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Chapter XV - A Fitting Welcome
I exhaled, readying myself before opening a connection. The rough, inconsistent flow of energy I had not yet been able to control fluidly began.
Come on… I can feel it. Just feed it a little more power.
It helped to imagine a dull hum in my head as energy coursed in and around me. I'd decided, for whatever reason, to let my forehead be the point in which my connection began and ended.
The air wavered ever so slightly in front of me. I clenched my eyes shut, breathing deeply.
Almost there…
Ten seconds had passed with some of the hardest concentration I'd ever mustered. The image in my head had to occupy all spaces, replace all thoughts.
I felt it then; a sensation not unlike a timer going off in my head. I opened my eyes.
"YES!" I just about screamed before beginning to prance around the room, letting my weak illusion fizzle from existence.
My muscles protested and core quivered from using too much energy, but I hardly cared. The simple, misshapen apple I'd created using my mind was enough to fill my entire being with a sense of pride.
Making objects was as simple as making a connection with myself and imagining, as hard as I could, a small object. The problem came with thinking of the specifics. The exact shape, the exact location; it all had to be predetermined. I'd had no idea it was so extensive, but I'd succeeded nonetheless.
Albeit, the apple I'd created was deformed and ugly, looking nothing like a real fruit. The details I could work on, but at the very least I had a baseline to work off of.
Hours had passed since Seraph left, and I found myself with nothing better to do than to practice Illusions. I still hadn't taken care of the excess energy I'd had from earlier, and was glad to find my reserves were abundant by my standards.
I heard a small grunt outside before the door slowly slid open. I stopped in my revelry for a moment to turn and see what it was.
"What're you so happy about?"
Misa hadn't asked the question in a hurtful sort of way, as I'd expected. Instead, she seemed simply curious. I peered at her oddly before responding.
"Nothing really, I just did something with Illusions that I couldn't before…"
"Huh, whatever… Seraph asked me to get you. We're about to stop apparently."
Curious, I turned and hopped onto the bed in order to look out the window. The landscape was widely suburban in feel, though I could see some skyscrapers far off in the distance.
Here we go, then…
I joined and stepped outside my partitioned area with Misa, looking both ways for any signs of life in the car before me. Seraph was to the right, looking out the window with a sense of wellbeing.
"Are you ready?" she said after looking over the pair of us. "I'm so excited to be able to share our home with you both. I'm sure you'll love it."
I smiled, silently thanking her for the gesture.
"We're going to be flying once we get off this train and out of the station. Are you two alright with that?"
I nodded, indifferent on the matter. Misa seemed stunned for a moment before giving her own approval.
"Are we out of trouble, then?" Misa asked coolly, crossing her arms.
"Well, that all depends on how you behave from here on out," Seraph smiled, "Do you think you've learned your lesson?"
Misa scoffed ever so slightly as the train began to slow. Her eyes widened as she, planning ahead this time, grabbed a hold onto a nearby booth seat for support.
Seraph and I shared a quick look of amusement.
"I'm going to give you both fair warning, though… We do have to hide you again. I hope it's not too much trouble."
"No, I think we both understand," I put forth before Misa could say otherwise.
The train, not long after, came to a complete stop with a small jerk, causing me to stumble.
"Here we go, then."
Onto the platform we went, now covered by an incredibly tall roof. The building was extravagant, to say the least, domes of copper far above lined with crystal-clear windows illuminating each and every crevasse of the train station.
The station itself was eerily deserted; no other trains occupied any of the tracks, and every store was boarded up, no people around whatsoever.
Drayden and Skyla exited from the next car over, with Skipp following close behind. I tried getting a gruesome image of the Flygon out of my head, but failed miserably. Even if he was now his normal self, I could not forget the state of mind he'd slipped into when he was angry. I didn't think I would ever again look at his claws without imagining them encased in a harsh, blue fire.
Drayden beckoned us with a flick of his head and began ascending a nearby flight of stairs. A few stories up, I could see a platform with grand doors, currently closed.
Seraph lifted both Misa and I off the ground.
"I'll tell you both when it's time to hide yourselves," she said calmly. "Once we're in the air, you both can come out."
Seraph met up with Skipp and sent him a silent greeting. The Flygon, acting as if nothing was wrong, simply smiling back.
We started up a flight of spiraling stairs, destination approximately three stories above. The steps themselves were constructed with a dark steel which I could only imagine as freezing to the touch.
We halted suddenly. I could hear the sharp sounds of Drayden snapping. I figured out what that meant promptly before Seraph gave the command.
"Hide, now," the Altaria hissed quietly. I was quick to obey, immersing myself in the opaque fluff of her wings. Misa presumably did the same, without question.
We continued forwards once again and eventually leveled out. I could hear the faint sounds of agitated conversation over a dull roar of sorts. As we moved forwards, the roar only grew to be louder and louder.
I was able to pick up on the distinct words of 'we can't stop them'. A thousand alarms rang in my head right then as I picked up on what was happening.
The roar only grew even more audible, eventually becoming more vivid and more focused. A constant buzz, the sound of chaos…
Either I was simply hearing things due to my submersion in Seraph's fluff, or there was a mob outside; thousands of voices all calling angrily for the same thing.
Me.
Meanwhile, Drayden, outside my vision, was rapidly approaching a short, fat man who was waiting for them beside the doors.
"What's the meaning of this?!" Drayden exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing the man by his white undershirt, already drenched with sweat.
"L-look, Drayden, we couldn't set up anything to stop them until-"
"Useless! My one request was that our arrival be kept secret and a few, inconspicuous guards were posted! Does this look at all safe to you?!" Drayden gestured towards the doors as he roughly let the man go.
"We've cleared a path for you as best we can, b-but these people are angry, Drayden, and they have every right to be."
Silence ensued afterwards; neither man spoke before Drayden addressed Skyla.
"You're to take Flygon and leave without us as soon as we go through those doors. He'll take you straight to the Gym and out of all this mess."
The short man began to speak again.
"We have cars arranged for your whole party outs-"
"You be quiet!" Drayden snapped. "For all I know, you're the one that leaked our arrival and left us with a mob to deal with! You've failed in every aspect of your duty, so tell me why I should give you even the slightest ounce of trust!"
No response.
"Seraph, you're to follow them with the cargo; we don't need any added risk."
Drayden was quick to unlatch two Pokéballs from his belt. The telltale mechanical whoosh of their opening drowned out all other noise for a moment.
"You two heard everything?"
Vulcan snorted in disdain while Crag stepped towards the nervous man, licking his lips and giving an odd, hungry smirk. At Drayden's command, though, the Druddigon backed off and formed up behind him.
"The remaining three of us will simply have to do with walking to the Gym. It is a nice day, after all, and one of the only ones left this year."
Crag had a nice, evil chuckle at the notion. He seemed excited to face the crowd.
No other words were exchanged before Drayden pushed the short man out of his path. He let out a short grunt as he stumbled backwards and landed on his backside.
With confidence, Drayden stepped up to the entrance, rolled his neck, and sighed before throwing open both doors before him.
He was right; the sun was shining today with scattered clouds and a smooth wind. He would've liked the serenity of peace on this given day, though it was currently a luxury he couldn't enjoy. The mob grew ever louder, each individual scream compiling into one cacophony as Drayden stepped into view. As commanded, Skyla was quick to board Skipp and take off.
I dug my claws into Seraph's wings as she took off as well, the sudden movement certainly unpleasant. If she felt my reaction, she made no indication. After maybe ten seconds or so, I pushed my head outwards to surface.
I squinted as the wind battered my face, but I quickly redirected my attention back towards the ground.
Drayden descended the quartz steps before the train station, showing no signs of concern as he initially hit the wall of people. A crude path had been made for him with old, wooden barriers. It was almost as if no effort whatsoever had been put into crowd control.
Drayden disappeared in the mob itself; Crag and Vulcan's very distinctive heads were still visible.
We then flew out of sight; the entire scene was shrouded behind buildings. Narrowing my eyes further, I turned back around.
Was the Gym Leader legitimately that confident? Surely he wanted to show no weakness, but was a show of raw and reckless strength the best decision at the moment?
Giving the issue some thought, I reasoned that I shared his concern regarding the lack of police involvement regarding the restraining of the mob. If our arrival was supposed to be kept secret, it meant his plans had been leaked… There were people willing to put him in danger to deter against protecting me.
Was I being selfish? Drayden was obviously going out of his way to keep my team, including Mew, intact.
His conversation with Skyla flashed once again in my mind. He needed me for something. I realized he wasn't helping me or my team out of the goodness of his heart, nor was he doing the same for Skyla.
Vicus, wherever he was and whatever he wanted, was a threat. Why he took interest in a Zorua and an Axew I had no clue, nor did I plan to find out why firsthand.
The flight itself was relatively short; near the end I shared a small glance with Misa. She seemed ticked at me for whatever unknown reason, though she didn't seem to display her usual fervor.
I waited to open my mouth until we began to descend, but promptly shut it once again when Skipp came into view, flying towards us with Skyla still on his back. Both dragons met in the air and hovered.
"There's a bunch of people in front of the Gym, and the courtyard cover is up!" Skipp yelled over the wind. "We gotta land near the entrance and give Skyla a chance to unlock the doors!"
Seraph nodded and turned her head towards me. I myself nodded before burrowing my head once again below the surface of her fluff.
A few seconds later, we began descending, much more slowly and carefully than before.
We hit the ground, and much to my surprise, the area was completely silent. For the large crowd Skipp had detailed, they were all being very quiet.
One voice, however, began speaking alone.
"Where is Drayden?"
"Does it matter?" Skyla responded with a veil of confidence. "I'm sure you'll be able to see him if you make an appointment."
"Here's a question for you, then? Your nephew, huh? Where's he at?"
A low growl indicated to me Skipp had begun to intervene.
"There are going to be many, many problems for you and your entire gang if you don't get out of the way right now and let us go inside calmly."
People started whispering indecisively. They certainly had the mob mentality, but quite the discipline if they were to respect the delegation of a single speaker.
"I swear to-"
"Flygon, be a doll and move him aside for me, please?"
I heard a number of singular yells ring out amongst the crowd before chaos ensued. Simultaneously, I heard what must've been fifty Pokéballs, all being released simultaneously. Skipp's growling grew more intense, while Seraph began shifting onto her haunches in suspense.
I braced myself for the impending conflict to come less than a moment before it started, all with a now incredibly familiar sound
BANG
I heard a sharp whizz of the air above my head, promptly before Seraph screeched in pain. From there, the situation turned into absolute pandemonium. Two more shots rang out in the air around us within just a few seconds, though if any of them connected I had no idea.
Skipp roared, actually roared as Seraph writhed about. With no way to hang on I couldn't help as I was whipped out of her cloud coverage, landing on the ground roughly a few feet away. I took a few seconds to gain my footing and shake myself out as I looked every which way, eyes wide.
Human feet were pounding past me on all sides, running in every single direction imaginable. I had to intentionally dodge a few as not to be trampled in the stampede.
"Seraph?! Misa?! Skipp?!"
As I tried frantically searching for one of the dragons, a stray leg kicked me in the side on its quick journey away. I whined as I was knocked aside, slow to get back up. I shook the injury off for the time being.
I had to adjust my legs constantly to keep my balance. With my world spinning, I found it quite difficult to adjust, all while trying to focus on finding safety among the chaos. Some human legs, running towards some nondescript point, nearly hit and knocked me down again.
Every part of me wanted to simply lie down and try making myself as small a target as possible, as any other Zorua surely would have done. I forced myself to stay standing, however, as the human population finally began to fizzle out.
Maybe a half dozen Pokémon had piled themselves on Skipp. The Flygon seemed to have little issue, however, in picking them off one by one. In much of the same state as the one I'd previously seen him in on the train, I could feel his anger coming off of him in waves. Skyla was nowhere to be found.
Seraph, meanwhile, seemed cornered. The injured dragon, blood steadily staining her pearlescent wings and dripping onto the ground, was screeching and biting occasionally at a group of Pokémon as they slowly advanced.
I wanted to run, I really did… I had the chance to escape Drayden's clutches! However, I let the still-human side of me overcome instinct with rational thought. Where would I go? What greater dangers awaited me on my own?
It didn't take much time to decide I wanted to stay. Was there anything I could do, though? I was entirely useless in a situation such as this. Would Seraph and Skipp have wanted me to hide until the worst was passed? The Flygon seemed like he was winning his own battles and hardly fading, a constant, glaring scowl never leaving his face. He would help Seraph when he got the chance, surely.
Yet, despite my concern, it seemed I now had my own issues to overcome.
A simple Drilbur had begun giving me its attention despite the chaos surrounding us. I could see a glimmer of confident anger flash across its face before it began advancing.
Oh no… Jet never taught me to use moves… I gotta get out of here.
I tried running, only to find yet another basic-stage Pokémon, a Vullaby, was approaching me from the other side, wearing the same, menacing grimace.
I backed away slowly, hoping not to escalate the situation further.
"Hey, hey, chill, guys… We can talk about this, can't we?"
The Drilbur, rather than respond, began preparing an attack. Remembering in the slightest what Jet had taught me one of the days we'd worked on basic maneuvers, I faked left and dodged right, throwing the ground-type off for just a moment. Such a break in its momentum would be pivotal if I could have actually benefited from it.
I gave a quick look behind me to see the Vullaby was rapidly approaching. They seemed to converge as to prevent escape through the only free route. What remained behind me was the wall of Pokémon focused on advancing on Seraph.
Another shot rang out in our surroundings. I could hear as it hit the brick exterior of Drayden's Gym behind where Skipp was currently finishing off the last of his opponents. He hardly seemed exhausted, and despite breathing heavily, he still bore his scowl and turned his attention towards the source.
"SKIPP!" I screamed, watching the Flygon as he began flying, lifting himself a few feet off the ground before taking off towards a hooded man maybe fifty feet away. Before I could see what sort of violence the Flygon reserved for the shooter, I whipped my focus back on the duo in front of me as the Drilbur charged another attack and leapt forwards towards me.
I rolled to the right, left susceptible as the ground type landed and chased me, prepared to stab a claw exactly where I lay on the ground. However, before it could, a simple blur of green leapt over me and began rolling with the assailant on the ground.
Despite lacking size on the aggressor, Misa tried her best to throw herself out of the way of any impending attacks as she slammed her fists on its hide again and again. The Vullaby, shocked by the counterattack, started running forward to assist its teammate.
Before it got to the Axew, however, I made sure to meet it and tackle it off its path. Having no previous experience, let alone an idea on what to do in such a situation, I let instinct overcome any rational thought as I rolled around with the flying type.
I used my claws to try scratching it, even though I knew I wasn't infusing any energy into them. I didn't want myself passing out due to exhaustion anytime soon due to my lack of knowledge regarding the proper way to go about it. I needed as much energy as I could for stamina, in the case I needed to withstand any attacks.
I bit into its wing as it pecked the top of my head, and battered its belly with my claws, but nothing I was doing seemed to have much effect.
Though, the Vullaby wasn't doing that well itself. It seemed, as flustered as it was, it wasn't able to focus on conjuring any moves to more easily dispatch me. As far as its coverage options went, it mainly relied on its beak as a means of attack. It tried getting to its feet way too much, rather than use the sharp talons as a means of offense.
I saw an opening on its leg and I took advantage of it, sinking my tiny teeth into the pink skin there. It tasted horrible.
It squawked in apparent pain, meaning I was doing something right. I shook my head as hard as possible, not letting go in the slightest.
However, I made a mistake in giving it the time to set up an actual move. I was quick to realize what it had been doing when I felt a blunt, energetic force smack into the exact spot I'd been kicked not two minutes before. Whimpering, I couldn't help but let go, feeling a considerable drop in my energy. I began to back away slowly, given the space to do so in the attack.
The Vullaby wasn't quick to retaliate, considering I'd apparently done some real damage to its leg. With a limp, it advanced on me slowly. I could easily escape it at this point and find Skipp, but Misa-
I hardly had to worry about Misa. With a scream, the Axew came into view and leaped onto the Vullaby as it slowly advanced. She'd already allotted some energy to fill her claws, and with a few, well-placed and quick Scratches to the chest, her opponent was rendered unconscious.
She was out of breath, surely. A quick look at the Drilbur revealed she'd succeeded against that opponent as well.
"T-Thanks…"
I found myself shocked to utter the words, but I did nonetheless. Misa gave me an exhausted glance, letting her mouth hang open as she began laughing cheekily.
Whoever was more exhausted, we had a hard time figuring, but we were quick to find Skipp had begun weeding out the crowd of Pokémon surrounding the injured Seraph. The Axew and I, wishing to stay in the way of the situation no longer, supported each other in the slow journey towards the front door of the Gym.
I found myself staring at Skipp, again. The Flygon didn't seem to be doing well.
He hardly bore any scratches, and rather than receive medical attention, he opted out. His mental state, however, couldn't be attributed as being as sound as his physical state.
He'd been pacing the same few steps for an hour now; his agitation had hardly declined whatsoever.
Drayden had arrived fifteen minutes before, having heard the news on the way over. Despite moving as fast as he could without Skipp or Seraph, he'd arrived after all was said and done.
From what I heard the humans saying as they bustled around me in the lobby of the Gym, converted now into a makeshift recovery room for the terrorist attack that'd just occurred, one or two people were confirmed dead in the wake of the conflict.
One death was sure, however, but no identity could be discerned regarding the deceased. Skipp had apparently made sure to mutilate him beyond all recognition, considering he was the one to fire the shots to begin with.
Any and all Pokémon released during the scuffle were now in the process of recovery, considering not a single one was left conscious. They were almost entirely low-level fighters owned by novice trainers, and hardly stood a chance against Skipp while he was raging on. I saw something in him snap as Seraph was shot, releasing the same beast I'd seen on the train.
I began growing more and more uncomfortable with the glares from the humans and Pokémon passing mine and Misa's bench every so often. Word spread quickly regarding the attempt from Drayden to hide Misa and I. I'd gotten multiple, scrutinizing stares from passersby, usually people in the mob that were receiving medical attention in the wake of the stampede. Drayden was livid with the fact that league officials had arrived and disallowed him from letting us retreat from the public eye. We were forced to sit, under Skipp's protection, until their investigation was over.
I'd hardly so much as moved two feet away from Misa while in the lobby. While I hated the Axew with all conceivable certainty, it wasn't a lie to say I was terrified of not being near her at the moment. I recognized nobody, Seraph was more than likely in surgery for the bullet wound she'd sustained, Crag, Drayden, and Vulcan were nowhere around, and Skipp was hardly the Skipp I'd come to know over the previous week.
It took me a while to realize Misa had actually fallen asleep despite the situation. She never was one to worry about important matters such as these for long, but I definitely had her to thank for fighting for me. She seemed to be helpful when it really made a difference, and to say I didn't think of her any differently, if only slightly, after that day would be a lie.
"Hey, Drayden told me to come get you two and bring you back."
I snapped out of thought as I perceived a figure had appeared before us in my time of pensive thought. Drayden's Druddigon, putting up a display of cool indifference, stood before us. He scratched his chin while he waited for us to absorb the command.
Quietly, I stood and shook the Axew sleeping next to me awake in the process. She woke with a start, but was quick to calm herself and follow my lead off the bench.
I gave one, final look towards Skipp as we began walking away. Even though he was our designated 'protector', his duty proved to be of lesser priority than hoping to mitigate the consequences of his boiling anger.
"Is Seraph all right?" I asked as we began to walk towards the front desk.
"More or less," he replied gruffly.
"But is she gonna b-"
"Just quit with the questions and come on."
Maybe two hours had passed since the arrival, and I could feel almost the entirety of my front left shoulder becoming more and more painful as time progressed. Now I was walking on the bruised limb, however, I couldn't say the journey to the back of the Gym was the most comfortable in the world.
"Skipp isn't coming?"
The Druddigon sent Misa a sideways glance.
"Drayden thought it'd be better if he got to cool down for a bit. Don't worry about it."
I gave one last glance at the Flygon. He was looking back at us, the intensity of his emotions slowly fading from his face.
We continued onwards.
Crag opened a door next to the vacant front counter; I was glad to finally be rid of the piercing stares of the humans.
Rooms in the hallway we traversed were at maximum capacity with injured Pokémon. Hardly any of them were too, incredibly grisly, as more or less all it had taken was a single attack from Skipp to knock most of them out.
"Is everyone okay?" I solemnly asked Crag as we passed. They were the aggressors, certainly, but a part of me wanted to believe not all of the injured creatures were fighting of their own volition.
"Eh, yeah if you don't count the shooter. One guy got stampeded pretty bad, but I heard he was fine."
"And Pokémon?"
"None. Skipp doesn't usually go that far… I wouldn't wanna be that shooter, though. Damn, that was a real mess. He's gonna get a ton of shit for it, too. It's too bad you're not allowed to be a badass in this world."
Jeez…
Eventually we arrived in a more segregated area of the medical center and took a right down a deserted hallway. At the end was a glass door leading to the outdoors, which Crag pushed open for us.
Rather than ask why we were entering the outdoors to the easily agitated and hardly conversational dragon, I took a look around.
It was an enclosed courtyard, complete with a table and a few benches sporadically placed throughout. A small brook in the corner between two walls ran down decorative stone to feed a small pond, filled with a few species of fish Pokémon.
Crag didn't give the area any mind, proceeding through in the cold stone path to the opposite end, and furthermore, another door. This one was made once again of glass, through through it I could see what I took to be kitchen appliances.
The Druddigon opened and closed it after we arrived. Drayden stepped into the room, having all the makings of a contemporary kitchen.
"Seraph is resting now, and I would like to see her given the recovery time she deserves without interruption."
The Gym Leader tried placing as little emotion in his voice as possible, but he couldn't hide the smallest traces of concern for his dragon.
"Despite my best intentions, the public knows you two exist now. Forgive me if the next few days are spontaneous as a result. I'm going to have to give an explanation."
I said nothing, letting my gaze wander guiltily. The entirety of this situation stemmed from me, and me only.
"Until then, it's getting rather late. Skipp will be unable to stay with you both tonight, and Seraph should be left alone, so I will show you your rooms and arrange to give you both a proper tour of the complex in the morning. Welcome to Opelucid."
…
Silence…
Only the recurring dream occurred that night. Mew was nowhere to be found.
"Well, you slept in, didn'tcha?"
"How'd you tell?" I asked Misa through still-closed eyes. I was sure I hadn't opened them yet.
"You just told me."
I slowly opened my eyes, faced near-instantaneously with a sight of the Axew, laying on her back. The fin-like protrusion atop her head pointed at me like a compass, while her eyes gazed emptily towards the ceiling. Her face, from the limited view I had, was contemplative.
Daylight peeked through the drawn curtains in the corner of the room. It was a troubling night, certainly. I was glad to be rid of it.
Might as well try being diplomatic. Mew may have talked to her if she didn't talk to me last night, and she actually looks like she thinking with her brain instead of her mouth.
"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my face with a paw.
"Dunno," she replied, unmoving. "Midday maybe?"
I turned my head to the right, eyeing a digital clock in the dimly-lit room. It read 11:37.
"I'm guessing someone made you stay here with me?"
"I would be mad at you for making me bored if they did," she said, tilting her head back to give me a firm glance out of the top of her eyes. "Nah," she continued, shifting her stare back up at the ceiling, "I waited because you're telling me what's up with all this 'Ray' crap."
"What?" I asked uselessly, heart rate rising ever so slightly.
"You heard me fine," she grunted, sitting up. "I was okay with letting you have your little secret, but not if it's as important as it sounds. Because that's what all those humans wanted, wasn't it?"
She stood on the bed, turning and stalking towards me ominously. I could obviously see through her calm, cool nature as nothing more than a schtick. As I stood myself, ignoring a stab of pain from my leg, I narrowed my eyes.
"Tired of all this 'I'm better than you so I don't have to share my secret' crap. I promised you we would talk, and that's sure as hell what we're gonna do. So spill."
"No."
"No? I know you got hit pretty hard yesterday, but I don't think you heard—"
"You know what, Misa? I'm tired of this stupid game you're playing."
"It's not a game."
"Oh, sure. You know, by now, I'd think Mew's talked to you already. Do you have any idea what she'll do to y—"
"IT'S NOT A GAME!"
My glare diminished in the wake of the Axew's booming voice.
"You don't have any clue what this is!" she continued yelling, waving her arms erratically. "And you never will! You know what you are?! A runt! Runts don't deserve to talk back to me! But here you are, acting all high and mighty! You know what?! You are nowhere near my level!"
"What the hell do you know?!" I replied, just as harshly, finding leverage over my shock while she was ranting. "You know absolutely nothing about me!"
"I know you're a goddamn twerp who thinks he's a lot more than he's worth! You wouldn't be alive if it weren't for me. Three times I've saved your worthless ass. Three! But you're too high and mighty to even say it happened! Runts aren't worth anything unless they prove they are! What have you done?"
Positively fuming, she started pacing around the bed to calm down. She was finally out of my face, thankfully.
"I ain't gonna force you to tell me," she said. "But I ain't saving your ass anymore, either… You say I'm the mean and nasty one, but after all I've done, you still don't do so much as tell me a stupid secret!"
She seemed on the verge of tears, but continued on.
"Watch your ass. In any case, slave, today's gonna be a busy day."
I groaned as the small dragon sat and slid off the side of the bed. Reluctantly, I followed, stumbling from side to side in an attempt to keep weight off either one of my two injured legs.
"I really don't feel good, Misa," I announced as the Axew drew open the already-cracked door.
Exaggeratedly indifferent to spite me, she returned with, "You can go back to bed if you tell me your secret."
"You're seriously going to be like that?"
"No? Out we go, the-"
"I suppose I did hear yelling, then."
Vulcan was standing in the doorway. Somehow, I hadn't heard a three-hundred pound dragon make his way to be standing directly in front of us.
"I do believe I remember Seraph telling me about your conviction to stay moving, rather than simply letting yourself recover," he stated afterwards, directing a condescending stare towards me. "She told me, 'He could take a hit straight from Groudon and think he's fine enough to get up right after.'"
"Sorry," I said, bowing my head ever so lightly. While Seraph seemed to be a candidate to bring up any complaints with, Vulcan certainly wasn't. "Is Seraph doing alright?"
"She's recovering. The shooter was using fairydust-laced bullets, so he knew exactly who his targets were. Because of the shot's makeup, her recovery will be heavily impeded, and permanent damage may have been inflicted."
My mouth went dry before I arduously tried to swallow. I nodded my head, averting my gaze somewhat. I found the part of a timid Zorua was growing much easier to play as time passed.
"Now, Drayden instructed I show you both around the complex, as Skipp isn't well at the moment.
I gave a small look down towards my bruised leg. I wouldn't be walking long before the dull pain emanating from it became near-unbearable.
Seeing this, Vulcan crouched where he was and beckoned me forwards. Gulping, I limped forwards to his gargantuan figure. With a single claw, he proceeded to grab me and situate me against his torso in such a way where I was as comfortable as possible.
The next few minutes went by like a blur; I was entangled in my thoughts the entire time. While Vulcan gave Misa and I a tour of Drayden's residence, pointing out certain areas like the living and dining rooms, I found my thoughts drifting aimlessly to the organization responsible for my assaults.
To be perfectly honest, I hadn't given them any mind in days, but Vulcan had identified the shooter in the incident yesterday as having special bullets made for dragons specifically. I couldn't shake the feeling they were somehow involved. I hadn't seen hide-nor-hair of them after what had transpired on Mt Chimney. For a while, I'd thought they'd simply given up after learning Mew was involved.
Yet, in the jumble that were the previous few days, I seemed to have forgotten an important detail.
Mew was vulnerable…
Certainly, now that I was, ironically, stranded in the depths of civilization, it was smart to assume they would try again by targeting Skyla and Drayden, the duo notorious for being on my side throughout this entire exchange, despite the latter's lack of testimony on the matter.
Skyla! Where was she?! I hadn't seen her since the seconds before the mob attacked, having had disappeared by the time I'd been left to fend for myself. Curiously concerned, I proposed the question to Vulcan.
"One of the first actions Skipp took as the fighting broke out was to create a path in which Skyla could make it safely inside the Gym. She apparently ran straight back to where we are now, and hasn't left her room or accepted any visitors since."
Part of me had a hard time remembering Skyla was only twelve years older than I, a much younger sister of my own mother. She had only just become a Gym Leader when I started my journey at the incredibly young age of 22.
"Nox, are you paying attention?"
"Hmm? Oh, uhh… I've just been out of it, sorry."
Vulcan's head lowered ever so slightly in exasperation.
"If there's one thing to remember," he reiterated, gesturing with a claw to one side of the hallway we now stood in, "don't enter Drayden's study. Despite being in possession of sensitive information, it's as cluttered as you can imagine, and there is a fine system in the madness. My point is that he'll be irate if anything in the room is moved. Please just avoid it altogether."
"You don't have to tell me twice," I replied, shooting a glare towards the Axew alongside us.
While the thought of Drayden's study certainly intrigued me, the courtyard we'd traversed yesterday grabbed my attention twofold.
"The architecture of this building is quite impressive," Vulcan said, wandering aimlessly about the grounds. "Part of the complex was built atop a sprawling cave system, underground lakes and rivers included. This spring serves as one of the outlets, and the fish Pokémon living there are free to come and go as they please."
"What are they?" Misa's voice replied.
"Mostly Magikarp and Goldeen. We'll get the occasional Basculin and Feebas, and even a few Milotic from time to time. Most other species are too large or don't like surfacing here."
We moved on to the other side of the courtyard. Off the path, a simple green field sprawled over half of a wall's length, large considering the size of the plaza.
"It's rarely used when compared to the ones in the Gym, but this is a training field. Feel free to use it to play whenever you two so desire."
I glanced at the clean-cut grass. Lacking markings of a normal battlefield, it stood at about half the size.
"What's the deal with this whole 'Gym' thing? I've heard it thrown out a bunch…" Misa replied.
"Yes, yes, I've been meaning to explain it to you both. A Gym, basically, is a complex where a designated leader accepts challenging Pokémon trainers and battles with them. Drayden rarely gets challenges he accepts as a Gym Leader, maybe only one or two every month or so. Being the final Gym, his challengers are more often the best of the best. He has the right to accept any challenge he receives from any trainer, but is only obligated to fight trainers with experience to their name."
"Do I get to fight?"
I groaned at the stupidity of the question. Vulcan didn't seem surprised whatsoever with the question.
"That's what I was going to get to… Firstly, no. Of course you're not going to fight in a Gym battle, especially not in this Gym. Misa, you have to understand some of the strongest Pokémon in the region pass through this building, a portion of which even I can't handle. The group of Pokémon Nox was with is a perfect example. We were ultimately defeated."
That was hardly the truth… Drayden even said during our Gym Battle that he wasn't fighting to his full capacity. I'd won, simply because his dragons were going easy on me. As the Axew was inhaling to give a retort, the Haxorus continued.
"Despite all that, it's important for young Pokémon to learn to fight. Once everything settles down, I suppose…"
"What?"
The Haxorus sighed. "The Gym, of course, is used for Drayden to fight challengers hoping to advance in the league, but it is called a 'Gym' for a reason. With so little challengers, Drayden often finds himself running the Training and Exercise Center stationed here, commonly referred to as TEC. Many trainers and their Pokémon come through and train, as is with all Gyms."
"So… What does that mean?"
"It means you'll get to learn to fight after all the chaos surrounding our arrival settles down."
Despite what I took to be excitement flashing across her face, she shrugged with a 'hmph'.
"Nox," the Haxorus continued, "we don't have much experience with dark types, but Drayden has expressed his desire to instruct both of you in combat, especially after yesterday. If you desire, and after you heal, you may start to learn. I'm sure we'll work something out, even if the instruction won't be nearly as helpful as Misa's."
I thought about her offer, remaining quiet.
Fighting? I mean, I know I'm gonna stay in this body a while, and the thought is really cool, to be honest, but should I? I asked Jet to teach me, but that was to help protect myself while we were on Twist. I didn't learn anything, anyways, other than dodging. Do I need to learn to protect myself anymore, though?
I thought on the question, coming up with an answer rather quickly.
Yes, yes I do. There's no telling when that group'll come back, and if the incident yesterday proves anything, it's that I have no chance of surviving if I get out into a situation like that again…
"Yeah, okay," I answered, exhaling jaggedly.
"Alright then," he concluded, giving me a nod. "Let's take a look around the Gym itself."
With that, we proceeded as a group back towards the path, taking a left to walk away from the door we'd exited.
"That door," Vulcan said," referencing the one we'd exited, "Is the main door into Drayden's house. The only other door leading into this garden is one connecting to the back of the Gym.
We walked through the glass door, now finding ourselves at the end of the hallway we'd seen ourselves walking in yesterday. Soon, we exited the door behind the counter and found ourselves in the lobby, now clear of any people and viewable to the naked eye.
To the left were the main double-doors into the compound, Rayquaza-reminiscent decor winding around the bronze handles. The lobby itself seemed to be nearly entirely black and white marble, dark floors with white walls. Both planes were lined with gold in snaking patterns, as well as columns to give it contrast and depth.
The entire room was completely empty, odd when taking into account the vast number of mingling trainers and league officials crowding the large room the last time I'd been there.
"The decoration is mostly just for show," Vulcan explained, stepping in. "It's not exactly the most aesthetically sound, but I've learned to get used to it over the years."
I gave a small glance outside the main entrance as we moved towards the center of the room, dismayed when I saw a small crowd packed behind some waist-high partitions. Some held signs, the content of which I didn't catch.
"Ignore them," Vulcan said sternly. "They'll go away soon."
As if to redirect our attention, he continued on, walking away from the front door and towards a set of opaque double-doors.
"This is the TEC," he announced, pushing the doors inward and revealing what could only be described as a behemoth of a room. I hadn't actually seen the training center when I'd challenged Drayden, having only stood in the lobby and official battleground. Yet, while different in style, this area certainly reminded me of the training center in Skyla's Gym.
Exercise equipment of all makes seemingly cluttered the TEC's floor. Machines of a certain kind seemed to be reserved to a certain area, however; split mainly across the middle into anaerobic and aerobic sections.
On the left, treadmills and ellipticals, as well as other, less common aerobic machines lined the wall and fanned out in a grid. On the right, though, placed in a seemingly sporadic fashion, sat apparatuses designed to work every single muscle imaginable. While benches lined the walls, spaced evenly, the rest of the area was cluttered with specifically-designed instruments to suit every body type.
"Most specialized training is done on the upper floors, as is all the classes Drayden holds for trainers. You two won't be participating in those for obvious reasons, but it's worth it to check out each upstairs room when you're able. Target practice, sparring rings, you name it and we most likely have it up there."
"I wanna go see!" Misa spouted, having gotten over the initial shock of seeing such a large room filled with such useful equipment to suit her battle craze.
"I'll leave you to explore on your own in a little bit. As for now, let me show you the rest of the complex first," Vulcan dodged, guiding the hopeful Axew back out the doors with his foot.
Personally, I felt quite intimidated by the machines in the room. I'd never found enough use to frequent a TEC, but I still had a decent understanding of what it held. Despite the prowess of my team in recent years, I still worried often about the intimidation from other trainers. As a Zorua, I could hardly see any machines suitable for my… size, or lack thereof.
As we passed the corner and into a second hallway branching from the lobby, I could easily figure out the next destination.
Instead of continuing straight up a flight of stairs into the main battle area, where I'd assumed was the destination, however, we took a right down another, branching hallway.
Almost immediately, a set of double doors to the right, labeled 'Spectators' appeared. Through the glass I could see seats arranged in stair-like patterns. Vulcan, ignoring it, continued forward.
Eventually, however, another door on the right appeared at the end of the hall. What was inside made my mouth drop. While the TEC hadn't quite surprised me, considering my experience while living in Skyla's Gym, her complex surely wasn't large enough to hold a tournament grounds.
Six battlefields arranged into two rows sprawled out before us. Looking straight upward, an unlit scoreboard hung from the ceiling, stationary among the many lights, only about half lit.
Surrounding the arena on the right were multiple sets of empty stands. A look to the right revealed the double-doors I'd seen earlier. The wall to the left was detailed by one, long window, peering into multiple rooms adjacent to one another. I guessed these to be for the purpose of staff when tournaments, or simple battles, were being held.
"Regular tournaments are held here, each at the end of a season," Vulcan explained as I was looking around. "With all the students Drayden gets, accompanied by random entries, there are usually about 750 people competing in each one."
"So, humans just fight each other using Pokémon?" Misa asked, finally putting together the pieces despite the previously available, obvious clues. "That sounds pretty dumb."
Vulcan chuckled. "On the contrary, Misa. I've been training alongside Drayden all my life. Of course, while there are some humans who handle their Pokémon irresponsibly, it's part of Drayden's job to never let them get far in the league."
"I never thought this building was this big," I whispered to myself.
"What was that, Nox?"
"Oh, nothing… Just, umm… Wondering about the tournaments?" I lied.
"Yeah!" Misa shouted, "When do I get to fight?!"
Vulcan shot an annoyed glare at the Axew. "Tournaments are held at the end of each season, meaning the last one was only three weeks ago. Being the beginning of October, we'd still have to wait nearly another three months until the next one. I'm sure we'll have this whole mess sorted out by then."
I faintly remembered hearing something about the tournament the week I stayed in Opelucid before challenging Drayden. Sign-ups had already come and gone, so I wasn't able to participate. I didn't bother staying around to watch. Most of the people, with the exception of few, were amateur trainers. I simply wanted to get the badge and leave. Plus, the events surrounding Somin's injury had provided for not much time spent in the Gym after my half-victory.
"Where are all the people?" I asked in curiosity, reminiscing on the empty lobby and TEC. "You said lots of people usually train here."
"Drayden's kept the facility on lockdown for the time being. Skyla's presence with Drayden was observed, and since the general public already knows she's related to Ray, they believe Drayden is a cohort. It's convoluted, and people are paranoid about anything regarding him."
"Ray did nothing wrong," I cursed under my breath.
Vulcan seemed surprised, an emotion I didn't think I'd ever see on the Haxorus' face. "Drayden understands that much, and believes it's about time to sort it out. We have to find him before the rest of the world does, though, and we're pooling as much resources as we can to achieve that end."
As I concluded staring around the room, Vulcan began stepping out. I could catch a glance, as she turned, of Misa's malevolent glare in my direction.
I'd forgotten she was present to hear the conversation about myself as a human. I knew referencing 'Ray' had only piqued her curiosity further. I could feel the same glare boring into the back of my head as we regressed back down the hallway.
"We still have one more place to see," Vulcan announced. "There's the main battlefield, where actual Gym battles take place, and my personal favorite area in the facility."
Without words, he stepped up the flight of stairs we'd originally skipped, Misa following closely behind. He opened the set of black double doors without issue. From there, he stepped up to another set of doors straight ahead, ignoring the hallways on the left and right.
Before he opened it, however, I swore I heard something akin to yelling. While not exactly panicked, the voices on the other sides were seemingly in combat. I could recognize the telltale grunts and shuffle of battle, even from this distance.
"I thought you said no one was here?" I asked as Vulcan opened the doors. He obviously hadn't heard the noises, at least not as well.
As he turned to give me a confused response, however, he jumped back a few feet as a body landed maybe a foot away from him. Coming to a halt, he whipped his head around to get a better grasp on the situation.
"You're gonna have to try harder than that, Skipper!"
The voice came from the battlefield itself, suspended a few feet in the air at the end of a brief staircase. The shout itself was nearly unrecognizable, hidden under laborious breathing.
Before I could open my mouth, the body that'd landed near us got up, shaking itself off.
"I told you not to call me 'Skipper'," a Flygon yelled back, snarling ever so slightly and now fully standing. It was then he seemed to notice the new visitors to the room.
"Oh… Hi guys," the Flygon greeted, surprised by our presence. It'd seem he'd calmed down from his state yesterday as an oddly timid demeanor went back into effect. "I, uh… When'd you get here?"
"Just in time to almost be flattened," Vulcan responded in a monotone, annoyed.
"Uh… Sorry? We were, umm… Sparring?"
I heard footsteps walking towards us. Skipp adopted yet another nervous glance as Drayden appeared on the edge. The Gym Leader got one look at both Misa and myself and instantly slipped back into a withdrawn demeanor, contrasting the excited personality and obvious adrenaline he'd reflected just moments before.
"Vulcan," he greeted, bobbing his head. "I wasn't expecting the hatchlings to be up so soon."
"It's noon."
Had Drayden been the one to launch Skipp nearly into us? I heard no other creatures on the room, but I couldn't fathom how such an act was possible. A simple human, and somewhat elderly at that, tossing a fully-grown dragon what had to have been at least ten yards.
I tried visualizing the situation in my head… Drayden… Lifting Skipp, a Flygon, above his head and vaulting him as if it were nothing… Impossible.
"Wait," Misa vocalized my concerns, addressing Skipp. "You two are sparring?"
"Uhh, yeah, Misa… It's just physical, so we-… I don't use any moves. Drayden's stronger than he looks, though."
"We were just passing through," Vulcan explained before the Axew could continue. "We'll leave if you two are busy."
"Oh, I was just about to get some food anyways…"
My attention was now focused solely on Drayden, and, following a few seconds of confusion, he noticed I was watching, proceeding to stare me dead in the eye.
I shivered uncomfortably, whipping my gaze away to the only other being in the room. Misa, like me, glued her gaze to the Gym Leader, scrutinizing him carefully.
Despite my hatred towards the Axew, I knew I was required to accept the fact she was, most likely, the only accessible being in the entire facility that was on my 'team', so to speak. I knew she would want to come to talk about the conversation Vulcan and I had about 'Ray', but I was much more interested in the discrepancies of the world surrounding us.
I thought for a moment on whether or not I would tell her what I truly was outright, in privacy, of course. I shrugged the notion away. She wasn't necessary for the plan my team and I were soon to craft in order to escape.
Before I knew it, our posse, now including Skipp and the uncomfortable addition of Drayden, traveled back through the lobby, out the door into the courtyard, and back to Drayden's residence, acting as if nothing was amiss.
Afterwards, Drayden and Vulcan, after handing me over to Skipp, went their own separate way. They walked away and down a hallway out of view, one I recognized to be leading to Drayden's study. It was just about the only part of the tour of the area I paid attention in.
"Let's get some lunch, huh?" Skipp proposed, gaining assent from Misa. I took the suggestion, however as a method of detracting from the attention that accompanied the silence after Drayden's departure.
This chapter gave me a bit of trouble.
I'd had the design of the Gym Complex planned for quite a while, though applying that into words proved much more difficult than I'd imagined. In total, this chapter took three weeks to write, going over my usual schedule of one chapter every two weeks.
I'm having a few regrets regarding the abundance of mystery in the story. Hopefully, some will start being resolved soon, meaning I won't have to refresh the mind of the reader every so often, all while trying to introduce dialogue which allows for the even flow of such references.
As of right now (and this list is more for me than the reader), the current ongoing mysteries include:
- The UPF (as referenced by the Lavaridge Police), the organization chasing Ray.
- Misa's arrival on Twist, as well as Jet's sporadic disappearances during the duration of the stay on the mountain (not to mention his total absence from the current plot).
- The mysterious force blocking Mew's influence of Ray with her power, as well as Ray's dreams of the trainer and the Zorua.
- Vicus (whether it be his affiliation with Drayden, the fact his life's signature is immense, or his plans for Mew, Misa, and Ray).
- Drayden's incredible physical feats/personal oddities, whether it be sparring with Skipp, loyalty to Vicus, or lukewarm personality regarding Ray.
- Ray's parents, and his relationship with them.
- Arceus', included among other legendaries' disappearances from the world/Mew's reasoning for being trained.
All of these conundrums can be grouped into a few categories, thankfully, and all but one will be sorted out by the time Act II draws to a close.
If any of these points are confusing to any reader, all I can request is that you PLEASE tell me. I have trouble knowing what needs clarification and when. In addition, if you'd like any questions answered regarding any of these, I can surely oblige, though not to the point of ruining the story. I may provide hints, as I have in AN's prior, but that's just about the limit.
I still have a link to the Discord server I'm a part of for all things Pokemon FFN! If you want to join, the invite code is: trZCsj5
As always, thanks for reading! Cheers!
