Chapter 6: New Allies, Old Enemies
Dark woke with a start, the mist rolling away as he looked around him. He heaved up from the ground with an effort, still groggy from the sleep powder covering the soil. His weaker leg crumpled under him, and he growled in frustration.
As soon as he was able to steady himself, he sniffed the air for any signs of the trail. There was nothing on the wind but the faint, salty smell of a large body of water. Dark loped off in its direction; and soon he could hear the faint noises of the ocean.
The vegetation started to become coarse and sparse, and patches of fine sand began appearing here and there; still there was no sign of the water. Suddenly, the ground opened up and Dark found himself at the edge of a steep cliff.
He chirped in alarm as his good foot began to slip; his other leg buckled under the strain and he began to slide over the lethal drop. His claws scrabbled on the rock, but all he could do was watch helplessly as he fell to far to get a hold. Dark fell for what seemed like a lifetime, all his lost causes flashing before him. He closed his eyes in final defeat, when suddenly he felt that he was rising.
"What the-"
Dark craned his neck around, and met the huge, azure eye of a Shuppet straining to keep him from death. He pulled back in alarm and the ghost Pokemon almost lost its hold, but many other Shuppets floated up to help.
"Who are you?" asked Dark, a bewildered look on his face.
"My name is Mistress, that's all you need to know for now," gasped the leader.
They carried him across the large expanse of saltwater, landing with a jolt on a small, deserted island. Dark looked around him as the Shuppet gained their breath, and noticed a huge, ominous building built into the face of the island's mountain. Black mist rose from it, and an array of Zubat and Golbat flew around its towers.
"What is this place?" he asked.
The Shuppet leader floated next to him, glowing a soft red in the evening light.
"This is Mt. Pyre, the Tomb of Pokemon long past."
"It's an oppressing place,"
"It's supposed to be," explained Mistress, exasperated, " a mausoleum isn't expected to be a happy area."
"Well, I have to thank all of you for saving me from falling, it was a very kind thing to do." said Dark.
"Kindness has one of the least parts in why we saved you," replied the Shuppet, grimacing as she said the words.
"What? Why?" asked the Grovyle.
"We are starving," explained the Shuppet, laughing as she saw the expression on the Grovyle's face, "Don't look so scared, we can't eat meat. We feed on spite, hate, and anger. You radiate those things, so you are a prime source of sustenance when not much is available in these lands."
Dark nodded in understanding, looking closely at the Shuppets around him. He observed that all looked undernourished and thin, and were looking at him hungrily with their huge, glowing, eyes.
"I can accept that, but I must leave soon, for I'm on a quest."
The leader looked sidelong at him, her pure blue eyes betraying nothing of her thoughts on the matter.
"A quest? Of what nature?"
"I must find another of my kind, a shining Grovyle, and bring her back to her rightful place as alpha in our clan."
"I sense there is something more to this story..."
Dark nodded and told about the tensions and hateful natures of the rival clans. The Shuppets listened eagerly, taking in every word. When he had finished, they rose and did aerial maneuvers around him.
"This is wonderful; a feast for the most deserving Shuppet! I will go with you, and help when I can. Whatever spite and anger I can gather, I will store and bring back to our land!"
"That's very... resourceful... of you," said Dark, a little annoyed at the ghost's enthusiasm.
"Think nothing of it," said Mistress, smiling in anticipation.
Aquamarine stopped and waited on a small hill for her tired companions to catch up. The news of the danger in her homeland had seemed to fill her with a boundless energy, and she wished she could travel nonstop through the countryside. Only her friends kept her from pushing herself too far now, and even they were becoming exhausted with the rough terrain.
"The ocean shouldn't be far now, guys!" she called back over her shoulder.
Slice stumbled up the small hill, almost falling with the effort. She finally regained her balance and looked at Aquamarine wearily.
"We can't keep this pace up, my friend, we must rest or we will surely fall to predators; this is Salamence country, dangers await for the unwary here. A single mistake can kill you."
Aquamarine looked around at the small gathering and sighed in exasperation.
"You're right, Slice, we need rest. Let's look for suitable cover and then we can sleep."
The group looked around them, but all the cover that could be found in the sparse grassland was a single low tree. They crowded under it, and soon all but Aquamarine was asleep. She watched the sky through the branches, making sure that no danger was near.
After a while, she began to feel drowsy as the middle of the day wore on. Before she knew what was happening, she had lowered her head and was dozing off. Sleep had overtaken her weary body before noon.
A bellowing roar split the air, jolting Aquamarine awake. She looked into the sky and saw a huge Salamence diving towards the tree, its sharp teeth and claws flashing in the sunlight. A warning chip echoed through the branches and the entire gathering bolted in all directions.
Aquamarine ran swiftly through the grassland, but her shining form caught the predator's attention and it veered to overtake her. It dived, prepared to kill its prey with the powerful impact of its claws, but Aquamarine banked and it hit the ground hard before struggling into the air once more.
She continued as the surrounding grass rose around her like a forest; she could hear the Salamence as it started to prepare for another dive. Aquamarine hurriedly put together a plan in her mind, waiting until the huge carnivore had come close before banking again. The dragon Pokemon was ready for this, however, just like she thought it would be, and banked with her.
When it was plunging for the kill, she stopped in her tracks. The Salamence shot over her head, and she caught the surprised look on its face before it crashed into the ground once again. She leapt upon it as it was down, slashing viciously with her razor sharp leaves while simultaneously ripping at it with her claws. The Dragon Pokemon bellowed in pain, trying to get airborne again, but Aquamarine's sharp teeth flashed and embedded into the Salamence's wing joint.
The predator screamed as the wing went limp, struggling to dislodge the furious Grovyle from its back. Aquamarine added her fierce cry to that of the Salamence's, and leapt off as the huge dragon ran off into the trees bordering the grassland. She stood smugly in the middle of the battlefield, cleaning her blood stained hide while waiting for her friends to arrive.
Soon, she heard a rustle in the long grass, and Slice appeared, with Quicksilver and Mercury not far behind. Aquamarine waited for a few minutes, and began to become worried. One member of her group had still not come back.
"Where's Powder?"
Mistress flew from the scene of the battle, back from her reconnaissance mission. She had found what she was looking for, and now she must tell the Grovyle so he would lead her to the clan, and she could help her people so that they could finally feast for the first time in years.
Soon, she arrived at the ocean, and it took almost no time at all to appear at her home. The Grovyle was standing there, and he looked at her with his mysterious amethyst eyes, waiting to hear her news.
"I found her!" she said breathlessly.
"Where?" demanded the Grovyle, instantly alert.
"She's in the dragon fields; she just beat up a Salamence!"
"I'm not surprised," chuckled the Grovyle, showing the only sign of amusement the Shuppet had seen since she had carried him to the island, "Take me there."
The dark form moved to cut off its terrified prey. The circular gem on its forehead flashed a bright yellow, and it smiled, showing it large, sharp teeth. The Breloom squeaked in alarm, but stood in a fighting stance, ready to defend itself.
"It's hopeless for you, don't even bother," hissed the shadowy pokemon, "I will kill you before you touch me. Give up, my prey."
The Breloom snarled, opening her sharp beak and snapping it shut with a loud click. The predator circled about her, but she turned with it, keeping her eyes on the danger at all times.
Suddenly, the form shot forward; before the Breloom could defend, a long slash appeared on her haunch. The plant Pokemon screamed and snapped down at the shoulder of the predator, feeling the salty taste of blood before the creature could rip away.
Both battlers were bleeding now, and both knew that this would be a fight to the death. The chances were equal, and they were ready for the challenge. The dark form's dusky white coat flickered in a patch of sunlight filtering through the trees as it attempted another blow, but the Breloom was ready this time and countered with a powerful kick that sent its opponent to the dirt.
The cat growled and sprang, catching the Breloom by surprise and scoring three long gashes in its side. The prey countered by snapping her head forward and tearing a large chunk out of the predator's haunch as it turned to leap away.
The dark Pokemon screamed in rage and the jewel on its forehead flared in a beam of sunlight, blinding the Breloom temporarily. This was what the cat Pokemon was waiting for, and it pounced with all it's claws fully extended.
The Breloom bellowed as she felt the weight of the cat drop on her, and she struggled to throw it off, but the long claws embedded deeper into her hide the more she thrashed. She felt the teeth of the predator sink into her neck, and squealed in rage and fear.
She lowered her head and slammed her shoulders into a tree, stunning the cat from the impact just enough to loosen its claws from her skin. She whipped around, throwing the predator into a wide ray of sunlight and granting a full view of the Pokemon she had been fighting with.
She leapt, ready to claw the Persian into the ground, but suddenly saw the lithe form of a Grovyle in the trees. She stopped short, and squeaked in alarm when she saw that the Grovyle was not Aquamarine. The Breloom sprinted away and disappeared into the trees, leaving the bewildered Grovyle and beaten Persian alone in the light spattered clearing.
Dark watched as the injured Persian struggled upright. It looked balefully at him, showing its long fangs in an attempt to snarl, but failed miserably and limped into the bushes. Dark watched it go with curiosity, but suddenly Mistress appeared next to him and motioned for him to follow.
They traveled through the forest, finally coming into expansive grassland. The ground was scuffled where they were standing, and Dark studied the long grooves in the soil with interest.
"That's where the battle occurred," explained Mistress "It was pretty intense; lot's of spite."
"Perfect for you, I'm sure,"
"Definitely,"
"Well, where's she now?"
"This way..." answered the Shuppet.
She shot forward, leaving Dark standing surprised before leaping into action, following as best as he was able. Suddenly, the long grass opened into a small clearing, and Dark found himself face to face with an angry Scyther.
"What are you doing here, and what do you want?" it demanded.
Dark pulled back, stunned at the ferocity of the bug Pokemon, when suddenly a voice in the back called out.
"Wait, Slice! I think this was the Grovyle I saw in the trees."
The Breloom that had been fighting with the Persian walked from the tall grass behind the Scyther. It studied him unnervingly with intelligent dark blue eyes, and nodded curtly.
"You saved that Persian's life, do you know that?" it asked.
"Um... no..." answered Dark hesitantly.
"Who are you?" cut a voice from the grass, coming into the clearing to reveal a Zangoose.
Dark began to back up, rethinking his position, but a hiss from behind him made him jump. He whipped around to face a large Seviper, snarling as fear began to build within him. The dark snake laughed, neither unkindly nor kindly.
"No one here will hurt you unless we have a reason to, Grovyle," it said.
"My name is Dark, and I come seeking a member of my clan,"
The Scyther growled at this, and Dark bared his needle sharp teeth in reply. The two stared at each other with malice, but a voice cut through their thoughts before they could act.
"What is all this commotion about? What's happening?" suddenly, the sky blue Grovyle stopped short in surprise.
"Aquamarine..." breathed Dark, staring in wonder at the Grovyle before him.
"Dark? What are you doing here?"
"I came to bring you back to the clan, so you can take your rightful place as Alpha!" exclaimed Dark, as if it were obvious.
"Well, I was just on my way back for the same reason, but you can accompany us if you wish."
Dark stood, stunned by the ease of his quest. He looked around at the group, and noticed that Mistress was nowhere to be found. 'It figures,' he thought, 'I went all this way, on a dangerous quest, just to find that my help was never needed in the first place. How stupid I was for even bothering!' He snarled deeply in his throat as his anger built.
"It figures," he said aloud, echoing his thoughts,"My help was never needed. I'm not going back to the clan, but you should," he growled, leaves beginning to rise on his arms and tail.
He turned to walk away, but the Seviper blocked his path. He bared his teeth in annoyance.
"Get out of my way!"
"You shouldn't talk to Aquamarine that way, she never did anything to you!" it rumbled.
"How would you know, snake," mumbled Dark, trying to move around the Pokemon.
Aquamarine moved to block him, and Dark started to snarl before checking himself.
"Dark, I'm sorry if I offended you. I just meant that the Victreebel have already told us about the tensions in the clans, and we're going to try and stop it."
"Victreebel?"
"Yes, they had a prophecy about this event, and it just happens that they were able to talk to me first!"
"I had a vision, it told me to find you and take you back."
Aquamarine nodded, the scarlet leaves on her body rustling softly as she moved. Dark suddenly forgot his anger of earlier, and turned to look at the other members of the gathering.
"Who are they?" he asked.
Aquamarine told of her adventures after she had left the clan while Dark introduced himself to the others. When she had finished, Dark told of his own ventures while he had been on his quest.
Suddenly, Mistress appeared above them. Slice was instantly alert and ready to battle, but Dark merely smiled at the Shuppet.
"What took you?" he asked.
"Me? You were the one talking with your new friends. I was waiting patiently; now are we going or what?"