Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 31

The Chaos Theory: Part II


(Alkan Guild, Main Hall)

The charmeleon walked into the Alkan Castle accompanied by her friends. The main hall was spectacular. She stared at all of the architecture with amazement.

"That's strange..." Bolt said slowly. He walked over to one of the two empty desks to the left of the door. "Isn't there suppose to be a receptionist here or something?"

"I wouldn't think so," Hazel said, looking at the empty desk.

"He or she is usually the Guildmaster's assistant," Adelina said. "Since the Guild was taken by Team Armageddon now, I wouldn't be surprised if the receptionist isn't working here any longer."

"Still..." Bolt said. "You'd think someone would be here at the front."

"Maybe Ignitus had most of the Armageddons move to Frost Island to prepare for the attack?"

Hazel looked over towards the end of the hallway. Ryan and Dillan were already off to do their job. She stared longingly at her friends. I wish I could go with them, but I guess that isn't possible... Just be alright, guys...

"Hazel," Adelina said. Hazel turned towards her. The lickitung had a small smile of empathy. "They'll be alright."

"I know," Hazel said. She looked back down the path to see Dillan and Ryan were gone.

"Where to?" Bolt asked.

"The stairs," Adelina said. "The Guildmaster was on the balcony, so she'll be up above us."

Hazel nodded, and the group of three began walking towards the stairs at the back of the room. Then, they ascended upwards.

"So what's the plan?" Hazel asked as she climbed the stairs.

"Plan?" Bolt asked.

"Yeah," Hazel said. "The plan to keep Guildmaster Zinclyde alive."

"There isn't one," Bolt said with a wink at Hazel. She was taken aback.

"The only plan is not to kill the Guildmaster," Adelina stated.

"So... we're winging it?" Hazel asked slowly.

"Pretty much," Bolt shrugged. "It's what me and Koa-..." Bolt stopped talking. Hazel looked at the pikachu. He wore a small smile, though his eyes were lowered sadly. "It's what me and Koa use to do..."

"Bolt," Hazel said sympathetically.

"It's fine," Bolt assured, fixing his face into an embarrassed grin. "All I'm saying is that we on Team B. A. K. usually wing it, so we'll be fine." Hazel put her paw on the pikachu's shoulder in a friendly, comforting gesture. Bolt's eyes looked at Hazel with surprise and his cheeks grew an even deeper shade of red. The pikachu began grinning again when he said, "If I didn't know any better-"

"Don't make it weird," Hazel interrupted.

Bolt laughed. "Whatever."

Hazel removed her paw and looked around. They were on the third floor now: a pretty big room with what looked like a stadium. There were white markings along the blue floor that made a box in the center of the room which covered a little more than half of the floor. Torches lined the walls casting an orange light along their respective, white-stone surfaces. The most interesting part was there wasn't a roof in sight; it was like an opened skylight. There were different, blue doors lining the walls leading into either hallways or other rooms. At the side of the room opposite of Hazel sat an opening in the wall that led to an empty balcony overlooking the courtyard below.

"Well, crap," Bolt stated as he crossed his arms. "Who wants to bet that's where Ms. Zinclyde was hanging out earlier?"

"So, you're here for the Guildmaster, after all?" a voice asked from above; it sounded gruff and commanding. Hazel's muscles tensed as she saw the black dragon fall down from the open ceiling and into the middle of the room. He landed on the floor and stood up proudly as he glared at the guildmembers.

"And you are?" Bolt asked.

"Titus," the charizard stated flatly. The eroded "A" strapped across his chest glistened in the light of the sun.

"Titus," Bolt stated. Hazel saw a look of anticipation overtake Bolt's face. He lowered his head slightly, grinning at the charizard. "Care to tell us where Guildmaster Zinclyde is? We're big fans."

"What's your name, Phimpledink?" Titus addressed Hazel.

"Ph-Phimpledink?" Bolt snickered.

Adelina sighed. "Bolt..."

Hazel remained silent. She didn't know how Bolt could laugh at a time like this. Was he just that confident, or that arrogant? Whatever the reason, this isn't any laughing matter. Hazel didn't know how, but something seemed off about this encounter. She looked over the charizard. He stood tall and proud, portraying confidence as if he was a royal guard. His eyes stared right past Bolt and Adelina and focused in on Hazel; it was unsettling. The worst part was his tail-flame. A charizard's tail-flame, like her own, was a representation of its host's energy and emotions. When a charizard is angry and a surge of adrenaline flows through it, the flame gets brighter. The thing about Titus that unnerved Hazel the most was the fact that Titus' flame was all over the place. It sent miniature flames in random directions as it roared wildly at the edge of Titus' tail, though the charizard himself portrayed complete calm with every bit of his posture and facial expression. Hazel, as a charmeleon, understood just how much raw power was shown in that flame. It just proved to her – someone who had never seen Titus fight – how strong he really was.

"So, are you just going to stand there or..?" Bolt asked.

Titus' gaze shifted towards Bolt. "I know you, pikachu," he stated. "You're the Electric Blur, right?"

Bolt nodded. "You're a fan, then?" he said with a smile.

"If you're truly as powerful as pokemon are led to believe, then you should know not to laugh at your opponents."

Bolt got on all fours. "You want to fight?" he asked with a grin. His cheeks began sending small jolts of electricity into the air.

Titus stared at Hazel. "No," he stated flatly.

Bolt's cheeks stopped sparking as he looked at Titus with a raised eyebrow. "No?"

Adelina watched Titus with caution, and so did Hazel. She was ready for the pokemon to strike randomly at any moment in time, and she was determined to be ready for it.

"It would be a waste," Titus stated.

Bolt wore a dumb-founded expression. "A... A waste?" he asked slowly. "You think I... would be a waste of time and energy?"

"No," Titus said. "Not energy; just a waste of time." He raised a claw at Hazel. "Her on the other hand would be a fight."

"Alright," Bolt said, cranking his neck back and forth. "Now you've hurt my pride."

"Bolt-" Adelina started.

"I know, C. A," Bolt said. "Don't underestimate him."

Adelina grimaced. "Am I that predictable?" she asked herself.

"This should only take a second," Bolt was off in a flash of yellow. He ran right up to the charizard, though Titus didn't take his eyes off of Hazel. Bolt went in with head lowered as if for a tackle, but moved left at the last second in a fake-out. The problem was that Titus didn't seem to take note of Bolt's very existence. He didn't make one attempt at blocking the pikachu as if he saw the fake-out coming. Bolt began running circles around his opponent.

"What is he doing?" Hazel asked Adelina.

"Bolt's messing around," Adelina sighed. "That charizard... I'm not sure."

"We should help," Hazel stated. She took a step forwards, but Adelina grabbed her by the arm.

"Wait," Adelina said. "I want to see how this is going to play out."

"You're kidding..." Hazel asked in shock.

"Hardly," Adelina stated calmly. "Bolt can win this alone, no doubt. Even if he can't, I want to see how this charizard acts before we jump in blindly. Bolt can hold his own long enough for us to get a read on the charizard's abilities."

Hazel looked at the fight with worry. "Alright," she said. "But I don't think its going to play out how you think..."

Titus took a step forwards towards Hazel, forcing Bolt to adjust his circle of yellow sparks.

"Hey, fatso!" Bolt called out. "What did the bench maker say to his customer?"

"Move," Titus stated flatly.

"He said, 'Have a seat'." Bolt broke from his circle on Titus' left and lunged at him in a "Volt-Tackle" attack. He moved so fast, it was hard for Hazel to keep track. He went straight for his opponent's body. Then, Titus' wings flapped in one solid motion, sending a massive air current towards Hazel and Adelina. It made Hazel's scarf flap in the wind. She put up her arms instinctively to shield her eyes. Bolt's body caught the air current sending him off course and in front of Titus. The pikachu sped passed his target by mere inches. Hazel and Adelina gasped. What?

"Bolt just..." Adelina said, the words leaving her mouth.

"What?" Bolt said in shock as he landed feet from Titus. He came out of the blur and looked back at the charizard. Bolt grimaced as he broke into another sprint of electricity and dove for Titus' head. Titus' head moved backwards from the neck, narrowly missing Bolt's attack. The charizard's claws leapt from the side of his body and grabbed Bolt's tail with such a speed, Hazel had no time to process what was happening – or going to happen. The pikachu yelped in pain as Titus' talons dug into his tail. The charizard swung Bolt by the tail and slammed him into the ground, all the while not taking a single eye off of Hazel. Bolt's body cracked the floor. When Hazel's mind registered what had happened, she gasped in disbelief.

"Bolt!" Adelina shouted.

Titus' eyes drifted from the charmeleon and landed on Bolt. "Give up," he ordered.

Bolt was panting sharply, obviously hurting from the pain. "What... just happened?" he asked dizzily.

"Last warning before I snap you in two," Titus stated.

"Yeah," Bolt said. His cheeks sparked. "No." The pikachu's body lit up in a bath of electricity that flowed through his tail, connecting him to Titus. The charizard grimaced as he was jolted. Still being attacked, Titus looked at Bolt with a snarl. He lifted his foot in the air and threw it down towards Bolt's body.

"Stop!" Adelina shouted. Her tongue flew from her mouth and wrapped itself around Titus' foot, preventing it from lowering on Bolt. The lickitung gave a shriek as her tongue connected her to the electrified charizard, sending the same energy Bolt was giving Titus into her own body. Bolt looked at Adelina and stopped his attack. Titus then lifted Bolt by the tail and swung him through the air as if he was a miniature mace. He threw Bolt at Adelina, but Hazel reacted in a second. She jumped into the air and caught Bolt with her chest. She fell onto her side with the pikachu in her arms. Adelina's tongue let go of Titus, and she fell onto her stomach.

Titus shook his head as if he was getting rid of some minor annoyance. His eyes then, once again, locked on Hazel.

The charmeleon got up, Bolt still in her arms. "Are you alright?" she asked Bolt frantically.

Bolt looked worried. "Put me down," he said quickly. Hazel set him on his feet and he immediately ran towards Adelina. "C. A.-"

"I'm fine..." Adelina said, struggling to her feet, though she sounded weary. "Focus on Titus..."

"Alright," Bolt said. He looked towards the charizard.

Hazel grimaced at Titus. In less than a minute, he's managed to hurt Adelina and Bolt... This is getting out of hand. We can't spent too much energy fighting this pokemon, or we won't have enough energy to fight Guildmaster Zinclyde.

"Phimpledink," Titus said, pointing once again at Hazel. "What is your name?"

"Does it matter?" Hazel asked sharply. Why is he so interested in me?

"It may," the charizard stated, "Or it may not." Actually, that gives me an idea.

"So, you only want to fight me?" Hazel shouted.

"Just you," Titus stated.

"Will you leave my friends alone if I say yes?"

"Hazel," Bolt said, "That isn't an option."

Hazel didn't respond to Bolt. She just focused on Titus who continued to stare at her without saying a word. This continued for a few more seconds before Titus nodded.

"Hazel-" Bolt tried to argue.

"Titus isn't the mission," Hazel said, not taking her eyes off of Titus. "Take Adelina out of here and find the Guildmaster."

"But-"

"I can keep him busy, but you need to find Zinclyde," she said sternly. "Don't argue with me. Just leave before he changes his mind."

Bolt stared at Hazel in disbelief. "You'll die if I leave you."

"We'll all die if you don't!" Hazel shouted. "Stop making this harder, and just leave!"

Bolt looked at Hazel for a few seconds before cursing under his breath. He turned towards Adelina.

"She's right," Adelina said wearily

Bolt looked at Hazel. "Don't die," he stated.

"Bolt," Hazel said with a small smile. "You're underestimating me, now."

Bolt shook his head as he turned away from the fight. Adelina got to her feet and the two ran as fast as they could through a doorway on the left room and out of sight.

"So, you'll fight?" Titus asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Hazel questioned. In actuality, that question was directed towards herself more than Titus.

Titus smiled lightly. That almost pushed the charmeleon over the edge. She felt like running just because of that one expression. Why is he smiling? The charizard curled the back of his upper lips slowly, bearing his sharp teeth before saying, "Show me your inner strength."


(Alkan Guild, Basement Staircase)

"Let me go!" Ryan shouted, struggling even more as the two sandslash dragged him down a flight of spiral stairs. Each and every one of his wild movements made the claws of the sandslash dig deeper into his fur and skin. Pain and blood came from the pachirisu's body, but he didn't care; all he wanted to do was punch Molan's face in for what he did to Dillan. He was so worried about the big chicken. He had always had someone to lean on when things got rough. When he didn't, the gabite panicked. On top of that, there was the condition Dillan was in. Even before they had gotten to the castle, he was in bad shape. Now, he was unconscious, bruised, and drenched. He needed to get away from these sandslash before Dillan got himself hurt.

The two sandslash had gone down what Ryan thought had been three floors below the ground level before they reached what appeared to be the bottom floor. They were faced with a wooden door that had a barred window. The sandslash looked at the door for a few seconds as if waiting for the other to open it.

"You'll have to decide sometime today," the pachirisu stated sharply.

"Are you opening it or am I?" the left one asked the right.

The right sandslash rolled its eyes and took one claw off of Ryan. It then moved around the pachirisu and rotated the knob. Big mistake! With the sandslash in front of the pachirisu, his arm was now in range of Ryan's teeth. He bit down on his opponent's arm. The sandslash yipped and completely let Ryan go. The pachirisu swung around and bit down on the left sandslash. It yelled and recoiled in pain, also letting Ryan go. Ryan whipped around and darted as fast as he could back up the stairs. He heard cussing and stamping feet coming up the stairs to meet him. Knowing that he would waste too much energy running away from the sandslash, Ryan sopped on the stairs and got down as far as he could, attempting to blend in with the white steps. The two sandslash, one after the other, came up. Ryan waited for a few seconds before they were almost on top of him before he jumped at the first sandslash's chest and leapt off of it. The sandslash fell backwards into his companion, and the two tumbled down the stairs together, hitting each and every step on the way down until the thudding stopped.

"See ya later, palls," Ryan said, turning upwards and continuing to ascend the stairs. He ran up a few floors before coming upon a door that led back into the hallway Dillan and Molan were in. He busted through the door and looked around the corner.

"No!" Ryan exclaimed.

The two pokemon were no longer there, and he didn't know where they had gone. He could guess, but there were so many doorways down the hall that he had no idea which one they took, let alone if they went to the end of the hall, ascended a staircase, or even descended. Ryan cursed under his breath. Dillan... Where did you go? Ryan bolted towards the first doorway. That's when he felt his feet come out from underneath him. He landed flat on his back, exhaling all of his oxygen. Ryan started seeing doubles. The pachirisu shook his head violently to regain his vision. He sat upright and felt the back of his head for blood. It's wet... Ryan moved his paw in front of his eyes. To his surprise, it wasn't stained, just damp. Water? He stood up and found he was sitting in a small puddle of water. So there's water in a castle surrounded by ice... Shouldn't it be more... ice? That's when Ryan remembered the state Dillan was in. The gabite was drenched from head-to-toe. Dillan must have been dripping. Ryan looked downwards finding himself in the middle of a wet trail that led down the hallway. Bingo.

Ryan jumped to his feet – careful to avoid the water – and ran down the hall. He followed the water until it went under a doorway. The pachirisu opened the door which revealed a new set of spiral stairs. Ryan immediately ascended the stairs, following the water. He stopped two floors up. No... He stared at the remaining water droplets that ended at the top of this flight. There was another flight of stairs leading higher and a wooden door to Ryan's right. They could have gone upwards or through there. He made a split-second decision and plowed through the door. Ryan found himself in a new hallway with new doors.

"Really?" Ryan asked no one in particular. "How many rooms does one guild need?"

"What in Ganderosa were we thinking?" Bolt asked. "How could we just leave her like that-"

Ryan looked down the hallway to his left, seeing Bolt and Adelina in the distance.

"Guys!" Ryan called out, running to meet Bolt and Adelina. He stopped mid-way when he saw Bolt was feebly holding onto a stumbling Adelina's leg as support. "What happened to you guys?" Ryan then realized someone was missing. "Where's Hazel?"

"Ry," Adelina said. She sounded strained.

"They know we're here," Bolt said. "Team Armageddon knows we're with the Guild."

Ryan looked at Bolt with an intense stare. "Bolt," he said, "Where's Hazel?"

Bolt hung his head. "She told us to leave her with that black charizard."

Black charizard... Ryan immediately recalled seeing a black charizard with Molan back at Frost Island. Ryan reared on Bolt shouting, "And you did?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Ry," Adelina said. She stood up straight and gently pushed Bolt off of her leg. "She's distracting the charizard so we can get to Guildmaster Zinclyde."

"You can't just leave her to deal with someone who's fully evolved!" Ryan shouted. He began walking around Adelina. He felt a massive paw grip his arm. He looked up at Adelina and scowled deeply at the lickitung. "Let me go, now," he ordered.

"No, Ryan," Adelina said. "Hazel can take care of herself."

Ryan shook his arm from Adelina's grip. He gave one final glare before running down the hallway.

"Ryan!" Bolt called out from behind the pachirisu.

"Why doesn't anyone take me seriously?" Adelina asked herself. The two pokemon began walking as fast as they could towards Ryan.

The pachirisu had been running down the hallway for a little bit before he came up to a door. Ryan pushed it open and looked inside the room. It was as if he walked onto a battlefield.

There was a crater in the middle of what looked like a stadium. Ryan looked up at the walls of the room, seeing what looked like black, smoking scorch-marks that went all the way up to the ceiling. He looked all over the room, but Hazel and Titus were nowhere to be seen.

"Ryan-" Adelina said, catching up with the pachirisu.

"Where's Hazel?" Ryan asked Adelina.

"What?" Bolt asked as he entered the room. His face dropped when he saw the damage that remained.

"You guys are hopeless," Ryan said as he walked through the doorway and into the battlefield.

"Ryan!" Adelina snapped. "Stop for one second and listen to me!"

"What is it, Addi?" Ryan asked. He turned around and looked at Adelina, wearing a look of utter disbelief and frustration.

"That charizard was destroying us!" the lickitung shouted. "Bolt couldn't do anything at all!"

"So abandoned your friend?!" Ryan snapped.

"She's not here," Bolt noted, "So she has to be running from the guy and leading him away from us."

"Which means we need to use the time Hazel's giving us," Adelina stated. Ryan turned away from the lickitung.

"Ryan," Bolt said. He placed his paw on Ryan's shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Hazel's a really strong fighter. She'll be able to take care of herself."

"You need to calm down and think about this," Adelina said. "Hazel can take care of herself, and we need to trust her to. Going after her now defeats the whole purpose of leaving her in the first place."

Ryan grimaced. I hate to admit it, but they're right... "Fine," Ryan said. He pulled his arm out of Bolt's grasp. "But we need to go after Dillan."

"Where is he?" Adelina asked calmly.

"Molan took him," Ryan explained, "And I'm not sure where."

"He took Dillan?" Bolt asked. "As in 'captured' and not 'killed'?"

"What kind of question is that?" Ryan snapped.

"Alright," Adelina stepped in. "Don't get snippy."

"I wasn't..." Ryan tried to argue, but he knew he was. Fine...

"Well, then he's probably in some dungeon," Bolt said.

"No, he isn't," Ryan said. "That's where I was being taken when they caught me. Molan took Dillan in a different direction."

"Then he's with either the Guildmaster or Ignitus," Adelina said. "They'll probably be interrogating him to find out more about why we're here."

"Well, we need to find Zinclyde even faster than before," Bolt said. "Since Team Armageddon knows we're here, odds are she'll have more guards in the next thirty minutes."

"What about Dillan?" Ryan insisted. "We can't leave him!"

"We're not, Ry," Adelina stated. "If Dillan's with the Guildmaster, then we'll save him. If he's with Ignitus, then we'll find him after Zinclyde."

"That is, if we find Zinclyde first," Bolt added. "If not, we'll take down Ignitus. If Dillan's not with him-"

"We're wasting time standing around talking," Ryan interrupted. "Dillan's in trouble; we just need to find him."

"Oh," Bolt said with a nervous smile. "Right."

Bolt quickly turned on his heels and walked towards the exit behind him. Ryan was about to follow when Adelina grabbed him by the arm.

Ryan whipped around to face the lickitung. "What's the deal?" Ryan asked sharply.

"Ry," Adelina began. "You need to stop this nonsense right now, alright?"

"Ad-"

"No," Adelina interrupted sharply. "You need to knock it off. I don't know how or why that nidoqueen got in your head, but we both know there's no way her words got to you. There's no way she intimidated you with her power, either. You know her." Ryan – still scowling – turned away from Adelina. Adelina smiled coldly and shook her head. "Did you meet her when you left me last year?" Ryan didn't answer. "Did you fight her?" sill no answer. "What did she do to you, Ry?"

"It isn't important, Addi," Ryan said. ""What's important right now is saving Dillan."

"Fine," Adelina said sternly. "But if you think I'm going to let you be rude to Bolt, you're mistaken. Be nice with us, or be a jerk without us: your choice." Adelina let go of Ryan and walked through the door to meet with Bolt. "And we're not killing Zinclyde!"

Ryan gave a sigh. Fine... I'll play-nice. But I wish I could help you understand what's happening to me...


(Unknown)

Dillan opened his eyes slowly, feeling the cuts in his chest burn even more than before him and his friends arrived in this Guild. He looked up at a ceiling that was flat and blue.

"Why won't you just listen to me and kill him now?" Dillan recalled the supreme butt kicking he had endured before he passed out. He jumped up into a sitting position as quickly as possible to get a view of his surroundings.

"Calm yourself," a deep, male voice stated. Dillan whipped around quickly, getting a glimpse of his surroundings.

He was on a massive bed made of cloth and stuffed with a material Dillan couldn't identify. He found himself in a big room with no windows and only one exit. One of the white, brick-like walls had a scorch mark with ashes sitting in a pile beneath it. All of the other walls were spotless. In one corner sat a desk with paper, a bottle of ink, and a quill. In another corner rested a stool next to a yellow harp: one of the massive ones that stood on the white floor. The floor was layered with carpet and spotted with black ash. Standing next to a table next to the bed was the greninja, Molan. He was looking at Dillan with an intense scowl. Sitting at one of the ends of the table was an infernape. Ignitus... Dillan took note of the fact that, even though each member had some sort of identifying wears that tied them to Team Armageddon, Ignitus had nothing that practically shouted, "I'm on Team Armageddon": let alone, "I'm the leader".

Dillan jumped from the bed and landed on his feet. He leaned forwards a little due to the pain in his chest, but he was still standing.

"Ignitus," Molan stated, "You know I respect you,"

"I do," Ignitus said, setting his elbows on the table while he laced his fingers together as if thinking.

"But this is a horrible decision."

"You've voiced your opinion, Molan," Ignitus said, "And I have heard it... several, several times. Now, why don't you take care of the other guildmembers?"

"I-If you hurt m-my friends," Dillan warned, sounding about ready to collapse out of fear. Even though he didn't feel as though he was in the position to be making demands, he felt as though that needed to be said. Molan bowed to Ignitus and exited the room.

"I have no intention of hurting you," Ignitus stated. "You are, after all, only a child who is caught up in a fight that does not involve you." He motioned to the other seat on the opposite side of the table. "Please, take a seat."

Dillan eyed Ignitus cautiously, having no intention of moving. "You're I-Ignitus?" he questioned.

"I am," the infernape stated. "I'm assuming he sent you to stop me." Ignitus laughed quietly to himself. "I guess it was only a matter of time before I paid for my sins against him and his plan. Although, I assumed he would send more than you. I guess beggars can't be choosers."

"Are you talking about Judah?" Dillan asked, letting his curiosity take flight, though not above his caution. "What plan?"

Ignitus sighed. "In the end, I guess I'll be made to look like the villain of the story." The infernape's eyes set on Dillan. "And I assume you'll be the hero."

"I don't understand..." Dillan said cautiously.

"Of course you don't," Ignitus said, standing from the table. He slowly walked over towards the desk in the corner of the room and stopped. "He wouldn't want you to: not yet, anyway. No... he'll just lead you on until you give him what he seeks. Maybe he'll be pushed by someone or something to reveal everything, but most certainly not me."

Dillan was very confused. What the heck is he talking about?

Ignitus chuckled lightly. "Molan gave this to me." Out of nowhere, Ignitus stuck out his closed fist. He was holding a small string with a green crystal resting on the end. Dillan panicked. His eyes darted down at his chest. His "Armageddon" bandanna had a hole torn through the middle of it, and his crystal was gone. "Do you know what this is?"

"It's mine," Dillan said, panic rising in his chest.

"Oh, I know that much; but do you know what it is?" Dillan eyed the infernape. "No? Well, allow me to enlighten you. This is a crystal with extraordinary powers. As my old master would put it, in the correct hands, a crystal like this could decide the entire fate of the world."

"Master?" Dillan asked. Then, he remembered the Armageddon tree. "Does that mean you work for the enemy?"

"I did," Ignitus said, facing Dillan, "Actually, we preferred to call ourselves "Team Rebirth" more than the enemy. A really bad name, I know. One of my friends came up with that idea before she left our group."

"Reya?"

Ignitus looked at Dillan with surprise. "You know her?"

"Yeah," Dillan said with a scowl at Ignitus. "She use to help me before your group took her."

"My group?" Ignitus asked. He stood there in silence and confusion for a few seconds before smiling. "Oh, no. You aren't listening to me. I did work with the enemy. I did, but not anymore."

"You left them?" Dillan asked.

"Enough about me. We'll have plenty of time to talk about that." Dillan felt a little more nervous with that sentence. Plenty of time? "For now, I want to talk about you, Dillan."

Dillan felt even more on-edge than before. "How do you know my name?!"

"Molan told me," Ignitus said. "But again, that isn't important." Ignitus walked back towards the table and sat down. He motioned once more for Dillan to sit down. The gabite had no intention of moving. "Suit yourself.

"Anyways, I want to understand what it is you know about yourself. So, to start, why don't you tell me your name?"

"You already know," Dillan said, not willing to participate in Ignitus' game.

"Yes, but I want to make this personal." Ignitus held out his empty hand. "My name is Ignitus." Ignitus motioned his head towards his own hand, waiting for Dillan to shake, but he didn't want anything to do with the infernape right now. He did have to admit he was curious about what it was Ignitus knew about Reya and the Enemy. This could be his chance.

Dillan sighed and set his claw in Ignitus' hand. "I'm Dillan," he said reluctantly. The two shook before Ignitus let go of Dillan's claw.

"Excellent," the infernape stated. "We're making progress. Now then, why don't you take a seat?"

Dillan eyed the chair for a few seconds before walking over to it; he then sat down.

"So..." Dillan said slowly, "What did you want to ask me?"

"First off," Ignitus said. "I need to know what you know about why you're here."

"Here?" Dillan asked. He doesn't mean "here in Ganderosa", right?

"Here in Ganderosa," Ignitus said. Dillan felt like shrinking in his seat. "Oh, yes. I know you're not really a gabite; you're human."

"How did you know?!" Dillan asked, sounding utterly panicked.

"I didn't," Ignitus said. "It was a hunch, but you did prove me correct." Dillan felt the back of his neck getting hotter. I... I did? "Don't worry about it," Ignitus stated. "That makes it all so much easier to help you."

"H-help me?" Dillan asked, still flustered by the sudden turn of events.

"Why, yes: help you. You see, we're moving towards the same goal. We both want the Enemy to fall."

"I thought... you wanted to free..." Dillan tried to say. He tried taking deep breaths to get control of his emotions. I need to calm down...

"No," Ignitus said. "That's all a face to get other pokemon to join: powerful pokemon such as Titus."

"The charizard?" Dillan asked.

"Yes," Ignitus said. "One of the strongest pokemon I've ever met. He's normally against violence, but chooses it when he feels he needs to. I would feel very afraid for the pokemon who he chooses to fight next." Ignitus shook his head. "But that's off topic.

"What I'm trying to say is that Team Armageddon exists for one reason: to keep the world spinning."

"Sorry?" Dillan asked with confusion.

"Have you ever wondered why we call ourselves 'Armageddon'?" Ignitus asked. "It's because I've seen what will bring about the end of the world, or judgement day. I know what is going to bring about armageddon, and it's coming soon."

"You're saying you know what's going to end the world?" It felt very unbelievable. What would be strong enough to end everything?

"Yes, I do," Ignitus said, "And so do you. It's the Enemy's goal. They want to end everything in existence."

Dillan was shocked. To end everything?

"Yes," Ignitus said in response to Dillan's face, "But I know how to stop it."

"R-really?" Dillan asked.

"You're a very special human, Dillan. You've been chosen; your crystal proves it. I'm not sure why you specifically were chosen, but you were. Even so, I don't think you can complete your mission on the path that you're currently on."

"What do you mean?" Dillan asked.

"If Reya came to you, then you're probably working for the side she picked - a side that has no name or records to go with their existence. That side is not the good side."

There was a pause for a few seconds before Dillan asked, "And who is?"

Ignitus chuckled. "No one." Dillan was taken aback by the answer. What? "There are no sides; only choices. Think about it: have you ever seen a group that does the right thing all of the time?"

Dillan thought about that question. The Guild's done some bad things; letting pokemon suffer in the "Red Strip" in Palando is proof of that. The Enemy has also done some horrible things. Is he right?

"So," Ignitus asked, "Can you think of one instance in which your, 'good guys' were bad?" Sure I do... Reya's got the scars to prove it... "I'm assuming by your expression that the instance you're thinking of is a very bad instance." Dillan looked away from Ignitus. "There are no good guys or bad guys: only motives and choices. Right now, the Enemy has both their motives and choices messed up, so I guess that makes them the bad guys. Well, my group is about stopping the Enemy. We're trying to make the right choice here, and our motive is correct." There was a pause before Ignitus sighed. "Dillan, join Team Armageddon," he asked with a soft and compelling voice. The gabite looked at Ignitus. The infernape had knitted eyebrows and intense eyes as if concerned.

Join Team Armageddon? Dillan thought about all Ignitus had said. Maybe he's right. Maybe there are no good guys or bad guys... If I had to choose based on choices and motives... can I trust Reya? She use to work for the Enemy... Can I trust whoever is leading me now? I don't know anything about them other than what Reya's told me... If Ignitus-... Dillan stopped himself. It dawned on him what he needed to do in order to decide. He met the infernape's gaze.

"Call it off," Dillan said.

Ignitus looked at Dillan for a few seconds before tilting his head. "I'm sorry?"

"Call of the attack on the mainland," Dillan elaborated.

Ignitus smiled lightly and shook his head. "Dillan-"

"No," Dillan interrupted, scowling at the infernape. "You're telling me that your motive is to take down the Enemy and that you're choices are correct, yet you're attacking innocent pokemon. Tell me how that's moral?"

"Dillan," Ignitus said, losing a hint of his calm nature. "You don't understand-"

"Call off the attack," Dillan repeated.

"I can't do that," Ignitus said sternly. "I'm trying to-

"No, you don't need to say anything else." Dillan stood up from the table. "If you're alright with killing innocent pokemon, then I don't want to have anything to do with you guys."

Ignitus looked at Dillan with a scowl. He sighed before standing up himself. "You have so much potential, but you waste it all by going with your moral code. You won't accomplish anything with your current attitude."

"Ignitus," Dillan started. He felt like taking a hard gulp at what he was going to do next, but it was the only option he could see. "King Judah A-Arvaine has sent me and m-my friends here to arrest you. There's n-nowhere to run... C-call off the attack and surr..." Dillan stopped talking.

Ignitus had started to smile at Dillan. The gabite felt more fear in that single moment than he had ever felt. Dillan, a gabite who had a hard time standing without feeling the pain in his chest, just told Ignitus, the leader of Team Armageddon, an organization that still controls the very building he's in, that he's under arrest. If he was ever in any more danger than he was in now, he'd die from pure shock. His heart continued to beat quickly in his chest.

"You want to arrest me?" Ignitus asked. He sounded happy. Dillan took a step back from the infernape. "That's very funny coming from someone who was unconscious in a bed a minute ago." Ignitus held out his arms towards Dillan. "By all means, Dillan," The infernape's smile grew into a wicked grin that overflowed with malicious intent that made Dillan want to squeak. "Just try and arrest me."


(Alkan Guild, Arena Room)

Hazel was having second-thoughts about telling her teammates to leave her behind. Titus opened his wings behind him, the red in his wings being enhanced by the light shining through the opened ceiling. His right paw was leveled at Hazel's chest. Some sort of shadow appeared on the tips of the charizard's talons and enveloped his entire paw in what looked like a black hand with massive claws. Hazel's scales stood on end from that attack. She knew everything about that move. Shadow Claw!

Hazel felt a sort of presence in the arena-like room, as she always did when something ghost-related was near her. This time, it was the attack. True, it wasn't an actual ghost pokemon, but the feeling it brought still threatened to bring up the horrid images of her past.

Hazel's muscles tensed as Titus lunged at her. She had to force herself to remain focused on the fight. The charmeleon side-stepped left, barely avoiding Titus' attack. As soon as he missed, Titus' wings flapped in front of him, creating a barrier of wind that seemed to act as a brake for his momentum. He stopped abruptly in front of Hazel who grimaced at the charizard's speed. Titus swung his claws again, forcing Hazel to duck under the slash. Titus' leg came up and slammed into Hazel's jaw, forcing her upwards. Her feet left the ground for a second before Titus grabbed her tail and threw her back down at his feet. She slammed into the ground, forcing the air from her body. She heard a "pop" in her right shoulder which made all of the pain feel like a regular scrape.

Titus let go of the charmeleon's tail. He stood there above her, eyeing his opponent. Hazel sat up quickly; the pain in her right shoulder intensified. She gave a wail as she looked down at the damage. Her scales were slightly stretched, and her shoulder was a few inches below where it should be, telling Hazel it was dislocated. I need to move before-

Titus' paws came down on the charmeleon's arm and neck. "Hold still," he told Hazel, not giving her any time to register what he was doing.

Titus immediately shoved Hazel's arm upwards. She heard a new "pop" and she shrieked. It felt like fire, which was saying something considering she was normally immune to fire. Hazel quickly slashed at Titus' arms. He moved away from Hazel and she landed on her back. She pushed herself backwards in an attempt at getting away. Titus just looked at her with what she could only assume was anticipation. Hazel looked back down at her arm, the pain beginning to dim, if only a little. Surprisingly, her shoulder was back in place. Titus... set my arm?!

"You know," Titus stated. "When I last saw you, I told you that you needed to leave the Alkan Islands. If I'm being honest, I was hoping you would come here to the Alkan Guild."

Hazel eyed Titus as she stood slowly, feeling the pain in her arm go down into an aching sensation. "And why's that?" she asked slowly, not having any intention of letting her guard down.

"When I saw you in Palando yesterday..." Titus began, breathing steadily. "It was strange... You were strange... Different."

"Different?"

"You're power is greater than average charmeleon, and I'm not talking about your I.V.s."

"Why not my individual values?" Hazel asked, only determined to keep the charizard talking as she thought of some way out of this mess. She took her eyes off of Titus for only half-seconds to see something about her surroundings she could probably use.

"It doesn't matter," Titus stated. "All it means is that something is different about you compared to others of our species."

"Different from you?" Hazel had looked over the whole room, seeing nothing that could possibly give her aid in the fight. There just wasn't anything here.

"No," Titus shook his head. "I'm different as well. You see, a charizard like me is a very rare case. I'm perfect in almost every way."

"So you have a weakness?" Hazel asked out of desperation.

"No," Titus said flatly. "I was born and trained to be a killing machine. My I. V.s are as high as they'll ever be. My experience in battling is higher than most: not at its peak, but higher nonetheless. Even still, I'm missing something."

Hazel's mind was racing with thoughts, only paying enough attention to Titus in order to keep their conversation flowing, though she felt like it was about to end. I have one option. "So, what are you missing?" she asked slowly, buying herself as much time as possible.

"I was hoping you would show me just that," Titus said. He raised his wings once more. "Shall we?"

Alright... Hazel thought. She could feel her heart racing with fear and adrenaline. I have two options...

Hazel felt like yelling as she darted towards the door behind her. She ran as fast as she could. Apparently, it wasn't fast enough. Titus was on her in a mere second. He grabbed her tail and threw her deeper into the room. Hazel slid across the chilly floor and into the middle of the room where she stopped and stood up. She faced Titus. Guess running isn't an option, either...

"You wouldn't get very far," Titus stated. "Even if you did manage to escape, you'd come back for your friends."

"My friends can take care of themselves!" Hazel shouted. If she couldn't escape, then she would fight. It seemed as though it was her only option until another one came up.

"Molan thinks differently," Titus stated. "He thinks most of you will crumble in a mere slap, and I agree."

"Molan?" Hazel asked. The name clicked into place the moment she said it out loud. No... "He's here?!" she shouted frantically.

"Yes," Titus stated. "He's probably fighting that gabite as we speak."

Dillan... That lit Hazel's fuse. Molan had always seemed like a capable pokemon. After all, he was an Armageddon Commander, and was probably going to take control of the group once Ignitus was removed. She had no doubt that he was just as strong as Titus, and the charizard took on Bolt without breaking a sweat. If Dillan and Ryan fought Molan... I need to finish this, now!

Hazel broke into a run at Titus who smiled at her. "Finally," he stated in a volume that was barely audible. He began walking at Hazel at a slow pace as if he was talking a stroll through a field of flowers.

The fear inside of Hazel bubbled. She felt her anger begin to rise. She felt every emotion start to flow forth inside her chest. She knew what move she was going to use; a move her father had told her she could learn, but one she never truly tried. Guess now's a better time than any...

She focused on the emotions inside of her. They swirled together like different ingredients being stirred to make a truly brutal potion. Normally, these emotions flowed out of her in a warming stream of pure fire. However, this was different. The feeling that rose through her throat was forced – a feeling that could be felt when one vomits – and cold. She opened her mouth and let a purple beam of light and energy fly towards Titus.

The charizard continued walking, taking the "Dragon Pulse" attack head on. It slammed into his chest and spread in different directions like a burst of water hitting a brick wall. Hazel watched the charizard's face. He looked at her with a grimace as if what she was doing had an affect on him. Even so, he continued walking through the attack Hazel refused to stop. He's feeling this, I just know it!

"I'm impressed; not many can perform a "Dragon" Pulse attack as a charmeleon." Titus stated. Hazel felt shocked. He didn't sound strained. In fact, he sounded happy. Hazel looked closely through her purple attack. Now, she saw he was never grimacing. In fact, he was grinning wildly. "Now, show me everything you have!"

Titus' wings flapped downwards, sending him through the open-roof of the building and into the sky. Hazel looked upwards, trying to redirect the beam. It collided into the walls, leaving scorch marks wherever it hit, and flew through the air to meet the charizard. Titus immediately dropped, using his dive to gain speed and fly around the beam, straight at Hazel with a massive amount of force. He collided with her chest, forcing the last bit of breath she had from her lungs and took her upwards into the sky. Hazel struggled for breath, but the climbing altitude made it harder to get oxygen. She looked downwards at the Alkan Guild. It continued to shrink further and further below them as the two pokemon ascended into the sky. Hazel could now see the whole Alkan Castle just by looking downwards. They were up so high, she didn't even try and struggle from Titus' grip. He looked at her with a smile before Hazel felt weightless.

Hazel watched the charizard shrink above her as she began falling through the sky, doing flips through the air as she descended. She started screaming, fear taking hold of her. From this height, she would most certainly die from an impact with the ground. She started slashing at the air in a feeble attempt at grabbing some invisible object to stop her from descending. Then, Titus came up from behind and grabbed her, forcing her to dive head-first into the ground. He flapped his wings, making the two gain speed.

"If I'm right about you," Titus said, "You won't die. But you're going to feel this."

Hazel looked below her. The charizard directed the charmeleon's fall just outside the castle. He flapped his wings once more, slowing their fall, before letting go of Hazel. She shrieked as she passed by the outer walls of the Alkan Castle and the ice. Her neck felt the strain as her head collided with the icy water. She descended feet below the surface. It clung at her tail-flame, forcing it to struggle and flicker just to stay lit. She felt her entire body tense up, but the pain drifted away. She could tell how weak she was. The walk here, the battle with the jynx, the relentlessness of the weather, it had all taken its toll on the charmeleon. She felt trapped in the icy waters where she would die. She knew she would, no matter what Titus said, and no matter how much she clung on to the possibility of surviving. As exhausted as she was, there was no way she could survive the exposure of the water. This can't be the end... can it? Hazel slowly and shakily grabbed her tail and held it close in an attempt at getting some sort of heat before she slipped away. She felt her eyes staring to get heavier. She tried to take in some air, but instead, she took in water. She coughed up as much of the water as she could and tried to hold what little oxygen she had left, if there was any at all. Her eye lids began drifting together as she watched her flame. It flickered and died down, on the verge of going out. Then, it happened. Hazel looked at the tip of her tail; the flame had disappeared.

So this is it... Hazel smiled, remembering all of the good times she had when she was younger. All of the mischief Dean, Haily, and she would get into. At that time, she was a different pokemon; she was Sigourney. Now, she was Hazel; just plain and simple Hazel. Sigourney was friends with Dean and Haily. Sigourney wanted to explore. Sigourney wanted to be on an exploration team and help other pokemon, but she could never find a way to make that happen. That part of her died when she went to meet Dillan and Ryan.

She recalled walking into the hospital room and meeting Dillan for the first time. She portrayed such a fake confidence at that time, making jokes and acting like a child to hide the fear and pain she had been through as Sigourney. Dillan and Ryan helped her through that pain. It felt like no matter what happened, they were there for her. She remembered the joy she felt when Dillan came through for her back in Palando. She also remembered all the times Ryan had her back in a fight. She felt like crying at the fact that she could never thank the two of them for their help. They had come through for her like a family, yet she didn't trust them enough to explain what had been on her mind for the last week.

Hazel closed her eyes, feeling her slowing heart as it thumped feebly in her chest.

Dillan... Ryan... I'm sorry.


(Author's Notes)

MasterKnight2142 here! I'll keep it brief as to not kill the feelings inside you right now.

Thanks so much to "pati1234" for following the story! ... Sorry about the end of the chapter... Pretend cupcake?

I wanted to let you all know that I've been cutting back on my other chapter, "Another Lonely Day" for too long. I haven't decided how I'm going to do this, but I'm either going to A. Work my butt off to write two chapters for the different stories so I can release one every week (doesn't appeal to me :P), or B. I'm going to cut back on a "Shadows of Ganderosa" chapter every once in a while and release a chapter for "Another Lonely Day" every once in a while at random (More appealing than the other, but still not too appealing). If you have any suggestions (other that, "Quit 'Another Lonely Day' and focus on 'Ganderosa'!" That doesn't jive well with me. (YES, REALLY! I WROTE JIVE!)), feel free to share them! I'll even give you (and your story if you have one) a special shout-out in the next chapter if you do! :D

Thanks again for staying witht eh story, guys! I'm out for now! Have a great week! I'll see you all in the next chapter!