Me: Life.
Riley: Yeah? Is that all?
Me: Yup. Enjoy your reading everyone!
XXXXXXXXX
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Chapter Seventeen:
Dusty Old Tales
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"So you like books, I take it?" Allan asked, following the trio of Knights that had met him in the courtyard.
"Yeah, I really enjoy learning things that no one else knows, or finding a good story. It keeps things interesting," Jace replied happily.
"Except that its definitely only Jace that goes for books, and that. Mark, and I prefer more physical stuff to reading!" Logan added, still headed over to the library with along with Mark anyway.
Jace rolled his eyes, "Don't listen to that clown. They'll read when they think its a good story, and they listen whenever I relate to them any exciting history I learn from an older reference book."
"You just make it sound better than it looks on paper, Jace," Mark smiled contentedly.
'Allan, may I ask... Why did you specifically ask for a section about the first Lady Knight?' Gallade reached out to hold one of Allan's hands as he asked this.
'That's what we were discussing before Riley left with Lucario, and Master Starr. Old Starr found an ancient scroll about the history of Sir Aaron, and the girl called Illusion, who eventually became the first Lady Knight...' Allan answered telepathically.
'Oh... I guess that explains some things. Was that why you were in a good mood when you talked with me by the pond?' Gallade cocked his head, a small smile on his face.
'You might say that,' Allan smiled as well, 'History about nice things is a welcome break from the repetitive 'history' of how the Aura Knights betrayed our Dark Knight brethren.'
'No doubt!' Gallade agreed.
"We're here, Allan. You'll have to call back your Pokémon now..." Jace said at the door to the sacred hall of knowledge and learning; the library.
'Ready anytime, Allan,' Gallade saluted comically.
"Yeah, yeah," Allan rolled his eyes, "So where in here, I wonder..."
Looking around, the group dispersed to locate Riley. Strolling down the aisles, Allan resisted the urge to look up at the tops of the ridiculously tall shelves. But from what he could sense about this environment, the room was huge; at least fifty feet tall. The shelves had to be a little over half that.
'What gets me most, is that there's a huge library here... Back on Spire Isle, books are practically a precious resource, getting rarer every day someone destroys one in frustration...' although he still didn't glance upwards, Allan reached out to lightly brush his hand along the spines of the books he passed. Even though Allan liked to keep himself moving, reading was one of the things he enjoyed most growing up in the hellish world of the Dark Knights.
'It is a pity when one gets burned because of the reader's selfish opinion of the words therein, isn't it?'
'Yeah. Too bad I can't let you out, Gallade, this place has to be seen to be believed!' Allan turned a corner and kept walking, 'I can feel Riley's presence getting closer now. I must be on the right track; Jace and his pals are headed the wrong way... Which is pretty bad, if you think about it.'
'Yes...' Gallade seemed to be very tickled by the thought, 'For Aura Knights, they sure do act like ordinary people!'
Allan smiled, 'Is it really too much to ask that they follow their senses? Or do they just not have a very good memory of what Riley's Aura is like? Its not like they couldn't track Master Starr, instead...'
'Very true, but they might be taking a shortcut,' Gallade shrugged inside his Pokéball.
'A very long shortcut,' Allan sighed, 'I give up. They are not very battle ready at all.'
'Just them, or the whole of the Aura Knight's population?' Gallade asked thoughtfully.
Reflecting on this, Allan replied, 'Well, okay. They aren't a very good sample to base my opinion on, I got it. But it's still not a good sign, Gallade... I might just have to try sneaking up on every Aura Knight I meet, and attacking them mortally to make a point.'
'Or you could just tell them that they're all useless, airheaded dunces! There's no need to threaten their lives to prove a point like that,' Gallade sighed, wondering if Allan's suggestion was a force of habit that needed to be overcome.
"Never mind..." Allan said, spotting Riley at a table a few yards away from the end of the aisle Allan had just finished exploring.
Riley seemed to be enjoying himself, working with Starr and a few other people, carefully photographing and documenting every square inch of the scroll they unfurled. All of them were wearing medical gloves to protect the scroll, and handled it very delicately.
"Library or not..." Allan muttered in preamble, taking a breath, "Riley! I've got to ask you something!"
Riley looked up, surprised to see that it was Allan who'd hailed him so loudly in the library, of all places. Excusing himself, Riley stood up and quickly rushed over. Grabbing hold of Allan's arm, he pulled Allan back into the aisle then said in a loud whisper, "What are thinking? You shouldn't talk, let alone yell like that, in a library!"
"Well, sorry if I embarrassed you, but this is a lot more important than etiquette," Allan said, folding his arms defiantly.
Sighing in defeat, Riley let his shoulders slump, "Alright, alright. What's wrong, Allan?"
"Do you have to look so pathetic?" Allan began to wonder if he should put this off, but forged ahead anyway, "Um, I really don't know how to ask this..."
"What?" Riley stood straight, curious to know what was making Allan feel awkward.
"Well... I heard a rumor that you completely lost your head shortly after the fire incident at your parents' flower shop. You told me about it yourself, but you seem to have come to terms with that part of your past..." Allan broke off to let this sink in.
"Yeah. I know that there's nothing I can do about what happened. And wishing doesn't change reality," Riley fidgeted with his gloves absently, "Why? Are you worried about something?"
Allan mentally took a step back to get a clearer idea about what was going on. Riley, although he was acting reasonably enough, seemed to be evading the question. 'Don't know if I like that, or not...' Allan thought irritably.
'I'm not too sure I like the way his Aura looks just now, either,' Gallade agreed, worried about the situation.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Riley asked when Allan didn't immediately answer him.
"No. But your Aura is telling me a lot more about how you felt about that question, than you were willing to let on," Allan looked away from Riley's face, and watched some dust motes floating in the sunlight near the reading tables.
"That..." Riley took a step back, bringing Allan's attention back to him, "There's nothing for me to be worried about. And I wasn't evading your question, either."
Allan was half tempted to lift his hood just far enough to show Riley his look of complete disbelief, but instead, "Yeah, you really convinced me when you took a step back like a coward."
"I'm no coward!" Riley said, forgetting to whisper for a moment, "I mean... I'm not evading your question on purpose."
"Then why did you?" Allan pursued, "From what I can tell, you'd rather run from the truth. Me? I want to know what you're so afraid of because I'd rather know the truth, than run from it like it never happened!"
"I'm not saying it didn't..." Riley's eyes were watching the floor.
Unrelenting, Allan said, "Then answer my question. I want to hear it from you, not some second hand source that swears you went berserk trying to go to Hoenn like there was something you could do-"
"There wasn't anything!" Riley shouted, forgetting even to talk at this point.
"Is something wrong, Riley?" Starr said, peeking around the corner of the bookshelf to check on them.
'Why did this have to turn into a fight?' Gallade asked sadly.
"Yeah, there's a lot of things going wrong," Allan answered, carefully reeling in his emotions.
"Ah," Starr said, backing off.
Standing tall and sentinel, the shelves that bore countless years of history and literature remained unmoved by the plight of the small people among them.
"Then... Were you truly so ready to throw everything away?" Allan asked, suddenly feeling inadequate. He thought, 'How can I possibly be expected to support him, when he doesn't even trust me as much as I thought... Just how screwed up is this guy?'
"I..." Riley was still staring at the ground beneath his feet, "I just wasn't myself... Back then, I would've given anything to have been there to protect my family. Even if it was a futile wish... A vain one. I thought I could make just that much of a difference for my little brother..."
"You're wanting to start the search again, but you are still living in the past," Allan shook his head, finally starting to understand what had happened, "He's not your little brother anymore."
"How can you say that!" Riley looked up at Allan sharply, "I... I can't believe this..."
"Riley," Allan reached out to put his hand on Riley's arm, but Riley pulled away, "Wha-?"
"I can't believe I trusted you! Why did I tell you anything about my past? You're as bad as everyone has been telling me!" Riley stormed off leaving Allan, and the scroll preservation crew, behind in shock.
Numbly coming back to himself, Allan sighed, "No, that's fine... Its not like I'm not used to being treated with suspicion... Or alone."
Before Starr could say anything, Allan walked away. Jace and friends caught up to Allan at the entrance of the library, "Hey, Allan! Riley just breezed on past us, just now... Hey? Is everything alright?"
"Its fine," Allan said quietly, rushing off again.
.
XXX
.
'Is this really okay, Allan?' Gallade asked, blinking in the sunlight atop a hill overlooking Solaceon town.
"Maybe the council was staring to trust me, but if Riley quits on me now, there's no point in trying to continue to win them over... They need a fair warning, its true. But... If even Riley is immature, and under trained, how much good would I be doing them by telling them now?" Allan turned away from the view, "They aren't strong enough to quash a threat like Raze, or Crush, or any of them! They'd just get hurt, or worse..."
'Allan...'
"I don't want to abandon them entirely... Now is not the time, however, to hope that they'll fully understand, should I explain it to them clearly," Allan stepped out on the disused route that headed for Pastoria city directly from Solaceon town, "That is... We've still got things to do at Lake Valor, for now."
'Really?' following along, the Pokémon tried to remember what was so special about the lake, that they'd skip out on clearing the air with Riley.
"You mean you forgot?" Allan asked, sensing his partner's confusion.
'Yeah,' Gallade moved to walk beside him, 'I don't have any clue why we would want to go there...'
"Because Team Galactic is doing something suspicious at the three Lakes of Sinnoh," Allan stepped over a rotting log blocking their path, "Whether I report to Raze, or not, he did command me to figure out what they were up to."
'Oh, he did?' Gallade hopped over the log, and added, 'So why Lake Valor, then?'
"Put simply? Because it is the closest one from here," Allan checked the sky to be sure the weather wasn't going to suddenly storm like it did the first time he tried to go to the lake.
'Well... I don't like the idea of leaving things the way they are, but if Riley decides to apologize first, I might forgive him for treating you like that,' sighing, the Pokémon trudged along silently.
'For mistreating me?' Allan thought wryly, 'Perish the thought!'
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XXX
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Outside pacing back and forth in frustration, Riley huffed at his continued humiliation. Angry as he was, he couldn't get Allan's shocked look out of his head. "What the hell was he thinking? Saying something so awful..."
"I don't believe that was his intention, Riley."
Whipping himself around, Riley stopped face to face with Starr, who was giving him a very stern look of disapproval.
"What do you mean, Master? I think its perfectly clear that, Allan, in an attempt to wound me emotionally, attacked the one advantage he had over me!" Riley gestured at his chest, as if to say that Allan's words felt like a stab through the heart, "I told him today, of all days, that I believed my little brother is alive. Then he took that information, and turned it back on me... I should have listened to you when you said to back off from the mission of catching him. I should have listened to Lucario when she told me he was bad news!"
Sighing, Starr said, "Did he now..."
Riley pictured Allan, soaked by the rain hiding out in the bushes of the gym at Veilstone city, "I was an idiot to think that he just needed someone to look after him. To believe in him..."
'No you weren't!' cried Lucario, who burst out of her Pokéball to confront Riley personally, 'You were right to trust him! I was the one in the wrong!'
"Lucario... What has he done to you?" Riley asked, angry but sounding unsure.
'He didn't mean what he said in the way you took it,' Lucario glared back at him for his suspicion, 'He was leading up to something... Big.'
"Big?" Riley blinked, "What do you mean?"
Starr sighed again, "Perhaps you should ask him yourself. Although, you'll have an interesting time trying to locate him, I'm sure."
"Why?" Riley asked, getting a gut feeling he already knew.
"He left when you condemned him for what he said," Riley froze, watching Starr carefully, "I believe he felt more than a little shell shocked that you would react so harshly to mere words."
"That... That's crazy..." Riley said, his anger draining away.
Feeling exhausted, Riley sat on the ground and held his head.
'Riley, we still have time,' Lucario knelt beside him, and put her paw on his shoulder, 'We can still find him if we look right now.'
"Do I even deserve to try to get his forgiveness? I shouldn't have treated him like that... He'll never let me near him again," Riley dropped his hands, but still remained seated.
"Riley," looking up into Starr's kind but stern eyes, Riley listened carefully, "If you wait, then you really will be faulted. You must find him, and beg him to return."
Staying silent, Riley nodded, and watched as Starr walked back indoors. Lucario walked a few steps forward, then turned back, 'If you've got time to sit and watch the grass grow, then you should consider chasing after that runaway punk.'
Giving her a half smile, Riley said, "True that."
.
A few minutes later...
.
Taking a shortcut out of the base, the Aura duo began their search of the horizon. Extending their senses to the furthest reaches of the nearest mountains, they found faint traces of Allan and Gallade's Auras.
'Southeast,' Lucario said, wondering at their choice of direction.
"He was headed that way before..." Riley said, reflecting on the last time Allan had escaped.
'Well, I'll tell you one thing; he broke his promise about sticking around,' Lucario stared at Riley sideways, a wry smirk on her face.
"So I'll bring him back," Riley watched the southeastern horizon carefully, "I said some terrible things myself, and I knew they were wrong... Even as I said them. He's got every right to punch me when we meet again."
'Not if I can help it,' Lucario shrugged her exasperation, 'There's no need for it. But as much as I don't trust him, I know he wouldn't stoop to that.'
"You really think so?" Riley turned to his partner, who waved the idea away.
'Let's just catch that fool before he gets himself lost... Again...'
'Again?' Riley thought to himself bemusedly, 'What does that mean?'
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XXX
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The sunlight off Lake Valor was dazzling. Too dazzling, by Galactic Commander Saturn's taste. He had chosen to hide himself in the shade, facing the laptop monitor he was using to electronically guide a diving team into place.
"People who enjoy themselves next to such appallingly bright glints of light must be half blind initially..." he muttered annoyed.
Grunts were dashing about, rushing to complete their task of setting Team Galactic's super-bomb in the optimal location that would blow all the water away from the lake bed.
A twisted smirk slowly replaced his irritated grimace, "Good thing it won't be here for too much longer."
As the bomb was carefully weighted into place, the Commander satisfied himself that nothing could go wrong now. It was only a matter of time until the signal was given to send the deepest, coldest lake water sky high in a blaze of supercharged fury.
.
XXX
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High on a crumbling cliff side south of Solaceon, a young man tied a note to a Fearow's leg, then released the bird to the skies. Picking up a small Pokégear from his belt, he pressed a speed dial button and waited for the other end to pick up.
"Yes? Have you located him yet?" a strong male voice said, answering the call.
"Not as yet, Master. But I'm on his trail now, as we speak," the young man, who was also quite baritone himself, replied respectfully.
"I see..." going silent for a moment, the young man's Master seemed to be thinking over what he was about to say, "You know the job you've been entrusted. I expect a full report after you've made contact, understand?"
"Yes, Master," the young man said, hanging up.
It was only a matter of time. All they had to do was wait for their best opportunity...
"Its going to be very soon, now..." he said, leaping from the cliff to follow the trail of his assigned target.
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XXX
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"Maaaaaa-Choke!"
Following this loud roar, a huge boulder flew dangerously close to where Allan and Gallade were walking.
'Allan! Are you alright?' Gallade asked, picking himself up from where he'd thrown himself to avoid the incoming projectile.
"Fine? I'm going to kill that Pokémon!" Allan growled, dashing toward the sounds of roaring, and large rocks being crushed.
'Wha-wait! Allan!' Gallade leapt after Allan, worried this was no small threat.
"Okay, Machoke! Stack that one on top of the other boulder over there," a vaguely familiar voiced called to the Pokémon that was heaving and straining to move rocks larger than itself.
"Cho... Ma!" the Pokémon answered, flexing and bulging it's muscles powerfully.
Lifting the chosen slab of stone with an effort, the Machoke carried it's load to the shelf of rock it's trainer indicated. Giving the stone one final heave, Machoke placed it squarely on the rock shelf, to it's trainer's whoop of delight.
"Great job, buddy! That's enough for today..." voice trailing off, the trainer stared at Allan in surprise, "You... You're the one Riley was supposed to be guiding back to headquarters. What are you doing out here?"
"Somehow, I knew this was going to be an unpleasant encounter," Allan muttered under his breath.
'Allan! That's Vincent!' Gallade said surprised, 'What is he doing out here? Shouldn't he be recovering from his broken ankle?'
"Good point, Gallade," Allan agreed, "Before you start asking a bunch of stupid questions, answer me this; Your ankle is broken. Even with Aura's power, you should still be bedridden. Why are you out in the middle of nowhere?"
"Hey! Don't underestimate the strength of my healing powers!" Vincent, the Aura Squire, pouted childishly, "Besides, I've got Machoke here to help me if I need it. So I'm not as helpless as I was during that storm... Back then, it was only polite to keep my Pokémon put away while you had yours in their own Pokéballs."
"Cho, cho-ma!" the Machoke flexed it's muscles, and nodded.
Allan folded his arms, "Uh huh... And the fact that you didn't even think about it had nothing to do with it."
"Ugh! You just can't think of anything nice to say, can you!" Vincent kept his anger in check, "Whatever... You're just a mean guy. That's all... How's Riley, anyway? I don't see him with you."
While Vincent looked around, Allan considered his answer. Truthfully, Allan could tell him about everything that had happened up 'til now, and maybe develop some kind of friendship with Vincent. After all, annoying though Vincent was, it was also true that Allan hadn't given him a chance to interact nicely. 'I don't know if I should really trust this punk...'
"Hey, is something wrong?" Vincent asked, growing concerned with Allan's lack of response.
"No, not really..." Allan said, gesturing at the large slab of rock Vincent was sitting on, "Do you mind if I sit down?"
"Nah, but are you going to tell me what's up? You don't look so good. And I say that with a great deal of friendly concern..." Vincent said, patting the spot next to him.
"Finally. An honest answer," Allan said, setting himself down a couple feet away from the young Squire.
"Honest? Whaddya mean?" Vincent leaned a little closer for emphasis.
"Hey," Allan tilted himself away, not happy about his space being so easily invaded, "If you want an answer, be more patient!"
"Hah! That's what my Master says all the time!" Vincent smiled at the memory, then frowned again, "But, like I said, you don't seem very happy right now. Did something happen between you and Riley? Or maybe something at the AKHQ?"
"..." Allan folded his hands over his knees, "You might say that, but then again, you could say things are exactly the same as they were before."
"Huh?" momentarily lost for words, Vincent blinked. Then he tackled Allan, pinning him.
"Wha? Are you some kind of meat-head! Get off!" Allan punched Vincent's shoulder angrily.
"Yeah, I can easily get off of you... But I think you make a lot more sense right there, at the moment," Vincent shrugged, "Not to mention; if you can't give me a more straightforward answer than that, I won't get off. Nope. I'll just make myself comfortable!"
"You freak! Can't you see that you're acting like a moron!" Allan struggled angrily.
"Just talk to me," Vincent replied in a stubborn tone, "And stop acting depressed... It's freaking me out!"
Gallade looked between the two of them anxiously, 'Allan... What should I do? He means well, but...'
"Never mind, Gallade," Allan gave up, allowing Vincent to remain seated on his stomach, "But you should probably go and fetch us some water. We're gonna be here for a bit."
"You can hear your Pokémon's telepathy?" Vincent asked incredulously.
Allan shrugged, "Yeah. It just comes naturally. Riley thought it was interesting, too... But speaking of," Allan looked Vincent in the eyes, "Riley... When he gets mad, he really takes it out on you."
"What do you mean?" Vincent blinked, confused. Then shook his head, "Better yet, back up and start from the beginning."
"The beginning?" Allan's voice softened, thinking back reflectively, "The story's a little long. Can we talk on the way?"
"You swear you will? Talk, that is..." the young Squire asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, as long as you're willing to listen, 'that is'," Allan sighed, wishing he could breath more easily.
Vincent gave Allan one last searching look before pushing himself up. He extended his hand, "Here. I'll help you up."
Allan nudged it away, "No thanks. I'm making an effort to be kind and trusting toward you. But that doesn't mean I'm going to change in an instant... Sorry, by the way."
"For what?" Vincent and his Machoke blinked their curiosity.
"For earlier. Back at the Pokémon Center, I mean... I was in a bad mood because I'd pulled an all-nighter to rescue Riley from Team Galactic's headquarters. That in itself is a long story, so please don't ask," Allan gave him a sideways look when he opened his mouth, "The most I can say on that subject is this; Riley was asked to investigate me, but got ambushed by some Galactic Grunts. After that, because he was in a bad way to begin with, my partner and I left our initially planned route across Sinnoh to find out if he was alright or not."
"Then you broke into their HQ and rescued him?" Vincent supplied.
"Yeah. After dawn broke, we arrived at the Pokémon Center. You've got the gist of what happened up until the Pokémon Gym," Allan nodded.
"That's right," Vincent agreed, "Hey, your partner's back."
'Here's the water you wanted, Allan,' Gallade presented three makeshift bark cups to three pairs of awaiting hands.
"Cho-ma~!" Machoke smiled gratefully.
"Yeah! Thanks Gallade," Vincent took a delighted sip from his rolled bark cup.
"Thank you, Gallade," Allan said softly, "Let's head out."
"Wh-hey!" Vincent cried, rushing to keep up with the pair of partners who were already on the move, "So... What made you leave Riley's side?"
"Well, I said that he took his anger out on me, right?" Allan glanced back for a moment, pausing at a fork on the path to allow Vincent to catch up after recalling his Machoke, "We'll go left..."
"Left? Where are we headed?" Vincent asked.
"For now, Lake Valor," Allan answered, "Anyway... Before we got to Solaceon town, and Aura Knight headquarters, I battled Riley. I fought to take his life, and when he defeated me he claimed my trust as his prize."
"You mean people still fight those old fashioned death matches of honor?" Vincent pulled a face, incredulously wrinkling his nose.
"Would you feel honored if I tried killing you instead?" Allan said darkly, "No, what's important is that he won a solid victory. The next day, he told me a little about himself. Unfortunately, I realized something about the two of us... When I tried talking to him about it, I must've said something wrong, because he became very angry and said some horrible things in return."
"Riley? The 'Sapphire Knight'... Said bad things in return?" incredulous once more, Vincent's eyes went wide, "Are you pulling my leg?"
Allan sighed, "You don't have to believe me. I'm just telling you that he pushed me away when I said something wrong. I'd apologize, too, but he was angry enough to call me 'evil'..." Allan turned away, "I can take him going too far. What I couldn't stand was how quickly he snapped."
"So you didn't mean to make him angry, it just happened..." the Aura Squire thought for a moment, "I'm sure he'll come around. If you didn't mean to be mean, he'll forgive you."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Allan sighed again.
Autumn leaves drifted up, and away from their branches on the softly curling winds that blew lazily along the path. A bird Pokémon, or two, flew by to catch them as they rose on the breeze.
"So why are you headed to Lake Valor?" Vincent asked after taking time to digest Allan's story.
"You haven't heard any strange rumors?" Allan asked, wryly raising an eyebrow privately at this.
"No," Vincent shook his head.
Allan took a preliminary breath, and said, "To tell you the truth, I was hoping there'd be one by now... But, honestly, I learned a bit about what they're plotting while passing through their boss' private office."
Vincent perked up in shock, "How'd you manage to sneak in there? !"
"Well," Allan reflected, "I suppose the main reason was because he wasn't around... A good thing, too, or we would've been trapped."
'I still wonder about that sometimes...' Gallade shivered, watching some leaves get lifted up to dance in the wind.
"Man, you guys sure went through a lot... I'm starting to regret getting in your face about being unsociable!" Vincent groaned.
"Oh, sure... Your vendetta is the sole cause of all my grief!" Allan rolled his eyes, "Look, Vincent. You're a good guy. You're taking the time to listen to me patiently, and even though I've got some trust issues, I am starting to feel a little comfortable around you."
"Um, wow... Uh, thanks?" Allan could tell by the young Squire's troubled look, that he'd placed an unexpected amount of faith in him, and it was making him feel uncomfortable.
"I didn't tell you everything, yet..." Allan said softly.
"Huh?" looking at Allan nervously, Vincent wondered just how much he would learn about Allan's life before he could get away to continue his journey to Pastoria... Pastoria!
"What's wrong?" Allan asked when his human tag along jumped in surprise.
Turning to answer, the Aura Squire said, "I forgot to mention that even though this route leads to where I'm headed, I've got to break off and go to Pastoria city... Though Lake Valor sounds a lot more interesting, by my estimation."
"If you have somewhere you want to be, I'm not going to stop you," Vincent fidgeted, unhappy about Allan's nonchalance.
'I think he wanted you to ask him to come with you, Allan,' Gallade smiled mischievously, 'Perhaps he's come to really like you!'
'Don't joke around, Gallade! Even if that much is true, don't blow things out of proportion,' Allan thought irately.
"What? Did your Pokémon say something?"
"Nothing important," Allan answered stiffly, "Although he did say that your Aura said you wanted to come along. Is that true?"
"Um..." Vincent turned away to hide the warmth that began to color his cheeks. Getting it together by smacking both sides of his face simultaneously, "Well! If Team Galactic is involved, then count me in!"
'That didn't take much,' Allan thought perturbed.
"Oh, hey, but... I can go with you, and I want to, but I have to know something," Vincent's face became solemn as he said this.
'What could he want now?' curious, Allan sighed inwardly, then said aloud, "What do you want to know?"
"Ah... I don't know how willing you'll be, considering I made a rude crack at it before, but I want to have an idea what you look like... Is that okay?" Vincent stretched holding one of his arms over his head to hide how awkward he felt asking such a personal question.
Allan weighed his options carefully: If what he and Gallade suspected was true, how would Vincent react? Would he be pleased? Angry? Would he be disturbed, or confused?
Somehow, the last options seemed more plausible than the first...
Becoming agitated as he waited for Allan's decision, Vincent burst out suddenly, saying, "Ah, well! If you don't want to show me, then there's no reason to make you! I mean- I'd rather not force you, you know? It's just that I'm more used to knowing the faces of the people I'm friends with, than not..." he trailed off miserably.
Resiting a laugh that wanted to escape his throat, Allan curled his finger in front of his mouth, and said, "There's no reason for you to be so awkward about it; I was rude to you back then myself," calming, Allan added, "You have to swear, on the honor of your Master, that you won't freak out. I haven't fully figured this out for myself yet, either."
"Figured what out?"
But before Allan answered him, he pulled his hood back just far enough to reveal his face.
"Oh," Vincent said, taking in what he saw, "Your eyes are different... They're a brown-and-green hazel, but the features... You're hair color, too... Except that you're clearly a different person, you look almost exactly like Riley!"
"Do you really think so?" Allan asked, pulling a face in displeasure.
"Um... Yeah," Vincent blinked, "Is there something else I ought to know about this situation? Like, what you haven't figured out?"
The young Squire watched fascinated as Allan's face changed from a calm neutral, to an ironic smile, "There really isn't much else to tell you. I just have to think about a few things before I draw any conclusions... Sorry."
"But..." Vincent looked away reflectively, "You have to have some kind of theory by now."
As the lightly cooling breezes of mid autumn chased dusty brown leaves up the path, Allan watched his feet quietly. They walked like this for some time, Vincent deciding that Allan was done talking for now. Birds cooed in the distance, the sun casting it's golden afternoon glow over everything.
"You know..." Allan spoke, finally breaking the relative silence, "My entire point of living really doesn't make any sense, anymore."
"Huh? Why is that? !" Vincent turned to search Allan's expression carefully.
"I don't mean I want to die, or anything stupid like that," Allan glanced up at him calmly, to show he was alright, "No, more than anything... I wonder why so many different possible outcomes have to hinge on me. I'm not so powerful, or important..."
Becoming confused, Vincent said, "Okay... You got me. What do you mean by that?"
"I don't know if it's really fair to you, to trust you with a deadly secret before you have a chance to decide for yourself whether or not you really trust me as a friend," shaking his head, Allan watched a pine cone as it dropped out of it's tree with a dull thump.
Vincent snorted, "Fair? You're still thinking about what's fair, and not, and you expect me to sit quietly, let alone keep my sanity, if I pretend to forget what you said just now? ! Screw that! Trust isn't the one and only thing you need when dealing with a 'deadly secret', dude!"
"Wh-what do you mean?" Allan took a step back.
"Sheesh! This' exactly the kind of thing that pisses me off the most!" Vincent crossed his arms and shook his head, then he uncrossed his arms to strike a dramatic pose, "There's a lot more to true friendship than open trust!"
'Why do I get the feeling this guy's a total idiot...' Allan thought, open mouthed with shock.
Gallade was thrown for an answer as he slowly recovered from the foolishness of it all, 'Well, I... Don't really have any sort of explanation for that, Allan... I don't think I've ever seen a human act quite like that before...'
"Blind trust..." Allan said hoarsely , finding his voice again, "I don't need something like that... How can I trust you to be careful, if you don't even blink at the true nature of the danger?"
"But that's just it," Vincent replied, smiling with ease, "I don't know. I'm not saying I'll be completely cool about it, or something to that effect... Nah, I just think, looking at you now, that you really need someone on your side of things... And you chose me."
Not sure what to say to this, Allan turned away.
'Allan?' Gallade leaned forward to look up at his partner's face, a concerned tilt to his mouth.
Rubbing his head pensively, Allan said, "Vincent, tell me. What sort of stories do the Aura Knights tell young Pages and Squires?"
"What kind of stories? Well, there's a lot, actually..." thinking back, Vincent smiled and snapped his fingers, "But you know, the ones they tell the most are the stories about how darkness can reside in everybody, not just the bad guy from the beginning."
"Go on," Allan nodded, quietly encouraging the young Squire to elaborate.
"Yeah, there are a lot like that... Let's see..." mentally selecting one of his favorites, Vincent took a breath and said, "There's this one that every Knight, and Elder, claims is true. They say it took place about six hundred years ago."
Recognizing where this was going, Allan silently waved Vincent on.
"Hah! This' a good one! Even though it is a little sad when you think about it... Anyway: Six hundred years ago there was a time of peace, prosperity, and an age of exploration had just dawned on what is now modern day eastern Sinnoh. For many Aura Knights, it was a welcome break from their usual job of mediating between non allied countries. But for others, it was just a time of boredom..." Vincent turned and winked, "Or so my Master put it!"
"Right... Continue please..." Allan felt a little creeped out by the wink, but decided to let it pass ignored.
"Okay, but first... Why do you want to know about this? Couldn't Riley tell you just as easily?"
"He could. But this is actually important for your understanding of me," Allan shrugged one shoulder in answer.
"Uh-huh, well, we'll see," Vincent rolled his eyes, "Anyhow, the time of great peace didn't sit well with some of the younger Knights of the order. In fact, they disliked peace so much so, that they formed a small group of their own within the Aura Knights. Their main objective; Overthrowing the tentative peace that the ruling factors had going at the time."
'That sounds considerably different form the Dark Knights' version of events already, huh, Allan?' Gallade said, cutting into Allan's thoughts on the story so far.
'Yeah, I know. Now don't interrupt!' Allan responded curtly.
Vincent's smile melted away as he began the next part of the tale, "So they split up to hide among the advisors of three powerful kings, whispering of dark climates to come. Planting the seeds of doubt, and mistrust, that other Aura Knights before them had worked so hard to remove to establish an era of peace... By the time the good Knights of the order got wind of these dark storm clouds building on the horizon, the three armies of the kings were already on the move toward one another."
"I see..." Allan said, reflecting on the vastly different account he was hearing, "What happened then?"
"Well, the armies quickly met in a terrible, bloody war. Many lives were needlessly lost. All the Aura Knights who disguised themselves as advisors to push the kings for war, slew them as well as their families, and assumed rule over the kingdoms. The Aura Knights went through an awful upheaval during all this; as the Elders, and good Knights, struggled to identify the remainder of the corrupted Knights, who were still hiding among them to learn ahead of time if the good Knights were going to take back the kingdoms for the people." Vincent paused to remember the next details of the history.
'Some of that last part lines up with the Dark Knight teachings, but just barely...' Gallade frowned.
"Many lives were lost during the war in which those evil Knights took over the kingdoms. In fact, those self same Knights, after betraying the kings, soon fell into a state of mistrust and suspicion," raising both of his hands, Vincent spoke with emphasis, "It wasn't long until they began to distrust one another. It took even less time for them to begin warring among themselves. The good Knights were few now, the traitors of peace imprisoned after two years of searching, but they still had the final duty of catching the leaders of the evil Knight faction that had usurped the crowns of innocent kingdoms."
"Yes, and they succeeded," Allan nodded, interrupting Vincent at last.
"Well, yeah, but... How would you know? I didn't even finish the story yet..." sounding put out, the young Squire pouted childishly as Allan continued speaking.
"Although it took them another five years, the Aura Knights eventually succeeded in overthrowing the tyranny of the Dark Knights. Banishing them to suffer out the remainder of their lives on a desert island in the western sea, rather than executing the men and women they once called comrades. It was a foolish decision, because one day the Dark Knights would rise again to reclaim their rule of Sinnoh, and soon, the rest of the world..." after Allan finished talking, Vincent just stared dumbfounded.
'I don't believe he's heard that part of the story yet, Allan,' Gallade had an sheepish smile on his face as he said this.
"That's right, Gallade. Vincent won't have heard of it, because he wasn't raised by the descendants of those very Dark Knights," Allan nodded.
"Wha-what? !" Vincent stepped back, a look of horror on his face.
"Yeah, I wouldn't trust me, either..." sighing, Allan kept walking forward on the trail to Lake Valor.
"N-no... That's not it! Wait up! Stop, and back up for a minute!" Vincent rushed to block Allan's path.
"Hey, you're doing it again..." Allan frowned.
Thrown, the young Aura Squire blinked, "What?"
.
XXXXXXXXX
Me: This took me awhile...
Riley: Yes, it did... Why am I acting like an emotional prick in this installment, anyway?
Me: Couldn't be avoided. Besides, you felt you were justified, at the time.
Riley: Dang it! Now I want to binge on ice cream... See what you've got me doing? !
Me: Sowwy! Nothing I can do about that. You'll just have to put your best foot forward next chappy.
Bruce Lee: What's this...? Is it some kind of computer?
Me: Yup.
Mr. Lee: It's so skinny...
Me: They make 'em even skinnier these days.
Mr. Lee: Seriously? !
Riley: Um, Lady? Why is he here?
Me: Because it's cool. No review call today, but see you next time everyone!