S6 CH362

The Towers of Atlantis

The inside of the tower had an eerie warmth to it. There was an energy of tragedy in the air. As Sasha breathed the oxygen of Atlantis she felt pings of hope wrapped in that tragic energy.

The innards of the towers brick walls were covered in sheets of an olive-green metal.

Sasha rubbed her fingertips over the medal and thought (Peridot?) as her fingers grazed the sheet of stone.

There were no chairs, desks or conventional places to sit or lie. The walls were adorned with artwork that depicted Ezra, the goddess of time. Wearing a floral mauve-purple gown ornamented with flecks of coral-pink. In her hands she carried an hourglass. The hourglass wasn't encased in glass, wood or tin. The wooden portions of the hourglass were a carved golden snake that encircled the timepiece devouring it own tail.

(The Ouroboros Hourglass. I've seen this somewhere before.) Sasha realized.

Underneath the portrait of Ezra there was a golden dragonfly carved into the wall.

Ezal, cradling his bruised family-jewels pointed, "The dragonfly symbolizes transformation, Boss. And that one," gesturing to the painting of a woman's face superimposed into a blood-red moon, "Is The War Goddess that Ezra is destined to become in her next life."

Sasha studied the dark portrait for a moment until Seth snapped her back into reality, "How in the hell would a crackhead know that?" Seth rolled his eyes at Ezal.

Carlito spoke up, "He's telling the truth. Ezal is originally Atlantian. This tower is the place," Staring at Sasha, "Where the two of you fist me, Sasha."

Ezal smiled gleefully at Seth.

Seth crossed his arms and looked at the wall opposite of Ezra's portraits. On the wall an image hung of creature that he'd never seen before. "Hey, crackhead," he called to Ezal, "What's that thing?" Pointing to the kelp-covered painting of a large light-purple Pokémon with a long neck and a pointed white crest on top of its head that stretched into its wings, no, they were fins or were they wings. It was difficult to be certain. Sasha's eyes traced over the two horn-like tusks on the sides of its jaw and the formations on its arms that resembled gauntlets and the creature's thick powerful tail.

Ezal answered, "Palkia. We're in the tower of Palkia."

Sasha massaged her elbows, eyeing the two women that she wasn't familiar with. As Ezal spoke, they also listened.

"This tower is covered in Peridot which symbolizes space." Ezal continued, "The other towers built throughout Atlantis each symbolize the legendary pokemon of the world. The five primary islands at the middle of Atlantis though, they're all about five Pokemon. At the very middle of Atlantis is the platinum tower which symbolizes Arceus, the royal tower."

Roman scratched his goatee and pondered, "Palkia? Shouldn't the East symbolize Dialga, the symbol of the eastern pharaoh or a Charizard?"

Ezal cackled, "Y'all mainlanders always bout y'all. Dis is Atlantis. It ain't about y'all. Atlantis was never really a part of what y'all had goin' on. We were doin' our own thang and getting' along just fine before Sithis and the pharaohs came here."

(Sithis?) Sasha nodded. (He forced Atlantis to become a part of the continent. Atlantis was independent of the Promised Lands and the Forsaken Continent. It was a hub for those that fled the warring lands and sought peace and harmony for all people. Atlantis was never technically apart of any collection. Then, the West fell under Trey's reign. So Sithis needed a fourth empire to take Trey's place so he bullied Atlantis into joining.)

Ezal smiled proudly, "There are forty-nine Islands of Atlantis-"

Moxley nearly choked on his own spit. "Forty-nine?!"

Ezal smiled, "Majority of the islands are small ones but the largest one at the heart of Atlantis is the platinum island. That the island where The Knight of Atlantis is trapped."

(Oh no.) Sasha thought. (It's probably best if I stay away from that island.)

"In order to fully awaken Atlantis," Ezal smiled, "We have to free the Knight of Atlantis."

"NO!" Sasha snapped immediately.

Everyone turned to Sasha.

Larrell blinked, "What's wrong with resurrecting the island Sasha?"

Carlito's left eye glowed for a moment. He turned away and said nothing. The whispers of the dead told him all he wanted to know. The Atlantians knew the true fate of the Knight that would have become their king.

Flashback to Chapter 303 "Wolfpac Finale"

A throbbing migraine stirred AJ Styles awake. He attempted to stretch his arms and heard the jingle of chains and felt the constriction that bound his body to the sarcophagus behind him. "Wha—"

"I'm sorry, AJ." Liz's voice called from across the room. She stood before him, also chained to a sarcophagus.

"What is this?" Styles asked as Kevin Nash and Scott Hall entered the room.

Hall drunkenly leaned forward, "Ey, yo!"

"Sorry, AJ," Nash crossed his arms smugly.

"Yeah, before you get mad at us," Hall innocently raised his hands, "We're just following the orders of The Leader."

"The Leader?" Style coughed.

Liz glared at the Wolfpac, "I trusted you," she sobbed with tears in her eyes.

"Trust can be misplaced, bitch." A familiar face entered the room. The Eastern Goddess Sasha stared into Liz's contrasting eyes, "You screwed with the wrong one, bitch." High-fiving Nash and Hall, "Good work, boys."

Styles traded glances between Liz and Sasha. He was confused and dumbfounded. What was going on and more importantly…

"Why?" Liz and AJ asked simultaneously.

Sasha glared at Liz, "You made a big mistake the day you embarrassed us! You lied on my husband and tried to frame him for murder and treason. Because of your bullshit you made us, the east, look weak. You made us look spineless! And, well," Sasha shrugged, "Who's the bitch now?"

Liz hung her head low, tears raining from her eyes.

"You're not fit to rule, Liz." Sasha smiled, "As for you," pointing to AJ, "this is business…it's nothing personal…you're just collateral."

AJ shook his head, "Sasha…you can't do this."

"I already have." Sasha shrugged smugly. "But I won't bury you two alone. Your pokemon," pointing to the case filled with his pokeballs beside him, "should keep you company. I'll at least give you that honor."

AJ glanced down at the sea beneath him. "You're burying me alive?"

"You'll sleep with the fishes," Sasha smiled turning to Nash and Hall, "Do it."

The two nodded.

Sasha then strode forward, her arms extended, grabbing the face at Liz, "Look at me," slapping the crying Queen across the face, "Bitch, look at me," slapping her again then clutching chin and staring her into Liz's eyes, "I….," pointing to her chest, "I DID THIS TO YOU!" Sasha shouted, inhaling and spitting in the face of the defeated pharaoh. She then turned to Nash, "Sink them."

The Wolfpac nodded as the Sasha strode out of the room.

AJ stared at Liz, unsure of what to say as both men grabbed the levers that controlled the jettison-sarcophagus.

"Any last words?" Hall looked at the two.

AJ Styles stared at Liz and right before the switch was pulled he said, "…I do."

Carlito pushed the memories that the spirits shared with him away. Was it his place to say anything?

Then, Sasha approached Carlito and extended a pokeball, "Take it."

Carlito stared at the ball.

"I'm sorry to hear what happened to your team." Sasha explained. "This is a fresh start to your newest one."

Carlito smirked. He could easily see that this was a bribe. Sasha was bribing him to not reveal to the others what the spirits of the island had told him.

"Melbu came from your hands to Prince," Sasha explained, "Faust came from Prince-to me-and now to you."

(Faust?!) Carlito's eyes widened. The power of a Gyrados that was already trained would be astounding if wielded by the right hands. The only drawback was that Faust was trained as if it were a dragon. It could prove difficult to control.

"A good start to you building your team and capturing more." Sasha smiled. "Take it."

(Power.) Carlito thought as he accepted the ball. "This isn't a gift." Carlito said clipping it on his belt.

"Someday, I'll pay you back for this Sasha."

Sasha smiled. "Don't worry about it."

(I always repay my debts.) Carlito thought.

"Oh yeah," Ezal cackled, "I think that's the spot that Jazz left some gifts for the Pharaoh of Madagascar and someone else too. She left them on the Platinum Island because taking them to Madagascar was dangerous given the Pharaoh was married and well, she didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea."

Carlito wondered what the gift for him could possibly be.

Flashback to Chapter 345 "Bad Romance 2"

Jazz nodded. "Hmmm," she thought for a moment, "you know what, that just might work. I'll definitely ask the pharaoh. If it works, I'm sure Blissey wouldn't mind leaving you and maybe Carlito too with one or two of its eggs."

Sasha glared at Ezal. The buffoon was talking too much and telling them too much. She couldn't order him to stop. Information was what the group needed more than anything right now. All she could do was hope he didn't go too in-depth on the spirits anger towards her.

Trey cleared his throat, "So this island is all about Palkia, right? You said we have to reawaken Atlantis, right? How do we do that?"

Ezal rubbed his hands together, "Well there's a guardian on each of the islands. The only way to awaken the island is defeat them in battle."

Sasha seethed with anger. (That asshole.) She exhaled deeply. (When we need him the most he takes off. Wait, this is the perfect chance for us to get stronger.)

"Who's the guardian of this island?" Larrell asked. "Is it Palkia?"

Mandy Rose giggled. "Of course not."

Sonya pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "We're the guardians of Peridot Island."

Carlito eyed the situation. "Wait a minute; it's all starting to make sense now. They're not really your friends, Ezal. Are they?"

"They are." Ezal nodded, "No lie. They took mercy on me. I tried to battle 'em and rather than kill me they told me to find y'all. They spared my life. That makes us friends, right?" He shrugged innocently.

"No," Larrell facepalmed, "It doesn't. It makes this a trap, dumb-ass."

"Oh," Ezal's energy flattened. "Well, at least I found you, Boss!"

Sasha shook her head, "You stupid crackhead! I should kill you but you know what I've got a job for you. You stupid piece of shit, go find Prince and bring him here! Tell him it's urgent or I'll tie you to a bedpost, put a hanger on a stove, let it sit there for half-an-hour and shove it up your ass very slow."

Ezal winced.

"No," Moxley shook his head, "I'll lay your nuts on a dresser and bang them with a barbed-wire bat."

Ezal's teeth began to shatter.

"GO!" Sasha snapped.

Ezal ran out of the tower like a bat-out-of-hell.

Sasha turned to Mandy and Sasha, "So you're the guardians? Why you two?"

Sonya stared back at the group, "We woke up here and it all made sense. This island was once our home. The only place where I could truly be me because being a lesbian was outlawed every other place but Atlantis accepted me."

'That makes sense." Larrell nodded.

"Now," Sonya drew a pokeball, "Let's see-"

Mandy extended her arm, blocking Sonya, "Wait. Not like this."

Sonya glared at Mandy, "You can't be serious. Are you really protecting her?!" Pointing at Sasha.

"No," Mandy shook her head, "I'm protecting the rest of them. It's not their fault what she did." Mandy then gestured to Carlito, "Or what he also did to this island." She turned back to Sonya. "Just this once, for the others, let's do this right."

Sonya looked at Larrell and the members of the shield, sighed and said, "Fine." Turning away and marching up the spiral staircase.

"Looking at you all," Mandy examined each of them, "Only one of you is capable of even battling us." She glared at Sasha.

Carlito clutched Faust's pokeball. He had to admit, they were right. He'd never battled with a Gyrados before and had no idea if the creature would even trust his commands.

They also had no idea what Mandy and Sonya would use against them.

"Get stronger." Mandy smiled. "We'll be waiting at the top of the tower when you're ready. Believe me when I say this, we don't want to win this battle."

Roman suggested, "Then why not just lose on purpose?"

Mandy answered, "If Atlantis is ready to come back to life, we have to make sure that you are strong enough to protect it. We want to be free of the curse that binds us to this place but we also have our mission."

Larrell understood. It was a precaution in case somehow Atlantis was surfaced. The island would still be uninhabitable and unable to be used by any greedy dictator. The Spiritombs and guardians would purge anyone not strong enough. Mandy and Sonya had been reawakened as well as the other guardians.

"If we crush you now," Mandy shrugged, "How will you heal your pokemon?"

(The gift.) Carlito thought. (With that pokemon, I could heal everyone and keep us healthy and fed as well. We have to go to that island.)

"Get stronger." Mandy repeated before disappearing up the spiral staircase.