Imppala: Yawn... if it wasn't for the fact the old fogey's so darn useful, I'd skip the whole thing altogether.
Grim: At least there's one good thing about this gaiden... we delay your full-blown invasion into this crossover!
Imppala then proceeds to beat Grim to a pulp, which he can't since Grim keeps going transparent. Leaving ShadowedTactician to handle his replies...
Gijinka Renamon
ShadowedTactician: As some may say, what goes around comes around. Thanks for your support.
Elven-Girl10
ShadowedTactician: Thanks for the reviews. Truthfully, Ephidel isn't getting any Pokémon, since there's hardly a scene where he could use one properly. Most of his cameos just involve talking and talking until he becomes flame-grilled. But just in case you were wondering, Ephidel gets Dark/Fire Pokémon (Houndoom, Murkrow, Torkoal), trapper Pokémon (Dugtrio, Flygon) and an Arbok (mini-dragon of sorts and Poison fits Ephidel anyway).
ShadowAngelUmbreon
ShadowedTactician: Thanks for reviewing, Lily. Wonder what happened to Cloud and Flyfly.
"Darin, the marquess of Laus, knows all..." The dying words of Lord Helman stun Eliwood beyond belief. For Hector, however, they only serve to strengthen his convictions. Despite the pain it brings, Eliwood takes this newfound knowledge to heart and sets out for Laus once again. On the way to Laus, the group travels through a Caelin village. The two lords decide to rest there for a night.
"Bah! Dark already," Hector grumbled as the sky turned a shade of velvety indigo.
"We'll have to stop here for the night," said Eliwood. "We'll set out for Laus at the first sign of sunlight. Marcus," he ordered the paladin, "Prepare the camp."
"Yes, my lord," nodded Marcus as he set off to perform his duties.
"So this is Caelin?" remarked Hector as he looked around. "You think we ought to present ourselves to Lord Hausen?"
"We're simply passing through, so I don't see the need," shrugged Eliwood. "I am curious to see how Lyndis is getting along, though."
"Lyndis?" Hector's eyebrow twitched.
"Marquess Caelin's granddaughter," Eliwood explained.
"Oh, her. The missing heir who dealt with Lundgren last year..." Hector looked back at his Pheraen friend. "Didn't you have something to do with that?"
"Mm." Eliwood nodded as he stared up at the sky.
"And? The granddaughter?" Hector asked, grinning slightly. "Is she a beauty?"
"A beauty?" Eliwood seemed taken aback at Hector's question. "She's... I don't... she's... I think it must be her Sacae heritage. She's... striking..." he stammered.
"Striking?" smirked Hector. "Too bad, isn't it?"
"What?" asked Eliwood.
"That we don't have time to see her, loverboy," grinned Hector, delivering his punchline.
"No!" Eliwood protested. "Lyndis and I are... we're not..."
"You're not? Then why are you getting so worked up?" Hector continued.
"Hector! Don't make me angry!" fumed Eliwood in mock rage.
"Ha ha ha ha!" laughed the Ostian lord. "You are so much fun to tease!" Suddenly, he heard a strange noise in the distance.
"Huh? What was that?" Hector turned around. "Did you hear something?"
"It was a scream," Eliwood nodded. "Someone's being attacked!"
"Do we help?" Shadow piped up from the side.
"Of course!" At Eliwood's command, the group began to advance, to where the shrill scream came from...
The scream had, in fact, originated from the blue-haired man Eliwood had met in the Santaruz village. He and his Pokémon were surrounded by hostile-looking men.
"Oh noooooo! Someone! Help!" he yelled as he was restrained by one of the men, the apparent leader of the group.
"Grrr! Stupid old fool!" spat one of the other men. "He's kept us running in circles for hours!"
"My... My valuable merchandise!" gasped the victim as the men divided his belongings into some sacks. "What are you going to do?"
"Hey, look at this." The mercenary who was holding the man's arms fished out several bags of gold from his pockets. "The old fool's wealthy."
"Huh huh huh," smirked his partner. "Our lucky day, eh Puzon?"
"Let go! Let go! Will you let go!" struggled the blue-haired man.
"What a racket!" grumbled Puzon's friend. "Puzon, can we get rid of this simpleton?"
"I suppose so. There's no reason to let him live," shrugged Puzon.
"Oh my! Eeeyaaaaahhh!" the man screamed. "Wobbuffet, HELP!"
"Wobba!" The strange blue Pokémon wrenched free from the grasps of the men restraining it and glared fiercely at Puzon.
"But for starters... I'll deal with you!" Puzon said as he tossed out a Pokéball, revealing a short feline creature. Its body was covered in dark green fur, and its tail consisted of three pink feather-like features. Another pink "feather" extended from its left ear. At the end of its slim, muscular arms were several dangerously sharp claws. On both its forehead and chest was a gleaming yellow jewel that shone in the darkness, as did the creature's crimson eyes. An evil smirk completed its sinister image.
"Sneasel!" ordered Puzon. "Icy Wind!"
"Sneasel!" Swiping its claws around, Sneasel generated several chilly breezes that stormed towards Wobbuffet.
"Wobbuffet! Mirror Coat!" The man cried.
"Wobb-a!" At once, Wobbuffet's tail rose as the Patient Pokémon created a protective barrier that sent Sneasel's attack flying back at it. However, as the Icy Wind collided with Sneasel, the counterattack seemed to have no effect at all.
"Huh?" The man stared. "I thought Wobbuffet's Mirror Coat worked successfully!"
"Wrong," informed Puzon. "You were right about Wobbuffet's Mirror Coat reflecting attacks like Icy Wind... but Mirror Coat is a Psychic-type technique, and Dark-type Pokémon like Sneasel are impervious to such moves." Grinning at his helpless victim, Puzon gave a new order, "Shadow Ball!"
"Snea!" Sneasel jumped into the air, a ball of dark energy forming in its claws, which it flung at Wobbuffet.
"Wobbaaaa!" Unable to counterattack in time, Wobbuffet was cleanly knocked out. "So much for that blue blob," smirked Puzon. "Now, where was I..."
"Release him!" shouted a voice. Puzon turned to see a pair of nobles leading some people, headed towards him. "Who..." he began.
"I told you to let the man go!" demanded Eliwood.
"If you move quickly, we'll let you live," added Hector grimly.
"Ha!" Puzon scoffed. "A pair of dandies like you? You know what I think? Living off your parents' names, prancing about... I despise you!" he spat. Roughly he threw his victim on the ground before beckoning to his men, and then disappeared into the night.
"Come on! Don't hold back! We'll kill you all!" taunted Puzon.
"Sneasel!"
"Aaaiiieeee!" screamed the man as Eliwood and Hector helped him up. "Who, who are..."
"We can talk about that later," said Eliwood. "Who are you?"
"I... I am Merlinus, a humble and lowly merchant," the man stammered. "I know nothing of combat. Please! You must protect me!" he begged.
"Of course." Shadow nodded as he scanned the area. "But we'll need to deal with these bandits first, and I don't think we can fight properly in this darkness... still, we have no choice but to try." After pondering for a few moments, Shadow made his decisions and waved his hand as a signal for everyone to congregate.
"From what I gather, we're probably surrounded by enemies on all sides. We'll advance slowly from this small island in all directions, so we won't take too much damage. Lord Hector and Oswin will break the snag to our west and advance there. Guy will go south and cover our rear. Everyone else will move upwards with Matthew in the lead and Merlinus in the middle. We should be able to hold out against these bandits until they give up. Okay?"
"Right!" Hector raised his axe. "Let's finish these knaves!" Oswin was at the back, muttering something about even more violence.
The group progressed without much difficulty. Eliwood, Hector and Oswin guided themselves thanks to the torches Eliwood had picked up in Santaruz (lit up with the help of Charmander's flame, of course), while Matthew led the main party into cleanly slaying one enemy after the other. Although he was alone, Guy did not succumb to defeat, since his Nincada had spent most of its life underground and easily blended in with the dark surroundings. Its sharpened senses informed Guy of his foes' position, and they all fell under his blade.
"Harumph!" Marcus grunted as he pulled the reins on his horse. "There's a village over there that needs warning. Lowen! Take my place!" he shouted.
"Yes, General Marcus!" Lowen obeyed. The veteran knight rode to the open gates of the village, where a girl was kneeling on the floor with a bag in her hands. "Please!" she begged. "Just take the gold and go! Please don't destroy our home!"
"Er... Pardon me, miss," Marcus began, "but we're not bandits. We are in fact fighting off the bandits, and decided to warn you of the danger..."
"What?" The girl looked up at the towering man. "Oh, my! Those ruffians are attacking you?" she gasped. "Our village is in danger, too..." Suddenly, the girl stood up and thrust the bag she was holding into Marcus' hands. "Here. It's the money we collected for the bandits. If you'll chase them off, it's yours."
"But...!" Before Marcus could say anything, the girl had already rushed back into the village. "Nothing I can do about it," he sighed to himself. "I shall leave it to Shadow to decide what to do with this money..."
"Heh. I never believed you'd make it this far," Puzon smirked. "Looks like you've breathed your last! Sneasel!"
"Snea-sel!" The Sharp Claw Pokémon jumped out from nowhere, its claws poised, ready to attack.
"Charmander! Ember attack!" shouted Eliwood. "Squirtle, Bubble!" Hector yelled.
"Charrrrr!" "Squirrr!" The two Pokémon leaped as they launched their attacks of fire and water.
"Sneasel, Double Team!" Puzon commanded. Sneasel used its super-speed to dodge the incoming assaults. "Beat Up, now!" The Sneasel images grinned their evil grins, then threw themselves at Charmander and Squirtle, wildly thrashing the two Pokémon about.
"Ah!" Eliwood gasped as Charmander and Squirtle were tossed at their feet. "What happened?"
"Beat Up is Sneasel's signature move!" explained Oswin worriedly. "Normally, Beat Up attacks with the power of all the Pokémon on one's team... but now that Sneasel has used Double Team, all of the images have joined in the assault!"
"Huh! That's nothing!" grimaced Hector as he blocked one of the images with his axe. "We've faced this strategy before! Where's Lowen and the others?"
"Right here!" Shadow's voice was heard as the main group crossed the wooden bridges created by the bandits earlier on. "Everyone! Look for the real Sneasel!"
"Okay! Swinub, use Odour Sleuth!" ordered Lowen. Swinub, however, blew a tornado of ice at the images, eliminating them.
"No! Not Powder Snow!" Lowen yelled frantically. "I said Odour Sleuth!" Instead of obeying, Swinub still continued to breathe ice at the virtual Sneasel, which did not seem to cease multiplying in number.
"Harumph! What's with Lowen?" Marcus grunted in a displeased voice. "He's showing no control over his Pokémon at all!"
"Maybe... it's not Lowen's fault." Shadow took a look around, and spied some of the Sneasel images making funny faces at Swinub, who seemed to be angered by the teasing.
"It's Sneasel's Taunt!" realised Shadow. "It forces the target Pokémon to use offensive attacks only! Swinub can't use Odour Sleuth!"
"SNEASEL!" The images lunged, battering Swinub into submission. "Swinub!" screamed Lowen.
"Alright!" Marcus raised his steel lance. "Everyone, attack!"
"Flora!" "Rose!" "Zan!" "Poli!" "Ai!" "Nincada!" The other Pokémon began to ready their best long-range attacks.
"Blizzard attack!" At once, all the Sneasel began to dance, generating a powerful icy tempest that swept towards the main attacking force of Eliwood's group. Whatever Pokémon that wasn't blown away by the strong winds was instantly frozen to the spot.
"Ha ha ha ha!" laughed Puzon. "Nobles, my foot! Nothing but a bunch of dandies! What a waste of my time!"
"Wrong!" Puzon turned to see Oswin and Lairon snarling behind him. "You still have to deal with us!"
"A man in a can. Nothing to it," Puzon shrugged. "Sneasel! Blizzard once more!"
"Sneasel!" The massed images fired their frozen tornado once more, coating Lairon in a thick layer of ice.
"Oh no!" Eliwood put his hand to his mouth in shock. "If even Lairon can't beat them, then..."
"Wa ha ha ha ha!" Puzon continued to laugh. "You were... eh?" His laughter turned to surprise as Lairon re-emerged from the ground, completely unscathed.
"I get it! Lairon used Dig to escape from its ice prison!" exclaimed Shadow.
"Grrr... Sneasel, Beat Up!" Puzon growled. Some of the images lunged once more, only to collide with Lairon's rock-solid body and disintegrate into nothing.
"Your weak attack cannot defeat Lairon's tough defences!" Oswin announced. "Now for Lairon's attack that never misses!" As the knight spoke, a yellow ball of glowing energy began to accumulate in Lairon's mouth. Puzon and the Sneasel could only stare. "That's..."
"Shock Wave!" Lairon shot out an orb of electricity that darted across the landscape, until it found the real Sneasel, which happened to be standing right in front of Puzon. "Yaaaaaaaaah!" yelled Puzon as he and Sneasel were struck hard by the electric wave and were thrown back by the attack, as well as some of his colleagues.
"Unbelievable..." gasped the mercenary as he fell. "I was helpless to stop them..."
"Ooof... blast!" spat one of the bandits as he picked himself up. The other brigands had already started to escape the scene. "I won't forget this!"
"Then you're smarter than you look! Get out of here!" barked Hector. The bandit, seeing that he was alone, quickly fled.
"Are you alright?" Eliwood asked Merlinus.
"Hm?" Merlinus looked around to see that none of his assailants were left. "Oho! I... I've been saved!"
"We've driven them off," explained Eliwood. "Are you hurt?"
"No, not at all. As you can see, I'm fine as fine can be," assured Merlinus.
"I'm glad to see that. We'll take our leave then," nodded the Pheraen youth. "Come on, Hector."
"Wait a moment, please!" Merlinus pleaded. "A token of my thanks..."
"Do not worry yourself. We did nothing to merit reward," Eliwood said.
"That's right," Hector added casually. "We've no need of a peddler's junk."
"P-P-Peddler!" Merlinus gasped in shock. "Hector!" scolded Eliwood. "Oops..." Hector said meekly.
"Ahem! I am Merlinus," the blue-haired man began as he cleared his throat. "You'll find no other travelling merchant whose goods compare. Don't let your eyes fool you; I'm quite prosperous."
"Huh? You're a merchant?" smirked Hector. "Books and knives and all that, eh?"
"Hector, your manners are terrible," sighed Eliwood. "Merlinus, please... pay no mind to what this oaf has to say."
"No, of course not," Merlinus hurriedly shook his head. "I wasn't concerned at... Ahem! By the way," he continued, "you two obviously come from highborn houses. Would you grant me the honour of your names?"
"I am Eliwood, son of the marquess of Pherae," introduced the redhead noble. "I'm Hector. Marquess Ostia's brother," added his counterpart.
"Goodness! Ostia! Pherae!" exclaimed Merlinus. "The greatest houses in all of Lycia! Ahh..." The merchant fell to his knees in awe, with his Wobbuffet behind him. "To be saved by noblemen such as yourselves... it is an honour beyond words!"
"It's nice to be appreciated for a change. Lately, people just seem to want us dead," remarked Hector. "Tell me, Merlinus, what are your plans?"
"Pardon? My plans, my lord? I had planned to travel Lycia selling my merchandise, but..." Merlinus hesitated a little, "it may not be possible in such dangerous times."
"If that's the case, why don't you come with us?" Hector suggested.
"Hector?" Eliwood stared at his friend.
"Our travels will not be ending anytime soon," explained the Ostian lord. "We've gained more people and more items, right? It might be good to have help managing our things."
"Oho! Now that is a splendid idea!" nodded Merlinus wildly. "Managing merchandise is my specialty, after all!"
"Are you sure?" asked Eliwood.
"Quite sure, my lord. To be honest, I've dreamt of working for a noble house. To have my fondest wish granted in such a way... I cannot stem these tears of joy!" Merlinus suddenly caught Eliwood and Hector in a double hug. "Lord Hector! Lord Eliwood! Take me into your bosoms and keep me safe forever!"
"Uh... thank you," Eliwood replied, surprised by the merchant's overwhelming reaction. "Welcome aboard, Merlinus."
"We're counting on you!" said Hector as he wrenched himself free from Merlinus' embrace. "Now, I've got some things I want you to carry..."
"Yes, of course!" Merlinus and Wobbuffet saluted. "Whatever you have, Merlinus will keep!"
"Glad to hear it!" Matthew suddenly emerged from behind and dropped a bunch of Pokéballs, healing salves, apricorns, berries and other assorted items on Merlinus and Wobbuffet. "Wah!" cried the merchant and his Pokémon as they were submerged by the pile of stuff. "Sigh..." Eliwood, Hector and Shadow groaned simultaneously.
To be continued...
ShadowedTactician: Are the two of you done yet?
Imppala: Nope! Will you stop disappearing, you flippin' ball of gas, you!
Grim: Not a chance in Elibe, dimwit!
ShadowedTactician: Sigh... review.
