Grim: What happened?
ShadowedTactician: Homework, creation of a buncha Pokémon cards from FE: Dragon's Gate, and on top of that, writer's block. Just be glad it's over... Ugh. (places new chapter on table)
Grim: So... how big was the block this time?
ShadowedTactician: ...Almost enough to make me permanently talk "lyk dis".
Grim:...No more questions.
Gijinka Renamon
Imppala: But there again, doesn't that apply for most chapters?
ShadowedTactician: I think we'll just leave that to public opinion.
RubyVulpix
ShadowedTactician: What happened to Ninian? (turns to look at the others) Wouldn't he/she have guessed from playing the game through?
Imppala: Don't ask me...
Elvengirl-10
Imppala: I suppose it would be... if you consider two seasick suckers barfing humourous, then yes.
ShadowedTactician: Aw, shaddup...
Jeanie
Electrike: If GRIM evolved? What about me!
Grim: Quit yapping! You're lucky to make an entrance in here already!
Electrike: Why, you... Thunder Wave!
Grim: Will-o-wisp!
Lao Who Mai
ShadowedTactician: Well, for one, reading Pokémon Adventures helps a lot, seeing that a lot of Pokédex information is put into application, so I read them a lot too, as well as Pokémon learnsets and basic statistics...
Imppala: (constantly raising a huge sign with arrows pointing down towards him, and a big caption saying "LOOK OVER HERE")
FadE
ShadowedTactician: Actually, Merlinus threw more than five Pokéballs. It just so happened that five of them hit the Pelipper straight on. Now, that wasn't too hard to understand, was it?
Imppala
ShadowedTactician: Okay, okay, I get the point! You can put down the sign now!
Grim: Moving on...
Eliwood arrives on the shores of Valour with a new companion in his numbers: an enigmatic young girl named Ninian. The majority of the island is covered in dense forest, and legend has it that no one has ever returned from those dark woods. A dense fog crawls over the party, engulfing them one by one. Cautiously, they move deeper into the trees...
As Eliwood and his group advanced, the very person they were searching for was having a heated argument with a mysterious figure wearing a robe of red, gold and black, in a huge historical-looking hall. The figure had blue-green hair and goatee, as well as a matching eye. The other eye was masked by the huge violet turban he wore. A certain marquess in olive-coloured armour was also present...
"Shame on you, Marquess Pherae," frowned the strange person. "You freed the boy and the girl?"
"I will not let you move unopposed!" retorted Elbert.
"Wh-What shall we do, Lord Nergal?" Darin worriedly asked. "With both siblings gone, we can no longer hold the ceremony..."
"How many times must I tell you, Lord Darin?" Elbert shouted, evidently exasperated. "You are being used by this man! By helping him bring dragons back into this world, you are helping him destroy mankind! Do you understand?"
"Pah... ha ha ha... Destroy mankind?" scoffed Darin. "Dragons may have been a threat to mankind in ages past, but with Lord Nergal's power, we've got nothing to fear!" He motioned to the cloaked stranger, "Lord Nergal can control dragons! Ha ha... ha ha ha..."
"Lord Darin... you're already lost," sighed Marquess Pherae.
"I'd planned to start a war in Lycia," Nergal continued as he started to pace on the floor. "The war I was plotting in Lycia would've generated a glorious amount of force in one blow. You were not equal to the task, it seems," he mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Not to worry... I've other means at hand."
"Black-hearted fiend!" spat Elbert, and immediately wished he kept his mouth shut as Nergal silenced him with a kick in the stomach. "Guuuh!" he grunted as he fell.
"Hold your tongue. There is still a task you must perform for me," spoke Nergal. "Ephidel! Limstella!"
At Nergal's call, two other people appeared out of nowhere. One was Ephidel, who for once in a blue moon had his hood taken off, revealing the raven-coloured hair he tied up in ponytail. The other person was a lady with glowing golden eyes, jet-black hair and snow-white skin like Ephidel's. She wore a sage's clothes with a red collar, black dress and long white sleeves.
"My beloved morphs, my beateous works of art," Nergal smiled. "I've new jobs for you, my pets. First... Limstella," he instructed, pointing to the woman. "You will go to Bern and contact Sonia. I want you to arrange a meeting with the king."
"Understood," bowed Limstella, before she vanished into thin air.
"Ephidel, take this... man, Marquess Laus, and go," ordered Nergal. "I want you to exterminate the mice who've landed on the island."
"Yes, master," obeyed Ephidel.
"That leaves you, Marquess Pherae," Nergal grinned a nasty grin. "It seems your legacy is one of endurance..." This comment quickly had Elbert sit up in horror. "...The mouse who interfered with my conquest of Lycia is named Eliwood. Should he be congratulated on making it thus far?"
"Eliwood? My son is here?" As soon as Marquess Pherae got over the shock, he began to protest, "Stop! Do with me what you will, but let my son be!"
"Hm? Heh... hehahahaha!" The cloaked man threw back his hand in laughter. "Remember the siblings you freed? The girl's here, too. As a matter of fact, she's with your son, Eliwood," he taunted. "Quite a delicious twist of fate, wouldn't you say?"
"...This can't be..." muttered Elbert, slumping against the wall.
"Eliwood will die in these woods," gloated Nergal. "The girl will be returned to me, and the ceremony will take place. Hm... Despite those long hours of torture, you remained undaunted," he remarked. "Such courage will make you the perfect sacrifice, Marquess Pherae... hahahahahaha!" The mysterious Nergal laughed as he left the room.
"Eliwood... Turn back... Take the girl and flee... Please..." whispered Elbert as he lay helplessly on the floor, hoping somehow that the wind could pass on his message...
From behind a pillar, a shadowed figure breathed softly, unable to take in what she had just witnessed.
"I can't believe it's come to this," murmured Leila. "We must inform Lord Hector of these events, Pamela... If we hurry, we may in time."
"Ai!" nodded her Aipom as Leila started to make her way outside. "What!" The Ostian spy suddenly found herself face-to-face with none other than Ephidel himself.
"Leila..." Ephidel smiled menacingly. "Where are you going?"
"Lord Ephidel!..." Leila exclaimed, starting to panick a little, "The sentries... I'm going to check on..."
"You overheard, did you not?" interrupted Ephidel. "...And I had such high hopes for you." Sighing, the cloaked man snapped his fingers. "Jaffar!"
"Ah!" Leila suddenly found herself restrained by strong hands, dashing all her hopes of a last-minute escape. She turned to see a brown-haired teenager, wearing grey assasin's gear, accompanied by a black weasel creature.
"The punishment for traitors is death," he said coldly. "Sneasel!" At once, the Sharp Claw Pokémon breathed a gust of ice, coating Leila's feet and fixing her to the ground to prevent her from running.
Petrified, Leila and Pamela could only open their mouths wide in shock as the assassin leapt up with his Pokémon in the silencer fashion they had practiced so well together in Ostia. It was not going to save them now...
"Ah!" Leila gasped in pain as the multiple Jaffars slashed across her body. Pamela was not spared either; the Sneasel delivered a series of Crush Claw attacks that threw the Long Tail Pokémon off her mistress' shoulder. Weakly, Leila and Pamela tried to get up, but it soon dawned upon them that their final moment had come. "Ma... Matthew..." whispered Leila, for the final time...
"...Impressive, Jaffar," smirked Ephidel. "Your power is beyond compare." Jaffar said nothing; his assignment was complete, and that was that.
"Take this woman's corpse and leave it in the forest," Ephidel ordered. "Let it serve as a warning to those fools."
"Let's get through these woods," instructed Lyn as Eliwood's group started to make their way through the forest, relying on the plainsgirl's keen senses. "It's starting to get foggy... try not to get separated," she warned.
"Enter and be lost," read Hector off a wooden sign. "It feels like we're not coming back."
"Hector!" Lyn snapped. "Are you trying to curse us?"
"Are you well, Ninian?" asked Eliwood as he supported the dancer.
"...Y-Yes... I'm... I'll be fine," she replied, trying to sound reassuring. Just then, something caught the Pheraen's attention... "Huh? Someone's there!" he pointed.
"Who? A sentry?" asked Hector. The three lords, two tacticians and one dancer rushed forward to see who it was.
"Leila! Is that you?" Hector called, recognising the spy. "Impressive work, finding your way here!"
"...Something's wrong," frowned Eliwood as he stepped closer. "Leila? Lei...!" The Lycian lordling jumped in shock as the frail body of Leila collapsed onto the ground.
"She's... dead," informed Lyn with dismay after she had checked Leila's breathing. "No!" whispered Ninian. All at once, murmurs filled the crowd that had gathered round.
"...This can't be," repeated the Ostian noble in disbelief. "She was one of our best spies. Leila..."
"What's going on?" rang out Matthew's voice. "Did someone mention...!" As the cheery thief made his way to the centre of attention, he stopped and stared at his corpse of his fellow spy, then at the faces of everyone else around him, then back at Leila's body... and realised what had happened. Aipom leapt off his shoulder and gave Pamela a gentle nudge, confirming their worst fear. Matthew felt his heart shatter into an uncountable number of fragments as he realised that Leila, his comrade-in-arms, the love of his life... was gone forever.
"...I'm sorry, Matthew," Hector began, breaking the eerie silence of the forest.
"...Why do you apologise, my lord?" Matthew replied, still gazing at the fallen Leila. His face wore its signature smile as if nothing had happened, but his voice was shaky, "Leila blundered... That's all."
"Matthew... Leila was... She was..." Eliwood joined in, trying to console the male spy.
"After this mission, I was going to ask her to put this life behind her..." continued Matthew. "Waited too long, didn't I? Ha..." Slowly, Matthew bent down and picked up Leila's body, as Aipom did with Pamela's. "...My lord, might I... rejoin you later?" he asked, his voice reduced to nothing but weak whispers from struggling not to cry. "She... has to be buried..."
"...Of course." Their request granted, Matthew and Aipom walked into the trees, to find a suitable spot where their loved ones could rest in peace. "Ah... I'll go with you..." volunteered Lyn.
"...Let them be alone," said Eliwood softly, grabbing Lyn by the arm. "There's nothing else we can do..."
"Blast!" swore Hector once he was sure Matthew and Aipom were earshot. "They put her out here us to find like this!"
"Unforgivable!" Lyn agreed through gritted teeth. "This is... a foul deed. Beyond foul."
"...Let's go!" shouted Eliwood. "The foe is somewhere in this forest. We must stop this before any more die!"
"Ah!" Ninian exclaimed suddenly. "Beware... Something comes!"
"What?" Before Lyn had time to react, a figure rushed out of the woods and grabbed her roughly onto a horse. "Kyaa!" she screamed.
"Lyndis!" yelled Eliwood.
"...If you value her life, send the girl to me," said the horseman gruffly, pointing to Ninian. "Ah..." gasped the dancer.
"You, you're Sacaen!" exclaimed Lyn, noticing her captor's skin colour.
"That's correct. I am Uhai of the Black Fang," introduced the nomad. "I've been sent to capture the girl... and to kill the lot of you. If, however, you hand over the girl and depart the island at once, I'll grant you your lives."
"And if we refuse?" Lyn retorted.
"You know nothing, little lord. Nothing of Nergal's might. Nothing of his terrible power. You are ignorant, and so you hope to oppose him. You are insects railing against the heavens. Your actions will change nothing." Uhai shook his head, "Speak no more foolishness and begone!"
"...Maybe we don't know what it is we're fighting... but if we flee, our loss is assured," Eliwood reasoned. "So we will continue to struggle, and we may yet prevail!"
"...Folly," remarked Uhai as he placed Lyn back on the ground and started to ride away. "What!" Surprised, Lyn chased after the nomadic trooper. "Why are you letting me go?" she asked.
"Holding a woman hostage during battle is shameful," Uhai answered. "You, too, are of Sacae, and I've a mind to show you mercy. I will let you die with a sword in your hands. But rest assured... I will kill all of you here." Turning away, he started to make tracks for the deepest part of the forest. "But be of good cheer!" he shouted as he left. "In dying, you shall all be spared the calamity that is to come!"
"Calamity that is to come?..." Lyn repeated to herself as Uhai rode off. Ninian seemed to appear a little troubled at the nomad's last comment...
"Ninian, you must hide," ordered Eliwood. "We will meet the enemy!"
"This looks bad, Imppala," remarked Shadow uneasily. "Our foe looks like a real killer!"
"Agreed, Shadow. And this kind of place doesn't make it any easier to plan a strategy," nodded Imppala. "I guess we'd better ask the ol' geezer for help again..."
"You watch your tongue, young whippersnapper!" scolded Hannah as she hobbled over. "Now, before you beg for my augury, could you please tell me where we are? I had such a dreadful trip on that leaky old boat!"
"We're on the Dread Isle, ma'am," Imppala replied none too courteously. "Haven't we briefed everyone on this already?"
"WHAT! You'd take an old woman to the Dread Isle?" Hannah heard the news and nearly died of a heart attack. "Oh, who are you to wish such a terrible thing on me?" she groaned.
"We're tacticians of Lord Eliwood, and we're trying to save his father," said Imppala impatiently. "Now give us the augury before we all perish in this forest!"
"Oh, aye, the augury... Yes, yes, of course," muttered Hannah as she tidied herself up a bit. "You will pay the 80 gold?"
"80?" Imppala exclaimed. "That's dayligh..."
"Here's the gold." Hurriedly, Shadow thrust the money into Hannah's waiting palm. After calming herself down, the elderly lady joined hands with her Xatu and began to meditate.
"Hmph! Fog!" she snorted. "You should take thieves with you... and torches will make things easier, too." The three lords gazed blankly at each other for fear of further burdening Matthew.
"I sense the foe has a strange item... Watch your items closely," continued Hannah. "Take the orchid-haired sky-rider... there is someone she should meet... Ah, I can see no more." Florina immediately started to wonder who she could be meeting on this desert island.
"Alright," Shadow sighed as he cracked his knuckles. "Our task here is rather straightforward; we move as fast as possible through the woods and handle any enemies. All mounted units will carry torches and lead the team so as to make this quick. Florina, keep a lookout for anyone you recognise... I think that should be all."
"I'm back, my lord!" declared Matthew as he returned, surprising everyone.
"Matthew!" exclaimed Hector. "Are you sure? You don't have to..."
"What are you talking about?" asked the thief innocently. "Look at this eerie place, this thick fog... this is exactly why you brought me with you."
"Yet..." Hector began to hesitate.
"If Leila... Leila knew I was shirking my duties, she would never have forgiven me," Matthew winced a little at his mention of her name. "I'm fine. I will work twice as hard for Ostia in her honour," he promised.
"I understand..." nodded the Ostian lord as he placed a trusting hand on the thief's shoulder. "I'm counting on you!"
"As well as you should, my lord!" replied Matthew with a grin.
"Alright then! Everybody, move out!" ordered Imppala.
"Tell me, Leila... this is what you'd want, right?" Matthew whispered. "You wouldn't want me to give up... I'll mourn for you when our battle is won. I must fulfill my duty. So rest... I promise I will take care of everything."
"...Ai?" Aipom looked up at Matthew, its face still stained with tears. In its paw it held the flower Pamela wore in her hair.
"I know you miss Pamela, Aipom," said Matthew gently as he stroked the tuft of fur on Aipom's forehead. "But we can't possibly fail them now. We have a job to do."
"Ai!" nodded Aipom with determination.
"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own, Merlinus?" asked Shadow.
"Oh, I'll be fine... just call me when you're ready," replied Merlinus. "I'm, er... allergic to venturing into foggy areas! Besides," the merchant continued as he opened five Pokéballs, "One of my Pelipper should be enough to protect me! The rest can follow you to help with items, right, my dears?"
"Pelipper! Pelipper!" nodded the five Bird Pokémon.
"Right! There'll be your favourite fish pies when you come back!" Merlinus called after the four deployed Pelipper. Aside, Marcus put his hand to his forehead and drew a lengthy sigh.
The group pressed on through the misty woods, constantly looking out for any enemies hidden in the fog. Nomads and cavaliers came in pairs at them, attempting to take them by surprise, but thanks to Matthew's guidance, the team handled any opposition with ease. Meanwhile, a pegasus came flying near the coast. She wore a suit of blue armour, darker than Florina's own, as well as straight, shoulder-length, aqua-coloured hair tied back with white string.
"I found them... these men are Black Fang..." she murmured to herself. "Look, everyone. Your sacrifices were not in vain. I'll fulfill our duty, even if I must do it myself. I am a true knight of Ilia!" Pulling the reins on her pegasus, she cried, "Let's go, Kenny!"
"Neeeeeeigh!" Braying in response, the pegasus dove closer to land as his rider raised her lance in attack mode. "Yaaaaaa!"
"Huh? Sister?" Hearing a familiar voice, Florina signalled to Huey to increase their present altitude. From a higher point of view, she caught sight of the other pegasus knight. "Fiora!" she called excitedly.
"Florina?" Fiora quickly skidded to a halt at the sound of her sister. "Why are you here?" she questioned.
"I'm here with Lady Lyndis," explained Florina. "What are you doing here?"
"...I was investigating the Dread Isle for someone," Fiora replied.
"By yourself?" Florina asked.
"No... There were others... a full unit of pegasus knights," answered Fiora as she hung her head in shame. "We were attacked..."
"You can't mean..." gasped Florina.
"I misjudged our situation," Fiora mumbled. "All of my knights are dead because of me... I'm such a failure..."
"That's not true!" Florina cried. "You're a splendid pegasus knight! I chose this path because I admired you so! Sniff... Please don't do this to yourself! Sniff..."
"...Florina, please don't cry..." consoled Fiora. "I'm sorry," mumbled her sister.
"No, it's my fault," admitted the older pegasus rider. "The pain of being the sole survivor... it had me trapped... Thank you, Florina," Fiora smiled. "I can see clearly now."
"...Fiora! Come and travel with us!" Seeing that her sister was fine, Florina decided to make an offer. "It's better to travel with friends than to struggle alone."
"...You're right," Fiora nodded. "I hate to admit it, but I can't do everything alone. Nor can I render my companions' sacrifices moot by going home... Florina, please introduce me to your commander. I'll see if I can offer my services for a short while."
Meanwhile, down below, Rebecca had finally managed to catch up with her male archer counterpart... "Wil!"
"Oh, ah... you," noted Wil. "So, umm, what is your name?"
"Rebecca!" answered the archer girl annoyedly.
"Hunh? So, your name is Rebecca? What a coincidence!" Wil commented. "I used to know a..."
"That's what I'm saying!" Rebecca nearly yelled. "I am that Rebecca!"
"What? But didn't you say earlier that you didn't know me?" asked Wil puzzledly.
"I did... but... Come on!" Realising her mistake, Rebecca thought of another way out. "How could I have the same face and the same name as her? Just believe me!"
"So it is you, Rebecca?" Wil questioned.
"Yes!" Inside, Rebecca was trying her best not to scream.
"Well, but... then why didn't you say so?" exclaimed Wil. At last, he thought, someone recognises me! "It's been so long!" he added.
"Don't give me that 'been so long' stuff!" pouted Rebecca. "You left saying you were going on a journey, and I never even heard from you again!"
"Oh, yeah... I enlisted in the Caelin army..." Wil explained.
"In the army? You did?" Rebecca could not believe her ears.
"Yeah, I travelled for a few years, and now I work for Lyn," went on the male archer.
"Lyn... You mean... Lady Lyndis?" Rebecca asked softly.
"Yeah, right," smirked Wil. "I keep forgetting to use her full name and title... You know, I am in her service... I really should get her title correct..."
"He's working for Lady Lyndis... and yet he's already calling her by an informal name..." thought Rebecca in shock and disappointment. "This... this can't be happening..."
"Rebecca? What's wrong?" Wil frowned. "Why is your face all..."
"...!" Instantly, Rebecca felt a rush of blood to her face. "Idiot!" she screamed, delivering a sharp kick to Wil's stomach, before running away.
"Ow..." groaned Wil. Then, noticing that Rebecca had gone, he quickly rushed after her.
"Hey... Rebecca!" Wil shouted, dashing between trees and below branches, before finally catching up with her. "What are you so mad about? Did I do something?" Rebecca merely stopped, folded her arms, and pouted. "I don't get it..." muttered Wil as he scratched his head.
"I don't care if you do!" yelled Rebecca, and now Wil could see that the girl was on the verge of crying. "Why don't you just go to your Lady Lyndis!"
"You can't let it go, can you?" Wil sighed as he edged closer, in an attempt to calm Rebecca down. "That stuff from when we were little..."
"Shut up! You don't know me! I'm no one to you!" Rebecca continued to rant, letting a few tears fall down her face. "You're just like my brother! He left and never came back!"
"Dan... hasn't come back yet?" Wil repeated slowly.
"Just shut up and leave me alone!" Pushing Wil to the ground, Rebecca continued to dash into the forest, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Oh, St. Elimine..." groaned Wil as he picked himself up. "What am I going to do now?"
"I am Uhai! I am the Soaring Hawk!" declared the nomadic trooper as Eliwood's group drew near. "Come!"
"...How can a proud man like you live as an assassin?" asked Lyn as she shook her head.
"...I sympathise with Brendan Reed's ideology," Uhai answered simply. "He wants to help the weak, to break the overly proud. Discussing this philosophy with Brendan and his sons, training together, getting stronger together... For me, the Black Fang was the first place... that felt like home."
"Felt?" Lyn questioned. "Is that feeling gone?"
"The Black Fang has changed," admitted Uhai with a hint of regret. "Nergal sent that woman... but it's too late for me to change now."
"Why? Talk to us; we may be able to help," offered the plainsgirl.
"Expect no quarter merely because we are both nomads. Prepare yourself!" So saying, Uhai pulled out an arrow from his quiver with a Pokéball where the pointy bit should have been, loaded it into his bow, and fired it towards the sky. As the arrow flew upwards, the Pokéball opened up in mid-air, releasing a graceful bird with glistening blue, white and red feathers.
"It's Swellow!" Imppala shouted. "The evolved form of Taillow!"
"Swellow, diving Aerial Ace!" ordered Uhai. The Swallow Pokémon made an elegant arc in the air before coming back down, its wings slashing through the tropospheric gases.
"DUCK!" yelled Imppala. Everybody quickly fell flat on the ground as Swellow zoomed through the forest, nearly slicing off everyone's heads along with a flurry of branches. "The force of Swellow's Aerial Ace was intensified several times over by its swift descent!" panted the red tactician.
"Hyaa!" Taking advantage of the situation, Uhai pulled out several arrows and released them from his bow. "Wing Attack, Swellow!"
"Swellow!" As the arrows flew towards their targets, Swellow flapped its wings, creating powerful zephyrs that carried the arrows even faster than ever.
"Aggron! Iron Defence!" Oswin sent out his own Pokémon to block the incoming missiles. The arrows bounced off Aggron's steel armour as if they were nothing. "Now try your Shock Wave!"
"Swellow, Quick Attack!" While Aggron charged up its electric assault, Swellow flew into the trees at breakneck speed. "Agggggg!" growled Aggron as it fired the Shock Wave, expecting it to head for Swellow. The electric-type attack smashed into several trees, disintegrating them, but missed Swellow completely.
"What!" exclaimed Oswin. "Isn't Shock Wave supposed to hit the target regardless of where it is?"
"At Swellow's current speed, it's not possible for Shock Wave to home in on Swellow wherever Aggron's firing at it from! And the misty forest isn't helping either!" realised Shadow. "If the Shock Wave is fired too late, Swellow can still dodge it easily even if the attack's headed straight for it!"
"In that case, we have to pinpoint Swellow's rough position!" Imppala muttered. "And that's something we can try to do! Electrike!" he commanded, "Use Odour Sleuth!"
"Swinub! Help him out with your Odour Sleuth!" Lowen yelled, summoning forth the Pig Pokémon.
"Squirtle! Use your Foresight!" shouted Hector as he released his Tinyturtle.
"Trike!" "Swi!" "Squir!" The three smaller Pokémon darted around, sniffing and searching for the enemy, until Electrike started barking.
"It's over there!" Oswin shouted, pointing to his left. Immediately, Aggron let fly another Shock Wave that seared through the rustling vegetation.
"Squirtle squir!" Squirtle suddenly cried, its tail shaking violently.
"Now it's over there!" commanded the general, followed by a quick lightning jolt from Aggron to the right. This process repeated itself for several minutes before most of the trees around had been deforestated. "It doesn't have as many hiding places as it did now!" Shadow remarked. "It should be easier to hit!"
"Aggron! Fire your best Shock Wave!" yelled Oswin as he spotted the shadow of Swellow speed by.
"Swellow! Take to the clouds!" Uhai commanded. Swellow complied as it sharply curved upwards, closely chased by Aggron's electric shock.
"Is it just me, or is Swellow glowing?" pondered Shadow.
"It's not you!" cried Imppala, realising what was going to happen. "It's...!"
"Sky Attack!" Swellow suddenly turned around, directly hitting the Shock Wave and dissipating it completely on its descent. A dangerously powerful tornado formed at the tip of its beak as it came closer and closer to ground...
"WHOA!" Eliwood's group yelled as Swellow came zooming across, the force of the whirlwind throwing them back. BLAM! Aggron was hit directly on its stomach by Swellow's attack. When the smoke had cleared, Aggron was lying on the ground, with several cracks across its chest. "No! Aggron!" Grimly, Oswin brought out his Pokéball, "Return!"
"Now are you convinced?" asked Uhai. "Give me the girl and your lives shall be spared!"
"Lord Eliwood! Look who I've brought!" Florina's voice rang out as she and her sister came into the scene. "What happened here?" she exclaimed when she saw everyone lying on the ground.
"They've been attacked!" nodded Fiora grimly. "By...!" She stopped short as she spotted who was responsible for the attack. "You!" she growled menacingly, pointing an accusing finger at Uhai. "You!"
"Hm?" Uhai's eyebrow twitched. "Who?"
"You were the one who led the attack on my unit!" Fiora snarled through clenched teeth. "You were the one who killed them all! You are the reason why I am fighting alone! And now," she said as her fingers gripped her lance so hard her knuckles turned white, "you shall pay!"
"I was merely following my orders," Uhai answered simply as he pulled on his bowstring. "You were trespassing in Black Fang territory, and since you refuse to leave, I shall have to kill you here!"
"Go! Mechaquila!" shouted Fiora as she flew upwards in time to avoid Uhai's arrows. Out of the Pokéball she then threw emerged another bird Pokémon, except that this one had a much longer neck and legs. Its body appeared to be completely shielded with metallic feathers, and a sharkfin sat atop its streamlined head. Its wings were simply four strips of metallic feathers and bone on each side, but that didn't make it look less intimidating. "Skarmory!" it crowed.
"Who's that?" wondered Imppala.
"Whoever she is, she's our only hope!" muttered Shadow. "Skarmory's also known as the Armour Bird Pokémon! What our Pokémon lack in speed and physical defence, maybe her Skarmory can make up for it!"
"Haaa!" Uhai fired his arrows again. "Swellow, use Wing Attack!"
"Swellow!" Just like before, Swellow's gusts boosted the arrows' speed.
"Mechaquila! Air Cutter, now!" At Fiora's order, Mechaquila flapped its wings, creating sharp cresent zephyrs that sliced cleanly through Swellow's gusts of wind, breaking them. The arrows, no longer ferried by the force of Swellow's wind, dropped to the ground.
"Swellow! Use your Quick Attack!" Swellow darted across the sky, making abrupt turns, dives and climbs, trying to take Mechaquila by surprise. CLANG! KLUNG! CLANG! The Swallow Pokémon tackled Mechaquila several times, but its tough metal exterior reduced the impact of Swellow's Quick Attack several times over.
"Metal Sound, Mechaquila!" Fiora commanded. Mechaquila opened its mouth, producing a jarring sound that resembled two pieces of metal scraping against each other. This had the effect of stopping Swellow in mid-air as it was disrupted by the cacophony. "Swift, now!" The Skarmory shot out a barrage of small stars that rammed into Swellow, nearly it knocking it off balance in the sky.
"Swellow! Finish it up with Sky Attack!" commanded Uhai.
"Mechaquila!" shouted Fiora. "You use Sky Attack too!" The two Flying-type Pokémon glared fiercely at each other as they began to build up energy inside, ready for the final assault...
"Swellow!" "Skaaaar!" Each bursting with a blinding orange aura, Swellow and Mechaquila charged at each other, both generating a killer tornado for themselves as they clashed in the sky of the setting sun, creating a blistering explosion of light...
"Ugh!" grunted Uhai as he shielded his eyes. Once he felt it was safe enough to put down his hands, he looked back upwards, to see Mechaquila diving down from above. It had won through with its metallic body! As if that wasn't enough, Fiora was riding on its back!
"What!" exclaimed the nomad, "When did you..."
"Yaaaaaaaaaa!" Fiora yelled, wielding her javelin with one hand and tightly clutching onto her Skarmory with the other as they made their death-defying descent. "Ha!" With the precision of an expert, Fiora flung her weapon at Uhai, but in so doing, crashed onto the forest floor as Mechaquila lost its balance as a result of her throw.
"GUNGH!" Uhai was, quite brutally, thrown of his horse, landing on the ground as he clutched the fresh wound where Fiora had stabbed him with her lance. "Guuu... Well done... You are... stronger... stronger than I expected," he murmured. At once, the three lords rushed by his side, while some of the others crowded around Fiora. "Out of respect... a final gift from me... From here, go south. Turn at the rotted tree. Head... west. There lies the path to the... Dragon's Gate... Unnh..."
"Ah..." groaned Fiora as she woke up from her lying position. "Where, where..."
"You're alive!" cheered Florina as she hugged her sister tightly. "You're alive!"
"Of course I'm alive, Florina." Fiora smiled as she returned Florina the favour. "I'll always be there for you."
"You were lucky Kent got Serra over to tend to your wound immediately," grinned Imppala, pointing at the red cavalier who blushed a little at the tactician's comment. "You would be Fiora, would you not? Your sister Florina has told us all about you."
"Ah... yes, that would be me," Fiora nodded quickly after taking a rather long glance at Kent, causing her to blush slightly as well. "I need to see your commander," she said in a more serious tone.
"We can settle all administration matters for you," Shadow informed. "Right now, Lord Eliwood is a bit occupied..." Everyone turned to look at the Pheraen noble who was looking down at Uhai's fallen body. "Uhai... I wish we could've met under different circumstances..."
"...Do we trust him?" asked Hector.
"He was a Sacaen. He would not lie," Lyn defended. "...I, at least, choose to trust him."
"...Let's go then," nodded Eliwood. "To the Dragon's Gate!" As the others began to advance, Hector took the time to mull things over a bit.
"...I don't think he was behind Leila's death," the Ostian lord muttered to himself. "Black Fang! I don't know who's responsible, so I'm going to destroy you all!"
ShadowedTactician: There. I think that's done now...
Imppala: And as for you... less cards and more writing, darn it!
Grim: ...Review.
