What shock lies in store? What could the nefarious feathered flock of criminals be planning? The suspense is almost too much to take!
I sincerely apologize for not updating sooner – I have two other fanfics to write and videos to edit, and driving lessons aren't helping.
-.-.-.-.-.
The rescue team headquarters, despite being such an important place and whose name brought to mind an image of a huge building, was actually rather average-sized. It stood on a cliff overlooking Sharpedo Gulf, in which the harbor was situated. A long ramp ran from the edge of the cliff and down its side before finally stopping at the small, sandy beach. Wooden docks stretched into the water, allowing the numerous ships to be accessed.
As for the rescue team HQ itself, it stood alone on its cliff, away from the crowded metropolis. A path led from Vulcana City to the lonely building, and rescue teams came and went down this path. Beside it was a stable for Ponyta and the carts they pulled. The rescue teams ranged from rookie teams from the unofficial guilds set up around the continent to the real-deal heroes from the isle of the Guardians.
It was the HQ's job to serve them all, and serve them it did. Tables were set up in the lobby for Pokemon to relax and swap tales, and a small bar sat in the corner from where they could order drinks. There was a Bulletin Board, on which various missions received from Pokemon in need all over were posted. Windows allowed sunlight to illuminate the otherwise dreary room, and a Swanna sat behind the counter at the back of the room. It was her job to give rescue teams the permission they needed to access the boats and Ponyta-drawn carts that would take them to their destinations.
At this hour, there wasn't much activity. A Grovyle and a Dusknoir sat at one of the tables, each with a drink in their hands, casually swapping stories of their adventures. Otherwise, it was empty. The Swanna gave a bored yawn and picked at an itchy spot on her wing with her beak.
Just then, four Pokemon came through and made their way straight to the counter. The talking pair of Pokemon looked over from their table and watched the newcomers with interest. They recognized Goliath, Chelicerae, and Tara from the heroic Team Exo, but the Gardevoir was someone unfamiliar.
"MARY!" yelled Goliath, shattering the silence of the room and making its three occupants jump out of their seats. "We need a BOAT!"
Tara grimaced. "Way to get the point across," she muttered as Team Exo, plus Adrianna and Topaz, made their way up to the counter. Goliath perched on it, and the Swanna eyed him as if he were an unappetizing morsel.
"How nice to see you again," she said coolly. "It's equally nice to see that your manners haven't improved since the last time we saw each other." Her sarcasm dripped thickly from her otherwise smooth voice.
"Love you too, Mary," Cheli said flatly. "So, you think you could get us a boat to the Guardians' isle?" His wings hummed gently, filling the room with the soft thrumming sound.
Mary gave him an indifferent glare. "Identification?" she asked pointedly. Without uttering another word, Cheli dropped his rescue team badge on the counter. Tara and Goliath added theirs as well (the Yanmega had to give the latter his badge, since he was clearly much too small to carry it around). Hesitantly, Adrianna dug her own old badge out from her treasure bag, placing it on the table for good measure.
"Hmm…" Mary muttered, scrutinizing the badges. At last, she sighed and pushed them back across the counter. "Everything seems to be in order at least. Although this one is no good," she added, pointing with a feather at Adrianna's badge. "It's expired, unfortunately. You'll have to get yourself a new one."
Adrianna shrugged as best as she could with her son in her arms. "Maybe someday," she said, almost to herself. The Water-and-Flying-type gave her a nod and waddled through the door behind her, yelling at someone to get a boat ready.
Just then, there was a commotion as three other Pokemon entered. All four Pokemon turned around and recognized the newcomers instantly. Being on rescue teams, or at least former rescue teams, they remembered the Charizard and Scyther as Jules and Razor of Team Blazers. The third, and littlest, Pokemon was someone they didn't expect to see.
"Elf!" Tara exclaimed, rushing over to the little Hoothoot. "What are you doing here, dear? Where is everyone else?"
Elf looked slightly ashamed as the Eevee worried over her. "I got lost," she admitted sourly. "The city's just so BIG! I wandered around until I bumped into these two, and they offered to take me here to meet up with you guys again." She waved a stubby wing at Team Blazers.
"So the kid wasn't kidding, so to speak," Jules chuckled, reaching down to ruffle Tara's fur. "Nice to see you again, Tara. You as well, Cheli and Goliath."
The Midjet beamed at them. "And RIGHT back AT you, Team BLAZERS!" he boomed. "How're the RESCUES going? I HEAR you've made it up to the GOLD RANK! CONGRATULATIONS!"
Razor winced at his huge voice. "Yes, yes, thank you," she muttered. "I'm still hoping to make it up to your level, though. I think you're the only Platinum-ranked Bug-types on the island." She had held the dream of surpassing Team Exo as the strongest and most renowned Bug-type Guardian.
But then, Jules suddenly blinked, having sighted Adrianna standing on the sidelines. "It can't be Adrianna, can it?" he asked, squinting at her. "Gosh, it's been ages! I haven't seen you since you quit" –
"It's so nice to see you again," Razor interrupted with a smile, holding up a scythe. Adrianna shifted Topaz into the crook of her arm as she stuck out her other arm in order to shake with Razor. The Scyther then bent down to gaze at the sleeping baby Ralts.
"Now I see why you left," she said with a grin. "He's positively adorable! I wouldn't be surprised if he grows into a handsome Gallade, just like your husband."
Adrianna blushed and admitted bashfully, "I'm hoping for that myself." The two women chuckled as the others looked on amusedly.
By now, Mary the Swanna had come back from ordering around whomever she was talking to and was sitting behind the counter once more. Team Blazers walked up to her and slammed their badges down on the countertop. "A boat to the Guardians' isle, if you will," Jules said roughly.
Mary muttered to herself before pushing the badges back toward their owners. She waddled back through the door and yelled for a second boat.
"Look's like we're going in the same direction," Razor said casually to Team Exo. "Small world, isn't it?"
Goliath chuckled, although the sound was inaudible. Still, he lurched around in the air with laughter. "It certainly SEEMS that WAY," he agreed. "WHY? What BUSINESS do you have with the GUARDIANS?" he added, curious.
Jules and Razor grew grim, glancing at each other hesitantly. "It's a rather… long story," Razor said uncomfortably. "Suffice it to say that it's a troubling matter that needs to be taken up with King Stellar as soon as possible." The other five Pokemon exchanged confused glances at this vague answer, but they wisely decided to stay silent.
"Say, why don't we go outside and wait for Alphonse and the others?" Cheli suggested, changing the subject. "It's rather stuffy in here and hard for me to get any air." Elf was about to object that it was cooler inside than outside, but then remembered that Bug-types didn't have lungs. Instead, they had these things called spiracles that weren't as advanced as lungs, meaning it was much more difficult for them to breathe in certain conditions. Poor things, the owl Pokemon thought to herself.
They all went outside into the hot afternoon sun. The three insects – Cheli, Razor, and Goliath – all sighed in relief as they were able to intake more oxygen, and Jules looked more comfortable as well. However, Elf and Tara inwardly moaned as the heat started getting into their feathers and fur, and Adrianna tried shading Topaz so that he wouldn't get a stroke. Her white skin practically glowed, it was reflecting so much light.
"Why not go down to the docks?" Jules suggested. "We can wait for them to finish preparing our boats there." Everyone nodded and agreed that it was a good idea, so Team Blazers led them all to the walkway descending down the cliff-side.
To their eternal surprise, a few familiar figures were already waiting to greet them there. Jules and Razor were confused as to the identities of the group, but everyone else easily recognized them.
"Elf!" cried Barn, flapping his wings and rushing to greet her. "I was so worried about you," he said when he reached her, hugging the Hoothoot tightly.
"Yeah, same here!" agreed Lavender, giving Elf a little squeeze when Barn had put her down. "We had no idea where you ran off to, but we decided that you'd probably come here, so we continued on our way and went down here to the docks, and here you are!" She beamed happily and hugged her friend again. There were times when it seemed like the princess considered Elf a sister, despite her lack of compound eyes and antennae.
"We were pretty concerned about you," Alphonse put in gruffly, about to ruffle her feathers affectionately but thinking better of it. Instead, he gestured awkwardly and continued, "The city's no place for a kid to get lost."
Elf blushed and muttered an apology. "It is alright," Vladimir said, patting her roughly on the head. "Vladimir knows it vas just accident. Vhy, Vladimir could have gotten lost as easily as you."
Team Blazers looked at them blankly. "OH!" cried Goliath, startling everyone. "I completely FORGOT! Team BLAZERS, this is Barn, Alphonse, Evelyn, Vladimir, and L – AHEM, 'Lola'. They're with US."
At this, the duo's confused expressions cleared up. "Pleasure to meet you all," Razor said politely. "Yeah, what she said," Jules agreed, grinning in a friendly way.
But then, Lavender, who had been admiring the blue afternoon sky and watching the Wingull soar around on the thermals, spied something else. It stood out amongst the blue-and-white plumage of the seabirds, a black, ragged figure amidst the yonder. Seeming to sense her eyes upon it, the black bird Pokemon cawed and flew off, flapping its tattered wings.
Vladimir saw it as well. "Say, isn't that Murkrow ve saw elsevere in the city?" he asked. Evelyn squinted up at the retreating Flying-type and murmured, "I think so. Didn't we see the same one when we passed the post office?"
Lavender began to shake. "Is it following us?" she squeaked. "Maybe it's spying on us. Maybe it's a mercenary hired by that Masquerain to follow us and wait for the right moment to strike, watching from the shadows and waiting for the opportunity to sneak in and grab" –
"Please, La – 'Lola'!" Barn said, cutting off her worried rant. "You're safe as long as you're with us, remember?" The Venonat nodded, but didn't look convinced. She stuck close to the Noctowl as if she thought that he would shield her from any watching eyes.
"FUNNY," Goliath mused. "We, TOO, saw that same MURKROW while we were heading for the RESCUE TEAM headquarters. I think it IS following us."
Cheli nodded and adjusted his prosthetic, for it looked like it was about to fall off. "We'll keep our eyes on the sky from now on," he promised, ruffling Lavender's fur with one of his organic limbs.
"Now," Jules said, clapping his hands. "How about we do something while we wait for them to get those boats ready? Anyone up for a game of Go Corphish?" he drew out a deck of cards from his treasure bag.
"Me!" yelped Lavender. Alphonse shrugged and replied, "Why not?" Vladimir scratched his head and mused, "Vladimir does not see vhy not. But you vill teach Vladimir to play, yes?"
The Charizard nodded and grinned as everyone sat down in a circle on the sand, ready to play. Nothing like a deck of cards to make time fly, he thought.
-.-.-.-.-.
Far from Vulcana City, perched on a mountainous cliff overlooking a lush forest, two Flying-types debated heavily over what to do. One was clad in jet-black, and the other in tawny browns. It was, of course, the Darkfeathers Mara and Iron Talon.
"OK, let's get our facts straight one more time," Mara said, pacing back and forth on the ledge. "Nigel and Bolt said that they wanted our Shard."
Iron Talon nodded, remembering that.
"They also offered us a piece of the continent to rule if we cooperated with their scheme," Mara went on, continuing to pace.
Iron Talon nodded once again. "But we don't know how much of that is truth," he said.
"I know," Mara said, stopping and looking out into the distance. "That's the problem. I'm not sure if we should go along with this or not."
Both of them thought for a while. "Let's see," the Honchkrow mused. "If we don't join, there's the possibility that the others will succeed and then crush us with the power they gain."
Her Pidgeot ally cocked his head. "Unless we can defeat them before that happens," he observed, and Mara was the one to nod in agreement this time. "True," she admitted, "but we don't know how strong the Malamar is in battle. If we go against him now, we could get crushed anyway. And there's no way we can defeat the Raiders, Stealers, and Marauders if they decide to join him."
There was a long stretch of silence. Finally, Iron Talon asked, "What about the Guardians? If they find out about this – and they will find out, no doubt about that – they'll do everything in their power to stop us."
Mara smirked to herself. "Yes, but once we find the location of their island, we can assemble a strike force and lay siege to it. Once they're gone, then that takes care of the main obstacle blocking our way forward." She turned to look at Iron Talon, looking serious despite her grin.
"Do you think that we could enlist the help of our allies in attacking the Guardians?" the Pidgeot asked.
The leader of the Darkfeathers thought hard about that. "I'm not quite certain of that yet," she conceded after a few seconds. "They might betray us – anyone we request help from could use the opportunity to get rid of us as well."
The two Flying-types were deeply troubled by the tight spot they were in. They certainly had a lot on their plates – the threat of Nigel and Bolt, as well that of the Guardians and even the other criminal gangs, seemed to loom over them and trap them in a corner. There was no telling what would happen to them if they made even the slightest false move.
"We don't have to think about all this for now," Mara suddenly said, breaking the heavy silence. "Why don't we focus on the less troubling problems we have at the moment? For example, I heard something about a reduction in our supplies from one of the Fatfetch'd just a day ago?"
Iron Talon sighed and replied, "Unfortunately, that is indeed true. We no longer have a sufficient amount of food to feed our soldiers. We're also lacking in a few other things as well. What do you suggest?"
The Honchkrow just snickered and jerked her head in a westerly direction. "Seaside Village is close, right?" she asked rhetorically. "Let's just take what we need from that poor excuse of a town. I hear they've got rather fine seafood," she added wistfully.
"What about hunting like we usually do in the valley?" Iron Talon suggested, but Mara shook her head. "One less village on the continent means more food, more water, and more everything, really, for everyone else," she said nonchalantly. "Besides, it'll be fun."
The Pidgeot just shrugged.
"It's settled then," Mara said with satisfaction. "Why don't we assemble a few of our soldiers and set out in a few hours? In the meantime, Iron Talon, you send out a couple of scouts and see if there are any rescue teams about."
This time, the Pidgeot saluted with his wing and prepared for takeoff. It was a short flight from here to the main entrance of the Darkfeather hideout. But before he could launch himself off of the ledge, a faint, suspicious sound grabbed their attention.
It was the sound of ragged wings chopping the air, a loud and harsh noise that got louder with every passing second. No Flying-type flew like that, Mara was fairly sure. Not even the worst fliers – Tropius and Delibird came to mind – had wingbeats that thunderous or that sloppy.
But they soon realized what was making the sound. A speck came to them against the blue sky, already beginning to change color as the sun sank lower toward the horizon. The speck grew larger, and now the two Darkfeathers could see that it was indeed a Flying-type, but one that seemed to limp through the air. They squinted, trying to make out what it was.
And then it became clear to them as the mysterious bird Pokemon got closer. Its loud, awkward wingbeats crashed in their ears, but they scarcely seemed to notice. Instead, their attention was focused entirely on the Pokemon before them, stopping its progress and hovering before them.
It looked awful. Thin scars crisscrossed its body, leaving bare patches where no feathers grew. Its flight feathers were withered and scorched, making the wind whistle loudly through them as it flapped constantly to keep up its hover. A ragged cloak billowed out behind it.
"Surprise!" it rasped – even its voice seemed scarred. Mara and Iron Talon all of a sudden realized who it was. They recognized him almost immediately.
Clawface.
"Thought you could leave… me for dead, did you?" the Fearow mercenary croaked. "And after all I did… to help you! I guess I made the… right decision when I told myself… I wouldn't join the Darkfeathers, if… this is how you treat your allies."
The Skarmory known as Herra came into view just then, hovering beside her partner and glaring at the two with undisguised hatred in her eyes. Mara and Iron Talon then realized that they were in very deep trouble.
Clawface's good eye blazed as he regarded the birds that had left him to die on Fire Isle. "Now, we'll settle this… once and for all! DRILL PECK!"
His damaged voice broke as he screamed out his attack. Whirling like a drill, Clawface dove toward Mara and Iron Talon, ready to get his revenge once and for all.
-.-.-.-.-.
Clawface has survived! But how in the name of Arceus did he? Why did it take him this long to find the Darkfeathers? Does he still want the Shard, or just payback?
And it looks like the Darkfeathers themselves are trying to get out of their fix. Will they choose to join the criminal gangs and help Nigel and Bolt get control over the Legendary Pokemon, Xerneas and Yveltal?
The next chapter will come soon, hopefully. Review and look forward to it, readers!
Chapter Question #25: What do you think will happen in the sequel to this story?