Part 5
Muffled and scared, a captured thief came to his senses in a dark hole. He was tied up, unable to move his arms and legs and unable to speak due to the noose around his mouth. His only light provider was the moon high above, covered slightly from his vision by the branches of trees.
Trees made the thief think he wasn't on Opelucid Island anymore, although he did remember the forests on the outskirts of the great island and targeted that as his most likely destination.
How the hell had he ended up in the hole anyway? he thought. Oh wait, yeah he remembered very clearly the knockout he received from a sneasel, and the battle that had happened before the knockout.
He was thieving from the Avia household in northern Opelucid at the time. The thief had thought it was the perfect time to rob the house, considering all of its members would be at the royal castle awaiting the arrival of the soon to be princess, but apparently not as in the middle of his thieving he was interrupted by a trio of attackers who seemed like they were there for the very purpose of taking him down. They had obviously succeeded.
Above ground the thief could hear the crunching of leaves, and the quiet conversations of two teenagers.
"I think we should have just killed him there and then," the boy said in protest, "Why the hell did you bring him out here?! Even though I was dazed from the kick I could still make out what was going on. Farrah wanted him dead there and then like Miss E wanted, but you had to bring him out here first. Why's that?"
"I didn't want to make a mess of the mansion," the girl argued back.
"Q, there was already a hole in the floor thanks to the shedinja. No, you didn't kill him then and there because you've never killed before, have you?" The boy said, laughing at the girl. "You think Miss E's never killed anyone before? She has killed literally hundreds of people and if you want to be just like her you're going to get used to the blood and gore. Here, get the job done."
The metallic sound of a blade being taken out of a holder was audible to the thief, which made him tense up. The girl was going to kill him, that was obvious, and in his black hole there was nothing he could do.
"I'm going to Huntail Bar on Sood Street to meet with Farrah. You come along once you've finished with our business here. A first kill should be a private affair." The boy said, mockingly. "Enjoy it."
He laughed as he got on his Pokémon, a crobat the thief guessed, assuming it was the same boy as before. His suspicions were proven correct when the crobat's shadow flew across the moon.
The thief's heartbeat quickened. He tried to rustle his way out of the rope, to no avail. His fate was sealed; there was no escape.
Q jumped into the hole with the thief. He squirmed away.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to uncut the rope around your mouth okay?"
The thief nodded, although he was still terrified. Q was obviously a vagabond, and not to be trusted. She had those blue eyes though, so pale in the reflection from the moon, and her eyes made the thief feel calmer. Her eyes made the thief want to trust her.
She cut the rope as she said she would.
"The plan wasn't to kill you. Miss E told me to deal with it however I see fit, and I don't see it fit to kill you." She smiled, twirling her knife in her hand. "But you can't steal from the north of town anymore. In fact, you really can't stay in Opelucid anymore. If anyone working for Miss E sees you again, they will kill you and I'll be left with the blame."
The thief spoke in a nervous voice, still a little scared of the girl with the knife, "Thank you. I'm sorry about earlier. You seem nicer than your friends."
"I wish they were my friends. There my 'accomplices' technically."
"Accomplices working under Miss E? Who is she?"
Q laughed, and sank against the edge of the hole to sit with the boy, "You don't know who Miss E is?"
The thief shook his head, "I'm new to the world of crime."
"That's obvious. The unconscious guards you left lying around the Avia household made you easy to find. But still, I thought everyone knew who Miss E was. She is the biggest crime boss on the north of Opelucid. You were thieving in her territory that's why we had to 'deal with you.'"
"I didn't know there were territories," the thief laughed.
"You really are new. Miss E owns the north, in terms of the underground. No one can steal from anyone on this side of the crown without some of the profits going to her. In exchange she gives us protection from other crime syndicates. It's impossible to survive against other groups if you're on your own."
"Well, I managed so far," the thief said with a smile. He realised how comfortable he was becoming. He figured this was a good thing, seeing that if he was friends with the girl she would be less likely to kill him with the knife she still held.
"Until today," the girl snapped back. "My name is Q, by the way." The thief had picked up her name from the boy before.
"That's a weird name?"
"It's a codename. Some people don't want to use their real name in the underworld."
"That's funny. If I was a master thief I'd want everyone to know who I was."
"Everyone does know who I am. I'm Q, the dragon rider." Q seemed proud of her title, her eyes lit up wide.
"You have a dragon?!"
Q nodded, trying to contain her pride. "I'm the only agent of Miss E who has one."
"And how does one become an agent of Miss E?"
"There's no real process. Most thieves are recruited through association."
"And how did you get recruited?"
Q jumped to her feet, with the feeling she was answering too many questions. "That's getting a bit personal, considering I don't even know your name. No more questions."
"My name is Blackwood."
"And why are you stealing from noble houses, Blackwood?" The smile was gone. Q may have been kinder than her friends, but she was obviously sensitive about some subjects.
"I don't expect Miss E asked much about your life story when you joined with her."
"So?"
"So don't ask me mine."
"Sorry… Do you want me to untie you? I don't think you're going to attack me, and I have a hydreigon outside this pit ready if you do."
A dragon's grumble was audible, but Blackwood couldn't see one.
"That would be nice."
Using the knife Q cut Blackwood's ropes, and the young thief stretched his limbs wide.
"Thank you Q."
"Anytime Blackwood."
There was a long silence. Q looked up at the moon. Blackwood looked up at Q.
"Can I ask you one more question?"
"Fine, one more."
"Do you think Miss E would let me join her gang?"
…
The matresses at the Opelucid Sky Academy were hard, and Aiden was colder than he ever was back home. For somewhere so warm, Opelucid was very cold at night. He couldn't sleep anyway, thanks to his new roommates.
There was three other boys Aiden was sharing with, and he couldn't help but feel he was in some sort of outcast dorm. Firstly, it was in the annex of the building, far from what would be considered the main dorms, and secondly, the three boys had their quirks.
Tristan Ward, the one who had shown him around, seemed nice enough. He was quite military which became clear from his tour, where the rules of the school were explained to Aiden incredibly well. Aiden's presumption that what made Tristan an outcast was the night terrors. Tristan slept on the bunk opposite to Aiden, and ten minutes didn't go by without of shake or squeal come from him. Aiden was sure he heard the trainee murmur the words "help", "I'm falling" and "please" over and over to himself, making him wonder why someone with an apparent fear of falling was in training to be a Sky Knight.
"He's always like this, Ward. He's not had a quiet night since we came here," said a voice coming from above Aiden. The voice belonged to Vance Karr, owner of the bunk atop Aiden's. He was still awake because he was reading. His oil lamp was still lit and in the shadow it cast Aiden could see Vance turn pages of a large book.
Vance Karr was what Aiden would describe as a classic dewb. In the short ten hours Aiden had known Vance, he had spent most of it reading or studying, interacting with only his books and his skarmory. This was the first time Vance had actually spoken to Aiden apart from his first introduction.
"This results in us not sleeping either," Vance sighed.
"That and that fact you won't turn the damn light off Karr!"
The shout came from the boy in the bunk above Tristan. It was Volantes Gurei, whom Aiden hadn't spoken to much either. He was by far the rudest and coldest of the boys. For someone as skinny and lanky as Volantes, Aiden had felt strangely intimidated from the moment he met him.
After noticing Tristan call him Volan, Aiden had done the same. Volantes response to this a full blown rant to why Aiden shouldn't call him Volan. After that, Aiden didn't want to call him anything.
Vance blow out his lamp, making the room much darker. Only glimmers of moonbeams weaving through the curtains gave light. With the lamp off Aiden felt much colder, he wrapped himself up tightly in his blanket, nervous for what his first proper day of training would entail.
…
"So this, Q is how you chose to deal with the intruder."
Miss E was laughing more than she had even laughed. Cowering in fear before her stood Q, a thief who worked for Miss E, and Blackwood, a thief who didn't work for Miss E.
Q managed the first words. "Yes. He is a capable thief and a capable fighter. I saw no reason to take his life."
"A capable thief wouldn't appear on my radar. A capable thief would know not to go stealing in my territory!"
Miss E stood up, obviously angry. She composed herself,
"Still… I have just lost an employee. If you are as good a fighter as Q has made you out to be, training you wouldn't be the worst idea in the world. Boy, where are your Pokémon?"
Blackwood spoke. "At the entrance, your husband took 'em."
Miss E reached for her gramophone, turned it in her direction and spoke into it.
"T sweetie, are you there?"
Miss E's spouse replied. "Yeah, what can I do for you?"
"The young man Q brought in with him, can you come here with his Pokémon. Also, bring your Pokémon too would you?"
"Of course." T sounded happy to follow Miss E's orders. The woman was a powerful person, and Q thought that perhaps T knew better than to argue. Q had never seen T's Pokémon before. He was a man who liked to keep himself to himself, like most thieves that Q knew.
"We will double battle, four Pokémon on each side. Q, if you and the boy here win I will give him a trial to work for me. If my husband and I win however, the boy will die by my hand.
Q turned to Blackwood. He looked confident enough, but under a layer of bravado Q could see him scared.
"What about Soot, my dragon." Q's sneasels were by her side, but her dragon was still in her forest.
"My husband's Pokémon can take care of that."
The golden doors to Miss E's treasure room opened. T walked through, along with four Pokémon. Two belonged to Blackwood. They were his shedinja and his zorua. T's Pokémon were with him as well. He had a claydol, which spun on its top as it moved and a pangoro, which towered over its trainer.
Blackwood's Pokémon jumped into his lap. The young thief was shaking. Q felt bad for bringing him here where he may end up dead.
"Good now T, will you take us into the forest, the grove on the north side where Q keeps her Pokémon."
"Of course, my love," he said with a smirk, almost sarcastically. "Claydol, teleport."
The spinning top turned upright. Its head started to spin and its many eyes started to glow. From its body, claydol cast the room into darkness. In the midst of the teleportation everyone in the room was surrounded by stars.
"Claydol has the ability to teleport many people at once," Miss E explained. "You're lucky. This will take a strain on claydol's power; it may be weaker in battle."
Claydol absorbed the cosmic energy that the technique had created back into itself. It had transported the four humans and their Pokémon to the middle of the forest that surrounded the crown city on Opelucid Island.
Q recognised the forest. She blew into her brass whistle, and from out of the forest sprinted her hydreigon, Soot.
"Soot I'm going to need you for a battle. Are you ready to fight?"
The dragon gave a nod with all three of its heads.
"Good. Trix you used a lot of your energy fighting yesterday, so I think Nix should fight this one okay?"
The two sneasel nodded, one jumping forward and one jumping backwards.
"Blackwood are you ready to fight?"
The thief looked nervous. His life was on the line after all.
"Are these guys strong, Q?"
"Yes… but I've got a dragon."
…
The exploud's noise was sure to wake even the deepest sleeper, and it had no problem waking a confused Aiden Beakel out of bed.
"That's the headmasters Pokémon. Get used to that sound Beakel," Volantes Gurei said, buttoning his shirt.
"The trick is to wake up before hand, and have your ears closed before he shouts," said Vance Karr. He was already dressed, and tieing his hair back.
"Why didn't you wake me then?" Aiden grumbled, clambering out of bed.
"You've got to know the pain, to really want to avoid it," Volantes said, leaving the room.
"I wanted to wake you," Vance whispered, on his way out, "But Gurei said it was breaking a tradition." He stuck his head back in the dorm door to say, "Everyone gathers in the courtyard for morning assembly. It starts in half an hour, we usually wait around the courtyard beforehand though. You need to have full uniform on and your Pokémon presentable."
"Do you know where my Pokémon is? My braviary, Fallon? He was whisked away from me yesterday when I was given a guided tour."
"I think Ward said he was going to get him for you. I will ask him when I see him ok?"
"Cool thanks Vance."
"Call me Karr, it's what everyone does."
Vance stumbled off. He looked funny in his uniform, like it wasn't made for him.
Aiden got out of bed. He found a tap outside of the dorm and washed his face with the water. He then quickly got dressed in his uniform. He had two sets of uniform, and wore his clean set. Yesterday he had been all caught up in the new building he had forgot to ask anyone anything important; like where to wash clothes or where Pokémon were kept. Today, Aiden decided, he would take initiative, and ask everything he needed to know.
A bell was rung, which by asking another student, Aiden found it meant that assembly started in ten minutes. Aiden walked into the courtyard, between his dorm house and the main school. In the school compound were many small buildings, the biggest two being Aiden's dorm and the school building.
Aiden walked into the sun, out of the shadow cast by the dorm. Students were dotted all around the courtyard, all at least one Pokémon by their side. Most were flying Pokémon, and most of them were bird Pokémon. He saw three dragons and five giant bugs but wasn't able to distinguish which Pokémon specifically they were. A gyrados lay basking in the sun, but that was by far the largest Pokémon present.
Vance stood there with his Pokémon, a very proud looking skarmory, her head was held high. The bird looked incredibly well groomed. All of her metallic blade-like wings were sharpened to the point that Aiden felt in danger even from ten feet away.
Tristan was with him, sitting with three Pokémon. His flying Pokémon was a staraptor, who lay curled but beside him. His attacking Pokémon was a bisharp, an obvious well trained one. Tristan was showing Vance his bisharp's techniques. Aiden could clearly see how powerful the Pokémon was, even from just a quick kick he demonstrated.
Aiden wasn't sure which two Pokémon he would rather fight, Vance's skarmory or Tristan's bisharp. His conclusion was that it didn't matter; it would be very painful either way.
The third Pokémon sitting with Tristan was Aiden's braviary Fallon.
Fallon perked up when he saw his flyer, and ran over to Aiden hugging with his wings.
"Sorry Fallon. I didn't know where they took you yesterday. I'm glad to see your safe."
"That's a well-trained bird you have," Tristan said, "He followed me even though he had never met me."
"Fallon's been my bird for a very long time. He likely smelled me on you."
"Likely."
"Assembly starts in five minutes. There is no set formation we need to have; only that year groups are all together. We're all first years, so we stand at the back," Vance explained.
"Where's Volantes?" Aiden asked. He had decided that number one on his goals for today was befriend Volantes Gurei.
"Gurei is over there." Vance pointed to a tree at the courtyards edge.
"He doesn't hate you by the way. He's a good guy, just takes him time to get to know people," Tristan comforted Aiden.
Aiden didn't think so, but Tristan knew Volantes more than Aiden did so maybe.
Aiden saw a large crowd of pupils swarm out of the main building. Upperclassmen.
"Are there dorms in the actual school?"
"Yeah, but students select their own dorms at the start of the year, and high standing guys get the good dorms in the school building first," Vance sulked. "We're all in the small building because they didn't want us."
Aiden was not terribly glad to have his suspicions confirmed.
Volan came to sit with the group. With him were his two Pokémon. A large unfezant walked with him on his right. Aiden could tell from its marking it was female. His aunt bred unfezant, and it was the Pokémon beside braviary Aiden knew the most about. He considered the possibility of bonding with Volantes over the bird.
His other Pokémon was a frillish, which floated beside him on his left. Aiden could again tell that the Pokémon was female, this time from its pale pink skin. Frillish was a Pokémon Aiden recognised but had never seen before. Its slight transparency freaked Aiden out a little bit.
Before Aiden could ask Volantes about his unfezant, Volantes surprisingly spoke to Aiden.
"Are you a stronger fighter Beakel?"
"I'm not that sure." Aiden gave an honest answer. "Fallon's my only Pokémon, and he only knows a few techniques."
"I mean you, are you a strong fighter?"
"I don't really know the answer to that either."
"I'm simply asking because I want to know if you got into this school so late in the year with your skill or your connections. You'd have to be the best sword man or arrowshot in the whole sky to be accepted this late. I take it, it was your connections that got you in then. Who is your father anyway?"
Aiden didn't want to answer, but thought it would be better if he did. Mumbling he said, "My dad's Henry Beakel."
"But what's his occupation? Eh?"
"He's the Head of the Sky Guard on Striation."
"Ha, of course they would let the son of a Head Guard in late, even if your father is some old has been."
"What are you talking about?" Vance asked Volantes.
"Beakel's father used to be on the Special Rank brigade, with the headmaster as well."
"Really Aiden?" Tristan said in disbelief.
Aiden didn't really know what the Special Rank was to be honest. His father had mentioned it only a few times.
"Yes," Volantes continued, "But he was in the brigade when the tower on Iccirus fell. Three of four of the group's members soon after were resigned in disgrace. They were allowed to retire to any position they wanted, apparently after traumatic events that had occurred on the mission."
Aiden didn't know any of this, if any of it was true.
"And how do you know this?" Vance asked, obviously sceptical.
"It was the least well-handled scandal the Sky Knight's had ever had. Everyone knows the story." Volantes laughed. "Honestly I'm not lying, look it up and you'll see. Aiden's father is one of only five men to lose his Special Rank position not through death, a disgrace."
Tristan stood up. "He's not a disgrace. Gurei you don't even know the guy. You don't even know Aiden; give him a break."
Aiden was gone. He and Fallon had walked through the crowd to the back.
The assembly bell rang, this time signalling for students to gather for assembly. Lines were made with pupils standing facing east. Their Pokémon stood in lines to the right of each pupil. Pupils with bigger Pokémon stood at the edge of each row, obviously a permanent position for them.
Aiden stood in the very back row. Before the formation had formed, Tristan had managed to stand to his left. His two Pokémon stood between them.
"Volantes is being extremely rude, and we are sorry for him," he managed to say before the crowd fell silent.
A podium stood in front of the school building, which all the students were facing towards. Four people marched up the podium, three taking seats in the wooden chairs behind where the fourth person stood to speak. Aiden recognised the man as the Headmaster Mr Joesph Martell. Aiden's father, Henry Beakel, sat in one of the three seats behind the large man.
"Good morning students welcome to week 17 at Opelucid Academy!"
Mr Martell could rival his Loudred in the volume of his voice. Aiden was surprised the building behind him was still standing once he had finished.
"This week third year trainees will once again be positioned out on smaller islands. This time Group 3B will be leaving the academy for two weeks."
There was a cheer from the front of the crowd. Group 3B trainees excited to leave the academy.
"Don't know why you're cheering," Martell said laughing, "It won't be a holiday I guarantee you that!"
The crowd laughed.
"A reminder: first and second year pupils are eligible to sign up for the tournament next month. So far only third year pupils have put their name down but everyone is welcome to try out for it. The tournament can be a lot of fun guys. Seriously sign up!"
There was a strong silence in the crowd. Aiden understood why; the upperclassmen at the academy gave off a strong air of superiority.
"First year apprentices are also eligible to request for days out with their masters!"
"Also students, there is a new face among you today! A new trainee!"
The crowd had at this point noticed him. Most faces around Aiden were staring at Aiden.
"Aiden Beakel is joining the first year class, and his father, Henry Beakel, will be temporarily joining the teaching force here!"
Aiden's father stood up. He was wearing his uniform, and his green neckerchief. He looked incredibly proud to be standing next to his old teammate.
The crowd murmured. From the whispers around him Aiden was starting to believe Volantes story.
"Hey!" Martell yelled, "Silence students! Show Mr Beakel a bit more respect!"
The assembly was instantly silent. As much as a 'disgrace' as he must be to the students, Martell commanded much respect. That, or everyone was scared of him.
"Mr Beakel will be our temporary flying instructor, while Mr Gorrin is on Mistralon! Is everyone alright with that?!"
The crowd chanted in unison, "Yes Captain Martell!"
"Good trainees! That's all I've got to say today then! Classes start in thirty minutes. Aiden Beakel, meet me in the Aviary straight after assembly!"
Mr Martell marched off the stage, followed by the three others on stage. Aiden watched as his father walked down the steps and lost him in the crowd soon after.
…
In a clearing in the northern forest, a battle between four thieves took place.
"A double battle with four Pokémon on each side," Miss E said. She stood with her giant heliolisk at her side and one of her many ninjask on her shoulder. "You know what will happen if you lose, this is your last chance to back out."
"I need to stay in the crown," Blackwood said to himself, "This is the only way."
"I'll take that as a yes," Miss E said smiling. "Ninjask you go first."
Her husband, T commanded his pangoro to the battlefield first.
"Nix will you battle first for me?" Q said. She was trying to keep her optimism up. It wasn't her life that was on the line, but it was the life of a new friend. Someone she might grow to care about. She was determined to win.
"Shedinja, I need you."
Blackwood's shedinja took to the battlefield, while his zoura took a step back.
"Battle commence! Ninjask bug bite!"
"Pangoro, Crunch Sheinja! Go!"
"Shedinja avoid that attack at all costs, Shadow Sneak!"
"Nix, flip 'n' slash!"
The four Pokémon moved in a flurry. For such big Pokémon that T's Pangoro and Blackwood's shedinja were, they moved extremely quickly. Shedinja burst into shadows, which left the pangoro and the ninjask to direct their attacks at the sneasel. The bear's giant jaws fell into Nix, who executed a flip in order to avoid it. Nix was well trained in acrobatics, and was able to slash into the ninjask before the bug could bite.
The ninjask fell back hitting the ground, which gave shedinja the chance to attack with its shadows. It leapt out of the ground as a ghostly amalgamation of darkness, entrapping Miss E's Pokémon in its blast. When it resumed the shape of a shedinja again the ninjask was trapped inside the Pokémon hollow body.
"Ninjask! Fight your way out!"
The bug tried to break free by attacking shedinjas shell from the inside, but wasn't anywhere near strong enough.
"Shedinja inwards Shadow Ball!"
Blackwood's shedinja executed an obviously practiced technique, unleashing the ghost energy of a shadow ball inside its hollow body. The attack was impossible for the ninjask to avoid. The Pokémon fainted, and Shedinja let it out of its body by vanishing into his ghostly form.
"Pangoro, Hammer Arm and Low Sweep!"
"Metal Claw Nix."
The pangoro launched itself with a glowing fist at Nix. The sneasel wasn't quick enough to react and when she fell to the ground. Pangoro's second attack, the low kick launched Nix back.
"Again Nix!"
Nix managed to jump to the giant pangoro's head, and with metallic claws slashed its face.
"Shedinja watch out!"
The pangoro fell back, landing on the shedinja. When the pangoro jumped back to its feet, shedinja was unable to move.
Blackwood sent out his zoura to retrieve his fallen shedinja. Miss E herself went to retrieve her ninjask. She had obviously been waiting for an opening to move. For a woman of her age she was very fast.
Q commanded Nix to continue using Metal Claw against Pangoro, who was ordered by T to block all attacks from Nix.
"Helioisk! Your turn to fight!" Miss E commanded with her pointed finger for her giant lizard into the battlefield. Her helioisk was far larger than the pangoro.
"Zoura, Illusion into Helioisk!"
Zoura eyes shone, and he started to spin his body. In a flash of pink light he changed his shape into that of a helioisk's. The illusion created helioisk was much smaller than the real thing.
"Helioisk tail whip!"
Although the tail whip technique usually isn't very powerful, when used by a giant Pokémon it proved very effective. Within its large tail T's pangoro, Nix and Blackwood's zoura well all caught. The yellow giant flung the three other Pokémon against a tree at the clearings edge. The attack was enough to knock out both the pangoro and the sneasel.
"Sorry dearie," Miss E apologised to her husband. "Didn't mean to catch Pangoro in my attack."
"That's alright. I've still got my other pokemon. Claydol now!"
The rock Pokémon burst into the field, spinning on its head.
"Zoura!"
"Soot!"
The zorua impersonating the helioisk jumped back into the battle, and Q's hydreigon flew over her head to fight as well.
"That's us all down to our last Pokémon," Miss E said smiling, "Things are getting interesting."
"Q we actually have a chance to beat them," Blackwood said, enthusiastic about the prospect of surviving.
Q didn't look so happy, "She still has her helioisk, don't forget."
The golden beast towered over every other Pokémon on the battlefield. Q had great reason to be worried.
"Use Rapid Spin Claydol!"
"Helioisk, Thunderbolt!"
"Zorua, Copycat that attack!"
"Dragon Pulse Soot!"
The claydol was the first to attack. Its spinning lead to great speed and the Pokémon crashed into Soot with great force. Soot responded quickly with a short range dragon pulse, blasting the living rock back at least twenty yards.
Helioisk released a great deal of electrical energy from its frills, aimed straight at Soot. The dragon was shocked hard, but managed to stay in flight. Zorua was quick to copy the attack, and aimed its own thunderbolt at the claydol. The attack however seemed to bounce right off of Claydol, the Pokémon was left unaffected.
"Do you know anything about attack match ups kid?" Miss E shouted. "I don't want so hire someone who hits a ground type Pokémon with an electric attack!"
Blackwood growled. She was right, in its current illusion zorua was practically useless. Electric attacks it learned from the real helioisk would be ineffective again his opponents, an electric and ground Pokémon.
"Illusion ability again zorua. Copy the hydreigon."
"What are you doing?" Q asked, very confused.
"As a helioisk, Zorua couldn't hit either of his opponents. This way he'll be more useful, and he can avoid any ground type attacks," Blackwood explained.
"Good idea," Q said. She then whispered to Blackwood, "We need to take down Claydol first, then we can divert all attention to the heliolisk."
"Okay."
Zorua had transferred into an identical clone of Soot.
"Dragonbreath Soot."
"Zorua copy and use Dragonbreath as well!"
After Zorua quickly learned the move, both dragons fired purple flames at the claydol. The spinning top was fast to move and avoided most of the attack.
"Claydol get close!"
The Pokémon charged directly into the path of the flames, spinning against them closer to the two dragons.
"Now! Selfdesruct Claydol!"
In a split second, the claydol's rock body glowed, and continued to explode in a blinding white light sending Zoura and Soot flying in opposite directions.
"What in the skies was that?!" shouted Blackwood.
T answered him. "Claydol has severely damaged your Pokémon. Now my wife can easily take you down with her helioisk!"
The lizard was primed for battle. It had hardly been damaged by any attacks, in comparison to Blackwood and Q's Pokémon who has just suffered from a claydol's selfdesruct.
Soot took flight back onto the battlefield. He had obviously been very weakened by the attack. Blackwood's zoura also returned to the battlefield. He was so weak however that his façade had dropped, he appeared again as a zoura.
"We just need to take down the helioisk," Q said smiling. She actually believed she had a chance.
…
"I'll show you to the Aviary," said Tristan, drawing Aiden's attention away from his father. "Come on, its this way." Tristan pointed to past the schools northern side.
Tristan walked Aiden through the crowd of students, who looked at Aiden with much more hate than they had yesterday.
"Trainee's don't like new trainees Beakel, that's just the way it is."
Tristan's Pokémon, his bisharp and staraptor walked beside him. Next to Aiden was Fallon. In such a sea of unfamiliar faces, it was nice to have Fallon there. He really did need his bird.
Tristan was able to talk more, once they had manoeuvred their way through the crowd.
"Aviary is the big building there," Tristan said, signalling to the brick building, built in the same style as the school. What distinct it greatly was the large caged dome that rested atop the building. Birds flew around in the cage, and outside the cage.
"First year trainees are required to keep their birds in here when we are not training with them. For second and third year trainees it is an option, but not a necessity."
Standing in front of the domed building was Aiden's father and the headmaster.
"Sorry if everything yesterday went a bit crazy Aiden," Martell said patting Henry's back, "Your father and I had a lot to catch up on. Anyway, this is the Aviary. Birds kept here from after classes ends till the morning, got that?"
"Got it."
"Good. Today you will be sitting the physical portion of the flying test. Your father says you can do it easily."
That was true. Aiden didn't like the brag, but he was more than capable of a flyer. In school flying contests, he had never been beaten.
"Uh yeah I think so."
"Ok then. We will take you out to our training course out in the woods after second bells. I'll adjudicate, and your father and Tristan will come too."
"I'm supposed to be with the headmaster second period anyway," Tristan explained, "I am his apprentice."
"That's another thing. You're no-ones apprentice yet. Until we can sort something out when you would spend time with your master just come with Ward to me." Martell seemed to like Aiden. Aiden thought of it as a good sign. "In fact, until we can work this out Aiden, you can just follow Ward around his classes. You don't mind Ward?"
"Oh course not, sir. I'm in sword skills for first bell so should I head there with Aiden now and come to you for second bells?"
"Yes, good plan. I will see you both then." The headmaster walked off to other business.
"My new flying students will be waiting for me son," Henry said backing away, "I best be off."
"Bye dad," Aiden said waving his father off.
"Now, off to sword skills."
...
"Soot! Dragon Breath!"
"Zoura! Extrasensory!"
The large dragon repeated its signature attack, gathering the dark energy required to knock the monolithic helioisk Miss E controlled back a few feet. Blackwood's zoura's psychic attack did similar damage, also seemingly pushing the opponent back.
"Helioisk, finish this. Signal Beam!"
"Can helioisk normally learn Signal Beam," Blackwood screamed to Q.
"I don't know, but that is no ordinary helioisk."
The yellow beast's giant mouth shot an energy beam of bug type power that would be game over if it touched either opposing pokemon.
"Soot now fly through." Q shouted at her pokemon. "Blackwood can you take the beam off Soot."
"Sure?" Blackwood wasn't sure what Q was doing, but he was sure it would be good. "Zoura! Left quick!"
Helioisk found it easy to hit Zoura with the full force of the blast. While he did that, Soot flew up and around the side of the pokemon.
Q flew into her whistle. Three sharp blows.
The hydreigon's two smaller heads hit the helioisk with two separate Dark Pulses in the back, making the giant fall to one side. The dragon's middle head struck the pokemon on the ground with a flamethrower for good measure.
Q gave one last blow into her whistle, this one was the longest blow, and the highest pitched. Pidove flew from their nests in surrounding trees due to the sound.
Soot followed the command of the final blow. Three separate but fully charged and powerful beams of energy lit the helioisk from where the hydreigon flew in the sky above it.
A flamethrower from the right-side head; a dark pulse from the left-side head and a dragon breath from the centre head. The three attacks joined together as they neared Helioisk, turning into a tornado of the three. The attack left the giant lizard motionless.
Miss E sighed.
"Fine Q; you may keep the boy. He is your responsibility though. Know that!"
T's claydol, who had been healed by its trainer teleported T, Miss E and all of their Pokémon away, leaving Blackwood and Q in the woods, the most tired any of them had ever been.
"That was a really cool move; the one that ended it," Blackwood said while he tended to his shedinja.
"Thanks. Soot can't do it often; it takes a lot out of him."
"Do you think I was worth it?"
Blackwood had a cocky smile on his face. It didn't annoy Q as much as a boy with a cocky smile usually did.
"We'll see, won't we."
"I suppose we will."
"Come on," Q said as she stood. She had somewhat healed her hydreigon and sneasel. "Let's get back to the base. I won't blindfold you this time."
…
Sorry for the long time between updates. I had all of final exams, so I couldn't give any attention to anything else for the past two months. Here is chapter five though. I still don't know if the chapters being this length will be a regular thing. The next chapter will be all Brandon, I know that for sure. He was too hard to fit into this one, but I have 2000 words about what he is doing during all this.
Thanks for reading, and please leave a review!