A/N - Thanks for all reads, reviews, faves and follows! Sorry this is a day late, I was super busy yesterday. I'm glad I didn't rush as this chapter needed a lot of editing! I hope you enjoy =D

67 - Caught in a Sandstorm

The sodden earth sucked at Tinker's feet as he trudged past derelict buildings. It hadn't been long since Grey had dropped them near the old town. The alakazam hadn't wanted to send them any further north for fear of appearing before lurking soldiers or assassins. Tinker thought it had been a risk appearing in the open at all, but they hadn't been left with much of an option. New City was in an uproar, and Tinker's desperation to get Starshine out had left him with no time to even prepare. Tinker was without his bag. They had no supplies.

The riolu lead Starshine towards the old Guild headquarters at the heart of the old, rundown town. Starshine followed silently, his head turning left and right as he peered into the shadows between the buildings. His head was low and his footwork delicate. He'd never been outside in the open. He'd spent his entire short life in New City, surrounded by pokemon and walls of earth. Every gust of wind, every stir of a leaf, every drip of water, set the altaria on edge.

Eager to ease the altaria's nerves, Tinker cast a sympathetic glance back at Starshine and gave a small chuckle. "This town is quieter than I remember it."

Starshine jerked his head towards him and his black eyes widened. "You used to live here?"

"Sort of," said Tinker. "I've moved from town to town quite a bit. I was here helping out when it first set up. It clearly didn't last very long. It was probably only inhabited for a season." His gaze travelled up the decaying wooden wall of a house. His heart sank and his voice came out more wistful than he'd intended as he added, "I hoped it might be around for longer than that."

He motioned for Starshine to follow him up the stairs into the old Guild hall. The altaria's claws scraped over the wood and echoed inside the hollow, empty building. Tinker closed the door behind them and sniffed at the air. There was a familiar smell and it took him a moment to realise what it was.

"Cleo was here." He sniffed again. "Recently, too."

"Cleo?" Starshine copied him, craning his neck. "I can't smell anything."

"My nose is pretty sensitive." Tinker moved through the hall, and Starshine's steps echoed behind him. "She was definitely here. I doubt she still is, but…"

His voice trailed off as he followed the meowstic's scent into the old dining hall. It was empty. His heart sank and he took a step back, turning towards his old office. Part of him had hoped she was still here. They could have travelled together. It would have made the journey a lot more bearable, and safer to boot.

"What are we here for?" Starshine asked.

"I'm hoping to find some supplies," Tinker explained. "In our rush to leave I didn't prepare."

"Oh." Starshine lowered his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Tinker told him. "So don't apologise. I like to leave emergency supplies in my office in each Guild. There will be something here."

He shoved open the door to his office, losing his footing as it glided open over the empty floor. Tinker steadied himself against the door handle, his eyes wide. His desk stood against the wall as he remembered it, but the room was devoid of any papers or boxes. He muttered under his breath and pulled himself upright.

"They could have warned me they were moving on," he whispered, going straight to his desk.

Starshine stood over his shoulder, watching helplessly as Tinker dragged open the desk drawers. Each one was empty. With a bitter sigh, he went to the room marked 'keep out'. The only thing in that room was his transporter machine, useless without the key to activate it. He absently fastened a paw around his bare wrist. He'd left it back in New City.

He sighed again and moved from the room, motioning to Starshine to come with him.

The altaria plodded behind him, casting a glance back at the empty office. "Can't you find anything?"

"No. They've obviously taken it." Tinker dragged a paw over his ears and shook his head. "We'll have to hunt for food while we travel. We're bound to find something on the way, but it's a long walk."

"Walk?" Starshine rushed to his side and met his eyes. "It'll be faster if we fly."

"Unlike you, I don't have wings, Starshine."

"I'm not saying that, Dad. I can carry you."

Tinker stopped with one paw on the front door. His gaze wandered up and down Starshine's slender body. The altaria was only just the same height as him.

"Carry me?" he spluttered. "Starshine, you're not big enough. I'm an adult, I'm full grown and a lot heavier than you are." He waved a paw at the altaria. "You've still got… I don't know… about another year of growing to do!"

"At least let me try," Starshine pleaded. "I want to be helpful! I've not had much practice flying, but I know I can do it. My wings are bigger now." He spread his fluffy wings to each side.

Tinker closed his eyes and sighed.

"Please!" Starshine begged. His black eyes glistened with tears. "It's my fault we're even here-!"

"Starshine, it's not your-"

"Please, Dad!" Starshine's face hardened as his tears broke free to trail over his blue feathers. "I want to be useful. Please let me help. We'll get there much faster if I fly."

Tinker stared at the altaria for a moment. If they flew it would definitely cut their travel time by a lot. But they'd also be vulnerable to aerial warriors. However, risks were everywhere. It might actually be in their better interests to fly.

Tinker sighed again and gave a single nod. "Okay. We can fly."

Starshine's face lit up and he tucked in his wings. "Great! I-"

"But!" Tinker raised a claw. "If you show any sign of struggling, we stop. Understood?"

Starshine nodded briskly. "Of course!"

Together they stepped back out onto the muddy street. Tinker craned his neck to search the rooftops and sky. The clouds had thinned and turned a fluffy white, letting blue sky show through. There wasn't a murkrow in sight, but how long would that last? Would they flock up towards them in a violent cloud of beaks and talons? He looked back at Starshine, taking in his blue feathers and fluffy white wings. He hadn't realised before how well camouflaged an altaria was in the sky. A small glimmer of hope filled his chest. Hope that they might make it to the Border Woods undetected. That was, if the weather didn't turn on them. He looked up at the sky again as Starshine strode past him.

"Okay. I'm ready." Starshine looked at him, his neck lowered for Tinker to climb on.

The riolu pulled himself up onto Starshine's slender back. The altaria grunted as his legs buckled slightly.

"Starshine-" Tinker made to climb back down, but Starshine stopped him with a look.

"I'm fine." The altaria spread his wings and beat them a couple of times. "I've just not carried anyone before. Hold on, okay?"

Starshine didn't give Tinker much of a chance to hold on to anything. The young dragon sprinted forwards, beating his wings hard. Tinker fastened his arms around his neck, his heart lurching as he felt Starshine's muscles pumping in his shoulders. Slowly, Starshine rose into the air with jerky motions that sent Tinker's heart into his throat. He glanced down at the buildings shrinking below them, and he jerked his head up again, clutching onto Starshine for dear life. A wail left his throat against his will and Starshine gave him a reassuring glance.

"Watch where you're going!" Tinker barked.

Starshine complied, fixing his attention on the woods ahead of them as he continued to rise into the air. The trees spread out beneath them, green clouds against a sea of brown. Starshine's wing beats slowed as he hit a thermal, and he spread his wings to glide over it. The smoothness calmed Tinker slightly and he relaxed his hold on Starshine's neck.

The altaria glanced back at him. "Are you okay?"

"Eyes forward!" Tinker clutched at the dragon's neck again.

Starshine chuckled but obediently faced forwards. "You've gone pale."

"I'm fine." Tinker forced himself to relax again and straightened, gazing out a the world ahead of them. "You seem okay so far?"

Starshine nodded. "Now we're in the air, you're not that heavy at all."

"Well then, it seems like a good plan." A small smile spread across Tinker's muzzle and he brushed a paw over Starshine's feathers. "If we can keep it up like this, perhaps it won't be such a treacherous journey after all?"

...

Another gust of wind swept Spark off her feet and sent her rolling tail over head into the air. She reached out and snatched onto a twig, hanging there as her tail billowed out behind her like a flag. A krokorok doubled over in fits of giggles a few feet away. Spark's whiskers crackled and she forced out a growl against the wind. She was never going to win this battle at this rate. Her long-range attacks couldn't touch him, and she could barely get close enough to use her fairy-type move with the wind. And what was worse, Cleo would be worried sick.

"Oh, you slay me!" The krokorok slapped his paw on his knee and stood up straight as the wind died down. "I haven't had this much fun in a fight in a long time! You're so tiny it's hilarious!"

"Why I aughta…" Spark stood tall on the tree's bowed branches and narrowed her eyes. "If it weren't for this wind, I'd give you a fight you'll never forget!"

The krokorok's jaws parted in a toothy grin. "Big words from a little mouse, eh?"

Spark growled and electricity danced off her stifled whiskers. She swiped a paw across them to remove the residual mud from the crocodile's mud-slap greeting. The wind had done a good job of clearing most of it away.

"Shame I'm a ground-type." The krokorok lifted his arms in a shrug. "'Cos I reckon you could pack quite a punch with that electricity of yours."

Huh. Spark twitched her nose. She hadn't expected a compliment. It took her off guard and she scanned the giant crocodile with her eyes, finding a crescent moon tattooed to his shoulder. A heretic? A dark-type?

She didn't have much time to process it as the wind picked up again. She dug her claws into the bark and stood against it, pulling her ears back before they filled with sand. The krokorok watched her with amusement, a chuckle shaking his shoulders.

"Why, you-!" Spark's words were cut off as the wind lifted her from the tree and sent her further into the gorge.

Her back struck warm fur and two paws clasped around her middle. Wind beat her ears and she screwed her eyes shut against the sharp sand. It was only fleeting. When she opened her eyes again she looked up into the upside-down face of a grinning banette.

Spark blinked a few times and shook her ears out. "Enigma? Y-you're alive?!"

Enigma laughed, his bell chiming with the motion, and looked up. His expression turned serious. "We have bigger things to be worrying about right now, short stuff."

Spark's retort died into a mumble on her tongue. The krokorok's jovial grin had melted away into rage and he marched towards them on heavy feet. Enigma lifted Spark to his shoulder and flexed his claws.

The krokorok bared his teeth in a snarl. "Rumour had it you were dead!"

Enigma shrugged. "I was."

The krokorok cursed and spat onto the floor. "Hydreigon's goof-ball soldiers can't even finish a job, huh?" He dug his claws into the ground and raised his paws into fists. "Guess I'll have to kill you myself!"

Enigma sighed. "I really didn't want to have to do this today."

He flicked his claws and a flurry of pink and purple light struck the krokorok in the jaws. It exploded into sparkles as the ground erupted beneath his feet. Dirt mixed with the dazzling gleam, and the giant crocodile grunted as he rolled head over tail into the crooked tree. Leaves rained down around him where he lay in a daze.

Enigma dusted dirt from his scarf, oblivious to the stunned dedenne on his shoulder. Spark blinked at the defeated krokorok. One hit. Dazzling gleam. Her eye wandered to the brooch affixed to Enigma's scarf.

"Cut it a bit fine there, didn't you?" said Enigma.

"I had to. The wind is picking up again." An absol stood on an outcrop half way up the steep wall to their right. He hopped down the rocky tumble with surprising agility despite the large satchel bouncing off his flank. He landed beside Enigma and nodded to the bowed tree. "Grab onto that. And once the wind has passed, we'll head straight for Cleo. Fast."

Enigma rushed straight for the tree. Spark bailed from his shoulder and grabbed onto a twig, but the banette plucked her from it and fastened his claws around her middle.

"Erm… do you mind?" The dedenne flashed her sharp teeth at him.

Enigma chuckled and braced himself against the tree as the wind picked up. "Do you want to blow away again?"

The wind's mournful howls almost drowned out his voice. The three of them clutched onto the tree's branches, lowering their heads against the wind and the sandstone debris. It passed in an instant, and Enigma pushed himself back from the tree, still clutching Spark in one paw.

"How's it looking, Harbinger?" he asked the absol.

The absol raised his head and his expression turned distant. "We don't have much time before the next gust. We need to hurry. The fight is turning nasty."

"Wait, hold up!" Spark raised her paws. "What fight?"

"No time to explain. You'll have to wait and see." Enigma loosened his grip on Spark. "I need to ask you to trust us."

"Trust you?" Spark blinked as Enigma pressed a claw to her mouth.

"There's a nasty fight brewing, and your friends need us." Humour shone in Enigma's eyes. Spark pushed his claw away and opened her mouth to speak. "Now, take a deep breath."

Spark's question died on her tongue as the banette flicked her away from him. He vanished and Spark's shock morphed into fury as snatched her from behind, only to flick her away again. Enigma warped ahead of her once more and braced himself to catch her.

"What are you doing!" she screeched as she landed in his paws.

"I'm terribly sorry, but we need to be quick and I can't warp you with me." Enigma tossed her ahead of him again and she roared.

"Once we reach Cleo I'm gonna shock you so hard!"

The banette chuckled as he caught her against his chest. "Okay, we'll do it the hard way." He tucked her into his scarf on his shoulder and she crackled, setting the fur around his ear on end.

"Don't think I was kidding," she warned.

"I don't." He broke into a sprint, glancing back at the absol as he raced to keep up with them. He cast Spark a fleeting sympathetic glance. Enigma smoothed out his fur with a paw. "But I'm afraid it'll have to wait until the battle is over."

...

Cleo clung to the fallen tree, struggling to see through the sandstorm that clouded her vision. She blinked to try and dislodge the sand from her eyelashes then flinched back, screwing her eyes shut. Beside her, Mischief clung onto a branch that swayed in the wind. Tufts of white fur travelled along with the sandstorm, some still lingering as the wind petered out. As the wind dropped, the blurred figures of the Heretics stood in the storm. A small army of sandslash, krokorok and fraxure. And looming over them towered a haxorus. Every one of them was stood in the same spots they had been before the wind picked up. Every time. It had been that way since the battle started.

But the numbered were smaller. Two of the sandslash and three of the krokorok had been knocked out, and Cleo could no longer see their fallen bodies through the storm. A sandslash had whipped up the sandstorm just after the battle started, and it had made getting any hits in nigh impossible. Unfortunately for the dragons the sandstorm had only hindered them, but they were clearly used to it, using it to their advantage despite the stinging sand.

Faith stood just a few feet away from Cleo in her mega form. One of her horns was fastened around the jagged stump of the fallen tree. She released it to spin her horns into the group of Heretics, aiming for the haxorus. He raised his arms to block her attack, his claws digging into the earth as he was shoved backwards. It gave enough of an opening for two of the fraxure to burrow into the ground.

Cleo shouted a warning to Faith, but it was too late. The ground exploded beneath her as the fraxure erupted in a geyser of earth. Faith was knocked off her feet, rolling backwards into the fallen tree. The branches swayed with the impact, clearing the sand enough for Cleo to make out her opponents. She wasted no time, and alongside Mischief they fired their own attacks at the Heretics. Pink sparkling light lit up the gorge, missing the sandslash by a whisker. But two more of the fraxure were sent toppling over their tails and the haxorus hissed as Mischief's dazzling gleam struck him across the tusks.

Then the wind picked up again.

Cleo hugged the branch and braced herself as the sand beat against her ears. The wind was so unpredictable. She clenched her jaws, silently wishing the wind would just give them a break. They could no longer see their enemies. But could they see her and her friends?

As the wind lessened off, a flash of pink lit up the sand, suggesting Harlequin was still in the battle. Cleo let out a sigh of relief. She'd lost track of the zorua when the storm started. Harlequin's disarming voice hit home, and a grunt came from deep in the sandstorm. The storm lessened as the wind dropped, revealing the Heretics crouching close to the ground, their claws digging into the dry earth as the wind washed over them. A look of confusion crossed the haxorus' face as he turned his head towards a dazed sandslash lying flat on his spiky back.

Cleo's heart lurched. The sandstorm had stopped!

The haxorus muttered something that Cleo didn't hear. Then the large wingless dragon rose to his feet and purple flames licked around his tusks.

Mischief cut in front of Cleo, causing her to press further into the tree's branches. "Get back!"

He leapt in front of her and spread his arms, taking the attack head on. It washed harmlessly over him, and the towering dragon's eyes widened with alarm. Mischief flicked his paws, sending a dazzling gleam straight into the haxorus' face. He toppled backwards as pink light exploded around his feet. Two krokorok fled from behind him before he struck the ground with an almighty crash. Sand whipped up around his body, and a small black shape landed on his chest for a heartbeat before kicking off to launch a tackle into one of the krokorok's back.

The haxorus wasn't down. He pushed himself to his feet, his eyes blazing with rage. Dragon fire licked around his tusks and he opened his jaws wide, aiming a torrent of flames at Harlequin's tail.

Cleo's heart lurched and she shouted a warning. Harlequin's ears flicked towards her. The dragon's attack spluttered as another dazzling gleam struck him in the head. It washed past him to strike one of the fraxure and wiped out a krokorok before it could bring its fists down on Harlequin's back.

Cleo looked to Mischief who looked as confused as she was. She followed his gaze to their right. Wispy flames glided through the air to singe the haxorus' left shoulder. He yelped and fixed a glare on the direction they'd come from. More flames flew past him to strike the remaining fraxure, krokorok and sandslash. Hisses and yelps filled the air as the pokemon tried to soothe their burns.

A large white shape dropped from above them, grabbing one of the confused sandslash and shaking it by the scruff. Cleo's eyes widened.

"An absol?!" the haxorus gasped.

Cleo's voice echoed his surprise. But something was different about this one. A pair of large, white wings rose from his ruff.

Cleo barely had time to process it as a flash of electricity lit up the gorge. It struck the haxorus as he rose from his feet, freezing his tall body. He slumped to the floor as sparks danced along his scales, his limbs jerking erratically. His assailant landed beside Cleo and beamed up at her, whiskers still crackling with static.

"Miss me?" asked Spark.

A weight lifted off Cleo's chest and she beamed at the dedenne. "I'm so glad you're okay. But let's save the celebration for after we've defeated these Heretics?"

Spark nodded and kicked off again, landing a play rough on one of the remaining fraxure. The tide of battle had turned. The Heretics were too distracted by their burns to put up much of a fight. The krokorok were retreating with the absol on their tails, while the sandslash burrowed into the ground to get away from a flurry of shadow balls that rained down on them from the sky. Faith had found her feet, twirling into the haxorus with another play rough of her own. The massive dragon didn't fight back, his arms raised to defend himself as he tried to find their invisible assailant.

The wind picked up again and the haxorus crouched down, digging his claws into the floor. He barked a command to the remaining fraxure, the only pokemon left to aide him.

Cleo crouched down herself, hooking her claws into the hard earth. As the wind grew stronger she fired a disarming voice at the dragon, hitting him square in the muzzle. He keeled back, holding himself in place with his hind claws.

"Do what they do!" Cleo yowled to her friends. "Crouch low, dig your claws in and fight back!"

Her friends complied, except Spark who leapt to Cleo's shoulder and held fast to her fur. As the wind howled over them, whipping their fur, those who could fire ranged attacks struck back at the remaining dragons. Pink light and electricity lit up the gorge. Cleo clenched her teeth as her pelt tingled with Spark's static.

As the wind dropped, another pokemon landed amongst them with a jingle that set Cleo's heart racing. The bell drew the haxorus' eye and his lips curled in a sneer. A new pokemon stood beside Faith, but if it weren't for the bell Cleo would barely have recognised him. Yellow zipper markings curled over his smoky fur, but the grin on his face was wildly familiar. He raised his huge purple claws, and a dazzling gleam blasted across the gorge, sweeping over the remaining dragons.

The fraxure blew away from him, rolling over their tails into the wall. The haxorus joined them as another attack from Mischief struck home. The haxorus landed hard on his bottom with a yelp. He fired a glare at the banette, then his eyes widened as a loud screech split the air.

Cleo's fur rose along her spine as Mischief launched forwards, almost tugging her off her feet. The whimsicott's legs flew out from beneath him and he landed hard on his back. Spark left her shoulder to join Harlequin, who stood dumbfounded a few feet away with a branch in her mouth. The fraxure she'd been grappling with had turned to watch the whimsicott, his jaw slack as a fearful look crossed his face.

Cleo's heart raced as Mischief flailed at the end of his tether. Then he turned on her, rushing towards her with his paws raised. Despite knowing he couldn't harm her Cleo still screwed her eyes shut and raised her paws to protect her face. She felt the impact as the whimsicott bounced away from the invisible forcefield and struck the ground with a sick thud.

Seeing the whimsicott was no immediate threat, the haxorus turned his attention back onto the remaining Outcasts. Still nursing their burns the fraxure launched flamethrowers at their opponents, leaving Cleo and Mischief to their own struggles.

Faith leapt aside to dodge the torrent of flames while Enigma threw himself into the fray. He countered it with a shadow ball then followed it up with a dazzling gleam. It made short work of the fraxure, sending him rolling to his leader's feet. The absol landed before him and dropped another stunned fraxure. His ruby eyes met the tall dragon's and a visible chill ran down his spine.

The haxorus looked over his fallen comrades and tutted.

"Get out of here! It ain't worth it." With one last venomous look at the Outcasts and their unexpected allies he turned and rushed away into the gorge. Only one fraxure followed him as if his legs couldn't work fast enough to escape the absol chasing after them.

Faith stood with her shoulders heaving, watching him go, not ready to drop her mega form yet. Enigma joined her side with his paws folded behind his head, not taking his eyes off the retreating dragons.

"We thought you could use some help," he told her, returning to his normal form.

"It was appreciated. Thank you." The mawile looked up at him with her eyes sparkling. She opened her mouth to speak, but a torrent of black energy skimmed Enigma's shoulder and the pair twisted to meet Harlequin's livid glare.

"You idiot!" Harlequin screamed, making Enigma flinch back. "I thought you were dead!"

Enigma brushed his shoulder where Harlequin's dark pulse had skimmed it. "I was. But Xerneas revived me."

Harlequin's body shook with sobs and her lip curled back from her canines. "Why did you go back there?!" she spat. "Why did you return to the Shadow Lands?!"

"I didn't exactly go by choice," Enigma told her. "I was looking for a cure for that pokerus and ran into some murkrow."

"Pokerus?" Cleo looked up at the banette. Mischief still flailed against the bracelet but he was growing weaker.

Spark, who had chosen to perch in the fallen tree safely out of harm's way, watched him with a grimace. "Eesh, he's gonna hurt himself on that thing."

She fired a jolt of electricity at the whimsicott, causing his body to lock up. He fell motionless to the floor, fixing Spark in a stunned stare.

Faith gave the dedenne a reprimanding look. "Was that really necessary?"

"I couldn't stand to see him like that." Spark waved a dismissive paw. "Give him a cheri berry, he'll be fine!"

Faith shook her head and returned to Enigma, who was still staring at Mischief. "You have pokerus… but you were able to fight?"

"Yep. Xerneas cleared it away." Enigma met Faith's violet eyes and shrugged. "Means my hunt is at an end."

"Wait, what?" Cleo and Harlequin both gasped.

Cleo moved as close to Enigma as she could without dragging Mischief over the rough ground. "You said Xerneas cleared it?" At Enigma's nod, she added, "But Mischief…"

"He met Xerneas," Spark continued as Cleo trailed off into confused silence. "So why does he still have it?"

Enigma raised his paws in a shrug. "I can't answer that one."

"'Your weaknesses will become your greatest strengths'…" Faith stared at the wall, her eyes distant. "He didn't mean the pokerus did he?"

"It's coming." The absol plodded towards them, shaking sand from his fur. His wings had vanished, making him look a lot smaller. A soft whine spread over the gorge. "Come on. We'll use the tunnels."

Cleo swiftly trapped Mischief's unconscious body in a bubble and followed the absol into the tunnels. The walls were pocketed with large holes, but Harbinger lead them into one with an air of confidence, as if he were familiar with them.

Once they were all inside, Cleo caught the absol's eye. "It's Harbinger, right?"

He nodded once. When Cleo opened her mouth to speak again, he cut her off. "Xerneas told us your names, so you don't need to introduce yourselves. I heard a lot about you from Harlequin anyway."

Cleo nodded, bristling slightly at the absol's rudeness. "Do you know these tunnels?"

"I've been here a few times." Harbinger shrugged. "It's been a while though. We need to be quick. It won't be long before those Heretics come back with friends and track us down." He frowned at Mischief. "How long does this usually take?"

"It varies, but I can carry him." Cleo frowned down at Spark. "Not to mention Spark paralysed him when we don't have any cheri berries."

Spark folded her paws behind her back and trailed a foot on the floor. "I panicked!"

Harbinger snorted and rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. We have some."

Enigma chuckled, causing his bell to jingle. "We'll probably go through them pretty fast with this rogue ball of lightning on our team."

Spark's whiskers crackled. "Ball?!"

"Spark…" Cleo warned.

The howling wind came to a stop, plunging the tunnels into silence. Harbinger glanced over Cleo's shoulder at the gorge then nodded to the tunnel behind him. "Shall we walk, or rest a moment longer?"

"It would be easier if Mischief could walk," said Faith.

"I can carry him, it's fine," said Cleo.

"But you fought as hard as the rest of us," said Faith. "Are you sure you're not too tired?"

Cleo was feeling pretty worn out, but she wasn't about to admit it. She shrugged and motioned for Harbinger to lead the way.

The absol nodded and turned to plod along the tunnels, his large feet oddly quiet. Spark walked at the absol's side, flooding the darkening tunnels with light. Enigma walked behind Harbinger, just in front of Mischief's bobbing body. The banette's bell echoed around the tunnels, setting Cleo's fur on end. Part of her hadn't quite accepted the former assassin's loyalty just yet. It felt oddly alien. Harlequin followed at Cleo's tail, her sapphire eyes fixed on Enigma and Harbinger. When the zorua spoke it broke through the silence, slightly startling Cleo.

"Did you see Scratch and Claw?" Harlequin asked.

Harbinger glanced back at her briefly but didn't say anything.

"I sent them to the Fairy Garden," Harlequin went on. "They were accompanying a couple of friends."

Enigma looked over his shoulder at Harlequin, his crimson gaze resting on her for a while.

"I did wonder where they were," said Harbinger. "I was going to ask." He paused for a moment. It was impossible to tell whether or not he was upset at Harlequin's news. "They probably arrived after we left. I wouldn't worry about them. They might be young, but they are strong and fast, capable pokemon. Your friends would have been safe with them."

Harbinger led them round a bend then stopped suddenly. A quiet mutter came from him and he took a step back, almost stepping on Enigma's paws. It was a dead end. Lumpy, sandy soil blocked their way with a small gap at the top.

"I thought you knew the way," said Enigma.

"I do," Harbinger scoffed, barely stifling a growl. "It's caved in."

"I could try and get us through?" Faith offered from behind Harlequin.

"No." Harbinger took a step back and motioned for them to turn around. "It will only cave in more, and we'd risk getting trapped in this tunnel or worse." His words made the air feel colder than it was. "There are other ways out, we just need to keep moving."

Cleo pressed herself against the wall to let Harbinger past. Spark leapt onto the absol's back and yawned loudly. If Harbinger minded he didn't show it.

Cleo turned to follow after them silently. Doubt clouded her mind. Would they be able to find their way out of the tunnel before the Heretics came back to look for them? As they moved on, the tunnels seemed to grow darker, narrower and colder, and Mischief showed no sign of rousing. Faith placed a reassuring paw on Cleo's shoulder. The meowstic met the mawile's friendly, encouraging gaze, and picked up her pace. There must be a way up to the surface, and they were going to find it.

...

Hydreigon wasn't happy. His bellows echoed around the throne room, sending the retreating tails of several rattata scampering through the door before it closed behind the impact of a dark pulse. Either well timed, or ill aimed, Yveltal didn't care. The tension in the air was almost as delicious as the meal he'd indulged in on the raticate's narrow boat.

The large dragon turned his blazing eyes onto Yveltal. "You brought outlaws into the Shadow Lands?!"

Yveltal's expression turned icy, but Hydreigon didn't flinch back from it. "I brought back loyal followers."

"They're outlaws!" Hydreigon spat. "They were exiled for a reason, Yveltal, and you brought them right back into my kingdom!"

'My kingdom'? Feathers rose at the base of Yveltal's neck. He raised his head, keeping Hydreigon locked in his glare. "They swore loyalty to me. Do you want more power in your army or not?"

A low growl rose in Hydreigon's throat, and dark energy leaked out from between his teeth. "More power means nothing when your army's loyalties are divided!"

A smirk tugged at Yveltal's beak. "There's nothing divided about it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hydreigon growled. "Those rodents never wanted to work for me! That's why they were exiled! They were meant to be wiped out years ago!"

"And if they were, your entire domain would have crumbled." Yveltal forced his feathers flat. "They've been providing food for your paltry army, since raiding your breeding pens would have cost you many valuable eggs."

"And they've also been feeding the outlaws," Hydreigon hissed. "Divided loyalties!" The large dragon tried to calm himself, but flames still licked around his canines. "I want them out of my kingdom, Yveltal! Drain them of their life if you have to!"

Anger burned under Yveltal's feathers but he kept his voice calm. "Give them a chance. You need more power in your forces if you're going to win this war, Hydreigon."

The dark dragon flashed Yveltal a wicked glare. "What did you call me? You address me as 'lord'!"

"My apologies." Yveltal raised his head and fixed his icy gaze on Hydreigon's burning eyes. "I shall see to it that those rattata are dealt with accordingly… my lord."

Hydreigon grunted, keeping his eyes on Yveltal as he strolled towards the door. Once he was outside the throne room the door clicked shut behind him. His feathers rose along his back and he spat dark energy at the trident emblem carved upon the double doors.

He hissed quietly, his voice barely a whisper. "You incompetent ruler! You should be the one bowing to me!" He turned his back on the door and marched towards the courtyard. He had no intention of dismissing those rattata. Not yet. Hydreigon had done enough damage to the Shadow Lands as it was. Without followers then there was no kingdom. He cast a glance back at the closed door to the throne room and shoved his shoulder out into the midday air. "Mark my words, we'll see who the true ruler of this kingdom is soon enough, Hydriegon. Your fall from the throne is on the horizon."

...

Thanks for reading! =D