A/N:

Here we are - the end of part one. This is what the story has led up to, and this single chapter is likely the most impactful one I've ever written.

Special thanks to Fawkes Kleiffen for the beta reading services, especially here. We wanted everything to be just perfect for this series of scenes.

"…" - Spoken dialogue

Italics - Character thoughts

'Italics' - Telepathic dialogue

/\/\/\ - Lemon Scene

Chapter 25

— — — — —

Liam

— — — — —

He stood before the city, flames stretching out as far as the eye could see. The skies were dark and foreboding, and a swift wind carried the smoke away from the smoldering wreckage. He gazed upon the scene in horror, watching as a pack of mightyenas sped by, snarling as they clashed with members of Treasure City. What… what's going on? he wondered, trying to make sense of the dreadful nightmare. In the distance, a massive stone fort stood - one of the largest buildings he had ever seen - and it towered over the area. A war was raging, and the lucario was in the midst of it, powerless to stop what was going on.

Though the smoke had climbed into the sky, an ominous figure could be seen as it stomped forward, its eyes piercing the darkness. An eight-headed dragon raked its claws through the earth, roaring into the night with its demented heads, its looming shadow presiding everywhere. No matter where Liam looked, a battle was raging. The seas were churning with blood as various water-types washed ashore, joined by the bodies that fell from the sky. Neighbors were killing one another, and sons had turned against their fathers. His vision blurred, and he found himself shaking his head. What the hell happened here?!

Liam walked through the streets, not a single attack landing on him. A manectric ducked ahead of him, lurching with a quick slash to his opponent's neck, and the mightyena whimpered as his throat opened up. The lucario felt emotionally torn by everything he saw, but yet he continued forth as the electric-type moved on to his next opponent. Aside from the invaders, he looked throughout the thousands of people in combat and made one distinct realization: there were no dark-types.

Looking to the west, the lucario found himself staring back at the dragon, all eight heads locked onto him. A bloodcurdling scream sounded, and he was forced to cover his ears. In the confusion, he watched as a blaziken walked in front of the dragon, as though he were leading it. Or perhaps the other way around. One thing was for certain, though: he knew this one. You… In a flash, the dragon opened its powerful maws, and a wicked flame overtook the entire city.

He sat up, gulping for air as he tried to make sense of all that he had seen. Selina mumbled in her sleep, having been disturbed by his rapid motion. What was that? he kept asking himself. It hadn't been the Dimensional Scream - he hadn't even touched anything! And it had never appeared in his sleep before, either…

Selina groaned, stretching out across the bed. Her paws searched around for his form, seeking to latch onto him again, and her eyes slowly opened upon not finding him. He looked down at her, not sure what to say right now. Had it just been nothing more than a dream? But that dragon from the mural had showed up again, and it seemed far too realistic…

"Mmmm… what are you doing?" she asked sleepily.

"I… I don't know. We've gotta go see Eleanor…"

"What? Why?" She looked at him confusedly, but her concern was becoming clear upon noticing the fear on his face.

"I saw… it was that dragon. Everything was destroyed, and… I'm scared that we might not be in the clear just yet…"

The two of them hurriedly got up, and Liam grabbed his sash and tightened it around his waist before heading out. The light of dawn could be seen shimmering from behind the rocky outstretches in the distance, but right now, the serene picture did nothing to calm him.

He assumed that the legendary would be in her home at this time, but there was a chance that she had already left for the summit of the mountain. In any case, the two of them walked briskly towards her place. Liam couldn't help but instinctively look around as he retraced the very steps he had taken in the dream. Everything was peaceful, with many of the village pokémon starting their days, and most of the businesses had yet to open.

"How bad was it?" she quietly asked. After everything that had happened, nobody doubted his sincerity on matters such as this.

"It was horrible…" She looked at him questioningly.

"But… what happened?"

"The eight-headed dragon - it was there. There was a war going on everywhere around me, and there were so many people dying…" He shook his head, praying that this, he was wrong about a premonition. "And then there was that wretched blaziken…"

"No… but he's locked away, isn't he?"

"Yeah, him and his crew are in that prison on Mount Horn. But I'm not so sure what to expect anymore." He made eye contact with the umbreon. "I… I helped drag him back, Selina… even after that first vision. I should have killed him then and there…"

Not many words were exchanged between the two of them as they approached the legendary's humble home. The soothing lavender that was planted all around her house swayed gently in the breeze as he stepped forward. The lucario knocked abruptly on the door, hoping that she was still here. But if he needed to go to the mountain, then so be it.

"Yes?" the cresselia answered from within. It sounded as though she was already wide awake.

"It's me," Liam said. "We've gotta talk. I dunno if I'm just being paranoid, but I'm not taking chances." The door was unlocked telepathically, and the two of them walked in. Eleanor looked at her visitors with concern, but realized the troubled look on Liam's face.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think so," he replied. "Do you have a moment?"

"I was about to leave, but I don't suppose the elders will mind if I show up later than my usual time. More often than not they are still asleep when I arrive, anyways. What's troubling you?"

For several moments, Liam relayed the contents of the vision to the two of them. Eleanor listened intently to every detail, and he couldn't ignore the sense of dread in the air. "Do you think there's any truth to it?" he asked once he was done.

"I… I am not sure…" she said. "The Dimensional Scream has never worked in the form of a dream before. At least, given past occurrences."

"I just… there doesn't seem to be any real tendency," he said. "Aside from touching something. But I was asleep, and the only thing I was touching was… well, Selina…"

"Did you see her anywhere in the vision?" Eleanor asked. "I need you to think really hard on what you saw, Liam."

"No. I didn't see any dark-types at all, aside from all those mightyenas." None of it seemed to make any sense…

"But… that dragon…" Selina stated.

"Yeah, I know. It looked like it was thousands of feet tall, and I've never seen anything like it."

"Only at Temporal Tower…" she murmured. He thought on it for a second, then the realization hit him.

"You're right, we did. And I drew a sketch of it…"

"So then do you believe it might have just been a dream?" Selina asked Eleanor.

"Perhaps," the cresselia replied. "But I want to see this sketch. Do you have it with you by chance?" Liam shook his head - he hadn't thought to bring Grovyle's satchel with him, though in hindsight, it probably would have been a smart decision to grab it before they had left.

"No, but I can run and grab it. You two stay right here."

"Trust me, neither of us are going anywhere," Eleanor stated.

Liam rushed back home, darting between the seemingly endless crowds of people, most of whom were just starting their days. He prayed that this was all nothing more than a simple nightmare, but until he knew for sure, the terror would continue to manifest itself within him. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt that dragon staring straight through him. He had felt so small and insignificant in the shadow of the colossal creature.

He hurriedly unlocked the trapdoor to their house, and once he was inside, Liam began frantically searching around for the satchel. Come on… where did I put it? Think, think… The last time he had used it was to write some rather embarrassing, intimate events that the two of them had engaged in, but he couldn't seem to remember where he had set it. Eventually his eyes settled on the old bag, finding it at the base of the table. There you are. The lucario snatched it up before heading outside.

As he ran back to the two females, he recognized several people around him who had been in the vision, and it only served to unsettle him more. Many of them had been fighting amongst each other, and he had no clue why. What's going on? he asked himself.

He couldn't forgive himself for not ending that blaziken when he had the chance. I knew… I knew he would be a problem before I even met him. Why didn't I just kill him then and there? Granted, he would have never predicted that the fire-type would have been a problem of this caliber, but it still didn't serve to comfort him considering that he had an opportunity to resolve this very issue months ago. And I let it slide… Now there was no telling what would happen. The Dimensional Scream hadn't been wrong before…

But they had changed the future. There was no way the same events could occur, given that they had set the local events on a far different path. And who was to say that what he had recently dreamed about was due to the Dimensional Scream, anyways? He was trying to remain logical, but in the face of such a premonition, he was losing the ability to do that.

When he arrived, they were already deep in discussion. "But that doesn't mean it is relevant to our place or time," Eleanor said as he walked through the door. She glanced at him, then back to the umbreon. "Temporal Tower is a globally significant building that foretells history as it has and as it will occur. But that doesn't mean here and now. It may have simply been a nightmare, given the inclusion of someone we know is locked away."

"But do we know that?" Liam asked.

"We have sent a representative to Mount Horn, and he should be back any day now. It is one of the most secure facilities I have ever seen. There is only one way in and out, and it's constantly guarded."

"But do we know?" he repeated.

"Well… I suppose not."

"He was ahead of that dragon," Liam said, taking out his journal from the satchel. "As long as he's alive, we can't ignore the possibility of things going south."

"And what will you do?" Eleanor asked. "Are you seriously thinking about going over there just so you can take the law into your own hands? Again? Liam, we have been over this, and you promised—."

"I'm not going to do it that way," he said, cutting her off. "I know just as well as you what I promised. But I refuse to leave the area until I see his head get taken clean off his shoulders." She sighed, but eventually, the legendary nodded.

"I see. Well, he shall answer for what all he has done. Just so long as you let the proper authorities handle it." She looked at the journal and reached for it. Liam immediately placed his paw on it, glad that he had thought of something before handing it over.

"I uhh… I might wanna just show you the page. There are a few private things in here, and I wouldn't wanna embarrass all three of us…" Though it was far from the main concern at the moment, he still wanted to maintain that decency. She nodded, and Liam began to flip through the pages of the old journal, eventually finding the one of interest. He turned the book around and slid it towards the cresselia, who examined it closely. Everything went quiet as she studied the image.

"Eleanor?" Selina asked. "What's the matter?"

"Liam… how did you learn to write this language?"

"What do you mean? Like I said, we found this in Temporal Tower. I just made a quick sketch of it…"

"These symbols are from a secret language - one that only legendaries can speak." Her hand traced over the page, and to his surprise, the cresselia lacked her usual optimism, the very joy taken out of her soul as she stared back at the two of them. "The writing here… was this exactly where it was?"

"Yes. There was some more, but I'm pretty sure—."

"Liam, we cannot afford 'pretty sure' right now." He fell silent, and the sense of dread was starting to well up within him once more. "I need for you to think harder than you ever have in your entire life. Was this where the writing was?" she asked, pointing to the short word over the dragon's chest. He looked at her silently, but he slowly nodded.

"Y-yeah. It was…"

"What's going on?" Selina asked, equally as frightened by the legendary's sudden change of demeanor.

"Is it true?" Liam asked, barely able to speak the words. "Is… is this dragon… or whatever it is… going to attack Valmor?" Eleanor shook her head slowly, and he could feel the fear within her aura.

"No," she whispered, "the dragon isn't going to attack Valmor…" She looked at him, and Liam noticed the tears welling up in her eyes. "The dragon… it is Valmor…"

— — — — —

General

— — — — —

There was no more ignoring the situation at hand. Liam had rushed to make his preparations for the journey, packing nothing but food and weaponry. He was taking enough iron thorns to turn this vile creature into a pincushion. No more putting off what needs to be done… what needed to be done all along! He was going to go over there to make sure that everything was as it should be. Whatever this blaziken had done to Valmor - whatever he had turned the country into in the vision - wasn't going to happen if Liam had anything to say about it.

Selina had desperately wanted to come with him, but he wasn't going to debate it. He wasn't about to have her within reach of such a despicable person, knowing full well what he would do to her if he had the chance. His only comfort in spite of the situation was the fact that Mount Horn's prison was an impressively guarded facility. That and the fact that it would take some sort of an unholy misfortune for something to go wrong there.

Eleanor would be going with him, as word had reached them from one of the scouts that Tristan's crew would be arriving within a few hours. The only other companion that would be accompanying them was a dragonite that was a friend of hers, who would allow Liam to ride on his back in order to arrive at the prison quicker. There wasn't a moment to lose at this point, and they couldn't afford for the journey to take a week. The others were occupied, but with two of the most powerful people in the continent combined, that was all that was needed. The luxray would assume his duties in her absence, and they would ensure that one of Retribution's most important missions ever was seen to completion: the death of that blaziken.

As for the lucario in the mural, they still had no clue as to who that was. It didn't matter. The only thing that was of any importance was to ward off the monster before he could seize the country.

— — — — —

Tristan

— — — — —

He walked through the eastern gate, appreciating the fact that their campaign had finally reached its end. The total head count of their new military was 7,344 individuals, with only around a thousand members of his own species. It wasn't exactly the outcome he had expected, but then again, it was already such a risk that no one within the Valmor could complain. I did it… he thought. I made an army… It had taken nearly a month longer than he had expected, but it had been done nonetheless.

They had already sent several of the packs to key areas, and he had assigned dozens of people towards maintaining the necessary supply lines. Given the deal that he had reached with the various packs - often through challenging their leaders in a manner similar to what he had done with Faramond - he was obligated to meet his end of the bargain.

As of now, he had stationed individuals according to their need, mainly alongside the various roads throughout Valmor. They had already sent thousands of tents to the several main locations of interest, where they would be further dispersed to the electric-types. The typing so far for the military, ignoring his own personal bias, was a good one. Aside from the fact that the pack mentality could be easily utilized for the innate hierarchy that a military called for, electric-types could operate anywhere and were only weak to a single elemental attack. But aside from that, a group of such pokémon had far stronger capabilities than the sum of its parts - that much he had witnessed from the local officers. And if they received the same training…

He had thought back to the events that had transpired over his time as Advisor. He had started with simply trying to grow the formerly-named Treasure Town into a productive settlement for the sake of its own residents, but now he had well over a million people within the boundaries of Valmor. It seemed as though the entire continent had become so much smaller, with half of it now working together in such a way that nobody would have ever predicted. Everywhere he looked, formerly impossible things were being accomplished. Business was booming, food was plentiful, and people were moving all around. It was as though Valmor was a living, breathing entity, having sprung to life under the care of the luxray.

Approaching the main crossroads, he could see Aidan heading towards him from the opposite side. Tristan smiled after seeing his friend for the first time in nearly two months, and he was reminded of how good it felt to finally be home after such a journey. "Damn it's good to see you…" Tristan said. Aidan smiled back at him.

"Likewise. The place wasn't the same without you."

"Oh no," he joked. "Was Eleanor a stick in the mud?"

"No - not at all!" the typhlosion said. "It's just… well, you know what I mean…"

"Of course, of course. So, what all has happened while I've been out?"

"Well get this," Aidan started. "One of our scouts brought back news from the west. Another settlement wants in - a massive one at that!"

"West?" Tristan asked. "I didn't know of any land that lies west of here. At least, not within this continent…"

"See, that's just it - they aren't on land. See, we've been trying to figure out how to establish all these water routes, and the answer has been right beneath us this whole time. Literally!"

"Really?" Tristan thought it over, then got the implications. "Why, you're right! We didn't think to ask any of the underwater settlements. So who was it?"

"Gyarados Ridge actually sent word to us that they wished to be included, particularly in exchange for land goods. There are a lot of materials and food that they don't have access to due to their location, so that's my guess as to why they want it."

"That's great news!" the luxray stated. "I'll have to send word to them immediately."

"I'll have that taken care of," he stated. "There was something else I wanted to tell you… I feel like it was important, but I can't remember for the life of me…" He thought to himself for a moment, but only shook his head. "Oh well, I'll mention it next time I see you."

"Well alright then, I'll see you soon. Got a few things I need to take care of myself. Need to meet with Eleanor first of all."

"It's my understanding that both her and Liam left, actually. They didn't really tell anyone where they were going. I just heard it from the two officers by the eastern gate this morning." Really? That's strange…

"Understood. I'll try to see what's going on," Tristan said.

He tried to make sense of everything as he made his way towards the main street. I just don't understand, he thought to himself. Why would they just go and leave like that without saying anything? He supposed that he would have his answer soon enough.

It took him the better part of an hour of searching, but he eventually noticed Selina in the distance, talking with Kangaskhan at the storage facility. He walked over towards her, and the umbreon noticed him and smiled weakly. "Hey…"

"Hey Tristan," she stated.

"I heard of Liam and Eleanor's departure. What happened?" Selina nodded towards the large shopkeeper.

"I'll catch up with you later," the dark-type said, before walking with him. "Follow me. I don't want anyone to hear and get paranoid…" His interest was piqued, and the two of them walked west of the town, away from the bustling streets and out of hearing range.

"So what's going on? Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Liam had another vision," she said. "And… it doesn't look like everything's gotten better. We're worried that the blaziken that you and Liam put away might try to take over Valmor…" The luxray looked at her confusedly. Was she being serious about this?

"Selina… we have an army now, not to mention the most powerful group of bounty hunters in this continent. How in the world would that degenerate accomplish such a thing?"

"I don't know," the umbreon admitted. "But we are scared that it may happen because of the mural that we saw at Temporal Tower. Not to mention the fact that Liam hasn't been wrong about this stuff before…"

"Well I say let him come," the luxray stated. "We are more than ready for him, as we were when we put him away. He's got no chance of taking this country. Not while I have anything to say about it."

"I sure hope so…" She seemed far more concerned about the matter at hand than he was, but that made sense. She didn't know what Valmor was now capable of - thousands upon thousands of mobile fighters, and that was before they had started the recruiting process within the individual settlements.

"I've devoted everything in me to creating this country," he said, looking off into the distance. He wasn't wrong in saying that, either. But from day one, he had never forgotten the reason for his perseverance - his motivation to keep going. "Do you know why I did all this?" he asked. She looked at him questioningly.

"Not really. I'm still trying to come to terms with all the changes around here," she joked. "But what led you to do this?" After all these years, the time had come.

"Well… you did. Everything you see now… I've done it so that you could live in a world which you deserve. From the very first day I saw you back at Amp Plains, I knew that you were someone special. I have always treasured our friendship over these years, and now… I would be honored to have you at my side as something far more." He gave her a sincere smile, meaning every word of it.

"T-Tristan… what about Flora?"

"Flora is a great gal - don't get me wrong. But we are not meant to be. You though… you are the most beautiful, exquisite creature I have ever laid eyes on. I have felt for you ever since I first saw you." Her ears lowered, and she backed up slightly, and the speech he had rehearsed a thousand times in his head had not received the outcome he expected. She seemed awkward about it. Why?

"I… I can't, Tristan…" He shook his head, unable to comprehend it. Had he done something wrong?

"Why not?" he asked, trying not to appear as hurt as he was. It was then that he noticed a scent that he had ignored - faint, but still there nonetheless. Someone else's, but with her own. His heart dropped, and all of a sudden, he knew why. He felt sick to his stomach. How… how could she?

"You… what have you done?"

"Tristan… Liam and I are together." He looked at her, not able to believe what he was hearing, but no matter how much he wanted to ignore it, he could not deny the scent. Despite everything that he had been through - all the hardships for her sake - he hadn't been good enough for her? But Liam was?!

"I don't… I don't understand. I did everything right… I… I did it all to make you proud…"

"We all are proud of you… it's just…" she sighed, clearly uncomfortable with the awkward situation. He was trying to keep from breaking down, and yet still, he couldn't stop the tears from falling. "I… I'm so sorry Tristan. You're a great friend, and I can't tell you how many girls would be lucky to have someone like you. But… I've always loved him…"

"Then… why," he growled, taking a step forward. "Why did you lead me on all this time?"

"Wh-what? I nev—."

"Did you take some sort of sick pleasure in all this?!" he roared, causing her to back up in fear. "Are you enjoying seeing me like this? Look at me!" She began to tremble, but she met his gaze, seeing the tears stream down his face, matting his fur as she cowered before him. "Everything I did, I did for your sake! I left my home! I built a nation for you! And you just think it's funny to toy with my feelings like that?!"

"Tristan, please calm down…" she whimpered. "I never meant to—."

"Oh, you never meant to what?! Rip my heart out?!" His chest was rising and falling violently, and he couldn't hold back the sobs. Never in his worst nightmares would he have thought something like this would have happened. "You… I have always been hopelessly in love with you, and you… you gave yourself to that mutt!"

"Stop it!" she said.

"He doesn't deserve you! He never did! But you never even gave me a chance! Is this what you dark-types do?!" She froze up, and now, he wasn't the only one with tears. "I… I thought the world of you! I thought you were the exception - the one good one out of the endless black sea of criminals! But you have stolen something far more impactful than any thug ever could." She cried, clearly not knowing what to make of any of this.

"I-I'm sorry Tristan," she said between the sobs. "I… I didn't mean to hurt you, but… I love him…" The words stung far worse than any other pain he had ever felt. The very dream he had dreamt for years would never come true, and every fiber of his being wanted to scream out in agony. She couldn't take it anymore and ran off, receding to the very home that she shared with the one who had defiled her.

Tristan turned and ran the other way, looking down to try and avoid eye contact with the townspeople. He nearly ran into several individuals on his way back, but his mind was numb from the emotional pain that was tearing him apart. When he reached his home, rather than carefully use his key, he rammed into the door full-force, blowing it clean off its hinges.

He cried and cried for hours, throwing furniture around and yelling. "You're all the same!" he screamed, standing amidst the wreckage of his home. A physical pain had welled up inside his chest, and it was an emptiness that would never leave. Only one person could have filled it, and now it was an opportunity he would never have. "All you dark-types!" He collapsed from exhaustion, panting heavily through his sobs. He cared not if anyone saw as they passed by. He cared about nothing at all anymore.

It's not fair at all! he roared in his mind. I… I did everything right! I deserved her, not him! His heart had hardened, and his mind was split equally between sorrow and rage. Why? Why would Arceus ever put such creatures on this planet? he thought through the sobs. It was Darkrai, Kraven, the crooked cop. It was well over half the criminals, the beggars, the degenerates - the entire reason he needed to build a military in the first place! And now… the worst of them all had crushed his very soul.

He weakly got back onto his feet, looking around of what was left of the inside of his house. A glossy, shimmering vase was in pieces on the floor - a gift from the umbreon when he had first joined the team. It had been his most treasured possession, and just like him it was broken. He looked at his reflection in the glistening surface, seeing a fire that hadn't been present in his eyes before. I… I still have a job to do… he thought. The luxray had sworn to serve Valmor to the best of his ability, but also to protect it from any threats whatsoever. And now… he knew exactly who those threats were.

END OF PART ONE

A/N:

And now the real fun begins.