Revival Eleven: Betrayal
Once again, there is violence and death in this chapter, and will continue throughout this trilogy. Just a warning, so don't flame, please.
Also, I would like to extend a thank you to my fellow readers and reviewers. While you may not think it, your reviews and high numbers make me feel inspired to keep writing this story to its fruition...So, thank you, sincerely.
Captain Archer strolled down the halls of the castle, scrolls of papers bundled up under one arm, Furret tagging behind. He was to display his plans for the Master to approve of, plans on the invasion of Rota and Cameran Palace. Captain Archer had a couple of other ideas as well, ideas that would force the teen to cooperate with him. But first, he had to get the consent of the Master first.
But if all went well, Captain Archer wouldn't need permission from the Master.
"Ah, Captain Archer," The Master greeted from the depths of his throne room. "What do you have for me today?" he queried.
"Plans to invade Rota and the surrounding region, in order to force the child to cooperate with us. After Eldrin's disastrous attempts to capture the boy, it is time to resort to more extreme measures."
"And you consider the invasion of Rota to be the wisest course of action." The Master replied with disdain.
"Yes, if we invade while he is in Rota, he will have no choice but to cooperate with us, especially if he wishes for no harm to come to the city and area."
"And if that fails?"
"I'll find a bargaining chip, one that he'll have no option to ignore."
"This plan is fantastical and completely illogical," the Master scoffed. "There is no possible way of going through with this plan without drawing attention to ourselves. The mere thought of it makes me laugh. And here I thought you were actually an intelligent man." he rumbled.
Captain Archer clenched his fists, crumpling the paper in his grip. He took a couple of steps forward, placing him closer to the throne. "You know," he began. "Once upon a time, I actually thought that you were one too. Now, I see and old man who skulks in the shadows, having others do his dirty work. You no longer take risks. Instead you hide in the dark, allowing this organization to stagnate, rot. Rota is the key to our success and you scoff at the notion. Once I thought you wanted to rule over Kanto and the surrounding regions, using the power of Aura. Now I have to wonder if you even have the stones to do it anymore."
The Master started from his throne, fingers digging into the arms of the chair. "You do not address me in such a matter! For that I will enjoy cutting you down. Kutya, Hond, finish the upstart off!" He bellowed, his face turning a bright red hue.
Archer smirked. "Furret, use quick attack, then hyper beam."
Furret narrowly dived under the slavering jaws of one of the mightyenas and slamming into the beast's ribcage, knocking the wind from the dog pokemon. Furret then danced away as it gathered energy for its hyper. The pokemon started to give off a soft white glow, the hyper beam energy gathering into its seemingly delicate maw With a high pitched cry, the furret launched into the air, unleashing the full fury of the attack, the beam going into both mightyenas and the throne of the Master. There was a loud explosion as the attack connected, filling the room with an unnaturally bright light, smoke billowing around like inky plumes in the still room. Stella, who was nearby, watched with rapt attention as smoke billowed out of the throne room.
Archer smiled with barely contained triumph as he strode forward. There was a crater where the black, organically designed throne had been; only splinters and shards from the wreckage were left forward. The mightyena were now smoldering ruins of their former selves, the smell of burnt flesh in the air. The Master had somehow survived the attack, although he did not make it through unscathed. His ribs on his right side were completely broken, as was his spinal column, turning him into a paraplegic. His clothes were smoking and singed, and his eyes were wide with fear. Death was rushing forward to greet him, and he was helpless to do prevent it from happening. Furret stood off from the side, flanks heaving, panting heavily as the cream and sienna fur was slicked and spiked with sweat from the exertion. Energy now drained form the pokemon's body, Archer realized that if the Master had one final move, Furret would be helpless to stop it,but Archer wasn't really worried.
"So, the Master is now on the floor, begging for mercy," Archer crowed. "Oh how hath the mighty have fallen." He knelt next to the paralyzed man, drawing out a dagger, adorned with carnelians in the hilt. "It is time for a new era, one where we will have triumphed the pokemon world, the limitless power of Aura at our fingertips. As one would cut the dead branches off a tree, so shall we cut off our 'dead limbs', so to speak."
The Master's eyes were wide with fear as he tried to plead for mercy, yet no words would come.
"No more will I take commands from you, your insults, your mocking. You have held us back for far too long." There was a wet pop as the dagger went in between the Master's ribs, piercing the liver and other vital organs. "So long 'Master'," he spat, scorn dripping from his lips. He watched as the light faded from the man's eyes, until they were nothing more than glassy green orbs. He pulled the dagger out, blood trickling down the metal. He wiped the blade clean with the corpse's clothing and Archer summoned Furret, who had recovered from the hyper beam.
Stella gawked as she saw Archer exit the chamber, clothes stained heavily with blood. He looked triumphant and in an instant, she realized why: Captain Archer, loyal second-in-command to the Master, had just slain his superior. Why she didn't know, but she grasped the fact that the organization was going to head in a different direction now.
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Four days had passed since the arrival into Pewter City. The city of stone was now far behind the group, as they wound their way through the northern mountain regions on Kanto, a rugged place where any semblance of civilization was few and far between. Jagged peaks that looked like fangs reached towards the blue sky, surrounding the group as they trekked through the slender pass, giving off the feeling that they were traveling into the maw of a fearsome beast. Ash was still troubled by the ambush, not of the killings, but of the Aura, how he managed to tap into it with ease, like it was second nature to him all along. He frowned, wondering how to ask Blaidd about the Aura Sphere attack. He hadn't got around to asking the older man, for reasons unknown even to him. But there was no time like the present, he thought. He sped up his pace, until he matched that of Blaidd's.
"Blaidd?"
"Hmm, Ash?" Blaidd seemed tired for some reason, yet his red eyes were alert as ever.
"I got a question for you."
"Fire away."
"During the ambush, while the pokemon were coming for me, something really weird happened. I mean, really weird."
"How 'weird', are we talking?"
"Well, all the sudden, my vision went screwy. The pokemon were outlined in blue as they came forward, and it felt like I knew where they were going. Also, I used Aura Sphere on them."
Blaidd was stunned and for a moment, he stumbled on a rock. As a Lucario, Sir Aaron had told him of a mysterious ability of Aura, one that allowed a person to view the future movements of their opponents , giving them an advantage in battle. While neither Sir Aaron nor Blaidd possessed it, the pair had heard of those who did, revered as mighty warriors on the battlefield. It would seem that Ash had fallen into this category. In a way, it was like the past had come to haunt him once more, to mock the fact that he was stuck here, waiting until he could reunite with Sir Aaron once more.
"Um, Blaidd?" Ash's voice cut off Blaidd's thoughts.
"Oh, I apologize for that."
"So? What do I have? Is it normal?"
Blaidd smiled slightly. There was something about Ash that made Blaidd feel easy with him, the young man innocence that was rapidly fading from the world around them. Now he knew how Sir Aaron felt when he taught yours truly. "From what it sounds like, you possess a rare ability known as 'Battle Sight'. It's an aspect of Aura, although it is a very rare one. It allows you to sense the future movements of you opponents, allowing you to react to any future move they might use. I do have to admit though, I am unfamiliar with the ability, only knowing what it does through legends and myths. And my teacher." he mentally added. "However, I can try to teach you how to use it, although it may end up being an experimental process."
"Oh. What about the other stuff? The Aura Sphere?"
"I'm guessing it was just instincts that kicked in there, in combination with that singular moment of mental clarity, allowing you to use Aura Sphere. Nice job to you."
Ash beamed. "Thanks. But does this mean that I still have to 'meditate'?"
Blaidd gave him a playful 'thwack' on the back of the head with his training staff, the one he still carried from the forest. "Yes, you impertinent youth!" he joked. "Meditating is vital to your training. Even when you're old and gray, I'll still make sure you're meditating."
"Sounds like a scary thought."
"Indeed."
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Eldrin paced the tiled floor of the Pokecenter angrily, his leather boots slapping the linoleum tiles. Why he didn't come here to check in his pokemon instead of Stella flying back to the castle was beyond him, perhaps he was paranoid, even though he had done nothing wrong in the eyes of the Nurse Joy, who was there to take care of Pokemon only, not question why, or how. Mia leaned against a plastic chair along the wall, her eyes closed, meditating. She had a little expertise in Aura, the ability to track people by their Auras, which was why she was recruited by the Master when she was a young woman. She focused on the boy's Aura, trying to locate him, but the constant pacing of Eldrin was distracting her, making it that much more difficult.
Her eyes snapped open, hints of blue flickering in them. "Eldrin, will you stop pacing! I can't get a read on them if you're constantly stomping on the floor like a petulant child!"
He whirled to face her. "Then try harder!" He took a deep breath to steady himself. 'Stella better be back soon, that's all I have to say."
"She'll be a while, I can promise," Mia said, closing her eyes once again, trying to drown out Eldrin's ranting. She grinned in triumph. She finally got a lock on the child's Aura. "Got it!" She crowed.
"Good, where are they?"
They're starting to enter the Northern Kanto mountain range, heading westward."
Elrdin stopped his pacing for a moment. "It's about time we got good news. How far out?"
"A few days, maybe four at the most."
"We'll start going after them tomorrow."
"That would be wise, if we had tracking pokemon. And what about Stella?"
Eldrin snorted. "We have flying types, remember? They'll track them down," he explained slowly, as if he were speaking to a child. "And Stella has Fearow, so it'll work out for us in the end."
Ah, the Battle Sight. It was partly inspired by a novel known as The Outstretched Shadow, by Mercedes Lackey. It's a wonderful book, part of the Obsidian Trilogy and it serves a a huge influence on this story. I mean, the book has an acerbic unicorn who has a sweet tooth and threatens people, you can't get much better than that lol.Ash and Blaidd's dynamic is also partly inspired by certain characters in the books.
The Outstretched Shadow and its successors, To Light A Candle and Into The Darkness are a beautifully written trilogy, with a rich and detailed world, filled with layers upon layers, of characters, settings and mythology, but then again, it is Mercedes Lackey.. It is the biggest inspiration for my work in general and is one of my favorite trilogies of all time. So, if you're looking for an excellent high fantasy novel(s), I recommend those hands down :D