A/N: Sorry this took so long guys, I was coming down with a serious case of writer's block. But it's all good now, and only a couple chapters left! Yay! This story took forEVER! But hopefully...it was worth it? Anyways, it may not have helped that my mind is also occupied with the sequel to REE (don't worry it is coming) as well as another possible oneshot (i think some fluff might be a nice break from all this serious stuff...don't you?)
But, I'll stop rambling now.
Happy Reading!
Chapter Twenty Five: The Master Plan
"Well, well, well, look what the Mightyena dragged in!" Blade sneered. Drew restrained himself from punching him. He may have had doubts before, but one thing he never doubted was his hatred towards the man in front of him.
"Well? What do you think, Drewsy? Isn't it beautiful?" Blade motioned towards a corner of the cavern. There, a huge machine stood, electricity pulsed through two large tubes on either side of it and sparked inside a huge orb on the top of it. But the details really didn't matter to Drew, what mattered were the three other orbs that made up most of it. The three of them formed a triangle, one remained empty. The others, however…
Drew's eyes widened as they met Mesprit's. Uxie seemed to be attempting to break free.
"Let them go." He growled. Blade laughed, oh how he always hated that laugh.
"You're such a funny little boy! I have always loved the way you so dimwittedly go about your life. Surely you know that simply ordering it will never make it so? At least, in your case." Blade sneered, "Perhaps I should use Lee-Lee to show you how it works."
"Blade, you know what Noir said." Rock called. Drew jumped, he hadn't noticed the other admin, nor had he noticed Leah who was chained to the wall. Rage boiled within him when he saw that they'd knocked her out.
"You really think Rock would let anything happen to her? You know of his soft spot for her." Drew jumped. At first, he thought he'd been thinking to himself…then he recognized the voice.
"Don't say a word, I don't want them knowing what I'm up to." Uxie said,"Mesprit and I are trying to think of a way out of this, and we can't have them knowing that we can still communicate."
*Yes. Communication is key in situations such as this.* Drew recognized Mesprit's voice immediately. He recalled the last time he'd heard from her…he'd been in the marshes with May. Blade's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Oh, Rock, you're so boring! Would you like me to tell you what it does anyway Drew?" he asked, but before Drew could answer, he grabbed his arm. "Hm, I've got a better idea!"
*Drew, you have to get away!* At the tone of Mesprit's voice, a sense of alarm took over him. He jerked his arm away from Blade and struck out at his jaw. Blade, caught off guard, growled and slammed his fist into Drew's side. As he collapsed, the world turned black…
*Drew, you have to get away!*
Azelf stopped. May, realizing her companion had frozen, also halted.
"What's wrong?"
"We must hurry." He answered and rushed forward. Puzzled, May followed.
"Azelf, what's going on?"
"I don't know, May. Otherwise I would have told you."
"But you must know something, or else you wouldn't be more worried than before." She said. Azelf was silent for a moment; the only sound was the echoing of their footsteps. May was about to break the silence when Azelf spoke instead.
"Something…is wrong. I just…don't know what."
"You're so predictable, you know that?" Drew blinked, his vision clearing. How long had he been out? It couldn't have been too long.
"You almost ruined my fun, you know that?" Blade spat. It was then that Drew realized the cold metal around his wrists. Great, they'd chained him to the wall: Typical.
"Are you even listening to me, Drew?"
"Why would anyone listen to you, Blade? It's not like anyone cares what you think." Drew mumbled. Blade grabbed the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall. Drew suppressed a whimper.
"You're either very bold or very stupid, boy." Blade hissed. Drew smirked.
"Neither, you just aren't much of a threat." Pain exploded in his cheek as Blade smacked him.
"Been wanting to do that for a while?" Drew asked angrily.
"You know me too well." Blade seethed.
"Why don't you explain what that thing does? You're so proud of it; I know you're dying to explain it to me." At this, Blade sneered.
"Gladly."
"May, stop."
They had reached another cavern. Although the entrance was a little ways off, May could hear voices echoing around her. Voices she recognized.
"Azelf, that's—"
"Yes, I know. Blade seems to be showing off his newest toy."
"Toy?" Azelf shivered.
"That's how he likes to refer to weapons. He has to be the sickest man I've ever met in all my life—and my life has been a very long one." Azelf paused, his gaze distant. He then shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.
"We should listen." As May began to listen she realized that she could understand the words that were spoken—even if they echoed around her.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"Noir did his research, you know. He spent years on it: all about the lake pokemon. They're fascinating pokemon, most legends have all kinds of information about them…but these little ones don't seem to have much of a record. But they're so important to us, and Noir just had to find information on them. He was about to move on, when he came across the most unusual bit of research. Would you like to know the subject?"
"Sure, if you can get on with you're little presentation. I just want to know what the stupid thing does." Drew said.
"Come on now, Drewsy." Rock sneered, "Why don't you just let him have his fun?"
"It was about the lost civilization of Amity Square. It seemed that they had thrived as a tribe thousands of years ago…and then, all of a sudden, they just disappeared. No archaeologists could find any trace of them, until they continued a much broader search. Miraculously they found evidence of the same tribe in three completely separate areas at exactly the same time as the tribe had disappeared from the Square. But what caught Noir's attention was not the strange separation—but where they separated to. You see, Drew, the tribe magically appeared in the three lake-towns: Twinleaf, Sunyshore, and Snowpoint."
A sudden pain sliced through Drew's mind, he tried to push it aside—now was not the time to break the wall. As the pain left him, a new voice echoed around the cavern: one he did not want to hear.
"Ah, are we in the middle of a story? You're getting to my favorite part, Blade." Noir said smoothly as he strolled out of the shadows. Drew then realized that he must have been exploring the labyrinth.
"Noir, back from your stroll I see."
"Oh yes, it was lovely." He answered Blade. Drew hated how bitter-sweet their conversations were. If Blade sickened him—Noir made him want to hurl.
"May I continue? I do so love this part."
"Be my guest, you are the boss after all."
"Hello Drew. Very nice to see you. How's your little girlfriend?" Drew snarled.
"Don't let him get to you. Remember: he doesn't know that May's here." Drew nearly jumped, he'd forgotten that Uxie and Mesprit were still there…observing. It was then that he wondered how Uxie had known about May.
*We are actually very knowledgeable, you know.* Mesprit cut in, *Like, for instance, we also know that she and Azelf are both watching the events in this room. Oh, and that you might want to pay attention because Blade's about to—* But before she could finish, Drew felt a sharp pain on his cheek: he'd been slapped again.
"Are you even listening to him, boy?" Blade hissed. Drew blinked.
"Sorry, I got bored of your uninteresting conversation about strolls. What were you saying, Noir?" at this, the man laughed.
"You have a sharp tongue, boy. I've always liked that about you. However, seeing as how that was insulting, I would suggest you not push it. Blade has a quick hand as your face has already seen…twice, I believe?"
"Whatever. You should continue now, before I get bored again." At this, Blade raised his hand again. But Noir stopped him.
"Come, come now, Blade. Don't be so rash. As I was saying, Drew, I came across the most interesting of legends. But it wasn't until I spoke to some of the residents of Sunyshore that I heard it. Would you like to know what it was about?"
"Why not?" Drew asked, irritated with all the questions.
"Well, my boy. It was about—you." Drew's eyes widened, but he said nothing. "It's no fun," Noir continued, "when you don't even remember yourself, but perhaps I'll jog your memory. It seemed that the lake pokemon had given the tribe emotion, willpower, and knowledge: three very important things to an individual. But something else that they gave the humans was protection, in exchange for their own protection. The whole thing seemed strange to me, the pokemon gave so much, and the humans gave so little. But, then again, if the pact was neglected, the humans had to pay a much bigger price: all the gifts the lake pokemon had given them." Noir paused, but Drew remained silent. Noir sighed.
"You haven't figured it out, yet? Fine. Anyways, I came up with the most brilliant plan. If I could find descendants of the tribe that still had the pact running through their veins, I could use it to my advantage. And that, my boy, is where the two of you," he gestured to Drew and Leah, "come in. You see, in many more years of searching I finally tracked down the last remaining descendants: you two. Such a sad thing, the people of Sinnoh seem to have forgotten their past promises, but what can you do? So, continuing on, I thought that if I could erase your memories so that you neglected your duties, your gifts would be stripped and I could use you to do my bidding. It was a good plan, if I do say so myself. Except, one little flaw that, not even I, could have seen. It seems, that the pact can only be broken one way: an individual must willingly, knowingly, and want with all their heart to break the pact."
"You see the predicament, Drew. The pact is fool proof, nobody in their right mind would want to break it, would willingly do so, and would knowingly give up their individuality. The clever little devils made it so that intelligent people—such as myself—could not do exactly what I spent so many years trying to do! And so, I decided to end my pointless waiting and observing and move on to plan B. And so finally, Drew, we get to this lovely little contraption. It's my own little loophole, you see, because it doesn't matter whether you have the pact or don't have it—it forcefully takes away your emotion, willpower, and knowledge either way! And allow me to demonstrate to you, my little friend, just how quickly it can destroy, even your individuality!" At this Noir smashed his fist onto a button on the machine. Sparks began flying, light began to generate in the large orb above. Mesprit and Uxie cried out in pain as electricity was sent through them. Drew was too shocked to move, to speak. Blade and Rock were cackling around him.
"First to go is knowledge, I think." Noir said and before Drew could react a golden beam of light shot at him from the orb. Uxie cried out and Drew was slammed into the wall. May suppressed a scream. The beam shot back to Uxie, it looked as if he absorbed it. When it was over, Drew's gaze turned over to May, when he saw her he blinked. His gaze was blank; May felt a chill run down her spine. But then, she noticed that his face looked…mournful.
"Next to go is emotion!" Noir cut in. Another beam of light, this one red, shot out at Drew.
*NO! I DON'T WANT IT!*
But, not even Mesprit could stop it. The mournful look on Drew's face disappeared into red light. When the beam shot back to Mesprit, May felt her heart sink.
"Now, my friend, do tell." Noir said, "Where is the being of willpower?"