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65 - A Clean Slate

Yveltal landed heavily amid the trees. Branches snapped under his weight and jabbed into his wings, turning his gait clumsy. He cursed and flailed his wings, tearing limbs from the trees with his claws. A loud bellow left his throat, shaking the Border Woods and sending murkrow from the branches in a flurry of frightened wings and caws.

Yveltal seethed, clenching his beak so tight his jaw ached. He'd lost. Those small, pathetic pokemon had beaten him. He hadn't expected them to have Xerneas' power working through them. That wretched fairy-type… it was the bane of his existence. After all the time that had passed, he'd expected it to have faded from Estellis, but no. It was still there, thwarting him on every corner. And to make things worse, his powers had failed him.

Yveltal swore again. He was weak. He was still not at his full strength. First, he needed to get his strength back and then he would try again. He'd destroy those whelps before they returned to the Fairy Garden. They'd spend the rest of eternity as stone.

The draconic bird raised his head, scanning the Border Woods. If he was going to get his strength back, first he needed to feed. But he couldn't keep pilfering his own troops. He needed followers, and he also needed pokemon to fear him. Hydreigon didn't seem to fear him at all. Instead he oozed authority and strength, treating Yveltal as nothing more than his puppet. Yveltal clicked his beak together and bristled. He'd give that dragon a reason to fear him, but at the present time he needed him alive. He was Yveltal's key into the rest of the pokemon in the Shadow Lands.

Yveltal smoothed out his feathers and straightened, casting a glance over the woods. His ears pricked as quiet voices were carried towards him on the wind. Two small pokemon made their way along the path, dragging a large box behind them on wheels. Rattata. Dark-furred, their long whiskers twitching with humour. A laugh rose in Yveltal's throat and he stepped out in front of them, letting his weight fall on his left wing. He staggered, tumbling onto the dirt.

Fear sparked in the rodents' eyes, but it was swiftly replaced with concern. One of them abandoned his box, muttering an apology as the other struggled to keep hold of it. The rattata dropped beside Yveltal and scanned him with his eyes.

"Are you all right?" the rattata asked.

"No," Yveltal gasped. "I'm so hungry."

"Yeah, there ain't much food about at the moment." The rattata grimaced. "And you're pretty big."

Yveltal fixed the rodent with a cool blue eye. "Do you… have anything to eat in that box?"

The rattata exchanged glances and a look of regret passed over the second one's face. He looked at Yveltal and struggled under the weight of his box.

"Just a bit," he explained. "But we've got more back at the ship. Why don't you come back with us?"

The first one, still crouched at Yveltal's side, asked, "Can you walk?"

A idea sparked in Yveltal's mind and he fought a grin. A ship full of rattata… that was a lot more strength than he'd get from just two.

"I think so." He groaned, shoving himself onto all-fours.

The rattata stood back, his nose twitching as he gazed up at the larger pokemon. "I've not seen a pokemon like you before. What's your name?"

"Yveltal."

The two rats exchanged glances again.

"That's pretty difficult to remember," the second one said as he scratched behind his year.

Yveltal stood aside to let the two rodents lead him, the first one returning to help his companion with the box. They were sprightly pokemon, cheerily leading him along to a ship full of potential energy. Yveltal would drain the ship dry, perhaps keeping one or two rattata alive to add to his troops. That should spark some fear within the Darkness. Fear that would lead to followers. He stifled a chuckle as he crawled along behind the two unsuspecting pokemon.

"Oh," he said with a shake of his head. "I think you'll remember my name just fine."

...

Cleo had expected to find nothing in the abandoned Guild Headquarters. As soon as she'd entered the store room she'd spotted a box huddled at the back in a dry corner. It hadn't held much, just three wrapped packets of dried fish and a strip of very tough jerky. The fish had its salty, fishy smell but was drier and tougher than one might have liked. Her finds had satisfied her and Harlequin who had gratefully added the jerky to her supplies, while Faith and Spark shared what was left of the berries. They were going to need to find food soon, and the further north they headed the less likely that was going to be.

They'd rationed the meat and berries between them over supper and breakfast. Harlequin had refused the fish, insisting she used her own supplies of meat jerky since she wasn't fussy about her meat choice. The berries were in the shortest supply, shared between Spark and Faith. Spark hadn't protested about her small meals, much to Faith's and Harlequin's surprise. Cleo knew Spark well enough that the dedenne only protested when food was in abundance, but she was pretty good at rationing herself when the time called for it. What Spark didn't eat went into her cheek pouches for later.

Weak sunlight trickled through the windows, marking the dawn. Cleo and Faith had been awake for a while, talking softly. Cleo occupied herself by removing her bandage. Her leg had felt a lot better, although it still ached occasionally. Faith helped her cleave open the cast and Cleo felt a huge sense of relief as the air soaked through her fur. It would be a lot easier to move without it.

Cleo's tails moved as Spark roused and stretched her little body from between them. "Mornin' already?" The dedenne yawned and popped a small berry from her pouches to nibble on.

"Yep." Faith smiled down at her. "Good morning, Spark."

Spark glanced over at Mischief. "How is he?"

"We're not sure," said Cleo. "But his wounds look clean."

The whimsicott was deep in sleep. He'd roused briefly over night, complained about his shoulder, and drifted off again. Harlequin had used what few oran berries she'd had left, licking the juices into Mischief's wounds. Cleo's heart had sank when Harlequin had told her this, and she knew both she and the zorua were fearing the same thing - if they were to be injured in battle again, they had no medicinal berries to help them. Harlequin lay curled up beside Mischief, her nose buried beneath her tail. But Cleo could tell she was awake, her ears flicking towards Cleo and her friends whenever one of them spoke.

As for Mischief, his wounds were rapidly healing. They'd already closed up, and looked a lot better than they had a matter of hours ago.

Cleo tucked the remaining packets of dried fish back into her bag, lamenting the lack of berries for her friends. Spark, having finished her paltry breakfast, silently washed her whiskers.

"What are we going to do about berries?" Cleo asked.

Spark glanced up at her but said nothing. The dedenne was as stumped as Cleo was.

"We'll find some," said Faith. "Don't worry."

"Where?" Cleo asked. "It's well past the harvest."

"Some berries grow during the cold season," Faith explained, sitting back on her paws. "Xerneas always provides, making sure fruit grows year round. The orchards in the Fairy Garden always have something growing on them whatever the season, and it was the same at Gleamgrove Abbey." She smiled at the relief forming in Cleo's eyes. "Have a little faith."

Faith's words lifted Cleo's spirits a little, but even if such trees were growing nearby surely passing pokemon would have harvested what few berries grew in the snow. Spark, however, seemed a little brighter from Faith's reassurance.

Cleo wiped the salt from her paws and pushed herself up. "Then I'm going to see if I can find any."

"Where?" Spark asked, craning her neck to watch Cleo.

"The woods just at the edge of town." Cleo met her small friend's gaze. "Don't worry, I won't go far."

"I'll go with you." Faith stood up and dusted down her skirt of fur. "You shouldn't go alone."

"What about me?" Spark protested.

"You stay here with Harlequin," Cleo told her. "Both of you keep an eye on Mischief."

Harlequin raised her head, her sapphire eyes wide.

"But what about Yveltal?" Spark asked. "He could still be out there."

"Yes, he could be," said Cleo. "But we need berries and we can't leave Mischief here alone."

Spark's ears drooped and her tail fell limp behind her. She exchanged a worried glance with Harlequin.

"She's right," Harlequin told the dedenne. "The Darkness are looking for Mischief. But if you're worried, go. I can stay with him."

"No." Cleo cut Spark off before she could speak, and Harlequin pulled her ears back. "Two are better than one."

Faith tucked her arms behind her back and leaned forwards slightly. "We'll be fine, Spark. But if we're not back in an hour, come and look for us."

Spark sighed and threw her arms up in a weak surrender. "Fine. Edge of the woods. I know where they are." She frowned at her friends. "And I also know Yveltal went that way."

"With any luck he'll be long gone," said Cleo.

"Why?" Harlequin scoffed. "He knows we're here."

Doubt clouded Cleo's mind and her fur bristled along her spine.

"He also knows we beat him," Faith explained. "But we should still remain vigilant. Come on, Cleo. We'll go and search the woods, then come right back with whatever we find."

"Hopefully we'll find something," Cleo muttered as she followed Faith from the room.

"Make sure you come back!" Spark called after them. "'Cos if you don't, I'll be mad at you!"

Faith chuckled and cast a glance back at the dedenne. "Oh, we must indeed fear the wrath of Spark."

"Darn straight," Spark declared, sitting heavily back down.

The town was as deathly quiet as Cleo remembered it. The sky was a dull grey, turning a creamy yellow where the sun poked through. The threat of another storm lay heavy on the air, turning Cleo's fur clammy. Her paws were soon caked with wet mud as she trudged along the path towards the wood. Even Faith's skirt was flecked with mud, but it seemed to give the mawile less trouble. The pair remained vigilant, keeping their eyes on the sky and the canopy ahead for any sign of Yveltal. But there was no sign of the large bird.

Even the woods were quiet, with not a murkrow in sight. It unsettled Cleo. When they'd been in Stonehaven, even during their journey towards it, Hydreigon's forces had been following them. Now, there was nothing. The only enemy besides Yveltal they'd encountered was the liepard in the mountains. Where was everyone?

Cleo gave herself a mental shake. As eerie as it was, if there was no one watching them then she should be relieved. But it was just too eerie. Too unnatural.

Faith had broken away from Cleo, following a trail through the trees. It took a while for Cleo to notice the small flowers spreading over the muddy earth. The warming season really was upon them. It filled Cleo with a little hope and she followed after Faith, checking the branches of the trees above them. Small buds were forming on all of them, tipped with pink and white. Flower buds gave the promise of fruit later in the year, but that didn't help them now.

Faith waved an arm, drawing Cleo's attention. The mawile stood beneath a slender tree, its branches devoid of leaves. But what made Cleo's heart skip a beat were the yellow fruit clinging to it in abundance.

The meowstic trotted towards Faith, not taking her eyes off the tree.

"Apicot berries," Faith told her as she turned her gaze back to the fruit. "See? This is a winter fruit tree."

Faith reached up into the lower branches and plucked a couple free. "A lot of pokemon don't like them. They're pretty dry and sour, and aren't use for medicine. But with a bit of honey they are just divine."

"Unfortunately we don't have any honey," Cleo explained. "But we can't afford to be picky. Let's gather as much as we can find!"

Cleo reached up to help Faith harvest the apicot berries. She had to stretch to reach them from the lowest branches despite the sheer number of fruit weighing them down. Faith clambered into the tree, lowering the branch for Cleo to reach while Faith plucked the ones above them into her large horn.

When Cleo's bag was almost fit to bursting, Faith dropped down beside her and dusted down her fur. She pointed a claw to another nearby tree. "I noticed while I was up there. That cheri tree is in bloom."

Cleo followed her claw to another slender tree a few feet away. Pink blossoms exploded over its branches in a delicate yet dazzling array. "Spark would be happy to see that."

"We should take some blossoms back with us," said Faith. "They're edible, and would help to take the edge off the sourness of the apicot berries."

Cleo raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever eaten flowers before."

"Oh they're delicious," said Faith. "We use cheri blossoms in sweets back home when they're in season."

Cleo didn't need telling twice. She trotted to the tree and reached up to snap one of the slender branches free.

"They don't last long," Faith explained. "So don't take too many."

Cleo had been about to break another twig free. She glanced back at Faith then at the small twig. The flowers were very delicate. Already a few petals had fallen free onto the wet ground. Dew clung to the branch and turned the flowers slightly translucent. Cleo hadn't considered how they might transport them.

As they made their way back to the Guild, Cleo felt a lot lighter. They were greeted by voices as they stepped back inside. Mischief had woken and sat stiffly against the wall, rubbing his shoulder. Harlequin sat scolding him then brightened when she spotted Cleo and Faith.

"Yay! You're back!" Spark's eyes almost bugged from their sockets when they fell on Cleo's bag. "How many berries did you find?!"

"Plenty of apicots," Faith explained. "Xerneas lead us to them. He always provides."

Cleo looked up at Faith. "He left the flower trail…"

Faith nodded. "He's always watching over us." She turned to Mischief. "How are you feeling?"

Cleo had been about to ask the whimsicott the same thing. He rubbed his shoulder again, but was stopped by Harlequin's firm paw.

"Sore," he answered. His voice trembled and Cleo realised he was shaking. "But Harlequin told me the scratches are healing."

"They will be sore if you keep rubbing them!" Harlequin snapped.

Cleo placed the cheri branch beside Spark and knelt in front of Mischief. "Do you think you can travel today?"

He winced and nodded. "I think so." Cleo opened her mouth to speak, but he went on, "Why did he attack me like that?"

Cleo closed her mouth again. Her mind was blank. She had no answer to that.

"Anger," said Faith.

All eyes went to the mawile and she shrugged.

"Yveltal is a jealous, angry pokemon," she said. "You have the power to take down a dragon and he hates that."

Mischief screwed his eyes shut and dug his claws into the ground. "I just want to be left alone. I want to go back to the Fairy Garden."

Cleo's heart ached. She had no words to placate the whimsicott. Instead she reached into her bag and placed an apicot beside him. He looked at it and sighed.

"Eat that. Get your strength back," she told him. "You're going to need it if we're going to find a cure. And soon, we'll be back in the Fairy Garden."

"Yeah," said Harlequin. "We're gonna kill Yveltal, remember?"

Mischief picked up the apicot and turned it in his paws. "I can't believe how strong he is."

Faith sucked in a breath and glanced aside. "He's not at full strength either."

"Then we need to be quick," said Harlequin, rising to her feet. "Eat up and let's be going."

Mischief complied, biting into the apicot. His eyes lit up and he paused to lick his lips. "What is this?"

"An apicot berry," Cleo answered, but Mischief was barely listening, too intent on devouring the berry.

Spark looked up at him from the cheri branch and licked a petal off her nose. "Are they really that good?"

Cleo retrieved the branch quickly and rifled through her bag for a place to put it.

"Hey!" Spark protested.

"Don't eat them all at once, Spark," Cleo told her. "Faith suggested they go well with the apicots."

Spark licked nectar off her paws. "I haven't had them in years! My Mum used to decorate cheri pies with them in spring. They're so good! Please can I have another?"

Cleo rolled her eyes and plucked a small sprig of flowers from the branch. Spark took them gratefully and plucked one off with her teeth. Faith chuckled beside her.

Harlequin paced back and forth and glanced at them, muttering under her breath. Cleo took the hint and ushered Mischief to his feet.

Together, they stepped out into the town. The sun had risen above them, drying up the storm clouds. A few stray drops of rain peppered their fur and splashed onto the already sodden ground. As they reached the low stone wall that separated the old town from the woods, Cleo quickly checked her map, following the path towards the Border Woods.

It was a straightforward route, but to get to it they had to cross the Howling Gorge. Beyond that, they would be drawing close to the former Sparkling Forest, the Forest of Ashes. Cleo felt a twinge in her chest and she tucked the map away in her bag. Spark shifted on her shoulder, and Cleo knew the dedenne felt the same.

Their old home, where everything for them had begun, setting them on the path towards aiding the Outcasts and fighting back against the Darkness.

Cleo took a deep breath, and vaulted the low stone wall.

...

The sound of gurgling water trickling over rocks pierced the fog of sleep. Cold. Freezing cold. All he could see was blackness.

Then a small burst of light formed in it like a star, bursting outward and chasing the darkness away, chasing it into all unseen corners until a blinding light filled his vision. A dazzling spray of rainbow colours burst across his eyes and he flinched back, raising a paw. He blinked a few times until the light cleared, forming the shape of a large, magnificent stag. His antlers pulsed with light as he pressed his nose into the fallen pokemon's chest. The stag pulled his head back and smiled warmly, taking a step back. Small flowers sprouted around him and popped up from the tired, frozen earth wherever the stag's hooves fell.

Alarm pulsed through the fallen pokemon's veins. He recognised that pokemon. He'd seen him in a book. Xerneas.

He must have said the name out loud, because the stag's smile widened.

"Welcome back, Enigma."

Enigma sat up, water cascading from his sodden fur and splashing over the snowy banks. He placed a paw on his chest and looked down at himself. No ache. No pain. No dizziness. Not so much as a blemish from his brush with Hydreigon showed on his smoky grey fur.

"You…" Enigma shook his head in disbelief and looked up at Xerneas. "You saved me?"

Xerneas gave a small nod.

"But why?" Enigma asked, his voice thick. "Why did you save me? I don't deserve it. I'm a monster. I've murdered countless pokemon, and-"

Xerneas moved closer to Enigma and a familiar jingling tickled the ghost's ears. The stag set something in Enigma's paws and he blinked down at the shiny metal surface. His bell. It shimmered in the light, cleaner than he'd ever seen it.

Xerneas stood back, a warm smile on his muzzle. "And you said you work for me."

Enigma blinked at Xerneas, his words dying in his throat.

"You meant it," Xerneas went on. "With all your heart, you meant it."

"But…" Enigma's words choked. "All those horrible things…"

Xerneas met his eyes. "Do you regret them?"

"Yes." Enigma's throat tightened and he nodded. "Yes. I do. I really do."

The passion in Enigma's voice took him by surprise, but the warmth radiating from Xerneas' smile was calm and reassuring. It seemed to tell him that Xerneas had known Enigma's answer long before even he did, and that his question had been for Enigma's benefit. That he'd needed to hear himself confess it in order to let go of his past and forgive himself.

Enigma wound his claws into the grass. "I want to move past it and make things right… But how?"

"The answer is simple," said Xerneas. "All you have to do is follow me."

Enigma gazed up at him, speechless. It was really that simple? He could be forgiven for everything, just like that?

Xerneas turned sideways, not taking his eyes off Enigma, silently and patiently encouraging him. The banette pushed himself to his feet with surprising, renewed strength. A trail of colourful flowers marked their path along the river as they walked together, side by side, towards the Fairy Garden.

Enigma turned the mega stone around in his claws as he stared out at the Howling Gorge. He shifted his shoulders against the rough bark of the tree, bringing himself back to the present. He'd relived it countless times, and he could never quite believe it. That someone like him would be given a second chance.

And there was no way he was going to throw that chance away.

It had taken him a while before he realised that not only had Xerneas healed his wounds and broken ribs, he'd also cleared away the pokerus. Enigma had asked him about a cure, and Xerneas had told him he needn't worry about such things. It was as if Enigma's slate had been wiped completely clean.

A clean slate. A new start.

Enigma fastened his mega stone back into the brooch on his scarf and looked over his shoulder at the expanse of trees behind him. The dark of night was fast encroaching upon them, the setting sun dying the sky beyond the Howling Gorge a deep red. Black clouds scudded along it, marking the location of the Shadow Lands.

"Could you sit still for five minutes?" Harbinger's voice growled from below.

Enigma looked down from his branch, meeting the absol's ruby gaze. "Sorry. I've never liked waiting around. It makes me restless."

"Well if you keep moving like that you'll blow our cover. You're jingling like a chimecho parade." Harbinger turned his gaze back onto the gorge. His own mega stone swung freely in his ruff. It was the very same one Harlequin had kept hold of all those years. Around the absol's right ankle was his key stone, the partner to Enigma's. When Xerneas had paired them together, they'd both been a little unimpressed. But they'd soon discovered they worked well together.

Enigma chuckled at the thought. Harlequin would be very surprised indeed.

The banette followed Harbinger's gaze towards the village squatting in the gorge. Holes were carved into the sandstone rocks, almost hidden by the evergreen trees that had been beaten sideways due to the high winds. The village was barely visible to the untrained eye. The houses looked like a natural formation inside the towering cliffs, marked only by the wooden doors that kept out the worst of the sandstorms that raced through the gorge. The village was ghostly silent as the pokemon slept in their nests.

The wind whipped up, beating against the trees and stirring Enigma's fur. But it was a far cry to the gale that blew through the gorge. It howled as it tore through it with the ferocity of a wild animal, giving the gorge its name. The trees creaked and groaned, and the small burrow-like houses vanished beyond the sandstorm.

"How much longer do we have to wait here?" Enigma asked.

"Until Harlequin and his friends arrive," Harbinger told him.

Enigma rolled his eyes. "ETA?"

"We don't know," Harbinger growled, shaking his white fur from his eyes. "They'll get here when they get here. Just be patient." The absol's canines glinted in the low light. "And stay quiet."

"Fine, fine." Enigma yawned and tucked his arms behind his head as he shuffled back against the tree. "I might try and get in a little nap."

"Good idea. Sleep means quiet." Harbinger paused. "I'll wake you when they get here."

...

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