The Web
"Hmm… Asterion is a strange weapon." Sharl seemed to be thinking hard. "If only I had my books…"
"What do you mean?" Lloyd and Sharl were walking ahead of the siblings. "There's a lot of information on it?"
She twitched her pronged tail. "No necessarily. I do remember that Asterion is designed to be a check of sorts to all other weapons, including yours and mine. Contact with them can disable their powers. Asterion is arguably the most dangerous of them all."
Do you know about Asterion? He decided to see if Persephone knew anything.
Not really. That weapon is older than me. Not all of us have spirits either. None of the other three here have spirits as far as I know.
"Hmm… so is it a weapon that has been passed down?"
"I do not know." Sharl sighed. "You'll probably never face him. Don't worry about it. Focus on Master Leviathan. He's the next threat. He's massive, unlike the rest of us."
Lloyd tried to imagine a Pokemon that big and powerful. Lloyd's style was dissecting an opponent with precision. Massive tidal waves would make it virtually impossible to get close to the Gyarados. He couldn't really imagine it. But Lloyd was never one to turn down a challenge either. "I'll have to meet him first. I've heard he's not as aggressive and strength hungry as the rest of you, so maybe he'll just hand over the stones and be done."
"He's one of the strongest supporters of the legendries though. At least that's what my mother told me. He's a strong advocate of the legendries."
They had all left the mountains a day ago. Now, they were passing through some pleasant hills reminiscent of the West. The sun was starting to rise in the East. Lloyd put his hands in his cloak's pocket, and put up his hood to keep the sunlight from directly hitting his face. "I'll beat him. Don't you worry, Sharl."
She looked at him. "I worry for you…" She looked ahead again. "The East is known for having powerful storms along the coastlines here…" She turned to face the sunrise. "I wonder if master Leviathan is the one causing them."
Lloyd pushed any negativity out of his head. "Don't worry about me. I can handle myself."
"Sharl!" Elaine called from behind. "Are you looking forward to meeting the last of us in person?"
"A little bit." Sharl slowed down, and Kai took the Espeon's spot next to Lloyd.
He put his hands behind his head. "Elaine knows who he is."
"I know."
"She won't even tell me, so I would drop it."
Lloyd had been pressuring the Glaceon to give up what she knew on her master, but she had stayed loyal to him, insisting that Lloyd would realize it once her master chose to. "She's tough."
"I heard she had you on the ropes before he intervened." The Jolteon side-eyed Lloyd.
"Nothing I couldn't have gotten out of." Lloyd shrugged. "Your sister is impressive. She'll be a good ally to have."
Kai turned around to look at the two females who were deep in conversation, chatting about something Lloyd wasn't interested enough in to pay attention. "She still strongly insists she has a lot to learn from him." Kai turned around again. "She's very strong you know. Even now, she may be stronger than me. Don't take what she says likely." Dangerously, he added, "You're not perfect. One day, you're going to lose a battle and really pay for it."
"I know. That's something my master told me. But if I don't believe in myself, then I'll lose for sure."
"Your master is a wise man."
"I've grown to respect you all. But before you… he was the only Pokemon I respected… or remember really." Lloyd remembered one of the numerous quotes his master had told him to remember. "He taught me a lot. Might really is the driving force. Without it, we'd all collapse."
Kai blinked. "You're right. That's as true as its ever been. In these tough times, might isn't important for us. But for the people as well. They don't even know us, but they're relying on us. They need heroes. And we're the closest things to them right now."
"That's deep." Lloyd rested his hand on Persephone. "But I'm far from a hero."
"Aren't we all?"
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The masked Pokemon stood on a hilltop above the Eastern capitol, Velor. Asterion rested against his hip. He looked up at the sun rising across the vast ocean past the massive city. Wind blew across the grassy hill, and he took off the cloth to enjoy it. Eyes closed, long hair blowing in the breeze, he sighed before contemplating his next move.
Everything so far had gone according to plan. Elaine now knew who he was and where he would be. But he had not told her anything more. She wouldn't like what his next step was… But it's for the better. Better for everyone.
He remembered what he had told Lloyd. "Losing oneself to revenge is a sickness." He had felt similar to the Umbreon before. But now… could it launch the Umbreon to power beyond his own? He had realized that his own thirst for revenge was not strong enough. But there was also no reason to say Lloyd wasn't filled with more desire, and Persephone was a tool that fed on vengeance.
He shivered. The Umbreon could both be a valuable tool, an ally arguably stronger than himself. But Lloyd could also become an adversary that would stand in the way of his goals. He gripped the sacred weapon, and murmured, "You'll have to seal his sword when we fight."
Mmm… how delicious… a cute weapon… I'll enjoy sealing her.
"That sounds dirty."
I know your plan. You're not much better.
"True. But I know you'll help me."
The chain sighed, then was silent.
"I've decided that my next move might hurt them… Elaine… Lloyd… Sharl… Kai… they'll be hurt." He felt uncomfortable at the thought of what they'd be going through mentally and physically. He had sworn to protect Elaine, but what he planned to do now was the opposite. He exhaled, then put on the clothe over his mouth. "I'll do what I must."
He turned to the city, more futuristic than any of the others. He smiled. "I await you, Lloyd. I'm not going to go easy."
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"Lloyd… that… that… ngh…"
"What are you two doing?" Kai peered from behind a large tree. The four eons had settled near a nice flowing stream, sleeping against a large fruit tree.
Lloyd sighed. "I'm just rubbing her back. She said it was tight…" Teasingly, he added, "Though you were making it a lot more sexual than it needed to be."
"It feels nice… I mean, you're better at this than I'd expect."
Lloyd shrugged. "When I was real young, my master would get sore sometimes, and ordered me to loosen his back. I've perfected my technique at this kind of thing."
"Yeah, you're pretty great at this."
"What, not going to say something dirty?"
Sharl turned around and stuck her tongue out playfully. "I'll let you off the hook tonight, since I needed this." She exhaled. "That's the spot…"
Lloyd did take the time to enjoy the gentle warmth coming from her soft, smooth skin. He had touched her bare skin before, but he had never taken the time to appreciate how perfect it was. He almost felt bad about thinking he planned to slash her. "Your skin is very nice," he casually commented.
"I can tell." She giggled. "That tickles. Really…"
"Sorry." Lloyd shook his head then continued to apply pressure. He turned around and realized that Kai had vanished. Lloyd turned back to Sharl. "Your council is pushing you to get married, right?"
She huffed. "I'd prefer not to talk about that, but I don't really have a choice it seems."
"Sorry."
"No, it's alright. You don't have to beat around the bush. Yeah, my council is pushing me to get married so I can become an actual queen." Lloyd turned around as she slowly dressed herself again. When he looked again, she was still wearing nothing but her underwear. She covered up her half naked body, embarrassed. "What are you doing?"
"Come on now…"
"Sorry… it's just unexpected. But turn around!" Lloyd turned around again, then finally, Sharl told him he could look. "Sheesh, you don't have to keep staring…"
"You've got a nice body. It's hard to turn away." More seriously, he added, "Didn't you have lots of suitors?"
She brushed her hair. "Yeah."
"None of them were good enough for you?"
"Quite frankly, no. You're the first one," she admitted, looking away. "But you did some stupid things in that crevice. You nearly killed us."
"I'll make it up to you soon."
"What do you mean?" She turned towards him shyly.
"I'll protect you. You were willing to risk you life for me, jumping into the icy water, holding me up above the icy chasm. It's only fair that I owe it to you."
"You'll protect me? I don't need th-"
Lloyd smiled. "You underestimate me. I won't screw up again."
Sharl sighed. "You're so cocky."
"So are you."
"You're not wrong, I guess. But I'll work for my people. I'm helping you for their sake, and yours obviously."
Lloyd looked at her gently. "We all have our motives. But yours might be the best." He held her hand affectionately. "You really are a kind Pokemon, Sharl. I wish I was as well-intentioned as you."
"Personally, I like your hunt for vengeance. It's kind of dark and… and hot."
"Hot? That's a strange way to describe vengeance… I feel calm…"
She smiled. "You're so confident, but awkward. But I am too I guess… so maybe that's why we get along."
He nodded. "You know, we really do." He clasped her hand tighter. "We really do…" Quietly, he thought, I want to protect you.
"I heard that," she murmured.
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Lloyd woke up, and rubbed his eyes. "What is it?"
Sitting next to him was Kai. "Shit, get up!"
Lloyd jumped to his feet. "Calm down, what's wrong?!"
"The two girls went to bathe, and now… they've vanished! Oh god, mom's going to kill me if I lose Elaine…" The two of them quickly ran to the flowing river.
"Relax, I'm sure…" His voice trailed off as he saw the girls' belongings. More precisely, their clothes. "Okay, this isn't good…"
Kai cussed. "Are you kidding me?" He rubbed his hair. "Why would somebody in the middle of nowhere kidnap them?"
"Because they both are wearing expensive dresses?"
"Yeah… money huh? But then… oh god, I'm sick. Probably some pervert…"
Lloyd shook his head. "I don't think any guy could kidnap them. They're strong enough. But we don't have their weapons…" In the back of his mind, he thought, Who is even here? They hadn't seen any houses or farms since they had left the shrine.
"It can't be somebody we've met before. But then… argh! We've got to find them!"
"You don't say… let's go."
"You know, it is strange though." The two males ran around the edge of the river. "I've got a bad feeling about this Lloyd." The Jolteon stopped, and Lloyd frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Well…" Kai shook his head. "I don't know. There's something really dirty about this whole thing. Normally, I'd be worried about it being some pervert… but they wouldn't be caught that easily…"
Lloyd looked across the river. If I wanted to kidnap two girls… I'd cross the river. "I think I know where we should look next."
"Where?" Kai turned around.
"If I wanted to kidnap both of them, I'd cross the river. It's going to make it hard for us to follow."
Kai held up a hand, and shook his head. "Actually, while the river is a viable idea… it's highly unlikely anyone could carry them across the river. It's a strong river… even a fighting type would struggle to carry two fully grown Pokemon. But," he added, "Crossing the river is a good way to lose pursuers. They must have followed whoever it was willingly."
Kai was right. That did worry Lloyd. "You really care for your sister, don't you?"
"I do. She tried to protect me, now it's my turn."
Lloyd instinctively thought to his two younger sisters. "You two are lucky you have each other."
"I know."
Lloyd threw off his cloak and shoes, wearing nothing but his pants. He held his sheathed blade in one hand. Next to him, Kai undressed as well, before holding onto mask. "I can pull you across easily if I use it."
"You tire quicker when you use it though, don't you? No, save it for when we need it. I guarantee you we'll need it."
"Alright."
Lloyd took a look at the dark blue water. It looked cold and was flowing quickly. He dove in to avoid worrying about it. It was warmer than he expected, but the current was also stronger than he anticipated. He quickly began propelling himself through the water, his injuries not hurting the slightest. The water pushed against his skin, trying to hold him back, but Lloyd was strong enough to push himself through.
When he finally came out at the other side, Kai was already waiting for him, shaking water off himself. "I hate getting wet."
Lloyd huffed, and pulled himself to his feet, using Persephone as a brace. "As do I… damn… that was a tough river."
Kai froze. "Hang on…" He held up his dagger, water dripping from his body. "I hear something…"
Lloyd heard it too. "Something is in the grass," he whispered, drawing Persephone. Kai grabbed his mask, getting ready to attack. "Come to me Persephone." The blade glowed purple, and Lloyd held out his hand, launching a blast of darkness towards the rustling grass.
It immediately stopped. "Huh… let's see what it was…" Kai walked towards where the movement had been.
Then Lloyd felt it. His instinct. Oh shit, it's a tr- "Kai!" He reached out as time seemed to slow down. But it was too late. In a bright flash, the Jolteon was pushed back slightly. Lloyd saw it, the blood of his friend dripping out. "No!" It happened quickly, but Kai stepped back as he took the slash.
"Shit, I got careless…"
For a moment, Lloyd thought he was fine, but then the Jolteon collapsed forward. "N-no… Kai…" Lloyd wasn't sure what to do, but he didn't have a choice.
She stepped out of the tall grass, her eyes full of wicked charm. She didn't look at the Jolteon in front of her. Lloyd wasn't sure if Kai was dead, but the slash had cut him right shoulder to left hip diagonally. "Wh-" Lloyd took a breath. Do not panic. "Well well, Sylveon. It looks like we have an Eon party here, no?"
She wore a very unusual looking dress, vey long and thick. It covered her entire body in a long shiny red print. It wasn't loose, but less form-fitting than Sharl's dress. She held a fan in each of her hands, one of them stained red with Kai's blood. Her pink hair was shorter than Sharl's as well. Resting below her neck were the signature feelers Lloyd had researched with his master when taking note of each species.
"It seems we do!" she giggled. She smiled at Lloyd cutely. "I've been following you for a day now! You're all so strong! Even the two girls tried their best to put up a fight! But you… Lloyd… I want to break you! You… an inferior dark type to my fairy… how delicious…" She tilted her head and licked Kai's blood off the fan in a sexual way. "I hope your blood is half as delicious, Umbreon…" Lloyd was scared. This Pokemon was not only a type advantage above him, but also crazy. Crazy Pokemon were nearly impossible to predict, and she had done some serious damage to Kai. Lloyd didn't know if Kai was still even alive. Fear was something Lloyd rarely felt, but now… "You look scared… I love that look!"
Lloyd slashed Persephone through the air. "Those of us fighting for something are the most dangerous. I don't know what you did with the two princesses, but you'll pay for this."
"Oh boy, a hero! Wants to make me pay with vengeance… how boring! I would just love to make you my servant! Or I could kill you… hmm, decisions, decisions."
"You're not going to do that, I guarantee you. You tell me where the girls are and I'll let you go."
"The girls? They've already been dealt with. They can't help you now."
Lloyd tightened his grip on Persephone. You there, Persephone?
Yeah. Let's kill this bitch.
"Goodbye!"
Immediately, he saw her move as quick as Kai, those twin fans slashing at him. Lloyd barely ducked under the same attack that had caught Kai, and rolled underneath.
"Very good! All the more fun I will have!" She gave Lloyd a smile he saw in the mirror sometimes. "Come on now! Give me all you've got!" She opened her mouth, and Lloyd saw it, a different move from Sharl's, but similar. "Moonblast!"
Dark Pulse would be overpowered, so he had only one other offensive move in Psychic.
The blast of the move disrupted her attack just enough for Lloyd to block it with Persephone, though it pushed him back a little. Ow… sheesh. Don't forget Lloyd, I can't repeatedly take hits. I'll be unconscious and useless if I take to many hits.
I know. "That all you got? I can do this all day… woah!"
He barely had time to jump over the fan as she threw it. "So can I!" she said happily. He turned around, and barely avoided it as it flew back to her. "Not bad!"
"Tsk, just-"
"Who do you think I am? Well, I am better than you, Umbreon. And I hope that you're ready to meet your maker!"
"One day, I'll die and be defeated. But not at your hands, Sylveon. I won't lose to you!"
She opened her mouth, and the ball of light began forming. Lloyd pulled out his needles, glinting in the moonlight. He whipped them at her, and she dodged it quickly. It did halt her attack, though, and Lloyd took the time to set up Double Team. He held up his hands, closed his eyes, and waved them to create the copy of himself. "Deal with this."
The Sylveon was clearly caught off guard. "Huh…" She was less poised than Sharl when he had used the same technique. "Tsk, what an annoyance."
He lunged towards her, sword outstretched. "Mind yourself," he hissed.
She suddenly erupted into a bright flash of light, and Lloyd was momentarily blinded. "Can't face the light, Umbreon?" Then pain sliced through his left leg. He staggered back, eyes slowly becoming acquitted to the darkness again.
Fuck… Flash… "Are you feeling it, Umbreon? The delicious taste of pain?"
"Ngh… you'll have to do better than that." There didn't seem to be any muscle damage; Lloyd had gotten lucky. That didn't mean it felt good. "But you're not bad."
"Like you have any right to tell me that." She whipped out the two fans, and launched them at him.
Lloyd knocked them away with Persephone, and held out his hand. He had been working with Sharl on his telekinetic powers with Psychic, and it paid off here. He was able to stop their momentum and fling them a fair distance away.
Unfortunately, he was vulnerable when directing the attacks, and when he opened his eyes, he was slammed in the chest by a Moonblast. It flung him back into the thicker grass. He was thankful it cushioned his fall, but felt weak. "Shit…" He knew the attack tended to have weakening affects, and knew that this would force him to a more physical game.
"Fan stealer…" she grumbled, looking through the thick grass. "Unbelievable. You don't take a girl's fans…"
He flipped to his feet, and looked to see where the Sylveon had gone. He was feeling a little dizzy, but it was surprisingly not that bad. Perhaps he was still growing stronger. He slashed through the grass angrily, and came face to face with her again.
"Now, where were we?" he murmured, shooting her his most deadly look.
"Boy, you look pissed. I love that! Come at me!"
Persephone, ready?
It's easy for me. Punish her. But please be careful…
He slit his hand with Persephone, and she began glowing a dark purple, though it mixed with hints of red. Lloyd's eyes glowed red, his vision becoming the same color. Yes… this is the power… the uncontrollable power of an awoken Sacred Weapon…
Thanks Lloyd… I needed some life force… now… now… we're invincible!
"My my…" The Sylveon looked a little worried. "Okay, now you look like something!" She opened her mouth, and launched a Moonblast at him. "Eat this!"
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Lloyd felt someone shaking him. He expected it to be Sharl, but it was actually the young Umbreon. "Are you alright?"
He sat up, and quickly realized this was an artificial space, though it was not necessarily fake. "Persephone…" He rubbed his forehead. "Ugh… I lost it again, didn't I?"
"Yeah…"
"Huh… we won though, right?"
"Yeah. You're lucky that Kai regained consciousness… and… well, you'll see once you wake up. In short, the Sylveon is very lucky to be alive. So are you, I guess. We would have quite literally blended her to a pulp."
He rubbed his black hair. "Alright… I need to regain my strength here, right?"
"Kind of… I cut off our connection temporarily just to keep you from losing it. You were overwhelmed with my power."
"Sorry…"
She stood up, adjusting the ribbons in her long black hair. "You weren't filled with as much vengeful thoughts… are you alright?"
"I'm fine… just…"
The female Umbreon shook her head. "I've told you not to abuse that. If you aren't careful, you could very well become so close with me that you'll be sealed within the sword with me. I love you, but we don't want that."
He lay back down, sprawled out. "I'm sorry…"
She turned around, back facing him. "You're fine now. I worry for you, sometimes…"
Then Lloyd blinked, back into the waking world. Damn… I've lost count of how many times I've passed out recently…
Kai initially started out as a blurry shape that gradually came into focus. "Lloyd, you're awake. That's good."
"You're alright too. I thought you were dead for a little while." Lloyd couldn't really move too much, but this wasn't the first time this had happened.
"It's good to see you're fine." The Jolteon stood up.
Lloyd had begun to appreciate the Jolteon. True, they had all been cocky to each other when they first met, but they had acknowledged each others' skill. Lloyd really had panicked when Kai had been attacked, and it was only his years of training that kept him remotely calm at the moment of attack. "Thanks," said Lloyd. "I heard you stopped me…"
The Jolteon didn't seem too surprised. "Think nothing of it. It was the right thing to do."
"Where is she?"
"The Sylveon? She's still out. You stabbed her in the stomach… I don't know if she'll be alright."
"What happened? It's all blurry…"
"You were a maniac, glowing black and red. I had awoken just in time to see you stab her; I think her scream awoke me. I considered letting you maul her, and you threatened to skin her live. Then I couldn't bear it, and tackled you. You dropped your sword, and passed out."
"Where is she?"
"The Sy-"
"My sword."
"Oh. In the sheathe. It's still on your back."
"Thanks."
He walked away, likely to check on the Sylveon. Next to Lloyd was a small can of water, and Lloyd sipped it. Where are Sharl and Elaine? Kai hasn't mentioned them… oh god, I can't let Sharl get hurt. I need to find her… But he was too weak at the moment. He'd need a couple of hours to recover from overusing Persephone. "So much for making it up to her…" Sharl was scrappy enough, but the Sylveon was abnormal. Her way of thinking was so backwards she had convinced Lloyd to use his secret weapon. It had nearly cost him everything… it may have cost the two princesses everything.
Hey… Lloyd. Don't worry about it. Persephone's voice was in his head. Whatever happens… well, it's not your fault.
Is it? Should I have been more alert? I promised to protect her… regardless, I failed.
Lloyd… The sword spirit was quiet afterwards. Lloyd could do nothing but look at the moonless sky. I might be the most powerful Pokemon… but I couldn't even protect a self-confident princess.
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Lloyd was able to stand by the time morning came, but he was still very weak, and Kai ordered him to stay back. Lloyd knew he couldn't beat the Jolteon in his current state.
"You can watch the Sylveon."
Lloyd wanted to be useful while Kai looked for the girls, so now he sat next to the unconscious Sylveon that he nearly killed. He rested his hand on her forehead; she was burning up. He reached into his cloak, and pulled out some dried herbs he had picked up on his way to Sharl's city. Lloyd chewed it up to a paste, and put it on his fingers.
He gently opened her mouth and place it on her tongue. She didn't need to eat it, she just needed to absorb the juices from the mashed herbs.
Once he did that, he examined the wound he had made. It looked pretty nasty, and Lloyd felt a pang of shame for what he did. There probably was a way to defeat her without such a massive injury, but he had used his uncontrolled state.
The wound was centered, between her ribs and her belly button. Lloyd dipped his finger into the can of water, and gently began to clean the dried blood from around the terrible wound.
She flinched slightly, but her eyes didn't open. The Sylveon was rather young looking. She looked possibly the same age as Persephone, though it was hard to tell. He saw the fans she had used to cut up Kai and himself, and picked them up. He put it inside his cloak.
There was something that was unsettling about her, and he quickly decided it was not just her personality. Something was off about her, and he wanted to figure it out soon. He sensed it was extremely important.
He braced himself with Persephone, and pulled himself somewhat dizzily to his feet. "Shit," he murmured, before walking a little bit.
Be careful, Lloyd… you're still recovering.
"It's been almost the entire night. I should…"
Lloyd. Her voice was stern in his head, but he chose to ignore it.
"I'm fine."
"You really should stop." Lloyd turned around. Much to his surprise, the Sylveon was sitting up. She yawned. "You don't look too good, Umbreon."
"You're one to talk. If you even think about attacking us…"
"You're alone. You're weakened. That would be easy… if I wasn't also crippled. So you're alright for now."
Lloyd huffed, then weakly walked back to where he had been earlier and sat down. "You're damn right. You don't have any weapons," he said, holding up the two fans. "I may be recovering, but I don't think I'd miss from here."
"Cool it, Umbreon. I'm not an idiot, and you were horrifying, so whatever, you can live."
"Now…" He drew Persephone and began to polish the sword. "Why did you kidnap the princesses? For money?"
She didn't say anything.
"Come one. Just spit it out. There's got to be something. Money… revenge… perhaps fun?"
"As if you'd know." She grimaced slightly, but rolled over. Lloyd was confused a little, but then he saw what she was showing him. On her back a patch of darker skin, marked as a circle with a line through it.
"Is that… that's a burn, isn't it?"
"Close. I served inside the Southern Capital for two years as a personal attendant to the previous king of the South. But before that, the king of the South killed my parents. In a vortex of orange flames…"
"My parents were killed in a fire too… but they were killed by the legendries."
"Legendries? Well…" She huffed. "Doesn't concern me. I was on my way to kill their current king Victor."
"Victor… I heard he gave himself that name because he never loses." But Elaine did beat him. "Surprise, I'm on my way to defeat him and take the gateway stones from him."
"You're stupider than I thought if you think you can defeat the legendries."
"Then I'll die a dumbass."
"Likely." She sighed. "You don't need to watch me. I'm fine. Go wash out those wounds or something."
He huffed, then said, "Where did you get that mark?"
"It's a brand."
Lloyd paused. "From the king?"
"Yeah. He marked me… for… reasons."
He stood up. "Whatever. Not my problem. What is my problem is where you put the princesses."
"Well…"
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Oh dear… this is very bad. Bug types aren't good for us, Lloyd.
"You don't need to tell me that." The Sylveon had agreed to heal Lloyd with her Wish technique.
"You spared me, we're even now," she reasoned after it. "Besides… I'll beat them with my own hands."
"So… you know what, you're insane."
"I still can't believe she left them in a spiders nest. What the fuck?"
Well… she is insane… you said it yourself. Just be grateful she's giving you a chance to save them.
"Spiders huh… I've got a really shitty feeling. Don't they drink blood?"
I believe so. Blood is quite nutritious though.
"Uh, no it's not. It has no nutritional value. At least my master said."
No, you're both wrong then.
"Kind of hard to believe coming from a dead girl…"
So mean… don't forget, I'm still the dead girl you banged…
"It was part of the ritual."
It was still sex though… hehe.
"You're awfully keen about that for someone who was raped…"
Well, you're a handsome boy…
"We're here, Persephone." Lloyd stood in front of the cave covered with spider webs. "I wonder if Kai found this place yet."
"I did." The Jolteon peered out from the cave, body glowing with electricity. "I knew you'd find me eventually, though you did take a little longer than I expected."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Let's go."
Webs spanned across, with moist air significantly warmer than the outside wafting out. It smelled like Lloyd expected webs to smell like. The sliminess seemed to seep out. A hissing noise followed by scuttling came from the cave, and they both froze. After that, Lloyd immediately panicked. The thought of Sharl being devoured scared him.
Don't you dare unleash my power. You're still not completely recovered, and you'll seal yourself with me.
Don't worry. Lloyd clenched his teeth. They won't see mercy. They don't have any feelings.
Well… they do… but go ahead. Look at these skulls on the ground. They've probably killed hundreds. Lloyd sliced through the webs with Persephone. This is kind of gross.
"These webs sure are thick." Next to him, Kai was using his dagger. "You dashed into here rather recklessly…"
"Aren't you worried for you sister?"
"Look out."
Lloyd didn't even turn around. He did a spinning slash that cut a Spinarak in half. "I sensed it."
"Not bad," he conceded. "But back on topic…" The Jolteon groaned as some blood from his earlier wound leaked.
"That looks pretty bad… are you sure you're okay?"
"It's pretty shallow, but it's just big. Anyways, your feelings for Sharl aren't sisterly though. Just be careful. Take this!" He launched a bolt of lightning, stunning a Joltik before impaling it. "Sorry thunder-type…"
Lloyd saw the final wall of webbing before a large opening, and assumed Sharl was there. "Stay back," he told Kai before launching a Dark Pulse that blew it open.
They both jumped into the open cave, but it was surprisingly empty aside from a few skeletons and some webs. Kai looked at Lloyd, then said, "Wait."
He put on his mask, and after charging up an attack, he launched a rising bolt straight upwards. Lloyd blinked as it illuminated a dozen of massive spider Pokemon, mostly Ariados.
And wrapped in the webs above were the two princesses.
Then Lloyd noticed a small pool of blood forming on the ground beneath them. No… Sharl…
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