Get ready for a long (and I mean long) chapter, you guys; I got a huge spurt of motivation after reading such uplifting reviews when I was down. So thank you everyone for being patient with me. I hope this chapter makes up for the wait.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, Pokémon, or any of the characters present. Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. Pokémon belongs to Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri.
A knock broke the silence. The Gallade stirred from his sleep, grumbling to himself as he rolled out of bed and went to answer the door. To his mild surprise, it was Gupta who greeted him. "Oh. Gupta." The Lucario bowed his head slightly before beckoning England to follow. Puzzled, the Gallade did so. They had to stop by America and China's rooms before heading to the lobby.
"Dude," America started before being interrupted by his own yawn, "why the heck did you get us up so early?" Looking out a window, England could confirm that the sun hadn't yet risen; the stars were just starting to dwindle away.
Gupta didn't respond, but a shuffling noise behind a lobby sofa grabbed his attention. "Where're you guys heading?"
"Ask him," America nodded toward the silent pokémon. Gupta frowned as Peter stood and approached them.
"Can I come too?" the Keldeo asked more quietly. "It's gotta' be a cool, super secret hidey place if you're trying to sneak away there at night."
Gupta's frown deepened, and England opened his mouth to protest; however, China cut him off with, "I suppose it's fair. We would not have won without you in the final event."
"What!?" Then after reminding himself to lower his voice, England huffed, "Alright, fine. You can come. But don't cause us any trouble." Peter nodded happily and followed as silently as he could after Gupta and the nations. The Lucario led the small party through a familiar side alley to Madam Mismagius's quarters. That airy "Come in!" after he knocked made England question why they had to talk to her at such an odd hour in the morning. But considering that it was Madam Mismagius they were going to speak with…
"Ah! There you are! Thanks, Gupta, for bringing them." Gupta bowed then retreated from the chamber, closing the door shut behind him. "Now then, I bet you want your prize from the festival, eh?"
"Not really," admitted England, "Actually, we couldn't care less about that. The whole point for participating in the festival was to find the owner of the map. We never found him, mind you, even after asking around after the closing ceremonies."
"Well of course not," laughed the ghost, "I never gave the map to anyone. In fact…" And she floated over and handed a sealed scrolled to England. "Here you go." England looked at the yellowed paper then back to Madam Mismagius.
"And this is…?"
"The map to the Time's Adamant," she answered with a cheery smile.
…No, it was too early in the morning to be getting as worked up as he should. "Why didn't you give this to us two days ago?" England gritted out as patiently as he could.
"Hey, I told you the owner of the map would be participating in the festival. It's not like I knew you were going to win it," Madam Mismagius shrugged.
"So you were going to hand out a map to the most dangerous object in the world to some tournament winner!?" China asked, incredulous.
"Yep." Stunned silence. "Don't look so shocked, you boys. I'm crazy, not stupid. That map might as well be ancient artwork. Even the most skilled treasure hunter wouldn't be able to use it." Curious by what she meant, England unrolled the paper. Unlike the first map they received, this one was just a conglomeration of faded colors and symbols. It was like she said: it might as well be a painting…of sorts. Reds, greys, blues, greens, and browns spiraled together to make absolutely nothing distinguishable.
"Yeah, we can totally get back home with this." England was a bit taken aback by America's sarcasm. Then again, he'd never been much of a morning person.
"You bet your tail feathers you will," Madam Mismagius was oblivious to his sardonic tone, "Now if the translations my colleagues provided are correct and my findings are to be trusted, then this map should help you through the barrier that protects the stone." She hovered over the Gallade's shoulder. "I have a theory that the Legendaries from long ago needed a way for their descendents to find the stones if the Great Dragons were ever freed from their prisons. I reckon Uxie created this method so that only the Legendaries of the future can read this."
She pointed a tendril over a patch of blue ink. "According to Avalon, this general area roughly translates to 'Beyond the mist are tragic fates to all who cannot find their mates." Beside the fact that she translated a color, England gave the ghost a skeptical look. She shrugged and pointed to another spot where some green and brown mixed together. "This seems to imply the stone is within a desert. Or maybe within some woods? Let's hope it's the latter because if for some strange reason you end up lost in the woods at least you won't starve to death, and you'll have plenty of shade from the sun, and—"
America yawned loudly, causing the Mismagius to fluster and blink. "Oh dear, was I going on a tangent again?" The guys nodded.
"Hey, wait a minute," Peter grabbed the map out of England's hands with his mouth and put the piece of paper on the table. "I know where that is," he proclaimed, pointing to a spot with his horn, "That's a valley in the northwest corner of the region. My home island's not far from there." All the other pokémon simply stared at the Keldeo.
"Peter," China said slowly, "Can you really read that?"
The colt nodded. "Kind of. It's a little hard to make out, but…" He paused and grinned when it finally sank in what he just did. "Alpha above, I can read this!"
"Careful! Don't tear it!" England snatched the map before the Keldeo could accidentally rip it in his excitement. Madam Mismagius floated over and patted the colt on his head.
"You have the makings of a true Legendary," she praised, "When we're done, I'm going to need you to translate the rest of it for my notes."
"When we're done," England emphasized, "Now, how do we get to the valley from here?" Madam Mismagius said nothing at first.
"Oh yeah…I knew there was something I forgot to ask Avalon about—how to actually get there." The nations weren't even bothered by this point; of course she'd forget something as vital as that. Nonetheless, she beamed. "But don't worry; you have the map to get you through the barrier and a friend here who can guide you to it." Peter perked up. "All in all, I'd say you're set. Just one more thing: Make sure nobody sees that map." She leaned in closer and whispered, "Magirena is known for its thieves. Okay, first our scholars, then our nomads, then our hospitality, then our thieves. They tend to pop up after festivals to steal goods in broad daylight."
"Thanks for the warning," England said. He subconsciously gripped the map tighter. "But since we're not leaving until around noon why don't you hang onto it until then?"
"Simple—I'm not going to be here. In a couple hours I have to meet some colleagues in the field a few miles away. They swear there's nothing but a bunch of old rocks there, but if my sources do indicate the remnants of an undiscovered civilization—"
America seemed to wake up suddenly. "Wait…'old rocks'…?" he frowned. Then he remembered. "Dudes! I can't believe we forgot about that!"
"About what, aru?" asked China, but the Braviary was already trying to grab Madam Mismagius's attention.
"Hey, Madam? How much do you know about geology?" The ghost blinked as the other two nations continued to give America mystified looks.
"Enough, I suppose. Oh! But I'm really good at determining stone composition. Like how the walls of this room are mixed with shed Golem hide."
America grinned. "What about dating? Can you tell how old stones are by looking?"
"Please," waved off the Mismagius, "Of course I can. How else am I supposed to figure when an artifact was made and to which civilization?"
"Great! 'Cause I need to show you something that's a bit of a mystery to me." Madam Mismagius's eyes lit up.
"I love solving mysteries!" she all but squealed in delight. "Right then, right then, hurry back and show me what it is. You two may leave if you want." She indicated toward England and China. The nations were happy to oblige, and they let Peter stay behind to help with whatever the ghost wanted from him.
"I'll see you guys later," said America once they were outside, and he promptly took off to the hotel to grab their bag.
"Once you're done, meet us at the pub," England called up at him; America circled above them once to say that he heard before flying off. Sighing to himself, England wondered if it was worth going back to bed if the sun was going to rise in an hour anyway.
"Why don't we practice our moves," suggested China, "I think we can do with some morning exercise."
"I suppose," replied the Gallade, "It's not like there's much else we can do until we leave." China agreed, and the two headed towards an area just past the city walls, spending the next half hour training. England contented himself by trying to master Psychic while China wished to test out a new move he'd seen, Double Team. It took some time but China eventually managed to execute the attack perfectly. Seeing multiple copies of the Mienshao running about, however, made it difficult for England to focus on his own move. "I can't concentrate with you running circles around me," he growled, lifting a stone then losing his hold when one of China's illusions distracted him.
"In a real battle, aru, our opponents won't give us time to concentrate," China countered, suddenly standing next to him. England flinched in surprise. The other raised a brow as if challenging him to say otherwise, but England had to concede to his words. The Gallade stood straighter and aimed at one of the fading afterimages, hitting it with a psychic blast. The illusion dissolved instantly.
"Alright!" he said proudly. He then proceeded to destroy the remaining copies, struggling only once or twice while trying to refocus. When the last clone dissolved away, England allowed himself a tiny smirk before saying, "Right then, I think that's enough. We should probably get some breakfast before we have to leave." Ten minutes later they were back at the Anápafsi Inn, resting in the dining room area. Both had ordered warm cups of tea and drank the refreshing liquid in silence. The herbs they were provided with turned the water hot-chocolate brown but thankfully didn't make it taste as sweet as it looked. Between them was a plate of what might as well be this world's equivalent of Eccles cakes that the inn's cooks prepared earlier.
As he set his cup down and grabbed a pastry, England couldn't help noticing the glances they were receiving from some of the guests slowly trickling into the dining room. "Not very welcome greetings they're giving us," China muttered. England nodded discreetly. He too realized that the only ones casting them covert glares were those who had participated in the tournament.
"They're nothing but a bunch of sore losers," he said lowly. Then he jerked back. A pokémon right then covered his entire field of vision. It could have easily been a woodland sprite of sorts or, more probably, one of those mythical creatures England saw at Japan's place once. What was it again…a tengu?
"Congrats you two," it said, slapping England roughly on the back with his large, leafy hand, "You did great during the final game, didn't you?"
"Lay off it, Shiftry. Those boys haven't claimed their prize yet." England couldn't help looking a little relieved when Amelia and her group showed up. The Shiftry spotted them and turned to the Pidgeot.
"Can't I just congratulate a couple of fellows for a job well done?"
"Try your pickpocketing tricks on somebody else," the Gardevoir narrowed her eyes. Caught red-handed, the Shiftry grumbled and slunk away. The girls took seats next to the nations.
"You need to be careful around him," said Chun-Yan, looking disapprovingly at the stranger, "He has a habit of taking things that aren't his and selling them at markets."
"So we've heard," replied China.
"Say, where're America and Peter?" Alice asked.
"With Madam Mismagius. America had something he wanted her to see, and Peter is translating a map for her." From there they enjoyed each other's company and the breakfast until England figured it was time to meet up with America at the bar.
"He should be finished with whatever business he has with her," he reasoned. He helped China clean their table, and they soon exited into the lobby.
"Morning. You guys leaving already?" Sadiq waved to them from the sofa he was sprawled on. Heracles, below him and looking ready to pounce on the Zoroark, spun around.
"We're all meeting America and Peter at the bar first," Chun-Yan informed him, "But then we will be. Do you want to come with?"
"Sure," replied Sadiq. He promptly leaped to his feet, intentionally aiming for the Delcatty's tail. Heracles swiftly moved it out of the way.
"Good riddance," he grumbled as Sadiq stepped away. To the others he bowed his head. "I hope you had an enjoyable stay here. Farewell and have a safe journey."
"Always so formal," laughed Amelia. They bade him goodbye, and they plus Sadiq made it back to Heatmor's pub. Surprisingly, America and Peter had not yet arrived, but that didn't mean there weren't a few familiar faces that greeted them.
"Sir Gallade, Lady Gardevoir, over here." It was Ralts, the lad happy to see them. Beside him sitting on stools by the bar were Sceptile and Excadrill. Both of them looked up from their drinks, with the mole pokémon chuckling upon seeing them.
"My, my. Don't tell me we've got more last minute travelers coming with us."
"Sorry. We're only here to see these boys off," Amelia gestured her wing toward China and England. Ralts stared up at the nations.
"You're the ones Excadrill is waiting on? So are we travelling together?" England smiled in affirmative, and Ralts cheered in excitement. "That's wonderful! We can show each other our move sets on our way through the desert. I'm sure we can learn a lot from each other." Sceptile nodded his head once before returning to his drink. The large group conversed, idly waiting for the last two party members. Finally, about ten minutes later, they arrived.
"Hey there!" Amelia greeted the two once they stepped inside, "Took you long enough."
"Hey, Amelia," the Braviary said and smiled when he saw Ralts. "Hi, little guy. Whatcha' doing here?" Ralts readily explained their travel plans. "Sweet! It'll be great having you along."
"Yeah," agreed the young one, "But Sceptile and I will be going our own paths once we cross the desert. The valley of plateaus to the northeast has plenty of strong opponents for us to train with."
"So what exactly did you need to talk to Madam Mismagius about, aru?"
"I'll tell you in private. And Peter, don't you say anything." The Keldeo pursed his lips, showing he wouldn't speak a word of it.
Excadrill hopped off his seat. "Well, what do ya'll say about heading out soon?" The others didn't mind, and after the girls treated Peter and America to a quick breakfast, Excadrill guided the ten of them to the tunnel on the outskirts of the village.
"It was a pleasure to meet with all of you," England addressed the girls and Sadiq.
"I'm going to miss you," Chun-Yan gave a wan smile before scurrying to China's side and embracing him. "Take care, China. I pray you have a safe journey."
"Thank you," the Mienshao said, patting her back. England held out his hand for Alice.
"Goodbye then." Alice reached out to shake it just as Amelia rushed over to America, purposely—and rather forcefully—shoving Alice into England's arms. The Gardevoir glared after the bird. Her look quickly melted away into blushing with embarrassment as she watched her friend nuzzle against the Braviary's neck.
"I swear when we get home…" Then her blush darkened when she remembered she was still in the Gallade's arms. She pushed herself away, causing England to look away from the aviary's farewell display. "W-well it's not like we have to act all sentimental about this," she huffed, "We'll see you all again next year, if you wish to defend your title that is."
"Actually, we're not coming back," America responded sadly to her, stepping away from the confused Pidgeot.
"Say what? Why not?" Sadiq asked, likewise puzzled.
"We're going home, aru" answered China, "And home is a very long way from here."
"No place is too far for me to fly to," Amelia waved off what the boys were saying, "Palsama may be across an ocean, but don't think we can't still come by to visit—"
"We don't come from that continent," England interrupted, "It's too long a story and it's hard to explain, but the three of us are returning to a place no normal pokémon can get to." The girls seemed distraught over the revelation.
Alice spoke quietly. "In that case…goodbye then, England." And when she reached forward to shake England's hand, she ever so briefly brushed her fingers against the horn on England's chest. From that spot a small jolt of electricity shot through him, not too different from the shock when she used his strength during the tag battle but much more pleasant. He wasn't sure if that was a customary act of her kind or simply an unintentional action. Not certain how to respond, he shook hands.
"Goodbye, Alice."
Sadiq stepped up and gave each of the guys a hug. "It was fun hanging with you bros for a day." America chuckled in agreement with that.
"It sure was. Take care, Sadiq." The Zoroark grinned before casting an illusion and taking the form of a Sandile. He and the girls traveled off into the desert, heading back to their respective tribes and families.
"We should get going," their guide spoke up. The remaining party members stepped into the tunnel after the mole. Excadrill worked hard to make sure none of the shifting sand even came close to their trail; it was obvious he didn't want a repeat like last time. He dug out new paths and collapsed old ones that hinted of instability. Regardless, Ralts clung close to Sceptile's back as he stared at the sands warily.
"Sceptile, I have a question for you," England finally spoke out after several minutes of walking in silence. The giant lizard glanced in his direction. "If you're a swordsman do you perhaps know the move Night Slash?" Sceptile nodded.
"He sure does," Ralts verbalized, "Night Slash, Leaf Blade, X-Scissor, Cut—Sceptile knows them all. And hopefully one day I will too. Why do you ask?"
The Braviary slapped a wing over the Gallade's shoulder. "Because England here doesn't know it yet."
Peter playfully headbutted the Englishman. "You're joking! Jerk England doesn't know Night Slash?"
"Hey, quit it." England tried batting the small horse away. Peter only laughed and shoved him again. Sceptile pointed to England then held up his wrist blades. "Sorry?" England didn't quite catch what he was saying.
"Lift up your hands," the Ralts instructed, and England did so. The blades on Sceptile were instantly engulfed in a navy-black aura, and they elongated into a single scythe. He swung, his movement slow and obvious so that England could easily step out of the way. "You can only use Night Slash when you see your opponent make an opening," Ralts explained, "But it takes a lot of practice to recognize when your opponent's defense has dropped."
"Duly noted," said England, flexing out his own blades. He sparred with the Sceptile as the others indulged themselves with their own conversations until finally, after three long hours, they made it to the tunnel's exit.
"Well, fellows, we made it," Excadrill said once they all climbed out. The nations blinked from both the sunlight and the stark change in scenery. They were in a vast field of short, half-dead grass. Several spiraling boulders made of red clay pierced up from the ground, twisted and jagged like stalagmites. Turning around, they could just spot the reaches of the Vasand Desert.
"Which way do we go?" America wondered; everywhere in front of them looked the same.
Sceptile pointed in a direction. "If you guys are trying to get to the Gir-Ou Ocean like you said, then you need to head westward—that way," replied Ralts. He then waved at the four of them. "It was great meeting all of you. May the great Alpha protect you on your way home." And he and Sceptile headed toward the eastern plateaus. The nations and Peter said goodbye to Excadrill and continued on their journey. England took out the map they'd won.
"I can't make heads or tails of this blasted thing," he grumbled, looking it over before holding it in front for Peter. "And I don't see how you can."
The Keldeo grinned. "That's because you don't have the makings of a Legendary," he quipped. He studied the map. "Okay, the forest with the Time's Adamant is roughly half a day's travel from here. And once we cross it we can reach the ocean in twice that time. Now all we need to do is find the path. I can't make out its location very well, though. Maybe the locals around here know where it is."
China made a light noise. "We're so close," England and America could hear him whisper. England nodded, and America sighed. At this rate, the three of them would be home in a little less than a week. And while their time in this world was interesting to say the least, they needed to return to their Earth as soon as possible. What if something had happened because they were gone? What if their friends and family were worried sick over them?
A faint hiss caught the Gallade's attention. When he glanced behind, however, he saw no one there. There might have been movement behind one of the stalagmites, but he wasn't sure if he had just imagined that.
"Hm? Who's that?" America spoke up suddenly, distracting England once more. Before them was a large patch of yellow, red, and purple wildflowers. And in the center of it was a creature with fur a brighter green than the plants around it. "Hey there!"
"America, do you have to grab their attention? What if they're hostile?" England scolded lowly. The small pokémon flinched and spun around, staring at the group in fright. Its tail tucked between its legs as it cautiously stepped away from them.
"No, no, we're not going to hurt you," America tried reassuring the pup as he stepped forward, "We just need some help finding—"
"Stop right there!" A bolt of yellow fur dashed between the green pup and America. The Braviary hastily jumped back. The newcomer, a golden dog that was much bigger than the first, poised to strike, his spiny fur standing on end. "You don't live here, so I suggest you leave. You're trespassing into Eleflame territory."
"Whoa, calm down, dude," America held up his wings, "We were just trying to talk with your friend over there." America's words spurred the older canine to crouch lower.
"Lili doesn't talk to strangers," he growled, eyes narrowed.
"Let's just go," England grabbed America's wing, "The last thing we need now is to make trouble."
"How exactly is asking for directions making trouble? I mean it's not like he can shoot at us; he's not Sw—ow!" A glowing needle embedded itself into his wing. "The heck!?"
"Uh guys," Peter called out nervously, beginning to turn back, "You do know Jolteon can learn Pin Missile, right?"
"Pin Missile!?" A shower of the glowing thorns pelted the two, and England hopped onto America's back as the bird took to the air.
"Why the heck did you encourage him, America!?"
"Like I knew he could actually shoot at us!"
"Get down from there!" China yelled, taking shelter behind a stalagmite. America dove behind the rock formation. He faltered under China's glare of accusation but was otherwise busy keeping himself hidden behind the structure.
"W-wait, big brother." The nations were so thankful when the Pin Missile ceased. England risked peeking around to see the littler dog pressing her forepaws against the larger one, trying to push him away.
"Careful, I could have hit you," the Jolteon admonished. But his sister shook her head.
"I don't think they mean us any trouble. Maybe they really are lost."
"Tch." But the Jolteon fortunately lowered his spines, showing no further intent on attacking.
"Thank you," England said as he and the others stepped out from behind their shelter; only America was hesitant to emerge, but eventually he approached as well. Lili bowed her head.
"My big brother Vash is sorry for attacking you; you can't be too careful in this land. I'm Lili, by the way. Might you be so kind as to tell us your names?"
"England, America, China, Peter," England quickly pointed to each member in turn, "We need to get to a valley west of here, and our map's not exactly reliable enough to get us there." He even held up the scroll so they could see.
"Do you really call this a map?" Vash questioned them, the skepticism quite obvious.
"Regretfully," England muttered in response. "We're looking for a pathway that leads to it."
"A pathway?" Lili looked as if trying to recall such a thing, "I don't know of any. Maybe the doctor knows. What do you think?" Vash merely shrugged.
"Well thanks anyways. I'm sure we'll find it eventually," England waved to them. The group continued on their journey, leaving the dogs behind.
They walked for another ten minutes when something stopped them again. But this time when England heard the hiss there was no mistaking it, and it was accompanied by several running footsteps approaching them at an alarming rate. "Gangway, coming through!" All four were able to leap out of the way as three large and very strange looking pokémon barreled past them in a rush.
"Watch where you're going, you jerks!" Peter shouted, but China, England, and America were more stunned than anything else.
"Was…was that a giant snake, aru?"
"Was that a giant skunk?"
"Was that a walking trash heap?" Wouldn't they have spotted creatures like them a mile away? Where did they come from? More hurried footsteps approached. This time it was Vash's.
"Stop them! They got Lili!"
"What!?" But that was the nations and Peter's only delay. America needed only to flap once before he was yards ahead, bulleting through the air and striking the purple cobra from behind. Just out of the corner of his eye he spotted a struggling Lili in the brown trash monster's arm.
"Why you!" America lifted his head in time to get a face full of black smoke the garbage creature sprayed out from his other hand. America wheeled back, coughing and gagging on the rancid fumes that surrounded them all. The skunk pokémon pivoted on its heel and tried to blast the American with a Flamethrower. But Peter countered with Hydro Pump, shooting off two gushing torrents of water from his hooves. The skunk was blasted back.
"Hssss! You'll pay for that!" The cobra had recovered and was ready to strike at the Keldeo when he froze. He seemed to shrink back a little as he stared up at England with wide eyes. "Sssince when did a Gallade live around here?"
"I ain't scared of no Gallade," the skunk barked, and he fired another Flamethrower at the Englishman. England dodged with ease and zipped toward the skunk, blade extended. His Slash attack hit with perfect accuracy, and his opponent wheezed in shock before falling to the ground. The cobra slithered after him.
"Yeep!" This left only the terrified trash giant. He aimed his nozzle-shaped hand at the group. But he spent so much time deciding whether to first attack England or Peter that he was completely oblivious to China's Focus Blast. The Mienshao's attack from behind knocked the creature off his feet, and Lili went tumbling to the ground with him.
"No! Our meal!" the cobra shrieked as Peter galloped over and snatched the pup away.
"Why don't you eat this instead!" And Vash's fur released a powerful beam of concentrated electricity at the three kidnappers. The lightning exploded upon impact, generating a thunderous boom throughout the area.
"Gyaaah!" All three were thrown into the distance and landed in a tangled heap almost a quarter of a kilometer away.
"We did it!" the young colt cheered, "That'll show those losers not to mess with—hey!" Vash had rudely pushed him aside, running to his unconscious sister. The poor pup could barely seem to breathe, her breaths laborious and coming out in short pants. "Whoa, what happened? Why is she sick suddenly?"
"That Garbodor poisoned her," the Jolteon replied tersely, "Now get out of my way!" He struggled to get her onto his back.
"Poisoned?" England asked with alarm. He, along with America and China, exchanged quick nods before grabbing Vash and Lili and jumping onto the Braviary's back. The bird took off in an instant.
"Hey!" But they ignored Vash's outcry.
"This is faster," England replied. "You mentioned a doctor; guide us to them."
After fuming to himself briefly, Vash reluctantly answered, "Five kilometers south from here followed by two west."
"Yeah…you're going to need to give me actual directions," America muttered, circling around toward the southwest. "How far is a kilometer?"
"Just go this way until you reach a stone tower!" Vash snapped, "And step on it." America obediently angled his wings, streaking across the sky like a red-and-blue arrow. So fast were they flying that in less than five minutes they spotted the structure. It was a giant lone turret, wide and tall enough to house several scores of pokémon. Before landing, America circled above its wide rooftop. Below him was an owl with fading brown feathers who was tending to some grass planted in tiny crude pots. The old bird squinted as he peered up.
"Who are you?" he asked in a feeble, worn voice.
"Cyr, my sister's poisoned," Vash wasted no time leaping off America's back, carrying his sister by the scruff with his teeth. The owl, Cyr, immediately stepped toward a basket containing green fruit. He deftly plucked up a berry and snapped it in half with his beak. In one fell swoop, the doctor swept his wings around, catching one of the falling halves, and brushed it next to Lili's mouth.
"Have her take this," he instructed.
"Come on, Lili, you have to eat this now," the Jolteon encouraged. When that didn't garner a response, Vash zapped out a weak electric shock. This seemed to stimulate Lili enough to open her mouth and start chewing the hard fruit. "That's it."
"We need to get her inside," urged America, and the owl doctor was certainly of agreement. He helped shuffle Lili onto Vash's back before lifting a trapdoor leading down into the tower. The Jolteon rushed inside, the owl hot on his trail.
"But China and Peter will be here any minute," England called out to the retreating pokémon. "Oi, Vash, wait!" But the Jolteon either couldn't hear or chose to ignore him.
"You follow them; make sure Lili is okay. I'll wait for you outside with the others," America said.
"Hold up, America." The Braviary barely turned his head back as he hopped onto the ledge. "You've suddenly gotten too serious about all this. Do you know something about Lili's condition?"
America hesitated for a split second before grinning that trademark grin of his. Not surprisingly, it was too forced in England's eyes. "Of course I do. But I wouldn't expect someone who can't get sick off their own cooking to understand."
"Hey!" But the laughing eagle already swooped away. Muttering to himself, England had little choice but to enter the tower through the trapdoor. He walked down the spiraling staircase at a steady pace, careful not to trip down the rocky steps. At least there were blue-flamed candles to make it easier to see. "How far down does this stairway go?" he couldn't help asking himself when, after nearly a minute, he saw no end in sight.
"It's not much farther." England jumped in fright, slipped on a step, and barely managed to catch his balance. With his heart pounding, his wide eyes honed in on the candle that spoke to him. "And when you get down there can you please tell the Lampent that it's their shift now?"
"R-right…" England warily continued on, now noticing that all the candles had shining yellow eyes staring at him and tiny little grins. Eventually he reached the archway sitting at the bottom. He stepped through, not quite sure what to expect. It wasn't much of a surprise, then, when he was greeted with nothing but tunnels. And unlike Excadrill's, these had branching pathways, some leading further underground.
Maybe he should turn back around. No, at the very least, for both himself and America, he had to make sure that Lili was okay. He started down one path and hoped for the best. Some moments later he made it to an intersection. "Ah, excuse me." As luck would have it, a fox-like pokémon with multiple tails was dashing by. It paused and blinked up at the lost Gallade. "I'm trying to find a pup named Lili. She was taken down here by a doctor and her older brother. Have you seen them? I need to make sure she's alright."
The little fox blinked again, now in shock. "Lili's sick? Oh no. I'll take you to the infirmary." And she breathed out a tiny flame as red as her fur. England followed her down the corridors. Left, right, left, left, straight, left, right. All the while he spotted more and more pokémon bustling about. Floating fish, drifting lanterns, and scampering monkeys were just a few of the various species he saw. And all of them cast him curious, even awe-filled, looks before continuing on with their business.
"Here we are." The fox had stopped in front of another stairway. "This will take you back to ground level. Go right to reach the infirmary, and when you're done head left to enter the throne room."
"Throne room?"
"Well, you are a visitor. You'll have to speak with Prince Feliks if you want permission to stay and travel through Eleflame territory."
"Prince Feliks?"
"Yes. Now you need to hurry and check on Lili before talking to him. Make sure my little Electrike is doing fine, okay?" England promised he would, and his guide hurried off to finish her own tasks. Climbing the steps once more, England made quicker progress in reaching the upper level. He lifted the trapdoor and poked his head out.
"Well this is…new." This time the path led into an old hallway, clearly that in a building. Faded banners of red and yellow alternated down the abandoned corridor. To his left were two large oak doors, presumably leading to the throne room. England climbed up the remaining steps and went right. There was only one door down this path as well, a cloth-covered archway to be exact. England stepped through.
Lili sat on an elevated stone slab and, to the Gallade's relief, was happily nuzzling against her brother's front side. The Jolteon did not return the action, but the light smile on his face as he gazed down at her showed he too was relieved his sister was recovering well. His ears perked when England entered, and he turned to face him. "I guess I should thank you for helping save Lili," he said.
"It was no problem. I can't think of a reason why anyone wouldn't want to help her," replied England. The Jolteon frowned at him.
"I knew you were strangers, but you clearly don't live around here. The Poison-types would have finished her off if it weren't for you and your friends."
"That is true," agreed Cyr, who was resting on a crumbled pedestal, "By the way, Gallade, where has your friend gone to?"
"America is waiting with the others outside," England said, crossing his arms.
Cyr gasped, the noise coming out more as a wheeze though. "You're pokélites like us? So you're a powerful Psychic-type?"
England shrugged. "Perhaps. Why do you wish to know?"
"Then you can help with our problem with the Poison-types." Now it was England's turn to frown.
"Sorry, but my friends and I have somewhere we need to be. I'm only here to make sure Lili is alright and to ask for some directions. We'll be off once both matters are settled."
"…Oh," the owl seemed to sag.
"Mr. England," Lili said, "Sir, can I at least repay you for saving me? Our prince doesn't often allow trespassers, but I'm sure my brother can persuade him to grant you and your friends a pardon." Vash flinched.
"Hold on a minute. You want me to do what now?"
"Come on, big brother, it's the least we can do." His sister nudged him gently, and the Jolteon grumbled.
"Yeah, I suppose so if it means getting these guys out of our territory sooner." He leaped off the table. "Lili, you should find Viola and help with the preparations."
"Okay," Lili yipped before nimbly hopping from the table and hurrying off.
England followed Vash outside. He wasn't sure what to expect as they neared the throne room, but he was legitimately concerned by the lack of guards. Shouldn't someone of great standing be highly protected? "Doesn't your prince have guards?"
"They're all inside, trying to stop the masses," Vash replied simply.
"Why? Is he that popular?"
"You could say our lives are devoted to him. As for why there are so many pokémon inside…" He let it hang as he reared on his hind legs and pushed the doors open. Immediately England was bombarded with shouts and yells of the many denizens trying to speak to their prince who was lying atop his wide throne. Surprisingly, the small horse with the mane made of fire was the least distracting being in the room; he seemed to be the only calm and collected pokémon in the mass. His guards, on the other hand, kept shoving and barking at the throng to step back.
And the subjects themselves were no better. They continued to ignore orders and insisted upon their prince passing judgment on the various objects they were trying to present to him. "My prince!" a small electric rodent asked, holding up two ribbons, "Which of these colored streamers do you think will look lovely in the ballroom—the carnation or the coral?"
"My liege, do you not think these roses should be planted down the castle hall for everyone to enjoy?"
"Prince Feliks, will these Nanab slices clash with the Mago flavor in this salad?"
Wait…all these items were pink.
Oh don't tell me…
"Can you please move? I need to get through here," Vash began shoving a path through the throng of gathered pokémon. Two guards much larger than the rest stepped up to him.
"Vash, didn't think I'd see you here," laughed the big yellow one with striped fur.
"It's about time you show some more respect to the prince," added the fiery-looking ogre, "Anyway, who did you bring…" His words died slowly on his beak-shaped mouth as he stared at England. "A-a-a G-Gallade! How on earth did you find a Gallade!?" The whole room went deathly quiet. England now became very self-conscious of himself.
Then everyone surged. England would have leaped all the way back to the doors had he not been surrounded by all sorts of red and yellow critters.
"Oh, good sir! Are you perhaps a warrior to take on the poisons?"
"Tell us you're going to be here during the coronation of our prince!"
"Are you really a Gallade? I've never seen your type before! Well, I've never seen any type from someone who didn't live around here…"
"By Arceus's blessings, you must be our miracle in disguise!"
Vash and the two guards had to intervene to keep the other subjects away. "Back, everyone! Back!" ordered the yellow guard. His two tails sparked with electricity, and many of the pokémon scooted away.
"Hey. You," the prince at last spoke. England would have cried if he hadn't already guessed who this fellow reminded him of. With that said, though, he was a bit taken aback by how authoritative the prince sounded. "Who are you, and, like, what are you doing in my territory?"
"This is England," Vash introduced him, and several females in the crowd swooned.
"A pokélite," many of them sighed. Vash ignored them with a scowl.
"He and some of his traveling companions ended up lost in our land and have to leave as soon as possible. May I ask that you grant them permission to travel through your kingdom so they can hurry on their way?"
"What? You want Mr. England to leave?" The yellow guard seemed surprised for some reason.
"Vash, what is wrong with you?" some of the pokémon in the crowd asked angrily, "He could be a great help to us."
"Well, first off, he already expressed desire to leave as soon as possible," the Jolteon retorted, "And who am I to deny him that? Second, what's to say he wants to help us? I'm not saying he shouldn't, but he has no obligations to us." The red guard nodded.
"Vash has got a point." The crowd roared in outrage.
"How can you say that, Mortar? You're supposed to be making decisions that will help us, not make us defenseless." Mortar's companion came to his side.
"Hey, he was only agreeing with what Vash said; don't get so upset, you needy lot."
"We're not needy; we're scared!"
"Silence." All the noise in the throne room once more came to an abrupt halt. "Vire, Mortar, can you, like, escort everyone outside the chambers for a moment? I want to speak to this England guy myself."
His two top guards paused for a second. "Uh, sure thing?" Vire gave his prince a curious look, but he turned back to the others and shouted, "Oi! You heard him! Everyone out!" Quite reluctantly did the large throng disperse, Vash with them. England didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried that it was just him and Prince Feliks now. He blinked, realizing he had no idea how to interact with royalty in this world. Should he bow? Should he address him as prince or just by his name? He never had to do those things around Queen Mandibuzz, though to be frank he never really talked to her.
He coughed, slightly uncomfortable. "Er…"
"Okay, look here, Mr. England, I need you and you need me, so let's, like, make ourselves a deal." Where did this sudden shift in personality come from? Just a minute ago he seemed all quiet and observant, and now he was making demands. But England would not bow down to this guy. There was something about Feliks that dissatisfied England—not that he was a bad person, but that something about his supremacy wasn't wholly deserved. The Gallade frowned.
"A deal you say?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'll get you access to my lands, and in return you and your friends can totally stay here and keep those lame Poison-types out of my territory."
England narrowed his eyes. "And for how long exactly?"
"Uh," the prince looked up and away, cheeks tinged red. "Maybe a year or two."
"No." Feliks's neck snapped back; he was clearly startled by the immediate and blunt refusal. "I need to leave. Now. I don't want any part of this stupid conflict between you and whoever these Poison-types are. I've already been in one too many. And for heaven's sakes, you're a prince. You should be doing something about it, not me."
"Come on, please?" Feliks begged, sitting up straighter, "I'm, like, being totally serious here. I really need your help with dealing those guys. They, like, seriously won't leave us alone."
"That's not my problem; that's yours. Now if you don't mind I'll be taking my leave. At this point I'm willing to bet we would have been better off lost."
"But wait—"
They were interrupted by a light knock on the door. "Prince Feliks, Cyr needs to speak with you," Vire opened the chamber door so the old owl could walk in.
"Huh? Like, what's the matter?" Cyr bowed before gesturing toward England.
"Mr. England's companions are getting quite restless waiting for him, my prince. The Braviary has already attempted to enter through my trapdoor but was scared off by the Litwick sentries." England facepalmed. That idiot. "May you please have them leave before he accidently destroys my herbal garden?"
"I'll deal with them," sighed Vire, and he lumbered away to handle the intruders.
"Okay…but why did you have to speak to me about that?" Feliks wondered. The owl bowed again.
"Right, right…well, Prince Feliks, there is something else I must inform you of. I'm pretty sure Vash didn't tell you the reason why Mr. England and his friends are here. You see, there had been activity near flower field." Somehow Feliks's white face became paler. "Lili was kidnapped and then poisoned by a Garbodor's Smog, but she managed to recover thanks to England and his friends."
It clicked to England that the reason Vash never said any of this sooner was to keep panic from escalating in the tribe; that is to say if Feliks's reaction was anything to go by. "Wh-what now? You say there were, like, Poison-types right outside? Like seriously?"
"Alas, my prince, it's true. We must inform the guards of this immediately." Feliks gulped nervously, but then, in an instant, his demeanor did another one-eighty.
"You totally don't need to worry about that," he said with utmost confidence, "As for you, Mr. England, I expect you and your friends to agree to my terms and handle the Poison-types for us."
"What!?"
"Prince Feliks," the owl reprimanded, "After what I just told you, does that seem hardly fair? They are under no obligation to serve you as outsiders, and their predicament came about through mere unfortunate circumstances. If anything, they should be repaid for saving one of our denizens and then following-up to make sure she was alright." England smiled at the doctor. Old as he was, he apparently had a backbone of his own. Feliks blushed under the chastisement.
"I…uh…well…" He looked down. "That's, like, so not cool, old 'mon. Fine then, you only have to stay until after my coronation tomorrow. How's that?"
"I still don't see why we have to—"
"It's that or, like, be arrested for trespassing." England couldn't even respond to that.
"Excellent!" cheered the bird, "Come along, Mr. England, let's go retrieve your friends." Muttering to himself, the Gallade reluctantly followed after Cyr. With all the devoted subjects gone, the guards were in their proper place and lined down the halls in at ease stance. They consisted of pokémon similar in appearance to Vire and Mortar albeit smaller and more greatly resembling humanoid tigers and ducks. "Please understand, Mr. England," Cyr uttered under his breath.
"Oh? Understand what?" growled England. Cyr didn't say anything until they were underground, descending the stairwell.
"Prince Feliks isn't normally this demanding. Whimsical and outlandish generally, but he never impedes the rights of others." He sighed out a low hoot. "He's scared, and rightly so."
"Then why don't you explain it once we gather my companions," the Gallade huffed. It was back through the tunnels once more, but this time Cyr took him down another path, one with far fewer citizens and more guards on standby. The stairs weren't as long either, and England realized they were on ground level again, inside a single-chambered structure with yet another trapdoor.
He pushed open the wooden door that led outside for Cyr, and…
Before him were his friends, looking rather irritated with Vire and Mortar standing behind them. "It's about freakin' time," America said, "We were worried something happened to Lili, like you were helping to prepare her funeral or something. Then these guys randomly showed up and started ordering us to go to some decrepit old building."
"So what happened in there?" China asked him.
England rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. "Uh, well, Lili's fine. What kept me, though, was having to speak with the prince."
"Whoa, a prince?" Peter and America gasped.
"Yes. And we're going to be staying here until after his coronation tomorrow."
"Why would you agree to something like that, aru?" China rounded on him. "Didn't you tell him we have somewhere we need to be? We can't keep getting sidetracked like this!"
"I did. And he informed me it was either attend the coronation or be imprisoned for trespassing." Silence.
"This is whack!" America shouted, "The hero can't get arrested! We saved her life. Shouldn't that count for something?"
"Well it was to stay here a year instead of just tomorrow," England seethed.
"What kind of prince is this guy?"
"The greatest," huffed Mortar, "Being the son of the late king and queen, Prince Feliks will soon be the new great protector of the Eleflame Kingdom. Now move it." The nations and Peter were led to the underground caverns.
"Oh, so this is what you meant by kingdom," China looked around. "You all live underground."
"I honestly thought you lived in the tower and that shack place," admitted the Braviary, "But this place is huge."
"It has to be," said Vire, "We don't want any stinkin' Poison-types invading our sleeping quarters. Right then." The group turned toward the guards. "Prince Feliks was very generous in not locking you up."
"Yeah," agreed Mortar, "So why don't you show your thanks by helping with the preparations for tonight. We're having a huge feast to commemorate our final night with Prince Feliks. After tomorrow we shall have to start addressing him as King Feliks."
"Alright, Cyr," England spoke when it was just him, China, the old Noctowl, and Viola left in the supply room, "So what's this about Feliks being scared?" China looked up quizzically at the bird. Cyr faltered and his gaze shifted over toward Viola. The Vulpix didn't seem at all concerned.
"You can say it," she said as she pulled out some streamers made of leaves dyed pink, "I figured it out awhile ago, you know—the prince's fear to Poison-types. It was sometime last month I believe."
Cyr sighed. "You always were a sharp one, Viola." To the nations he beckoned them closer. When he was certain no one was eavesdropping from outside he began. "Prince Feliks never always had his fear of the poisons. When his father and mother, the previous king and queen, were still alive, he never doubted his abilities to quell the Poison-types. He was confident in himself because his parents were confident in him." He paused as he untangled a streamer coiled around his talons.
"So what happened?" England asked. Cyr sighed.
"To understand that you need to know a bit of our history. We live in harsh lands where food is limited and shelter is hard to come by. Pretty soon it came to be that only Fire, Electric, and Poison-type pokémon could thrive here. But while two of the three types had agreed to live peacefully with one another, the poisons had not. By their very nature they pollute the land they walk on and taint the food we eat. It is by no fault of their own that they are like this however."
"So this is more of a union between types, is that it?" asked China.
"Exactly. We try our best to keep the Poison-types out of our land, but they manage to elude our guards and sneak in."
"Aren't you lot being a little bit…erm…prejudiced?" England questioned, "You just said it was through no fault of their own they do what they do."
"There's a difference between being biased towards a group of pokémon for what they are and biased towards a group of pokémon who don't even try to make accommodations because of what they are," sniffed Viola. "Our ancestors would have gladly accepted the Poison-types if they didn't keep purposely stealing their land and contaminating what little food they gathered. Would you like it very much if I repeatedly burned your supplies and never apologized or attempt to make it up to you even though it's in my nature to create Will-O-Wisps?"
"…I guess I see your point."
"And don't think we haven't tried to establish peace with them," added Cyr, "We've long created a treaty with them so that they can have all the land west of the dry plains. Yet steadily they creep over the border, blurring the line and adding to their land what isn't theirs."
"A monarch had to be formed, two pokémon that represented both types and could protect the pokémon from the poisons," Viola said. "Since then, the kings and queens of this land kept the poisons at bay and reestablished our borders. And not a single one has failed us. The former monarchs, King Augustus and Queen Ksenia, are considered the greatest protectors our kingdom has ever had. They were the only two who could not only repel the poisons but take down their ruler, Nidoking," she explained.
"They were a beaut," Cyr chuckled with a light grin, "King Augustus, representing the Electric-types, was a fine Zebstrika who could dominate any poisons with his Ground-type Hidden Power."
"And Ksenia, our Rapidash queen, protected us Fire-types with her devastating Horn Drill," the Vulpix nodded with pride, "Nothing could beat them. Not even Nidoking and his mate." She held a paw to her mouth and muttered, "And then Feliks was born."
"Let me guess: he's not as good as his parents, aru?" China frowned.
"On the contrary," Cyr corrected him, "Being not only the son of outstanding parents but also a member of royalty, Feliks has shown exquisite capabilities since shortly after his birth. He has inherited moves from both his parents, and his prowess is unlike any I have ever seen. The problem is that he hates having to fight."
"He goofs off a lot and leaves halfway through training to go play outside," snorted the Vulpix. "That Ponyta actually tried to roll around in the flower field last summer. Nearly set the whole plains alight doing it since it was drought season."
"So you have a lazy prince. Why are you going to coronate him then?" the Gallade asked.
The Noctowl hooted softly. "More than anything else, it is so we have a figurehead once more to combat the poisons. They have been acting suspiciously quiet lately, but there have been rumors…" Again Cyr looked to the Vulpix. This time she seemed stumped by the expression.
"Rumors? I haven't heard any rumors. And no news ever escapes these ears," she frowned.
"These aren't rumors spread between the denizens. These are Prince Feliks's own rumors to me," Cyr whispered. "While he was sick and I helped nurse him, he told me his greatest fear was he'd end up like his parents." Viola's ears instantly flattened. England and China could tell they had just entered a taboo conversation. Cyr looked at them, the sadness in his eyes more than enough to touch at their hearts.
"It was one month ago, in the early morning, when the royal family went out to participate in the harvesting of the Lum berries. They are the only cures we have against poisoning, and very few trees ever reach maturity due to the toxins in the earth. We have to harvest as many as we can before the poisons come and destroy our crops, or we go an entire year without any medicine." He swallowed thickly. "As the royal family's sole doctor, I was there too. We had just gotten to the fields. The harvesters collected maybe two and a half baskets, enough to cure twenty or so poisoned pokémon, when Nidoking and his servants ambushed the family. Naturally, the guards and our rulers fought against them."
A shuddered breath. "I can recall the terror on Prince Feliks's face. He had never seen a Poison-type before in his life and had frozen at the sight of their king. I and several guards were able to surround him but could not move him. We had to stand ground, assuming that since the poisons could not take down the king and queen, they would eliminate the next in line. We realized too late they were never after the prince."
England held up a hand. "If this is too painful for you, Cyr, you don't have to continue." China nodded in agreement.
The old bird stayed silent for several seconds. Then, "I heard Nidoking say he wanted the king and queen's deaths to be…befitting. They had destroyed all the trees during the rampage and separated Prince Feliks's parents behind their lines. Then they concentrated their forces to form a blockade so thick we couldn't even see what was on the other side. I have…never seen a poison cloud so large and dense before." He closed his eyes tightly, and it was honestly hard to tell if he was trying to remember or forget the scene in its entirety. "With the poisons' forces packed too tightly together, none of the other guards could get through. And the fumes from the Toxic had drifted all the way to us, poisoning Feliks and many of the others after inhaling it. What few of us could managed to get the prince and the harvesters back to the castle to be healed, and then the guards returned to rescue our rulers. We learned that evening that, despite our best efforts, the king and queen did not make it; even if the guards had the berries, they could not break through the blockade in time to deliver them."
Viola shifted nervously, glancing uncertainly between Cyr and the nations. "But I still don't see what Prince Feliks has to be afraid of. If he just gets serious for once, he won't end up like them. We all know he has the potential to destroy Nidoking if he wanted to. King Augustus did. Queen Ksenia did. Prince Feliks is no different. And hopefully, after the coronation, he'll realize life isn't all fun and games and parties."
"That is assuming he makes it to the coronation." The three of them stared at Cyr. "The prince is terrified Nidoking will attack again, and he has told me time after time that it will definitely be before his coronation. The prince isn't blind; he has noticed Nidoking's love of irony. And when better would that be than the moment before the kingdom got its new protector."
"Ah! So that's why he was so determined for us to stay until after his coronation, aru," China realized. The owl nodded.
"That's right. The coronation is tomorrow at noon, and his parents' deaths were shortly after sunrise. That means Feliks expects the ambush to be sometime tomorrow morning."
"I can't believe we've somehow managed to get ourselves into another potentially high-stakes war," growled England, though his frustration surprisingly had little to do with their situation and more with how much he was starting to detest these poisons and their atrocities against the kingdom.
"If that's the case, shouldn't we tell someone?" Viola asked anxiously.
"Fear not; the guards are already aware of this," spoke Cyr, "But for now you must act like we know nothing of it. We cannot create any panic within the tribe; their fear will quickly spread to Prince Feliks, and a scared prince is the last thing this kingdom needs. Once the coronation is over, I'm sure his confidence will rise as well."
"Not telling the citizens is one thing, but we need to inform America and Peter about this," reasoned England, and he turned on the spot to find them, leaving the room. Viola was right on his heels. "Why are you coming?"
"To get some fresh air," was her retort.
"We're underground."
"Then fresher air. And make sure you don't cause a panic."
"Why on earth would I—" But he stopped, suddenly hearing voices.
"That must've been scary for them."
"You bet it was. Their parents started a freaking war because of that. We had to go out and look for them."
"I was the first to find them."
"Dude, we found them together."
"Well, I was the first to fall down the hole that they were in."
Lili giggled. "You guys say you've only known each other for a few days, but you act a lot like close friends." Peeking around the corner, England could see the three of them preparing the dining room with some other pokémon.
"You think so?" Peter wondered, looking at America. Lili nodded.
"Yes, you do. I wish my brother could be friends with you guys; you seem like you have a lot of fun together."
"You don't know the half of it," America chuckled, "After all, we had so much 'fun' wandering around this place before being apprehended by those two goons. Who were they again?"
"Vire and Mortar," Lili answered, "Vire's the Electrivire, and Mortar's the Magmortar."
"Those are funny names they got," the Keldeo commented.
"Oh, those aren't their real names. They're real names are Tyson and Bryson, but for whatever reason they hate to be called by that." Peter grinned. "Don't you even think about it."
"It wouldn't be very becoming of a Legendary," teased America. The Keldeo seemed to sag.
"Yeah…you're right. Would have been funny, though." The other two nodded.
"So you want to become a Legendary pokémon?" the Electrike turned to face him. Peter nodded, and Lili's eyes lit up. "That's so amazing! I hope you become one; you'll be the first Legendary any of us has ever seen in these parts for over a century."
"You can count on me!" he grinned.
"And what about you, Mr. America?"
"Me?" the Braviary gestured toward himself, "I'm just trying to get back home with England and China."
"They come from a different world," Peter casually explained, and America hastened to slap a wing over his mouth.
"Dude, not so loud!" he hissed. Lili blinked, confused.
"A different world?" America glared at the colt. "Oh. I'm sorry! You don't have to tell me! I promise I won't say anything he just said to anybody."
The eagle sighed and said quietly, "Nah, I guess it's cool if it's just you two." England promised himself to hit him later for spilling their secret so easily. "It's like Peter said; we're not from this world. We come from a parallel Earth. There aren't any pokémon where we're from."
"No pok—I mean, there isn't anyone like us where you're from?" gasped the pup.
"Nope. We got millions of animals, but not a single pokémon. At least, none that are real. To us pokémon are just characters in a vide…in a story."
"So what are you if not…one of us?" she asked.
"A human. We kinda' look like…um…" America glanced around the room, and England made quick to hide behind the wall again. "Him." Peter and Lili looked over.
"Like an Infernape?"
"Sort of. Minus the fire, fur, and tail."
"So ugly?" Peter raised a brow.
"Wha—NO!" America shouted. Peter and Lili laughed out loud when his outburst caused several pokémon to look their way. "No!" he repeated in a more hushed voice.
"I doubt I would see your true form as ugly," Lili said kindly. "All pokémon are beautiful or handsome in their own way. I don't think humans would be any different." America smiled lightly.
"Thanks."
"So a world without pokémon," mused Peter, "That sounds so strange. You'd never have to worry about something like these Poison-types, would you?"
"Most humans would, if only in a different form," said America, "But before now my friends and I wouldn't have had to worry about it. We wouldn't have to worry much about anything, really."
"What? You wouldn't have to worry about wars or territory disputes?" America shook his head at the Keldeo.
"Not really, no. Wars are bad, don't get me wrong, and we've fought in several before coming here…but we never really worried about them. We see them more as a nuisance than anything else. We're special humans. Among many other things, we can't die easily."
Peter and Lili were silent for a moment, and England wondered if they dropped the subject. But Lili spoke again, more quietly than before so that England had to strain hear, "What do you mean by 'before now'?" England risked peering from around the wall. Fortunately, all their backs were to him. America's head was bowed low.
"I…I really messed up back there," he mumbled. "We were taking Excadrill's tunnel when the sands started to cave in on us. We dug a path to escape it, but on the way up…I pushed England…and he fell into the sands."
"Anything that touches the shifting sand has time speed up around it until it becomes dust," Peter explained lowly to Lili. The pup stared up at the Braviary.
"But England is alive, so how…?"
"It was sheer dumb luck he could use Protect," America looked away. "And if he hadn't right then and there, then I would've—"
"Hey, it's not your fault," the Keldeo was instantly by his side. "You just said you guys can't die very easily. I doubt the sands would do that jerk in."
"Who's to say?" whimpered the American, "Who's to say we have our immortality here? Who's to say we can't die while we're not human? If England had been any other pokémon in existence, he would have touched that sand, and I would have killed him because I couldn't even pay attention to where he was at. I would have killed the very person who raised me, fought me, looked after me, helped me, admonished me…I would have killed the guy who basically made me who I am today all because of some stupid reflex." The Gallade could see the faint sparkle of tears before they hit the ground. "You don't know…you don't know what it's like to think you've lost one of the dearest people in your life because of a thoughtless action."
The three pokémon in the room were silent and alone now that many of the others had left through a side path, but England couldn't bring himself to speak with America. He hid back behind the wall. Now he could see why America wanted to speak with him back in Magirena—the man had been near-traumatized by the event. And he, England, had just brushed him off. Now in hindsight, England was thoroughly amazed the American more or less showed no signs of being afflicted.
There was the sound of clopping hooves; Peter must have approached him. "Didn't England forgive you? Surely he doesn't think it was your fault or anything?"
"I don't know," admitted America, "Maybe. When I asked he said he forgave me, but I think it was more so I would stop bothering him."
"No, I think he meant it," said Lili. "I think he knows it was an accident, and he doesn't believe it was your fault at all. I'm pretty sure he would tell you such if he were here."
A snort. "Yeah. Right." More silence.
Viola nudged England, the latter completely forgetting she was there. "Come on," she mouthed. England nodded and stood. The Vulpix waited patiently for him to gather his composure. The Gallade wasn't sure if he could give off the impression of disinterest after hearing that confession, but he tried anyways.
"Hey America, Peter, I need to talk to you about something." Lili and Peter turned around, surprised. America hastily rubbed a wing over his face before looking back as well.
"'Sup?"
"Say Mr. England," Lili bounded up to the nation suddenly, "If I did something that ended up hurting my brother really badly, should he ever forgive me? Even if it was an accident, if I left him unable to walk again, would it be all my fault?" England froze. He refused to look America in the eye, even though he could feel the latter's stare.
"It's not a question of should, it's a question of would, and he most certainly would. It doesn't matter the accident; if you had no intentions of hurting him, then he'll forgive you without hesitation and won't see it as your fault. I can't speak for everybody, but I can certainly speak for him and myself. And probably even you three." He focused solely on the grinning pup before him.
"That's great to hear."
"So what do you need to talk to us about?" Peter questioned him. England gestured for them to follow him outside. Viola stepped forth.
"Say, Lili, how about I help you while the guys are away, huh?"
"So what is it?" America asked when they were far enough away from potential eavesdroppers.
England whispered, "There isn't any proof yet, but Feliks fears the poisons will make an ambush right before the coronation tomorrow." The other two's eyes widened. "It's too long a story to explain now; tonight after the feast when everyone's gone to bed I'll tell you. Just know to keep your eyes out for anything strange in the morning."
"You got it," the two said with complete seriousness. After having them promise not to tell anyone else, England let the duo return back to the dining hall. He watched as America retreated back into the room, a guilty frown on the Englishman's face.
The feast was certainly something. England, intrigued, studied the place from where he was at near the food table. There wasn't much variety of food; in fact, a huge portion of it was flowers and grass. It turned out that Electric-types could get their energy from static buildup and Fire-types could last a long while without food so long as there was enough sun and heat. But thankfully there were some fruit salads being served.
No, what made the feast interesting was how much the pokémon loved to party. One would almost mistake it was a party on Earth. The lantern and candle pokémon were singing some exquisitely delightful tune, the children were playing games, the adults were mingling, dancing, and cheering, and Feliks was doing his best to agitate Cyr. He'd tickle the old owl with his tail, and the bird, after giving a yelp of pain, would spin his head around to glare at the fire pony looking away as if innocent. "You know I'm too old for this, my prince."
"Ah, but this is, like, too much fun," laughed Feliks, "You totally need to relax, my friend."
"Yeah, lighten up, you old coot," grinned Vire, holding a cup of some sort of juice, "Let him have his fun before the coronation tomorrow." At the mention of the coronation, the smile on Feliks's face instantly fell.
"Haha, yeah!" agreed Mortar, not noticing his prince's discomfort, "And drink up already!"
"Is it really a good idea for the guards to be drinking?" Peter wondered, walking up to England. The latter shrugged, turning to look at America give piggyback rides to the smaller children.
"It isn't. But if what Cyr said is true, then they're likely not drunk. They're only doing this so the other subjects don't start to worry themselves." He spotted China conversing and enjoying his meal with an Arcanine. "I'm more curious to know what we have to do tomorrow. Do we just stand with the guards or hang out in the crowd?"
"Not sure," said Peter.
"I think I'll ask Feliks that." He stepped up to the table the Ponyta was at. "Hey."
Feliks looked up and grinned. "Like, hey, England. What's up? This is, like, totally the most awesomest party you've been to, right?"
"It's…it's up there," England figured it better to play it safe around Vire and Mortar, "But I wanted to ask what you wanted us to do tomorrow."
"Oh. That," Feliks chuckled weakly, "Well, I was hoping you and your friends would be stationed with the guards by the—"
BA-BOOM!
Screams echoed as the doors to the dining hall flew off their hinges and black smoke streamed in.
"DELTA TACTIC—NOW!" Vire was already shouting commands at the guards, and the Electabuzz and Magmar immediately rushed into position. England was likewise instantly on the offensive, his blades extended to their full length. He almost couldn't believe the number of Poison-types seeping into the room—twenty, thirty, almost forty monsters filling in whatever space was left in the chamber.
Chaos erupted. The skunk pokémon from before grinned and shouted, "Hey, Golbat, why don't you start the music?"
"You bet, Skuntank," several of them shrilled back, and they let out an ear-piercing shriek that made England cover his ears in pain. The guards fell to their knees, also unable to move.
"Aw, they don't ssseem to like your singing," jeered the cobra. He turned to face another snake. "What do you say we get them to change their mind, Seviper?"
"Wouldn't have it any other way," his companion snickered.
"CHARGE!" yelled Skuntank, and the dazed partygoers were suddenly overrun by the poisons.
"Stand in formation! Ouch! To your left, Regi!"
"Somebody help! Get this Beedrill off of me!"
"Duck, Tola! Here's a Flamethrower!" To the credit of several denizens, their counterattack measures were much more impressive than England thought they'd be. Though he was in the midst of the melee, he could catch Viola breathing out a pillar of fire at some of the poison moths fluttering through the room. And Vash managed to take down a blue bipedal frog pokémon. But they just weren't enough. Even with the guards outnumbering the poisons, there was simply too little room for them to attack without risking injury to their own people.
"Feliks, call everyone to order!" England yelled, looking back at the table. "Feliks!"
But the petrified horse could only tremble in shellshock as the invaders seemed to hone in on him. Cyr was in the air, hovering between his prince and the ones who came to claim him. "Stay back!" And he unleashed a Psychic wave that sent nearly half of the Poison-types careening back.
"Psychic is their weakness?" England breathed out in shock before turning to the nearest intruder, a large ghost with a grin much too large for its face. "Have at it then!" He knocked the ghost pokémon out with a powerful telekinetic burst.
"No! Cyr!" The Gallade whirled back around to see the Noctowl collapsed on the ground. The strange thing was that he couldn't see any signs of injury, so more than likely the old bird had knocked himself out with his own too-powerful attack.
"England, get down!" Out of instinct England lowered himself as a searing Focus Blast zoomed past where his head had been seconds before. China's attack struck the cobra that had loomed up while England's back was turned. England hit him with a quick burst of Confusion just in case. "There's hardly any room in here to fight. We need them gone, aru."
"I know that, but how do we—" England glanced up in time to see a suffocating Vash in the tight grasp of the Seviper, his sister crying in desperation for the serpent to let him go. "Vash!" China looked as well, his eyes widening at the sight. The snake was about to strike at the Jolteon's neck with its deadly red-tinged fangs.
"Let him go!" America slammed into the Seviper from above, knocking Vash out of his coils. Furious, the snake wrapped his bladed tail around America's leg. America, hissing in pain, angled himself upward, trying to gain as much air as he could, but the Seviper wasn't letting go. If anything, he was wrapping itself tighter and tighter around the eagle, climbing his way up.
"Ameri—gyah!" The Garbodor from earlier nearly melted England's arm off with the Acid he shot at him. "I've got no time for you." The garbage pokémon responded by squirting another spray of acid at him. England dodged, and China countered with Swift. The large beast was knocked off balance, and England sliced at him with Psycho Cut. The Garbodor fell with a tremendous thud!
"Where's Feliks?" China asked. The Ponyta wasn't by the table. England frantically searched around. The prince was sticking close to his guards. But the two head guards were doing all they could just to keep the poisons at bay, let alone attempt to counterstrike them. Vire's tails buzzed with volts and managed to electrocute one that got too close, but he was otherwise unable to hit the others without stepping away from Feliks. And Mortar's arm, now aimed like a cannon, was too powerful to use in close quarters.
"Feliks, you have to move!" the Englishman shouted. The scared prince looked around, wondering who had called him.
"What—?"
"AHH!" Vire fell to the ground, a large centipede's horns knocking him out.
"Vire!" Mortar shouted. "GYRR!" He was struck from behind by a Golbat's Air Cutter. Now Feliks was defenseless.
"So what do we have here?" A giant scorpion scuttled up to the cowering horse, "I remember you. You're that same pipsqueak at the berry field last month. You're as pathetic now as you were then."
"P-p-please," Feliks begged, "Y-you totally don't h-have to do any of this. We can, l-like, work something out."
"Sorry but our king has absolutely no interest in negotiations," smirked the scorpion before crushing the horse in his pincers. "And especially not with weakling ponies like yourself."
"No! Please no!" Feliks struggled in the poison's grip. Bright glowing orbs materialized around them. "Stop!" The white balls bulleted at the scorpion, pummeling him from every which way. The Poison-type screeched in pain, releasing Feliks as he bended and weaved in a vain attempt to avoid the attack.
"The brat's got Hidden Power," growled Skuntank. He beckoned to two bees. "Finish him." The bees zipped forward.
"No you don't!" Viola appeared suddenly and sent several blue fire balls after the insects, who quickly buzzed away. "Get the prince out of here," she ordered to England and China before giving chase to them. The Gallade and Mienshao rushed to the fallen horse's aid.
"Feliks, you've got to stand. Now," England instructed him urgently. But Feliks, eyes tight, shook his head. "Do you want to die!?"
That stirred him. "I…" Though still spooked, he obediently rose to his hooves. "I don't want to die."
"Good. Now get out of here. You can still make it through the back doors, aru," China said. The Ponyta nodded and hurried to the only set of doors still intact. He was helped along by some of his subjects waiting for him. "Oh no! America!" England looked up in time to see the American still battling the Seviper. The snake had all but entangled him in his coils; America was barely able to keep himself airborne as he zoomed around the perimeter.
"I grow tired of thisss," the snake hissed. America bucked as he tried to keep the serpent from wrapping around his wings.
"You and me both." The serpent suddenly reared his head back and lunged, biting America near his wing joint.
"GYAAH!" America yelled, and he spun in midair and slammed his back into the cavern's wall as hard as he could, smashing the Seviper's head into the stone. Concussed, the Seviper easily slipped off. The eagle landed, grunting a bit as he did.
"America!" The other two nations raced to him.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," America instantly waved them off, "The bite wasn't deep, just hurts like heck. Where's Feliks?"
"He managed to leave. Now all that's left is getting the poisons out of here." Even as he said this, England looked around the battlefield. There were still many citizens trapped by the poisons, not including the guards. At this rate, even if the prince survived, he wouldn't have much of a kingdom left if the Poison-types started…
"England!" America shouted after said nation. The Gallade had dashed toward Skuntank, the supposed orchestrator of this attack. The skunk pokémon looked back just in time to see England strike him with Psycho Cut.
To England's surprise, the move failed.
"Wow, are you stupid," guffawed the skunk, "I may be part poison, but my dark half protects me from any of your psychic moves." England scowled, and his blue Psycho Cut turned into a neon green Leaf Blade. "Yow!" Skuntank stumbled back, but even England could see the attack hadn't dealt as much damage as it could have.
"Hiyah!" China struck Skuntank with a leaping kick, and this time the skunk was pushed away. The foul creature stood back onto his paws, clearing his head.
"Cheap shot," he muttered. Then he looked around, noticing almost half his forces were defeated. "No! If this keeps up, we won't have enough to carry the injured back." England lunged at him again, but the skunk rolled to the side, retaliating with Night Slash. England barely managed to parry the attack in time. "It was fun partying with ya'," Skuntank smirked, "But we gotta' bounce." A purple, foul-smelling gas erupted from the end of his tail.
"Get back!" yelled England, quickly covering his nose and mouth and leaping away from the Poison-type. China mimicked his actions, getting as far away from the gas as he could. The toxic cloud began to expand across the room, granting the poisons cover as they retreated and the citizens a thick blanket of air to choke on.
"Get everyone away," Cyr said, appearing by England's side. The Gallade could see he was still a bit unsteady. "The Poison Gas is spreading too quickly; we don't have much time." England had to grab the bird and hasten back as the wave of poison swept nearer. Already over two-thirds of the remaining pokémon in the hall were succumbing to the purple mist. Those that were left had huddled themselves into a corner.
America rushed forward between the cloud and the denizens. Using his broad wings, he whipped up a gust barrier to keep the gas at bay. "Not sure how long I can keep this up," he shouted.
"Fire-types," Cyr croaked as loudly as he could, "Use your Flamethrowers toward the ground. Don't aim at the poison directly. The heat from your attacks should be enough to neutralize the effects of the gas." Those that were able to use the move stepped forward and followed the owl's instructions. The room quickly heated to a sweltering temperature, but the Poison Gas was beginning to dissipate to the fires' attacks. Eventually the toxic cloud was dispelled.
All that remained to show of it and the poisons' ambush were the scores of citizens and guards lying poisoned on the ground. The healthy ones rushed to their friends' sides.
"Somebody, quick! Get the Lum berries!"
"Hurry! My friend's been poisoned."
"How much longer do they have, Cyr?"
"Cyr?" England put a hand on the old Noctowl. His wings quivered.
"There's not enough…" he muttered, "There's not enough Lum berries to cure them all." The whole room went stock still.
"We don't have time to worry about that now!" barked Vash, "Do what you can now to help them!" Cyr nodded.
"Alright then. Everybody, help move those who have been poisoned into the throne room. The air in here is too polluted to attempt any method of healing." The remaining pokémon didn't waste a second lifting their friends and family members onto their backs and carrying them into the throne room.
"What happened?" Feliks asked quietly when his subjects limped into his room.
"What do you think, you coward?" snarled Vash as he and Lili carried in an Electabuzz guard. To Feliks's credit, the Ponyta did not step back.
"I have to help them." And he galloped out of the room. His guards followed after him. For the next fifteen minutes, there were no words spoken between anyone as the sick were dragged into the throne room. Those that were afflicted trembled violently with fever, their breaths harsh and labored. No amount of wet cloths provided any sort of alleviation for them. Cyr gathered all the herbs from his room that he could carry.
"But these herbs can't stop the spreading of the poison," he wheezed as he got to work brewing a concoction to aid the victims' suffering. He stared ruefully at the berries placed by his feet. "I can either cure ten and have the rest suffer, or make enough medicine to prolong the lives of everyone who's been poisoned."
"Save the children first," were Feliks's somber orders. Cyr looked up at his prince. "Only five children were poisoned during the attack; you totally have enough to heal them."
"But their parents—" But Feliks's snort interrupted him.
"I already spoke to all of them, and several who have been poisoned. So far it's been a unanimous decision. So I, like, give you permission to cure them. The rest you can use to make whatever medicine will ease their suffering."
"Yes, my prince." He had several guards administer the berries to the youngest ones who had been poisoned.
"So the other pokémon are willing to accept their fate?" China muttered to England when the two of them stepped away from the prince and the doctor, "That's pretty noble of them."
"But hardly fair," England whispered back, "Only five get to live?"
"Isn't that five more than otherwise would have, aru?" Sometimes England hated it when China raised irrefutable points. He watched as the last two children weakly chewed the berries. "So that's it. Everyone's gathered?"
"Almost. America, Vash, and Peter are bringing in the last three." And right on cue the trio stumbled tiredly through the door, the final three poisoned pokémon hanging unconsciously over their shoulders.
"There's room for them over here," Cyr ushered them to follow. "Are you certain they're the last ones?"
"Yeah," huffed Vash, lowering the citizen on his back, "We even checked behind the tables. No one's left."
"It's like a ghost town in there," shuddered Peter.
"And the others?" asked a worn America, "Was Cyr able to find enough berries to cure them all?"
England and China hesitated. "Not all of them, no," the Gallade said slowly, "Only the children will be cured. The rest will be given medicine to at least lessen the pain."
America staggered forward. "Oh…okay then," he slurred, "At least the childrenghh…" And he collapsed unconscious to the ground, finally subdued by the fangs' poison.
