Me: Urg! I never got the feedback I was after, so I'll apologize in advance... Sorry, Yereton! I waited, and waited, but the story had to go on! (Starts to fall like a dramatized sinking ship!)
Allan: 'Dramatized' is right... Everybody knows you like to exaggerate things.
Me: Shhh! That was supposed to be a secret!
Anyway, you've all read the dislcaimer before, and it hasn't changed... Well, actually, it did. I don't own toast, but I do own my grilled-cheese sandwich and tomato soup! So there!
Allan: -_-; (Someone save me from this mad-woman!)
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Chapter Eleven:
The Great would-be Escape, Part 1
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In a secluded chamber within Spire island's more comfortably furbished halls, two of the highest Dark Knight Masters were discussing a topic of recent interest to them both.
"Tell me again, Crush... You're sure that your apprentice has a fix on the location of that wretch, Allan?" Lady Shock said irately, for the third time in so many minutes.
"... Do you doubt my Squire's extensive training?" Crush replied quietly.
"Hardly!" Shock snorted, annoyed that she didn't get her desired answer. Then she continued by muttering, "But that brat, Allan... He's very good at hiding himself when he doesn't want to be found..."
"If you doubt my answer, say so openly, Shock." Crush said with a warning growl, that even she would listen to, "My Squire located him days ago, thanks to that fool, Kale... It was a simple procedure, after we could finally extract the information we needed from within his ridiculous whining."
"Huh... Even if he had a score to settle, there was no excuse for disobeying the simplest of orders." Shock agreed, "But Allan's movements have been highly irregular lately. He's not approaching his destination with the same speed he usually utilizes."
"No, but he has moved ever closer to his goal since Eterna city... It's likely that he'll get to Veilstone long before, Evan, can catch up to him."
"You say that like you're actually impressed by him! Allan is a weak fool compared to many of the available stock of Page's that Master Raze could train! Even my own Squire, Tera, or your Evan, would be better choices than that, that-"
"That's enough, Shock!" Master Crush shouted, as he broke the table he was sitting at in half with one strike of his fist. Flexing his hand once to check that he had not injured it, he spoke softly once again, "This impassioned behavior of yours helped you to elevate to the level of third highest in our ranks... But you are also unstable. You will surely fall from grace if you keep on with words, and thoughts like that. If Master Raze wishes to use, Allan, then we are all nothing before his decision."
"...Yes, Crush... You are right." Turning away from the window she had been gazing out of, Shock stalked to the door of the chamber, and left without glancing back.
"In spite of all that, though, it was not worth breaking this table." Crush said, as he frowned down at the splintered wood at his feet.
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XXX (Hey! Yereton! The wait is over!)
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Much intelligence had been gathered in the week and a half that Riley had been missing. With the report from his parents that they had met Riley's Pokémon partner, Lucario, in Veilstone city, the members of the Aura Knights Council, while worried, were able to determine the next action that they needed to take to get Riley safely back. It was, interestingly enough, to call one of Riley's old rivals back from leave.
He sat now, in a chair that he had leaned back to put his feet up. If he had been standing, he would've revealed that he was over six feet tall. He seemed taller by his spiked up, short red hair. Dressed like a punk in faded jeans, a white T, and a leather jacket, he grumbled out irately, "So let me get this straight; You all called me back from my training journey to rescue that wuss, Riley?"
"Do, Gooduh!" A Golduck with a metal-spiked collar and wristbands, quacked in annoyed agreement with his master's statement.
"Oh, not feeling up to the task are we, Derian?" Councilman Gregor chuckled darkly.
Derian's gray eyes flashed a warning, and he cussed once before saying, "I didn't say anything like that, you old fart!"
"Go-Duh!" Golduck squawked indignantly, giving Gregor his own interpretation of, 'the finger'.
"I see you have not been teaching your Pokémon any good habits, lately." Lady Sharinn said with partially concealed disgust.
"#$*! Did you call me here to criticize me, or are you going to assign me a mission already!" Derian stood up to leave, but Councilman Gregor glared a warning to sit back down. Scoffing at Gregor's silent threat, Derian reseated himself, and leaned the chair back on its hind legs again.
Smiling benignly, in spite of the rowdy behavior of the young Knight, and his Partner, Starr sighed and said, "At least you're interested to know what sort of 'embarrassing situation', Riley has gotten himself into. This so reminds me of my youthful rivalry with Councilman Gregor."
"Enough sentiments, Master Starr, you're boring him." One of the younger councilors, Master Brights, said with a cheeky little grin.
Rolling her eyes, Lady Sharinn began the debriefing, "Well, if none of you are going to enlighten him, then I will. Derian. A week ago, your colleague, Riley, was last reported to have been in the general vicinity of the northern Eterna gorge. It was there that one of our other Knights discovered signs of a fierce struggle, however, we were not able to confirm Riley's status until just recently."
"Yes," Starr said, continuing the report, "It wasn't until Riley's own parents were able to confirm with Riley's Pokémon partner, Lucario, that he was in any kind of situation where assistance was required."
"And Lucario was last seen in Veilstone city." Gregor added darkly, "This gives us reason to believe that he may have been captured by Team Galactic, and is being held for 'questioning'."
"This has to do with me, how?" Derian said petulantly.
"Gol-doo!" Golduck nodded, and crossed his webbed claws.
"Look at it this way, Derian," Councilman Brights spoke again, "You're always in some kind of contest with Riley to see who's stronger, or who's better at something or other. As much as you probably don't want him owing you any favors, you're the only other Aura Knight we have in our ranks who comes close to being a match for this type of situation. You're the only one strong, or skilled enough, to handle this."
"I'll drink to that!" Councilman Lauren said with enthusiasm, causing Lady Sharinn to argue with him about vows of temperance.
"... Whatever..." Derian scowled deeply. 'Me?' he thought, 'The only one? They're playing at something, and I don't like it!'
"Du-duk!" his partner, after reading Derian's thoughts, agreed.
"-And anyway, you shouldn't drink." Sharinn finished, then turned to Derian, "Sorry, Derian. Councilor Lauren may have meant well, but that was still inappropriate. Setting that aside, though, why aren't you willing to work this assignment?"
"Why should I be? It's not like I really get anything out of it." he snorted.
"Derian... You are denying the duties of a fully ranked, and qualified Aura Knight," Councilman Gregor growled, "If you truly wish to remain a member of this order, you will obey the assigned missions from this council, without question."
Glaring at the floor, Derian thought, 'Once again...! That perfect little hotshot #&*$ me again! He should just rot, for all I care!'
"Derian!" Gregor was no fool: He could see the defiance in every expression of Derian's being. If Derian was not careful, he would definitely be cast out, and all the work that Derian had put into becoming an Aura Knight would be wasted. All for one small act of selfish pride...
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Later...
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"Why should I have to help him!"
"Because you're an Aura Knight!"
"That's not good enough!"
"... Then you need to decide which is more important: Your pride... Or being an Aura Knight."
Laying out in the woods south of Solaceon town, Derian turned over onto his side, and grumbled his frustration, "Stupid, senile old farts...!"
After he'd stormed out of the AKC's meeting room, Derian had been feeling increasingly angrier with each passing moment that those words chased each other around in his head. The afternoon was surprisingly hot for the fall season, and many bug Pokémon came out to investigate their habitat for food sources.
Golduck was swimming around in a nearby pond, skimming the bottom for edible morsels as he pleased, then resurfacing to play tricks on the Pokémon who came to the pond's edge for a drink.
"Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah!" Golduck laughed impishly at his latest victim's unexpected soaking.
"Shut-up, Golduck!" Derian said sourly, turning away from the pond. Golduck stopped laughing, and looked over toward the spot where Derian lay, curiously.
Derian's bad mood had persisted for more than three hours, now, and even Golduck was starting to feel a little concerned. But, concern or no concern, Golduck was going to break Derian out of his gloomy state. And he was going to do it now!
"Go-Daaahhh!"
"Shi-#*%^$'-Dammit! What the hell was that for!" Derian had been blasted by a very strong, very cold, very wet, 'Water Gun' attack. And he didn't like it one bit.
"Dah-dah!" Golduck quacked impatiently before diving back underwater to evade Derian's wrath. Instead of anger, though, all the thoroughly-soaked Aura Knight felt was exhaustion.
Thinking about it, Derian realized that he'd spent all that time, and energy, going around in angry circles when he could have been directing that anger toward an obstacle course, or a simulated sparring match.
"Shit..." Having given himself a whopping headache, he chalked it off as another failure to listen to his old master's advice: 'If you can't control it, then use to your advantage!'
"I know! ... I know..." Derian looked over at the pond to see Golduck watching him from just beneath the surface of the water.
"Alright, c'mere, Golduck," Derian signaled to his partner, and Golduck surfaced carefully; not feeling completely trustful of what Derian might be planning next, but approaching him anyway.
Looking Golduck in the eye, Derian said, "So you thought I needed to cool off, huh?"
"Dah-duh." Golduck responded.
"Yeah?" Derian raised a thin eyebrow, "Well you're not so cool yourself!" With that, he swiftly pushed his friend back into pond, only to receive a face-full of water in return. Coughing and hacking, Derian launched himself at the Pokémon, and ended up waist deep in the pond holding a clump of lake-weed, instead of his intended target.
"I'm gonna get you, Golduck!" Derian shouted while turning around, looking at the water for signs of the Pokémon.
"Dah-dou!" Golduck quacked from behind, spraying a jet of 'Water Gun' at his Trainer's back. Derian ducked it, and attempted a half-way backwards jump at his friend, and missed miserably, as Golduck swiftly swam away to safety.
"Dammit! Fight me like a man-er-Thing!" Derian growled, looking around himself for any sign that would give Golduck's position away. Still behind him, but off to the left a bit, Golduck surfaced and shot off another 'Water Gun' attack, and missed by inches as Derian jumped at him again.
"Derian Wilth... Out to strangle that Golduck of yours again, are you?" A local Pokémon Breeder, named Sahra, called from astride her Ponyta.
"The hell's it to you!" The Aura Knight answered, not looking away from the water for even an instant.
"Huh... It seems like ya' aren't your usual angry-self about it this time. One could almost suspect 'playing' as your motive of the day."
"Shut-up!" Derian rolled his eyes, and almost payed for it with a blast of chilly water to the face again, "It's not 'playing', it's 'training'!"
"If you say so," Sahra shrugged, "Hey, maybe you'll be interested to know about something that happened the other day!"
"Hardly..." Derian muttered, but Golduck surfaced near Sahra with interest.
"Well, anyway, there was this big hoo-hah in the woods way up northeast of here. My daddy goes with his Tauros to check it out, and what does he see, but a bunch of silly-dressed people in green wigs, laughing about some private joke! I tell ya, if'n I was them, I'd clear out of there fast, because there was a big Pokémon what went crazy not too far from where they were standing!"
"Yeah, so?" Derian was not impressed by this story, nor was he going to give up his opportunity to grab Golduck before it dove underwater again. But as he moved closer to where Golduck sat near the grassy edge, the Pokémon perked up in surprise, and dove right in.
"Dammit! Are you done with that pointless narration!" Derian scowled.
Not fazed by Derian's dour attitude, Sahra just smiled and said,"Sure as the sun makes Sunflora bloom. I guess I'll be talking to ya later. Good luck with your 'Golduck-catching training'. Gi-yah, Ponyta!"
"Do-Daaahhh!" Golduck jumped out from behind, and with a big splash, caught Derian full in the face with a 'Water Gun'.
"Argh! You're dead when I catch you!" Derian spluttered angrily.
"Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah!" Golduck laughed, and then dove down deep.
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XXX
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"Come on, Gallade..." Allan sighed, holding up his partner's Pokéball, "Let's go-"
'You!'
"What?" As Allan looked up, Gallade's first reaction to the site that unpleasantly greeted them, was to tackle Allan out of the way. Just in time to dodge the incoming 'Bone Rush' attack!
An explosion of dirt and rock flew up from the point on the earth where the enemy's attack made contact.
"Bah-Bud-dud-dew!" : 'Wh-who are you!' Budew yelped from under a bush, shocked that anyone would attack such nice heroes as Gallade, and his human partner. Especially after they had worked so hard to revive Torterra!
A swarm of small Pokémon, led by Budew, got in the way of Allan and Gallade's assailant. Each yelling something along the lines of: "No! You can't hurt our new friends like that!", or "I won't let you!"
Torterra stood, and glared at the bold attacker, "Ter-gahhhh...!" : 'You'll be hard pressed to get past me...'
'Why... Why are you all protecting them! Can't you see that they're the enemy!' Lucario let loose a powerful Aura shock wave that pushed nearly all of the smaller Pokémon back, and leapt over Torterra to charge at her enemies. Her attempts were short lived. Torterra caught her with his 'Vine Whip' long before she had cleared his earthen shell, and held her still while the other Pokémon recovered from the shock of the sudden attack.
'Nooo! You all are fools!' Lucario struggled fiercely against the vines that bound her, but could not escape their powerful coil.
"It makes as much sense to you, as it does to me, Partner of the Aura Knight..." Allan kept his hood lowered, to hide his face as he said this.
'So you admit it! How dare you speak to me like this...!' Lucario growled viciously, 'How dare you keep me tied, like the coward you are!'
'Be quiet, fool! You don't know anything about my Master! He is no, coward!' Gallade growled back, upset by the Lucario's words.
"Gallade, enough!" Allan pulled out Gallade's Pokéball, and quickly called him back. Momentarily surprised by this, Lucario just remembered to glare at Allan before he returned his hooded gaze to her.
'No, Master Allan! She'll attack! You need my protection!' Gallade protested from within, as he strove to break free of the ball.
"I don't need your protection, Gallade... I've got as much as I'll ever need, thanks to Budew and Torterra." Allan placed Gallade's Pokéball on its holder at his waist, and looked at Lucario, who was still glaring at him venomously.
"Geez... You could poison a Muk with a look like that." Allan shivered.
'Or maybe I'm just hoping you'll drop dead!' Lucario answered, still very much antagonistic toward her captors.
"... I don't know if you saw, but the trees in the part of the forest up on top of this cliff... All that damage was caused by the very Torterra holding you still." Allan pointed toward Torterra.
Still growling menacingly, Lucario ground out, 'Although I didn't know he was the culprit, I do know that many Pokémon were killed because of him... Including young ones!' Torterra groaned sadly at this, causing Lucario to look around at him.
"Terrat-tor... Grrrerra..." : 'I would take back every lash, every broken twig, and every lost life, if giving up my own could change anything...'
Lucario calmed slightly at the sight of the saddened giant, 'But it doesn't change the fact that you are defending a bad person...'
"Yes, Lucario, I'm bad. We've all got that!" Allan sighed his exasperation, "But I couldn't fight you even if I hadn't stayed up all night trying to revive Torterra."
Lucario looked disbelieving, so Allan continued, "He had a broken back, and everything, after falling from that sheer cliff, and I had stayed up all the night before, heading this way. I didn't really know why, but its true... I just couldn't stop myself from coming."
'You say all that, but I'm still having a hard time getting past the fact that you're talking to me while I'm tied up!' Raising her nose to the air, Lucario refused to listen to anything more until she was freed from the 'Vine Whip'.
"Bah-Budew!" : 'Don't let her free!'
From within his Pokéball, Gallade quietly warned against releasing the fierce blue Pokémon, 'I'm all for Budew's take on the situation, Allan. She might still attack, even though she's calmed down somewhat.'
"Yeah, and I have to trust that she'll take what I've said seriously, when I do release her." Allan reached toward the vines that held Lucario, and pulled them gently. Freeing her at last from their bonds.
'You... Are either very stupid, or very trustful that I listened to you, an evil Dark Knight, at all!' Lucario huffed, and began to pace back and forth in front of Allan. Contemplating the honesty of his words.
"I really don't want to push you, or anything, but even though I've had time to rest and re-energize, I'm still very tired... And, no, I'm not a 'Knight'... Just a novice." Allan rubbed his forehead, careful not to knock back his hood, and continued, "I've not only been traveling all of one night from Eterna city to here, but also stayed awake most of the time I had to help heal Torterra's broken back all of the next night... I really would like to either rest, or move on to Veilstone, like I've been planning."
Lucario stopped pacing suddenly, and moved swiftly into Allan's personal space, 'Why are you interested in going to Veilstone city, of all places!'
"That's not really any of your business-" Allan tried to evade.
'Oh, yes it is, punk!' Lucario stuck a paw against Allan's chest, and poked him smartly, 'If you think I'm just going to let you get up to your evil acts just because I don't have Riley here, think again!'
"'Riley'? That's the name of your Aura Knight master?" Allan raised an eyebrow.
'Yeah, and we happen to be one of the top three teams!' Lucario sniffed, turning away to put on airs.
"If you're among the top three, this may be easier than even my master thought..." Allan frowned, doing his best to hide his worry.
Lucario had taken offense to being called, 'EASY! Are you out of your mind!'
Feeling slightly miffed himself, Allan answered, "If you're the best the other Aura Knights can do, I worry for your future."
'... What?' Thrown for a minute, Lucario didn't even realize that Allan was already walking toward the edge of the clearing, 'Wait a minute!' she shouted, moving back into his path, 'Why are you so concerned whether or not we are strong enough? You're the enemy!'
"No, I'm my own enemy..." Allan looked away, "Step aside, please."
'Master Allan...' Feeling mystified, Gallade wondered what was going to be said next.
Not moving from her spot, Lucario looked at Allan squarely, and asked, 'Why do you really want to go to Veilstone?'
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XXX
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For more than half an hour, Riley had been sitting at the table staring toward the security camera, wondering why the Galactic guards, who were usually more prompt, weren't showing.
'The last three guards from yesterday all gave me the same answer about why the cam is even in here... So why aren't they showing up now?' he thought in dismay, 'I'm going to have to be even more alert for their attacks on my mental state... I should also try to relax a bit. Even this could be one of the choice tactics they are using to get my guard down.'
Still staring in the general direction of the security cam, he relaxed a bit by entering a meditative state, and tried to sense about outside of the Galactic building for any strong Aura's that might be heading his way.
Covering the frown on his lips by placing his chin on his folded hands, he kept his eyes trained on the camera, 'Still nothing... Nothing seems to be sticking out at all, yet.'
At last, the door to his room was opened, and a guard came in to say, "Is there anything you need, 'sir'?"
"Not really... Unless you want to brag a bit about this 'HQ' you've got me held hostage in." Riley said in an off-handish voice.
"If there is nothing you need, then don't bother signaling to us that you do need something." the guard said curtly, before turning to leave, shutting the door with a snap.
"Huh!" Riley raised an eyebrow at the guard's snippy behavior, and turned his mental attention back to the outside world.
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Meanwhile...
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"Master Cyrus!" the same guard that was just at Riley's hold said this briskly on entering his bosses office.
"What do you want?" Commander Saturn responded irately.
"I'm here to report the status of the prisoner." the guard answered.
"Oh, really?" Saturn appeared quite peeved about something. Many rumors flew about to suggest that even he goes through 'That time of the month'... Thereby suggesting that Saturn is female, like the other two Commanders of Team Galactic. But no one has gotten up the courage to really ask this of Saturn, yet. Continuing his nasty monologue, Saturn said, "Well, if you forgot, Master Cyrus sees everything that goes on in this building. So your report is more than likely to be a useless waste of time!"
"Did I give you permission to tell this guard off?" Cyrus' toneless voice was oddly menacing as he said this.
An awkward silence ensued. Cyrus, head of Team Galactic, turned to the guard in question, and said, "What is it you came to report?"
"S-sir!" the guard came to attention, "The prisoner was being ignored, as you ordered, for at least forty-seven minutes. When I went in to check after the duration of your recommended time, he said that he'd like to hear me brag about this building... Our headquarters!"
"Did you leave him with one of my prescribed responses?" Cyrus asked quietly.
"Y-yes, sir!" the guard replied.
"Good," Cyrus said, turning away from the guard to look at the screens in his desk-top, "You may leave."
Bowing out backward, the guard left to get back to his station.
"And I suppose you didn't learn anything new from this particular report, Saturn?"
Saturn swallowed as quietly as he could, "No, Master Cyrus... Unless you mean that our guest is well enough to start asking questions about the layout of our HQ, then yes, I did glean that much..."
"Hmm?" Cyrus raised a brow, "That is all?"
Saturn swallowed hard again, "No... This means we can begin our own questioning soon... Maybe even today."
"Not today, Saturn. It is much too soon for that, yet." Cyrus waved a hand, indicating that he wanted to be left alone for the time being, and Saturn gratefully left the room, bowing himself out.
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Me: Fwah! What a long wait this was for you readers! I was continually arguing with myself about this new chappy's size, like: 'Should I just continue and make it longer, or should I cut it short and call the next one up after this "part two"? I could even just rename the chappy and simplify the whole thing!'
Well, I'm going with the 'part two' plan. (I've always wanted to try it!)
Anyway, I decided that I'm going to personally thank everyone who's reviewing, or just watching, for following me patiently up 'til now. (I gotta say, even I have had to get over being irate with myself sometimes.)
Allan: That's the truth. Lady once got so mad at herself, she ate more than a pint of ice cream to make herself feel better!
Me: ... I don't over-eat when I'm upset. I just binged that one time because I really, really wanted ice cream.
Allan: Riiight!
Me: Anyways. I, Lady Umbreon, would like to thank you all for: Favoriting, Reviewing, Adding my story to your alert lists... For just reading my story, really. I don't always enjoy what I come out with 100%, but I do try to enjoy it anyway.
So, I thank the following: Sanada'srose, yuki-neechan, Yereton, Selhyia, Lauren 'Blue' Shaminluvr, rolypolycat, legends in the sky, werebunny131, and Gweniveve Skyes. If there are any that I missed, I apologize. I was going through some of my older emails, filing them by type, when I got the idea to list all of you like this. If you haven't added this story to your alerts, or if you don't have an account that I know of, that would explain why you didn't quite get on the list of fame. But I'd love to add you! Don't be shy about it, any of you! I really enjoy reader feedback. It tells me if there are points I need to improve upon... And I love self-improvement!
Allan: Yeah... You all might wanna just walk away now. This speech isn't going to end anytime soon... Actually! While you're still here, maybe you could review telling her to get the show on the road, and start on the next chapter already!