IMN: Hello every-AAAHHHHHHHH! *Dodges deadly weapons thrown at her* Okay, not gonna lie, I might have deserved that...
Cast: 'MIGHT HAVE'?!
Rhythmi: You left us for. Over. A. YEAR!
Mace: Ke-Ke and I didn't get a full chapter since we came back yet!
Fro: My business almost dried up!
Keith: I WAS MACE'S PUNCHING BAG FOR MONTHS! AS WELL AS A CHEW TOY FOR SNUGGLE-BUNS!
IMN: *Sweating nervously* I'm sorry! I had these really important exams, graduation, getting into college and emotional stuff going on in my family! I barely had room to breathe, much less write! *On hands and knees and bows* Please forgive me! Spare this pitiful author!
Kate: Come on, guys, cut it out. She's already sorry and obviously feels bad about this. IMN is on her hands and knees, so maybe we should forgive her. She did have a lot of stuff going on in her life.
IMN: *Crying tears of joy* Kate~! You're an angel~!
Cast: ...Fine.
IMN: PRAISE ARCEUS! *Turns to audience* To my fellow readers, please forgive me for not updating in so long! I hope that this chapter is enough for your forgiveness! Now remember, I, Infusion Masters Nightmare, don't own Pokémon or the characters. I only own the idea of Mewmans, Rosie and Mace. Now, ON WITH THE STORY!
Chapter 29: Dungeons and Secrets
Keith's Pov
"Kellyn? Mace? What are you doing here?!" I exclaimed. Kellyn and Mace stopped arguing and looked in my direction. Suddenly Kellyn and Mace burst out laughing. Kellyn walked towards Kate, Rhythmi and I with Mace still over his shoulder. Kellyn gave me a hi-five and smiled at the girls.
"Long time no see, guys! It's been awhile," Kellyn greeted us.
"Yeah, it's nice to see both of you again. By the way, how long are you going to hold Mace like that?" Rhythmi asked as she pointed at the female Ranger/Mechanic thrown over Kellyn's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Trust me, this is for the best. I'll put her down when she promises not to try and kill Murph," Kellyn replied as he glared at the black haired ranger.
"He took my whole bag of Raspberry flavoured Bonbons! That is the most evil thing anybody could ever do! Which reminds me..." Mace said before she suddenly kicked me in the gut!
"OW! What the hell, Mace!" I exclaimed in anger as I held my gut. Arceus dammit THAT HURT!
"Direct hit!" Mace shouted in victory.
"MACE! Why did you kick Keith?" Kellyn yelled in anger. Mace just cleared her throat and took a deep breath.
"Exactly 163 days 17 hours 49 minutes and 53 seconds ago, Keith Dazzle Adams had sneaked into the kitchen in Ranger School and ate a chocolate cake, which Janice had cooked for me as a reward for fixing the fridge for her! I'd waited all day for that cake only to find crumbs and a red hair left on the plate! I had to go over the security cameras to find out the no good Cake-Crook was Keith! I DEMAND REVENGE!" Mace explained.
"It was just a cake!"
"It was my cake that you ate!"
"There's still no need to kick me, you dumb Ursaring!"
"That is it! Let me at him, Ke-Ke! Let me at him!" Mace screamed as she struggled to get out of Kellyn's grip. Just then I saw a familiar green haired girl, wearing a Operator uniform, entering the room with a Leafeon by her side.
"Sorry I'm late. I had to rest for a bit and- Oh no, not again," said the green haired girl when she saw the scene.
"Rosie, use the Sleep Powder! The Sleep Powder!" Kellyn yelled as he tried to hold onto the struggling black/purple haired ranger. Rosie quickly went over to Mace, blew a green powder at her face before the She-Hulk was knocked out cold. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
"That was close. Why was Mace acting like that? Did she have sugar again?" Kate asked. Kellyn and Rosie just let out a sigh.
"Yes, we were on the plane when it happened. I only fell asleep for five minutes while Kellyn when to the toilet. The next thing we knew the flight attendant sold Mace two packets of Raspberry Bonbons and a large bag of chocolate treats by the end of the flight. Fortunately we met some Dim Sun grunts nearby and Mace got rid of most of her sugar high. Don't worry, the sugar will be out of her system when she wakes up," Rosie explained.
"Uhhhhhhhh... Where am I?" Mace mumbled as she woke up. That was quick. Kellyn smiled and gently placed Mace back on her feet. Mace looked at our group and gave us a smirk.
"Heh heh. Looks like the old gang is back together," Mace laughed as we all came in for a group hug. When we broke apart Rhythmi was looking a bit down at the mention of the 'old gang'.
"Well, we're one short. Isaac is still working at Altru. Inc," Rhythmi replied as she had a sad smile on her face.
"Sadly, we couldn't get Isaac to join us to stop Team Dim Sun. However six out of seven is better than none. The Union needs more Top Rangers, Operators and Mechanics for our situation. So, what better people to work together than the school group that defeated Hunters, rampaging Pokémon and rebellious Mewmans before?" Chairperson Erma explained.
Then Prof. Hastings presented us to four new Fine Stylers for Kate, Kellyn, Mace and myself. Grandpa gave us an explanation of how to access the 'Power Charge'. THIS IS AWESOME! I'M FINALLY A TOP RANGER! WAHOO!
"Keep it down, Redhead! Damn you're making my head hurt with your yelling!" I heard Mace's voice echo in my head. Right, telepathy. Forgot about that. Damn.
"If it's annoying you, then get out of my head, She-Hulk!" I mentally yelled.
"Then how will I get all the juicy gossip between you and Kate?" Mace replied in a sing-song voice.
"She's not wrong~!" Rhythmi chimed in. I just glared at Mace and Rhyth while I was trying not to blush.
"We're all excited to be Top Rangers. This is a good moment to cheer," Kate replied in my head.
"Guys, can we stop using telepathy? Prof Hastings and Chairperson Erma are giving us weird looks," Kellyn said out loud. We all blushed for being caught. Chairperson Erma let out a giggle at our antics.
"It's not even five minutes and the Union seems livelier already," Chairperson Erma comments. Just then Grandpa's phone rang. He picked it up and looked at the screen. He frowned and looked at us.
"It's from one of the Top Operators. Apparently Sven found some Hunters and Dim Sun members in the area he was patrolling. We got the location from the Hunter, which Kate and Keith got from their underwater adventures. He told us about a place where they get power for their Miniremo and it looks like the information is correct. Anyway Sven needs an extra hand with them, so we could discover what they are using that area for," Prof. Hastings reported.
"This is the perfect opportunity for our new Top Rangers! Mace, Kellyn, Kate and Keith. This is your Mission; Help Sven with uncovering what Team Dim Sun are up to in the area. He is in the Chroma Highlands at this moment, which is on the east side of Altru Inc. He will meet you in the ruins; the entrance is at the highest point of the area. Just look for the stone staircase and you'll be fine. Good luck, you four!" Chairperson Erma ordered.
"Wait! Before you leave, I must give you this; the Fine Styler, the symbol of being a Top Ranger," Grandpa announced as he handed Mace, Kellyn, Kate and I a brand new, shiny styler except this one can be attached at the wrist. I held the styler carefully as if it would break.
I held my parents' Fine Stylers before so I shouldn't be surprised, but getting one of my own just feels amazing. I could vaguely hear Grandpa explaining how the styler works but I knew it off by heart because of my parents. I looked at Kate's face as a smile spread across her face from staring at her new styler. I swear that smile could light up a room - no, a building! - and I couldn't help but smile too.
"Hey Red-Head, snap out of it! Quit your daydreaming, we have some Dim Bulbs to deal with. Let's go!" Mace said as everyone heads for the door. I was behind Mace and Kellyn with Kate by my side, walking towards the Altru Park.
"Can you believe this is happening, yesterday we were normal Area Rangers and now we're Top Rangers! Not to mention having the whole gang reunited again! Oh, we should have a day to catch up and invite Isaac," Kate exclaimed with that cute smile on her face again.
"Yeah, I forgot how fun it was to hang out with you guys. I missed the gang, hell, even the annoying Red-Head."
"Mace, be nice. Still, it has been awhile. By the way Keith, how did you find a baby Lugia, much less have it as a Partner Pokémon?" Kellyn asked.
"It's a long story. Still MK and Jet are the best Partner Pokémon I could ask for. Isn't that right guys?" I replied as I petted Jet, who was on my head, and MK, who was waddling next to me. Both of my Pokémon letting out little noise of agreement. We passed by Altru Inc. and on the path to the Highlands when I realised something.
"Hey, where is Chrom? Haven't seen the big dude all day," I asked.
"Well, Chrom is back at the Union, resting from his flight back. I heard Chroma Highlands doesn't have a lot of space to fly and Chrom kinda has an issue with caves since he was a little Bagon," Kellyn replied.
"Why does he not like caves?" Kate asked. For a moment I saw Mace nervously rubbing fidgeting with her hands and Kellyn glancing at Mace with what looks like concern and something else.
"It's a long story and *Cough* we don't-*Cough* What the-*Cough**Cough*!" Kellyn said before he went into a violent coughing fit.
"Ke-Ke!" Mace cried out as she held the Dragon-types arm, as he continued to cough. Just then Kate started coughing as well.
"Kate, what's wrong? Talk to me," I asked gently holding Kate's shoulder, I felt my heart ache watching her like this. I have to do something, I hate seeing Kate suffer.
"The- *Cough**Cough* The air, I *Cough**Cough**Cough* can't *Cough* breathe! *Cough* *Cough* It hurts," Kate weakly replied as the coughing got worse. She nearly collapsed but I caught her and laid her up against a boulder. The air? Just then did I notice the black mist swirling around us, covering the whole Highlands. I heard my styler beep and looked down seeing that its energy level is slowly going down.
"Mace, the mist! Whatever is causing it is affecting our stylers and the others! We got to get rid of the mist! Fro, keep an eye on them!" I told Mace and Fro. Mace looked up at me before setting Kellyn down next to Kate. She held Kellyn's hand a few seconds longer before she ran off into the mist with me and my Pokémon.
Even though it was almost noon on a sunny day, we could barely see two feet ahead of us because of the mist. We need to hurry to help Kate and Kellyn.
"This Dark Mist is the best! Thanks to the Murkrow, no trespasser can get far! This might be my best idea yet!" cheered a voice that was near us.
"Yeah, good thing we locked up that pesky Pokémon or else this plan would never work!" said a second voice. Mace and I turned to see a Dim Sun Grunts with two Miniremo, three Koffing and three Murkrow creating the black mist. He didn't notice us so we can possibly sneak up on him and-
"Hey Numbskulls, you are going down!"
So much for a 'Sneak Attack', thanks a lot Mace(!)
"WHAAA! Rangers! We have Miniremos and we're not afraid to use them! Go Murkrow and Koffing team!" The Grunts yelped before he typed down the order and all the Pokémon came at us. Mace handled the Koffing and I got the Murkrow. It was fairly easy to capture the Murkrow and I didn't lose more energy thankfully. It was very satisfying seeing the Miniremos explode and the Grunts cry in dismay.
"Alright you crybabies, tell us how to get rid of this damn mist! I have two fists and you do not want to me to use them!" Mace threatened as she cracked her knuckles. The Grunts looked terrified of Mace (heck I'm terrified!) and they started whimpering.
"T-There's two Skarmory that we locked up near the ruins!"
"Y-Yeah! They know 'Demist', they can get rid of the Dark Mist! RUN! MAMMY!" replied the Grunts before they ran off screaming.
"Well, we got the info on the Skarmory, but it will be hard to find them. This mist is making it impossible to see, not to mention draining our stylers. What do we do now?" Mace asked. She's right, we only have very little time, plus Kellyn and Kate are not too good. Damn!
"Lu! Lu!" MK cried out as she nudged her head against my leg. We turned to look at her before her eyes began to glow white.
"Skar...mo... Skarmo... Skarmory!" Jet said while pointing to MK.
"Your Lugia can sense the Skarmory?"
"I guess she can. MK, please lead the way," I told MK before she waddled ahead, with us behind her. It was easy to follow her because of her glowing eyes. We had to dodge some Carnivine attacking us but eventually we found a wooden gate in front of a cave entrance.
"Okay, how do we open the gate? We can always capture a Pokémon to cut it down," I said out loud.
"Heh! Who needs a Pokémon when you have me? Watch and learn, Adams," Mace replied before she walked up to the gate with a smirk on her face. I didn't notice until now that Mace had a white bandage around her right elbow, hiding her mark, until now. She slowly takes it off, dropping the bandage and inhaled a deep breathe despite the mist.
"Dragon Claw!" Mace yelled out before the Blessed Mark on her right elbow glowed dark blue. Her arm slowly consumed a blue flame before it turned into a claw shape. Mace quickly swung her glowing arm at the gate, slashing it in half.
"Woah! Didn't know you could do that," I exclaimed, Jet eyes where wide in awe and MK was flapping her wings in excitement. Mace just smirked as she re-wrapped her bandage over her mark. Just then a Skarmory zoomed past us but I quickly captured it and got it to use 'Demist'.
"Not bad, Adams."
"They didn't call me a 'Prodigy' for nothing, She-Hulk."
A moment later Kate, Kellyn and Fro came running up to us with a small group of Pikachu behind them. Kellyn and Kate looked healthier compared to when we left them, that's always a good sign.
"You guys alright? We saw some Dim Sun members running by us when the mist cleared. Did they hurt anyone?" Kellyn questioned us as Kate instructed the Pikachus to charge our stylers. Mace and I nodded our head and thanked the Pikachus for charging our stylers before they ran off.
"Uh, does anyone notice the giant stone staircase going to the top of the Highlands?" Fro asked, as she pointed to the staircase, that was about 10 meters away from us. We all looked at each other before going up the stairs, not before Kellyn caught a Bastiodon.
We made it to the top of the stairs and saw nothing but large stones stacked on top of each other and a huge slab of rock on the ground.
"This must be the spot Erma talked about, the entrance should be around here. ...Under the slab?" Kellyn asked.
"Yep," We all agreed before we walked over to the slab to inspect it more.
"I say we use that Bastiodon to push it aside. After all, the big guy has the right Field Move for this," Mace suggested. Kellyn ordered the Bastiodon to push it... it didn't work.
"What?! I don't get it. The styler states that we need a Tackle Level 3 for this thing and the Bastiodon has that! Why isn't it working?" Mace rambled to herself as both the Bastiodon and Kellyn tried to push the slab and failing.
As they both took a couple of steps back I heard a faint clicking sound before the Mewman and Bastiodon tackled into the slab, only this time it moved to reveal stairs leading down.
"Way to go guys! You opened it!" Kate congratulated as she stood next to a stone pillar far from the entrance. Wait, why is Kate all the way over there in the first place?
"We better get going, Sven is waiting for us and the place is probably swarming with Dim Suns, not to mention Hunters," Kellyn told us but his tone turned venomous when he said 'Hunters', as if it was acid in his mouth. Not that I'm surprised considering what I heard about his experience with Hunters. We all went down the stairs, ready for anything that awaits us.
Kate's POV
Everything was going well, no one suspected a thing. We travelled deeper into the ruins, solving all the puzzles and finding the correct path perfectly.
"Are you okay, Kate?" Fro whispered to me, the others went ahead of us.
"I'm fine Fro, don't worry about me," I replied. Fro gave me a frown and checked to see if the others can hear.
"Kate, you may be able to trick the others but not me. Tell me the truth. How bad are the... veins?" Fro asked, her tone showing no signs of negotiation. There really was no chance of winning when Fro is like this.
"*Sigh* It may have spread to 3/4 of my stomach and back..."
"What?! Kate, why didn't you tell me sooner?! This is serious, especially now that you're in this place! Do you know how dangerous it is for you to be here, near that thing?! You need to leave now!" Fro lectured me as she was trying not to be too loud.
"Fro, stop. I need to check up on it, to physically see it. If they could find the stones, then there is the possibility of them finding it. I have to do this, Fro," I replied, noticing how deep we are in the ruins by the volume of purple and white crystals in the walls.
"Kate, are you sure? I mean that thing is dangerous for you and it might bring up some... bad memories. That thing is-"
"Guys, we're close to the meeting point. We better be ready for any surprises," Kellyn announced.
Quickly I placed a smile on my face and caught up with the others. Keith was the only one who strolled by me, Fro storming ahead in frustration. I hate arguing with her but I need to do this.
"Something wrong?" Keith asked, his eyes straight ahead. Smile Kate, smile.
"I'm fine, Keith. Nothing is wrong," I replied, lying through my teeth again.
"Really? Fro is storming ahead after you talked to her, that tells me a different story," Keith stated as he looked at me with an eyebrow raised in question. Great, he caught my lie.
"Fro and I just had a bit of a disagreement. Just let her be and she'll be good." It's not exactly a lie but its not the truth either. Stay strong Kate, you can do this.
"Yeah, but what about you? Will you be good too?" Keith questioned.
Honestly, even I don't know the answer to that. The Prophecy, the Shadow, Dim Sun, Hunters, the veins and everything else was too much for me. I can't even lie my way out of this one. Suddenly I felt something warm wrapped around my right hand. I looked to see it was Keith's hand and he was looking at me with concern and another emotion I couldn't place my finger on.
"Kate, we're partners and best friends. I'm here whether you need a shoulder to cry on, lend an ear to or anything. You're not alone, Fro, Mace, Kellyn, Rhyth, Rosie, Isaac, Jet, MK and everyone in the Union is here for you. Plus you have me by your side, always have and always will. Okay?" Keith comforted me as he gently squeezed my hand in reassurance.
I stared into Keith's eyes, I could see the green shine in his brown eyes from the light of the crystals. His hand is warm and gentle, just like his eyes. I wanted to stay like this forever, with the shine of the crystals and Keith holding my hand, sadly I know it can't happen. It can never happen.
"We better get going, Sven is waiting for us. The others already went ahead, lets hurry," I stated, reluctantly letting go of his hand and walking ahead. I already miss his warm hand already but I have to keep going, for everyone I care about.
Keith's Pov
I jogged down the tunnel to catch up to the others. In front of us was a guy around his early twenties with a Luxray couching behind a large rock. He had chin length black hair, tanned, black eyes and was wearing a red cowboy hat along with a white ranger uniform. His outfit looked like a bad mix between a cowboy and disco dancer. He turned around and motioned us to get down.
"You guys must be the new Top Rangers I've heard about. Name's Sven and the Luxray is Bolt," the Ranger whispered.
"I'm Kate, this is my Pokémon Fro. This is Keith, Kellyn and Mace. Keith is my Ranger Partner with MK the Lugia and Jet the Buizel as his Pokémon," Kate introduced in hushed tones.
"Now that we got introductions in the way, keep it down. Behind this rock are a huge group of Dim Sun goons. Too many for my liking. Plus I been hearing what they have to say, might be useful later," Sven told us as we all kept quiet.
"'Dig up the all Dark Shards' the Boss said. 'Don't rest until you collected them all' he said. UGH! This is annoying! Why don't we just grab the light-coloured ones, paint them black and give them to the Boss?" groaned one of the Grunts.
"No way! You heard the Boss, those stones are useless. If we put one of those in the machines, they won't work. Do you want the Boss or those creepy coat guys to kick our butts? Just shut up and get the Dark Shards," another Grunt yelled.
"So the power source of the Gigaremo and Miniremo machines are from here," Mace stated.
"Sounds like they've been collecting the Dark Shards for a while. Look at the area, there's only those light-coloured ones left. The rest of the good shards have been taken out," Sven told us.
It was true, looking around the area there was a lot of cracks and dents in the walls and floor. There was only very few Dark Shards in the walls, they looked dimmer than the ones we saw the Grunts collecting. Just looking at the area having such ugly scars breaks my heart and it was such a beautiful place. Wait, why did I think this place was beautiful when this is my first time here?
"What do we do, Sven? Do we take them on?" Kellyn asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"No, too risky. We don't know if they have any back-up nearby. Worst case scenario, the Hunters swarm in and surround us. Charging in head first is a bad idea," Sven explained.
"What if we drive them out instead?" We all turned our heads to Kate, who glared at the Grunts without being seen. For a second, I thought her eyes turned pure black before she turned to us, with her normal pale blue eyes full of rage.
"Sounds like a good plan, but how do we do that?" Sven asked.
Kate just smirked and walked back the way we came. Five minutes later Kate came back with a mask made of clear ice covering her face and a Stuntank- BLEUGH! That smell! It's almost as bad as Kincaid's hairspray and that's saying something!
"Kate! This is the second time that I can't breathe today. There better be a good reason for this!" Kellyn said as he pinched his nose while turning a bit green. Oh, right Mewmans and heightened senses, I forgot.
"Remember how people faked being sick as much as they could when the weather got colder in Ranger School? The reason being is that Kincaid's hairspray-stink plus closed windows is basically a death trap. This guy may be no Kincaid, but if he does the job then it'll have the same effect, especially in a cave with no ventilation," Kate explained.
"The Kincaid Effect! That's it, I'm calling it that. It's official and I came up with it!" Fro announced before we all hushed her, Sven just looked confused because he didn't understand Fro like we can.
"LUUUUuuuuUUUUUU!" MK whined before she used her powers to create a mini force field around us, blocking out the Stuntank and the smell, while she rubbed her nose against her wings. We were shocked for a few seconds before we turned to the Stuntank.
"Okay buddy, see those guys over there? Those are the bad guys and we really want them out of here. Can you please use your special move to help us?" Kate asked nicely.
The Stuntank gave a smirk before walking towards the Dim Sun group. We heard the Grunts muttering about the Stuntank before the inevitable happened. *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!* The whole area was covered in a yellowish-green gas and all of us tried to hold our breath to stop laughing.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! MY NOSE!"
"IT BURNS! WHAT WORLD!"
"AIYAH! MY EYES ARE ON FAIYAH!"
"EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!"
Moments ticked by as we heard sound of the Grunts running away while wailing for their 'Mammy'. We waited until the air cleared before we came out from behind our hiding place with the barrier down.
"Now, that was awesome! We are definitely calling it 'The Kincaid Effect'! *Inhale**Cough**Cough* Too soon... Way too soon..." Mace exclaimed before she started coughing from the left over stench.
"Best to keep your nose pinched, trust me," Kate warned us with her ice mask gone but pinching her nose.
"Whatever we're calling it, this is the stench of success-ASDFHSDJAKH!" Sven replies before we were all blasted by a 'Water Gun' attack from a certain Buizel.
"Stink bad...Needed wash..." Jet told us before he aimed the 'Water Gun' above his head to wash away the stink.
"Guys, I found the exit. This is where the Grunts went but something is off..." Kellyn informed us. It was a circular hole in the ground, big enough to fit a Bastiodon, with a ladder leading down. I glanced into the hole and saw nothing but darkness.
We all climbed down into the hole one by one and the only light was from the hole above us. From the corner of my eye I saw Kellyn reaching for a stick before using a weak 'Dragon Breath' move to light it with a blue flame. It was only then we saw the area and it was not pretty.
It turns out that the 'stick' Kellyn found was a piece of an old wooden ladder from a huge pile to the side. The area we found the Grunts extracting shards, were nothing compared to this. The area was covered in scorch marks, rubble, blasts in the walls, claw marks and damaged machine parts. It was more of a battlefield than a cave.
"What the hell happened here?" questioned Sven as he looked at the destruction.
"It looks like a battle went on, an intense one at that. Maybe some local Pokémon have been at each other's throats and fought here before Dim Sun took over," Kellyn answered, behind him I notice that MK was looking around nervously.
"Not... battle...It was an...ambush..." We all turned to see Jet, pale as a ghost and holding his head in pain.
"Jet? You okay, buddy?" I asked while walking over to the Buizel and kneeled in front of him. I looked at his body for any injuries but there wasn't a single scratch.
"Ambush? Ah! Right, Jet has amnesia, he could be remembering something from his past," Kate inquired.
"There was...a Black Pokémon... very strong... protecting this thing... It w-was important! People came... to take it..." Jet groaned as he started shaking.
"Who was the Pokémon and what were the people taking?" Kate asked as she kneeled next to me. She looked anxious, as if everything depends on Jet's answer. The Buizel looked up to us, pale as a ghost and his eyes showing pure terror as he uttered his words.
"They took... something... big and dark... I-I didn't get a good view... Too many people... blocking my way. ...T-The Pokémon... His n-name was... Da-Dar-"
"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!"
"GUYS, MOVE!"
"MACE, LOOK OUT!"
"TAKE COVER, NEWBIES!"
"KEITH!"
"KATE!"
"LUUUUUUU!"
There was so much shouting before the cave collapsed around us. Everything was dark and silent for a moment. I tried to get up but I hit my head on a cold object before I fell back down. I felt something sharp in hitting my right hand before a painful headache appeared out of nowhere. Suddenly an image flashed in my head.
"So this is the little hide away I've heard so much about? It's a lot more spacious than I thought and it even has furniture!" commented a voice in awe, it was muffled so I couldn't identify the person.
It looked like I was in the cave judging by the familiar crystals in the wall, but this part was different. I could see a simple wooden bed with soft looking mattress, blanket and pillow filled with Mareep's Wool, to the far left of the area (room?). A wooden chest with design of dancing and fighting Pokémon carved into it. There was also a small circle of stones with fire wood in the center, far from the furniture, with pots and plates sitting in a cabinet near it. In the center of the area were a table and five chairs, which have three plates with cooked meat, vegetables and a glass of water.
Sitting in one of the chairs was a person, well I think it was a person, possibly a girl. The person was wearing a white ankle length dress but when I tried to see the face all I saw was a blur, as if someone took out an eraser and smudged her face.
"Why are you so surprised? I try my best to impress company, especially if it is you," I heard myself say as I walked to the chair opposite the blur, as she was giggling.
"How did you find this place? It's on the other side of Almia. Surely even you can't pull that off," The girl told me. I felt a laugh coming out of my mouth.
"There's a lot about me that you don't know. In fact my family actually live near this area. My father and I came here all the time to train when I was younger. This cave used to be a temple, built to seal away a sacred item before it was transferred to a better location. I only come by here once in a while to visit an old friend of mine."
"Really, who is this friend of yours? Is he our third attendant to this dinner? When will he arrive?" questioned the blur.
"You'll know him when you see him, yes and he'll be here any second now with my Father's Pokémon. You ask way too many questions, for an ordinary girl," I replied while drinking from my glass.
"Ha ha! You of all people should know that I'm far from ordinary. After all I am-"
"Keith! Keith! Say something! KEITH!"
Slowly, I opened my eyes to look towards the ceiling. Kate and Jet were looking at me with worry and concern while Sven, holding a burning piece of a broken ladder, and Bolt were observing a rock wall. As soon as my eyes were fully opened Jet and Kate were smiling with relief, before Kate suddenly hugged me. I felt my cheeks heat up from the contact before I returned Kate's hug.
"Thank Arceus, you're awake! I was so worried when I saw you passed out. Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Kate asked me as she helped me up from the ground. I wanted to tell her about the dream but a part of me says that there is bigger stuff to figure out first.
"I'm fine. Just hit my head a bit. What happened?" I asked looking around. Is it me or did the cave get smaller?
"The cave collapsed on us. Luckily, Kate used her powers to create an ice dome to protect us. Though we have a problem," Sven explained as he continued to search the wall. I looked around the area and there were no sign of Kellyn, Mace, Fro or MK.
"Guys, where are the others? Where's MK?" I asked fanatically looking for the baby Lugia, only to see nothing but rocks.
"That, my Redheaded Newbie, is the problem. The cave was split into two halves. We're on one side and the others..." Before Sven finished that sentenced, I raced to Sven's side and banged the wall, now realising it was the rocks from the cave-in.
"MK! MK! Can you hear me?! MK!"
"Careful! You might start another cave-in if you do that," Sven warned me, as I was pulled away from the wall by Kate.
"He's right, Keith. The ruins are very unstable right now. One wrong move and there will be another cave-in, possibly worse than the last one. I'm worried about Fro and MK as much as you, but we have to be cautious about this, okay?" Kate explained calmly while holding my hand. I just stared at her face before squeezing her hand back, grounding me from going into a panic attack.
"Oh! So you guys are worried about your Partner Pokémon but not us? That is low! What about your HUMAN friends?! Well, Ke-Ke is a Mewman, actually he's half-human, but my point still stands! Seriously! No 'I hope Mace and Kellyn are fine' or 'I'm worried about our friends'. NOTHING! What type of friends are you?! Ke-Ke is even your cousin, Kate! Show a little concern here! Think of OUR well-being, for Mew's sake!"
"Mace, calm down. You might start another cave-in and you're scaring MK."
"I will do no such thing, Ke-Ke! I have a good reason to be mad!"
"Kellyn? Mace? Are you guys hurt?" Sven asked.
"Too late for that, you Cowboy Reject!" roared Mace. We all took a step back from the wall, fearing Mace's wrath.
"Ignore her, it's the adrenaline-rush talking. We're both fine, so are MK and Fro. What about you guys?" Kellyn told us.
"We're good too. Can you guys get back through the hole? The cave-in blocked it from our end," Sven replied.
"Same here. There is no way we can backtrack. No Sandshrew around to dig a hole or Psychic Pokémon to Teleport us out. MK is too young to use Teleport, much less use it properly. There's a tunnel that might lead us to an exit but I'm not so sure. Plus Fro told us she can't phase through the walls for some reason. It's like the cave is preventing her from doing it," Kellyn reported.
"I see... If that's the case, go out that tunnel. If it's a dead end, use your Dragon Powers to dig your way out," Sven ordered.
"What about you guys? How will you get out?" Mace asked, finally calmed down.
"Don't worry, there's also a tunnel here. It might lead us to an exit. One of these tunnels must be the escape route the Grunts took. If that's the case, when either of us are out, call the Union to rescue the other group, agreed?" Sven explained. We all said 'Yes' before we went towards the tunnel, which I didn't notice before because the light didn't reach it from the hole, and ventured inside.
Kate's Pov
"This isn't right, something is wrong. This isn't right, something is wrong," The sentence repeated in my head like a mantra for the past ten minutes. Everyone was silent, we only have the glow of our made-do torch and the dim glow of the crystals. Not to mention that I felt as if we were being watched.
"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuttttt..."
"It's that sound again. The one before the cave-in started," Sven stated.
"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuttttt..." I felt a chill at the back of my neck as the sound got louder.
"It's more like a word than a sound," Keith told us.
"Really? All I hear is 'Shuuuuuu...' Doesn't sound like a word to me," Sven replied.
"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuttttt...!" I suddenly realised the voice and looked around until I saw a trapezoid shaped grey stone, with two dots in the top left and right corner and a vertical crack in the center, which split in two near the bottom.
"Move! We got to move, now!" I called out, pushing the guys ahead of me.
"Huh? Why?" the guys asked.
Just then the stone shook before a purple circular fog rose up, with green orbs rotating around it's glowing green eyes and mouth in the middle. The eyes were glossed over, as if he is hypnotised and mad. Very mad.
"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTT!" the creature shouted before it fired a 'Dark Pulse' attack towards us.
"DOWN!" I yelled as I tackled the guys to the ground, barely dodging the attack. We got up as soon as the attack went over us and ran as fast as we can.
"Is that a Spiritomb?!" Keith asked as he ran.
"Looks like it! They're known for their mischief, there is rarely a wild one without a few Keystones around to trick those that are near their territory. One of the Grunts must have planted it here to guard their escape route!" Sven answered.
"Not a Grunt! Already here! Guardian of Ruins! Helps protect item with Black Pokémon!" Jet shouted. I glanced at Jet as we ran. How much does Jet know about this anyway? Does he know about-
"Kate, look out!" Keith warned me as he shoved me out of the way of a 'Shadow Ball' attack, barely missing us, right in front of me. Hold on, in front of me?
I turned towards the end of the tunnel to see a large circular area, with a perfectly carved entry way at the back of the room and five keystones in the room. Suddenly the Spiritomb raised out of the middle keystone and glared at us with it's misty eyes.
"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuttttttt!"
"That item must be really valuable if this Spiritomb is attacking us. He definitely a Guardian if it is that strong," Keith stated as he readied for any attack coming at us.
"If that's the case, than why did it lead us here? Judging by the amount of keystones in this place, the entryway must lead to the room the item is held. Why would a Guardian lead intruders to a place it's protecting?" Sven questioned. Now that I think about it, it is an odd thing to do. It doesn't make sense.
"Help... me..." I heard a whisper in my mind. I looked around to find the source but everyone was focused on the Guardian.
"Can't... stop... Help... me..." I turned to look at the Spiritomb, finally recognising its' voice in my head. Looking down, I saw that on the center keystone was a familiar black control collar.
"Spiritomb wasn't attacking us freely, it is being controlled! Guys, there's a collar on the center keystone, this is Dim Sun's work! We have to get rid of it!" I explained to the guys, as I prepared my Fine Styler for capture.
"Kate, you can't capture it! As long as it wears that collar, there is no way you can have a successful capture," Keith warned me as he grabbed my hand.
"I know, that's why I need one of you to destroy the collar. I'll distract it long enough for one of you to sneak behind it and take the collar off. I need to be the one to capture it. Do you trust me?" I informed the guys. Keith stared at me with shock before it shifted to determination.
"I trust you, more than anything. We won't let you down," Keith replied as he squeezed my hand. I smiled before I walked towards the Spiritomb.
"CAPTURE ON!" I yelled as I released the capture disc. The Spiritomb definitely strong alright, even when it is controlled. I had to keep dodging multiple attacks aimed at both the Capture Line and myself. One of the attacks was fire attacks barely hit me but it singed my left sleeve off. It was especially hard with the Spiritomb warping to each of the five Keystones during the capture. What's worse is that my Styler's Energy Levels is decreasing fast by the Pokémon's attacks.
"Bolt use 'Thunderbolt'!"
"Jet use 'Ice Beam'!"
At that moment both of the Partner Pokémon used their attacked and aimed it at the collar. It was destroyed immediately and the misty look in the Spiritomb's eyes faded a bit. The Spiritomb's actions grew sluggish so I used this chance to complete the capture. The misty look in the Spiritomb's eyes is gone but it looked really angry at us.
"I don't get it. Kate captured it but Spiritomb still looks like it wants to kill us," Keith commented as we slowly backed away from the Spiritomb.
"We may have got it out of Dim Sun's control but it's still a Guardian. It is just doing the job bestowed on him, for all it knows we're thieves trying to take the item it's protecting," Sven replied.
Sven was right, we need proof to show that we mean no harm. Luckily I know just the proof we need. I lifted my right hand and bit into the pad of my thumb until it blead. Slowly I walked up to the Spiritomb with precise steps.
"Oh Great Arceus, Creator of Life, hear my voice for I am here to tie these souls for eternity. I commit to the pact in order to protect the world from the Eternal Darkness. With this pact I bind my soul with this Pokémon, as well as our descendants. With this mark of my father's clan, I seal our bond, and until the threat has passed, this pact will be forever binding. With our mutual agreement of the pact, I pray that you bless this in the sacred Hall of Origin. BIND!" I whispered under my breath as I drew a circle with a three fingered claw in the center, with my bleeding thumb, into my left palm.
As soon as I said the last word, I stretched out my left hand, showing the Spiritomb the symbol. Suddenly I felt an invisible thread of energy shooting out of my outstretched hand towards the Spiritomb. For a second I saw the symbol on my hand appear on the Spiritomb's forehead, before it calmed down and bowed it's head in respect.
"Woah! It completely calmed down! What type of Mewman mojo did you do to the Guardian? All I heard was you mutter Mewlatin. What did you even say to it? It sounded serious," Sven commented as stared at the Spiritomb in wonder.
"I just told it that we meant it no harm and we want to stop the people that did this to it. That's all," I lied while discretely wiped away the symbol on my palm, making sure the guys noticed.
"Either way, good job. Now let's get out of here," Sven replied as he and Bolt went ahead. Jet just stared at me for a moment before he followed Sven. I was about to follow when I felt a familiar warmth wrapped around my right wrist.
"You're bleeding, why did you bite your thumb so hard?" Keith asked as he inspected my thumb.
"I was nervous, thinking how to calm the Spiritomb. I must have bit my thumb by accident when I doing that. No big deal," I lied once again. I wanted to tell Keith the truth but I knew it was best he doesn't know. The less he knows, the safer he will be. Keith just looked at my thumb before he closed his eyes and softly kissed it.
"K-Keith!" I stuttered, having no idea what to do. I felt a blush bloom on my face, as well as my Mew ears and tail popping into existence. His lips were so soft and firm, it makes me wonder what it would be like to ki- NO NO NO! DANGEROUS TERRITORY, KATE! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE NOW!
A few seconds later Keith pulled away from my thumb and looked at me as if he was in a trance. When Keith finally realise what happened, his face turned the same colour as his hair and he jumped away from me. He started to laugh nervously and scratch the back of his head, I strangely think it was cute and- NO, BAD KATE!
"S-Sorry about that, I got caught up in the moment there! It's just, when I was a kid, Rhythmi's Mum always did that every time I got hurt. They always make me feel better, so I thought it might do the same to you... Now that I'm saying it out loud it does sound stupid..." Keith stuttered.
"That's not stupid, I think that was very sweet," I blurted out without even thinking. I felt the heat on my face increased tenfold when I realised what I said. Keith's face turned the same shade of red as his hair after hearing me. He mumbled something about 'checking on the others' and ran ahead.
"You two are a fascinating pair to watch. I was almost disappointed that he left in a rush," commented the Spiritomb behind me. After I calmed down enough to get rid of my ears and tail, I turned to the Pokémon and crouch down in front of it.
"Are you hurt? I'm sorry if we did, it was the only way to free you from the mind-control," I replied.
"I know you meant well and I am unscathed, thankfully. What I want to know is where did you learn that symbol and speech, young Mewman?"
"It has been passed down for generations. It is very important to my family; the Blood Pacts are sacred to us. It is my duty to protect this land with you and the other Guardians," I explained.
"Ahhh... So you are an Icecia, the Dark Ice Maiden none the less. You remind me of the First Icecias, young Mewman. I mean no offense but I wished I had never met you. If you are here, than the Day of Darkness is almost upon us. Where is the Key?" the Spiritomb asked. I reached for my pendant, stroking it with my thumb.
"I-I don't know where the Key is yet. No one knows what it looks like, much less where to look..." I told the Spiritomb, feeling disappointed that I didn't find the Key yet. The Spiritomb looked at me as if I grew two heads.
"'It'? The Key is not a 'what', but a 'who'. I thought your family knew that, than again that scribe your ancestor hired had no knowledge of Mewlatin to begin with. Let this be a lesson young Mewman, never hire a human who doesn't know how to translate Mewlatin, especially if they mix up the word 'Pinap Berry' with 'Death'. He even wrote to his mother, 'Today I tried eating Death and my companions laughed at me'. Those two words are completely different! I told your ancestor that it was a bad idea but 'no' he said. 'People will be terrified of me if I go out' he said. 'This is the only one I could find someone that wouldn't run in the opposite direction' he said. I'm literally a spirit blob that people believe is the most evil creature ever created! I don't care if he was a bit sour at the time after everything that happened! He had no right to be rude to me after the whole-"
"Hold on, wait! Slow down! Deep breaths. Deeeeeeeep breaths... So, what you are saying is, the Key... is a person? How is that possible?" I asked after I calmed the Spiritomb from it's rant.
"My dear, you are not the only one with your... 'Unique' situation. The Key is the very soul of one of the First Icecias, the Black Knight to be precise. I don't understand how you haven't found it yet,"The Spiritomb explained.
"Me either... Spiritomb, tell me the truth. The other Guardian of the Ruins, what happened to it?" I questioned carefully. The Spiritomb looked shocked for a second before turning away from me in shame. That was when I knew the worst case scenario happened.
"F-Forgive me, young Mewman, I failed in my duty. We tried to fight against the intruders but then he came. This person was different than the rest. He... He had amazing power but it was not one of a Mewman. His power was different... terrifying even. The worst part is he knew... knew the Blood Pact and we were helpless to fight it. In the end they took the Crystal and the other Guardian, while I was trapped here, controlled like a puppet for what felt like years... I was powerless..." The Spiritomb told me.
That's impossible... the only way someone knew the Blood Pact, and made it work, was if they were an Icecia. I don't have any relatives on my Dad's side. Remi doesn't know anything about the Prophecy, much less about Chroma Ruins. Dad would never betray the family and is even helping me to prevent the Day of Darkness. Crawford is a Mewman, so he doesn't fit the description and Mum isn't an Icecia by blood. So that only leaves...no, it can't be.
"One last question, did you... did you catch the name of the person who knew the Blood Pact?" I asked, praying to every Legendary that it is not who I think it is. The Spiritomb looked up at me with fear and pity in it's eyes.
"Yes... The people who attacked us congratulated him after he subdued us. Before I passed out I heard them say it. His name was Luke... Luke Icecia."
Cast: ...WHAT. THE. HELL?!
IMN: What? It's been over a year since my last update and I had a lot planned. I thought that a big chapter would make people more excited.
Keith: I'm still getting injured!
Rosie: Well, at least she is updating again.
Keith: Great (!) More injuries, I'm so excited (!)
IMN: I'm glad you think that way Keith because sh*t is about to get real from this point! MUWHAHAHA!
Keith: I WAS BEING SARCASTIC!
IMN: HAHAHA! Anyway, I want to say something.*Turned to the audience* Guys, once again, I am so sorry to stop updating without warning. The past year was not my finest hour... There was a lot of pressure going on and I lost a person I cared about as well. 2016 was when I was at my lowest point. I completely shut myself off from everything and lost my will to write. It took me a bit of time to put myself back together again and I want to complete this story. I let you guys down once; I don't want to do that again. Thanks for putting up with me and see you guys in the next chapter!