Authors' Note: If there are any questions, please leave a review and we will do our best and try to answer it!
Disclaimer: We don't actually own Pokemon.
Chapter Seven: The Reversed View: Part 1
Accumula Town.
A small town with one of the biggest trade routes winding through it. As one walks into the old-fashioned environment, sounds of Pokemon bartering, trading, and joking could be heard. Wagons bounced along the roads. Small-sized Pokemon scurried along the road with overflowing baskets of fresh produce as larger Pokemon attempted to not trample others.
In the midst of all this chaos, a Mightyena paced quickly around a traveling caravan pulled by two Rapidash. His scarlet pupils were narrowed in his yellow, lamp-like eyes. Medals swung from his uniform coat. A broad-brimmed officer's hat was seated upon his large head.
"Seriously, Commander Shaw. No worries! We'll take care of your lil' cutie." One of the fiery unicorns neighed, cantering back and forth. "It's just a short trip to Castelia City. What can go wrong?"
The Mightyena looked up anxiously. His name was Robert Shaw, leader of Group R for the Shadow Force. He looked at the lead wagon, where his daughter, Lily Shaw, was struggling to drag her pack into the four wheeled device.
"Stupid... just... go... in!" The Poochyena huffed and fell backwards, her traveling bag slamming down on her as she did. "Ow!"
Rob rushed over. "Lily! Are you okay?" He asked worriedly as he gave her a lick around the ears. Lily snorted and hopped back onto her feet.
"Yeah, just got sucker punched by my own luggage." she growled, prodding her heavy pack with a sharp claw. "Idiot!" she cursed and stomped around.
"I'll help you." He easily lifted the pack and tossed it into the wagon. "And in you go!" He gently helped her into the wagon.
"Hey, I'm not weak, you know!" she complained with a grin to let him know she wasn't serious, "Anyways, you be safe and stay safe out there, Papa." She gave him a lick on the nose and settled down next to her classmates. They high-pawed each other and started chatting about the guys in their class, the guys in the other classes, and so on.
It's just a short, one month school trip to the biggest city in Unova. Rob reminded himself, What can possibly go awry?
Still, he had a very bad feeling about the entire thing as he watched the wagon carrying his precious daughter rumble away. Soon, they were lost amidst the huge crowd.
With a sigh, he turned around to face his teammates, who were attempting not to laugh as he showed the softer part of himself with his daughter.
There was Jasmine, aka Jazz, the sarcastic Linoone. She was cool and calm but rather a coward when it comes to battling. Next was Gran the Shiftry, the throw-at-defenses-to-soften-the-enemy-up guy. Third of Group R was Demo, the brainless Exploud who only follows orders. If he doesn't receive an order, then he does absolutely nothing. Fourth of of the five Pokemon in Group R is the strategist―Annie the Mawile, the Pokemon that sits stop Demo's head and snaps out orders.
Robert Shaw was the leader of this strange yet successful team. They had been fighting together ever since the Shadow Force had first come to power―which was around seven years ago, when the great Lord Darkrai rose to power. They were proud officers of the Shadow Force, with a reputation to keep.
"Well?" Jazz asked in a flat voice, "All that lovey-dovey gooiness is driving me nuts. What's our next move?"
"Rob, you have a commander's meeting at the Town Hall." Annie chirped up, "You'd better go. The rest us have patrol duty."
Gran groaned. "Again? We've had this... this patrol duty for an entire week! I want action! I want battle!"
"You should be glad things are this peaceful." Rob grumbled, "Do you honestly want more bloodshed?" He glared daggers at the Shiftry.
"Erm..." It was obvious that their leader was in a bad mood. "I-I suppose not, commander." Gran stuttered, "Right, Demo?"
The Exploud blinked twice and scratched his head. "Ummph?"
"Right. Patrol duty." Jazz muttered, "Fun. Let's go, then." The four Pokemon turned and marched off.
Rob turned and took a deep breath to calm himself down. Then he raced off towards the Town Hall.
"Is everybody here?" Rob snapped to attention as Mali the Zoroark paced the length of the meeting room. Mali was a well-known lieutenant in the Shadow Force, mainly because of his driving skills. "Leader of Group S, Saber?"
Saber the Sableye raised a claw, signifying his presence.
"Group B, Bane the Banette?"
The commander let out a loud grunt.
"Group D, Dusky the Dusknoir?"
The huge Ghost-type Pokemon glared at the lieutenant.
"And Group R, Robert the Mightyena?"
Rob let out a growl and raised his tail.
"Great, we're all here." The Zoroark took a seat at the head of the table, where the four commanders were seated. "Lord Darkrai, as you all know, I assume, has gained the title of the Ultimate Leader."
They all nodded.
"Right. And as you know, with great power, comes great rebels. The protesters and all the other Pokemon that are against our Lord's imagination of a great and peaceful empire have not been defeated. In Kanto, a group of rogue Pokemon broke one of the jails in Pallet Town and released those savage protesters." Mali reported, "Do you four know of the rogue Pokemon?"
All four commanders gave him a blank look.
Mali rolled his eyes. "Basically, they're a group of assassins and such that kills off our sponsors, police force, and such. They have a certain hatred against our Lord. I have news that they've recently arrived in Unova and have started to turn some cities against us. Or course, the cities in the Northern Kingdom are untouched, but other cities are not. Commander Bane?" He munched on a doughnut.
The Banette raised his wispy hand. "Yes?"
"You are in charge of settling down the sparking signs of rebellion in Aspertia City, and the southeastern towns." Mali turned to Saber. "You, Commander Saber, will be in charge of settling down the southeastern towns along with Commander Bane."
The two commanders nodded grimly.
Rob shuffled his paws and glanced at Commander Dusky. Judging from the Dusknoir's looks, he also did not want to be paired up with Rob. But if Mali was pairing up commanders... then it was obvious that Groups R and D were going to be forced to work together.
"You, Commander Dusky, are needed in the Northern Kingdom. Get there as fast as you can." Mali ordered, "And Commander Robert..."
"Go along with him, I suppose?" Robert grunted half-heartedly.
"Nope." The Mightyena blinked in surprise. "Actually, you're being promoted to the rank of lieutenant."
"Wait―what?" Rob was so surprised, he fell off his chair and smacked his head against the ground. "I mean..." Thoughts whirled in his mind. Lieutenant? Lieutenant? How was it possible that he, a little primitive commoner, could ascend to the ranks of a lieutenant?
"I protest!" Commander Dusky huffed with anger. "He's just a newcomer! He can't possibly ascend to a rank such as―"
"It has been commanded." A low growl echoed around the room. Mali let out a startled hiss and quickly bowed as a Greninja stalked into the room. Mali glared at the other four commanders. "Bow!" he hissed.
The commanders quickly stood up and bowed. Commander Dusky accidentally toppled the table in his haste.
"Hmm." the Greninja grunted, "Unimpressive bunch of idiots. Well, meeplings. I am General Ranark, blah blah blah and all that formal stuff. I am here to confirm that yes, Robert Shaw has been promoted to the ranks of a lieutenant. You will be going along with Mali to patrol the more, ah, heated towns here in Southern Unova, such as Nuvema, Nimbasa, and all the way to Castelia. Is that clear?"
"Very." Rob agreed. His ears twitched uncomfortably as Commander Dusky glared sharply at him.
"Well, dismissed, then. Mali, Robert, you two stay. You three," He sent a sharp, fiery glance at the bowing commanders. "Scram outta my sight!"
With a fearful yeep, the commanders scrambled away.
"Was that necessary?" Mali grumbled, "You're always overdramatic, Ranark."
"Heh. No thanks to you." Ranark studied Rob with a strange glint in his eyes that made Rob tremble. There was something rather queer about the Greninja. "Well, I guess since you're lieutenant, I have to tell you all the updates." He cleared his throat and got ready for a big speech. "The rogue Pokemon have assassinated Paul the Claydol, one of our richest sponsors. General Stary has been sent to the Sinnoh region, General Blobby has been sent here from the Hoenn region, and General Otri sent to the Hoenn region. Oh, and there's a new general―General Doomsday, who was recently recruited." The frog sniffed. Rob guessed that he most likely did not get along with General Doomsday. "Any questions?"
"N-No." Rob stuttered.
"All done, then." The Greninja turned and stormed out the door.
"Well..." Mali turned to face Rob. "Welcome to the team, I guess. We're staying in Accumula Town until something comes up. You and your group are free for today, so you can celebrate." He shook Rob's paw. "See you out there, Robby!" He saluted smartly and trudged out the door.
Rob frowned. What just happened? he thought, a bit confused at how quickly the meeting had ended. Usually, from his experience, meetings contained food fights, arguments, and a lot more talking.
Nevertheless, since he was not one to complain about a strange situation, he turned and went off to find Group R.
"Totally awesome!" Annie grinned with both mouths―her normal one and the giant one hanging off her head like a hair clip. "So it's Lieutenant Shaw now, huh? Great!"
"Does that mean we get off patrol duty?" Gran asked excitedly.
"Nah, we still gotta do it." Rob admitted.
"Bummer." Jazz grumbled, "What's the point of being promoted if you gotta do the same stuff?"
"RRrrmmmph." Demo grunted.
"Don't worry, guys. I'm sure something will come up." Rob assured them, "Till then, let's party!"
"Wait―party?" Gran gaped.
"Mali the Zoroark―he's a lieutenant, said that we could." Rob informed him merrily.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Annie steered Demo towards the Night Club. "Ahoy, full steam ahead, Demo!"
"Rarrr!" Demo agreed, and stomped off.
Laughing, the others followed them.
The next day...
"Nuvema Town was bombed?" Robert almost choked on his own tongue. "Why? By whom?"
Mali flipped the newspaper over as he showed it to Group R. "Hmm, apparently a group of protesters launched a Shadow Ball at the Town Square and blew it up. Dozens of casualties, et cetera, et cetera. I guess we head to Nuvema now." He whistled, and two Banettes floated by. "Get me my van, snappy!" he ordered.
"Yes! Finally something fun!" Gran whooped, "No more patrol duty! No more walking around town, lighting Demo's pants on fire..."
"Dude, that was you?" Annie gnashed her teeth. "Idiot! I almost got burned!"
"Hey, it was fun!"
"Fun your head off!" Annie tackled the Shifty, and the two rolled away.
Rob stared angrily at the newspaper. How dare those protesters bomb the Town Square, of all places? Didn't they understand that innocent Pokemon didn't deserve getting hurt, much less death? It wasn't fair! The innocents had no part in this battle, and yet... and yet... His vision grew red. And yet those protesters still treated them as if they were! Fools!
"Normally, I would let you go off seething on your own, Robby dear, but right now, would you please move so a lady can get into the van?" Jazz asked sarcastically. Rob realized that he was sort of standing in everybody's way.
"Sorry..." he mumbled, and scooted aside so she could prance in.
As soon as Group R plus Mali were in the van (the group had refused to let Mali drive, much to the Zoroark's disappointment, so they were letting Gran drive, which wasn't much of an improvement), they set off along the dusty road for the one-hour drive that would take them to the heart of where the flames of the Rebellion were being lit.
"We're stopping by a Shadow Force Outpost on the way." Mali told them, "And be prepared for attacks." He glared suspiciously at the trees on either sides of the road. "The rogues are everywhere."
Jazz sat up, suddenly interesting. "Where did those rogues come from?" she asked.
Mali shrugged. Apparently, the question was beyond even him. "They first attacked the Hoenn region and blew up the Mossdeep Space Center." Rob shuddered at the memory. That explosion had taken his wife away from him, but he'd never heard of rogues taking part in that explosion..." After that, they've been sowing chaos and destruction across all the regions. They murder innocents, turn citizens against their own city, and basically give us a very bad day."
"Why would Pokemon do that?" Rob growled, disgusted, "Is it too much to ask for a peaceful era?"
"Apparently." Annie snorted. She was intently watching the news on the TV installed on the roof of the van. "21 injured, 2 in coma... wow, now that's a destructive Shadow Ball."
"I don't get it." Rob repeated, softer this time, "Why would Pokemon want to fight against us? We're creating the perfect empire of peace!"
"I guess..." Mali said with a sigh, "One just can't please everybody..."
Forty minutes later...
"Wow." Annie commented from her perch atop Demo's head as they strolled through the large outpost, "Impressive dome." she said as she looked up.
The silver room which they were winding through was full of officers and such loitering about. Rob caught sight of a Liepard and Braixen squaring off with a Gothitelle and Malamar. He watched as lines were exchanged. Then the Malamar lashed out and sent the two Pokemon scurrying away. Away from the violence, a couple of guards were laughing and belching as they did patrol duty.
"This is the outpost that contains the most armored vehicles." Mali explained with a glint in his eyes. Well, leave it to a psycho car-loving Pokemon to know all the facts. "They've got war chariots, spiked vans... and even SharpeoMech 2!" the Zoroark squealed excitedly as he spoke the name of the world's first hydro car, "It's epic!"
Jazz mumbled something insulting about a crazy car-driving maniac under her breath.
Rob looked around at the neon lights and breathed in a fresh gulp of air. "So what exactly are we doing here?"
"To meet General Blobby." Mali gave him a duh, obviously look. "You think I'd come this awesome car storage of epicness for any other reason?"
"I can think of twenty." Jazz grumbled.
Meanwhile, Gran choked in a laughter. "General Blobby? As in BLOB-bie? Sort of like BAR-bie? As in a plastic barbie blob?"
"Yes, yes, the greatest blob there is in the universe, blah blah and all that. No need to show respect―he ain't gonna give you any, either." The Zoroark pushed open a silver door. "Hey, ginormous Blob! You there?"
"That's General Blobby to you!" a Swalot squeaked as he slid towards them. Glittery medals were pinned to his neat uniform coat, which was obviously bursting at the seams from the sheer amount of purple fat. "What do you want, Mali?"
"Hey, you called the meeting, not me, pardon me and thank you very much." Mali contradicted, "What do you want?"
"Oh, that's right." the general remembered, "Charnette! Amethyst!"
Behind the purple blob of greatness, the two bullied Pokemon Rob saw earlier slunk out. The Liepard snarled and snapped her jaws, as if expecting a dee-lish-ous meal of Mightyena meat. The crazy light in her eyes made Rob back up nervously. The Braixen crossed her arms and stared intently at him.
Rob could feel his heart beating with fear. Why was he so afraid of those two Pokemon? He tried to shake off the uneasiness, but his scruff was already damp with sweat. The two Pokemon radiated a scary aura that nearly made him run for mama. But he was, after all, a lieutenant, so he couldn't. He stood his ground and managed glared them down.
"We're assassinating the Revolutionists' leader." the Swalot announced.
"What? But it just came into existence!" Annie yelped, "How can you be sure they have a leade―"
"This guy's also the leader of the protesters' group, maybe even the leader of the rogue Pokemon." General Blobby informed them breezily. He tapped on a remote. A screen lit up behind the purple blob Pokemon and showed the images of a Lucario shaking his fist at one of Darkrai's campaigns for election. "We believe he is responsible for all those violent acts taken by the protesters and rogue Pokemon alike. He must be taken down to detain any sparks of Revolution."
Rob felt strangely enraged. "Wait a second, you purple blob!" he snapped, "We're officers, not assassins! We can put him in jail―sure! But we have a code of conduct! We―do―not―kill!"
"Interesting concept." the Liepard murmured. "And wait for your future enemies to grow up so they can kill you?"
"That's beyond the point!" Rob snarled, "We―"
"Shut up!" Blobby growled, "How dare you―"
"We're officers, mister!" Rob raged on, "We only arrest Pokemon, not kill them! For the order to kill, they must be captured, tried, found guilty, then be punished accordingly! We don't just kill out of the blue!"
"And wait for them to kill us?" Blobby snarled, "How soft can you g―"
"Whoa, whoa!" Mali jumped in quickly. "Calm down, gents." He turned to face General Blobby. "At this point, Captain of Gelatin, I'd rather go with Robby here's plan. It has less risks. I swear upon my title that I will capture the Lucario alive."
"And if you fail..." the Swalot growled, obviously annoyed by the Zoroark's interruption, "I will send Charnette and Amethyst here to assassinate him, understand?"
"Understood." Mali glared at the quivery blob. "Come on, Group R. Let's go."
"But―" Rob bit back a retort. He longed to slice the general into nice, thick pieces of jelly and feed it to his own assassins, but he suspected that it would be a dangerous thing to do.
"Oh, yeah!" General Blobby bellowed after them, "Watch out for the spy!"
"Spy?" Rob asked, and a chill ran up his spine, "There's a spy?"
General Blobby rolled his tiny eyes. "Well, obviously, smartypants. This is a war! Of course there are spies! But you won't find any here, thanks to Charnette here."
"I set up magical boundaries around this outpost." Charnette said with an insane grin, "Spies that cross it? Ashes."
"How―" Rob started.
"Charnette is an enchantress." Mali explained with a sharp, somewhat strangely angry glance at the panther-like Pokemon. She merely smirked and snapped at him. "She knows dark magic."
"Oh." Rob instantly felt like taking ten steps away from the dark Pokemon. "That's... erm... nice to know. Can we go now?" He almost whimpered as the Liepard fixed her emerald stare on him, but being a macho Mightyena lieutenant of great power, he didn't.
"Yup." Mali quickly ushered them out. "To Nuvema Town!"
In Nuvema Town...
"Group R, do a border check." Mali ordered.
"Border patrol―again?" Gran groaned, "At this rate, we might as well change our names to Group Border Patrol For Eterna!"
"Shut up." Jazz grumbled, "Doing it is punishment enough. Doing it with you is absolute torture."
Rob gave them a glare, and Group R fell silent. "Don't worry. We'll do it." he promised Mali, "Come on, let's patrol―"
"Oh, not you, lieutenant. Lieutenants don't do border patrols." Mali chided, "Robby here's coming with me to check the devastated area. Rest of you? Toodles!" He turned and walked away. "Come on, Rob! No time to waste."
"Um..." Rob glanced at his teammates. "I-I gotta go with him." He felt a pain in his chest as their faces fell. "Don't worry. I'll check it quickly and come back. Promise."
"No, no. Don't worry about coming back." Jazz gave him a cold stare. "We'll be just fine. Go ahead with your new friend. Come on, guys."
Annie gave Mali a look that was both puzzled and hurt, then turned to steer Demo away. Gran glared at Rob briefly before doing the same. Rob felt like his heart would break. It was like they were saying goodbye.
"Come on, wolfy!" Mali was yelling, "Let's go!"
Rob forced a smile. "Right! I'm coming!" he called as he turned his pawsteps away from his friends and walked towards the lieutenant.
They fell into steps side-by-side as they surveyed the blackened ground. A slender Shadow Force guard in full armor nodded at them briefly, gold eyes gleaming, but didn't cease its stride and continued patrolling the area.
Rob put his nose into the dirt. "It's definitely a max-powered Shadow Ball. Maybe powered up using a Spell Tag." he reported.
Mali scuffled the dirt with his paws. "Most likely." he agreed, "I just wonder..." He frowned.
Suddenly, there was an earth-rumbling shake, and a huge kaboom rolled across the town. Far in the distance, Rob saw a red-cross sign burning with purple fire as it burst into flames. "The hospital!"
"What? Curse them!" Mali swore, "Why the hospital, of all places? Stupid Revolutionists!" he yelled as he turned his steps towards the direction of the blast, "Come on! We have to catch them red-pawed!"
Rob, filled with anger from tail to snout at the protesters, followed him with angry zeal.
At the newly devastated area...
"Holy Giratina." Rob kicked at the remains of a hospital bed. Clerics were rushing around, helping their own colleagues and injured Pokemon alike. He was angry. Blowing up a Town Square had been the limit. But what kind of heartless Pokemon would blow up a hospital? A place filled with the injured and needy. A place filled with Pokemon that had sworn not to fight and the Pokemon that couldn't fight. It was completely out of the ranges of humanity. It was infuriating.
"Look." Mali murmured. Rob turned, anger blazing from his eyes, and caught the sight of a Lucario, along with a Kricketune, Snivy, Chandelure, and Riolu, who were picking their way carefully through the carnage. A growl rose in his throat. He extended his claws and prepared to leap.
"Hold on! Let's see what they do!" Mali hissed. Rob reluctantly forced his hackles down.
He watched, anger blurring his vision, as the five Pokemon talked quietly with each other, and darted off in different direction.
Fiends! Rob thought furiously as they pretended to help the injured Pokemon, You imposters! Liars! Traitors to your own towns! It took every ounce of strength and willpower to not lunge at them and release his rage on their bodies.
After a couple of hours, the five Pokemon had a quick chat and separated not long after.
"Follow the Lucario." Mali said, and beckoned to a squad of Banettes floating by, "You guys. See that Riolu? Arrest him and charge him on the account of massacre and being in league with that Lucario."
"You mean Ralph?" one of the Banettes said, "I don't think he actuall―"
"DO IT!" Mali snarled into his face, which effectively shut the ghost Pokemon up. The Banette patrol squad fled.
"Let's follow the Lucario named Ralph, then." Rob suggested. He wanted to have a talk with the Lucario and then punch him in the face. Any Pokemon that blows up hospitals full of helpless Pokemon definitely deserved a lecture and a punch.
Mali shook his head. "No, we need to check the town and prevent any other explosions that might occur." he said reluctantly. He pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Hello, Bismay? Please send a squad of Banettes to follow that Lucario... they're walking towards the marketplace currently... yes, yes... thank you." He slipped the device into his jacket pocket. "Well? Let's go check the Town Hall, shall we?"
They walked in silence for a few moments before Rob got the nerve to ask him a question. "Spies―are they really, you know, being employed?"
Mali grunted. "Yeah, but no worries―we've got spies on our side as well. There's a Weavile from the Northern Kingdom named Xiawa. He's a pretty good spy."
"What about the rogue Pokemon? Do they have spies as well?"
Mali nodded. "Yeah, definitely. Some of our enchantresses―including Charnette―sensed spies running amok. It's sorta unpleasant thinking about Pokemon watching your every action." He shuddered visibly.
Rob bumped him good-naturally. "Don't worry." he said confidently, hoping his fear of spies didn't show, "We'll be fine. We're an elite squad of officers, after all, right?"
Mali grinned and bumped him back.
The two lieutenants were trying out the famous Nuvema doughnut truck's doughnuts when the alarm sounded.
"Capture has failed!" A Banette's scream, accompanied by several explosions in the background, screeched through Mali's walkie-talkie. "This is Patrol Unit 201, requesting backup immediately!"
"Roger that!" Mali yelled, and quickly grabbed two Banette patrol groups, "What units are you two?"
"165 and 172!" the two lead Banettes saluted.
"Units 165 and 172 are nearby and on the way!" Mali shouted into the walkie-talkie, "You two units! Use your GPS and catch those protesters!"
The Banette squads darted off.
"Let's follow them!" Rob urged.
"Wait." the Zoroark said in a commanding voice, "Let's go get my favorite weapon first!"
"Not a car, please. Not a car..." Rob begged.
"A car!" Mali said triumphantly. He quickly ran towards the police station.
"Attention all units, the suspects have entered a vehicle and are now escaping!" a voice blared.
Mali stormed into the police station. "Get all units in action! We've got protesters on the loose!" he yelled.
A Bisharp jumped to his feet and slammed a red button. Alarms began blaring.
"Roger that, units in the area are now in pursuit!" Mali yelled back into his walkie-talkie as the alarms wailed. Police officers swarmed the car and began driving off. "Come on, Rob!" he yelled as he hopping into an armored car, "Ooh, nice car. Time to drive!" he yelled.
"Agh―NOOO!" Rob howled. He slammed against his seat as the van peeled out of the police station at top speed. "AHHHHHHH!"
They caught up to the getaway van pretty quickly, since Mali was driving at about a hundred miles per hour. Rob's face felt like peeling off due to the giga-force of the fast-moving vehicle.
Mali grinned as he slowed down. "Shall I ram into them or blow them up from here?" he asked.
Rob felt a bit wobbly from the maniacal driving. "Urgh..." he mumbled.
"Yo, don't puke here! If you're gonna toss your doughnuts, do it out the window!"
Rob swallowed back bile. "G-Got it." he said shakily.
Mali grinned and tapped on the car's radio. "I've spotted the suspects; I need a blockade three miles from here just in case I don't apprehend the suspects, and bring someone who knows how to cast an effective Shadow Ball just in case." He eyed Rob. "I'm guessing you're so sick you're gonna swallow your Shadow Ball instead of firing it. No offense."
"Hence offended." Rob swallowed.
"Yes, sir. Sending in Unit 196 immediately." a dispatcher replied calmly.
"Urghhh..." Rob felt a bit sick to the stomach. Then he look the window of the van to see the Lucario's eyes staring back at him. "It'th im! Inth tih the vraamm!"
"Ram? Okay, if you say so!" Mali said cheerfully and stepped on the gas pedal.
"AHHHHH!" Rob screamed as the car blazed across the road and slammed into the van, "You're ginna kil uth all!"
"Ram harder? Okay!"
Rob felt like puking his entire stomach out. "AHHH!" he screamed, sure that any moment now Mali was going to get them both turned into a greasy spot on the concrete pavement, "AHHHHHHH! I DON'T WANNA DIEEE!" he wailed and immediately bit his tongue after, "OWWWTHHH!"
Oh, great. he thought miserably, First, I lose my teammates, second, a hospital blew up, and now I'm gonna die. Just wonderful.
"YEEEHOOOOWWWW!" Mali whooped.
"Um, Mali?" Rob sucked in the blood from his rapidly swelling tongue. "Why are they opening the doors?" He eyed the group of protesters as they threw open the backdoors, revealing a trunk filled with furniture and such. "What the heck are they doing?
"They're surrendering?" Mali suggested.
Then the Riolu hurled a couch at them.
"Whoa! HEY!" Mali yelled as the front window's glass began to fracture, "Not cool! Not cool!"
"AHHH!" Rob screamed as a polished oak table slammed into the fender. The car groaned.
"You're hurting my car!" Mali wailed, "NO-OOOO!"
"Um... Mali?" Rob watched the Riolu. "W-Why is he mixing up that soda with peppermint?"
Unfortunately, the Zoroark was too distressed to enlighten him as he mourned his damaged car and stomped harder on the gas, nearly sending Rob through the roof.
Just a second before the Riolu chucked the bottle at them, Rob had a split-second memory of his chemistry teacher warning him about carbon dioxide and this certain brand of peppermint. Combined, they make a pretty decent high-velocity bubble bomb.
Then the bottle promptly exploded, sending a fine white bubbly sludge over the front window.
"NOOOO!" Mali wailed, "Not the front window!" he screamed as the glass began shooting out small fragments.
"Who are you kidding? We're gonna dieeee!" Rob wailed as the car swerved wildly, "I don't wanna die! Stop the car!"
"Darn it!" Mali reluctantly pressed the brake pedal and brought them to a squealing halt. "Attention all units, I have fail to apprehend the suspects." he groaned.
Suddenly, there was a bone-shattering BOOM! Rob jumped out of his seat and tried the doors. They were sealed shut. "Dude, the car's malfunctioning. Get us out of here!" he snapped.
"My poor baby..." Mali melted down. "Front glass in shambles. Fender dented. Oh... what have they done to you?"
Rob rolled his eyes and used a carefully aimed Iron Tail to bust the doors open. More glass shattered from the impact and fell on him. The fragments dug into his skin. "Come on, Mali! Let's move it!" He dragged the weeping Zoroark out of the wrecked car just in time to see pieces of the now-flaming van fly by. Ahead, the Banette blockade had done their job well and formed a three-body thick mob, stopping the protesters―the Lucario, the Riolu, the Kricketune, and two new Pokemon; a Blaziken and Leafeon―in their tracks. The Lucario was yelling at the Kricketune as she laid limp and unmoving on the pavement.
Rob winced as he saw the Kricketune's burns. He got ready to run over and help when the group suddenly moved as one body, picked up the fallen Pokemon, and darted down an alley branching off from the road.
"Wha―get them!" he yelled. The Banettes heeded his voice and took up the chase.
Meanwhile, Mali was still weeping over the broken car, patting the broken and dented aluminum and sobbing heart-brokenly.
Rob sighed and limped over to help.
An hour later...
Rob was not in a good mood. It had taken him forty minutes to coax the sobbing lieutenant away from his precious car, and twenty more minutes to help him recover and get him back to the police station. When he had been promoted to lieutenant, this was definitely not what was in his mind. He'd rather go back to Group R and do border patrol. He'd rather do garbage duty with Group R. His heart ached as he remembered the good times he had with his teammates.
"What? You've lost them?" Mali yelled into his walkie-talkie, "You followed them to the Chapel... but then they weren't inside? Curse it!" He turned to glower at the three commanders―or generals, as they called themselves. "Well? You heard that report! Shore up your defenses! If this Rebellion gets out of paw, we're gonna lose our hides!"
The three commanders―the Bisharp, Dusknoir, and Scrafty―trembled before him and yelped a bit as he stepped towards him.
"Mali." Rob said soothingly, "That's enough. Let's go check out with the Mayor so we can get out of this place."
"Fine." Mali grouched and was silent all the way to the Town Hall.
The mayor was a tiny blue Pokemon with starry orange cheeks. Mayor Mack, the Mudkip had introduced himself as, was listening to Mali's report.
As Mali talked, Rob carefully scanned the Mudkip from fin to tail. He appeared to be rather weary, as if he'd been having visitors often. His fins were drooping, and his beady black eyes were bleary. Still, Rob admired the way he kept his posture straight and dignified, and listened intently to Mali's report.
"... so if you catch them, send them immediately to the nearest Shadow Force Outpost. They'll be fairly tried there, and then punished accordingly." Mali finished.
"Is that all?" the mayor asked.
Mali nodded importantly. "Yup, that's 'bout it."
"I will see to your requests, then." The tiny Pokemon let out a little sigh and hopped off the couch he'd been perched on. "Thank you for bring it to my attention."
"Ah, no prob." Mali said easily, and turned to Rob, "Well? What now? Let's go!" He hopped into a brand-new police car. "To the Outpost!"
"Wait, what about Group R?" Rob demanded.
Mali shrugged. "They're a patrol group, after all. We'll come back and collect them after they're done."
That sounded reasonable to Rob, so he joined Mali inside the car.
At the Outpost...
"Well, well, well." General Blobby smirked as he faced them. "Lost the Lucario, huh? No worries. I was sure that would happen, so I sent Charnette, and Amethyst already."
"Are you mad?" Mali exploded. "They can't be trusted, those weaklings!" He waved Robert away as he engaged in a verbal combat with the Swalot general.
A clinking sound aroused Rob's attention. He rose from where he'd been resting on a couch and stepped out of General Blobby's office to explore.
The clinking sound was coming from a wagon, which carried an unusually large Noivern in chains. Her eyes were closed, and her huge wings had been bound to her back.
Rob walked over curiously as the officers set her down, wondering if she was a protester.
"That's Hyper-Nova." Mali's voice startled him. The dark Pokemon had obviously lost his debate against the Swalot and was looking pretty miffed about it. "She's insane."
"Um, pardon me?"
Mali studied the bat Pokemon carefully, as if she were an atomic bomb. "There's an unstable factor that's been analyzed in her. Whenever she gets too... worked up during a battle, she changes into what we call her 'Berserk Mode', where she goes completely mad and starts attacking even her own teammates..."
"You get back here, Mali! We ain't done yet!" Blobby yelled. Mali scowled and turned towards the general. "Just be careful when you're around her, Rob. She is one dangerous Pokemon."
"MALI!"
"COMING, YOU BRAINLESS BLOB!" Mali roared back.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BRAINLESS BLOB?"
"ME!"
Rob took a hesitant step towards the Noviern. "Hey." he said awkwardly, "Are you... um... awake?"
The Noivern opened her eyes. Her pupils were unusually small―just the size of a small Pokecoin. She studied Rob critically. "Of course I'm awake. I never sleep." she said frankly.
"Err..." Rob couldn't tell whether she was kidding or not, so he decided not to ask. "Anyways, why are you in chains?"
The bat girl scowled. "Obviously, they think I'm unstable." She huffed. "Please! I used to be a girl with dignity. A lady with class, and after sponsoring them, and eventually joining them, they reward me with this!" She shook the chains disgustingly.
Rob felt bad for Nova. "I don't suppose they'll let you out anytime soon?"
She shrugged. "Don't know. I guess it depends on whether my bloodlust comes up again or not." She wiggled her chained wings irritably. "Well, I guess you'd better go now. It's getting late. Plus, that frog is looking for you."
"Frog?"
"ROBERT SHAW!" Rob turned to see General Ranark the Greninja hurrying towards him. "It's almost curfew. We must talk." He glanced at Hyper-Nova. "Were you talking to her?"
"Yeah, but she's―"
"No matter. Come with me." He dragged Rob away. Nova shrugged and winked at him.
"So." Rob pawed at the ground. "What's the news?"
Ranark huffed. "Nah, I just want somebody I can vent my rage on. Do you mind if I go ballistic?"
"Err..." The last thing Rob wanted in this very imperfect day was for the Greninja to pull off ninja moves and send him flying sky-high. "I actually don't―"
"Great! Now listen." The indigo frog took a deep breath. "That General Doomsday! Oh, please! Darkrai thinks that general is so great, and forgets all about his loyal general―me! A complete injustice! I am a much better fighter, planner, and tactician than that Doomsday! And Darkrai has to nerve to make―"
"Uh, I gotta do my business." Rob yelped, coming up with a quick excuse, "Gotta go! Bye!"
"Aw, come on! Is there nobody who sympathizes with me?" the Greninja complained.
Well, nobody actually cares. Rob thought back as he made his quick escape.
After pacing his comfy guest room restlessly in the Outpost for a while, trying to arrange his jumbled emotions and worries, Rob was startled by a loud knocking on his door. He opened it to see Group R in full rage mode, their eyes brimming with rage.
"Are―you―mad?" Annie hissed with barely unconcealed rage. All four Pokemon were dripping wet from head to toe. "We are your friends, Robert! We helped you during battle! We... we gave you the title and honor of being our leader! And ever since you got that stupid promotion, you go off with your little friend Mali and leave us in the rain with no ride―nothing!" she screeched out the last words.
"You know what? I think you were just using us to get that promotion." Jazz said drily, "Quite unthinkable of such an honorable Pokemon such as yourself, but I suppose it happens to all Pokemon that grasp great power."
Rob looked at them frantically. "Guys―no! That's no what happened?"
"Then what happened?" Gran snarled, his voice dripping with loathing, "Or are you so high and mighty now that you don't want to talk to us? Guess your species is called Mightyena for a reason."
"I wouldn't expect anything less." Jazz added.
Rob took a deep breath. "Look, guys. I didn't mean to hurt you. You four helped me every pawstep of my way to here. I haven't forgotten that. I'm sorry for totally messing up our relationship with each other. I'm sorry I got over my heels in this... this lieutenant stuff. I didn't mean to hurt you guys. I'd do anything to get your friendship back. I'll even sacrifice my leadership, rank, anything!" He got suddenly desperate. "I'm really, really sorry! I've never done anything like... I... I just don't know what I'm doing!" And with the feeling of hopelessness in his heart, he promptly burst into tears.
Of course, he felt overwhelmingly embarrassed as he did so. A big, full-grown Mightyena lieutenant melting into a puddle at the feet of his teammates? Unthinkable. What would Lily say if she saw him like this?
"Hey, don't cry." Annie said, sounding slightly perplexed, "It's totally understandable. You just got carried away. We understand. We forgive you."
"We do?" Jazz asked. Her three teammates glared at her. "What? Just pointing out the obvious. Jeez." she said loftily.
Rob sniffled and shook himself. "You guys don't have to forgive me." he said miserably, "I-I just left you guys there. In the rain. With no ride back here. I'm a terrible leader." He barely managed to swallow back a sob.
"Aw, man. It's okay." Gran said, looking flustered, "We totally understand and forgive you. It's fine."
"It's not fine! I'm the leader! I should be taking care of you guys! And instead... instead..."
"Calm down." Jazz said in a bored tone, "It's not gonna help anyone if you break down again. If we say we forgive you, we've forgiven you. Sheesh. No need to start doubting us. We're friends, after all."
"Jazz." Annie said, amazed, "That was the most inspirational sarcastic comment I've ever heard from you."
"Oh, shut up. I'm awesome that way."
Rob felt tears of gratitude filling up his eyes. "I won't ever do that again." he promised them.
"Would be good if you don't." Jazz offered, "Because you pretty much destroyed our friendship today."
"Jazz, shut up." Annie grumbled, "You're not helping."
"Hey, I'm just telling the truth!"
"Okay, then can go back to preaching friendship quotes again?"
"Nah, that was just a once-in-a-lifetime thing."
"Shucks." Annie grumbled.
Gran clapped Rob on the shoulder. "Well, sorry for bothering you this late." he said good-naturedly, "You should get some sleep. We wouldn't want our leader falling asleep on his paws, do we?"
"Ump." Demo said.
"Exactly." Gran agreed, "Nighty-night, Rob!" Then the four Pokemon turned and sauntered off.
Relief filled Rob from tail-tip to nose. Thank goodness for those good friends of his! With a lighter mind and heart, he curled up on his soft mattress and fell asleep.
Through the air vent, the spy's golden eyes gleamed. She pulled out a magical notebook and a quill pen. Anything she wrote would be transferred immediately to her superior. She picked up the pen with her mouth and started to write.
I have successfully infiltrated the Shadow Force Outpost...
Next morning...
"The Northern Kingdom?" Annie swallowed a pancake. "Sounds like fun! When do we leave?"
"After breakfast." Rob said, "We got summons from Darkrai himself!"
"Oh, yeah! This is the life!" Gran whooped, "Summons from the Big Lord himself!"
Rob grinned. "And after we have our meeting with him, I'm sure the Revolution will be controlled and we can finally have our Golden Age!"
The entire Group R cheered and attacked their breakfast.
Rob was stuffing down his last waffle when Mali approached him. "Hey, Robby! I heard your group got summons from Darkrai himself!"
"Yeah! Isn't it awesome?"
"Well, mind if I swap with you? You're a lieutenant, after all. You might be needed here. I'll go with Group R as their leader." Mali offered.
"Thanks Mali―but no thanks." Rob smiled at his teammates. "We're a team, and teams stick together."
"Whatever you say, bro." Mali agreed, "Well, I'm gonna stick around here just in case. You never know when the rogues will attack! Good luck out there!"
"Right back at you!" Rob waved him away. "Well, team? Let's go!"
They poured out of the Outpost and hopped into the van. It was filled with weapons and supplies that they were going to help deliver to the Northern Kingdom. Gran, as usual, took up the driving, and the other members made up jokes and riddles to pass the time.
"I don't get why they didn't give us a helicopter." Jazz complained, "We can get there faster by air!"
"Meh. Road trips are fun. Besides, aircraft were just invented by those Wartortle bros. They're not exactly safe, you know." Annie contradicted, "I'd rather arrive at the Northern Kingdom in one piece, not a million flaming bits of a Mawile."
Demo grunted in agreement.
"Well, that's great and all." Gran kept his eyes on the road. "What happened yesterday while we were doing border patrol? We saw all the Banettes going completely berserk and running around like fools. Was that your doing?"
"Nah." Rob admitted, "Well, sort-of. We were visiting the bombed voyaged place. Then the hospital blew up, you know? We went there as fast as possible and saw those rebels poking around. Then next thing you know, Mali's in a car doing his crazy driving, those Banettes were running around trying to make a blockade, and then there was this high-velocity soda bomb that broke Mali's car. And then..."
"I'm not getting it." Jazz said, "Can you talk normally?"
"Shhh!" Annie hissed, "It's getting interesting!"
"You mean you get what he's saying?"
"SHHH!"
"... the rebels escaped in the end and disappeared into the Chapel and I had to drag Mali's sorry hide all the way to the police station. Oh, and we visited Mayor Mack." he finished.
"That made no sense, but okay. Pretty eventful day, huh." Gran commented, "Wait―why's there a fallen tree in the middle of the road? Whoa!" The van screeched and careened into the forest, narrowly missing a head-on collision with a huge tree trunk. "What in the name of Arceus?" He hopped out to investigate.
"I think we'd better go out and move it. It might a a hazard to other vehicles." Annie suggested.
"We should blow it up." Jazz offered.
"And accidentally set the entire forest on fire? I don't think so." Rob retorted, getting out of the van, "Let's cut it into smaller pieces and throw them back into the forest."
"Roger that." the other replied.
Rob began hacking away at the huge trunk with a mixture of Iron Tail and Metal Claw. His comrades also attempted to cut through the trunk, but it was so thick and heavy, and plus the fact that none of them had Psychic, they were not able to move it.
"Hey, Rob." Annie called, "Something's weird over here."
"What?" Rob walked over.
"Look." She showed him the cleanly cut edge of the trunk. "It was purposely cut."
Rob shook his head, puzzled. "But who'd want to block the path?"
Suddenly, Annie tensed. "It's a trap!" she said, "It has to be!"
"Well... duh." Jazz commented, "Derp."
"Err... we're not exactly getting attacked." Rob said, "Maybe..."
"The van!" Gran yelled, and Rob turned around to see five Pokemon pillaging goods from the back of the van, "Rogues!"
There was a Serperior, who was obviously the leader, as he was ordering the others around. The other five Pokemon, a Flygon, a Zorua, a Charizard, a Seviper, and a Girafarig, were stuffing the weapons and supplies into magical sacks that seemed to be able to fit everything in it―including an entire crate of Gummies, several bags of berries, quivers and bows, and a huge bag stuffed with whipped cream. Why there was whipped cream inside the van, Rob didn't know, but it wasn't exactly important at the moment.
"Attack!" Rob yowled and hurled himself at the rogues. The Flygon whipped out of the way and hissed angrily.
"I've got it all!" The Girafarig stuffed the last crate of food into her bag. "Let's hit the road!"
"You're not getting away!" Jazz yelled and Hyper Beamed them. The Flygon was hit and sent flying with a wail.
"Go, go, go!" the Serperior yelped. All five Pokemon turned tail and fled into the trees.
"After them!" Annie yelled. Demo roared forward.
"You guys go!" the Seviper hissed, "I'll hold the corrupted freaks!"
"Yeah, right!" Gran snarled and hurled himself at the serpent. She swirled around him quickly in a graceful wave and slammed him into the ground. The Shiftry counterattacked immediately, and crushed the snake Pokemon into a boulder. The Seviper wailed with pain.
"I'll help Nyx! You three run!" the Serperior yelled.
"I'm not leaving, Zamza!" the Flygon yelled. Jazz hit the sand dragon over the head with a heavy swipe and smashed his face into the ground.
"Heaven's sake, Sandrain! You're annoying!" Zamza snapped as he plowed Demo into the ground. Annie screamed as Nyx whirled around, using her tail as a spear, and slammed the poor Mawile into a tree. Apples rained down on her head. The Seviper was bopped on the head by a dozen more apples and fainted.
"Might as well go full on! Come on, Ra!" the Zoura yapped, "Isis, you keep on going!"
The Charizard wheeled around. "Hop on, Gala! I'll torch―" He managed to make out before Demo rose and slammed him into the ground. "AHH!"
"Ra!" the Zoura named Gala cried.
Rob darted after the Girafarig, who was carrying the magic sacks. She yelped as he lunged out at her and clopped him in the head with a well-aimed hoof. He shook his head, momentarily dizzy, and quickly attacked. This time, his aim was true and he sent the little deer crashing to the ground. He grabbed the magic bags. "I've got the―"
"Not so fast!" He was suddenly suffocated in a chokehold. The Serperior named Zamza hissed with rage.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Gran yelled, "Attacking poor travelers?"
"Oh, and you guys are the innocent ones?" Gala snarled as she launched a Night Daze at him, which Gran batted away easily, "Yeah, right!"
"You guys are the robbers!" Rob broke free from the Serperior's grip. "Just who do you think you are?" he snarled.
"Just who do you think you are?" the green serpent snarled back with so much rage, Rob took a step back, "Is it not bad enough that you took away our loved ones? Our homes? Now you're taking away our freedom and turning us into... into slaves for Darkrai? Hooligans!" He swung a disastrous Dragon Tail and slammed Demo into the ground. "Ra! Grab Nyx and Isis and get away! We'll deal with those officers!"
"Not yet!" Gran jumped at the Charizard before realizing that one, a Charizard is a Flying and Fire type, and two, a Grass type jumping a Flying and Fire type was probably not the smartest tactic ever. He tried to stop himself by doing funky chicken-wing movements, but by then it was too late.
Ra looked up and torched Gran with a Flamethrower. The branches of the trees above caught fire.
"Oh, great." Zamza hissed, "Ra! Go now! We'll detain them!"
"No way!" Rob jumped at him, but the Flygon named Sandrain slammed into him.
"You're going to have to go through me first!" the Dragon and Bug type warned.
Rob bared his teeth and lunged at him with an Ice Fang. Sandrain blasted him back with a Sand Attack, blinding him. Rob staggered back just in time to see Ra take off with Isis, Nyx, and the magic sacks containing their precious supplies.
"Sandrain! Put out the fire!" Zamza shouted. Rob took his chance and jumped the Serperior. The snake was taken off guard and crashed into the shrubbery.
Zamza struggled to shake him off, but couldn't. Jazz had Gala pinned against a tree. Gran, Annie, and Demo were all just coming to their senses. Meanwhile, Sandrain created a quick gust of wind and blew out the fire.
"You're under arrest!" Rob commanded, "Do not resist or we will use force!"
"You're already using force." the Serperior pointed out, "Sandrain, Gala, now!"
Flygon swooped down, narrowing avoiding the tangled branches of the trees, and body-slammed Jazz, who wailed and fled. Gala launched a Night Daze at his defenseless friends. Rob flinched as his three comrades were knocked out again.
Coward. He cursed inwardly as Jazz darted away. Again, she had always been the first to leave the battlegrounds in any skirmish, so it wasn't exactly surprising.
He raised his hackles and growled as the three rogues faced him. But they didn't seem to be in a hurry to attack. Their victory, after all, was certainly assured. Battered and weakened, Rob was no threat to them.
"You know, we should take him back and give him to Frightful Frost." Gala mused.
"Or make him listen to the poetic lectures of the Singing Serpent." Sandrain suggested, "Man, she absolutely sucks at rhyming."
Rob watched them, body tensed, as they circled him.
"Or we could take him to the Nightmare Maiden and let her eat him." Gala chortled, "Or mentally disable him. Best kind of torture method ever!"
Zamza watched him coolly. Rob felt a growl rise in his throat. "What do you guys want? Why are you robbing us? Why are you doing this?" he asked helplessly, "Why are there always Pokemon like you out there that choose to steal and kill for a living?"
"Rather ironic, since it's you guys who put us in this position in the first place." Sandrain growled, "Never mind the Singing Serpent. I'm killing you!" He lunged forward, but Rob dodged neatly and landed on his back, sinking a deadly Ice Fang into the Flygon's body. The sand dragon screeched with pain and wheeled away.
"How dare you!" Gala snarled and jumped, but to Rob's surprise, Zamza held her back.
"Let him go." Zamza said, the angry look on his regal face replaced by sadness and curiosity, "He's obviously been played."
Gala snarled again and dug her claws into the dirt before racing off.
Sandrain staggered up, baring his vicious fangs, but Zamza gave him a long, hard stare, and the Flygon snorted with disdain and flew off.
Zamza gave him a strange look, a mixture of pity and confusion, and started to slither off.
"Wait!" Rob forced his voice box to work. "What... what did you mean? That I've been played? And―why are you letting me go? Do you understand that I would've arrested you, maybe even killed you during this fight? Why didn't you do the same?"
The serpent looked back at him, red eyes glowing. "You are just a pawn on their chessboard, Robert Shaw. A good and kind soldier like you doesn't deserve that fate. You are not worth the kill. And we do not kill innocents." he said grimly.
Rob felt his jaws drop. "How'd you know my name?" Then he shook his head. "Wait―that doesn't matter. What did you mean? That we'd taken everything from you?"
"You'll understand." the snake promised, "I may not be an oracle, but I do know that all who walks the path you are on will meet that certain fate. And then you shall understand. You will understand how I felt when all was taken from me. Do not forget that. When it happens, remember who caused it. Remember which side you are on. Then you will realize the truth. The truth will set you free, of course, but by then..." The snake started disappearing into the shadows. "It will be too late." With a flick of his ivy-shaped tail, he vanished.
"Oh, man. Rogues these days." Gran grumbled as he rubbed the apple-shaped lump on his noggin. "They've trashed the van, too. It's gonna take some time to fix the engine. Annie, can you help me with that?"
"I got slammed into the ground like, fifty times." the Deceiver Pokemon grumbled, "My head's still spinning."
"Rawr." Demo agreed.
"I'll help you fix the stupid engine. Can't be that hard." Jazz snapped. Her normally sleek fur looked like it'd gone through a hurricane. "Move over! And some Pokemon go patrol the forest. Next time I get ambushed, I'm blowing up that forest and I don't give a Tamato Berry about who's in it!"
"I'll go patrol the forest." Rob said reluctantly and trudged into the forest.
The fire had gone completely out, and the only remains from the battle was the scuffled dirt, scorched branches, and crumbly boulders.
A note fell over his shoulder and landed at his paws.
Turn back.
He looked up and saw a dark, slender figure that seemed rather familiar staring back at him with wide, golden eyes.
"What do you mean, turn back? I'm not going deeper into the forest. I'm just poking around here." Rob said.
The figure scribbled another note and threw it down.
Rob picked it up. It read: Turn back. It's getting dangerous.
He looked back up irritably. "Can't you mysterious oracles or robed figures all just make a statement?" he complained, "And why do you all like, shroud yourselves in a dark robe and such with... I don't know, a Duskull mask? Is your identity that important?"
The figure blinked and scrawled another note.
Can't say. Turn back. Or you'll lose everything.
His throat tightened. "What do you mean?"
The figure sent down another scrap of paper. A complete waste of paper. Mysterious folks these days.
I lost myself to the force. You will lose yours too. To another force.
"My what?" he demanded, "Can you just talk? By the way, you're wasting paper."
The figure jumped down and handed him another piece of notebook paper.
Not possible. You know. You will know. Cannot tell more.
"Can't you guys be clear for once?" he sounded whiny, even to himself, "And why are you talking to me, of all folks to advise out there? What about that General Blobby? Heaven's sake! That purple blob of goo certainly needs a new brain and a good wise-cracking adviser."
The figure scratched a last message into the dirt and melted into the forest.
"Wait―oh, come on." he grouched, "Folks pop up, sprouts tarot card messages, then goes poof! Not helpful at all!" he yelled into the forest. A couple startled Pidgeys fluttered from their branches.
Rob's anger faded and was replaced by sudden alarm as he read the last message.
At crossroads: either way, you will lose all...
Wish you good luck, lieutenant. But it won't matter in the end.
Credits:
alpha2275: LoG Representative on Fanfiction and Fanfiction Manager
MarcusUCOD: Dialogue Writer
Esther Hung: Chief Writer, Editor, Video Maker, and Character Creator
Anisa Krieg: Writer, Artist, Character Creator, and Tweaker
(More TBD...)