The plan was simple enough. We would get inside the building where the ceremony was, and we would have to get everybody outside – without harming anyone or damaging the building.
"We could pull the fire alarm," Mandite said, thoughtfully, "but then the pokemon wouldn't be afraid, because they know there would be no fire. The people would – they are so gullible." I patiently listened as we made our way towards the little town. Sure, we knew our plan – get everybody else out, and then we say our goodbyes before going away quietly, and the ceremony would be postponed but will be held later – but what was troubling us now was how to get the people and pokemon out. We would have to think of something better than a fire alarm. There would be fire type pokemon, without a doubt, so they would know if there was a fire. They wouldn't run out panicking at any rate. We needed something that everybody would be afraid of, and would want to get out as quickly as possible. But what?
"Hey," Mandite said, giving me a quick glance, "remember the day we were in town where we had the pokemon battle?" I nodded – of course I did. It was a triumphant moment for him and me. Why would he ask me that, though?
"Why was everybody scared of some kind of flood, then?" Mandite asked, "Do you remember that part, then?" Something inside me clicked. I remembered Dhenalix jumping down from the baking roof and into the street, where the people were. One look at him, they started to panic, screaming about they were going to suffer from a great flood. People were definitely scared of absols.
"Mandite," I exclaimed, "Dhenalix was the reason for the panic that day – maybe he could appear inside the ceremonial place and scare the people away. He did that last time." Mandite's amber eyes brightened.
"That's right!" he agreed happily, "Now let's hope he's not on any excursions. I know a shortcut to his place – follow me!" The little energetic beast bounded away, through the path of destruction – the one I made earlier. I sadly took in the bedraggled, dreary sight.
"Hurry up!" I heard Mandite's now distant voice call to me impatiently. I tore my eyes from the darkened place and followed his trail of parted grass in the prairie. I couldn't see the little warrior anywhere, but I knew where he went.
I heard some rusting in the tall grass, but I ignored it.
That turned out to be a big mistake. A heavy force slammed into my side, knocking me into the ground, causing me to yelp in surprise. Struggling, I looked into the face of my attacker.
It was smoky gray, with strands of snow white fur covering some of his crimson eyes, glaring sharply at me. His teeth was set in a snarl, and I could feel his hot breath.
"Dhenalix?" I asked in disbelief. The absol blinked his eyes softening with recognition.
"Lucario," he gasped, surprised, "what are you doing here alone?" The absol stepped off from me, and I panted for breath, having the wind knocked from me.
"I'm not alone," I breathed, "Mandite is somewhere over there." I waved my arm in the direction where he had went. Dhenalix's head pricked up, gazing.
"I think he is coming back," the absol said. True to his word, we saw the blue puffball come hustling back, holding his backpack on the top of his head. He seemed he was ready to scold me, until he saw Dhenalix. His eyes brightened.
"Dhenalix," he cried out happily, "we need your assistance!" The absol cocked his snowy head, and blinked.
"What sort of assistance?" Dhenalix asked in his deep, raspy tone. Mandite clapped his gloved hands together.
"Well," Mandite said, beginning to explain the situation, "Aurora left with a blaziken called Zhoke to -"
"Zhoke?" the absol said with distinct recognition, his eyes wide, "what happened?" Mandite and I stared at him. What was going on?
"Well," Mandite said, eying the absol with a sense of suspicion, "they're going to get hitched. They left before we got to say proper good byes." And then, gesturing towards me with a shrug of his wings, he added,
"He's got a soft spot for her," I blushed a little bit, although I was sure the absol knew – he had talked to me on the roof that other time. However, something was troubling me greatly. Dhenalix's eyes were wide and at a loss, his breathing deep. The absol was in shock, pawing the ground nervously.
"Dhenalix?" Mandite asked, waving a hand in his vision. Dhenalix blinked and then crouched low to the ground, bowing his head so that it brushed the dirt.
"Forgive me, Lucario," he growled in an anxious tone, "I didn't know..." What was he talking about? Mandite and I glanced each other, concerned. What was going one? Mandite tapped Dhenalix's foreleg for attention.
"What the heck are you talking about?" He demanded. The dignified absol sank impossibly lower to the ground, wincing from the question. Dhenalix peered up at me, his eyes pleading.
"I am terribly sorry, Lucario," he said, shaking, "but I was the one who brought Zhoke to Aurora – I didn't know he was interested in her, I swear." Shock and disbelief punched me hard in the stomach. How did he get to meet Zhoke? What happened when he did meet him? I felt no resentment, however; he had no knowledge about Zhoke's and Aurora's relationship. Instead, I calmly asked,
"How did you meet Zhoke?" Dhenalix pawed the ground with his paw nervously.
"His trainer had a mightyena that tracked your scents, up until the Scarred Lands – that's what Zhoke told me. Then his trainer flew over that land, and came upon our place. When I came home that day, I found Lily unconscious with the trainer pulling out a pokeball." He panted.
"I attacked them, but then Zhoke pinned me down by my neck, here," The absol lowered his head so that three gashes in his beautiful white mane showed, "and I begged him not to take Lily, and I would do anything for them if they listened to me." I began to see how the story unfolded with sickening horror. I wouldn't blame him – he was protecting his mate.
"At first, Zhoke didn't really say anything, because he didn't know what to request," Dhenalix continued, "but then the mightyena could smell a faint trace of Aurora – your scent trail was washed by a heavy rain day before yesterday. So, knowing that she had been here, he demanded to know where she went, and... And I didn't want them to take Lily, so... So I told them." He gazed at me helplessly.
"I didn't know Lucario, I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, "I caused you much pain – please forgive me; I didn't mean you harm." Never before I have seen or imagine Dhenalix acting so helpless – not even if Giratina were to be mad at him I have never imagined such thing. So it appalled me greatly to see this before my eyes.
Was I angry? Did I feel betrayed?
No. He had been threatened, and he had no idea what Zhoke's intentions were. Yes it would have been nice if things turned out differently, like if Zhoke ended up wandering throughout the Scarred Lands instead, but I have learned the hard way that most things will never come the way one would want it to. Dhenalix hung his head.
"Dhenalix," I said, slowly, "I understand – I'm actually glad that Lily is now safe. I'd rather have Aurora go off like she did now than have a mother taken from her family – Aurora doesn't love me anyways; we're only saying good bye." Dhenalix's face smoothed and he smiled warmly.
"You'll never know," he said, his crimson eyes shining, before he turned to Mandite, business-like, "now, please continue with your plan – I would like to make up for what I've done in any way I can." But Mandite seemed to be sobered up by something, like our plan had gone wrong. Dhenalix noticed this, too.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked the little warrior. Mandite's amber eyes blinked from underneath his masked.
"Would Zhoke recognize you?" the warrior asked. Dhenalix thought for a moment, tilting his scythed head to the side.
"Most likely not," he pondered, "we absols look very much alike – it's just he will recognize my voice." Then he eyed Mandite with suspicion.
"What is it that you want me to do?" He continued, raising to his feet.
"Okay," Mandite said, ready to explain, but then looked around, "is it all right if we could walk and talk? We need to cover some distance."
"Of course," Dhenalix accepted graciously, and the three of us began to trek towards our destination at a hastened pace. The whole while, Mandite explained our priorities to Dhenalix, and his role that would play in it. Dhenalix agreed that it was effective to an extent – we just needed a story. Someone would tell it in place of Dhenalix, since Zhoke would recognize it and might suspect something; the result would empty the place of life except for us and Aurora. But there were still loopholes to close. What would be the chosen story? And how are we going to get Aurora to stay behind? In this act, when we somehow get the participants to desert the building, would test if Zhoke really did care for Aurora to the extent of theorizing her safety is more important than his own. Will he run with his chosen mate? Or will he dash out by himself?
But basically, we needed one that would get the job done. Of course, once we had our good byes said and done, the ceremony would be continued – who knows when, but it would. Nobody would be hurt, nothing would be damaged, and afterwards life would resume as normal. That was the beauty of Mandite's plan.
"It's being held here," Mandite said, when he had came to check his map, "it's some ways off, but the ceremony is definitely not taking place today – perhaps tomorrow." Dhenalix also went to look, curious whether or not he had been there before or not. He claimed he didn't, but at least Mandite was good with navigating. Undeterred, we marched onward, through the thick forest that separated us from human civilization. Our progress was somewhat held back from a pace that would have taken us to the town by the end of the day, but since we had to check the map every so often to make sure we were heading in the right direction, we only made it three fourths of the way there. However, Mandite told me cheerfully that we were making better progress than we thought.
"Remember, Lucario," he said, as the three of us rested for the night – we didn't want to make a dangerous journey through the night, "The ceremony is at the earliest tomorrow. Ceremonies take a long time to prepare for – especially when you're human."
"Zhoke is not human," I said, sitting at a comfortable distance from our meager fire. A golden glow was cast on Dhenalix's smiling face.
"Yes, that's true," Dhenalix interjected, "but he has a domineering human trainer that will most likely carry out the activities." Realizing that this was true, I sheepishly stared into the fire, blushing from embarrassment. It was funny how I was more shy now than my stone cold self so many months ago. That was before I realized the beauty of Aurora's eyes; and then that was it.
Staring into the fire, I began to wonder if this last excursion was just a silly, overdone attempt. I mean, we're going to disturb a special moment just to say good bye – was that necessary? I glanced up to look at Mandite.
"Do you really think that this is really that necessary?" I asked him. The look on Mandite's face made me smile. It was the look of utmost disbelief and horror, exaggerated to a silly extent.
"I can't believe you would say that, of all people!" he gasped, but then continued in a serious voice, "But there is importance in this. Before I left, I would give Aurora something that she must hold on to, but now that she is gone, I have to go give it to her." He patted his backpack happily. Dhenalix gazed at him calmly, making a small nod of approval. I, on the other hand, was wondering what this thing could be.
"Is it important?" I asked. Mandite rolled his eyes.
"If it wasn't important, then we wouldn't be here right now." he laughed, "Yes, Lucario, it is extremely important – it's the thing that I have to give Aurora from Dialga." With the mention of the deity's name, my obscurity vanished. It was important – could it be that secret he was forbidden to tell so long ago atop a mountain ridge?
"You know what, Lucario? I'm gonna let 'ya in on the secret," Mandite said, winking, "you know, the one that Tyyakkuvh told me from Dialga." I was surprised, as well as the absol stretched out to the side of me.
"Why?" I asked, appalled.
"'Cuz secrets are only fun when they're shared with everyone," the warrior grinned, and I smiled back. But, knowing Mandite, he wouldn't carelessly give out information to just anyone. He had to carefully consider the option, so I felt safe about the judgment.
"Well," Mandite said, after getting the okay from Dhenalix, "It turns out Aurora is part of some hunky dory prophecy she and two other people will have to fill later, and she needs to know about it before she parts ways. When the time comes, she'll know what to do." Aurora was part of a prophecy? That's something new – it looks like that the two of us weren't just ordinary lucarios wandering the Sinnoh region. How I wished that could be true, but as I said, things most of the time will not turn out the way one wishes for.
"So that's it – that's the super important thing that is super important for her to have before she goes off traveling with Zhoke," Mandite concluded, and then adding with a sly tone, "or before I leave you two lovebirds..." I blinked.
"That's impossible," I snorted, but in my heart, I wished that would be true. The warrior only shrugged nonchalantly.
"Nothing is impossible where I come from," he said, "but don't get your hopes too high, either. 'Night you two." And with that, the warrior covered his body with the Dimensional Cape, such powerful object serving as a mundane blanket. I looked at the little bundle, thinking about what he had said.
"Lucario," I turned to look at Dhenalix, "don't loose hope – love is an extremely unpredictable game. Take me for example." I frowned at him.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked. The absol chuckled, shaking his head.
"I'm an absol, the disaster pokemon. Many pokemon are prejudiced about my type, and believe it would be bad luck to be a mate to one." he explained, "And yet, thank my lucky stars, I have Lily." Dhenalix closed his eyes, smiling. I smiled too, for the fortunate male. It must be hard being an absol, while the rest of the world blamed you for the cause of catastrophes. And yet, he was now a father.
"How is the egg doing?" I asked him. Dhenalix, rested his head atop his forelegs, smiling with warmth.
"I was about to ask what was your approximation on the time we would get back," he said softly, "the egg might hatch in a few days, so I want to be there to see my child." The gentleness of his voice created a melancholy feeling within me. I was glad that he was going to see the child he had expected so long, but it reminded me of myself. How old was I now? Seventeen – in less than half a year, I would become of age of eighteen years. What seemed so far away was now just around the bend; life with a mate, and a family. My heart sank, just realizing how close I was to becoming a mature lucario. All of those things were just in reach, and now, it seems, it would be nice if I had them. It's strange, feeling so grown up already, spending my life putting that matter aside. Now, it hit me like falling boulders. Life with Aurora was easily imaginable – I spent most of it with her, anyways. And I can't imagine spending the rest of it with anyone else. I looked up, and met Dhenalix's calm, crimson gaze. A sympathetic smile appeared on his face.
"You remind me so much of myself when I realized I was on the verge of adulthood," he told me, gently, "Don't loose hope, Lucario." The absol sank his scythed head down, resting it on his forelegs, closing his eyes.
"Sleep well, Lucario," he whispered in his deep voice.
"You too,"
~*~
The sun was shining in mid morning position by the time we broke out from the forest and into the bright light. Before us was a neatly organized town, with beautifully constructed buildings, so spectacular I even admired it. But, wandering throughout it, I began to wonder something.
"Mandite?" I asked.
"Yeah?" he acknowledged my request.
"How are we going to know where the ceremony is held?" I continued with my question, "There are many fancy buildings." Mandite tapped the side of his mask and Dhenalix pawed the grass, both thinking deeply.
"We could have arrived early," the absol hypothesized. Mandite scanned the street, and then his eyes brightened.
"Let's just follow the crowd," he pointed to the groups of people heading towards a single building, "c'mon!" The three of us ran, but kept our distance and tried to remain inconspicuous as possible. And so, Mandite lead us in a wide arc around the central gathering place, around the people. We finally made it to the building, lining carefully against the wall so it we were less likely to be seen. I had a good feeling that Zhoke and his trainer would recognize us, both of whom were standing right outside. Knowing Zhoke's protective manner, he would definitely want to chase us away. I bet he wouldn't even negotiate us and call upon several of the police pokemon to attack us.
"We have to find a way in," Mandite hissed to the rest of us, "let's snoop around!" All three of us crouched and started to slink away in the shadows, looking for some kind of back entrance or even a window along the stony sides. There were large, multi colored stained windows above us, but they were only useful for a dramatic entrance. Dhenalix sniffed to see if he could catch a scent of what was inside – this would mean an opening of some sort, which could be our way in. I too started to sniff, bringing the air over my scent glands. So far, I smelt the earth, the vegetation, and the faint trace of wood burning coming from the main entrance behind us. Mandite kept his eyes peeled – er sharp – on the lookout for a suitable window to climb through. Meanwhile, he kept our minds busy with a predicament.
"So," he whispered, feeling the wall for any possible hidden doors, "have any of you thought of a story, yet?" I froze – I haven't even thought of it at all. I hopefully looked to Dhenalix, but he seemed to be as thunderstruck. My heart sank dejectedly. "None of you?" Mandite hissed with disbelief, "Gosh!" Dhenalix glared at Mandite.
"It would help if you had thought, too," he growled impatiently, "besides, it would take a lot more than an absol to scare off some much larger pokemon – there would have to be this frightening force that strikes fear into the very soul." Oddly, in a strange coincidence, I felt some fear creep into my heart. It was unsettling, bringing images of Bruno stabbing his long sabers into a helpless female, and many of the horrors of dreaming. From behind me, a dark, whisper asked,
"How may I be of assistance?" Slowly turning around, I met icy blue gaze that sent cold chills up and down my spine, as the shadowy figure stared back at me, calmly.
"Well?" Darkrai asked, expectantly. Dhenalix blinked, keeping respectfully silent, but Mandite seemed to bubble over in enthusiasm.
"I have the perfect job for you!" Mandite beamed enthusiastically, "I need you to scare away a whole building full of people without being seen, and to think of a disaster story fit for an absol to tell – oh, and do you know of any secret entrances into this building?" Darkrai looked down upon the little warrior with an amused expression. He folded his arms, black, cloud-like material flowing from them.
"That's easy," the Legendary chuckled in an unexpectedly, good natured tone, "All I have to do is to sit in the ground while you say that this building was built over a cemetery, and the unhappy spirits will rise and haunt them for the rest of their lives if they don't get out in thirty seconds." We were all impressed with the idea.
"And the entrance?" Mandite asked, hopefully.
"Go around to the back of this building, and you'll find a door that leads you to some backstage type room," he said, pointing, "it will be locked, though, so try to find a way to get in." By now we were amazed by the Legendary pokemon and his ease of knowledge. It raised many questions in my mind that I wanted answered.
"Hey Darkrai, sir?" Mandite called to him, "Can you do one more thing for us?" Darkrai, who had started to sink into the ground as a shadow, his body material melting lower and lower, looked up. Half of his body was now subterranean, the shadowy material billowing around him.
"Yes, and that would be...?" Darkrai's voice trailed off, waiting for a reply. Mandite looked at me and Dhenalix, then back to the patiently waiting Legendary before saying,
"Can you be the one who tells the people the story? I mean, none of us has a really scary voice." Darkrai gazed steadily at us.
"Certainly," he agreed, "just meet me at the ceremonial room, wherever it may be." And with that, the rest of the Legendary sank into to shadow. The dark patch on the ground began to race away in zig zag trails, and through a wall. I merely watched him go, awestruck by the easy cooperation we had received. We were all surprised, and delighted.
"Now let's go inside" Mandite said in a new, reinvigorated manner, "move out!" The three of us moved along the wall with a quickened step, rounding the corner of the building so that we now faced the back of it, facing a forest. Traveling along it, we found Darkrai true to his word – there was a small door without a handle.
"Looks like something a janitor would use," Mandite observed, "let's see – it opens out this way so..." It was easy for me to tell that the warrior was formulating a scheme that would lead us inside. It didn't take him long either. He clapped his gloved hands together and motioned for us to come closer. I knelt down, as Dhenalix approached.
"I want you guys to stand over here and do not go anywhere until I tell you," he said, going over to stamp our little place with a foot, "I'll set a decoy and knock on the door – if that fails, I guess we're bashing in." Obediently, we stood in our places, as Mandite walked up to the door. He raised his fist, but thought for a second.
"And whatever you do," Mandite finalized, "don't laugh." I nodded, and the warrior nodded sharply back. Mandite removed his armor, gloves, and cape, revealing his childish appearance to the open world, placing them inside his backpack. He tossed it to me, which I caught, knowing he wanted me to hold on to it for now. Then, he rapped on the door, loud and clear. From inside we heard an annoyed, man's voice call out,
"What?" Mandite continued to knock on the door. The response was immediate, and the door swung open so far it nearly bashed into my nose. I held my breath, wondering what was going on.
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF – oh," The man's infuriated voice had become soft and gentle. I didn't see his body at all, but I saw Mandite. He stood, holding his small hands bashfully, and peered up at the mystery man with innocent, large eyes. Rocking back from side to side, Mandite took up as the actor of a small child – one that he was playing out very successfully.
"Can I come inside?" Mandite's voice was reduced to a tiny whimper as his eyes shone large and watery, "My mommy works here." This new Mandite was so different from the one I knew by heart that I found it amusing. But even I had to admit he looked very adorable indeed. Well done, Mandite.
"Oh, of course, of course," the man said, ushering Mandite inside, "come in." The warrior child motioned his arm for us to follow, and so Dhenalix and I crept carefully behind the man, hiding behind several crates once we got inside the dark and dusty room. The man, who's brown hair was slicked back on his head and dressed in neat clothing, bent down to Mandite and asked,
"Can you find your way from here, little one?" Mandite beamed at him with a babyish smile.
"Yes, thank you!" He hugged the man's leg briefly, and then skipped off giggling, before disappearing behind a crate, waiting for us. The man only smiled, and left in a different direction. Meanwhile, Dhenalix and I waited for a while before we felt that it was safe to walk around. We hurried over to where Mandite hid, the two of us grinning broadly.
"That was brilliant!" the absol exclaimed. I nodded in agreement as Mandite laughed and took his backpack from me.
"It's my specialty," Mandite said, winking. I could see it was – the spell even enchanted me. But now the old Mandite was back, he returned to his business-like manner with a sense of duty other than finding a "mommy".
"All right, let's go!" He announced, and off we went. As we walked in the dark hallway, our footsteps echoing in the empty space, I hoped that Mandite knew where he was going. This was a rather large building, and we could easily become lost within it. But Mandite seemed to be an expertise in navigating unknown territory, whether it was on perilous cliffs or in custodial hallways. He soon lead us to a door along the wall, and cautiously opened it. A shaft of warm light shone into the darkness, some of it covered by the figure of Mandite, peeking.
"Hey," he said, sounding engrossed, "there's a buffet table."
"Is there anyone outside?" Dhenalix asked, his voice pressuring. I didn't know what a buffet table was, but I was going to learn soon enough. Mandite glanced back, his yellow eyes glowing in the dark.
"Nope," he said, "I see some more doors – c'mon!" Opening the door so only that we could slip through, our little mission party made our way across a large room full of white-clothed tables, chairs, and a long table that was covered in food. This must be the buffet table Mandite was so tempted by, I realized with exasperation. It amused me that he chose a path that ran alongside it, while Dhenalix and I went down an open aisle.
"Ooh, muffins!" Mandite piped up happily, glancing at the food array.
"Mandite," I hissed, "we can't eat now." I quickly hid behind a plastic form of a potted plant, with the absol soon after me. But there was no sign of Mandite.
"Mandite!" I hissed again.
"Coming!" I heard him cry, and a shuffle of his small feet brought him, holding his backpack on top of his head with several sweet smelling pastries balanced neatly on top. I sighed, but knew he couldn't resist. He stuffed one of them into his mouth, opening a side door slightly ajar, and peeked through.
"We're have good luck on our side, today," Mandite commented, his mouth half-full, "Coast is clear." We followed him through the door and down a red carpeted hall, with various doors along the sides. The thuds of our feet pounding as we ran by were muffled by the cushioned floor, luckily for us. Other than the man at the dark hall, we did not run into anyone else so far, so maybe that was a good sign. The little warrior, running in the front, plucked the muffins from atop his backpack every so often and ate while on the move. Dhenalix was behind him, his muscles beneath his snowy pelt rippling in fluid, graceful motions. I followed.
However, with the many doors along this lit hall, I began to wonder how is Mandite choosing which way to go? Was he going the right way? The wrong?
My ears picked up the sounds of murmuring, and footsteps not belonging to us. I suppose Mandite saw the shadows of two figures, walking our way.
"Quick!" Mandite hissed, attempting to open a nearby door – however, it was locked, unable to turn. Glancing down the hall, I heard the voices become more audible, defining into a male and a female voice.
"Let me deal with this!" the absol hissed anxiously, and the scythe on the side of his head glowed. In a cutting motion, he raised onto his hind legs and slashed down on the doorknob clean off, so that there was a hole where it once sat. Mandite wrenched the door open, a wave of stale, cold air rushing upon us. Dhenalix dove in, followed by me, and then Mandite, who closed it behind him.
"Heavens..." Mandite whimpered suddenly.
"Shh!" I hissed, peeking out from the hole and listening to who the two were. My heart lightened from the sound of a feminine – Aurora herself. The other was Zhoke, recognizable from his rough, deep voice that seemed to be on fire. I saw the pair, changing the angle of my view so that I could see their faces. Aurora seemed to be sullen and moody, and Zhoke was apparently frustrated.
"What do you mean that I must follow Maggy's orders?" Aurora asked, perhaps not the first time, judging by the exasperated expression on Zhoke's face.
"Because she will be your trainer, once we are bonded," he explained forcefully, stirring anger inside me, "Once we are bonded, you will become her pokemon." Aurora's eyes grew wide with fear, and my stomach felt as though it dropped to my toes.
"You mean... I won't be free anymore?" she asked, breathing deeply. Zhoke blinked, and then his golden gaze softened.
"No, no," he said, placing his arms around Aurora, "it's not like that – I think you will like it." Hah! I say otherwise; Aurora is a free spirit who likes to roam and to be loved genuinely at all times. She must feel the fresh air and grass beneath her feet more often than not, not to be cooped up inside a pokeball. Aurora couldn't be held a captive – she was much too wild for that. She needed to be free, and by the looks of it, she will not get as much leniency as Zhoke does.
She was heading towards a miserable path. Could that be stopped? Anxiously, I watched the pair hold each other, Aurora frowning, her gaze somewhere far off in space. Her eyes had become dull, and almost lifeless, loosing much of the precious beauty I cherished so much. What happened? She stirred, looking up at the tall blaziken.
"Do you smell something funny?" she asked, sniffing. I certainly did – the room we were hiding in was filled with a stale, old stench that was making its way out of the hole of the vacant doorknob. Zhoke sniffed too, and shook his head, not minding it.
"It's all right," Zhoke said assuringly, before brushing her chin with a claw, "Now cheer up, okay my love?" Aurora smiled a little bit, some of the firelight returning to her eyes. Zhoke's eyes widened.
"Honey, don't do that," he gasped. Aurora blinked, confused as she tilted her head to the side.
"Do what?" she asked.
"Your eyes," he said, "They're..." I understood Zhoke; those eyes had at first frightened me by their complexity. But it was that feature that made me realize Aurora's beauty.
"You don't like my eyes?" Aurora asked him, frowning. Zhoke stared at her for a moment, and shifted his gaze.
"Well," he said, "they're are a little creepy, no offense my love." Aurora blinked, her lovely eyes widening with hurt. Meanwhile, I wanted to bust this door down and tell Zhoke that this was no way to treat someone as gentle as Aurora. I growled, but softly enough so that the outside world didn't hear.
"I think they're beautiful," I whispered to Aurora, although I knew she couldn't hear me.
"Come with me, my love," Zhoke said, after several minutes had gone by, "the ceremony is going to start." Holding out a feathery arm which Aurora took, the two walked continued to walk down the hallway, their footsteps fading from hearing range.
"Darkrai was right," Dhenalix gasped, finally making a noise. Mandite groaned as though he was sick. I swung it around, my eyes narrowed.
"What do you – uh..." Then I saw it, in the tiny bit of light that widened lit into the ghastly dark. Covered by phantom like shadows, their wispy claws grasped over the stone fragments, were tombs. Tombs of the dead.
My knees shook violently.
"Let's go," Mandite said, "I think I'm going to barf." Dhenalix and I agreed without hesitation, and we burst out from the room, heading down the hall after Zhoke and Aurora, quivering. That was way too much of a sight for me.
Creeping through a door, we heard the noise of many people and pokemon, hitting us like a gigantic wave of sound. It was dark, but I could see bright lights, and some people beyond the pillar we hid behind.
"We are on the side of the stage," Mandite hissed. Backing away, the warrior gestured to us to come to him – he had a plan. The rest of us crouched, listening intently.
"Okay, I will stay here with Lucario, except I'll be in the crowd over there." Mandite said, pointing to the other dark corner at the back, beyond the fancy decorations of flowers and jars of fire. Dhenalix, noticing his name had not been mentioned to stay, tilted his head to the side.
"And me?" Mandite nodded.
"Go back to the buffet place, and crash through the large doors roaring – it would be good if you broke them," Mandite said, tapping the side of his face thoughtfully, "wait for me to shout 'yipee-ki-yay!', comprende?" Dhenalix nodded.
"Is Darkrai here?" I asked.
"Listen to all those pokemon baying in fear – he's here all right," Mandite exclaimed, "in fact, he's in the middle of the crowd. He's that dark spot over there."
"Now go!" Mandite ushered, waving his hand anxiously. The absol turned around sharply and bounded away, disappearing from view. Mandite melted away into the shadows, heading towards his position, leaving me alone and on stage, behind a great, stone pillar, waiting.
Suddenly, the crowd, who had been as loud as a raging river rushing through its bed, became silent; so quiet, even a whisper of death could be heard. Not a pokemon whimpered or whined or cried. It was silent, except for the fire crackling and spitting inside their ornate jars.
The ceremony has begun.
... Darn it. I messed up. Again.