Grim: Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?
Imppala: If it's ShadowedTactician, and bearing in mind that I want to keep my head... I'd say I have no idea.
Gijinka Renamon
ShadowedTactician: Yes, indeed, I shall continue. And thanks for the review.
RubyVulpix
ShadowedTactician: Those aren't bad choices, but I thought Mirage and Edna would be better left as Trainer cards at the time. There again, you could question why I even gave Frozone the privilege of having Pokémon...
Elven-girl10
ShadowedTactician: Yep, I'm including alotta self-insertion pertaining to Kishuna and his role in the game. It's a shame the gang never really find out everything about Kishuna, he's not bad for a sallow-faced silencer of magic. Well, that's my opinion.
Fargus' ship sails along smoothly. At last, the group spots a fog-enshrouded isle on the horizon. According to Leila's information, the enemy is gathering there: Darin, the marquess of Laus, the Black Fang assassins, the mysterious Nergal, and his henchman, Ephidel. Eliwood's father, Lord Elbert, is also on the isle, as is the Dragon's Gate. As they draw closer to the isle, Eliwood no longer fears that his father might be one of the conspirators, but only prays for his father's safety as the moment of truth nears. Hector on the other hand hears death whispering in the wind...
As the old sailed through the choppy waters, Eliwood stood at the stern, breathing in the scent of the sea.
"Ahoy, laddie!" called Fargus as he came over. "You don't get seasick, do you?"
"I'm fine, sir," replied Eliwood. "This is a beautiful ship."
"Gwaa ha ha ha! For a sea rover, eh?" Fargus smirked as he watched the sea together with the Pheraen noble.
"May I ask you a question?" Eliwood requested.
"What is it?" asked Fargus.
"Why did you agree to give us passage? When we said we wished to travel to Valour, the people in the harbour treated us as though we were mad," remarked Eliwood.
"I'm sure they did," shrugged the berserker. "It is the Dread Isle, after all. If not for good reason, we wouldn't want to go either."
"And yet... you've given us free passage," Eliwood continued. "Why is that?"
"Listen to me, laddie," Fargus said as he stood face-to-face with Eliwood. "Men are strange beasts. We can't resist a challenge. Something appears on the horizon, and we immediately set sail. Some dreams we conquer, some dreams we abandon..." Sighing, the captain ran his finger along the cutting edge of his axe. "I've grown old, laddie. I haven't had a good challenge in many a year. Then you mooncalves appear seeking passage to the Dread Isle," he chuckled. "I was impressed with your courage. I think you may be the ones to survive the Dread Isle."
"We won't disappoint you," the youth promised. "We will return."
"Alright. Then we'll weigh anchor and wait for you," nodded Fargus. "Light a signal fire when you want to return, and we'll pick you up."
"Thank you," bowed Eliwood.
Meanwhile, Lyn was standing at the other end of the ship, and had not said a single word since the nautical voyage had begun.
"Eliwood!" shouted Hector, expecting to find his Lycian friend, but only found Lyn instead. "...Huh?"
"If you're looking for Eliwood, he's speaking with the captain," Lyn said flatly.
"Oh. I won't bother him then," Hector remarked.
"...Do you need something?" asked Lyn, having noticed that Hector didn't seem to be leaving.
"I'd like you to stop pouting," frowned Hector. "This pirate ship is the only way for us to get to the Dread Isle. I thought you understood that. Was I mistaken?"
"How I feel or what I think is no concern of yours!" retorted Lyn as she turned away.
"Eliwood told me... about your parents and those bandits," Hector said gently, placing one hand on Lyn's shoulder. "But these pirates? They don't seem like bad fellows..."
"It wasn't just my parents!" Lyn yelled, turning back at Hector. "My entire tribe! Everyone was killed! They poisoned our drinking water... my people were in such pain, they could hardly stand... that's when the bandits attacked! They waited until we were defenceless!"
At this point, Hector wanted to say something, but kept it in. Shadow and Imppala had mentioned before that the plainsgirl could be very touchy when it came to her past, and he certainly did not want to say anything that might aggravate her.
"My father put me on his horse, and I escaped," continued Lyn, in a much softer tone. "...Just me. My poor father... the pain must have been terrible. He lifted me up... his arms shaking... with his last breath..." Lyn looked at Hector straight in the face. "Now do you understand?" she asked bitterly, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "I was found unconscious by another tribe... and I awoke ten days later. When I awoke... what I felt... the bodies of my people had already been buried. I never even had the chance to say farewell... My last memory of my father... he was broken... dying," whispered Lyn as she recalled the painful memories and the tears slowly ran down her cheeks. "I can still see the axes rising and falling. It... It's not... Hey!" Lyn shouted, seeing that Hector had moving to the side of the ship. "What... what are you doing?"
"You're a strong woman, Lyndis," commented Hector as he watched the ocean. "I thought you would not want anyone to see you cry..."
"You're such a fool!" yelled Lyn, letting the tears flow freely. "If you think that's what I want, then why not just leave!"
"I... I lost my parents too," Hector said softly.
"You..." All of a sudden Lyn did not know what to say.
"It was illness that took them. Nothing like what happened to you," sighed Hector. "Still, I wanted nothing more than to cry like a little baby. And yet... I couldn't cry. Not in front of others... And when I was alone, I found I still couldn't. So... I simply thought... I don't know..."
"You really are a fool," Lyn murmured as she stared at the Ostian noble in disbelief. "That's no way to... you can't just..."
For the next few moments, neither lord could say anything at all as a whirlpool of emotion swirled about, just like the waters around them. Until...
"Ahoy! There's a small dory adrift to port! Someone's on board!" shouted a pirate up in the crow's nest. "Tell the captain!"
"A boat? What's going on?" wondered Lyn.
"Let's go see!" Hector urged.
"Captain! There's a dory adrift to port!" reported Dart. "There seems to be someone aboard. What're your orders?"
"Bring 'em aboard," ordered Fargus. "Looks like we've got a visitor," he remarked as Dart dashed off to carry out instructions. "Odd though, finding a boat adrift near here..."
"Odd? Why is that?" Eliwood's eyebrow twitched a little.
"The sea currents in this area... anything drifting around here must've come from the Dread Isle," Fargus explained. "Shall we greet our guest?"
"Oh... alright," Eliwood nodded. Together, they walked over to the deck where a small group had gathered, including Lyn and Hector.
"Eliwood!" called Hector. "You done talking to old man Fargus?"
"You saw us?" asked Eliwood.
"No, I heard you'd gone off with him," Hector replied. "You learn anything?"
"...We can trust him. We got lucky, finding him," Eliwood remarked.
"Hmmm. If you say so," shrugged Hector.
"Hey, you two! Come here! They've pulled the dory aboard!" shouted Lyn. The three lords crowded around the pirates who had hauled the raft in. "I wonder who's on board," Lyn wondered, then she saw the long hair. "It's... It's a girl?"
"Uh... uhnn... Oy! You there!" Dart ordered. "Me?" asked Lyn, pointing to herself.
"Give me a hand, will you? I don't know where to... grab her," said Dart as he shifted uneasily. "Okay," Lyn nodded as she stepped forward.
"Such the gentleman," joked Hector. "Stow it!" snapped the pirate. Gently, Lyn pulled the girl up into a sitting position and brushed the hair away from her face, revealing her identity...
"Hm? Ninian!" exclaimed Lyn, recognising the girl. Immediately, she tried to shake the dancer awake. "Ninian! Wake up!"
"Unbelievable... what are the chances?" commented Eliwood.
"Do you know her?" asked Hector.
"She's how Lyndis and I met a year back," the Pheraen youth explained. "I rescued Ninian from a band of villains."
"Please, Ninian! Open your eyes!" Lyn pleaded. Hearing the multitude of voices surrounding her, the young dancer finally woke up. "Ah..."
"Ninian, can you hear me?" questioned Lyn. "Are you well? Why were you on that boat? Where is Nils? Why isn't he here with you?"
"Unnn... I..." Ninian held her hand to her head, apparently having no idea as to where she was or what was going on. "Ah... ah... Who, who..."
"Ninian?" Lyn asked softly.
"Lyndis, something's wrong with her," frowned Eliwood. Suddenly, Dart rushed up to Fargus with an urgent message.
"Captain! Pirate ships approaching from the northwest!" the pirate reported.
"Do they dare attack Captain Fargus and the Davros? They must be mad!" growled Fargus.
"What flag are they flying?" wondered Dart as he squinted into the distance. "I've never seen that pattern before..."
"These seas belong to us! Whoever they are, they're in our waters! This is a day for strange occurrences, it seems..." Fargus remarked. "You whelps watch your own hides. We've no time to waste on you!" he ordered. Just then, the ship started to rumble and turn from side to side. "What the!"
On the two incoming ships stood fighter upon fighter, all wearing black robes and cloaks. Some were placing wooden planks to board Fargus' vessel, while others seemed to be controlling a school of fierce fish-like Pokémon that was swimming in the water. Each had a body shaped like a bullet with a fin on top, at the bottom and both sides, as well as a star in the shape of an "X" on the forehead. Their teeth were razor sharp and their eyes glinted with fury.
"Sharpedo!" commanded one of the enemy pirates. "Altogether, Skull Bash!"
"Shar!" In a combined charge, the Sharpedo rammed their bodies against Fargus' ship, breaking huge holes in the hull.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaa!" screamed one of the Davros. "Water! The hull's been breached! We're taking on water!"
"Breached?" exclaimed Fargus. "Those scum are more treacherous than I thought!"
"It's bad, Captain!" Dart reported. "We need all hands belowdecks, or we'll sink!"
"Take care of it! I'm going to carve these scallywags some new gizzards!" Fargus snarled as he wielded his killer axe.
"We need your help, Captain!" yelled someone from below. "The water's up to the galley! You must come below, Captain!" Fargus could only growl softly in anger.
"Fargus! Leave the enemy to us!" shouted Eliwood.
"Fighting is something we're good at!" added Hector. "But a sinking ship? That's your affair! You have to do something, or we'll all drown!"
"We'll deal with things up here!" promised Lyn. "Please! Hurry!"
"Fine! The deck is yours!" consented Fargus. "I'll be back as soon as we've plugged the breached in the hull!"
"Go!" Eliwood urged as the pirates all rushed down a flight of stairs. "Lyn! Take Ninian to that room!" he pointed. "I will," obeyed the plainsgirl.
"Here they come!" Hector grimaced as shamans and swordsmen started to pour from both vessels. On the western ship, the leading shaman, Zoldam, was still giving out orders to his men. "All we want is the girl," he instructed. "...Kill the rest."
"Stay... still. Choose your ground, and fight where you stand," Hannah said in a shaky voice. The boat was bobbing around in all directions, and maintaining one's balance already proved a difficult challenge. "Danger for... knights... armourslayers to the east, magic to the west... heh heh heh. You'll understand when the fighting starts." Oswin frowned a little at this comment.
"Pegasus knights... yes. It couldn't hurt to have thieves along, either," continued Hannah. "That... is all I see."
"Hmmm... this could be difficult," muttered Imppala as he rubbed his chin. "From what I can gather, I think it'd be best if we deployed lance users to the east. Lucius can lead some others to the west. Everyone else can stay here and only advance when necessary. Matthew... just go and do what you do best," the red tactician finished. "Whoopee!" cheered Matthew.
"I'll go with Florina, and Shadow will go with Lucius," Imppala continued. "Speaking of Shadow, where is..." He stopped in mid-sentence once he saw Shadow and Guy leaning over the ship's side, making regurgitation noises. "Never mind..."
"Ahoy!" shouted Dart from the galley stairway, catching the attention of Imppala and the three lords. "We'll leave the fighting to you. Hold on until we can help! Oh, and we've merchants aboard..." Pointing to a couple of rooms, Dart briefly introduced the ship's armoury and shop. "You won't be able to stock up once we reach the Dread Isle. I suggest you buy as much as possible when you've got the chance!"
"Right! Thanks for telling us!" waved Imppala as Dart returned downstairs. "Hmph!" he thought, "I bet he just wants to add more gold to ol' Fargus' treasure hoard..."
"Urgh..." Both Shadow and Guy stumbled back from the side of the ship, weakly wiping their mouths. "So, what did I miss?" asked the green tactician.
"Ha!" shouted Sain as he drove his lance through a pair of mercenaries. "This is no use! They just keep coming and coming!"
"Maybe if we can stop the enemy from advancing further, we won't need to take them on!" Kent suggested.
"Good idea, Kent!" nodded Imppala. "Florina! Lowen! Blow them away with your Pokémon!"
"Okay! Mitch!" Florina yelled as she sent out her Pidgeotto. "Use Whirlwind!"
"Swinub, Blizzard!" ordered Lowen. The two Pokémon immediately blasted a combination of wind and snow that threw some of the mercenaries over the edge of the ship. "Men overboard!" Imppala cheered in accompaniment to the wretched screams and splashing noises that followed.
Meanwhile, on the other ship...
"Are you sure it would be wise to let Sir Oswin go in front, Shadow?" Canas asked anxiously. "You do remember what Hannah said..."
"I do, Canas. But I need Oswin to shield our magic units," answered Shadow. "I trust that Oswin should be able to provide suitable defence for us, and offence if need be." The others, namely Erk, Lucius, Canas and Priscilla stood behind Oswin nodded at the tactician's logic. Just then, Erk noticed that his liege looked a little troubled... "Lady Priscilla, are you alright?"
"Mm? Ah, Erk..." Priscilla turned around to face her escort. "I am fine. Thank you for checking on me..." Quickly, the troubadour looked away again, hoping that Erk could not sense her worry. Her brother had seemed amiable to her at first, but she could tell that he was hiding something from her, deep down inside...
"Not at all! That is my duty!" Erk's voice shook Priscilla from her thoughts. "You... are not tired? Your feet, they are not weary? Your shoulders, they are not tense?... And your belly, is it full? Your throat... dry? Are you sleepy, or bored?"
"Erk?" Priscilla backed off a little.
"Ah... yes, sorry. Hard to break old habits," apologised Erk sheepishly. "My last employer was a very wilful child, you see. She would call me over the slightest things... That is past now though, of course." He shuddered at the thought.
"I see... Should... I be asking you to do more, then?" offered Priscilla.
"Oh no no, this is just fine," Erk said hurriedly.
"Here they come!" announced Shadow as the shamans approached. "Magic units, attack!"
"Go!" shouted the other three males in cloaks as they threw out their Pokéballs. Baltoy and Pikachu emerged from Canas' and Erk's Pokéballs, while Lucius summoned forth a Pokémon that resembled a green-haired, white-skinned girl, with a curved protrusion extending from each side of its head. This was Kirlia, the evolved form of Ralts.
"Baltoy, Ice Beam!" ordered Canas.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" yelled Erk.
"Kirlia, Shadow Ball!" instructed Lucius. The Pokémon's attacks combined together with the magic of their masters and collided with the dark spells conjured by the shamans, throwing the dark magicians backwards and doing in a few.
"Whoopee!" Matthew suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began to pick up valuables from the fallen bodies. "Vulnerary, pure water, vulnerary, pure water... ah!" Picking up a guiding ring from the floor, he shouted, "Catch, Shadow!"
"Whoops!" The green tactician neatly caught the promotional item in his hand. "I think this should go to you, Priscilla."
"Thank you, Shadow," replied Priscilla politely as she received the ring and slid it onto her finger. "Guiding ring!" she cried, punching the air.
Instinctively, the others stood back as lightning bolts surrounded Priscilla and her Ponyta, who also started to exude a brilliant white light. When Shadow and the rest could finally uncover their eyes, they discovered that Priscilla now wore a newer, more regal outfit than she had before, complete with matching hat. The blue saddle and other decorations on her Pokémon had changed colour to become identical to Priscilla's clothes, and a mask covered its eyes. Ponyta had also gained a new form in the shape of a Rapidash. In spite of the drastically worsening odds, Zoldam was still giving out orders.
"Don't worry about any ambush. Board their ship," said Zoldam calmly. "You don't know how to fight? Go now, or die here..."
"Sire! The third attack ship is ready for your command!" reported another shaman.
"Oh? Well then, order them to move 'round to the enemy ship's stern," Zoldam instructed. "That's where they should be waiting... that's where they'll die."
At the same time, the party of people on Fargus' ship also noticed the incoming vessel...
"Lord Eliwood! There's another ship coming this way!" cried Rebecca.
"We can't leave the boat undefended while Shadow and Imppala help take on the others!" announced Eliwood as he drew his rapier. "Let's go!"
"So, Sir Marcus, what do you think of how this army is being run?" Merlinus chatted with the paladin who had been asked to stand guard next to the merchant once again. "What do you mean?" asked Marcus.
"Well, I may not know much about military organisation," continued Merlinus as he tidied his merchandise, "But... shouldn't we be more involved in the decisions made?"
"Why do you say that?" Marcus frowned a little.
"Well, Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood and Lady Lyndis are still so young..." sighed the merchant. "Is it really alright to leave all of the leadership decisions to Lord Eliwood in the coming battles? As an experienced knight, don't you have any anxieties about this?"
"None at all," came the reply.
"Not even a little?" Merlinus seemed astonished.
"I trust Lord Eliwood," smiled Marcus. "So long as Lord Eliwood is in command, I have no trepidations about the course of battles to come."
"So... you really do have such faith in your liege lord!" marvelled Merlinus. "Well, this old merchant has seen the light! I say, I have been far too cynical and mistrusting for far too long! I will try to redouble my trust in our lords! Sir Marcus!" Merlinus bowed, "Help this humble merchant protect his wares with all of your might!"
"...Merlinus." Marcus chuckled, "It is never a good idea to yell like that on the battlefield unless you are inviting attack..."
"Yes, yes, of course," answered Merlinus. "And unless I'm much mistaken, I think it's time for lunch!"
"Hmmm..." The veteran knight looked down at his rumbling stomach. "Yes, I do believe you're right."
"Just as well you're hungry, Sir Marcus! You can try some of these fish pies I baked for our meal!" Merlinus said as he brought out one of his delicious pastries. Just as Marcus was about to take the pie, something big flew down from the sky and grabbed the food from Merlinus' outstretched hand.
"Eeeeeek!" Merlinus screamed as he shook his hand, which was dripping water from the encounter. "What was that?"
"It's a flock of Pelipper!" pointed Marcus. Five white bird-like creatures hovered in the air above them. They all had big black eyes, blue scalp-feathers, wingtips and feet, as well as a huge yellow bill that seemed to connect with their similarly coloured chests. One of them held Merlinus' pie in its feet and threw it into the air before slicing it up into pieces with its wings. As the pieces fell, all the Pelipper dove sharply and caught the sliced pastry in their gigantic beaks.
"The Pelipper must have been hungry and smelt your fish pies!" Marcus exclaimed. "And now they're headed straight for us!"
"Eyaaaaaaaaaah!" Quickly, Merlinus leaped back into the tent, clutching the wrapped pies. The Pelipper barely missed the tent as they glided upwards and prepared for their next assault. "Sunflora, go!" shouted Marcus as he sent out the Sun Pokémon. "Use your Bullet Seed!"
"Sunflora!" Marcus' Sunflora spat out a barrage of seeds at the Pelipper which smashed into their bills. Furiously, the Waterbirds opened their mouths for a Water Gun attack that came flying towards Sunflora like a meteor shower. "Absorb!" commanded Marcus. The floral Pokémon raised its arms to shield itself at the order, soaking up the water like it was nothing.
"Wow!" Merlinus gasped in awe. "I had no idea Sir Marcus was so skilled in Pokémon combat too!"
"Sunflora, now use... what?" The paladin stared at his Sunflora in shock. It had absorbed the Water Gun, no doubt, but its leaves were caked in a thick layer of ice. "Drat!" Marcus cursed. "The Water Guns that the Pelipper fired concealed hidden Ice Beams!"
"Pelipper!" Seizing their chance, the Pelipper flew down for a combined Wing Attack. Unable to move away in time, Sunflora was struck by the Flying-type move and fainted on the spot. "Sunflora, return!" recalled Marcus.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" The merchant screamed again as the Pelipper came gliding back. "Get away get away get away!" Grabbing whatever he could lay his hands on, Merlinus threw out various objects from his tent in a bid to scare the Water/Flying-type Pokémon away.
"Whoa!" Marcus dove to the side as a hurricane of weapons, staves, potions, and other miscellaneous items rained onto the deck, clashing with the Pelipper, and waited for the inevitable scuffle. Instead, Marcus heard a series of popping noises amidst the clutter of things falling down, and after a few seconds, all was silent.
"Wha..." Picking himself up, Marcus noticed five Pokéballs lying on the deck amongst the rest of the objects, which had just stopped shaking violently. Merlinus was cowering in his tent, having run out of merchandise to fling. "Is it over already?" he trembled. "Where are the Pelipper?"
"Right here." Smiling, Marcus scooped up the Pokéballs and passed them to Merlinus. "You must've hit them with empty Pokéballs and captured them."
"Ehhhhh?" Merlinus' face fell at Marcus' explanation.
"They must have been extremely hungry. They got captured without too much of a trouble," chuckled the veteran knight. "I guess this means they're your Pokémon now, Merlinus... Merlinus?" Looking up, Marcus saw that the cheery merchant lay sprawled on the ground.
"Sigh..." groaned Marcus. "Fainted from shock, again..."
"There's the leader!" pointed Shadow as the magic team polished off a few more shamans, allowing the group to move forward. "If we kill him, maybe the enemy will retreat!"
"Fools... I shall condemn you to a watery grave!" Using his powers of darkness, Zoldam levitated a Pokéball in mid-air and opened it. "Haunter!" he declared, as the white beam materialised into a dark purple, ghostly-looking head with three spikes on each side. A claw floated to its left and right and its face bore an evil expression. "Luna!"
As the shaman summoned his dark spell, his Pokémon was also conjuring up an attack of its own. Its two claws had begun to spin in a circular motion, at a speed so fast that they appeared to have become six. Each claw was generating a ball of darkness, while Haunter's eyes started to crackle with evil energy...
"RUN!" Shadow yelled as he realised what was going to happen. As Haunter's claws sent the six balls of darkness flying, its eyes fired two black beams that fused with the darkness orbs and sped towards the team, along with Zoldam's attack. KABOOM! An explosion occurred, throwing Oswin, Shadow and the magic users against the deck.
"Ugh..." Erk groaned as he tried to stand up. "How can a Pokémon use a dark spell like Luna? I've never heard or read of such a thing!"
"That's because Haunter didn't really use a Luna spell!" replied Shadow through gritted teeth. "By using its hands to create Shadow Ball for the attack power and its eyes to generate Night Shade for the resistance negation, Haunter managed to use a combination attack with effects similar to Luna!"
"If that's the case, how can we stop them?" grimaced Oswin.
"The only way we can do that is when Haunter is charging up for its attack!" Canas answered as he stood up. "And the best way we can do that is by exploiting its weaknesses! Baltoy, Psybeam!"
"Good idea, Canas!" Shadow agreed. "Grim, try Astonish!"
"Kirlia, Shadow Ball!" Lucius cried.
At their respective orders, the three Pokémon hovered in the air and attacked. Baltoy fired a rainbow-coloured beam; Grim produced a piercing noise that seemed to slice towards Haunter like a sword; Kirlia generated its own ball of dark energy which it flung.
"Luna!" Zoldam cast his own version of the dark spell, which went against the combined efforts of the floating Pokémon to damage Haunter. Sparks flew as the attacks met each other in mid-air, equal to each other in terms of intensity.
"Haunter!" Having been given enough time to charge up, the Gas Pokémon used its deadly technique once again, pushing back the other Pokémon's assault, and rushing towards the magic team...
"Lairon! Iron Defense!" Oswin responded quickly, sending out the Iron Armour Pokémon, who appeared on deck with a huge thump. Its steel plates immediately began to glint brightly in the sunlight as Lairon sharply increased its defensive powers, which was lucky as the PokéLuna spell diffused into its body, causing severe agony.
"This is impossible!" Erk muttered. "Even if we try to attack Haunter, that shaman will just make our attempts obselete, and we'll take damage all the same!"
"...Wait!" Just then, Shadow had a sudden brainwave. "I think I've got it!" Gathering Lucius and Oswin together, the green tactician briefly whispered his plan.
"Haunter, use Luna!" commanded Zoldam. "Haunter!" Once more, Haunter's claws and eyes started to brim with dark magic...
"Kirlia! Use Imprison!" shouted Lucius. "Kirrrrr!" The Emotion Pokémon crossed its thin, white arms together and closed its eyes, a red aura emanating from its horns. Suddenly, as Haunter launched its Luna, the six darkness orbs simply vanished, leaving the much weaker Night Shade behind which was easily reflected off Lairon's armour.
"What!" Zoldam stared in horror. His intricately trained technique had been countered! "But how? How?"
"Kirlia's Imprison is an attack that prevents opponents from using attacks that it knows as well," explained Shadow. "Since both Kirlia and Haunter know Shadow Ball, Kirlia just sealed Haunter's ability to use that attack!"
"In other words, Haunter can't use its own version of the Luna spell anymore either!" finished Canas.
"Alright!" Shadow raised his hand. "Everybody, attack!"
"Toy!" "Chuuu!" "Kull!" "Kirrr!" "Lairrrr!" "Fire!" "Thunder!" "Flux!" "Lightning!"
Haunter was no match for the myriad of magic and energy that flew towards it. The Ghost-type took the full impact of the assault and abruptly disintegrated from the power. The explosion caused even Zoldam to fall backwards.
"Ugh!" Zoldam grunted as he gazed at the people and Pokémon before him, terrified. "You possess... this much power?" he asked weakly. "Must warn... must..."
"You're not warning anyone!" Winking at a certain knight in orange armour, Shadow ordered, "Now, Oswin!"
"Knight crest!" In accordance with Shadow's plan, the armoured knight held up a small piece of brown metal in the shape of an ornamental shield that the tactician had passed to him earlier on. Immediately he began to undergo several significant changes as his protective plates gained a new form in a process that Erk and Shadow were already familiar with.
Under the influence of its master's promotion, Lairon also began to glow with the light of evolution. It managed to achieve a standing position, and its tail became more elongated. Once the light had cleared, everyone could see that "Lairon" now stood even taller than the heavily armoured Oswin. The steel armour on its head resembled that of a goat's skull with a sharp spike jutting out from each eyehole, and more steel plates lined its spinal cord. Even more protective metal covered its face, forming distinct mandibles, as well as its wrists and knees. "Aggron!" it roared.
"Wha... what do you think you're doing?" gasped Zoldam as the ship began to make creaking noises. The extra armour Oswin and Aggron had built up during their metamorphosis was beginning to take a toll on the wooden foundations of the vessel, and the deck seemed ready to...
CRACK! Under the weight of Aggron and Oswin, the middle of the deck snapped, causing knight and Pokémon to fall through.
"Ah..." Zoldam looked as the ship began to take in water, and fast. Shadow and the others were hovering in the air, as well as their Pokémon, including Oswin and Aggron... even though they did look a bit wet. A faint blue aura seemed to surround each of them. "...Psychic?" realised the shaman.
"Bingo!" smirked Shadow. "So long, shaman! Have a nice swim!"
"...!" The leader of the fleet glanced downwards to find that water had already started to gather around his feet, and the ship had been mostly submerged underwater. "Wargh!" he screamed in fright. "Glub, blub..."
"Ahoy! I'm back! Now, who wants to die first?" announced Fargus as he came back on deck. "Hm? What's this? You've routed them already?" he mused. "Nicely done, whelps!"
"Those sea dogs were no match for us!" boasted Hector. Just then, Ninian chose this time to wake up and walk out of her room.
"Ah! Ninian! You can't come out yet!" cried Lyn. "There's blood everywhere!"
"...Blood?" Ninian repeated softly as she continued to walk forward.
"Look out!" Instinctively, Eliwood rushed over to the dancer girl, who was about to slip on the foul-smelling liquid. "...Ah! I'm sorry..."
"Are you okay? Ninian?" Eliwood asked concernedly.
"Ninian?" frowned the dancer. "Is that... me? Is that... my name?"
"Ninian! What's happened to you..." Lyn exclaimed frantically.
"...I... My head... is so foggy..." groaned Ninian. "Am I... at sea?"
"Yes. We found you adrift in a small boat," explained Lyn.
"Those scum were after the girl, it seems," Fargus noted. "Will you take her with you? The men are afraid she, well, she might be cursed, you know?" he whispered darkly.
"Cursed...?" repeated Hector.
"Are you suggesting we leave Ninian behind?" asked Lyn incredulously.
"We can't take her with us, can we?" Hector countered. "We're heading for the Dread Isle! It's dread for a reason, you know!"
"Regardless... she goes with us!" Lyn said firmly.
"Lyndis?" Eliwood twitched an eyebrow.
"When I saw her, I remembered something... The last time I saw Ninian, she and her brother were being hunted by some dark-robed men," the plainsgirl recalled.
"Dark-robed? Are you sure?" The Ostian lordling asked.
"Yes, I think it must be the Black Fang," nodded Lyn. "It didn't occur to me before, but now I'm certain."
"How can you be sure?" Eliwood questioned.
"I can't explain... there's something in the air that hints at their involvement," Lyn frowned.
"If it's true, then she's likely to be attacked again," noted Eliwood.
"Almost certainly. We can't leave her behind. I will watch over her... Please," pleaded Lyn.
"I understand," nodded the Pheraen youth. "We should be by her side to protect her."
"Thank you," Lyn smiled.
"We're all going to that island," Eliwood said to Ninian. "Will you come with us?"
"Yes... Please... take me with you," bowed the dancing girl.
"'Something in the air'... are you some sort of hound?" joked Hector.
"Ah! Are you mocking me?" shouted Lyn.
"No, the opposite. I'm in utter admiration," Hector replied sarcastically. "...Say, Eliwood. When I left Ostia, I was attacked by a dark-robed group," he recalled.
"What?" exclaimed Eliwood. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"Many people hold a grudge against Ostia," answered Hector. "I didn't think it had anything to do with this. Until now..."
"Hector, do you think..." Eliwood began.
"They were all wearing very distinct black robes," Hector repeated. "I don't know about 'something in the air', but... I'm convinced they were related."
"What in the world is happening in Lycia?" murmured Eliwood. "Father..."
That night, Fargus' ship touched the coast of the Dread Isle...
"We've arrived!" called Fargus. Eliwood's party wasted no time in getting off the vessel. "Thank you very much," said Eliwood.
"We'll wait two weeks," Fargus gave his requirements. "Finish up by then."
"That's more than enough time!" scoffed Hector.
"And I've got a half-wit sailor who wants to go sightseeing," added the berserker. "C'mere, Dart!"
"I'm here, Captain!" saluted the corsair as he came forward. "Ready to serve!"
"We're pleased to have you," smiled Eliwood. From the crowd of people, Wil was busily squinting at the sailor. "There's no doubt about it... that is definitely Dan!" he thought. "Dan... Rebecca... why doesn't anyone recognise me?..."
"His only redeeming feature is his sturdiness. Maybe he'll come in handy," continued Fargus.
"Come on, Captain! I'm better'n that!" whined Dart.
"You've done so much..." Eliwood gushed. "I can't thank you enough..."
"Come back alive! That's all the thanks I need," Fargus grinned.
"Alright! Farewell!" waved Eliwood as the group turned to leave.
"We'll be back before you know it!" smirked Hector.
"...There are good people, even among pirates," Lyn admitted later on.
"I don't think the old man and his group are your average pirates," Hector remarked.
"Somewhere, within that forest, is the Dragon's Gate..." Eliwood murmured to himself.
"Eliwood!" Hector patted his friend's back. "No matter what it takes, we're coming back with your father!"
"We'll surely find him," agreed Lyn. "We'll all do our best to make it so."
"You're right," nodded Eliwood. "Let's make preparations to enter the forest!" With that, he, Hector and the two tacticians went to plan out their next move. Ninian, on the other hand, was looking even more troubled than she did earlier. "Dragon's Gate..." she mumbled.
"Ninian?" Lyn asked. "What is it?"
"Huh? Oh... it's... nothing..." murmured the mysterious girl.
Imppala: Right... when can we expect the next instalment?
ShadowedTactician: I don't know. Should I start work on Dragon's Gate? Or perish the thought of multi-tasking? And there's still homework...
Grim: ...Review.
