A/N - Here it is! Part Two! I've got things ironed out, although I'll probably still find things to fix during the editing of each chapter. I'm now stuck into writing Part Three, which I hope to have completed before this section is posted in its entirety.
Thanks so much for all reads, reviews, faves and follows! =D I really appreciate each and every one!
Part Two - The Legend
Chapter 14 - Orphan
Echo swooped over the canopy of the Border Woods, his ears twitching and swivelling as they picked up the vibrations bounced back at him. He darted through the branches with phenomenal agility, the leaves barely skimming his fur. His swarm flowed behind him, a river of noibat cleaving effortlessly through the woodlands.
Their leader abruptly turned a somersault, digging his claws into the tender bark of a spindly branch. Some of the swarm didn't quite get the message, fluttering past him before doing a double-take, then flocking back to gather around him in the surrounding trees.
Rumble settled beside Echo and turned his head to address him. "What are we doing here, boss?"
"Thinking." Echo inclined his head on one side to scratch it with a wing-claw.
Their task wasn't exactly an easy one, and now they were far enough away from the Shadow Lands and Yurlik's prying ears, he could finally voice his concerns and frustrations.
The noibat let out a sigh that was more akin to a frustrated growl and spread his wings, almost knocking Rumble from his perch.
"Does anyone here even know what we're looking for?!" he roared.
The noibat swarm rose into a buzz of muttering, exchanging confused glances. Many of them shook their heads until one spoke up from near the back;
"A cocoon… right?"
"Right!" Echo mumbled under his breath before adding, "But what kind of cocoon? Is it small, like a kakuna? Or huge? Will it be in a tree, or buried underground? If it's the latter, we can't dig!" He turned on his perch so he was facing the majority of his swarm. "Does Lord Hydreigon even know what he's looking for, or has Yurlik sent us on some… wild zangoose chase?!"
The swarm was silent, exchanging glances.
Rumble shimmied closer to Echo and cleared his throat. "The common idea is that… no… Lord Hydreigon doesn't know what he's looking for."
Echo jerked his head towards Rumble and bared his canines.
Rumble huddled into his wings and shrugged. "Just that it's a cocoon."
Echo tutted and shifted so he was facing forward again. "If he hadn't had that library burned down, he might have more of an idea then, huh?"
"Maybe there's a library somewhere else?" Rumble suggested.
Echo's ears perked up at that. He gave the smaller noibat a playful grin. "Not a bad idea, rookie!"
He spread his wings and dropped from the canopy.
Rumble dropped beside him and the swarm rose into the air. "The question is, where do we find one?"
"The nearest Outcast town, duh!" Echo turned to lead his swarm through the woods. "They're bound to have books, right?"
...
Rio was seething. His claws clacked over the tiles as he marched through the clean corridor, eyes fixed on the document he was reading. Not that he was taking it in. His mind was elsewhere, and he knew the contents already. He turned into the staffroom without knocking, drawing a surprised yelp from the vigoroth dozing on the sofa. The chatot perched in the far corner stirred but didn't draw his head out from beneath his wing.
"Tantrum." Rio dropped the document on the vigoroth's lap. "Remember this?"
Tantrum glanced over the notes then raised an eyebrow at the meowstic. "The whimsicott?"
"Unfortunately I'm going to need you to retrieve it." Rio flopped onto the sofa opposite him, drawing the vigoroth's eye. "There's been a problem."
"What kind of a problem?" Tantrum asked slowly.
"Enigma." Rio's answer caused Tantrum to bristle along his spine, and not out of anger. "Apparently the whimsicott killed Boomer before he could give Hydreigon our bait. If we don't retrieve this whimsicott, well… I think it's safe to say Enigma will wipe out the entire lab."
"And likely uncover our research." Tantrum grimaced and closed the folder neatly onto the table. "All right. Any idea where the whimsicott is?"
"It was last sighted here in the Moorlands Forest." Rio folded his arms and sat back against the sofa. "If it still is, then you shouldn't have any problems finding it. It's travelling with a meowstic and a dedenne."
"Well that makes things slightly easier." Tantrum chuckled. "Who'd've thought it woulda made friends, eh? More fool them."
"Indeed." Rio paused and licked his lips. "I suggest you take a team. A strong one. In case it goes rampant."
Tantrum grimaced and ran a paw over the back of his head. "I hadn't considered that. Yikes, Rio. I'm not sure a team of four is gonna cut it."
"That's why I suggest you take Project B."
Tantrum's jaw went slack and he stared at Rio wordlessly.
"Project B can track it," Rio explained. "We still have some of the whimsicott's belongings. Give Project B the scent, and it will find it. Hopefully before Harlequin does."
"Harlequin?" Tantrum spat. "What… why?"
"We're essentially racing him. If he finds the whimsicott first, then we're as good as dead. Especially if they find out what exactly it's carrying. We made a fatal error unleashing it when we did, and we need to get it back to appease Hydreigon."
Tantrum grimaced again and scratched his head. "I dunno, Rio-"
"Things have gone wrong," said Rio. "Very wrong. If we don't clean up this mess, we're all as good as dead. Especially if Enigma finds out I lied to him! We get it back, send message to Enigma, he comes and deals with the whimsicott however he sees fit." He chuckled and shook his head. "If he takes it back to the Shadow Lands, well… the bomb might just go off. Maybe things will turn in our favour after all?"
Tantrum sighed and sank back in his seat. "You really need us to take Project B?"
"Yes."
"Then why don't you send Roxie and Lou instead?"
"Good idea." Rio smirked and scratched the side of his muzzle with a claw. "Take them, too. They have better control of the thing anyway."
Tantrum groaned and lowered his face into his paws. "Why did you hire those two idiots?"
"For precisely that reason. They're too stupid to be scared of Project B. It chases whatever runs from it." Rio stood and turned from the staff room. "Gather your team and leave tonight. Don't waste any time. Understood?"
Tantrum's voice was muffled by his paws, "Roger."
...
The usual silence of the Moorlands Forest was broken by the shouts and screams of the zorua flailing and scrabbling through the undergrowth. Dried leaves and prickly burrs clung to their shaggy fur, and their ears and lips pulled back making the assassin look more sleek and pointed than their coat allowed. The zorua's blue markings were soiled with powdery dust, and what could be seen of the white collar locked around their neck was scuffed and grey. Regardless, it couldn't be removed. Tinker had made it very clear, more-so to Harlequin than Cleo, that the collar was virtually indestructible, made from some kind of alloy only found in steelix mines. And the only ones who could remove it were himself and Cleo. That little revelation hadn't surprised Cleo in the slightest.
Between Harlequin's struggles, the assassin would scramble to their feet and launch an attack, finding themselves bowled backwards from the strange forcefield between the collar and Cleo's bracelet. Screams of protest would follow, and the attacks grew much less frequent as Harlequin resigned to the fact they were defenceless and powerless against their new prison guards.
The only one making any noise had been Harlequin. Cleo and her friends walked on in silence, trudging through the forest ever on edge with no clear destination in mind. Finding any more of this new pokemon type would be no easy task. None of them even knew where to go, or what to look for. If the type could just crop up in any old pokemon, then how would they begin to check? Use Harlequin as a punching bag and see if the pokemon they met knew any new or unusual moves? Enemy or not, it seemed rather cruel.
Day quickly turned to dusk, the sky through the canopy painted a dusty blue with the faint hint of crimson in the distance. Cleo faltered slightly, turning to check which direction they were heading in. They'd been heading north. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea?
The wind rustled the canopy, and Cleo became aware of the silence that had fallen over them. She looked over at Harlequin, expecting the zorua to have exhausted themselves into unconsciousness, but instead Cleo met their livid blue eyes and a toothy snarl that seemed to be permanently etched on their face.
"I hate to break the peace, but I'm getting pretty hungry." Spark's voice so close to her ear caused Cleo to let out a little yell of surprise.
The meowstic nodded and gave a glance around at their surroundings. The forest was never a safe place to camp out, but they had to sleep somewhere. Besides, walking around in the forest at night was more dangerous than simply existing in it. At least sheltered by their blue tent they'd be somewhat disguised.
"Then let's find somewhere to camp," Cleo suggested.
"All right." Spark turned her tiny head to look behind Cleo. "And what are we gonna do with her? Because I don't really feel safe camping out in the forest with our new little friend."
"No, no. By all means, sleep!" Harlequin rolled over onto their belly and grinned up at Spark. "We'll see how many dark pokemon I can catch the attention of! It'll be fun."
Cleo's eyes flashed with danger. "You'll do no such thing."
"Oh really? And what, exactly, can you do to me, meowstic?" Harlequin chuckled then rolled onto their back, flailing their paws in the air. "Help me! Help! I've been captured by Outcasts!"
"Shout all you want." Cleo turned and waved a paw. "You're more likely to attract the attention of Outcasts in this area, anyway."
Harlequin laughed. "Really? Don't you weaklings hide when night falls because the Darkness comes out? You're scared of being in this forest while the sun is setting, I can see it. You're twitching like nervous hatchlings." The zorua paused and a wide smirk spread across their muzzle. "There'll be a murkrow patrol very soon. They'll spot you and alert every nearby member of the Darkness to you and the murderer you're protecting."
"Murderer?" Mischief turned towards them. "Who's he talking about?"
"I think you know who I'm talking about!"
Cleo's spine stiffened and she rounded on the zorua. "Shut up, Harlequin!"
The zorua grinned up at her. "Why? You know I'm right. Lord Hydreigon won't stand for this. First Boomer, now you're holding me captive? You'll have the rest of his aces on your tails before you can blink."
A chill ran down Cleo's spine and she visibly tensed. She cast a nervous glance towards the shadows, and a huge smirk spread across Harlequin's face.
"My point." Harlequin chuckled and made a thoughtful noise. "Enigma wasn't far from me before I located you. Perhaps he'll have caught wind of this and be looking for me?"
Spark's whiskers crackled with electricity. "If you don't shut that mouth of yours pretty soon, I'm gonna silence you with a blast of my thunder!"
Harlequin licked their canines threateningly and pushed themselves to their feet.
"Don't do that," Cleo told Spark. "I don't want to be dealing with another bad fur day because of your static discharge."
Spark didn't even know thunder, but Cleo wasn't going to correct her. The threat had had its desired effect. Harlequin returned to silently seething as Cleo dragged them through the forest, leaving Mischief to move on ahead. Harlequin's bag swung at his side, heavy and bulging with its stored poisons and supplies. Mischief carried it effortlessly, and cautiously. The nidoking horn was tucked away in its protective sheath inside the satchel's flap, but its danger still rang loud and clear in the whimsicott's mind.
Almost as clear as the haunting sound of the imaginary bell ringing around Cleo's head. She forced herself not to glance back, but kept her ears open. If Enigma was nearby, then they'd need to remain vigilant. The banette hadn't gained his notorious reputation on rumours alone. He used his ghost-typing to his advantage, vanishing and reappearing at will. When his victims actually spotted him, it was usually too late. And a notable number of his victims hadn't sported any visible injuries on their bodies. Not on the surface, anyway…
Mischief stopped abruptly and pointed a claw. "Look! The river's flowing again."
Cleo squinted, spotting the orange glow of the sunset shimmering off the river's rapids. "Oh yes! That's great news. Maybe we should camp there?"
"I dunno," said Spark. "Would it be safe? It might still be poisoned."
"If it is, we have someone who could tell us." Cleo looked back, meeting one of Harlequin's cold blue eyes.
"What? You want me to sniff out poisons for you now?" they spat.
"I think you'll be more than willing to," said Cleo. "Like all of us, you'll be thirsty by morning. Maybe even more than we will be. You've been doing a lot of shouting."
Harlequin snorted and diverted their gaze to the shadows.
Cleo marched on, heading towards the river. Not so much as a peep came from the zorua. It was becoming more apparent they'd worn themselves out. Maybe they wouldn't be much of a threat after all?
...
Tinker crept through the tall grass, raising his paws high to avoid snagging in the tangle of ferns and goosegrass. His feet barely made a sound, but he was growing more and more on edge. Skipper followed close behind him, his shadow stretching far ahead of them beside Tinker's, making the pair look a lot larger than they actually were. The sun was rapidly setting, plunging the mountains into darkness. Behind them, the sky was painted a dramatic red. It always brought with it a sense of danger, no matter how quiet the Silent Mountains were.
"I think Cleo said they found it around here." Tinker paused, glancing over the river. "There's that bridge… but it's hard to find a body when it's been taken away."
"Aye." Skipper crouched down on all-fours and swept some of the dry leaves aside. "Grass looks a wee bit flat here."
Tinker followed the marshtomp's paws and made a thoughtful noise. The dry, brown grass was pressed into the floor as if something had been lying on it for some time. The log bridge, the flattened grass… they were definitely in the right place. If Cleo's suspicions were right, then perhaps the pachirisu had been living with its family nearby?
Tinker gazed up at the trees, searching for anything that may clue them in.
"We need t'be careful here, Tink," said Skipper. "Cleo said they was attacked out 'ere, an' it's gettin' a wee bit dark."
"We won't be much longer."
The confidence in Tinker's voice was betrayed only by the slick sweat covering his paw pads. His eye fell on a shadow at the base of a large tree a few feet away, and his heart lurched. He froze as he tried to focus on it, straining his ears for any movement. Nothing. After a moment, he let out a long breath. It was nothing more than a natural hole amid the tree's roots. He was about to turn away when something twigged in his mind.
A hole.
Many years ago, long before Tinker's time… long before Grey's time… pokemon would live together in natural nests. Nests made in holes, crevices, high up in trees, under the water… if a pokemon could live in it then they would.
Tinker dashed towards the small hole and dropped down to peer inside. It was large enough for two adult pachirisu to comfortably hide in. No… he was over-thinking this. He narrowed his eye and poked his head into the hole, catching the musty scent of dry leaves. Leaves that hadn't been contaminated by the poison.
He wasn't over-thinking anything. It was definitely a nest.
"Skipper?" his voice echoed slightly in the hole and he pulled his head out to look back at Skipper. "You might want to see this."
The marshtomp had been investigating the trees where the body had been found, all while keeping a look-out. He abandoned the spot to join Tinker, and the riolu stood aside for him to investigate the hole.
"Well, whaddaya know," said Skipper. "It's a nest, sure enough."
"Then I think we might be on the right track." Tinker took a step back and looked up higher into the tree, tracing its trunk. "If we keep looking, we might…"
He trailed off and his eye widened. Now he'd seen one, he was spotting more. A small hole nestled just beneath where the canopy would have been, but with the leaves gone it was as clear as day.
"Skip, give me a boost up, would you?"
Skipper scratched his head and followed Tinker's gaze. "I dunno, Tink. Ye sure ye can climb that high?"
"I guess we're about to find out."
Skipper shrugged and dropped to one knee. He laced his clawed flippers together to create a foot-hold. "All reet then. Step on."
Tinker placed one foot in the marshtomp's paws and with a 'heyup!' Skipper lifted him into the tree. Tinker grabbed hold of the first branch he could reach to steady himself, and finding it could hold his weight, he pulled himself up onto it effortlessly. He scrambled up onto the next branch, a sturdy bough that provided a walk-way towards the hole. He crept along it and placed one paw against the tree's thick trunk as he leaned forward to peer into the cavity. A huge smile spread across his muzzle. Just inside was another pile of debris. Leaves, dry grass, thin brittle twigs. And a small pile of berries that looked a little past their best, but they weren't rotten.
Tinker pulled himself back and turned his head to examine the surrounding trees. The nests stood out to him now, glaringly obvious in the bare trees. Holes and cavities both natural and pokemon-made. Mounds of tangled twigs nestled in the branches, once safely hidden from prying eyes. Burrows mounded up beside brambles and ferns, and the remains of berry pips scattered around the knotted roots of fruit trees and berry bushes.
Tinker abandoned the tree, clambering down as carefully as his one eye would allow. With a handicap like that, pokemon would call his persistence of performing such a precarious task as being foolish. Tinker, however, would call it perseverance. His depth perception might be bad, but he wasn't going to let something like losing an eye stop him from helping others.
Skipper caught Tinker in his paws and steadied him on the ground. Tinker gave him a polite nod and motioned towards the nests high up in the trees.
"Pokemon definitely lived here," he said. "And recently, too. To live in nests like these… Cleo was right. Pokemon were living peacefully, not tied to any faction. Now I want to know what they were."
"All reet." Skipper nodded up at the hole Tinker had been investigating. "Any idea what that one was?"
"An arboreal pokemon, for certain," said Tinker. "Either emolga, or maybe even a pikipek. I'd be leaning more towards emolga if I had more information to go off, since pokemon that complimented each other's types would often live in close proximity for company and survival, but it was very dependant on terrain. Bulbasaur, for example, would often live alongside rivers where marill and azurill would live. Since pokemon tend to be drawn to those of the same type, it wouldn't be unusual to find sunkern and shroomish living with them, too." Tinker paused and tapped his muzzle. "Flying types are apparent from those nests in the branches, so if there were pachirisu living here then we might find evidence of pikachu and maybe some ground types. Would you mind investigating the river to see if you can find any nests under the water?"
"Sure, Tink! This is gettin' pretty excitin', aye?" The smile swiftly left the marshtomp's face and he shook his head as he turned towards the river. "Shame they met such a sad fate."
Tinker's heart sank and he looked up at the nests high above them. It was a sad fate. If they couldn't find any evidence of survivors, then they may never find out how these pokemon had been surviving out in the mountains in such a primitive fashion. Their beliefs, their opinions on the factions, how they survived the Darkness… all of it could be lost forever.
But they could still try to find out who had occupied the area. There would be evidence of species left scattered about. Fur, feathers, bite-marks from the rodents. Tinker turned to examine the various nests. It wasn't going to be easy, especially when some were so high up.
His eyes fell upon a tangle of twigs, neatly woven together right at the top of a narrow fir tree. The sheer size of it left him gobsmacked. It was huge in comparison to the other nests. Perhaps it had belonged to a fully evolved bird pokemon? A soldier that looked over the smaller pokemon that it lived alongside? The amount of care that had gone into making the nest was astounding. Not a glimmer of moonlight could penetrate the weave of sticks and grass. The tree was impossible for Tinker to climb for a better look. The trunk was narrow and smooth with no foot-holds, and the lowest branches were too high even for a lucario to leap up and grab. Quite possibly the reason the bird had chosen that particular tree. It left its eggs out of harm's way.
He glanced around for something to dislodge it. A large rock, or a long stick. But there was nothing.
Skipper's wet footsteps sounded over the crunch of leaves. "Mudkip. And marshtomp. I recognize th'nests."
Water trickled off the marshtomp's slick body and he wound his goggles in his claws. His eyes flit left and right as he struggled to meet Tinker's.
The riolu let out a sigh and ruffled the fur between his ears. "I'm so sorry, Skipper. I know that must be hard."
"Aye," said Skipper. "An' they were so close t'home n'all. If I'd've known, I coulda…" He shook his head sharply. "Nae. I cannae think like this. It's too late now. But at least we're a little closer to crackin' this mystery, aye?"
"Yes, and it proves my theory that there would be ground-types nearby." Tinker turned his attention back to the tree. "I really want to know who occupied this nest. Do you think you could shoot it down for me?"
"You want me t'shoot it down?" Skipper narrowed one eye and shook his head. "A bit disrespectful, ey, lad?"
Tinker snorted. "This is no time for jokes, Skip. And no one is living in it anymore."
"Aye, right enough. Stand aside then." Skipper ushered Tinker behind him. "Dinnae want it landin' on ye dome, eh?"
The marshtomp opened his mouth and fired out a powerful torrent of water. It was only brief, whooshing through the air. It struck the nest just underneath its side, causing it to pivot. It wasn't as dramatic as Tinker had been expecting. The nest merely rocked on its perch, then teetered over the edge before flipping upside-down like a pancake. Downy white feathers fluttered from it, but that wasn't all. Tinker's eyes widened and he lurched forwards, arms spread, to catch the falling object before it struck the ground to be lost forever like everything else. Tinker landed hard on his back, cradling the object to his chest.
Skipper dropped to the riolu's side in a squat. "There were an egg in there? An egg?!"
Tinker curled back from the egg to examine it, his breaths still coming in short bursts. It was completely unblemished, not a crack in sight. Wispy white feathers clung to the coarse surface and drifted down around them like snowflakes. The same feathers coated the inside of the nest like a thick, downy blanket. Thick and warm enough to block out any drafts that might find their way through the neat weave of twigs and grass.
The feathers were unmistakable.
Tinker licked his lips, finding his mouth suddenly dry. Part of him wanted to drop the egg back in its nest, but for some reason his paws wouldn't relinquish it.
"Well." Skipper stood up and wiped droplets off his brow before setting his goggles back in place. "Now we know who's nest it were, aye?"
Tinker nodded stiffly and stood up, careful not to drop the egg. The dark forest didn't feel any more dangerous, or any darker. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he could almost hear the haunting melody the pokemon in question was famous for humming.
He nodded again and cradled the egg to his chest. "Altaria."
...
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AdamFics - Thanks for the cross-post reviews, I appreciate it! You'll find out what Harlequin is carrying in due time! As for Enigma, hopefully this chapter answers some questions there ;) Hydreigon's methods will be revealed in due time, too. I'll find a way to add it in, especially since Part 3 will have a LOT of new content to advance the plot!
Thanks for reading! Please R&R!
