Chapter Two

Days with Morgana were long and insufferable.

I was used to travelling alone. Even though I liked to hang around camp, where most rebels gathered to hide from Primal Dialga, I preferred to be alone. Lonesomeness is healthier than being crowded.

I never hung around the same person too long. And being stuck with someone, especially someone like Morgana, was unbearable.

I remember that after a few hours in Morgana's presence, I'd had enough. I didn't want to be led to my death, I didn't want to be around a maniacal scarecrow, and I didn't want to rely on someone else.

I should have tried to break free of Morgana's clutches a little more subtly. But I was so fed up, subtleness didn't even occur to me.

"You're going to love Temporal Tower." Mocked Morgana. "We have the most divine interior decoration. Master Dialga's tastes are exquisite. Speaking of my master, I bet he's just going to adore you. You could say he's going to love you to death."

I furiously kicked a rock and ground my teeth together. It was taking all the restraint I could muster for me to not punch Morgana.

Morgana cackled loudly, that horrible, twisted grin returning to distort her features. She seemed to enjoy aggravating me.

We were making our way through the dead, dark forest, toward Temporal Tower. Morgana was walking along beside me like we were best friends.

Morgana walked in a very odd way. Her movements were discombobulated and loping. She almost looked like she was on stilts or had prosthetic legs. Like a child learning to take her first steps, she was unsteady and didn't have very good footing.

"Aren't you glad we've got some time to spend together?" Cooed Morgana. "It's been so long since we talked properly. Really, we have so much catching up to do. How's your family?"

I turned on Morgana with a savage expression.

"Uh-uh-uuuh!" Laughed Morgana, swerving away from a bloodthirsty right hook. "You don't want to do that! Destiny Bond, remember?"

Angrily clenching my pincers together, I deliberated tearing her throat out for a few moments, but decided her life wasn't worth mine. I swept away into the forest.

Morgana jogged to keep up with me. "There's a good boy! We're all learning, aren't we?"

I lashed my tail and thought about giving her a quick nip with my stinger.

"Now, now!" Said Morgana sternly, with that grin still on her face. "Let's all just keep our pincers to ourselves!"

She gave my tense pincers a pat and cackled loudly. I resisted the urge to smack her in the face and focused on walking.

Silently fuming, I tried to distract myself from the burning anger in my throat by thinking of ways to kill Morgana.

"You know, you look a bit worse for the wear, compared to last time I saw you up close!" Said Morgana. "Don't tell me I'm too much for you? Been hit with Pin Missile one too many times?"

I could crucify her.

"Do you know anybody who's a Nidoking?" Asked Morgana sinisterly. "A rogue, by any chance? Well, I do. We caught him yesterday, trying to steal food. The nerve of some of these rebels. Well, he certainly got his comeuppance! Him, his wife, and their four children! Watching them being hanged made fine entertainmentfor my master at dinner!"

A muscle in my stomach convulsed.

Nidoking had been a good man.

"Oh, you do know him!" Exclaimed Morgana delightfully. "I can tell from your expression! Would you like to know his last words?"

What I'd like to see is a rope around Morgana's neck. I can easily picture her on the gallows. It almost made me smile.

"Oh, I know you want to!" Cackled Morgana. "Here, I'll tell you, word-for-word..."

She cleared her throat.

"'You bastards!'" She bellowed, in a throaty voice that mimicked Nidoking's. "'We'll get you! You can't keep this up forever! We're coming for you, Dialga!'"

Nidoking's bravery pulled at my heartstrings. Morgana's mockery of it made me see red.

"Oh, and then, he started talking about me!" Laughed Morgana. "He said things like, 'we'll get you too, you sick bastard!' and 'we've got a grave back at camp with you name on it!'. 'There are Pokémon dying to get their hands on you, Cacturne! You'll regret this when we get a hold of you! We're going to make you wish you were never born!'"

I'd always admired Nidoking. This confirmed my admiration for him. It was then, with a sinking feeling, I remembered that he was dead.

And it was all because of Morgana. I felt a surge of hatred so powerful I nearly leapt for her throat there and then.

"But after that, his neck snapped, so he couldn't really say anything else!" Said Morgana joyously. "His family didn't say much, 'cause we killed them first, right in front of Nidoking! Oh, it was so entertaining to watch Nidoking's reaction."

I went back to imagining ways of torturing Morgana.

"You rebels are so darn violent!" She said loudly, throwing her head back. "And you call me sadistic! You would not believe what kind of vicious things rogues like to say before they die."

I could believe that easily. A lot of us passed the time by fantasising about murdering Primal Dialga. We've already planned out exactly what we're going to do to Morgana, in preparation for when we manage to capture her.

We always say 'when' we catch her. Nobody ever dares say 'if'.

"Want me to tell you some more? I'd killed so, so, so many of your friends, after all, I've got a whole list of last words to recite to you! But most of your pals were so damn weak they just bawled their eyes out."

I'd had just about enough of this. Death was preferable in comparison to being around Morgana any longer.

"Some of them liked to scream as they died! Most of them bellowed obscenities at my poor master! The cowards liked to sob and cry! And others liked to have a go at me—it's amazing, they all seemed to think I was the devil! Want to know what they said? It's very flattering, really!"

I had to get away from her. I don't care how. She was sick.

"Most of them wanted to mutilate me some way or another! How flattering is that?!"

She was immoral, wrong and perverse. I can't hold this up much longer.

So my pincer flashed out and struck her across the face.

For a few moments Morgana seemed stunned. She let out a wild peal of laughter when the pincer made contact and was knocked off balance.

My cheek started to sting horribly. But I ignored it and advanced on Morgana with a sinister, taut smile. I hadn't smiled for so long that turning up my lips was nearly painful.

Morgana swung herself back into balance.

"YOU!" She giggled, jabbing a hand in my direction. "You're a sly little fella, aren't'cha?!"

Her whole body wobble dangerously, as if she was about to fall over backwards. She laughed and giggled hysterically as she wobbled like jelly on a plate. Her eyes were stretched wide and unblinkingly fixated on me. My stomach twisted and churned in disgust.

I took another swipe, aiming to crush her skull. But she wobbled out of the way in the nick of time, giving a shriek of maniacal laughter.

I was getting frustrated, and my cheek hurt. I wildly lunged at her once more but she did the limbo to avoid getting smacked.

"How low can you go?!" She asked crazily.

She propelled herself back into a standing position by swinging her arms upward. As her upper body flew up back, she managed to give me a sharp smack on the forehead with her thorn-tipped hands.

I let out a shout of pain as her thorns sliced through my skin. I felt warm, sticky blood running down my face.

Morgana was still laughing. Even though, out of nowhere, a wound identical to mine was manifesting on her forehead.

The blood trickled down her face and collected on her lips. She just grinned at me, blood running down her chin.

She was sick.

"I'M NOT GOING TO TEMPORAL TOWER!" I bellowed.

Morgana's grin widened, distorting her features as it did.

"So, you can talk!" She snickered. "I was beginning to think you were mute! If you don't come to Temporal Tower I'll rip out my tongue and we'll both go mute!"

I relished the thought of Morgana being mute. I'd sacrifice my own tongue if it meant she'd finally shut up.

However, I wasn't willing to sacrifice my life just yet. It's definitely an option if escaping this situation proves impossible, but for now...

"Move." I grunted, as I gave Morgana a push in the back that nearly sent her toppling over.

"Onward!" She declared, wobbling madly again, that indefatigable grin still on her face. "To Temporal Tower!"

And so, I was forced to continue my voyage with Morgana.