A longer one this time, continuing from the last Shauntal one. Enjoy!
Drabble 12: Battalion
Marshal was deep inside the caves of Victory Road when Shauntal found him, rubbing down a massive deer Pokemon with stony antlers, feeding it Pecha berries. The Pokemon bayed, making a deep, gravelly sound. Marshal was wearing a large orange backpack.
"I know, it's great to see you too Terrakion," Marshal said kindly, scratching it behind the antlers. "Hope your ready for long ride."
Shauntal gasped at the sight of the legendary Pokemon. She stepped forward lightly, hoping not to alert either of them.
"I can hear you, you know," Marshal said without turning around. "You know you can't sneak up on me, Shauntal. I've been trained to hear every sound, no matter how small."
At hearing this, Shauntal ran up to him, but Marshal did not hug her like he usually did. Instead he mounted Terrakion, causing it to roar in pride. He looked down at her, stern and hard.
"I didn't know you'd caught a legendary," Shauntal said, her voice high and timid.
"I didn't," Marshal replied. He patted Terrakion's snout. "I am a master of fighting types and so is Terrakion. We respect each other and he's helped me out on more than one occasion. That N, kid said Zekrom was his friend... well I've got friends too. Terrakion's brothers and their student Keldeo will be joining us, our own little battalion of fighting types."
"Marshal, what are you gonna do?" Shauntal asked concernedly.
"I'm gonna go find him," Marshal said. Terrakion began trotting out of the Trial Cave. "I love you Shauntal, but someone has to do this. N committed crimes and he has to pay for them. If he wants to help people or Pokemon, he has to make right what he did first, take responsibility."
"Why?" Shauntal asked, nearly in tears. They weren't tears of sadness or fright, but of anger. "Why can't you just let it go? Everyone else has. It's already over. This won't change anything."
"Yeah, but N set a bad example," Marshal stated. "He let people know that anyone can just stomp all over this league, this region and the law whenever they feel like it, as long as they have the strength. That's wrong, Shauntal and you know it. Now he needs to be made an example of if we want to this region to be safe, if we don't want some other "hero" to come through here and trample on the innocent. They could kill people, Shauntal. It's my job to prevent that."
"That's not the real reason. You're just taking revenge," Shauntal said, following behind him. She did not yell, but her words were low and cutting like a Scyther's blade. "You're just mad because he beat you and now you wanna return the favor. I know you Marshal and I know how well you hold a grudge. I know you feel, but you're just gonna stir up the fighting again and that's gonna hurt even more people. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind."
"I'd rather the world be blind than let Team Plasma have it," Marshal said. "A long time ago, Team Rocket took over the Kanto region. Not outright, but they owned it, sure enough. They sold Pokemon in casinos and they had their own gym! People everywhere were afraid of them, afraid to take their Pokemon out in the open, to run their daily business. They stole people's Pokemon like candy from kids, just like Team Plasma did. That fool Lance should have ridden out on his Dragonite and killed them all, rather then letting them hurt people for years until the police finally rounded them all up. I'm not gonna let that happen here, ever. It's better for two nations to destroy each other, than for one to take the other as it's slave."
Marshal rode out, Terrakion's hooves clacking loudly against the rock as it sped into a canter. Shauntal stood there, hands clenched, debating whether to follow or not. Ultimately she decided to return to the League. Marshal would listen to no one when he was like that. Let the brute figure things out himself.
IIIIII
Shauntal lay restless in her bed, tossing and turning in the dark as she thought about Marshal. He was right, but he was also wrong and she hadn't been able to stop him, because she couldn't figure out what to say. Now it had been two weeks since she had heard from him, and she was worried.
Suddenly, she felt a heavy body slip in next to her, strong corded muscles wrap her up in a hug.
"I'm so sorry," Marshal whispered. She could tell he'd been crying.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Shauntal replied, nuzzling his steely shoulder.
"I'm so sorry."
"I'm so sorry."
They cried together, wept in each others arms and afterward they laughed, wondering why they had ever argued in the first place.
"What happened?" Shauntal asked?
"I found him," Marshal said. "He agreed with me on everything, told me how wise I was. At first I thought he was just trying to butter me up, but then he offered himself up, said he'd come peacefully. I stood there with my mouth open like an idiot for a few minutes and then we just got to talking, about what he'd been doing since the incident. You were right Shauntal. He's giving them back. He's giving all those Pokemon back and so are the Plasma members who are still loyal to him. I wanted him to pay for what he did and he is, he's overdone it for months, in a way he never could from inside a jail cell. You should've seen him, how happy he makes the Pokemon around him and the people too. I couldn't take him in, Shauntal. It wasn't his fault. It was Ghetsis's. He'd raised him from childhood to be a villain, but he chose not to be."
"I know," Shauntal said, in a tone that screamed duh. "I told you that, remember?" She playfully swatted him on the head with her palm.
"I know, I'm sorry," Marshal said again. Then his voice was firm again "But justice still needs to be served if this region is to be safe. I'm going to catch Ghetsis."
Shauntal nodded. "That's fair," she agreed. "He's the one that deserves to pay. Now stop being violent for tonight and snuggle me." She pulled him closer.
Marshal smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."
IIIIII
We'll be seeing more fluffy drabbles for the next few chapters :P