The Frozen Rose
Lloyd and Kai were both greeted at the entrance of the castle. "We've been expecting you." The attendants were a mixture of ice types, ranging from Froslass to Beartic. They all bowed down, though none of the attendants made eye contact.
The palace was incredibly bright, despite it being nighttime. Its walls were covered in frost… the more Lloyd looked, he realized it was almost made of ice. Frozen sculptures of various Pokemon loomed throughout the castle. Snow fell on an icy courtyard in the center of the castle, as frozen trees reflected moonlight.
In the center of the courtyard stood the mysterious masked Pokemon from earlier. He was motionless, though his eyes moved to observe them.
You… Lloyd walked past him, tension crackling between them. Who are you? The silence made Lloyd uncomfortable, though Lloyd probably preferred it to him speaking back. There was something about the Pokemon that Lloyd hated. The two eons walked past the courtyard, through a hall until they were out of his sight.
Finally, they emerged into a massive room. Enormous pillars of ice held the ceiling up, and hole in the ceiling revealed a cloudless night sky where snow fell through. Much like the courtyard, the moon was the primary source of lighting.
Lloyd was surprised by the sheer size of the throne room. It was the largest room by far he had ever seen. At the top of a long staircase stood Elaine. She walked down the stairs with the same grace of Sharl, her light blue dress trailing behind her.
Sharl had not been lying; the Glaceon was gorgeous. He had thought that Sharl had been the most beautiful, but Elaine was arguably prettier. She had well a nicely shaped figure, with a slightly smaller chest than Sharl, but a slightly slimmer overall physique. Her eyes were a gentle blue; Lloyd had expected her to look more intimidating than she did. Her blue bangs dangled down, swaying gently as she walked, and as she came closer, Lloyd saw the sacred bow strapped to her back. She made it down to bottom of the stairs, and curtsied as she came near them.
"Welcome, travellers." She stood up straight again as they bowed.
"It's good to see you again, sister."
Elaine's gaze brightened ever so slightly as she saw the Jolteon, but quickly faded. "You as well, my deceased brother." She nodded at him coolly before turning to Lloyd. "Sharl has told me wonderful things about you, Lloyd."
"That's nice to hear." Lloyd looked around. "Where is she?"
"She's alright, don't worry about her." She waved her hand dismissively. "Now…"
Lloyd held up two fingers. "Before you go on, I would like to know two things. Who is the masked Pokemon who attacked us and took Sharl?"
Elaine blinked, then said, "Master, will you show yourself?"
"Master…?" mumbled Kai.
Then in the blink of an eye, he was standing next to the Glaceon, arms crossed. "What is it?" he murmured.
"This is my mentor and master."
The Pokemon bowed politely. "I believe we have already met one another."
Lloyd tapped his foot. "What's your name?"
"I've been called lots of names. Whatever suits you." The masked Pokemon turned around and walked away, giving Lloyd no trace of who he was.
"Your second question?" mused Elaine.
Lloyd turned back to the Glaceon. "Sharl… where is she?" he asked again. "I would like to see her."
Elaine sighed, then said, "Wait here…" She walked down one of the halls, slowly vanishing from sight.
"Your sister is quite beautiful," commented Lloyd.
"Don't you dare," warned Kai. "Sharl is smitten with you anyways."
"I wouldn't try. Sex is a distraction," said Lloyd, leaning against one of the massive ice pillars. "Just a statement. All the more enjoyable it will be to bleed her out."
Kai crossed his arms. "Elaine isn't my enemy. I have nothing against her personally, so if you hurt her badly, I won't forgive you, and I hope Sharl won't either." There was definitely threat in his voice, and Lloyd realized he was honest.
"I understand…"
"Good." Lloyd wasn't scared of the Jolteon, but he had become a strong ally, and Lloyd didn't want to ruin that.
"So your sister… you don't know her mentor at all?"
He shook his head. The masked figure watched them from an icy balcony very high, almost near the hole in the ceiling. "Normally, I'd be able to pick up something in his voice, but I'm confident I've never met him before." Kai shrugged. "I saw what he did to you. He could have done a lot more damage than he chose to. I don't want to say it… but we did get a little lucky."
That is what frustrated Lloyd as well. The fact that he let them go was disrespectful. I'll beat you one day… I promise.
"Lloyd?" He turned around to see the two princesses standing near them. The Espeon smiled when she saw him. "Are you alright? How is that cut healing?"
"I washed it out. It's fine."
The Espeon hugged him quickly, Lloyd enjoying her warmth and scent. "Did you miss me?"
Lloyd didn't want to admit it aloud, so he nodded slightly, and she smiled. "Don't you worry about me." She let go of Lloyd. "Well then, Elaine and I had a long talk and caught up on some things."
"Like what?"
Sharl looked ready to speak, but Elaine rested a hand on her shoulder, and the Espeon sighed. Elaine spoke up. "She told me about your plan to eliminate the legendries. It's bold, if I say so myself. Still…"
"Elaine!" A voice echoed throughout the throne room. The sound of steps approached, and Lloyd turned to see an older Glaceon walking towards them. "Who are these intruders?"
"I-"
"Y-you!" She held a finger out, eyes glistening angrily, pointing towards Kai. "What are you doing here? You're dead!"
The Jolteon's eyes flashed, and for a moment, Lloyd thought he would attack her. Then he murmured, "Nice to see you again, mother."
"Huh… who are you?" she asked pointing to Lloyd. "If you wish to bring our nation honor that the South has stolen, you'll have to teach outsiders like these a lesson!"
"I didn't even introduce myself," murmured Lloyd. "So you're Kai and Elaine's mother."
"Obviously." She snorted. "An Umbreon… how disgraceful. It's clear that Glaceons are the superior species. How disgusting that my son should become something else," she said snidely. "Only my daughter is fit to rule our beloved country."
Kai glared at his mother, then whipped around angrily down one of the halls.
"Tsk, such a troublesome brat," sneered his mother.
Lloyd had seen a lot of things, but he couldn't believe how terrible a mother this Glaceon was. "Mother, please relax," murmured Elaine.
The elder Glaceon took a deep breath. "Very well. I trust you to lead. However…" Her voice became menacing. "Do not fail our will."
"Yes mother…" Elaine bowed her head, and the elder Glaceon walked down the same passage where Kai had left.
Elaine watched her, then exhaled loudly, shaking her head. "Sharl has told me a lot about you. The Umbreon that defeated her… that's impressive." A little hesitantly, she added, "So you want to challenge me to have me help you take down the legendries…"
"That's right."
"But you know I can't do that, right?"
Lloyd was puzzled. "Why?"
"Because my mother will not hesitate to take away my status as ruler if I do that."
Lloyd didn't know what to say. There was nothing else he really could say. If she wasn't the ruler any more… she wouldn't be able to help him. He already knew that if her mother wouldn't allow it, then she wouldn't go either. "You can't persuade her?"
Elaine looked down the hall. "You've seen her. I'd love to challenge you, though. It'd be an honor."
She smiled at him, and Sharl glared at her. "You're a lot different from the last time we've met. You were super unfriendly to me last time, not talking that much."
"I'm sorry for that… my master has encouraged me to be a little more outgoing."
Her master still stood far above, though Lloyd wasn't sure if he was looking at them. "What type of Pokemon is your master? He fights strangely."
"I don't know, to be honest. He's much older than any of us though. He beat me in combat, and visits me from time to time, training me. It's coincidence he was here when you guys came."
Lloyd narrowed his eyes. So he is stronger than Elaine. Who… no… what the hell are you?
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"Master…" Elaine nimbly leaped up onto the same balcony outside the frozen palace. She bowed. "Wonderful weather we are having tonight, no?"
He nodded briefly, though he was staring out across the other adjacent peaks. "Why have you come here? I thought you had some preparations to do for the guests tonight?"
"I… well… my brother… he… I…"
He crossed his arms, still looking away. "Spit it out."
"He was concerned for me, and wants to know who you are."
He turned around to look at her, eyes peering through the mask. "Confident words for a dead man. But he is your brother after all… and the bonds between brothers are powerful."
"Master… I… I must confess, I am honored you took me as your apprentice… but… who are you? You never respond, but I feel…"
"I've never answered that question. Would you behave the same way if I was actually your brother? Actually your friend? That's what you must ask yourself."
"I… ngh…" Elaine looked out across the frozen lands that were hers. "Can you offer me any insight against the Umbreon tomorrow?"
"Swordsman, stealth and speed reliant. Very confident, but smart too. Impressive, but stood no chance at range. It was easy singling him out from mid range, while disabling your brother."
"Impressive as ever, master. Is there anything for me to be wary of? It's purely an exhibition match, but…"
He looked away. "You'll figure it out, I'm certain. Otherwise I'm sure your…" It didn't need to be said what would happen. She'd lose the throne, regardless of what was at stake. "Your mother accepted your defeat at my hands due to my intervention. But losing to an Umbreon, another eon of all things… she wouldn't accept that, as you know."
"So I need to win this… this meaningless match…"
"It appears so."
"Ngh… we've got to call it off! Regardless of what happens… there's nothing in it for me!"
"It's too late Elaine." He held up a hand. "You need not worry about your mother."
"What? What do you mean?"
He looked at her from the corners of his eyes. "I am your mentor. I won't let anything like that happen to my apprentice."
She narrowed her eyes, then exhaled. "Are you saying I should attempt to make the battle worth something more? Take up his deal?"
The masked Pokemon was silent for awhile, then said, "Yes."
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"Come on Lloyd. You're looking really tired tonight. You really should rest."
"But…"
Sharl hugged him. "You've got a plan already. Besides, this is merely an exhibition match. Losing or winning has no consequence."
Lloyd stood up, then turned around. "I'm sorry…" He had never expected to feel apologetic, but he did now. He grabbed a fruit(how they had fruit in these mountains was beyond him) and put it in his robe.
She tilted her head. "What?"
"I wasn't strong enough then. Seeing that we're travelling together… I… I wouldn't want to be a burden to you…" He tossed an apple up and down.
"Umm, so you sort of lost a battle that resulted in only a minor injury to yourself and now you're depressed? Hmph. I though you were better than that." She crossed her arms.
"I…"
Softly, she said, "You've really changed. When I first met you, you were concerned only with defeating them. Now…" She hugged him again. "We're… friends…"
"Tsk, that's rude of you to assume. You'd be a burden if… if I let you get hurt-"
She looked up, and in an instant, their lips locked. Gah! What- "You idiot. Denying feelings will get you killed." Then she immediately pushed him away. "Let's just rest up… I suspect Elaine might have something to say tomorrow."
"Tonight, actually." Standing on the balcony outside were two figures; Elaine and her master.
"Elaine would like to agree to your conditions of battle. Should you defeat her, you will have proven to her that you are a worthy travelling partner," said her master.
Sharl turned to face him. "That chain. I've been thinking about it, and now I understand. That is one of the sacred ten." She turned to Lloyd. "Just like your sword."
The masked figure's eyes gleamed. "Smart girl. This is in fact one of the sacred weapons, just like what all of you wield. I recognize Demon Blade Persephone, Heaven Sol Staff, Crystal Bow Lucia, and the Death Mask Loki. My weapon is the Sealing Chain Asterion."
"Asterion? That's-"
"I didn't come here to chat. Elaine, go on." He held his hand out, encouraging the Glaceon to speak.
She cleared her throat. "Yes, you heard my master right. I do intend to help you achieve your goal. The northern conditions have been difficult, even for us ice types. So… so I need to talk with them. To help my people."
"Elaine and I know the power of them. If you can't defeat her, you'll merely hold us back. We're going to need a strong team."
Lloyd clenched his fist. "It appears that we'll both have some motivation. Masked man, do you have a plant to convince Kai's parents?"
There was a brief pause before he said, "My priority is to nobody but my apprentice. I will do whatever it takes to see her and myself become the strongest. If her parents shall stand in the way, I will disable them."
"You can't kill th-" Sharl was interrupted by him.
"I never said kill, did I little princess? Disable and kill are different things."
"I'm sorry… it's hard to trust somebody who can't show their face."
"All of you… you are so concerned with who or what somebody is. You need to focus on what they will become. I will speak with your mother, Elaine. Good luck."
"Thank you master." She bowed as he jumped off the balcony, then turned to smile at Lloyd and Sharl. "My master is a good Pokemon. It's been almost three years. I trust him, as should you. We will meet tomorrow mid-morning, Lloyd. I hope you're feeling lucky."
"As should you. Range might be your friend, but I hope for your sake that you've got some tricks up your sleeve."
"Big words. Still, I wish you luck. Please be gentle with my friend."
"Wait, what?"
She had already vanished. He looked at Sharl next to him. She looked flustered. "Well, I guess… Elaine approves of our relationship?"
"Friendship."
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"Begin!"
The moment the words left Sharl's mouth, an icy arrow narrowly missed Lloyd as he flipped backwards, behind a small ice formation. Predictable. The Glaceon stood near the throne very far from where Lloyd was now. The shot had come close enough for Lloyd to feel the air ripple; she was more than precise enough to cripple him even from this distance. He sighed, then threw up one of the berries he had pocketed last night, and watched as it was pierced by an arrow, pinning it against the wall.
"Nice shot," he shouted. But you're being too quick. He stuck his sword up, which vibrated as an arrow shattered against it. He jumped up and launched a dark pulse at the ground in front of him, causing an explosion of darkness, and quickly rolled behind one of the icy pillars. He took a deep breath. Tsk. I only made a little bit of ground. He peered around the pillar as Elaine looked around. Much to his surprise, she had come fairly close to him. She stood at one of the lower steps, bow down. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Rest in peace, Umbreon."
Lloyd heard a small scraping sound, and jumped back, blocking with his sword as a barrage of frozen needles flew at him. The sound of ice on metal rang throughout the throne room. She slowly walked towards him, the storm of ice seemingly endless. Lloyd barely had time to watch her notch an arrow calmly. "My master says I don't process all the possibilities. But the only clear possibility for you is defeat now, Umbreon."
The cold was getting to his muscles, and he knew he wouldn't be able to block this next direct shot without being impaled by the needles of ice. His Psychic wouldn't be strong enough to stop all the needles, and he lacked a move to melt through it. He braced himself for the frozen attack.
But it never came. Standing between was the masked figure. He ripped both weapons from their hands. "Elaine." Lloyd had never realized how intelligent the masked Pokemon's voice was.
"M-master! I was going to defeat him right here! It was an-"
"Elaine, you need to escape from here. Your mother… she… she's lost it…"
Lloyd and Elaine both stood up straight. "What do you mean, master?"
Lloyd understood. "You disobeyed her orders… You," he said, pointing to the masked Pokemon. "You're the reason."
"She… she wants you dead," said the masked Pokemon quietly. "I… I overheard her say something about poison. Please… you… must leave."
"What's the problem?"
Elaine pulled out a small white crystal. "This is one of the ruler stones. If I can hold onto this, they will still answer to me… but…"
"Your mother will kill you because you disobeyed her? She's crazy!"
Elaine looked down sadly. "Ever since father passed away…"
"Go on now! You take the stone with you!"
Lloyd looked around. "Why don't we all just go?" Sharl had jumped next to Lloyd, and Kai had appeared near Elaine. "We all have a goal! Let's-"
Sharl held out two stones; a pink and red one. "Each kingdom possesses two. I am under the belief that the Queen is in possession of the other one of the North. Is this true?"
Kai and Elaine exchanged a glance, then Kai said, "Correct. If mother does truly intend to poison you… she has become a lot more ill than even when I left."
"We can protect Elaine right? Why don't we defeat her and steal the other stone?"
"We don't know where it is. We may have to stay here for awhile, and the risk of Elaine staying here…" It didn't need to be said. The masked Pokemon was right. "Elaine, go now. We'll tell your mother you ran away. Go to the cave on Sunrise Mountain.
The Glaceon looked at them all, then said, "Alright then." She nodded at Lloyd and Kai, then hugged the masked figure and Sharl before picking up her bow. "I will see you all soon." She ran out of the palace quickly, with a glance back before vanishing.
"Will she be okay?" Sharl murmured.
The masked Pokemon turned around. "You three, come. I will…" They all understood, and followed him through the icy halls.
"So… you come here every so often. Where do you suspect the stone is?" asked Lloyd.
"I don't know. It'd be easy enough to whack her on the head, but we need to get the information from her-"
"From who?" They all turned around, and out of the shadows stepped the older Glaceon. "So you intend to steal my stone? What a bunch of brats. Oh well, at least it wasn't unexpected."
"Elaine isn't here," said her master. "You can't hurt her now."
"So you're betraying me."
"I have a duty to protect Elaine. Even from her own mother."
She yawned. "Well, you've failed."
"What?" Realization dawned on them. Kai shook his head. "No… you…"
The Glaceon smiled. "I poisoned her food last night. It should be kicking in about n-"
She fell to the ground, and behind her stood Kai. "Enough with you. I used to love you, but you're sick. You've been terrible to both me and Elaine. Where is the stone?"
"Like I'd tell you, failure. You're never going to find it, and Elaine is done for. It's for the better. You pair of disrespectful brats…" hissed the queen.
"Hang on…" Sharl looked at the queen's chest. "That is a strange…" A small black crystal glowed eerily as the gem of one of the Glaceon's necklaces. It made even Lloyd uncomfortable. The Espeon ripped it off.
"That's… that's one of the Possession Stones…"
"What is she-"
"Kai? What's… oh my… that's one of the possession stones…" The Glaceon looked tired and surprised; two emotions Lloyd never expected to see together.
"Mother… what… what is this doing here?"
She looked at it, her eyes cloudy. "I… I do not remember. You… please… please save Elaine…" Her ears started tearing. "Oh god, all the terrible things… it's all coming back…"
"What are possession stones exactly?"
"I'll explain later," murmured Kai. "You three, please… save my sister… I must comfort my mother." He hugged his mother, and Lloyd felt a rare pang of envy. After all the terrible things… he still loves her.
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They searched throughout the day, until the sun had set. The peak they had told her to go to was about one and a half days' journey away. Outside the palace, the weather was obviously terrible. A massive blizzard encircled the entire peak. Next to him, Sharl trudged through the snow, covering herself with a large cloak. Lloyd wrapped an arm around the Espeon, and she looked at him.
"Elaine… I cannot lose her. She's my best friend."
Lloyd knew that pity wouldn't help, so he pulled her closer as they continued to make slow progress.
Up ahead, Elaine's master was also struggling. He had a thick cloak on as well, but he seemed determined to find his student. "Look out. There may be some steep drop-offs that are hidden by the blizzard."
The wind cut through them sharper than any blade Lloyd had experienced, frosty like Elaine's attacks, but from every direction.
The worst part was that there were no tracks. The snow had covered up any footprints that Elaine might have left; all they had to follow was the direction to Sunrise Mountain, where the masked Pokemon was supposedly leading them.
Lloyd knew that it was easy to get discouraged in the intense cold, so he decided to work on something else. "How did you meet Elaine?" he shouted over the howling frozen wind.
"I challenged her. She was so impressed that she wanted to become my understudy. So I agreed."
"Where do you come from?"
"It would be unwise for me to reveal that. Both for myself as well as you, Lloyd."
"Very well." Lloyd exhaled, his breath visible. Next to him, Sharl narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything. "You seem extremely determined to protect Elaine," commented Lloyd. "Why is that?"
He paused at the top of a small outcropping, and looked back. "Look at you, Lloyd. You may not realize it, but you are determined to protect princess Sharl." He turned back around, and Lloyd watched as he took off the cloth momentarily to adjust it. His voice was clear as he spoke without the cover. "Some things need to be protected. Elaine is my responsibility." Lloyd wanted to see what the Pokemon was, but it was too late. The cloth was on again. "We will find her. This chat helped me relax."
"I wouldn't have guessed," said Sharl. "Let's keep going. There's only so far she could have travelled. But she'll blend in with the snow, and she knows this land better than us. So- Lloyd!"
Lloyd barely realized what had just happened until Sharl called out to him. The next thing he knew, he was falling. How did I miss that? Then he felt a hand grab his.
Much to his surprise, Sharl was holding him up above the crevice below. "Nngh… pull yourself up."
"Hang on," murmured the other male, but he barely finished before they heard a low rumble.
"Is that-" began Lloyd.
"Avalanche…" finished Sharl. She strained to turn to the other Pokemon. "I can't pull up Lloyd. Get cover," she grunted. Her voice was strained, and Lloyd knew that they were slipping. The ice made their fingers numb, and Lloyd was heavier than the smaller Espeon. They needed the other's help, but it was too late for that even. He had been a little too far away. Sharl had been right; he needed to get some cover from the avalanche.
Then the rumbling increased. "Here it comes. Let go of me Sharl. Protect yourself."
"You're an idiot if you think I'm leaving the most interesting Pokemon I've met." She smiled, and Lloyd chuckled.
"Heh. You girls. Always letting feelings control you. I made the mistake of going off this cliff. You didn't."
The entire ground was shaking, and Sharl looked back nervously. "Idiot," she murmured, looking back down at Lloyd.
Then the entire world became white as the avalanche engulfed them as the freefell to what should have been their deaths.
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"Lloyd. Lloyd." He awoke feeling numb. Sharl's voice seemed to be coming from a long distance. It felt as if he was swimming through freezing cold water. Then his vision slowly started to focus on the Espeon. She was crouched over him, face full of worry. "Oh thank the gods, you're alright."
"No need to thank them, this is all their fault," he groaned. "Shit, where are we?"
"This is the bottom of a large crevice. Somehow, we survived as the avalanche cushioned and slowed our fall."
Lloyd looked up. The sides of the chasm seemed to be made of almost marble. They looked dark grey and extremely smooth. The night sky was visible, though only a sliver. He sat up. "Are you alright?"
"I'm a little scratched up and really cold, but I'm alright."
The path seemed to continue on either side of them. "No way out, huh?"
She looked down a little, face a little redder. "I didn't want to leave you. You were unconscious, and…" She looked up, trying to hide her embarrassment. "You are the only thing here that's warm at all."
"Well, I guess my heart isn't that cold."
She blinked. "Did you just make a joke?"
"What?"
"Never mind." She brushed some snow off her dress. "Are you hurting?"
Lloyd's arm was aggravated yet again from his battle with Sharl. Elaine's master had also cut his side, which was really painful too. There was a tiny pool of blood where the wound had reopened. "I'll be fine." He jumped to his feet to prove that he was good enough, but she still looked concerned.
"Be careful."
"Don't worry. Just who do you think I am?"
"I think you're an impressive, good looking, smart Umbreon. But even you know your limits. We'll rest here tonight." Lloyd was ready to protest, but she added, "There's no need to impress me. You know that."
He sat down again, then reached into his secret pack. He sighed, painfully removing his cloak and pulling it off his shoulders. "Here."
She gasped. "This… blankets… food… wow…"
"Again, just who do you think I am?" he said with a grin. "I'm prepared for things like this. I've got enough food for both of us but only one blanket and mat."
"We can share," she murmured. Then she shivered. "Brr… it is quite cold."
"Wet clothes," he murmured. Lloyd's entire body was getting numb. "Take off your clothes."
"D-do you mean th-that?" Her face was much more embarrassed.
He huffed. "Not like that. Keep your underwear on. The blanket is designed by fire types, made from thick furs of many different species."
"O-okay…" She blushed. "You… you look away while I take off my dress."
"What's your problem? I've seen you in that skimpy 'dress' as you call it. I don't think your undergarments are too different." Hastily, he added, "Nothing sexual. This is just for survival."
"I-I know."
The two of them quickly undressed, avoiding looking at each other, before they both crawled under the blanket. With both of their bodies, it became warm very quickly. "Sharl…"
"Y-yes?"
"You're always so flirtatious, but once we do something serious, why are you so nervous? We've bathed together, but you're more embarrassed about this even though we're not completely naked."
"It… it's just that… I'm surprised. It's easy to plan for something that I know. But if you start it, I'm unprepared." She looked down. "Friends… I've only known you for really a few days. But… but is this what friends do?"
"Huh? Oh…" Lloyd had barely realized that the two of them had wrapped their arms around one another. "I'm sorry…" Her back was soft and a little damp from her clothes. He felt the slight bump of her spine against his fingers.
"It's okay. It feels nice…" She snuggled a little closer to him, her hair draping across his hands. He could feel her heart pound; was his pounding the same? "I know… I know you're all focused on your goal," she began. "But… that's maybe why I'm so attracted to you. Guys are always coming after me being a princess. You're not like them. That's… that's refreshing."
"I doubt it's more refreshing than this cold…"
"You're ruining the moment," she pouted. "Jeez…"
"I'm sorry. It's just… uncomfortable."
"It's uncomfortable for me too. But… but we need to step out of our comfort zone."
"Are you going to suggest-"
"What happened to your parents?"
Lloyd blinked. Well that changed direction quickly. "They… well… promise not to tell anyone ever?" Lloyd couldn't believe he was going to give away his past. Maybe the cold was starting to freeze his brain.
"Of course."
He inhaled loudly. "Well then, I suppose I can trust you. My parents were in fact killed when I was seven. In addition to my parents, I had two sisters, Alice and Tia. We weren't anything special, just your average eon family." His memory of that night was still a little cloudy, but he knew enough. "My parents sent me out to fetch water. I went out with the bucket, not a care in the world. I took my time, filling it up slowly at our well." Lloyd blinked. "When I returned, our entire house was engulfed in flames. Standing outside was a massive cloaked Pokemon. Entei."
"So… so that's why…" whispered Sharl.
"That's why I will defeat them. All of them have been terrible. But Entei… he will die at my sword. This is a vow I have sworn to, and why my master agreed to train me. I am determined to taste revenge."
Sharl looked at him, eyes full of understanding. "I see. So you've experienced death and that's why you're bent against them."
"Yeah…"
She smiled. "Alright, thanks for opening up to me. Here is your reward." She had kissed Lloyd before, but never like this. Never on the lips. Until now.
The kiss wasn't slimy, dirty, or even sexy. It was a small kiss, the kind a couple might do as their first. Well, technically, it was sort of that, Lloyd told himself. Sharl had her eyes closed, which confused Lloyd. Whatever. This is actually pleasant though. Her breaths were short and quick. Then he saw it. Something in the snow behind Sharl.
Then he pulled away, cautious about what it could be. The Espeon's eyes flashed open. "Wa-was that good enough?"
"It was wonderful."
"Why did you pull away?" She looked a little hurt.
"I… I saw that." He pointed. Sharl frowned, then her eyes glowed bright pink as she used her powers to lift up the object. It flew to her hand, and her fingers closed around it.
"What… wait." She looked up to the top of the crevice, eyes narrowed.
Lloyd already knew what it was. He followed her gaze. "I guess there is no more hiding," he murmured.
Sharl turned to him. "You and I both know what this means. This is our chance."
Lloyd looked at the cloth in his hand; the one that Elaine's master used to cover his identity.
Ooh, what's next? Do I reveal who he is? Or how about no? Keep reading and reviewing! Every review will hasten the next chapter!