Hawthorne tried to ignore the fact that he was running into the cave alone. He tried to ignore the fact that the rest of friends were still outside being attacked, and he tried his hardest not to think about the fact that the criminal who had killed the illustrious Queen Perry was in the very cave he was running into.
It was a stupid, stupid thing to do, and Pharaoh would bite his head off later, but for some reason, it felt like the right thing to do. The thing he was supposed to do.
Maybe it was because this whole journey, he hadn't done anything to save the others when they were fighting for their lives even though they had saved him countless times. Maybe it was just because he wanted to prove himself the same way Chevali had. Whatever it was, it propelled him into the cave without a second thought. He thought he heard a roar of anger from the clearing as he stepped into the darkness.
Almost immediately, there was a hissing, cracking sound and vines began to sprout from the mouth of the cave, growing unnaturally fast and strong and blocking his only exit. His heart began to pound as the severity of the situation set in.
Oh, stars. What have I done? What have I done? He considered going back and pounding at the vines with his hooves, screaming for help, but instead he clenched his jaw and tried to summon the feeling he'd had when he'd first entered the cave. I'm doing this to save my friends. I can't let this monster hurt them.
The sound of something shuffling came from further into the cave. It wasn't a very large cave at all, but just large enough so that the other end of the cave was obscured by darkness.
"I- I know you're in here!" Hawthorne shouted, trying to ignore the fact that his voice was wobbling terribly. "We- we have you surrounded! You ha- have nowhere to run!"
A cold giggle echoed across the cave walls, making him shudder. He saw a flash of green and suddenly the Serperior was lunging from the darkness towards him.
He screamed and leapt out of the way, but she didn't seem intent on harm. Instead, she cocked her head and looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on his messenger bag. "Oh, sweetheart. I don't think surrounded is the right word. At the risk of sounding cocky, I think I'll be out of this one just fine," she purred.
Her words made him blanch, but he tried to hold his position without shaking. She seemed to notice her unsurety, and suddenly her expression went from malicious to mild. "Oh, my. I'm so very sorry. I didn't mean to scare you… I promise, I don't want to hurt you."
Hawthorne blinked, caught off guard by her sudden change. Quickly, he shook himself and set his face in a glare. "No! You're trying to trick me! You- you wouldn't have trapped me in here together if you were just trying to escape!"
Saying it aloud made another wave of anxiety wash over him- if she really did start to attack him, he'd have nowhere to run. He could try and break through the nest of overgrowth, but the precious time used to break the vines would leave him vulnerable to the Serperior's attacks.
Her expression turned again, this time to one of cruel amusement. "You're all so self-righteous, you know that? I can't stand people like you, who think they're doing anybody any good by throwing themselves in front of others! It's why fools like you die. I'll admit I lied. I was planning on killing you, but if you get your stupid friends to leave me alone, I'll let you go."
Hawthorne hesitated. Was she telling the truth? Her whole character was so convoluted and filled with half-truths that he couldn't even tell if what she was saying was real or fake half the time. If he got out and told them all they had to run away, he and his friends would be safe, but…
"You killed Queen Perry, didn't you?" he asked aloud, though he already knew the answer. He couldn't let a heartless killer escape, not if she was willing to kill again.
She grinned at him with razor-sharp fangs. "Oh, good job! A clever little one you are. Why? Does that scare you?" She coiled around herself until she was taller than he was. Something silver glinted beneath the leaves on her tail and he tried to keep his breath steady.
"No," he said bravely, even though his thoughts were screaming that YES, he was very much afraid of her. He took one step forward, letting the sound echo off the cave walls. "I can't let you go. I can't let a murderer-"
She lunged for him and before he knew it he was staggering to the side and shaking his head. Blood dripped off of his nose and onto the ground. The smell made his heart go wild with panic. The Serperior was now coiled on the other side of him, her blade moving lazily through the air. It was just a little cut, but it had done the job well in scaring him. He stumbled backwards, tensed to run before he remembered there was nowhere to go.
I- I have to fight! I have to try! The idea terrified him, but if he could weaken her enough while the others tried to get to him…
She lunged forward again, grinning, and he managed to stumble aside and throw out a kick, though she dodged it easily. He pawed the ground and charged at her, but she moved out of the way again easily, grinning as she nearly pushed him over.
"Oh, come on. You've got more than that, don't you?" But for all her snide words, he could tell she was wary. She was eyeing his antlers as if they might try and hurt her.
Suddenly, Chevali's words came rushing back to him. You're a weapon. We're all our own weapon. That feeling of dread and unhappiness came rushing back to him, the idea that he had the ability to hurt someone, and suddenly he felt his knees go weak. He couldn't do it. He couldn't fight her. Even though she was an evil, evil creature, the idea of hurting anyone made him feel sick and brought tears to his eyes.
She seemed to notice his sudden weakness, and she slithered forward, sneering all the while. "Oh, poor baby. Finally realized you have no chance, did you? Don't worry- just for you, I'll make it quick-"
Her jeers were interrupted by the sudden smell of smoke, followed by voices and then footsteps. They both turned at the same time to see the rest of Hawthorne's group charging into the cave.
Hope filled his chest, and he nearly cried out with relief. They'd come to save him! Disappointment quickly followed as he realized he had completely failed the goal of his dangerous stunt, but he didn't have time to mope in it.
The Serperior snarled and slashed at Hawthorne, who had his back turned, but one of Pharaoh's claws leapt from the shadowy walls and crunched down on her tail. She shrieked and dropped the knife, and without it she suddenly looked smaller and less confident. She pressed herself against the back wall of the cave, her cold, sharp eyes darting to each of them in turn.
"Good job, Hawthorne," the ghost rumbled as they approached. Hawthorne bowed his head and looked away, knowing full well he hadn't really done anything. Burnout and Chevali stepped up to the criminal, ready to restrain her as she hissed obscenities at them.
"WAIT!" Chiluly shouted as they reached for her, and everybody jumped. "Chevali, remember?" He sighed. "Was the yelling really necessary?"
"Remember what?" Burnout asked, glancing warily at their prisoner.
"That bird that chased us was a Sigilyph, and Chiluly believes that this Pokemon may have the ancient treasure the Magistrate advisor talked to us about," Chevali explained.
The effect was almost immediate- the Serperior hissed angrily and curled in on herself. "Don't touch me! It's mine!"
Chiluly gave her a dubious look. "You were right, Chevali. Worst criminal ever."
"Except for the murder part," Burnout muttered.
"Take the collar," Pharaoh instructed.
The Serperior shrieked and flailed. "DON'T! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! IF YOU TAKE IT, I'LL-"
"Great. Don't care," Chiluly snorted and reached out with her sword, hooking the tip under the fabric of the choker and taking it off with one clean slice.
But as soon as the necklace with the simple black stone began to fall towards the ground, the feeling in the air changed. Something was wrong. Very wrong. And it wasn't just the criminal coiled before them. Time began to trudge forwards in ultra-slow motion. Hawthorne could only stare as the stone fell closer and closer towards the rocky cave floor, until-
As soon as the stone touched the ground, it began to glow brighter than anything he'd even seen. The air around them distorted, and suddenly Hawthorne was thrown backwards as if a blast had just rocked the cavern. The light from the stone rushed outwards and engulfed them, and the roaring of the universe was so loud in his ears that he couldn't even hear the voices of his companions anymore.
Suddenly, a huge, dark shape cut through the light and disappeared overhead, deep into the whiteness where he could no longer see. He only caught a glimpse of huge claws and a massive, spiked tail before his vision was completely engulfed by the light once more, even if he tried to close his eyes…
And then there was nothing.
Hawthorne heard the sound of his hooves brushing against uneven ground before he had even opened his eyes. When he finally did, his head began to pound as sunlight forced its way into his groggy face. He groaned and tried to hide his face, but the cut on his nose stung when it brushed his leg and he decided he'd take his chances with the sun. Wait… the sun?
His last memory was being inside the cave with that awful Serperior. His friends had come in, and then after that, he'd… passed out? Had they dragged him outside? His blood ran cold as the sudden image of a huge silhouette appeared in his mind, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen it.
"Hawthorne? Hawthorne, are you okay?" a familiar voice asked. He mumbled incoherently under his breath and glanced upwards to see Burnout and Pharaoh standing over him. One of Pharaoh's claws slid under his chest and helped him upright, though his legs were still wobbly and largely unreliable.
"What… whadhappen?" Hawthorne muttered. His brain felt like it was miles behind his already-behind body.
Pharaoh and Burnout glanced at each other. "It pains me to say I have no idea," the Cofagrigus told him.
"What?..."
Burnout gestured for him to look around and he was shocked to see that the Lostlorn clearing had disappeared. Now, they were standing in a patch of land that looked as if it had been scorched recently. A couple of spindly, leafless trees surrounded them, but the only forest looked to be a ways away, in the distance. The cave had also completely disappeared.
A vague memory of a shockwave returned to Hawthorne. "Was there an explosion?"
"Doubtful," Pharaoh responded, but he didn't seem to have a better explanation for their current situation."
To his right, Chiluly was still sitting on the ground, leaning on Chevali, but the knight had his eyes fixed on something in the distance, looking wary. "Pharaoh."
"I know," the ghost growled. "They are not my first priority."
Hawthorne frowned and tried to follow Chevali's gaze. "What are you-?" He nearly jumped with surprise at the sight across the clearing.
There were more Pokemon staring back at them. Not any Serperior or bird Pokemon, thankfully, but they weren't faces Hawthorne recognized. A Druddigon with their tail curled around a half-hidden, smaller shape, a Cryogonal with one groggy looking eye staring them down and a Bisharp and Golurk helping each other to their feet.
"Woah," Chiluly muttered, following their gaze. "Looks like we've got another problem."
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END OF POKEMON: MYSTERIOUS WHITE.
Thank you for support- but this isn't the end! Keep watch for ZERO: UPRISING, the sequel to both Corrupted Black and Mysterious White, beginning soon.
