Blue found himself standing next to his brother, overlooking the arriving guests, playing with his bow tie. His usually messy fur had been brushed to perfection, teeth brushed, even the Z-Ring and crystal had been polished to perfection. The two necklaces, one a blazing orange, one a dim white, sat on a pillow next to him. It'd be Blue's job to hand those off right before vows were exchanged.
Red looked better than he did. He had taken off his usual bandana, trading it in for a red bow tie, the blue Z-Crystal on his neck in full display. Mom and Rose could agree on one thing at least, and that was color coordination. He looked nervous… but happy. He hadn't really seen that look in his eyes since dad died…
It was also clear to Blue, and any outside observer, as to which side of the family was which. His own family and friends from the village sat on the left. Mom was up front with Silver, holding back tears of what the brothers hoped was joy. Silver, for his part, was patting their mother on the back, doing his best to comfort her. Green and Yellow were waiting for the cue to start spreading flowers down the aisle. Yellow was clearly excited, the Skwovet hopping in place. Green was more reserved, but still had a slight smirk. It… kind of reminded him of Pana's, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.
Speaking of Pana, she was also sat in the front row, her short stature making it a necessity to see behind the other guests. Everyone had the sense not to say that to her face, of course. No maimings yet. Right next to Scales, who was stealing glances at Finn on the other side of the area.
Rio wasn't here yet. He knew that bribe from red soured his opinion of the Bibarel, but he did help get this entire thing ready. He even asked if he could come if he helped. Where was he?
Not important, he'd show up eventually; Red or not, the Disasters and Rose had been getting along quite nicely. He'd be here. Blue found his attention being drawn to the guests, and the divide was noticeable.
On the left as Red's guest list. All Redwood villagers, some personal friends, some family friends, a soft, sheltered sort. Skwovet, Furret, Zigzagoon, that Cinccino and Pikachu couple, all Pokemon Blue had grown up around. Mr. Tropius lomed over everyone, smiling at the concept of a wedding.
On the right were rough, scarred Pokemon. Pawniard, a nervous looking Murkrow, a couple of Yungoos, Salandit, even some young Thievul. The old fox Blue knew was sat behind Red, right under the arch, and in front of the Keldeo statue. He'd announce them mon and wife. Mr. Nicks had really come far from stealing. Arceus, he really should talk to him more, and that was only a few of them. Each side had all sorts of Pokemon, all shapes and sizes.
"Thanks," Red whispered, leaning over a bit.
"Huh?" Blue asked, looking back at his brother.
"For being here… I know you're aching to get back to your job, and… I've been pushy..."
"...You're my brother." Blue sighed. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."
"I just… want you to be safe-"
"Not now…" Blue cut him off. "Please."
"Right…" Red turned back to face the isle, eyes going wide, and a smile sprouting on his face. When Blue turned to see why, he understood.
Rose looked fantastic.
Her fur was brushed and glossy, the scar that went over the red streak on her belly, instead of being covered up was on full display. The long, silky, white scarf she wore was streaked with bright red. Each of their favorite colors. It waved as a slight breeze that suddenly picked up. Her father, the terrifying Tyranitar, was right behind her, ready to give her away. All chatter quieted when she came into view.
She smiled at her husband to be, and he smiled back as the bride and her father started down the aisle, Yellow enthusiastically throwing flower petals as they went. Blue hadn't seen Red this happy in so long, but one thought crossed his mind as he glanced back at his team.
Where was Rio?
…
Rio was eating an apple as he brushed his neck fluff. He hated getting ready for shit like this, and it always took forever… He probably shouldn't have slept in…
The river made for a good mirror, and it helped him wash off most of the gunk he'd gotten over the past few days. Dammit, he really shouldn't have slept in! Well, at least he looked presentable now. Fur was brushed, all the stray clumps had been picked out as a result, he even picked out the old stray bits of food caught in his teeth. Might have just been ruined by the apple, but still.
"Good as I'm gonna get," Rio said, taking a look in the river. "Let's see a wedding…"
And he was off, walking back through to town. More than anything he was looking forward to the reception, assuming Scales didn't eat literally everything. Finn was watching him too, and he seemed to be able to keep a leash on that stomach of his… it'd be fine…
The problem was Red. What would he try after the wedding? He got that he was trying to keep his brother safe, sure, but going behind his back to get him kicked off? Dick move. At least his future wife was cool. Still… Blue said he'd take care of it… better to trust him with tha-
And then he felt it. Two familiar Auras. One was newer, but he remembered it well. Slammed it into a lake even, and while that memory was still fresh in his mind, that didn't scare him as much as the other Aura.
That familiar, smothering blanket that seemed to press down on his body. That loving, crushing pressure a certain Bewear gave off. That Aura that only grew in power each day, every time he felt it. It was almost overwhelming now, like a giant looming over him. And they were both getting closer, fast. A slight shaking started in his legs, as he unconsciously tucked his tail between them.
Griza was here, and she brought a friend.
…
No. It wasn't possible. One of the Mewtwo's jailors were here? The Riolu didn't drown? No, the blue one's mind was strong, and he could sense that he was aware of them as well. How did that bastard know where they were going? Psych didn't want to go back to sleep.
So the only logical thing to do was make sure that Riolu was incapable of doing such a thing. Permanently.
It was about to tell Griza this, but she seemed to be preoccupied with a scent in the air as they traveled down the river. The large Pokemon took a small sniff, then a larger one, looking in the direction of the Riolu, just down the river and through the trees. She grinned, large teeth showing.
"Found you Rio!" she said. "Come on Psych! You can finally meet him!"
"Griza, wait!" but it was too late. She was already crashing through the trees, on a direct course with his captor. The mutant had started to piece things together at that point. A Riolu, Rio being his name, and the fact they were at the very least in the same direction basically confirmed the fact its captor and her boyfriend were the same mon.
What a small world.
Psych was right behind its friend, flicking away the splintered pieces of bark with his mind. The psychic knew being around the Bewear would be safer than being inside a tank, again why did it know what that was, so it followed.
"Honeypot!" Griza exclaimed, coming to a stop at an empty riverside. There was no Riolu there… only clumps of blue and tan fur, along with a brush caked with the stuff.
"Honeypot?" Griza said, picking up the brush. "He was just here…"
Psych could feel his mind, of course. The mutant glanced up at the tree he was hiding in. The leaves were so thick and green it seemed like he had suddenly disappeared… but he couldn't mask his mind, and with Griza's nose she would have found him soon enough. Time for a confrontation…
Psych reached out with its mind, and grabbed the Riolu with it, yanking him out of the tree. There was a bit of resistance, but the Riolu did come loose, albeit hanging onto a tree branch. Leaves were caught in his considerable fluff, as he winced at the two below him.
"Hey Griza…" the Riolu greeted as he tried to move. Psych had a tight grip on him, his physical strength wouldn't assist him here. Still, Psych could feel something changing about him… and fast. "And… cat thing."
Before Psych could question how his pursuer did not know what it was, Griza spoke up.
"You're OK! I saw that newspaper, and that you got seriously hurt…"
"Yup, I'm alive!" Psych could feel the changes more now… his mind was changing, as was his fur. Where it was blue it was becoming shorter, lighter, a light pink, the mane started to recede, revealing a horrific scar on the side of his neck. This was not normal for a Riolu. And his mind… it was becoming closer to Psych's own! A psychic… "I-I got something to do, you mind-"
"Come here!" Griza demanded. "Psych, put him down!"
At that, the strange Riolu's transformation completed, the last thing to finish being his tail, now pink and split into two at the end. A red jewel suddenly grew out of his head. He resembled an Espeon…
And with his new abilities, Rio wasted no time in resisting Psych's hold. The combination of surprise at the transformation and sudden considerable psychic force pushing against its own, the apparent hybrid broke the psychic grip in seconds, zooming off in the opposite direction, fur already turning back to normal.
"He wants to play chase again huh?" Griza said, not even acknowledging the fact that her boyfriend seemingly shapeshifted. In fact, she was grinning widely. "I love that fluffball!"
"Griza-" Psych started, but it was too late. She stomped her foot, shaking the earth and making a deep footprint, before sprinting off after the love of her life. Psych could only stare for a bit. The Riolu wouldn't be chasing it for a while, now that Griza was on him. It could leave… and get so far away it'd never see that Riolu again.
So why wasn't it?
Was it Griza? The fact that the Riolu didn't try to immediately catch it, and be completely ignorant of what it was? Like Psych himself? Or maybe it was the curious case of that Riolu's type change. Or that undefined feeling, drawing him towards the place they were running, that tugging at its very soul. Maybe it was a combination of all these factors.
Or it was just insane for even considering this.
Nevertheless, it flew after the mad duo.
…
"We are gathered here today to join two mon in holy matrimony. May Arceus bless their union for all time."
Blue had to stifle the shiver that came over him at the mention of the creator. If the old Thievul priest knew what Blue had suggested yesterday he'd declare him a heretic on the spot, family friend or not. Not important at the moment either, wedding going on.
In all honesty Blue wasn't really listening. He should have been, but he couldn't focus for some reason. Something was… tugging at him, drawing his attention elsewhere. Down? He's felt like this before too… back at the Crystal Palace? That didn't-
"Blue?" Red asked. "The necklaces?"
The Bidoof looked up, only to see everyone but a few staring at him. He winced as he shook himself back into awareness. That was weird…
"You alright?" Rose asked. He could see the beginnings of a frown forming on her face.
"Fine!" he reassured the bride. "Just zoned out for a bit. Sorry." Blue took a quick glance at the guests, and noticed something. Some of the others weren't paying attention either, all looking at the floor. Scales, Pana, Finn, even Veles. That was weird… despite how scary Veles was, he seemed dead set on seeing his daughter happy. Him not paying attention was strange, same with Finn. He was apparently like a little brother to Rose.
He shook the thoughts off. Focus. Just give the necklaces, and you can focus on whatever that was after. He turned to grab the jewelry that would signify their bond, and noticed something about the Keldeo statue as he turned. Mainly, that the water was getting murkier. And murkier. Within seconds it was pitch black, and the drainage stopped. Blue could only stare in awe, as a steady dread set in his heart. Was it writhing?
"What the…" Rose whispered, grabbing Red and pulling him away from the now overflowing fountain, who was also looking in shock. The old Thievul priest had gotten out of there quickly, also looking at the fountain.
And that's when they heard the tremors start. It was slight at first, but with every second they grew more frequent, and stronger, and stronger. It was almost like footsteps, like someone was running towards them. The guests had fled their seats at this point, fleeing from the town center in a panic. Yelling, screaming, and panic only intensified as the tremors started to shake the very tree-houses around them.
Yet Blue found himself unable to move. No, that wasn't right. It was just that he didn't want to move. He looked up, only to see those in a trance haven't moved either. It was like their eyes had just glazed over.
"Blue!" he heard his mother and Red shout from the sidelines. He turned to see their worried faces, and Red step back in to get him.
"Daddy!" Rose said at the same time, right behind her future husband.
The dread building in Blue's gut suddenly spiked as his brother stepped back into the area. As the black sludge started to pool over his paws, he felt that Red coming any closer was worse for him than anyone.
"DON'T!" Blue warned, but it was too late. The Bibarel was in range. The earth was breaking apart now, cracks forming in the town square, and inky darkness seeping through the cracks.
And that's when Rio showed up.
The blue and black blur barreled into the town square, eyes wide with panic. And considering who was right behind him, Blue could see why. Griza was right behind him, and right behind her was that thing they found in the lab. The Mewtwo, the pseudo-legendary that may want them all dead.
"You two?" Veles roared at the sight of the Bewear and mutant. "You got a lot of nerve-"
Then the sludge from the pool suddenly started seeping from the cracks in the ground, washing over each Pokemon's feet, and creeping up their body. In the case of the Mewtwo it formed into black tendrils and dragged it towards the ground. Blue tried to move his own legs, but found they were stuck in the same sludge. He was stuck, and when he looked around at everyone else, they were in a similar scenario. Even Griza with her monstrous strength couldn't seem to break free.
"Red!" Rose said, trying to pull her fiance free. He didn't budge as he looked around panicky. Blue saw as he pushed the Zangoose back, small comfort for what he felt was coming.
The paved stone beneath them shattered, and they all fell into the abyss below, and everything went black.
…
When Blue came to, the first thing he saw were the wedding necklaces. They were undamaged, somehow, and obvious in the solid stone he found himself laying on. The little light in the room was dim, further masked by the strange haze around. Blue could barely see ten feet in front of him…
He wasn't hurt… somehow. That sludge was gone too. Where was he… a Dungeon? The last time he entered a Dungeon like this was back in the… palace…
Oh no.
"Hello? Blue?" That was Red's voice.
Oh no.
And that's when he heard the scrape of metal against metal.
Oh no.
And then he saw the floating sword. The blue ribbon holding its sheath, and its dead, blue eye seeming to bore into the Bidoof's soul. The pupil seemed to pulse erratically, going from black to purple, bigger and smaller, but never leaving Blue's side.
"INTRUDER!" the strange Honedge hummed.
Oh shit.
