Here's chapter fifty-three! And as of tomorrow, this chapter signals that I've been writing this story for a year. So happy b-day, Ghost of Oblivion!

Thank you Zero1313, Blue-Eyed Cat, Cottonmouth25, a guest, BlackRitual, Blakzer, Stolloss, A Furry Cat, dna6123, and Kauris Azurai for reviewing last chapter!

Chapter Fifty-Three: Outcast

Taylor's arms shot to protect his head from the diving talonflame.

A frantic screech rent the air.

Taylor lowered his arms and cracked open his eyes.

Malva's talonflame had stopped the diving pokemon. The Elite Four member's pokemon had her claws buried deep in feathers, beating her wings furiously. Malva shouted, "Run! Now! We'll find another way in!"

Taylor recovered. He tried to dodge around the encroaching pokemon.

A sawsbuck snorted, stepping closer and jerking his antlers.

Taylor tried dodging another direction, only to meet more forest pokemon. They pressed close to him, preventing escape.

Malva swore. Her talonflame dislodged from her opponent and dove.

Eve's pokeball rocked. The small chespin appeared, standing in front of Taylor. "Ches! Ches, chespin, ches!"

"Eve!" Taylor yelped.

Eve raised her arms, continuing with some plea Taylor couldn't understand.

The pokemon hesitated, exchanging glances with one another.

Taylor swallowed hard. "We, we mean you no harm. We just want to awaken Xerneas."

The pokemon seemed skeptical.

Malva's talonflame hovered over him. The pokemon gripped his shoulders with her claws.

Taylor cried out as he was lifted, hurriedly recalling Eve to her pokeball.

"Enough," Malva said. "This was foolish. If Lysandre wants to get to this glade so badly, then he's going to have to figure out another way."

-Eris awoke to find Doublade resting beside her. "Hey." She sat up.

Doublade nudged some berries towards her. "Eat."

Eris snorted. "Yes, mother." She suddenly sobered.

"What?"

She shrugged. "It's just, with everything going on, I almost forgot about, you know, the past." She looked at her Mark. "It's so weird. Am I even the same person I was before? I mean, could I go back to it, even if people didn't hate me?"

Doublade nudged her.

"Ah, I know you don't hate me, but—ah, never mind. It's dumb." She lowered her arm and laughed half-heartedly. "Remember when all this started? I just wanted to get you to let go of me. Look at us now."

Doublade grunted agreement.

Eris bit into a berry. Really, she thought, it's weird.

Eris ate. She and Doublade sat beside each other in a sort of comfortable silence for a while. Then she stood. "Okay. Now we need to find Yveltal. Ready?"

Doublade answered by strapping himself to her back.

Eris closed her eyes and touched her Mark. She inhaled deeply, then reached for the power. It seemed to come more easily, flowing to her consciousness, allowing her to trace the path briefly to the source.

Eris's head jerked. He moved.

She nearly lost the power, but focused in again, running between the trees in half a daze. The world around her blurred as she focused on that single point. The spot seemed to waver and move, a point of brilliant red amidst a plane of gray.

Suddenly Eris fell. She yelped, her concentration broken. A bush had arisen in her path.

"Alright?"

"Yeah. But it's difficult to pay attention to things when I'm following my Mark." She scratched the back of her head.

Doublade unsheathed one of his swords, the tassel wrapping around Eris's arm.

Eris smiled. "Thanks." She closed her eyes again, touching her Mark and focusing, taking off once she found the point that signaled Yveltal's presence. She ran half-blind, her mind empty save for her focus. Occasionally Doublade would tug her arm, and she'd follow the direction he indicated. The red point seemed almost visible now, flashing a disappearing between blurred gray trees, painting everything around it in a faint glow. Her arm grew warm, reaching a point where it nearly seemed to burn her.

All of a sudden the Mark grew cold and the light faded.

Eris stopped.

The trees broke, revealing a clearing that looked dead and studded with rocks. A crumbled stone wall stood roughly in the center, black marks burned into the surface. Yveltal stood in front of it, his mane flat, his wings drooping, his head bowed.

Eris took a hesitant step.

Yveltal half-lifted his head, as if he heard her.

Eris froze.

Yveltal snorted and lowered his head. "So you are afraid of me too, now, are you?" His voice sounded defeated.

"N-no." She cursed herself for stammering. "It's just—I don't know. I don't think I know what I feel."

Yveltal tilted his head back. "Neither do I."

Eris took the final steps to stand by his side. For a long while, neither said anything.

Doublade nudged her.

Eris nodded. "Yveltal, why did you leave the cave?"

"I am an embodiment of destruction. And you are not my caretaker."

"But you're still not strong enough!"

Yveltal sighed. "Are you thinking of how you saw me in the past?"

Eris flinched.

Yveltal remained quiet a moment. He lifted a wing and brushed the markings on the wall. "I wasn't sure this place would still be here."

"You've been here before?"

"Yes. With—with a friend." He sighed, the breath seeming to shake his entire body.

Eris rubbed her arm. "Yveltal. What happened? I mean, why have—?" She stopped.

"Why?"

"Why have you been acting so strangely?" She bit her lip to keep from continuing in a rush.

"It is complicated."

Eris remained silent, examining the markings on the wall. They seemed mostly like nonsense to her; black swirls, creating beautiful, intricate patterns, but creating no pictures that she could see.

"Xerneas."

"Huh?"

"She was the friend I was here with. Once." He ruffled his wings. "But that time has long passed."

Eris recalled Yveltal's reaction to seeing Xerneas in the past. "What happened?"

"Miss Eris, have you ever heard the phrase to be careful what you wish for?"

"Um, yes."

"Some things are not worth the price you will pay for them. I gained the ability to bring destruction to promote life, and what did it cost me?" Yveltal's milky eyes seemed to glow, rather than the normal, dull, dead tone they usually took.

Eris didn't know what to say.

"Somehow, I have to find a way to awaken her. It is not an apology, but it is the least I can do, for all I have put her through."

Eris glanced at Doublade.

The pokemon blinked, then said, "Geosenge."

Yveltal and Eris both stiffened.

Yveltal repeated, "Geosenge?"

Eris said, "Right. I guess it kind of makes sense. I mean, a lot of weird things happened there. And that's where I saw—ah, you know."

Yveltal looked skeptical. "Did you not already look there? What more could there possibly be to discover?"

"Well, I mean, Geosenge is a pretty weird place. There might be all sorts of things hiding there that we don't know about." Eris hesitated, then added, "Come with us."

Yveltal's mane rose, his head cocked to one side. "What?"

"I mean, you really want to wake up Xerneas, right? And you're out here, anyways, and I'm guessing you're looking for clues, so maybe you could just come with us and look there."

Yveltal's eyes narrowed. He looked away, wearing an expression that, on anyone else, Eris would have described as a bitter smile. He made a sound in his throat that resembled something like dark laughter. "Even if we do find clues there, Eris, what do we do with them?"

Eris opened her mouth to respond.

Yveltal cut her off before she could. "Moreover, how do you propose to hide a giant creature of destruction? Dress me like a human and tote me around town?"

Eris puffed her cheeks. "Fine. Forget I asked. But we're going to go looking." She turned, wondering, What's up with him? Why's he been acting so strangely.

Yveltal sighed. "Miss Eris."

Eris stopped.

"I apologize. I was out of line. Things," he said, "have happened recently, and I am not entirely sure how to handle the situation."

Eris folded her arms and grumbled, "Okay, but you didn't have to bite my head off."

She jumped when suddenly the avian's head was bent low in front of her. "I understand. Is there—" He stopped, suddenly looking hesitant.

Eris frowned.

Yveltal seemed to recollect himself. "You realize that the people of Geosenge most likely will not be happy with your arrival?"

"Oh. Right. Kind of forgot about that."

Yveltal snorted and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you, Miss Eris?"

"Hey, wait a minute! I wasn't the one who disappeared when they're sick, or something!"

Doublade sighed.

Yveltal reared. "I suppose I have no choice but to come with you, do I? If only to keep an eye on you."

Eris tilted her head. She and Doublade exchanged glances. Then Eris stifled a laugh.

"What is so funny?"

"Ah, nothing."

The avian looked confused, but shook his head, the expression fading with it. "Shall we?" He bent.

"Wait. I'm riding on you?"

"That was the implication, yes."

Eris swallowed.

Doublade sheathed his free sword, his tassels tightening around her encouragingly.

Eris hesitantly crawled onto Yveltal's back, the motion awkward. She found herself assailed with the stench of death; it filled his rank, course mane, and wafted off him slightly. She'd almost forgotten how strong a smell it was. She buried her hands into his mane, half fearing that she'd accidentally pull clumps out, and tried not to breathe through her nose.

Yveltal rose carefully. "Are you ready?"

"I-I think so."

"Yes," Doublade added.

Yveltal's long, arm-like wings spread, stretching across the space slowly, seeming to fill the clearing. Then he launched, wings snapping downward, his body shooting high into the air.

Eris yelped, forgetting about the smell and burying her head into Yveltal's mane.

The avian rose, lifting high above the clouds. "I am afraid," he said, "that this may not be the most pleasant ride."

Eris could only grit her teeth and nod. Suddenly, she realized that she hadn't really gotten any of her questions answered. Yveltal, why won't you explain things to me? If I'm Marked—if I'm an exile because of you, don't you think you owe me some answers?

She felt guilty about the thought almost the instant it crossed her mind. But he's still acting weird. She sighed. After Geosenge. Then, we'll get some answers.

Yveltal continued, wings beating furiously, angling his body towards the horizon.


That's the end of chapter fifty-three! Review responses:

Zero1313: Well, I suppose we didn't yet see if Taylor's plan would work. However, who knows what Xerneas is planning?

Blue-Eyed Cat: Haha, well, I guess one of those questions was answered. And I'm glad you liked the charizard!

Cottonmouth25: Well, I suppose he didn't do so well on that front. But, he made it.

Guest: Indeed.

BlackRitual: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the battle scene! But no, they aren't irrevocably connected anymore. So aside from being Marked, there isn't much reason for Eris to stick around—except for how she's not exactly liked by the general public, and she feels some pity for Yveltal (and, of course, the Mark). This will probably be raising problems later on.

Blakzer: Maybe~

Stolloss: Thank you for pointing that out. I thought I'd mentioned in the previous chapter that he'd be going because it was his idea (Lysandre's orders), but since I didn't, I'll fix that in later chapters. And indeed, Eris was somewhat excited—her Mark's actually working for her, and they were getting close to finding Yveltal. I suppose you already know the answer now, but Yveltal wasn't so much looking for someone but a way to awaken that someone.

A Furry Cat: I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

dna6123: Ah, well, I suppose you didn't get your wish in this instance.

Kauris Azurai: Haha, that would definitely be awesome. Imagine the possibilities…

So, anything you'd like to say about the chapter? Feel free to drop a review!