked. "It faints everyone who touches it."
Shade rolled his eyes. "At least the Sceptile's fainted, but what about Sapphire?"
"I'll handle the Fennekin," Ruby said worriedly. "You take care of Sapphire, alright?"
Shade still seemed frightened. Daisy had never seen him this way before. It almost seemed like the emotion she felt for River or Storm when they were hurt.
Watching as Ruby flew up to Fuse's side, she picked the little Fennekin up and carried him back to the grassy floor. "You're okay now," she said cheerfully. "The Sceptile's gone."
"Great," Fuse said. "Now can I go now?"
"Wait. Where do you live?" River asked sternly, walking up to the Fennekin. "If you live here, it's too dangerous. You should stay somewhere else."
Fuse sighed. "I was gonna say here. And how is it dangerous? It may seem haunted, but it's not. And I find Star Point kind of cool."
"Did you see that Cyndaquil?" Daisy snapped, getting impatient with Fuse.
Fuse looked puzzled. "What Cyndaquil?"
"Nevermind," River growled, giving Daisy a glare. Obviously, he didn't want any secrets to be revealed. Maybe he just doesn't want to scare anyone, Daisy thought.
"You should come to the Guild with us," Shade said from where he sat next to the sleeping Sapphire. "Er...when it gets rebuilt, that is. Which shouldn't be too long."
For the first time, Daisy noticed how long she had been at Pidgeot's Training Camp. For some reason, she didn't want to leave. She had gotten used to the way the camp ran, but then again, she did want to get away from Pidgeot and the dungeon.
But what about Kasai, Swift, Rin, and Torch? Will I ever see them again?
"Come to the Guild?" For a moment, Fuse hesitated. "I've heard about it. But I'm not sure I want to start a rescue team. I mean, it sounds fun and all…"
"Why don't you try it out?" Shade asked. "You can see if you like it, and if you don't, you can always leave."
Fuse sighed. "I know. But if I don't like it, it'll take a while to get to Star Point again…"
"Oh, don't be lazy," Storm snapped. "It's not that hard."
"It kind of was," Daisy whispered in his ear. The path of rocks appearing for them might not have happened for most Pokemon besides them. She still seemed surprised that the blue stone had appeared all the way at Sapphire Beach. It was supposed to be with her, safe and sound and wrapped in a blanket.
Fuse sighed. "Fine. I'll try it out. But don't blame me if I don't like it," he growled. This Fennekin seemed protective of himself.
Sapphire beamed, rushing up to Fuse. "Great! You'll have to stay at Pidgeot's Training Camp for a bit before the Guild gets rebuilt, though. Like Shade said, it shouldn't be too long."
Shrugging, Fuse walked up to the beginning of the group. "So, care to tell me where we're going?"
"Let me lead the way," Shade growled, and together, the three rescue teams walked out of the dangerous Star Point.
"Hey, look who's back!"
Pushing open the doors, Flame grinned happily as she saw that the three rescue teams had made it safely home. "Survived Star Point, eh? Not a lot of Pokemon do."
"She seems more cheerful than usual," River whispered in Daisy's ear.
"Maybe something happened that was good for once," Daisy said. "Or she's just glad we made it home safely."
Still keeping that ridiculous grin planted on her face, Flame padded back into Pidgeot's Training Camp. "I have excellent news!" She didn't even seem to notice there was a Fennekin among the group.
"That's a relief," Daisy told River. Maybe there would be something that cheered her up.
"The other teams already know," Flame said with a nod, pointing with her claw toward several cheerful teams. Others looked distraught. Daisy wondered why.
"So what's up?" Shade asked, stepping in front of his leader.
Another smile flashed across Flame's face. "Oh, it's good news! The Guild has been finished!"
Before she found about the dungeon, Daisy would've cheered. Before Kasai, Swift, and Rin had been sent underground to suffer, she would've skipped around excitedly.
Instead, she found her heart sinking.
"Now?" she breathed out. "Right now?"
"Yes!" Daisy had never seen Flame this happy before. "We are free to leave tomorrow morning!"
Sapphire's eyes went wide, and she began to bounce up and down. "That's amazing! What time?! Will Pidgeot's camp be with us?! Will-"
"That's great news," Shade interrupted Sapphire, bounding up to his Guild leader. "I thought we would be stuck here forever."
Flame smiled, while everyone else chattered excitedly. All except for Daisy and River.
"What will we do now?" Daisy asked. "I thought we would actually be able to rescue our friends."
"There was no key, remember?" River growled.
Daisy lifted her chin. "I don't believe that. And if I have to go to Pidgeot's room to find one, I will."
River stared at her in shock. "Have you lost your mind?" he hissed, a bit too loudly. Luckily, their voices were drowned out by the sound of other Guild rescue teams being all excited. "We'll get in trouble for nothing! And don't you trust Swift?"
"He probably thinks he's telling the truth," Daisy pointed out. "Remember when he said there was something he might know about?"
River's shoulders slumped. "True. But I still don't think we should risk it."
A surge of anger burst through Daisy. "Fine!" she snapped. "If you don't want to rescue your friends, I will!" Before the Buizel could reply, she was already stalking off into the elevator.
Stupid River. Stupid Eclipse. Stupid Storm. I'll find that key. I'll prove them all wrong. Without hesitation, she pressed Pidgeot's floor and the elevator began to move.
ECLIPSE'S POV
"I can't believe we're leaving the Guild so soon!" Eclipse spoke, shuffling his paws in anger.
Skye gave him a confused look. "I thought you wanted to leave."
"Yeah, but..." Eclipse knew he couldn't tell her what he wanted to do to Pidgeot and Flame. And now, he had only until tomorrow to murder Pidgeot. The Houndoom didn't even have a plan yet.
"Well, it's good news for me," Skye said excitedly. "I don't really like it here. Pidgeot kind of creeps me out." She shuddered. "Remember when she got all mad at Daisy just because she broke a chair?"
Eclipse nodded. But that's not the reason I want to kill her, he added silently. l actually enjoy watching Daisy get yelled at.
For the first time in a long time, Skye actually seemed happy. Either she wasn't thinking about Moon, or she had finally gotten over the Vulpix's disappearance.
Suddenly, Eclipse felt a poke on his shoulder. He scowled when he met the calm gaze of Stone. Why was she always trying to talk to him?
"So," she said evenly, "I heard you guys were leaving."
"Yeah," Eclipse replied, lifting his chin. "What's it to you?"
For a moment, hurt flashed across Stone's face. Then it was replaced by anger. "I was just here to say goodbye, that's all."
"I don't know why you would want to say goodbye to me," Eclipse growled. "You hate me."
"I don't hate you," Stone said, rolling her eyes. "Where did you come up with that idea?"
Eclipse just made a face at her. He didn't feel like being nice at the moment. The Houndoom had things to do. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to find Pidgeot." Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
I guess I'll have to kill her sooner than expected, huh?
DAISY'S POV
Pidgeot's room wasn't any different than the others.
It had a large brown desk right next to a huge window, and three king-sized beds next to each other. That was it. The only difference was that everything was big. Really big.
"Now to find that key," Daisy murmured. She had to do this quick or she'd get caught and sent to the dungeon herself. That couldn't happen. Fear made every hair on her pelt bristle, but she had to keep calm. She had a duty in this world; Gardevoir wouldn't let her get killed just like that, would she?
Sprinting toward the beds, Daisy ducked her head under, determined to see any kind of key. There was nothing.
She looked under and above the desk. Nothing.
She opened the curtain of the window. Nothing.
By this time, Daisy was starting to get frustrated. There has to be a key! I know it! Pidgeot couldn't have let everyone rot under there! No Pokemon can be that heartless.
Her eyes narrowed as she looked out the window. Nothing was outside except for forest. She could've sworn she heard a voice out there call her name.
It's just me being nervous, Daisy thought. But she still shivered. If Pidgeot went up to her room and saw Daisy searching every part of it... Daisy didn't even want to think what might happen.
Suddenly, she saw a flash of darkness whiz past her. Daisy gulped, holding her breath so as not to scream.
"Who's there?" she hissed, flattening her ears.
This time, she did let out a shriek as claws dug into her body. I can't believe I was caught! Oh, I'm so dead-
"Who are you?" a squeaky voice whispered.
Daisy spun around to see a small Pidgey sitting down in front of her. Instantly, she let out a sigh of relief. This wasn't Pidgeot. This was just her son, who always stayed here for some reason. "Listen," she whispered, "I'm here on a very important mission."
Pidgey's eyes sparkled. "What kind of mission?"
"I'm looking for a key," Daisy continued. "One that unlocks cages from the dungeon."
"You mean that black key Mother always keeps in a hidden place?" Pidgey asked, tilting his head.
Daisy's heart soared. I knew there was one! "Yes, exactly. Could you help me find it?"
"I-I don't know..." Pidgey looked at his feet. "Mother doesn't want anyone going down that tunnel and using the black key."
"Oh, she said I could use it," Daisy blurted out. She felt bad for lying, but if it meant saving her friends, then she would gladly do it. "Now, I want you to show me the key, and don't tell anyone what happened, alright? Not even your mother."
Pidgey nodded excitedly. "Wow, I can't believe I'm showing someone the tunnel!" He opened his wings and flew to the corner of the room. Daisy gasped when she saw a hole carved in the wall. How had she not seen that before? "It's in here," he added, squeezing through the small tunnel.
Seconds passed before he reappeared with a tiny black key. "This is it," he said, handing it over to Daisy. "Don't forget to give it back when you're done."
"Thanks!" Daisy twitched her ears. Pidgey opened his mouth to reply, but Daisy didn't give him time to say anything. She was already heading into the elevator.
Seconds passed before the elevator opened; Daisy quickly brushed away the dust that hid Floor -1 and pressed the button before anyone could see her with a black key.
The elevator rumbled. Daisy clutched the ground with her claws and gritted her teeth as it shot straight down.
Her eyes narrowed as darkness surrounded her vision. Daisy knew she was going to have to do this quickly, before the Guild left and the Pokemon wondered where she was.
Quickly she strode down the dungeon, her footsteps making an echo across the tunnel. It was that quiet. Daisy felt a chill travel up her spine; she didn't fancy being in the dark alone. But if it meant saving her friends, she would gladly do so.
A faint roar from farther behind her made Daisy sprint a little faster. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination playing tricks on her, but it still frightened her. Was Darkrai down here? Had he been watching her this whole time? The thought made her shudder. He knew that she was a human. What would he do with her?
Luckily, a faint glow appeared up ahead. Daisy knew that this was where the dungeon was. It wouldn't be long before she would use the black key to free her friends. Hope made its way up her chest; she had completely forgotten the angry look Kasai had given her the last time they met. I already lost Blue and Snow - I can't lose anyone else.
Sighing, Daisy trekked faster ahead, ignoring the pain in her muscles. The roar was still clear in her mind, and she was afraid it would sound in her ears again. Was it her imagination? She remembered hearing it on her first trip to the dungeon, but she still wasn't sure...
Suddenly, Daisy skidded to a stop. Her eyes widened as she made out a bunch of gray cages in front of her. Most of the Pokemon were sleeping; some were wide awake and staring at her. Her stomach did a flip-flop, and she swallowed. Here we go.
Traveling down the cages, Daisy looked around until she caught sight of a familiar Blaziken. She dropped the black key at her paws. "Hey!" she called, walking up to her old acquaintance, Torch. "Remember me?"
At first the Blaziken seemed puzzled. Then his eyes widened in surprise. "It's you, that Umbreon! Storm, isn't it? I thought you were gone for good."
Daisy looked at him awkwardly. "Um, actually, I'm Daisy. Storm was the Jolteon."
Torch scratched his head. "Sorry. I don't have very good memory. I only remember the important stuff."
"It's okay." Laughing lightly, Daisy clutched the black key with her paw.
Torch glanced at it suspiciously. "What's that?"
"It's a key to get you out of here," Daisy said, smiling. "You'll be free."
Torch's eyes widened. "You mean there's actually a key that lets us out of cages? N-not that I didn't believe you, it's just- I thought you wouldn't be able to do it! Pidgeot's so strict, and..."
"Well, I managed to get the key without being caught," Daisy said. She decided not to mention the baby Pidgey. "Now," she added, "I have to hurry. We leave tomorrow, and if I don't get out of here by tonight, Flame and the others are going to start to wonder where I am." Without another moment's hesitation, she pushed the key into the latch, holding her breath.
Daisy let out a sigh of relief when the cage door unlocked.
Almost immediately, Torch gave Daisy a big hug. "Thank you so much! I thought I'd have to stay inside this cage until I die!"
Daisy chuckled. "Well, you won't now. Stay here until I get my friends out, okay?"
Torch's grin was so wide it almost spread over his entire face. "Gladly."
For some reason, when Daisy walked across the hallway, she found her heart beginning to pound. She was going to meet her friends again, so why was she so scared?
Then she remembered the glare Kasai had given her right before she had been put in the cage. Daisy swallowed, wondering if their friendship was over. What if Kasai didn't talk to her even after she rescued her?
It's going to be okay, Daisy told herself. Kasai is your best friend. She'll forgive you. But those thoughts didn't reassure Daisy, and she found herself slowing down.
It seemed as if hours had passed before she caught sight of a Flareon and Sneasel talking to each other. Kasai and Swift. Here we go, Daisy thought to herself, taking a deep breath.
"Hello?" she called. Her voice came out cracked. Her former friends turned to look at her.
Kasai's eyes widened in surprise. "Daisy! W-what are you doing here?!"
"I've come to rescue you," Daisy said, walking up to the Flareon. "I'm sorry for wanting to go to the dungeon. I swear I'll never come here again as long as I live."
Swift turned his back on her, his arms crossed.
Kasai looked at Daisy awkwardly. "I don't think he likes you anymore, ever since you led us in here."
Daisy's ears drooped. Kasai seemed to be treating her better than she had expected, but would Swift ever forgive her?
"Thank you for saving us, really," Kasai said. "It means a lot. You risked a lot just to save us, didn't you?"
Daisy nodded. Swift still didn't look up from his corner.
Inserting the key into Kasai's cage, the door instantly unlocked. Kasai walked out with excitement, touching her nose to Daisy's. "Thanks again."
Happy and warmed to have her friend back, Daisy pushed the key into Swift's latch. The door opened slowly, but Swift still didn't look up.
Kasai looked at him, worry showing on her face. "He hasn't gotten up ever since Pidgeot put us in these cages," she murmured. "I'm afraid he'll want to stay here forever."
"Don't be ridiculous," Daisy whispered. "Why would anyone want to stay in this place?"
But Swift still didn't get up, and this time, fear started to flicker in Daisy's eyes.
Footsteps sounded from behind the two, and every hair on Daisy's pelt started to bristle. If Pidgeot had found them-
"Hey, what's taking you so long?" a familiar voice complained. Daisy sighed with relief. It was just Torch.
"Swift won't get out of his cage," Kasai complained. "I know he doesn't like Daisy, but why would he want to stay here?"
Daisy's eyes narrowed. "If Swift doesn't want to come out, then I'm forcing him out." She stalked over to the Sneasel and picked him up by the scruff. Instantly, she dropped him, not used to picking up heavy Pokemon.
"I'll help," Torch offered. Before Daisy could respond, he walked over to Swift and picked him up.
"Let me go!" Swift thrashed underneath Torch's arms, but the Blaziken just rolled his eyes.
"Fine, if you want to stay in the dungeon forever, be my guest."
Swift sighed and stopped moving, but Daisy could tell he still looked pissed. "Hmph," the Sneasel spat, keeping his arms crossed.
"We've got to hurry," Daisy said. "Our friends are going to start to wonder where we are."
Kasai stiffened. "How will we get to Floor 1 without being caught by Pidgeot?"
There was a silence.
Finally, Daisy sighed. "I'll try to distract her while you guys go outside. If Pidgeot finds you, who knows what she would do?"
"She wouldn't do anything with Flame there," Kasai pointed out.
"True, but she might do something later," Daisy said, beginning to walk down the tunnel. Suddenly she thought about what Pidgeot might do if she saw Kasai, Swift, Rin, and Torch. Fear squirmed in her belly as she walked toward Rin's cage.
As soon as the elevator opened, Daisy pressed Floor One. This was the hardest part. She was going to have to figure out a way to distract Pidgeot while Kasai, Swift, Rin, and Torch ran outside to hide. She gulped, trying to ignore her fear, which was clear on the Umbreon's face.
The elevator shot up almost instantly, and yet it felt like hours before it opened.
Luckily for the Pokemon, everyone still seemed to be talking about the Guild being rebuilt. Daisy looked around wildly, but she couldn't spot Pidgeot anywhere. Torch, who had his head ducked (he was the tallest out of all the Pokemon in the room), Kasai, Rin, and Swift were already nearing the door, which she guessed was a good sign.
"Hey, Daisy!" Storm and River yelled. "Where have you been?"
"I've been gone for five minutes and everyone wants to know where I am," Daisy grumbled.
"Flame said Fuse gets to stay in the Guild," Storm said. "Since Rain di-went missing, he's going to be in a rescue team with Silver."
River nodded, though he shot Storm a confused look. "Rain's missing?"
Storm exchanged a glance with Daisy, and he face-pawed himself. "You haven't noticed?"
River shrugged. "It's been busy lately." He didn't mention Darkrai or any other dangerous secrets.
"I think it's rather rude how they'd just let Fuse in Team Flash," Daisy spoke. "What if Rain comes back? What would he do?"
Storm shrugged. "It's not rude. All he has to do is say he doesn't want Fuse in his team, and Flame'll kick him out."
"That would be rude to Fuse, then," River pointed out.
Storm glared at him.
"What? I had to say that."
Smiling, Daisy looked at Storm. She still hadn't forgiven River for not caring about her friends, and he didn't seem like he wanted to apologize.
Before she could say something else, a loud scream filled her ears, almost making them ring. Daisy flinched in shock, her eyes widening. "What was that?!"
River looked puzzled, while Storm just looked on with a frown on his face. Daisy felt her stomach clench when she heard the words that sounded exactly like Flame:
"PIDGEOT IS DEAD!"
"What happened?" Daisy demanded, her eyes filled with fear when she saw Pidgeot's broken body all covered in blood.
Flame was trembling. It was obvious she was more scared than any of the Pokemon in the clearing. "I-I don't know... I just looked outside and found..." Her voice cracked, and then she was silent.
Even though she didn't like Pidgeot, Daisy felt a strange flicker of sadness. There was blood everywhere. Someone must've murdered her slowly and left her here to die. She was also afraid of who it could be.
Then she noticed Thunder and Stream near the back of the crowd, triumphant looks on their faces. Daisy's ears flattened in anger. It couldn't have been them, could it?
"Someone murdered her," Daisy said quietly.
Flame narrowed her eyes. Daisy could tell she was trying hard not to cry. "How ironic," she whispered. "Right after the Guild is free to leave, Pidgeot gets killed."
"It's okay," Eclipse said comfortably from Flame's other side. "She's in a better place, probably watching over us right now."
Flame just dipped her head.
"Hey, Storm," Daisy whispered into her partner's ear. "You think it could've been Thunder and Stream who did this? I saw them near the back of the crowd looking all happy."
Storm flicked his ears. "We'll probably never find out, and why do you even care who murdered her? You never liked Pidgeot."
"I know, but..." Daisy sighed. "I don't like seeing Flame this sad."
Storm looked away, and for a moment Daisy caught grief in his eyes, something she had barely seen from the Jolteon.
"We should go," he explained.
Before Daisy could respond, pawsteps sounded from behind her, and her heart soared as she saw Kasai, Swift, Rin, and Torch.
"So..." Torch said awkwardly. "I guess Pidgeot's not here to kill us anymore."
Swift's face fell. Daisy's eyes widened in surprise when saw Haunter right next to the Sneasel. Swift's partner barely let himself be known, and now he was here already.
"I can't believe this happened," Swift murmured.
"It's scary," Kasai said with a nod. "Who would be brutal enough to do something like this?"
Chansey appeared from right behind her partner. "What happened?!" she squeaked.
"Pidgeot's gone," Flame murmured, not seeming to notice that three missing Pokemon were standing right in front of her.
Rin didn't say anything. Her partner, Blizzard, was floating next to her as well.
"We can't let grief take over us," Skye whispered, looking at Eclipse painfully as she said this. "Sometimes we just have to move on." Daisy wondered if she had finally stopped grieving over Moon, and a small spark of happiness stirred inside of her. Maybe Eclipse taught her that. Maybe things would start to get better after all.
As the Pokemon in the clearing turned to walk away, Daisy stood behind to look at Pidgeot's cold body. Her eyes closed, knowing that maybe Pidgeot would be in a better place. She may have not liked Pidgeot, but she would never be relieved if someone was dead. Not even Eclipse.
Daisy's eyes opened again, shivering at all the blood on Pidgeot's feathers. Who could have done something as gruesome as this?
And that was when she noticed the black patch of fur stuck on Pidgeot's claws. Her heart began to pound, and her eyes widened with fear.
Things were not going to get better after all. No, things were about to get worse. And the murder had only just begun.