Getting Astrid up to speed on some of the recent events took up most of the travel time, to the point that Frost was surprised when the Absol announced that they were almost to their destination. Then again, he supposed it wasn't really that far away in the first place. Most of what Shadow told Astrid was information that Frost and Leaf had been provided earlier that morning, so the Glaceon had been free to continue reflecting on the more recent happenings.
It was incredible to think of how much had happened over the course of this day alone. There was the visit to the forest, a visit cut short by a miniature war breaking out between the dominant Bug-type faction in the forest and a rebellious faction manipulated in some form by a Scizor 'tactician', as Astrid had called him. Such an opponent all but required the most powerful techniques at the Glaceon's disposal, and even then, Astrid seemed convinced that Frost should have been defeated.
The thought alone made his blood boil.
Even after that, was the matter of encountering Pokemon allied with Diablos, one of which ultimately ended up as a possession victim. Frost still wasn't sure what had happened in the time between their separation and his catching up with the rest of the group, but Leaf's behaviors and the conclusion of the battle weighed heavily on his thoughts, moreso than even the battle against Thresher.
If what Shadow suggested was true, then Leaf's mind, if not all minds in general, contained individuals that managed his behaviors and thoughts. This in itself could have served as a fascinating research study, but this situation had put a different spin on the matter. Leaf's shift in personality strongly indicated that one or more of the subconscious individuals could outright usurp a person's body, and replace their behaviors and mannerisms completely, as if the 'normal' individual did not even matter.
Definitely something that Frost wanted more information about, despite Shadow's deadpan warning to not bother asking the Leafeon questions. Headaches were not as much a deterrent to Frost as they might be to Shadow.
Conversation ceased once they fully arrived at their destination, and Frost was momentarily taken aback by the sight of the large clearing they had come to. It was a lush green meadow, dotted with flowers and surrounded by dense trees, offering a strong sense of security and privacy. The size of it was impressive, much larger than most meadow clearings Frost had seen elsewhere. It could easily be the territory for a dozen or more Pokemon, all living comfortably.
In one corner of the clearing was a running stream ending in a small lake, and nearby that was a small hill where a large tree stood, casting an umbrella of shade to all that might gather beneath it.
It was a beautiful area. Frost was not normally one to delight in the beauty of natural surroundings that weren't also glazed with fresh snow, but he could unquestionably see the appeal to such an area here. The entire clearing just seemed like a painting that could be titled 'Springtime', and even a Glaceon like himself could appreciate the peaceful tranquility and privacy that such a territory would provide a family. It was so different from the cave den he had grown up in, alongside his parents, or the den he had sought shelter in during the past winter. Those dens had a coziness about them that open air lacked, but this was something else entirely. The only thing that seemed peculiar about the area was how completely empty and silent it was. On the way here, the sounds of bird Pokemon and rustling within bushes could be heard in the background, but the silence here was a touch unnerving, once one was aware of it.
Shadow seemed lost for words, and Frost spotted glistening moisture in the corners of his eyes, yet his body lacked the usual tension that accompanied such emotions. The Espeon was practically at ease, basking in the feelings this area brought out within him.
Leaf had been quiet for most of the walk here, content to simply listen to Shadow, occasionally smirking at something his brother would say, but otherwise looking about with idle disinterest. However, as the Leafeon walked into the clearing and gazed around, his expression softened considerably, and a small, genuine smile, rather than the near-permanent smirk, was beginning to shine through.
Astrid looked around with a critical eye, then nodded her head towards the large tree by the hill. As Frost followed her gaze, he quickly spotted the Pokemon in the distance that was seated beneath the tree. Its fur was a vibrant golden-white color, making the Glaceon wonder how he had possibly overlooked such a Pokemon against the contrast of green and natural brown all around them.
Shadow began walking towards the hill, and Frost started to follow after him, only to note that Leaf's expression had shifted again. The Leafeon was still observing the clearing as a whole, but his eyes were shimmering a little. He seemed to realize he was being watched, because he quickly glanced Frost's way and the two made eye contact. The Leafeon managed a shadow of his one-fanged smirk, but it lacked the cockiness that it had carried earlier.
"Lovely scenery, right?" Devine murmured. He raised his paw towards his face and nonchalantly wiped the tear from his eyes, observing the moisture clinging to his paw for a moment, his smirk still oddly forced. "Eh, it can't be helped. I'm only borrowing the reins; Nettles still owns the Deerling."
"What?" Frost asked blankly. The Leafeon smirked, this one containing the proper level of smugness.
"Don't worry about it," Devine stated, yawning widely and stretching his forelegs luxuriously. His golden-brown eyes seemed to be struggling to remain open, and he soon settled himself down on the grass, curling up precisely how Leaf did before sleep each night. Frost raised an eyebrow inquisitively. The sun was still shining brightly, so it seemed unlikely that the Leafeon genuinely required sleep.
"What are you doing?" Frost asked finally, seeing as an explanation didn't seem like it was going to be produced of its own accord.
"Simplifying the transition. Makes the gap in memory less concerning when you seemingly wake from a nap," Devine answered nonchalantly, and he yawned again, settling his head down on his paws and closing his eyes completely.
Frost only had a few seconds to ponder the statement before Leaf stirred, his eyes gradually reopening and blinking in the bright sunlight. He whined quietly and shielded his eyes with his paw, adjusting his positioning in a vain attempt to find a section of shade so that he could open his eyes without experiencing the blinding glare of the sun.
Rolling his eyes, Frost stepped nearer, positioning himself so that his shadow fell over the Leafeon's face. Leaf's whines subsided, and his eyes cautiously opened and blinked sleepily. By all accounts, he genuinely looked like he was just waking from a nap, his soft brown eyes looking around with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
Even if the behavior had not been enough to clue Frost in that Leaf was himself again, the reversion of eye color back to Leaf's usual shade of brown certainly was. Leaf stretched his forelegs and then yawned widely, performing the exact same motions that Devine had moments earlier, but in reverse order.
Frost chanced a glance towards the other Pokemon, and saw that the three of them were making their way down the hill towards them, enabling him to get a better view of the unfamiliar one. As noted earlier, the Pokemon was covered in elegant, golden-white fur that seemed to dazzle in the sunlight, and it had eight or nine long tails fanning out behind it, making it look like it had significant more bulk, when the rest of its body appeared far more slender and elegant.
The most curious trait the fox-like Pokemon had, however, was definitely the eyes. They were a mesmerizing shade of red, and the Ninetales' rather solemn demeanor told of many years of wisdom and maturity that extended far beyond the average Pokemon's. Despite this, the eyes were almost like a void, empty of feeling, as if numb to everything around him. This vibe, bizarrely, did not extend to the rest of the fox's manner, however, for the tails flicked with idle energy, and a kind, almost reassuring smile graced the fox's face.
It told Frost a tremendous amount without saying anything. This Pokemon was primarily solemn, but he was not stoic, and he was not uncaring. It was a similar emotional state that Shadow displayed, but maturity and time had honed this demeanor.
Frost caught Shadow's eye, and jerked his head meaningfully in Leaf's direction. The Espeon seemed perplexed, but nevertheless glanced at his brother, almost immediately catching on to what Frost had been drawing attention to. There was no need to be concerned about Leaf acting strangely for the time being.
"Doing okay, Leaf?" Shadow wondered uncertainly. The Leafeon nodded, and cocked his head curiously, first at Shadow, but then focused instead on the approaching Ninetales, the only of the Pokemon present that he didn't recognize.
"Good morning," the Ninetales said softly. He spoke solemnly, but politely, his red eyes pausing on each of them in turn, lingering on Leaf for a moment longer than anyone else. "I am Renard. For those unfamiliar with my species, I am a Ninetales."
"Hi! I'm Leaf," the Leafeon answered cheerfully. Astrid cocked her head in confusion, less observant of the Leafeon's shift in demeanor, but then shrugged it off. Astrid seemed to have that sort of reaction to a lot of things. She seemed to roll with events rather quickly, even if she didn't fully understand or enjoy what was unfolding, she just adapted the best she could and moved on. It was almost admirable, but Frost suspected her frequently flippant tone at times was the negative aspects of this same trait.
"I'm Frost," the Glaceon echoed, consciously restraining himself from making a grandiose gesture to himself or nonchalant paw motion. There was making a confident first impression, and then there was making a pompous ass of oneself in front of a Pokemon who was unlikely to be impressed by anything more complicated than a simple greeting and exchange of names.
"Well met," Renard said, delivering a polite bob of his head to the two of them. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"Um, a couple of issues that came up, actually," Astrid said, raising her paw sheepishly. The Ninetales blinked and turned his gaze towards the Absol. "So...you know how I've been getting antsy about the forest these past few days?"
The Ninetales nodded slowly, each of his nine tails flicking idly in turn. "Unusual, if only for the persistence of the matter. What did you find out?"
Astrid wagged her tail before answering, her tone far too casual for what she was describing. "There's some sort of ongoing territory feud between the Eterna Hive, and another Bug-type faction. Um, but the main concern there is that we ran into Thresher. He's working with the rebellious group."
Renard did not visibly react. His demeanor remained calm and at ease, and his eyes and expression gave no indication of surprise or concern. Astrid herself seemed perplexed by the lack of response, because she cocked her head to the side, her green eyes looking at the Ninetales expectantly.
"Oh, is that the extent of the issue?" Renard wondered, upon realizing that Astrid seemed to be ending the explanation at that. "I can't say I'm particularly surprised. Thresher is free to carve out his own niche as he sees fit, and he would be the type to sympathize with an unorganized, but passionate rebellion."
Astrid frowned a little. "I just...don't think it's a good use of his power. He's so much stronger than anyone else."
"Unlikely," Renard mused. "I've heard rumors that the Hive queen's mate is a very powerful Volcarona. Even if it's just a rumor, Thresher would never risk tangling with such a foe."
"I guess not...just thought I should mention it," Astrid said, the nonchalance in her voice a little more forced than usual, but she perked up again before it fully sank into the rest of her body language. "After that run-in, we-"
"One moment, please," Renard interrupted, his red eyes flicking over the three Eons. "When you say 'we', you are referring to the four of you as a whole?"
"Yes," Shadow confirmed. "We ran into her in the forest, and got caught up in everything that happened there."
Renard nodded, satisfied with the answer, and refocused on Astrid, who seemed completely unfazed by the interruption. It was increasingly clear, not only from what Astrid had said earlier, but also by their behaviors when interacting with one another, that the two Pokemon were definitely close. They knew each other extremely well, and Astrid's awkward social skills seemed to have no effect on the Ninetales' ability to understand her intentions. This was at least the vibe Frost was receiving, even without direct evidence of it being true, but a lot of analysis was about hunches and guesswork, so mild inaccuracies were sure to crop up now and then.
"Okay, so we were on our way out of the forest, because Frost decided to pick a fight with Thresher, and then tried to freeze the whole forest or whatever," Astrid said casually, and Frost bristled indignantly.
"I did not!" the Glaceon protested.
"Sure felt like it," Leaf pointed out, moving closer to Shadow, as if the mere memory of being cold required cuddling to relieve the lingering chills. The Espeon rolled his eyes, but nevertheless draped his forked tail around his brother.
"Point is, it was REALLY cold," Astrid continued, her tail flicking. "On the way out, we ran into a couple of other Pokemon, and Shadow got super-hostile. I found out why later, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself."
Renard blinked, and turned his gaze to Shadow, who winced and gave Astrid a disgruntled look.
"It's...a long story," he muttered.
Oblivious to the glare she had received, Astrid nodded and continued, briefly describing the Sigilyph attack that had separated the group, and how she had eventually come across Shadow and Force fighting vainly against the Ruins guardian.
"Wait, a Sigilyph?" Renard repeated, visibly perplexed. "In the Eterna Forest?"
"Yup!" Astrid confirmed, but then paused, and giggled sheepishly. "Oh wow, I forgot to mention the important part. The Riolu was carrying a Lucarionite."
"What?" Frost asked, his ears perking up. Shadow and Leaf both gave the Absol a similarly baffled look. None of this went remotely acknowledged by either of the other Pokemon.
"Are you sure?" Renard asked, frowning a little bit. Astrid nodded fervantly.
"Positive. They had it on some sort of cheap-looking bracelet, and it was definitely reacting to his emotional and mental state and buffing his aura abilities," Astrid answered, "Dangerously so, and they admitted they had NO IDEA what the stone was, other than it resonated with his aura or whatever."
"Ahem," Frost interrupted, raising his paw to draw their attention to him. "You haven't answered my question yet, and I'm pretty sure I asked first."
"I found it more important to confirm her claim than to launch into an explanation that'd be irrelevant if she was mistaken," Renard explained politely. "A Lucarionite is one of a set of stones known as Mega Stones, which can enable its corresponding Pokemon to achieve a temporary form of evolution known as 'Mega Evolution'. There are a lot of technical details involved that I won't go into right now, but they are not objects to be handled casually."
"Those stones contain an incredible amount of energy, and can react to the holder's emotional and mental state," Astrid explained seriously. "It can overwhelm an unsuspecting user within minutes, especially if they tap into it haphazardly."
"And Force was tapping into it?" Shadow wondered, frowning.
Astrid shrugged. "He must have been. It was boosting his aura, but the stone is supposed to be handled by his evolved form, and I was trying to tell him that, but you saw how well that went. Tapping into such power when unevolved is...extremely dangerous. His body couldn't handle it for long."
The Ninetales nodded slowly. "And what is the relevance of the Sigilyph? Oh, don't tell me..."
Astrid giggled. "They said they got it from the Solaceon Ruins."
"I can confirm as much," Frost said, again reminding himself to avoid adding an unnecessary gesture to punctuate his words. "I am the one who carried it outside, after all."
"Did you?" Renard mused, his red eyes focusing upon Frost with uncomfortable intensity. "In that event, I wonder why you were not targeted instead. Sigilyph are guardians of ruined cities or structures, and those that invade and liberate the objects under their watch would be the first priority to target."
"Force took it first," Shadow said thoughtfully. "The Sigilyph did seem to target him more than me, now that I think of it..."
There was an awkward silence following the Espeon's statement, allowing time for Renard to consider the information he had been given. Just when the silence was beginning to overstay its welcome, Renard nodded in Astrid's direction, wordlessly indicating for her to proceed with the explanation of the events.
Astrid took a moment to remember where she had left off, and Frost perked up his ears, listening intently. Up to this point, he had still not been filled in on the events that had transpired in his absence, and he was genuinely surprised to hear that the Absol had defeated the Sigilyph with absurd ease. It was unfortunate, really, that he had not been able to witness that demonstration of her strength firsthand.
"And that's when things got REALLY bad," Astrid said. Renard raised an eyebrow, but Astrid nodded in Shadow's direction. "He knows more than I do."
"Do tell," the Ninetales said, his tails fanning out behind his body and he pivoted to face Shadow directly, an action all but mirrored by Frost and Leaf.
"Ugh...it's complicated," Shadow muttered. He was silent for a few seconds, and then heaved a sigh. "After Astrid took care of the Sigilyph...Force...that's the Riolu's name, got possessed. I recognized it right away, because I've seen it happen before. Twice before, actually."
The puzzlement was apparent from Renard's face, but his eyes remained unfeeling and unreadable. He simply nodded slowly, and cocked his head to one side as the sole indication that he didn't fully understand Shadow's words.
Shadow hesitated for a moment, and took a deep breath. "Force was previously used as a pawn to attack my parents," he said quietly. For the briefest of moments, Frost was confused as to why Shadow was abruptly so reluctant to reveal the information he had already freely given to the rest of them, but for the first time, Renard's unflappable demeanor broke, revealing a flicker of an emotion that lasted just long enough for Frost to notice, but not to identify. "And I faced him in that state again at the Solaceon Ruins."
"Is that so?" Renard asked. His voice was soft, but his red eyes became more intensely focused upon the ebony Espeon. "I note your emphasis, intentional or otherwise, is on labeling Force as a means to an end, and not the perpetrator."
"Right. The real enemy is Diablos," Shadow stated dully.
At the mention of the Spiritomb's name, Renard's eyes widened and his entire body stiffened. Astrid and Shadow both did a double-take at the Ninetales' reaction, which unlike the previous flicker of emotion, did not disappear again immediately afterwards.
"Renard? You okay?" Astrid asked, her voice filled with genuine concern and alarm for the elder Pokemon.
"I...beg your pardon," Renard said, attempting to recompose himself, with mixed results. Although his expression returned to normal, his body did not relax, but instead remained tense. Even his tails had paused their idle flicking. "Could you repeat that last bit again? The name."
"Diablos?" Shadow repeated, still perplexed by the golden-white fox's reaction.
"Hmm...it can't be," Renard murmured, talking more to himself than anyone else. By this point, he had everyone's undivided attention, and even Leaf seemed to have caught on that there was something amiss. "Tell me more about him."
"Hm?" Shadow blinked in confusion, but after a short pause, he nodded. "I don't know very much, only what I've been told. He is supposedly a Spiritomb, that another group of Pokemon unsealed."
"A Spiritomb?" Renard echoed, and a serious frown crossed his muzzle. "Hm, an unlikely coincidence, perhaps. Anything else?"
Shadow was looking more and more bewildered. "Um...he has very distinct, eerie yellow eyes when he possesses another Pokemon. That's how I've always recognized him."
Renard's red eyes widened yet again, and this time, his expression wavered between surprise and what Frost could only assume was...no, what he could definitely label as a trace of fear. The Glaceon's brow furrowed, but he remained silent.
"...what else?" Renard asked, his tone serious. "Anything at all. Motives? Goals?"
Shadow shook his head. "I don't know much else. He refuses to give straight answers, but he often talks of nourishing 'inner darkness', whatever that-"
Renard made a bizarre choking sound that sounded almost like he was in danger of swallowing his own tongue, and his body seemed to deflate. "So...it really is him, then."
"You know him?" Astrid asked, her green eyes widening. Shadow's body tensed, and he regarded the Ninetales with a mixture of suspicion and confusion.
"Not in the sense you may initially believe. It is a long story, from a long time ago. I imagine before any of your parents were even born," Renard replied softly. "To think he could resurface after all these years..."
"Explain. Excluding Diablos himself, it seems almost like you'd be literally the best source of information on him that we can hope for," Frost said, his eyes lighting up, and his tail swishing with unrestrained enthusiasm. He had seen how the possessed Riolu had managed to fight against Leaf's relentlessly aggressive style. He wished to know as much as possible about such an opponent, so that he could prepare himself for if they ever met again.
"Then you may as well make yourselves more comfortable," Renard stated solemnly, and with a flick of each of his nine tails, he gestured for them to settle around him in more comfortable positions, an offer that Astrid accepted with unabashed delight. With visible reluctance and uncertainty, Shadow and Frost sat down, observing the Ninetales in silence.
Leaf frowned a little bit, at the very least recognizing the seriousness of the subject they were about to discuss, because he settled down into a comfortable sitting position that impressively did not rely on Shadow's body for support.
"Truth be told, there are very few individuals alive today that would recall the name, or even the nature, of Diablos," Renard stated solemnly. "I am over two centuries old, still quite young by the standards of my species, but when I was younger still, I was approached by an enigmatic being. He was...a peculiar creature. One I had never seen before, and have yet to have seen since. A being that was practically one with shadow and darkness itself."
"This is sounding impressively dramatic," Frost mused, "Like the opening line of a very gripping book. Falls a bit short of the line 'it was a dark and stormy night', but I'm sure you did your best."
"And you're sounding impressively facetious for someone who isn't Astrid," Renard retorted calmly.
"Can I just go back to my nap if you're all going to talk with big words?" Leaf complained. Shadow gave the Leafeon a weird look, clearly on the verge of questioning when Leaf had had the opportunity to even take a nap, but seemed to think better of it.
Frost just rolled his eyes and gestured for the Ninetales to continue. True, the information he was going to impart was far more important than making commentary on the elder Pokemon's phrasing, but the Glaceon disliked remaining silent for too long without being able to ask clarification or make the occasional glib remark.
"This individual identified himself as Diablos," Renard continued, his expression solemn, but his eyes glazed and a little unfocused, as if he viewed the memories through a foggy lens in his mind's eye. "He approached me initially, having heard of my species' longevity, and curious of how far my knowledge of history extended. I confessed to him that I was still quite young, little older than any of you. I was but a Vulpix then, so I can't imagine why he thought I might have been centuries old."
"Wait, so this was like...two, three hundred years ago?" Astrid interrupted, her eyes widening. "I was thinking maybe like fifty or sixty years, tops."
"I do not fully recall the time gap," Renard admitted softly. "When I was young, the thought of living for a millennium seemed impossibly far in the distance, but as I've aged, individual years seem like a much shorter span of time than they might to anyone else. All I know for certain is that I am at least two hundred years old."
"That's quite the range," Frost mused. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Leaf was beginning to look frustrated by the formality and phrasing of the Ninetales' speech. Shadow leaned in towards the Leafeon, and they began to converse in soft whispers. Renard glanced at the two brothers, and waited patiently for them to finish. Shadow briefly looked up at Renard, his expression apologetic, but Renard simply smiled gently, wordlessly reassuring the Espeon that there was no problem.
"Excuse us," Shadow said, getting to his feet, and leading Leaf away from the rest of the group. To Frost's bafflement, they walked not towards the hilltop tree, or even the river, but towards the forested section on the opposite of the clearing.
"Hmm, they could be a while, if they're going there," Renard noted, following their course with his eyes. With a small shrug, he turned his attention towards Frost instead. "I suppose it is better to pause the story early on. It is almost noon, so perhaps we should resume after lunch?"
"I can agree with that," Frost stated with a curt nod. Now that he thought about it, the group had not had time to eat a proper meal, and while Leaf seemed to eat more as a formality than a necessity, the same could not be said for himself or Shadow. After expending so much energy between the two of them this morning, seizing the opportunity to replenish their strength was a very wise course of action.
"Wonderful. Astrid, may I ask for your assistance in gathering food?" Renard asked, turning his gaze to their Absol companion. She giggled and got up, taking the briefest of moments to stretch. "No need to overdo it, there are fish available," the Ninetales reminded her.
"No problem," Astrid replied, and she walked casually from the clearing, her tail swishing. Renard took a moment to study Frost.
"I'll simply extend an invitation for you to relax in the meantime," Renard stated to the Glaceon. "There's probably time for a catnap if you so desire," he added, nodding in the direction of the large tree on the hill, its strong branches and vibrant leaves creating a very alluring patch of shade around its base.
Frost smirked in amusement, but nevertheless made his way up the hill. Now that it had crossed his mind, he realized that he hadn't truly had an opportunity to rest after the ordeals in the forest. The only strenuous battling he had engaged in had been against the Scizor, but with how much energy he had expended during the fight, he was amazed that fatigue hadn't set in earlier.
As he curled up comfortably on the grass beneath the tree, the shade providing an umbrella of comfort from the rays of sunlight, he found it abruptly difficult to keep his eyes open. Well, no need to resist that alluring pursuit. He wanted to have his mind sharp for when they resumed the conversation, after all, so a nap might be exactly what he needed.
