Chapter 14

"Azura!" She heard a distant voice calling her name. "Azura!"

"Thrymr!" She called back to the Manectric.

He stepped through some trees. "Well there you are…" He looked ready to admonish her when he looked at the Jolteon behind her. He frowned. "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm Zephyr. You must be Thrymr… Azura has told me… great… things about you."

"Well well… a Jolteon. I once had a buddy who was a Vaporeon…"

"Huh. I considered becoming a Vaporeon, but they're too slow-"

"That's enough. Thank you for bringing Azura back."

The Jolteon looked ready to speak, then clearly thought better of it. Azura turned to him, but he merely sighed. "All right, I guess. I'd… I'd better be… well, goodbye Ms. Azura." He looked at her, and nodded gently.

"Wait! So… so just like that, you're going to go and leave?"

"Why? What were you thinking?"

She was aware of Thrymr looking at her, then said, "I was wondering if you would like to come with us…"

She thought the Manectric would object, but he stayed silent.

"I… well, I… I just don't know. I want to find Madison, yet…"

"She's your sister! You have to go and look for her!"

He looked at the other electric type. "W-would that be okay with you?" She saw the Jolteon quickly look at her neck before turning back.

"I suppose…"

"Really?" Azura was surprised he agreed so quickly.

"I'm okay with him tagging along with us. After all, our goal is to find my friends and if he's looking for somebody too… I suppose it's okay."

"Thank you… once I find my sister, I'll be leaving." He bowed gently, and Thrymr turned around.

"Sun's rising. Let's go and find our friends."

He began walking off. Azura and Zephyr exchanged glances before following him. "So Thrymr… we're heading to the fortress, right? How do you know your friends will be there?"

He didn't turn around. "If you knew my friends, you'd know that we don't let anybody beat us and escape. But we know Palkia will search us out if necessary. We have to beat him before he finds us."

"And if we can't?"

He was silent for awhile. "Palkia may be powerful, but his pride is his greatest flaw. He'll refuse to attack others until he has beaten us thoroughly. Or until he has killed us."

"I would often hear of Palkia's cruelty to mortals when me and Madison would visit towns. We'd get important supplies and all. Supposedly, there were these four heroes who would try and help the poor in a nearby village. One time, she said an Absol tossed her a coin before running into-"

"Siarnaq. He's one of my friends."

"Really?" The Jolteon seemed quite excited. "You knew somebody that powerful? He must have been really something! I-"

"I was one of his allys."

"Oh, so… wait! You were one of the four? It all makes sense now…"

A smile came to the Manectric's face. "Yeah. Don't cross me. Maybe we could try sparring someday… you sound like a worthy opponent."

"Is that a challenge? Maybe," said Zephyr with a grin. "I'll eagerly await that."

Azura frowned. She was curious to see if she could beat her two friends. Sure, they were bigger, but… well, she'd have to find out later.

"Well well… what do we have here?"

She heard the menacing flap of wings. The three of them turned around. Thrymr snarled. "Zapdos…"

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Azura half expected to be fried right there. Instead, the legendary just floated, clearly thinking. "Hehe… three little mortals. My mission was halted… Palkia may be pleased if… no…!" His eyes were wide with belief. "M-Manectric! You! I thought Palkia killed you!"

"Apparently not. You'd best fuck off. Me and my buddy absorb lightning, and Azura here has a type advantage. You'd be stupid to attack us!"

He snorted. "One of you pests aren't a problem. Master Palkia will slaughter you all! I would've finished off your stupid friends if Raikou hadn't interfered." He said the other legendary's name spitefully.

Thrymr twitched his ears. "Where were they?"

"In the mountains west of here. Go ahead and find them. I don't really care. Just know I'm letting you go-"

"Shut up already. If you want to scrap, then lets do it!" said Azura.

Zapdos cackled before flapping his wings. "I'll take my leave, wimps. Just one more thing, Ms. Azura."

She froze. Would he dare attack her? "What do you want?"

"I have a feeling you'll make a new friend… if he doesn't kill you first!" With a crackle of lightning, he vanished.

"That's ominous. Do you know what he could mean?" asked Zephyr.

She couldn't help but be reminded of the mysterious Pokemon in the engine room. "I… I don't know."

Thrymr looked at her for a long time. "Hmph. We're lucky it was just Zapdos. He's powerful, but taking on three opponents with immunity and type advantage would be idiotic, even for him."

Zephyr frowned. "I'll be sure to remember that. We should just stick together."

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"Well well. This looks like a good camping spot. We're just outside of the forest right now… yeah, this'll do."

"So what's the plan? We're going to meet up with your friends in the mountains?"

"No. They'll have to go through a dark cave known as the Cave of Illusions."

Zephyr looked up sharply. "Cave of Illusions? Do you think your friends can make it through that? That is one of the most dangerous places around. Some say it's part of Giratina's domain."

"I certainly hope so. We're currently a little north of it, and we're actually ahead of that range, meaning we have an easy route to the fortress. Unfortunately, we can't take it alone. The fort will be docking at a field soon, if what I've heard is correct. We shouldn't have too much trouble. The sun is setting, and we should certainly be getting ready to sleep."

They lit a fire like before, and sat around it. "So… Zephyr... when are you gonna tell Azura and I the truth?"

He twitched his ears, and looked at Thrymr. "Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

"That you're a bloodsipper?"

The Jolteon's eyes got wide. "H-h-how did you know?"

Azura's mind was racing. "A bloodsipper? What's that?"

Thrymr didn't move his intense gaze. "A Pokemon who sucks the blood out of others to live. They live off of three things: blood, milk, and honey. Blood is their favorite; typically those of the opposite sex. They need blood. Sure, they can eat other stuff, but they especially need blood."

"Hang on now! How did you figure it out?"

Thrymr smiled. "I've seen you eying Azura's neck. Many many times… when you asked to come with us, when we sat by the river to drink… I can go on and on."

"Is this true?"

The Jolteon looked down. "Yes. I… I love blood… but I would never attack Azura for her blood or anything else…"

She gasped. "So… you want my blood? Gah! That's disgusting!"

He seemed ashamed. "That's part of why I was stealing. I would buy blood from a nearby town. Milk and honey work, yet nothing compares to the taste of fresh blood. I've never tasted a girl's blood however…" And he looked up, eyes truly sincere. "And I certainly don't plan to."

Thrymr nodded. "Bloodsippers typically don't kill their victims. Of course, they keep them for their own purposes. Slaves… sex… depends. But you seem true."

"So you planned to drain me of my blood then fuck me?!"

"No! I swear! I just want to find my little sister!"

She hissed at him, and his ears drooped. "I'm sorry. I just didn't see how it would hurt you guys if I didn't plan to attack you."

Azura got ready to retort, but Thrymr spoke up. "Azura, it's okay. He would have already bitten you when you were attacked if he had wanted to." He turned to the Jolteon. "You never bit her, did you?"

"No. I promise."

Azura stood up. "I had a dream where a shadowy figure attacks me. He threatens me. Is it you? Are you planning to take my blood?!"

He looked at her sadly. "You'll never believe me. It's something that I was born with."

The Jolteon looked so sorry… she sighed. "Fine! No staring at my neck anymore."

"I'll try not to… I mean, a nice neck is sort of like a nice pair of breasts to me…"

She frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Never mind."

The three collected some food; they couldn't catch any meat, so Zephyr raided a Combee nest. Thrymr and Azura watched him eat the honey.

"Not blood… but it'll do." He dipped his finger into the leaf he had collected it in. "Want some?" he offered Azura.

"Uh… sure." She stuck her finger into the warm honey and licked it. It was very sweet, and soothing as it trickled into her stomach. "That's good… we wouldn't have honey undersea, as you might expect."

He sat down closer to her. She felt herself get nervous. "Umm… what are you doing?"

"Your cuts are fine?"

"Yeah. It doesn't hurt."

"Make sure to clean it out later," added Thrymr, before standing up. "I'm going to go relieve myself."

He walked off through the trees. Azura felt the Jolteon wrap an arm around her back, and shivered, despite the fact that his touch was warm. "Don't worry. I'll just have a little taste of your blood…" She squeaked like a Rattata, and the Jolteon smiled. "Just kidding… although if you wouldn't mind giving me a little taste…"

"No!" He laughed again, and she actually joined him. "Hehe… don't talk about sucking my blood any more."

"Of course, Azura."

"Why are you staying so close to me?"

"Because you're cute, quite honestly. You would get along with my sister." He looked at her, and she turned away. Such a forward guy! And he's a bloodsipper! That's… actually kinda weird… but hot the same time. But he's obviously making a move on me… but what if he just wants my blood?

"Umbreon. So I mean…"

"Excuse me?"

"I was just saying my sister's mate is an Umbreon."

"Oh! Yeah, I see. My best friend is an Umbreon, Luna. Hopefully, she'll come up someday… we've been friends since childhood."

"I see. But you mustn't forget that you were willing to leave her for the taste of freedom."

She blinked. "So you're saying-"

"I'm not saying anything but that we sometimes have to live with our decisions."

"That's deep," she teased.

"Shut up. Your neck looks delicious…"

She laughed. "You're funny."

He smiled. "What? Not the uncivilized thief you thought I was, right?"

She smiled. "I suppose not. You're kinda cute I guess, but you STILL CAN'T HAVE MY BLOOD!"

He laughed. "Darn."

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"Thrymr? Zephyr? Hey guys… this… this isn't funny." Where are they? She knew this was obviously a dream… it was dark within the dream landscape, but she could recognize the machine room from her earlier dream.

Steam hissed, and she turned around. She half expected the cloaked figure to come out from the shadows behind her, but nothing happened. Stairs were leading up to an upper deck, and atop it was a massive metal machine. She slowly walked up, her feet clanking with each step she took. When she got up, she saw her two friends collapsed just in front of the machine. She gasped.

"Zephyr! Thrymr! Are you guys okay?" The two of them were covered in blood, and she cradled the Jolteon's head. "Are you alright?"

He opened his eyes. "Azura… be careful…"

Then two red lights glowed from the massive machine behind them. Then it began growing… then she realized it was no machine. The massive shape stood up in the darkness. "Palkia!"

"Grr… foolish mortals… you will never stand a chance…"

She tried to scream, but nothing would come out. She felt like she couldn't move. The air around her was thick with darkness…

"Can't move, little ice type? Pathetic!"

He waved a hand, and she flew back into a wall. She got up, gasping for breath. She felt like her ribs had broken, and she couldn't breathe hardly.

"Are you ready to die?"

"No! I'll beat you!"

He laughed evilly, resounding throughout her head. "You know you cannot! This will be the end of you!"

She stood up, and notched a spear of ice on her arrow. Bravely, she said, "I'll never let you hurt my friends!" She let the arrow fly, and it spun straight to the dragon's face. He snarled, and out of nowhere, a cloaked figure fell from the ceiling, sword in hand. He slashed the arrow in half, and she could make out a pair of glinting eyes. It was the Pokemon from her dream before!

"Who's this?"

The voice was quiet, but she could detect the darkness within it. "I mustn't let you harm Palkia!" He dashed towards her, sword trailing behind him. "I am sorry…"

Then she woke up, for the second night in a row, feeling greatly unsettled.

"What are you dreaming about?" Thrymr was watching her, while Zephyr was sleeping a few feet away.

"I… I think I saw Palkia…"

The Manectric looked up sharply. "I know. I've been having bad dreams of him as well…"

"He had a powerful ally on his side…"

The Manectric nodded. "Armed with a sword… that sword… I… I know I've seen it before… but I can't make it out…"

He shook his head. "Whatever they mean…"

"Could we be making the wrong decision?"

He didn't speak for awhile. "We must stick with what we believe. However… I wouldn't blame you for leaving…"

She took a deep breath. This decision could end up killing her… but she knew what she wanted. "I know what I must do, and that is help end Palkia's evil."

Okay guys, the big encounter between the groups is coming up soon-ish (probably not next chapter) and it will certainly be surprising! Read and review please!