Last time, on Explorers of Prehistory...
Sabre, the Black Scyther, betrayed Team Berserker and joined with the Kramzak Empire. However, that wasn't enough to stop Team Berserker and the Eeveelution Resistance from defeating the Umbreon and saving the slaves and capturing Lepyuf. Now, they head back to the mainland, unaware that Kramzak is planning on taking over the Espeon Territory!
What will happen next? Find out now!
And today's special thanks goes to... Freak666chaos for an awesome OC! Thanks a ton!
Midnight Forest stood in the heavily wooded areas near the Dragonite Empire, surrounded by a multitude of other forests and territories. Mere years ago, it had been a part of the Dragonite Empire. Now, it was a separate territory.
The Umbreon tribe had long been a proud tribe. The Dark-type Pokemon were renowned for their emotional control, their great speed, and their amazing techniques of stealth, which they put to use during the Desert Wars. But now, the Umbreon were separate from the empire, deep in a long war with their now-hated foes, the Espeon tribe, who lived mere miles away, in the Dawn Woods.
Midnight Forest used to be a valuable route for traders and merchants on their way to other territories. But now, the forest was in a dismal state. Thousands of ancient trees had been cut down to be used for building materials for siege engines and walls for fortresses. The road was now only travelled by armies, as any merchants going by would be captured and their goods taken from them. All goods dealt to the lands beyond now had to be taken by air, and they had to have an escort of Dragonite Guards, all of which were willing to blow any Umbreon raiders away with a Dragon Pulse the moment they showed so much as a hair.
In the center of Midnight Forest, was a small mountain, and cut in the stone was a fortress, standing tall and proud over the lands, facing its foe, the Sunlight Citadel, home of the Espeon leaders. The fortress was known as the Black Tower, and it was the home of Ebon, Emperor of the Umbreon tribe.
Said Emperor was sitting inside his warroom, staring down at a map of Espeon and Umbreon territory. Clay figures were placed on certain areas, representing armies on both sides. However, there were too few armies on both sides. No matter which direction they went, no matter which battle they won, the pieces - and the armies - were always on Umbreon Territory, and the Espeon were always on their own. They were always foiled, either by one another or by the mysterious resistance that hid away from both of their armies, destroying every attempt they made to
"Sire?"
A shimmering blue Glaceon, her body gleaming in the moon-light, entered the room. "You summoned me?" she said, her voice filled with youth.
"Icelia," said Ebon. "Come here."
Icelia obeyed, walking forward silently. Icelia was one of Ebon's generals - in fact, she was his only general. All of his other generals were dead. Icelia had defied the Glaceon tribe and joined up with Ebon, as her own mother had been an Umbreon. She was cunning and quick, and easily rose through the ranks with the shortage of officers. Now, she was the general of the Umbreon army, and was currently strenghthening their defensive positions.
Ebon pointed to the map with his paw. "Our defenses?" he asked.
"Are holding, sire," Icelia answered.
"Good." Ebon seemed slightly satisfied. "Now, we must prepare a new offensive. How many troops do we have?"
"An estimated three thousand, sir," Icelia answered.
Ebon frowned. Three thousand was not as massive as he would have wished, and it certainly wasn't as massive as it had been when the war began. Thousands of his soldiers had either been killed or simply vanished. Still, there would be time for recreating the population after those psychic mutts were dead.
Ebon moved one of the cray figures on the map and placed it on Espeon territory. "Very well," he said. "We'll make an assault with five hundred soldiers, and attack their forward defensive line." He placed the marker on a fort on the map called Sunset Point, the fortress that guards the border of the two forests. "If we can take that fort, we'll have the perfect point to thrust into Espeon territory."
Icelia nodded. "I'll put Captain Inque in charge of the assault, once she returns from Moor," she said. "She's fairly competant."
Ebon shook his head. "She won't be back for weeks. That would take too long."
"It would give us time to better prepare ourselves," Icelia replied, keeping her voice calm and emotionless. "Besides, I have always said that Inque is without a doubt one of your smarter officers. She should be able to win that fort, without a doubt."
Ebon sighed. "...Very well," he conceded. If it was worth doing, it was worth waiting for. Besides, he wanted this done right. They needed that fort. "The moment Inque returns, give her the assignment. Meanwhile, we'll take troops from Nightshine and Moon Lake and bring them up behind our attacking force, in case they need reinforcements."
"Nightshine and Moon Lake are towns," said Icelia. "If you take the soldiers away from them, they will be defenseless."
"General," Ebon said, coldly. "Sacrifices must be made for us to be freed from the opression of those Espeon runts."
Icelia nodded. "Of course, majesty. I apologize."
"Good. You are forgiven." Ebon turned back to the map. "Now, once that is..." He paused, his ears perking up. "Someone is here..." he whispered to Icelia.
Icelia whirled around, charging an Ice Shard, as Ebon prepared a Dark Pulse. "Show yourself," ordered Ebon. "You have made the mistake of intruding on my palace, spy! Show yourself, and I'll finish you quickly."
A pair of bright ruby eyes appeared in the darkness. "Somehow, I doubt that that would be the outcome of out battle..." a soft, but emotionless female voice hissed.
Sala the Kirlia stepped into the moonlight, her eyes gleaming brightly. "Ebon," she greeted.
"Sala..." Ebon snarled. "How dare you intrude here..."
"You know her, highness?" Icelia asked, horrified. She had heard of Sala, but she had never known that Ebon was affiliated with her.
"Know her. Hate her." Ebon glowered at the Kirlia. "Why are you here?" he demanded.
"My master has an offer for you," Sala said. "He sent me to convey it to you."
"Tell Kramzak I have no interest in anything he has to offer," snarled Ebon. "Leave."
Sala looked over to the map. She raised her hand, and telekenetically lifted a figure of an Umbreon soldier off the table. "My, my, such wonderful toys you have," she said, a hint of a mocking tone in her voice as she held the model in her hand, studying it closely. "It seems you are low on soldiers," she added, looking over the map again. "Preparing an assault on Sunset Point? Well, you seem eager to leave everything behind you undefended. That isn't a tactically wise decision." She placed the piece back with her psychic powers.
Told you, thought Icelia. She said nothing out loud, however.
"I do not need you to tell me what is wise and what is not," Ebon said, stepping towards the Kirlia and glaring at her hard. "What do you know of tactics?"
A hint of annoyance crossed Sala's face. "I have studied long and hard in the field of tactics," she informed him coldly. "I trained in battle with the gladiators of the desert. I've sparred with my master himself." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Perhaps you've never heard of the defenses of out forward defenses during the Desert Wars - both orchestrated and organized by me."
Ebon took a step back. Both he and Icelia had heard stories about that defensive barricade that had foiled every plot by the Dragonite to enter into the desert. "What do you want?" Ebon spat out again.
"I want only my master's will to be heard," Sala replied evenly,
"Sire," Icelia said. "You don't trust her, do you?"
"No."
"Then, please, send her away," Icelia said. "You know that Kramzak's thralls can never be trusted."
"Send me away and you send away any chance of winning your war," Sala retorted cooly, giving Icelia a hard glare.
"We don't need your help," Ebon growled. "What could you possibly have to offer me?"
"An army," Sala replied. "An army ten thousand strong."
The room became very quiet. Ten thousand strong. That was almost four times what they had. Finally, Ebon managed to speak. "Made from...?"
"Mostly Drapion, but also a great deal of Sandslash," Sala replied.
Ebon felt his ears perk. Drapion were vicious, and impervious to most Psychic-type attacks, not to mention they had a vicious array of Bug-type moves to use...
Icelia looked desperately at Ebon. "Sire, you don't-!"
"Be quiet!" Ebon ordered. He returned his gaze to Sala, who stared back with an emotionless face. "Ten thousand strong... Why would Kramzak want to offer his armies to my service?"
"Not your service," Sala replied. "Merely a truce. You will not take orders from my master, and he certainly won't take any from you. You would be equals."
"'Equals'," spat Ebon. "I have no desire to spend any more time than I have to with Kramzak, or with you."
"The feeling is mutual," said Sala.
"Sire, shall I call the guard?" asked Icelia, hoping to expel Sala as quickly as possible.
"You don't want to," Sala said. "Not if you value their lives."
Icelia growled at Sala, but Ebon cut her off. "Why would Kramzak want to help me?" he demanded.
"Water," Sala stated flatly. "Both Espeon and Umbreon territory have large bodies of water. The desert does not. We merely wish to make settlements in Espeon territory, and transport water back to the desert."
Ebon stared. Then, he gave a dry, mirth laced laugh. "You cannot be serious," he said. "Kramzak is begging for water?"
"My master never begs," Sala said, coldly. "Ever. He is making an offer."
Ebon laughed again. "Do you really think, Kirlia, that we cannot win this war? We are poised at this moment to destroy our foe once and foe all."
There was a loud knock on the door. "Sire! Sire!" Without any chance to ask who it was, or tell him to wait, the door flew open, and an Umbreon scout burst in. "Sire, I've brought news from the forward line! The Espeon have broken through with an army of five hundred! They're trying to take our border defenses!"
Sala returned her gaze to Ebon, who stood there, eyes wide and dialated, a look of humiliation and rage covering his face. "Go send reinforcements. Now," he ordered the scout.
"Uh... from where, sir...?"
"From anywhere. Get out."
"S-sir...?" the scout said, looking nervously as Sala. "Who...?"
"Get out!" snarled Ebon.
The scout bolted, slamming the door shut behind him.
Ebon whirled and faced Sala again, struggling to calm himself. "...Ten thousand soldiers?"
"Yes."
"All you want is water?"
"And settlements."
"That's all?"
"Yes."
Ebon looked away, closing his eyes, deep in thought.
"Sire," Icelia said. "You shouldn't..."
Sala glared at the Glaceon. "Who are you to make choices for him?" she asked. "Perhaps you should keep your mouth shut, and listen to reason. You may win this war alone - but the question is..." Her voice became a frigid whisper than made even the Glaceon shiver. "...What will be left when the fighting is over?"
Icelia bit her lip. She didn't have an answer.
"I'll return tomorrow with my master," Sala said. "At midnight. Have you answer by then... 'emperor'."
A violet spark erupted in the air, and the Kirlia vanished in a flash.
Ebon was silent for several seconds, before he said "Icelia... We have no choice..."
"Sire..."
"Silence!" Ebon whirled to face his general. "I will not be the emperor that sees my kind destroyed by those runts! I will have victory, even at the cost of negotiating with those barbarians!"
Icelia backed away and bowed her head. "Yes, sire..."
Ebon sighed, getting control of himself. He looked out the window, and caught sight of the sun slowly rising over the trees. Dawn was on the way. "I'm going to my quarters. Freshen up... and meet me there."
Icelia looked away, her face red. "Yes sir," she said.
Ebon nodded. "I'll see you there." With that, he silently walked off.
Icelia shuddered. Shaking her head, she turned away and left the war-room.
She had a mission.
The sun was slowly peeking over the trees when Icelia made her way down to the river that ran past the fortress. She silently dodged every guard, knowing their positions by heart. After all, she had been the one to set up their guard shifts.
The Glaceon was nevertheless nervous as she crawled through the tall grass without so much as brushing into a single blade Slowly, she crawled down to the stone covered shore of the rivers and silently stood at its bank, staring into the water.
Her own reflection stared back at her, dark eyes staring straight into her own. Then, the water began to shift, and a face emerged silently from the water, water slowly sliding down its cascade skin.
"Tides," Icelia greated the Vaporeon.
"Heya," the Vaporeon said, shining his usual confident grin. "How're things on the Umbreon side?"
Icelia shook her head. "Not good, I'm afraid. I have a message for you-know-who, and it's urgent, so please hurry back!"
Tide blinked. "What? What is it?"
"Ebon is allying himself with the Desert Empire!" hissed Icelia quietly. "They're coming with an army of ten thousand!"
Tide's eyes went wide, horror and shock etched on his face. "The Desert... Kramzak is coming here?"
"The Espeon will be demolished!" Icelia said. "We have to stop him, or else this war will never be truely resolved!"
Tide nodded. "I'll tell you-know-who. You sit tight and keep your eyes and ears open!"
Icelia nodded. "I will. Hurry back, and be safe. We don't have much time left. They meet at midnight, tonight!"
Tide saluted. "Roger that! I'll hurry back!" With that, the Vaporeon's body disolved into liqued, and he vanished into the river, flowing back to the center of the forest - and their secret HQ.
Icelia sighed as she watched him vanish. Everything she had worked so hard to do - placing guards on longer shifts so they fell asleep on duty, placing emotional Umbreon like Inque in positions of power, and rising to the rank of general - all of that would be undone if Kramzak came with his ten-thousand soldiers. The war would end not with a reconciliation, but with a slaughter.
Icelia stood above the river, the sun shining and gleaming on her coat of light blue fur. As a member of the Resistance, she could not - would not let that happen.
Wordlessly, she returned to the fortress.
It was an early morning in Shelder Village. The sun had risen over the sea, casting a bright orange hue upon the water. The air was warming, though it was still crisp. Autumn was on its way on the Mainland; the leaves were beginning to fade from green and transform into brilliant hues of reds, yellows and oranges.
The tide slowly ebbed the shore, washing the sand and soaking it with chilled water. A lone Pokemon stood at the shore, silently watching the slow waves.
Bessie the Buneary sniffled, her nose runny, as she wordlessly watched the sea, her eyes distant and sad, her mind on her mother. Her supposedly dead mother.
Bessie was heartbroken, and angry. Angry with fate, angry with the world, and angry with herself. She was so very angry with herself.
She had lied to her mother. She went to the trading post and went to a dangerous bar, and then went into a dangerous forest. She knew her mother would have never approved of it, and yet she did it anyway. She was always so angry with her mother for babying her, and was always complaining about her treatment of her. She felt so horrible now; she had treated her mother as if she was an annoyance, and now she was gone.
Bonehead watched silently from a short distance, sadly looking over her saddened friend. She missed Laura too, but she hadn't known her for that long. Bessie had known the Lopunny all her life, and now she was gone forever.
"Hiya."
Bonehead turned in a jolt to see Kala the Ralts walking towards her. "Morning," the Psyhic Type said.
"Morning," Bonehead replied. "Why are you up so early?"
"Dad's working on a patient," Kala answered. "One of our neighbors got a big cut on his back, and daddy needs to sew him up. He told me to wait outside."
A short distance away, Bonehead heard a yelp of pain, and Duro ordering the owner of the voice to be quiet.
"Is she still sad?" asked Kala, looking over to Bessie.
"Yeah," Bonehead replied. "She's really beating herself up about it..."
Kala rubbed her horn unhappily. "We need to do something to cheer her up. Her sadness is driving me nuts..."
Bonehead sighed. She slowly began to walk towards Bessie, dragging her bone behind her. She quietly approached Bessie. The Buneary didn't even turn to see her come, and simply stared out into the ocean.
"Hey," Bonehead said.
Bessie didn't reply, so Bonehead continued: "Are you okay?"
"No."
Bonehead gave a small sigh of relief. Well, she had gotten a response that time... "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Bessie... I - I'm..."
Bessie wheeled to face her friend, her chocolate eyes soaked with tears. "Why did it have to happen to her?!" she demanded, anger mixing with the sorrow. "What did she do to deserve that?!"
Bonehead simply stared, wordlessly. Did Bessie think she was some sort of psychic who knew everything?
Filled with passionate rage and sadness, Bessie continued. "It's not fair! It's not fair!"
"Bessie..." Bonehead said. "I'm..."
"What?! You're what?!" demanded Bessie. "You don't know how horrible I feel! She's gone! My mom is gone forever!" Bessie was practically foaming at the mouth at this point, and tears were streaming down her cheeks and falling to the sand.
Bonehead sighed. "I do know how you feel. My mom is dead, too."
Bessie blinked. "Wha-?" she said.
"W-we used to live on Tiny Island," Bonehead explained. "One day, these Pokemon tried to attack us... Mom fought them all off... but she got really hurt, and she..." Her voice trailed off sadly.
Bessie looked away. "B-Bonehead..."
"My mon is gone, too."
The Buneary and Cubone turned to see Kala standing next to them. "Daddy said she was an explorers..." the Ralts went on. "One day... she went off to explore... and she never came back..."
"Kala..." Bessie said.
"We're really sorry for you mom, Bessie," Bonehead said. "But please... Please don't be like this..."
"G-guys..." Bessie sniffled. After a moment of hesitation she grabbed both the Ralts and the Cubone in a fierce hug. "I'm sorry... please don't leave me..."
"We won't," promised Bonehead.
"Promise," Kala said, feeling a bit better. Bessie was still sad, but her sorrow was slowly ebbing away.
A sharp buzzing sound resounded from the sky. A shadow swiftly bolted across the sand, followed by another, and another.
Bonehead looked up. "What was that?!" she asked.
"It's the Ninjask!" said Kala. "They're messengers for the Dragonite Empire!"
Bessie looked up, amazed by how fast the Bug-types moved. Ninjask were among the fastest Pokemon in the world. Their tribe had been hired by the Dragonite Empire when they joined to replace Pelipper as the messengers of the Empire, as they were faster and more efficient. If they were hear, than that meant an important message was being delivered.
"Come on, come on!" Kala said, grabbing Bessie and Bonehead's hands. "Let's go see what's going on!"
Bonehead and Bessie yelped as Kala dragged them off to the village square.
Shelder Village was a small seaside town, and the square showed it. Small brick houses made up the town, and market stalls made with sticks and grass thatched roofs lined the streets. The town had a market in pearls, mainly. Many wealthy individuals would pay great amounts of pearls, and as such most of the population of the town had gone a pearl dive at least once. Sea glass was also in ready supply, and sea weed for those who enjoyed eating it. Tropical fruits grew on the beaches and in the forest, though they were scarce during this time of year, when autumn had arrived. Normally these stalls and shops would be loaded with customers and patrons alike. However, they were all empty. A large crowd had gathered around a wooden platform that sat in the center of the square, muttering and whispering amongst themselves.
"Messengers from the guild?"
"What could it be?"
"Is everything alright?"
"What's goin' on?!"
"I AM a human! You gotta-!"
"Rick, seriously? This ain't the time for that!"
"Sorry..."
Kala gave a frustrated groan as she hopped up and down. The crowd was huge, and Ralts certainly weren't the tallest Pokemon in the world. "C-come on! I wanna see!"
"Need a lift?"
An inky black tendril lifted the Ralts off her feet. Kala gave a delighted laugh. "Daddy!" she said.
Duro placed his daughter onto his hat. "Hello, girls," he told Bonehead and Bessie. "I had just finished with my patient when I saw the Ninjask go by."
"Do you know what the message is?" asked Bonehead, eagerly.
"No, I don't," Duro answered. "But..." He cast his scarlet eyes on the stage. "It looks as if we're about to find out."
The mayor and sheriff of Shelder Village, a large Feraligatr named Elton, stood on the stage, along with a Ninjask, dwarfing the black and gold Pokemon by several times. "Alright, everyone, listen up!" Elton ordered. "Blur here has a message for us, so everyone pipe down!"
The crowd went silent.
"Good morning, citizens of Shelder Village!" Blur buzzed. "I'm afraid I bring grave news. I, along with my brothers, were on the exploration ship known as the Lugia, which is being commaded by Guildmaster Sylvia of the Gardevoir Guild. The ship had set out with several explorers to fight off a group of pirates near Tiny Island! However..." The Ninjask trailed off.
"What happened?!" demanded a voice.
"Get on with it!"
"Yes, get on with it!"
"Pipe down!" Elton ordered again. "Continue, please," he told Blur in his most polite tone.
Blur nodded. "Ahem... Well... Uh, I'm afraid that the matter of fact is... When the Lugia arrived... Tiny Island was... Gone."
"Gone?!"
"It vanished?!"
"What do you mean?!"
"Pipe down, I said!" Elton shouted.
"What I mean to say is," said the Ninjask, "Tiny Island has been destroyed!"
Someone in the crowd screamed, and someone else fainted.
"The guildmaster herself has located several survivors," Blur went on, buzzing nervously, "and the Lugia is on its way back to the mainland. The Gardevoir Guild intends to begin a full investigation of this matter, and it will not be halted until the answer is found! They believe that this has something to do with the natural disasters that currently are befalling our world. Messages are being sent even now to Icicle Island to Team Vampire and Team Rose to return from their explorations to return to the guild. The answer to this natural disaster will be found, but until then be on guard! That is all." The Ninjask bowed his head, before buzzing off the stage.
The nervous murmerings of the crowd began again, terrified for their lives. Thankfully, Elton decided to take charge. "Alright, listen up!" the Fereligatr ordered, silencing the crowd. "I know everyone's terrified and all, but now is not the time to panic! We gotta make sure Shelder Village is safe, just in case any natural disasters come along!"
A small cheer echoed throughout the crowd. Their mayor's words have restored a little confidence.
"First things first," Elton said, "I want all the shipbuilders to build some escape boats just in case the same thing happens here! I want every family and everyone to have an escape plan!"
A louder cheer filled the crowd.
"We need to be ready on all fronts!" Elton finished. "Preperation is the greatest defense, folks! Let's get to it!"
The crowd gave one last cheer, before they departed, setting about their tasks frantically.
"Wow..." Kala said. "It... it really did sink..."
Bessie sighed. Took them long enough...
"I believe I owe you girls and apology," Duro said, humbly. "You were right: Tiny Island did sink."
"It's okay," Bonehead said. "It did sound crazy."
"What do we do now?" asked Kala.
Duro lifted his daughter off of his head and placed her to the ground. "Now," he said, "we get ready for any emergency."
"Yeah!" Kala said. "Preper... prepa... Uh, being ready is the best defense!" she declared.
"Speaking of being ready," Duro said, "I used my last oran berry patching up my patient, and my supplies of cheri berries, pecha berries, and the like is running low. Those don't grow around here this time of year. I'll have to make a trip to Dragonite City to buy more."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Kala's eyes brightened. "Dragonite City?! Can I come, daddy, can I come, please?!"
Duro nodded. "If you want to. How about you?" Duro asked Bessie and Bonehead. "Would you like to come to the city for a while?"
"S-sure," Bessie said, a little nervously. She had never been to a city before. The largest civilized settlement she had ever seen had been the Dragonite Trading post, never an acutal city.
"Good," Duro said. "We'll set out tomorrow, then. Until then, please, enjoy the rest of the day." With that, the healer floated off to his home.
"Hey, wait!" Bonehead called, chasing after Duro.
Duro whirled. "Hmm? What is it?"
"I wanna know something," Bonehead declared. "What's the Gardevoir Guild?"
"The Gardevoir Guild?" Duro asked. "Well, it's..."
"It's only the most amazing and incredible exploration guild that the world has ever known!" interupted Kala. "It's right by Dragonite City, and it has the best exploration teams in the whole wide world in it!"
"Really?" Bonehead asked, curiously. She was an explorer, wasn't she...?
"Yeah!" Kala said, obviously excited. "It's super awesome! I wanna join so badly!"
"Ahem..." Duro said, folding two tendrils across his chest.
Kala sighed. "Which I can't do until I'm older..." she admitted.
"That's right," Duro said with a nod.
"Aww..."
"Come on, Kala," said Duro. "Let's go home. You still have chores to do."
"Aww, daddy...!"
"No complaints."
Duro walked off with Kala in tow, leaving Bessie and Buneary standing alone in the square.
"Bonehead?"
"Yeah, Bessie?"
"... I think... that maybe we should join the guild."
Bonehead looked at Bessie, surprised. "Really?" she asked.
"If they're investigating these natural disaster..." Bessie said, a determined look crossing her face, "then maybe they'll find out why mom died. If they do... I wanna be there to help them."
Bonehead slowly nodded. "I want to help," she said. "Maybe we can find the answers together."
Bessie gave a small smile. "We will."
Without another word, the two friends departed from the square, their minds made up.
Author's Note:
Well, after about six chapters of Team Berserker we got a change of scenery. We're back on the mainland, and we're back with Bonehead and Bessie, two of the characters who started it all! Meanwhile, we got to see yet another member of the Eeveelution Resistance, and she's in a high place in Umbreon ranking, which allows her to sabotage her "allies" much easier. But will she be able to continue her sabotage when she had to watch both the Umbreon and the Kramzak Empire?
Tune in next time to see Dragonite City, and to see the Gardevoir Guild HQ!