Hi! I'm sorry I've been dead for a while. School and swimming has kept me on my toes and I've had a writer's block for quite a while. But, I think I have something for you.
Chapter 31
Blake
"Blake!" Dawn shouts in my ear. I nod, understanding what she wants me to do. From my spot, I unleash a Whirlwind that sends the two legendary birds a couple feet back. We use the gained distance to remove ourselves from the rock where we were cornered. The three of us head up to where we came without a second thought but, Lugia and Ho-Oh quickly follow. They speed past our flight path and block the exit. My eyes grow wide as we back-pedal to get away. It's already too late.
The two birds grab at us with their talons, their claws seizing both my wings, April's arm, and Dawn's snakelike body. I thrash and twist to get away as their claws close tighter around me. The grunts from both sides of me suggest that April and Dawn are doing the same.
Our struggle to break free is wasted as Lugia and Ho-Oh carry us off to a corner that was out of our view before. The corner holds a small altar with three domes made up of bars, the three cages that will hold us. The door to them opens with psychic power and I'm hurled inside. My face slams against the opposite wall and I try to hold my yelp of pain inside my throat. I fall to the ground on my back, wincing from the pain. Despite that, I scramble to my talons and charge towards the open cage door.
Just before I'm about to fly through, it closes again with psychic power. I put my talons first and hit the wall of the cage. My claws cling against the metal as they close around the bars. I pull at the door by jumping backwards, but it doesn't budge.
"Blake. They're sealed by psychic power. It's no use." I hear Dawn's voice in the cage next to me. With a sigh, I jump back to the ground and turn to face Dawn. Her large body looks cramped in the small cage, but she gives a reassuring smile to me.
"Hey, Blake! Are you okay?" April's voice comes from behind Dawn, suggesting her cage is the third one in the row.
"Yeah! I'm alright!" I call back. I slump against the bars of the cage, still a bit in pain. "So, how are we gonna bust out of a cage that's sealed with psychic power?" I turn to Dawn.
"We wait."
"What d'ya mean "wait"? We can't wait for them to come and kill us! We've got to get out now!" I start to get back on my talons.
"This might be a good opportunity to get some information about this unknown leader and the Wings of Legend's weak spot." I relax my shoulders and nod. I hear the flapping of wings around the corner, then silence. "Just stay calm, listen for information, and don't say anything about Skyborne." I nod again and look straight ahead with a blank expression.
I expect to see the five members of the Wings of Legend. However, only that shadowy pokemon, the leader, comes in with his claw-like wings. No other pokemon is with him. No guards, no back-up, nothing. He floats above the ground in front of the altar holding our cages. His glowing red eyes bore down into mine.
"Quite kind of you three to deliver yourselves to my front doorstep. Although it would have been better if you came years ago. Where have you been hiding away for the past ten years, anyway?" He says this with such a nonchalant voice, as if we're just mere children. I throw myself at the wall of the cage.
"We're not the one's hiding! You are, you coward!" I bark at him. The pokemon just chuckles.
"I've always assumed it was Skyborne. You are three of their soldiers if I'm not mistaken. I sincerely apologize for the trouble my henchmen have inflicted on Skyborne." I flinch a bit, disbelieving his words. "You see, all I wanted out of Skyborne were three pokemon that were stolen from me ten years ago. A Dragonite came and stole you away from me, just as we were about to change the world." My mind races to comprehend this. According to him, I was here before. I have no memory of this place, though. I've spent my entire life in Skyborne. I know I did. The pokemon let's out a sigh
"That reminds me. We were interrupted last time, but it won't happen again. Shall we continue where we left off'?" His claw-wings extend and the red tips turn to a pitch black along with his eyes. Suddenly, a wave of pressure hits me and I'm forced to the ground. My beak bangs on the floor and I struggle to get air back into my lungs after it has been knocked out of me. Pain sears through my body and I scream. I hear similar sounds from Dawn and April. This must be some kind of special move of his. There is a whirring sound and a harsh wind that blows in different directions all around us. I feel every ounce of energy I have in my body being drained, along with my consciousness. If this keeps up, I could be dead in moments. There's only one thing that could work.
"Dawn! Now!" I scream at her through bared beak. She can't see me, but she can hear me. And she knows what I mean. With all her strength, Dawn rises up to a straighter position.
"Reflect!" Dawn cries. I squint my eyes in a bright light that bounces off the walls around us. "Brace yourselves!" Dawn manages to get out before an exploding noise becomes too loud to hear. I cover my head and face with my wings and brace for an impact.
Everything happens too quickly. There is deafening noise like thunder rolling until all I can hear is a high-pitched ringing. Shrapnel slice at my unguarded back and wings, cutting into my skin with every blow. Each stone or piece of wood hitting me sends screaming pain until my body begins to tremble. I don't dare uncurl myself from my protective shield.
Peeking out, I see that the light has faded and a ruin of the wacky cavern is left instead. The three of us are still on the altar, although the cages are reduced to hunks of deformed metal. Huge chunks of earth has cracked away, showing the strange world outside of the dome with the purple sky. Everything else is completely shattered and ruined. The shadowy leader is no where to be seen.
Dawn and April are caked in their own blood, wincing as they pick themselves up off the ground. The wounds are messy, but not deep. Our main goal now is to get out of here, but it could be tricky with our wounds. "Can you guys fly?" I call over to them. They turn towards the sound of my voice and nod.
Reluctantly, I spread my wings out to my sides, cringing in the pain. April and Dawn follow suit with similar reactions. We prepare to take off just when the ground starts trembling. All three of us are thrown off balance by the sudden shift. My back hits the floor and a yelp comes out of me. I need only look right in front of me to find the source of the quake. The pokemon that was about to kill us pushes out from under the rubble and debris. His eyes send pure hate into its beholder. "Y-you will not get away from me, AGAIN!" His roar is deafening. I almost can't hear Dawn when she tries to scream above the sound.
"Get out! Now!" I feel pressure pulling me into the earth, but I somehow get on my talons and into the air. I flap my wings at a breakneck pace to overcome the intensified gravity. I look over and see that Dawn and April are in the air. Exit routes are not a problem. So many craters were formed that we have a choice of many. Our trio escapes the ruined dome and we immediately spot the portal that we came through, leading to Spear Pillar.
I hear rumbling behind us, but I don't turn back. Pressure gets heavier and my wounds begin to burn like fire dancing all over my wings and back. We show no hesitation when flying through the portal. The Pokemon's voice erupts just as we're crossing into Spear Pillar. "I'm coming for you! You and the rest of Skyborne will pay! I-" His voice is indistinguishable and drones out from the portal.
The pressure grows even more as we fly out way into Spear Pillar.
Then, it feels as if I'm floating. I shoot straight up into the air. The edges and spires of the hollowed mountain pass by me too quick to acknowledge. When I finally convince myself I'm out of the bizarre realm, Spear Pillar and Mt. Coronet are far below me. The three of us level out and fly straight ahead. I let myself glide for a while until I realize how much pain my wings are in. I wince, but I don't stop flying. Not until Spear Pillar is far behind us. Trying to take my mind off of the pain, I reflect on what just happened. That pokemon wanted us for some reason, he is the leader of the Wings of Legend, and, adding to his last words, he intends defeating us and Skyborne. I don't even stop and consider whether this information is important or not. The answer is already clear that this information must be brought to the three leaders of Skyborne immediately. But, if it is true what he said before we escaped, Skyborne is in grave danger.