A/N - Those who read the original may notice a rather big change in this chapter. It just worked a lot better as I was fleshing out the plot for Cleo and her friends. In the original, they didn't have a big part to play in this side-plot. I quite like how it's turned out and I hope you readers do too =D I also made some minor edits to the previous chapter during Enigma's flashback. It's not a huge change, it was just to fit in with what I'd written for the part of that story it comes from to avoid continuity errors. Silly me missed that during editing last week.
As for an update on my writing, I've almost finished one back-story, so I'm making solid progress. A lot of history will be revealed somewhere amid Part 4, and even Part 5, as a handful of major characters reveal their pasts so I hope you look forward to that!
Thanks for all reads, reviews, faves and follows! Enjoy! =D
37 - Flygon Times
Cleo was on tenterhooks as she gathered up their tent. Faith busied herself beside her, looking as refreshed and bright as she always did. Cleo rubbed at the bags beneath her eyes and finished tugging the iron thorns from the dry ground. She'd barely slept a wink. Camping in the Moorlands Forest just didn't feel safe, no matter how much care they put into keeping a low profile. The blue tent wouldn't be seen from above, and only a spectacularly keen eye would spot it from the shadows if they didn't know to look for it. The recent events filled the forest with unpleasant memories, and Cleo just wanted to put it behind her. All night she'd been straining her ears for Enigma's bell, or the tell-tale rumble of a noivern, or the voices of lurking Darkness or Heretics. Every rustling leaf had sent a chill down her spine. Since when had she become so jumpy?
Cleo yawned not for the first time that morning, and Spark caught it beside her, stretching her tiny arms above her head.
"Man, I could use some breakfast," said the dedenne.
Cleo shook her head and smiled as she bundled the last of the thorns into her bag neatly inside the folds of the tent. "That would be a second breakfast."
"I'm not complaining." Spark clambered onto her friend's shoulder and settled down, not pressing the matter any further. "Above all, I just want to find a secure place to sleep."
Cleo couldn't agree more. She caught Faith's concerned expression as the mawile finished covering up any evidence they were there. Faith dusted her paws and stood up straight beside Harlequin.
"Do you think we'll make it to Stonehaven before nightfall?" she asked.
Cleo shrugged her shoulders. "I've no idea. Maybe if we don't stop for a rest?"
Mischief returned from the bushes, smoothing out his fur which was damp from the river. He looked up at the others, noting everything had been tidied away, and quirked an eyebrow. "Are we moving now?"
Cleo nodded and adjusted the sack of medicine across her back. "We need to make fast progress. We're already behind schedule."
"Didn't Tinker say Stonehaven is just beyond the Glen?" Mischief asked.
Cleo followed his paw towards the river. "Yes. If we follow the river then we should reach it, but…"
"We need to stop being scared of those Heretics," said Spark. "If we lose the river again, we're just gonna get more lost."
"Agreed." Harlequin had barely spoken a word all morning so their voice surprised Cleo. She caught the zorua's eye and they shrugged. "I don't want to run into them any more than you do. But I'm also tired of being lost in this forest."
"It's not been without merit," said Faith. "We've gathered up a more effective medicine for those sick pokemon! For that, I'm sure they'll understand us being a little late."
"That and we almost got our tails kicked." Spark rubbed at the wound on her side, which was healing nicely. "We definitely need to make haste. Let's get a wiggle on."
The group moved through the deep foliage, following the natural curve of the river. The water roared as it rushed along ahead of them, splashing over rocks and spraying them and the parched ground with a refreshing drizzle. It perked Cleo up and she found herself almost trotting along beside it. Harlequin kept pace beside her, ears pricked and head turning at every sound. Faith walked on the zorua's other side, keeping up with a relaxed stride yet remaining vigilant. Mischief moved on ahead, as alert as Cleo had ever seen him. No longer oblivious, but keeping an ear open for anything lurking in the sky or shadows.
The ground began to grow steeper on either side as the valley rose up around them, forcing Cleo and her friends into single file. The peaks of the mountain were dusted with powdery frost, and the surrounding evergreen trees that decorated its slopes shed their morning frost into watery droplets that rained down to refresh the rocky ground beneath them.
The soft snores emanating from Cleo's ruff were cut short as Spark poked her head out, ears rigid. "What's that?"
Cleo stiffened, turning her head to follow Spark's gaze towards the sky. The dedenne wasn't the only one who'd heard it. Harlequin stood beside her panting, their ears and eyes trained on the canopy across the river. A faint rumble tickled Cleo's ears, growing with intensity. It reminded her of the wing-beats of a yanma swarm, a familiar noise she'd grown up with before her home was destroyed. In the early spring mornings, swarms of yanma and yanmega would rush over the river, dancing and singing as they skimmed over the surface, enjoying each other's company.
But the louder it grew, the more obvious it became that this was no yanmega. The rumble thudded her eardrums, and the wind generated by the flapping wings caused the trees to sway before the pokemon came into view. Swooping over the forest was the unmistakable bug-like form of a flygon.
Cleo's group froze, ducking slightly into the foliage. All eyes were trained on the dragon, but it hadn't noticed them. Its bulbous red eyes were fixed on something ahead of it. Its long tail steered it forwards towards the trees beside Cleo, and as it passed she spotted something shadowy sitting astride its shoulders. The flygon's wings made it almost impossible to make out, but she was convinced it was a dark-type pokemon. The sound faded as the pair moved further into the forest out of sight.
Cleo's heart hammered in her chest and she doubled over, catching her breath. "That could have gone a lot worse."
"They didn't seem to care we're here," said Faith.
"That's because they didn't notice us," Cleo told her. She smoothed out her fur and sighed, looking after the flygon. "What is it doing here?"
"It clearly has a destination in mind," said Harlequin. "The question is 'where?'" The zorua moved past her. "But we don't have time to figure that out, right? Let's count ourselves lucky and move on."
The zorua reached the end of their tether and looked back at Cleo, raising an eyebrow. Cleo shook her head and looked after the flygon again.
"We need to find out why it's here," she said. "The Guild needs to know about it, especially if it's a threat. It could be picking off Outcasts. We can't just ignore it."
Mischief's arms flopped to his sides. "But Stonehaven-"
"Is important, yes, but so are the pokemon that live around here." Cleo raised her paws in a weak shrug. "What are we meant to do? If we know about this and don't do something about it, then it could be too late."
Spark nodded her agreement. "It might even be looking for Stonehaven."
"If it is, then it's well off the mark," said Harlequin. "It's moved away from the Glen." The zorua clicked their tongue. "Don't those pokemon want that medicine? You know… before it rots?"
Cleo grimaced and balled her paws into fists. Another setback. Could they really afford this? She closed her eyes and sighed. As a member of the Guild, she didn't really have much choice. She had a duty to serve her fellow pokemon.
"I can go after it?" Faith offered.
Cleo looked up at the mawile. "On your own?"
"I'll be fine!" Faith smiled. "And don't worry about me getting lost. I'll be able to find you. I'll join you again in Stonehaven."
Cleo and Spark shook their heads, ready to protest.
"She won't be alone. I'll go with her," said Mischief.
The pair turned to the whimsicott, slack-jawed.
Cleo raised her paws before either could say any more. "We are not splitting up! I won't accept it. If we're going after the flygon then we're going together."
"We've split up before and been fine," said Mischief. "You take the medicine, and I'll help Faith."
Cleo turned her head between the two pokemon and clutched her bag strap. Splitting up… but at least that meant both problems would be dealt with. But what if Faith and Mischief needed help? She closed her eyes again and sighed. Faith was strong, and so was Mischief. And if anything went wrong, she was sure Faith could handle it. She was the only one of them who could mega evolve.
"Very well." She met Faith's eyes. "Just… be careful. Okay?"
Faith nodded as Mischief joined her side. "Of course! You guys get to Stonehaven. Once we're done investigating, we'll backtrack and follow your trail."
Cleo's gaze fell on Mischief and a weak smile played at her lips. "Look after each other."
Mischief gave a curt nod and followed Faith into the trees. When he looked back, Cleo had already moved on, with Harlequin trotting to catch up with her.
...
It wasn't too difficult to follow the flygon. The buzzing reptile remained above the canopy, just visible through the sparse branches. He could still be heard even when he vanished from sight, but pinpointing the loud buzzing of his wings wasn't the easiest task. It seemed to come from several directions at once, leaving Faith and Mischief to spot his tail before following after him once more. This happened quite frequently as the pair tried to remain out of sight so as not to alert the flygon and his passenger to their presence. Faith still couldn't quite make out what the other pokemon was. Its shadowy form flickered behind the flygon's translucent wings, distorting with the rapid beating like ripples on a lake.
Before too long, the flygon slowed to drop into a wide clearing. Faith and Mischief stopped at the tree-line, and Faith's violet eyes widened with confusion as she snapped her head left and right to spot them. It was as if they'd vanished into thin air. Mischief fidgeted beside her, and Faith noted the growing sense of unease crossing his face.
"They can't have gone far," Faith whispered. "We should-"
Mischief grabbed her paw before she could cross into the clearing and shook his head. But instead of turning back the other way, he inched closer to her and spoke close to her ear.
"There is something in there," he said. "It's the Clean Place." At Faith's confused grunt, he added, "It's a lab run by Heretics."
"Heretics?"
Faith turned to look back at the blank clearing, then searched the sky above them. A soft voice drew her attention back to the clearing. High pitched, muttering incoherently.
Taking Mischief's paw, she inched closer keeping behind the shrubbery growing on the outskirts of the trees. A strange sensation prickled across her fur, as if she'd just walked through a field of static. A white squat lab came into focus, crouching at the edge of the clearing, and just outside it was the flygon.
Stifling her surprise, she ducked into a mass of brambles and ferns, tugging Mischief in beside her. Faith parted the bush with a paw enough to peer out at the two pokemon.
The flygon's small black passenger stood by his feet, rummaging through a satchel spread across the dragon's back. Faith started slightly when she spotted it. Its shadowy form was coated with jagged fur, and two large jewel-like eyes sparkled in the sunlight. A sableye… another ghost-type. If what Harlequin had said was true, then one thing was certain.
"These two aren't working for the Darkness," she whispered.
Mischief looked from the two pokemon to Faith. "Outlaws? Then… maybe they're delivering pokerus?"
The sableye let out a small cheer as he finally wrestled a brown paper bag from beneath the dragon's hidden possessions. He quickly checked inside it then fastened his claws tightly around the opening.
"Okay," he said. "I'll be right back."
"Take your time." The flygon's voice was almost indecipherable as it vibrated with the same intensity as his wings. "I need a break anyway."
The sableye scurried to the door with strange, erratic movements, his limbs flailing at his sides. Two small pokemon moved from the doorway to intersect him - a plusle and minun.
"Guards," Faith thought out loud.
The discussion between them was brief, as the sableye explained he was only there to deliver Rio's order. Mischief nodded at that, his expression hardening as he stared at the white building. The sableye vanished inside, and the guards returned to their positions out of Faith's and Mischief's sight.
The flygon took the chance to lie down, curling his tail around himself. His large, glassy eyes never left the door. He certainly didn't look fierce. If anything, he looked exhausted.
"Definitely delivering pokerus." Mischief's voice was barely a whisper. "What else would it be?"
Faith had to silently agree. A bag that small wouldn't be a food package, and it wasn't bulky enough to be medicinal herbs or berries.
The sableye's job didn't take long. He soon scurried back out and scrambled onto his friend's back. The flygon obediently rose to his feet, although somewhat sluggishly, and the clearing was filled with the loud hum of his wings. He took to the sky, soaring once around the roof of the lab to gain momentum, then over the canopy towards the mountains.
Faith watched him go, then turned back to the building. "I'm going in."
Mischief stiffened. "What? In there?"
Faith nodded. "If they're infecting pokemon with this pokerus, then they need rescuing. If we leave it too long, then others will be afflicted with it too."
Mischief clenched and unclenched his fists as he stared at the white building. The colour had left his cheeks and his shoulders began to tremble.
"I can't go back in there." His voice wavered.
"You don't need to," Faith told him. "Just wait out here and cover me if I need it."
He nodded stiffly and backed further into the bracken.
Faith crept from the bush, scanning the clearing. It was oddly devoid of guards save for the two by the door. Faith had two options - confront the two rodents or look for another way in. There was every possibility the plusle and minun could be reasoned with.
She opted for the former, walking confidently towards the door. The two guards leapt to their feet when they spotted her, and the plusle's cheeks sparked and crackled while his eyes scanned her shoulders.
"State your business," he demanded.
"I'm just here to see what you're doing," she explained. "I'm worried there are some pokemon in there that might be… well… here against their will?"
The two electric-types blinked with bewilderment, and the plusle began to spark more violently. The minun placed his paw on his shoulder to placate him and turned to address Faith.
"That's quite an accusation," he asked. "Where did you get a crazy idea like that?"
Faith shrugged. "I've met someone who's told me about it."
The two stiffened, and the plusle shook his head. "Rio is gonna be so mad."
He turned and scurried through the door, leaving his sparking companion. Static danced over the floor and filled the air, pushing Faith's yellow fur on end.
"I can't let you in here," the minun said. "I suggest you leave, and don't come back."
"I can't do that," she said.
"Then we're gonna have a problem."
The rodent's cheeks and tail lit up and electricity sliced towards Faith. She ducked, and the stray bolt struck the bough of a nearby tree, sending it crashing into the clearing. Faith placed her paw on the floor and spun, swinging her horn and knocking the minun's feet out from beneath him. She leapt back up and pinned both sides of her jaw-like horn around the smaller pokemon's middle.
He stared up at her, gasping, his black eyes impossibly wide.
Faith's expression softened. "You're on the wrong side of this fight."
"You want this war over or not?" he panted.
"Of course I do." She paused. "But imprisoning innocent pokemon isn't the way to do it."
She released the minun slowly, but he remained on his back, watching her wordlessly. Faith kept one eye on him as she opened the door. A furret leapt back with a squeal, tripping over a small sentret and almost dropping the basket she was carrying. Behind her, a sandslash let out a shout and rushed towards Faith.
She'd hoped it wouldn't come to this. Faith gave a small sigh and spread her arms, activating her keystone. Her entire body was engulfed in light which expanded out and erupted with the sound of shattering glass. The sandslash faltered with his claws raised while the young sentret let out a loud 'whoa!'
The sandslash soon gathered himself, leaping towards Faith. She brought one of her horns up in an arc, striking him in the stomach. The pangolin soared back away from her, tumbling in a spiky ball towards the fork in the corridor. Electricity skimmed over Faith's head, and she twisted back to clip the minun, knocking him ears over tail across the clearing. Faith turned back to the sandslash who was lying motionless a few feet away. She darted to his side to check him over, and when satisfied he was only unconscious she rose back to her feet. The corridor looked almost identical as it opened up in two completely different directions. The mawile turned back to the anxious furret, who was huddled in a ball against the wall, clutching her child to her chest.
"I'm really sorry," said Faith. "I didn't want to hurt your friend. But I assure you he'll be okay."
The furret gulped and hugged her child protectively.
"That was amazing!" gasped the sentret.
Faith gave him a small smile then turned back to the furret. "Could you please tell me where the captives are being held?"
The furret looked up with teary eyes and pointed a trembling claw towards the right fork. Faith thanked her and took off at a sprint towards the door at the far end. She was met with more electricity as a heliolisk barged from the office, his frill expanded. Faith clenched her jaw as it coursed through her and twisted to grab the reptile in one of her horns. She swung him over her head behind her, where he landed in a heap beside the sandslash.
Faith heard him get back up, but she didn't wait around. She rushed through the office, noting a set of double doors. They weren't locked, but as they swung open a large raichu leapt to his feet to confront her, fists sparking. Faith swung a sucker punch, clipping him under the chin. His head snapped back and he rolled backwards into the walls of a swinging cage where he landed in a sparking heap. He sat up briefly to rub his jaw, then slumped onto his back in a daze.
A pair of crimson eyes caught Faith's attention and she turned her head towards the pokemon occupying the cage. Enigma stared back at her, and an amused smirk tugged at his lips.
"We meet again," he said.
"What are you-" Faith shook her head and cast a glance around at the other cells set into the walls.
There must have been thirty or so pokemon scattered throughout them of varying species. Yet not a single dark- or dragon-type among them. Faith wasted no time. She leapt backwards towards one of the three cells, grabbing the heavy mesh in both horns. They chewed through it as if they were wood, and she wrenched a chunk free. Then she set to work on the second. Once the third was torn open, she turned her attention to Enigma.
The ghost-type was silent as she set about breaking into his cage. Static shocked through her body as her horns connected with the mesh, and she grit her teeth as she mangled a hole through it. She let it clatter to the floor and stood back to survey the captives. They nervously clambered out of their cells, their entire bodies trembling. It was almost as if they'd never experienced freedom and had no idea what to do with it.
"They don't have any memories," Enigma explained as he landed beside her.
Faith's jaw went slack and she looked back at him.
"Why are you rescuing me anyway?" He nodded to the mangled cage swinging freely on its chain. "Isn't it better for me to be in that prison?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Faith told him. "What they do here is-"
The door flew open as a male meowstic barged into the room. "What is going on here?!"
A vigoroth tailed him, accompanied by the heliolisk still nursing his head.
Rio's eyes widened when he spotted the banette and he took a cautious step back towards the door. He looked between Faith and Enigma, stuttering. "How did you-"
Faith raised her paws to placate him and opened her mouth to speak. A sadistic grin spread across Enigma's face and he vanished into thin air, reappearing before Rio in the blink of an eye. The meowstic stumbled backwards, his icy eyes filling with fear.
"Enigma, wait!" Faith gasped, but her path was cut off by the vigoroth and heliolisk. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
Enigma grabbed Rio by the ruff and rammed him against the door, his grin turning sinister and almost chilling the room. "Consider this payback."
The vigoroth and heliolisk were almost on Faith, and the latter looked back at the ghost-type looming over his boss. Perhaps one of them should have stayed behind? Faith caught the reptile and tossed him behind her to land in the suspended cage. Her other horn swung up to strike the vigoroth across the jaw. He grunted as he was launched to the side and struck the bars of one of the cells with a loud clang. With them out of the way, Faith darted towards Enigma and reached out a paw.
Enigma had Rio pinned with his left while the claws of his right paw turned transparent. He slipped it beyond the meowstic's fur into his chest and Rio turned rigid.
Faith's heart leapt into her throat. "No!"
The meowstic let out a blood-curdling yowl which reverberated around the room. Many of the captives returned to cower in their cells, watching the spectacle with wide, terrified eyes. Rio's scream came to an abrupt stop and his entire body went limp. Enigma withdrew his paw, now coated in a thick layer of blood. A trickle ran down Rio's clean blue fur and he slumped to the floor.
Faith had both paws clasped over her muzzle, her eyes wide with horror. The shock had been enough for her to lose focus of her mega form. All she could do was stare at the poor meowstic, her breath coming in quick bursts as she tried to fathom what had just happened.
It shouldn't have happened. She could have stopped it.
Enigma shook blood from his paw and moved into the office. Faith gave herself a mental shake and turned to the captives, trying to urge them from their pens. But with the leader of the whole ordeal lying dead in the room they wouldn't budge. She turned towards Rio's prone body and dropped beside it, tracing a paw over the fur of his neck. He was definitely dead. Her heart ached and she pushed herself to her feet. Without him, would the experiment even continue?
She turned back to the captives peering out from the mangled walls of their cells. What few brave ones existed among them had already followed Enigma into the office. Faith trailed after them, catching a glimpse of them leaping from the charred window at the instruction of a brown and white zigzagoon.
"You coming?" he asked Enigma.
Enigma stood at the desk, ignoring the racoon. His focus was on an open file which he flicked through with morbid curiosity. He looked up when the office door opened and a slender grovyle entered. She let out a scream when she saw him and ducked back into the corridor. That was enough for the zigzagoon. He bolted from the open window. Enigma picked up the folder and moved towards the grovyle, flexing his bloodied claws.
Faith grabbed his wrist. "Leave her!"
She dragged Enigma after her towards the window, but a ball of electricity stopped her. The raichu landed on the windowsill, his cheeks sparking. He swished his long tail like a blade, and Faith ducked, turning towards the door. The grovyle had already abandoned it to rush into the lab. As Faith took off through the door, she heard the grovyle's anguished cry.
"Rio!"
Faith didn't relinquish Enigma's wrist. She dragged the ghost-type after her as she followed the corridor towards the exit. It seemed a lot longer than it had earlier. Footsteps echoed after them, growing louder and faster. She ventured a glance back. The vigoroth pursued them, his jaw swollen where Faith had struck him. His claws were raised and shrouded in an eerie black light. Faith's eyes widened at the realisation of his chosen attack.
"Watch out!"
She swung Enigma ahead of her as the vigoroth brought his claws down, narrowly missing him. Faith swung her horn, colliding with the side of his face with a sickening thud. He struck the wall with a grunt and slid down it as his eyes rolled back into his skull. Faith didn't hesitate this time. She picked up her pace, keeping her claws fastened around Enigma's wrist.
The pair made a beeline for the door, which was still wide open. The plusle and minun stood on guard again, both sparking as they prepared to stop them. But as Faith and Enigma drew closer the guards' eyes flew to Enigma and they scattered like dust on the wind. Faith rushed out into the open clearing, aiming for the trees. After what she'd seen, there was no way she was taking Enigma straight back to Mischief. He was an assassin sent to kill him, after all. There was no telling what he'd do. For a brief moment, Faith questioned what she was doing rescuing such a pokemon. But she shook it off immediately. No one deserved what that meowstic was doing to those poor pokemon. No one.
Once they were well into cover, she finally stopped and rounded on Enigma, keeping him between her and the thick trunk of a sturdy tree.
"Why did you do that?!" she demanded. "Why did you kill him?!"
A look of surprise crossed his face, but it soon melted away into indifference. He snorted and folded his arms over the large file. "You know… they're probably looking for us."
Faith narrowed her eyes. "Tell me."
"Maybe you can tell me why you'd rescue a pokemon with my reputation?" A smirk spread across his face as he looked her up and down. "And perhaps enlighten me on your elaborate appearance during the whole spectacle as well?"
Faith shook her head and took a deep breath. She was beginning to grow exasperated. "I was rescuing you! All of you! No one needed to die."
"You weren't exactly easy on any of those goons, either."
"I merely subdued them!"
"It was still pretty violent."
"If I didn't stop any of them then we'd both be behind bars," she said. "Or worse!"
Enigma examined his bloody claws and relaxed back against the tree. "And if I didn't kill Rio, then his rotten plan would continue and probably spiral out of control. If that happened, we'd all be dead." He fixed her with a cold stare. "I did Estellis a favour."
Faith met his eyes as she absorbed that. "A favour?" She spat. She took a deep breath to calm herself and shook her head. "Tell me. What was he doing exactly?"
A twig snapped behind her and Enigma glanced over her shoulder. He clutched the folder tightly, his claws digging grooves into its canvas surface. "Why don't you ask your unhinged friend?"
Faith looked back at Mischief lurking in the shadows, watching them. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she twisted back towards Enigma. Her body was tense as she braced herself to leap to Mischief's aide. It didn't go unnoticed by the assassin. He met her eyes again and snorted.
"I've got stuff to do." He tossed the folder up into the tree and leapt after it, warping into the branches. He landed with a jingle, caught the folder expertly and turned his back on them. "Until we meet again, Faith."
Faith watched him skip across the canopy until his bell faded into the distance. Pokerus… the Clean Place… a rotten plan… Somehow she felt she was missing some pieces of this morbid jigsaw.
"Are you okay?" Mischief joined her side, still searching the canopy for the banette.
"I'm fine." Faith let herself relax and smiled at him. "The captives have been released. And I don't think those experiments are going to continue, not for a while anyway."
"That's good." Mischief paused. "Did he kill him?"
"Rio?" Faith bit her lip and nodded.
Mischief turned from the tree, his expression unreadable. "Then let's go. We need to be quick if we're going to re-join Cleo."
Faith watched him for a moment and placed a paw on her chest. She wanted to ask him more about what he knew about the Clean Place. But as things stood, it would have to wait. She trotted after him, keeping an ear open for that familiar bell.
...
Review Replies:
Williamlap - Your jokey pun amused me a little lol. It does appear Enigma has some level of a conscience, doesn't it? As marred and confused as it is. I hope you enjoyed this chapter =D Thanks for reading!
Thanks everyone. Please R&R =D