Author's note: very sorry for the long wait! ;;; Don't worry—the next chapter is in planning already, so it shouldn't take as long to write. Thank you Maia's Pen and Hazel-Becka for reviewing, and thank you Robin Ryan and Kath for telling me to update until I finally did. Here's the chapter, hope you all like it!
Chap. 12—Ghost Town
Willow and her Pokemon, along with their new companion, the mysterious Arturo, were trailing Team Blade. They had long left the oppressive forest, and were now trekking through more sunlit, open woods. Willow felt slightly uncomfortable, walking through the forest with an immense creature behind her making almost no sound. Several times, she turned back to see if Arturo was still following her.
Arturo could trace the Slicer's movements, and it seemed to be heading northward. Willow didn't know where it was going or what Team Blade was after, but she intended to find out and stop them.
"Arturo said that that thing—the Slicer—told him that Team Blade is looking for Pokemon from pure bloodlines...what could that mean?" Willow asked softly.
Plodding along beside her, Lunus looked up. "Saur, bulbasaur. Bulba saur saur!"
He says it means Pokemon Lords, Katsu put in, floating over and perching on Willow's head. Shifting, he made himself comfortable, making sure not to pull her silky hair.
"But what is a Pokemon Lord, Katsu?" Willow asked, taking the Mew3 off her head and putting him on her shoulder. "I knew what some of the things Arturo told us about were, but I don't think I've heard of this one."
Maybe it's Pokemon who are in charge of things, Katsu suggested. Lord is a leader...Pokemon Lord...that makes sense.
Lunus shook his head, muttering about Pokemon who couldn't admit when they didn't know something. "Saur bulba saur. BulbaSAUR!"
I will not be quiet! It's not like you know the answer either!
"Saur."
Oh, Katsu said quietly. He got his voice back after a moment, however. Well it's good to try to figure things out!
Willow smiled, poking Katsu. "Don't fight, guys. Lunus, do you know about Pokemon Lords?"
Lunus nodded. "Bulba saur, saur bulba saur. Bulbasaur saur."
He says Pokemon Lords are Pokemon descended directly from very ancient Pokemon. He says he's not completely sure, but he thinks that they kind of rule groups of Pokemon, like human rulers I guess.
Willow nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm...what would Team Blade want with Pokemon Lords?"
Suddenly, Arturo stopped. It took Willow and her Pokemon to realize this, and they turned and walked back to him. "What is it, Arturo?"
Arturo looked around. "...the Slicer is close. It has stopped moving...it is probable that it has reached its destination."
Willow was at a loss. "What's around here that Team Blade would want?"
"I do not know," Arturo said simply. "I apologize," he added.
"Don't worry—I'm sure we'll find out soon. Come on, guys!"
Willow and her Pokemon set off again, energy renewed by the knowledge that they would soon reach their goal, and find out what Team Blade was up to.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Rose crouched impatiently in the shadows of a dilapidated building, covered in cobwebs and filth. This job was taking far too long for her taste; the sooner they left this place, the better. She looked up the dirt road that was the main street, shivering slightly. In the shadows of other buildings crouched her comrades, also waiting, also impatient to be gone.
She glanced about, taking in the small, decaying town they were currently stationed in. Every building was obviously abandoned. The windows were traced with spidery cracks; some were broken or missing entirely. The gaps in the walls, although boarded, still made an eerie whistling as the wind swept past, swaying doors half off their hinges.
The dirt path was rough, uneven in places, and so old that their feet hardly rose dust from it. Even so, her clothes were covered with a fine layer of light brown dirt; her hair had been turned several shades lighter by the fine silt falling from the window she crouched under.
Oh well. It would be over soon enough, and she could get out of here. There would be time for a shower and a change of clothes then. In the meantime, she would wait. Rose finally gave in to the ache in her knees, sitting on the ground and setting her small handgun down beside her. Brushing some dust off the tops of her black leather boots, she sighed, drawing her knees up to her chest.
It had been a long wait, and it was only getting longer.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Willow shivered, looking down the long, dusty street. An eerie fog was rising , obscuring the empty, dilapidated town. Willow's Pokemon were equally ill at ease, having a strange sensation that something awaited them in the town.
"Pikachu..."
Willow returned her Pokemon, not wanting to put them in danger; there was no telling what Team Blade would do, and the more precautions they took, the better. Arturo followed the slim girl calmly. It was here that the Slicer's transmission was coming from, and it was here that they would confront the Progenitor construct. He was on alert, ready for anything.
Willow walked cautiously along the street, looking around her at the ancient-looking buildings, their doors hanging from their hinges and their windows cracked. A cold wind shrieked past, chilling them to the bone. In daylight, the abandoned town was revealed in all its shabby loneliness, stark and bare compared to the lush forest they had left behind. It was filled with a deafening silence, a silence that came from long isolation. Perhaps it had once been inhabited; now, it was nothing but a ghost town.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Rose's communicator crackled into life at her belt. Pulling it out, she had it to her ear, the volume as low as possible. "Get ready; they're coming."
Rose put away the communicator and picked up her gun. With the ease of practice, she quickly loaded it and readied it to fire, holding it comfortably in her hand. The cold metal held a promise of death as it rested against her palm.
Flattening herself against the wall in the building's shadow, she glanced down the street. They were coming, and Team Blade would be ready; the new project would not fail. Rose would help make sure of that, even if she had no idea what it was.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Arturo stopped; the Slicer's single was moving. It was coming closer...closer...but suddenly, it veered off. Arturo could not understand it.
"Willow, the Slicer is moving. But...it does not approach us. Is it possible that it has not detected our presence?"
Willow thought about this, focusing with difficulty in this shadowy town that encouraged the dark, buried thoughts of the mind. "Well...maybe it doesn't know we're here, and...it's going somewhere. So...we should follow it...let's go."
Arturo followed her down a side alley as they tracked the Slicer. They didn't know its destination, but they had to find out.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Rose sighed, feeling very uncomfortable. The group they were waiting in ambush for had turned, and now they had to follow them. Slipping out from behind the building, she followed the other Team Blade members to their new location: the Pokemon Lord's Arena.
-o-o-o-o-o-
The Slicer had stopped.
Willow stood holding her breath in the shadow of a stone wall, looking out into a squared off stretch of brown dirt. The central area was outlined by thin cords, pegged down at each corner of the square. The area outside the central square was marked off in regular rows, and the entire place was covered by a thin black-purple mist that covered Willow's ankles. The area was enclosed by a stone wall, with opens blocked by rusted iron gates at both ends. The setup seemed oddly familiar to Willow, but try as she might, she couldn't place it.
On the other end of the place was the Slicer, surrounded by several Team Blade members. They were holding weapons, and seemed to be waiting for something. Then, there was a faint stirring among the Team Blade members. They shifted, cocking weapons and looking around in eager, nervous anticipation.
Just as Willow was wondering what had prompted this action, she heard a sound behind her. Barely smothering a gasp, she turned fearfully, and her jaw dropped in shock.