Chapter 5: Trouble in Meadow Town

The full moon behind them threw long shadows over the cliff to the lake below. It glittered from he placid water in silver streaks. Volbeat and Illumise sparkled in the air, thousands of tiny points of light. The cool night breeze ruffled his fur; it was fresh and pure and alive with the myriad scents of the jungle which clung to the sides of the mountain

Long ago, the mountain had been a massive stratovolcano; the last of its large eruptions had blown the top, forming a crater miles across at the peak. A later, smaller eruption had formed a cinder cone in the center of the crater. Over millions of years, the crater filled with water, and the softer rock on the outside of the smaller cone had weathered away, leaving a plug of dense igneous rock at its center. Humans called it Mount Quena, but few Humans braved its slopes.

It was only the five of them tonight, the elders; Blastoise, Charizard, Venosaur, himself, and Mewtwo. No one spoke. There was nothing that needed to be said. No place could be more beautiful, more peaceful.

Mewtwo's hand touched his shoulder, gently stroking his mane. Arcanine could feel that Mewtwo was troubled, melancholy. There was a pain and loneliness that not even their presence could fill. No matter how much he and the others loved Mewtwo, they could never be his equals; he was cursed by his strength and intelligence to be always alone.

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"Arcanine!"

Arcanine snapped awake, sensitive ears swiveling toward the sound. There was a dim glow on the horizon outside his cave, but the light did not yet penetrate inside. At first he thought it must have been part of his dream; no one but Zorua would be searching for him here, and she was not foolish enough to risk Haunted Forest again at night, even on the shortcut.

"Arcanine!" came the call again.

Now that he was awake, there could be no mistake; it was Zorua, below, the sound of panic in her voice. Arcanine was on his feet and out of the cave in an instant, pausing briefly to breathe a burst of flame over the cliff in answer before bounding down the slope with all of the speed his species possessed.

The last of the pursuing Ghost-types broke off as a pillar of fire rose from the cliff above, unwilling to risk Arcanine's wrath in his territory. Zorua stopped, panting hard. Her chest heaved and her legs felt wobbly. She could see Arcanine now, racing down the trail toward her. Suddenly dizzy, Zorua sat down, trying to catch her breath and hoping that she would not faint in front of him.

Arcanine leapt down the last switchback, landing protectively over Zorua. Steam curled from his nostrils as he glared into the forest around them.

"Are you alright?" Arcanine asked, relaxing his guard when no immediate threat presented itself.

"Attacked…the town...," Zorua said between panting breaths, "the…Ice Pokémon."

Arcanine growled in frustration, knowing what Zorua had come to ask of him. More than four years of peace he had found here on the mountain, living in secret. If he showed himself, more hunters would come; Human or Pokémon, he wasn't sure any more, and he would be forced to flee again, to kill again.

"You have…to help…no one…else is strong enough."

"I can't." Arcanine said firmly.

Zorua looked up at him in shock. Arcanine was so strong, so fearless, so…caring, that, despite his secrecy, it was the last response she would have expected.

"Pokémon are hurt…my friends…" Tears came to her eyes, invisible in the morning gloom, and she leaned her face against his foreleg.

He should not have allowed himself to become attached to Zorua, Arcanine chastised himself. If we do not live in secret, we shall never find peace. Arcanine couldn't remember who had taught him that, but it had been true so far, hadn't it?

"Zorua, people are hunting me. Pokémon in Treasure Town are offering a lot of Poké to capture me. I don't really understand why or how much, but enough for dozens of Pokémon to risk their lives over. I tricked them last time; they think I died. If people find out I'm alive, it will start again."

"Pokémon might be dying right now," Zorua said, "They were hurting Treecko and Luxio. No one knows what they want."

Arcanine turned away in shame, with tears in his eyes, unable to face her. "I'm sorry, Zorua."

For a moment neither of them moved, and he could feel Zorua's small body trembling against his leg.

"Fine." Zorua sniffled. Without looking up at him, she stood and turned away. "I'll do it myself."

Zorua didn't look back at him as she trotted back toward the forest path. Her shoulders were straight, and her head high and proud as she entered the trees.

Whatever was happening in Meadow Town, Arcanine thought, Zorua didn't have a chance by herself. She clever and brave, but hopelessly inexperienced. If there was anything she could have done, she would have done it herself rather than waste hours coming to fetch him. If she survived, she would hate him for his betrayal, and rightfully so. If he let her go now, he wasn't going to see her again. Still, he didn't move.

Zorua disappeared into the shadows of the trees. They'd fought side by side, even if there had been no real danger in those easy dungeons. They'd traveled together, and slept together, and talked for hours. What sort of Pokémon let his friends go into danger alone? He didn't care about the Pokémon in Meadow Town, but were they even part of the equation? If none of them existed, if the two of them were attacked right now in the forest, he would fight to the death to protect Zorua, wouldn't he?

Of course he would. His decision had been made a month ago when he rescued Zorua in Haunted Forest, and it was too late to go back now. So be it, he though, let them come for me.

Arcanine caught up with Zorua quickly. She glanced at him, but didn't slow down. A few paces ahead of her, he stopped and bent down. "Get on and hold on," he commanded.

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Arcanine slowed as they approached Meadow Town, and Zorua slipped down from his back.

"Okay," Arcanine said, "you know what we're dealing with here. I don't. What's the plan?"

"I'm going to sneak in and see what's going on," Zorua said, disguising herself as Eevee, "If you hear fighting, or shouting, it probably means I'm in trouble. Otherwise, give me like twenty minutes before you come charging in."

"Be careful."

"Yeah." Zorua and Arcanine touched noses. She disappeared into the tall grass.

Zorua crept between the long morning shadows, making her way toward the lodge in the center of Meadow Town. She could smell fear, and blood, and pain, but the town was silent. There were only fifty or so permanent residents in Meadow Town, so Zorua knew every one of them personally. As she passed each house, she wondered about the occupants. Were they hiding inside? Had they fled? Were they laying injured somewhere?

A pair of the hexagonal Pokémon she had encountered in the meadow floated in front of the lodge. Zorua snuck around to the back of the building. Another Ice-type, this one yellow and black and shaped like a short triangle, patrolled the road. She hid in the shadows until it passed. The trapdoor at the back of the lodge, half-hidden in the bushes, was unguarded.

Very carefully, Zorua lifted the door. It creaked and she froze, but there was no response, either from inside, or from the guards at the front. She lowered it closed slowly behind her. In the basement, it was pitch black. Zorua could smell fresh blood; was someone injured down here, or was it seeping through the floorboards from above?

Like Zorua, Riolu and Treecko had also lived at the lodge. The three of them had spent countless hours down here, playing and working. Zorua didn't need light to find her way; she knew every bundle of herbs, every crate of berries, every box of tools, because she had helped store them last fall, and played around them all winter. Zorua also knew which floorboards squeaked, and which knotholes would let her look and listen into which rooms above.

She stood in the middle of the room, holding her breath, listening for the creaks of Pokémon moving on the floor above. There were definitely Pokémon in the common room, at least two or three, maybe more. Someone was injured in the kitchen; she could hear a quiet whimpering and occasional shift in weight on the floor.

Zorua pressed her ear to a crack in the common room floor. She could hear muffled sobbing, and an odd tinkling noise, like icicles falling on frozen ground; at first she could not identify it but then she realized it was the same sound that the Ice-types she had followed in the meadow had made.

There was a knothole in the kitchen floor and she looked up through it from atop a stack of boxes. The light was too dim for most Pokémon to see, but she could make out the familiar outlines of shelves and counters and the stove. Something moved at the edge of her field of vision; Zorua thought it was someone's tail, but she couldn't be sure.

"Psst. Hey," Zorua whispered through the hole. A shifting of weight on the boards above told her that she had been heard. Moments later, Riolu's face came into view. She couldn't see any details, just an outline; his left ear and feeler were shredded and dripping blood.

"Zorua?" Riolu whispered back, his voice weak.

"Are you alone?"

"Yeah."

"Help is coming, but we need to know what's going on."

Thankfully, Riolu didn't waste time with questions.

"I think there's still four or five Ice-types in the building. I don't know where all the rest went. They took some of the injured Pokémon to the common room. They were hurting them, I think. I don't know why." Riolu shuddered. "There was screaming for a long time. There was a Ghost-type, too; the leader, I think. Her aura was awful, all dark and cold…"

"It's almost over," Zorua told him, "Just hold on a little longer. I have to go. Wait, no, I have an idea. Just a moment."

Zorua took a mouthful of Orans from one of the crates and climbed back up to the hole. One at a time she pushed them up through the hole to Riolu. It was a difficult, time consuming task; her paws were inadequate for such fine manipulation.

Zorua wasn't sure how long it had been since she left Arcanine. She had no doubt that he would come charging in to rescue her, now that he had made up his mind to help, but she didn't think that even he would be strong enough to fight all of the invaders himself. If they failed, there would be no one to rescue them. Also, with injured Pokémon trapped in the lodge, they couldn't risk setting it aflame.

By the time Zorua emerged from the basement, the sun was completely above the horizon. From the bushes, she could see two of the triangular Pokémon guarding the road. She didn't think she could make it back out as Eevee. She needed something smaller. Being Cutiefly hadn't worked before, she thought, but it would be just what she needed now. One of the Ice-types disappeared around the corner. When the other turned its back, she dashed across the road.

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Arcanine listened as Zorua explained the situation.

"Think we can do it," Arcanine said, "if there's really only nine or so left in town. These Pokémon will be stronger than what we've fought before, but not too strong, or they wouldn't have needed twenty to start with. We'll also have a type advantage. Trick will be not fighting them all at once."

"So what's the plan?"

"Worried about what they'll do to the prisoners if they decide they can't win. We can't give the ones inside time to think. Two options: one, sneak in, try to knock a few out outside before they know what's happening, charge the door when the sound the alarm; two, charge the door with Flamethrower and knock out as many as we can inside before they figure out what's happening. Will any of the locals help us when the fighting starts?"

"I don't know. Other than the injured Pokémon that Riolu said are in the common room, I don't know where everyone is," Zorua considered for a moment, then she said, "I don't like either of those plans, big guy, but let's go with the stealth option.

Zorua waited in the bushes behind the lodge until one of the Snorunts passed by, alone. She pushed on a branch, causing a rustling noise, and it turned toward her, looking for the source of the sound. Arcanine, waiting behind a hut on the other side of the road, charged with a speed few Pokémon could match, slamming it to the ground and knocking it out with a single bite. Quickly he dragged it back behind the hut, while Zorua emerged from the bushes to kick dirt across the drag marks in the road.

Arcanine deposited the unconscious Pokémon in another bush, and looked around quickly to make sure that Zorua was out of sight. Arcanine took its head in his jaws and, with a brief hesitation, crushed down deliberately. Its body twitched and he felt bones splinter. Arcanine spat in disgust and turned away; it was necessary, he thought; they could not afford to have it wake and sound the alarm. He wiped the blood away and rejoined Zorua. She didn't need to know.

They ambushed the other patrolling guard in a similar fashion. A stone rattled under Arcanine's paw as he leapt at it, and the Pokémon turned, uttering a brief, startled shriek before Arcanine dispatched it with another bite.

One of the Cryogonals in front of the lodge shouted a question. Neither Arcanine nor Zorua understood the language, but the meaning was clear.

"Let's go," Arcanine said.

The Cryogonal appeared around the side of the building. Arcanine's Flamethrower caught it dead on, and it dropped to the ground in a burst of steam, sharp corners melted away.

There were cries of alarm, and two more rounded the corner, floating rapidly toward them. Zorua and Arcanine charged. Volleys of razor-sharp ice crystals whipped at them on an icy wind as the Cryogonals exhaled. Zorua dropped to the ground, allowing most of the shards to pass over her, though a few left stinging trails across her head and back.

Arcanine lowered his head without stopping. Most of the crystals deflected from his thick mane, but a few ripped through his ears or tore into his face and back. He slammed into the leading Cryogonal; its mass was much greater than he expected, despite its buoyancy, and instead of landing on top of it, the two of them went rolling through the grass.

Instead of stopping, the Cryogonal began to spin. Arcanine's claws could not find purchase on its slick surface, and the sharp angles sliced into his chest. It slipped from his grasp, bobbing upward. Arcanine snarled angrily and snapped at it, catching one of its protrusions. His head was jerked around painfully, but Arcanine held on, letting his fire flow out of his jaws around his enemy. Ice melted and it began to wobble erratically.

Zorua darted around her Cryogonal, avoiding most of its icy breath, but unable to get close enough to land a blow as it spun. Arcanine's Cryogonal crashed to the ground, and hers turned to look at the source of the sound. Zorua jumped on its back, claws raking long gouges in the ice.

"Move!" Arcanine shouted. Zorua let go, dropping to the ground and rolling away as a ball of fire enveloped the Cryogonal. It dropped to the ground still steaming.

Arcanine hit the front door of the lodge at a run, with all of his considerable weight; it tore free of its hinges and clattered to the ground. Arcanine didn't stop. From the entryway there were doors to the each side and straight ahead. Following Zorua's directions, he went straight into the common room. Two more Cryogonals hovered just inside that doorway, and he was past them before they could respond. Arcanine spun and caught one in a burst of flame. Zorua followed him in, pouncing on the back of the other as it turned to face him.

Arcanine didn't have time to help her. At the center of the room was another strange Pokémon, part Ice and part Ghost, with a floating, legless body. Flanking her were two more Cryogonals. Several local Pokémon lay on the floor around Froslass, and Arcanine circled, trying to get a clear shot. He stepped over the body of another Pokémon on the floor, not looking to see what it was.

The temperature in the room dropped abruptly, and wind began to whip about, carrying sharp crystals of ice, like a miniature tornado with Froslass at its center. The injured Pokémon trapped inside cried out in pain. Arcanine breathed a burst of flame at the trio, but the winds deflected it harmlessly away.

There was no more time for caution, Arcanine thought. He crouched and leapt at Froslass. As he did, the wind dropped abruptly.

"Arcanine, stop!" someone cried from behind him.

The voice was unfamiliar, but obviously not one of the Ice-types. Arcanine's training responded before he could think. Arcanine twisted in midair, missing Froslass and slamming into a table, which collapsed under his weight. Shards of ice sliced into his face and side, tearing away fur and skin and flesh. Froslass shrieked in rage and Arcanine snarled back.

"Hit her now!" The voice called again. Arcanine did not hesitate. His fire enveloped Froslass and she collapsed. The remaining two Cryogonals attempted to flee. Arcanine's breath melted one. Zorua, Riolu, and several other local Pokémon crowding through the door behind them dispatched the other.

Arcanine quickly searched the rest of the building, battering down one locked door and leaving a trail of blood from his side. He found several other injured Pokémon, but no more of the invaders.

When he returned to the common room, Zorua was crouched beside the body of a Pokémon near the door, whimpering softly. It was the one he'd stepped over earlier; Treecko. Riolu knelt beside her, arms around her neck, the fur on his cheeks wet with tears. They were both battered and bloody.

Treecko hadn't died fighting, Arcanine could tell immediately. His body was horribly mutilated, covered in hundreds of bloody cuts. The Ice-types had tortured him, but for what purpose? Arcanine remembered that Zorua had talked about Treecko and Riolu before; the three of them had been best friends, orphans, growing up in the lodge together.

Riolu looked up as Arcanine approached.

"Why?" Riolu asked softly.

"I don't know." Arcanine answered sadly, bending down to brush his muzzle against the uninjured side of Riolu's face.

Of the dozen or so other Pokémon in the room, half still sat or lay on the floor, unconscious or dead or too injured to move. Several wandered dazedly, and others tended or comforted wounded companions. Despite his grief, Riolu seemed to be the only other Pokémon in the room who was both competent and able, and they had more work to do.

"Riolu," Arcanine said, "is there a healer in town?"

"Audino." Riolu stood, leaning on Arcanine as he limped to the door and pointed down the road. "Pink hut."

"I'll be back."

When Arcanine returned with Audino, Zorua and Riolu were dragging a crate of berries up the stairs. Was it Riolu who had given him orders in the fight with Froslass, Arcanine wondered. It must have been. There had been no other conscious Pokémon behind him, other than Zorua. Arcanine still didn't know why, but Riolu would have an understanding of ghosts. Those were two tough, capable Pokémon, Arcanine thought, despite their inexperience.

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The last Cryogonal crashed to the floor and Zorua finally had time to look around. Injured townsfolk were scattered around the room amidst wrecked furniture and thousands of shards of ice. Riolu's left ear and feeler were mangled, and his fur matted with half-dried blood, and he wore several makeshift bandages. Arcanine's left flank and face were soaked with blood. There were fifteen or so other Pokémon in the room, most of them in even worse condition.

Then she saw Treecko, his twisted body sprawled in a pool of blood. Zorua ran to him, crying his name. She bent down, gently nudging his face with her nose.

"Treecko, it's over now. Are you okay? Please, Treecko, say something…please…"

Zorua lay beside his body, licking the blood from his face as she sobbed. Riolu knelt beside Zorua, putting his arms around her neck.

Death was something that happened to old Pokémon, or Pokémon who disappeared into mystery dungeons and never came back. Even bandits seldom killed their victims, and the sort of organized violence they had seen this morning was nearly unheard-of. She had battled hundreds of times with the other Pokémon in Meadow town, but other than the time she'd gotten lost in Haunted Forest, it had always been just a game. This sort of violent, intentional death, in the home where she had always felt safe, was something different.

Zorua's anger flared briefly; it was Arcanine's fault Treecko had suffered like this. If he had come when she asked, they might have been here in time…but no, Arcanine's reluctance had cost them perhaps a minute or two, and Treecko's body was already cool to the touch.

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The three of them handed out berries to the townsfolk while Audino worked. Arcanine stopped beside the unconscious Froslass, hesitated a moment, then unceremoniously ripped her throat out, relieving the Pokémon of Meadow Town from having to make uncomfortable choices. A day ago, Zorua would have been horrified, but after holding Treecko's broken body, she could find no sympathy for the Ice-type. Some of the other Pokémon looked shocked, but Arcanine didn't care. The Cryogonals were melting, and Arcanine didn't know if there was anything else he could do with them.

Fortunately, there had been no other fatalities, thought Luxio was as badly scourged as Treecko. Arcanine lay down by the door to lick his wounds. Riolu sat beside Treecko, Zorua's head on his lap. Arcanine did not want to intrude upon their grief; though he and Zorua had quickly become friends, those three had been together for years.

Eventually, Luxio approached Arcanine. Despite Audino's ministration he moved tenderly, obviously still in pain. Luxio sat a meter from Arcanine, feigning indifference, and began to wash his face. Arcanine continued to groom, knowing that the feline would speak when he was ready.

"I haven't seen you around before," Luxio said, finally.

"No," Arcanine agreed.

"You know Zorua somehow, don't you?"

Arcanine nodded.

There was a brief silence, then Luxio continued, "I don't know what would have happened to us if you hadn't showed up."

Arcanine had some ideas, but this didn't seem like an appropriate time to share them.

"They were looking for something. She called it an Orrery Fragment," Luxio pointed to the dead Froslass, "none of us knew what she was talking about."

Luxio continued, "They took Bayleef, the mayor." He looked away, ashamed. "We couldn't stop them. We never had a chance."

"Caught you by surprise," Arcanine said, "Can see that you all fought hard. Was a few of you at a time against the whole group of them, wasn't it?"

Luxio nodded. "We had guards. People have seen them around, we were expecting trouble – but nothing like this."

"Not your fault, Luxio. Easier to attack than defend. You had to be ready constantly, for weeks, and they only had to be ready once."

They both groomed in silence for several minutes.

"We all owe you," Luxio said, "You didn't have to help us. I don't want to ask you..."

Arcanine finished for him. "But you need someone to go after the rest of them."

Luxio nodded. "Most of us in Meadow Town aren't very strong, and most of the Pokémon who are brave enough to help are here, injured."

Arcanine would not have admitted it to anyone, but after those years alone, it felt good to be needed, to be asked for help.

"Riolu and I will come too," Zorua said, as the two of them appeared beside Luxio. Audino had healed them both, but they still looked ragged and tired. Seeing the two of them together, he didn't know how he had considered letting Zorua return alone. The way they moved in perfect coordination, the way they fit perfectly together as they held each other for comfort, that was friendship. That was something worth protecting.

"The four of us, then?" Luxio said.

Arcanine thought for a moment. "Luxio, someone needs to take charge here. Search the village for more wounded, or more Ice-types. Prepare in case the rest come back here while we're out. I don't see anyone else here who can lead them."

"But I..." Luxio started to object, then sighed. "...No, you're right."

"Come on," Zorua told Arcanine, "let's have Audino look at you before we go."