Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I only own the characters and story, unless otherwise stated. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Edit: Making this into two parts due to a lack of time. The previous two chapters were also meant to be split into two, but because of complications weren't. This, as well as the next chapter (not part two), will likely be split in two.
Kira panted heavily as she skid to a stop. Scars ran over her body in every direction from hours of nonstop battling and training. Over a month had passed since she had returned to Treasure Town from Xatu's training, and almost everything was starting to turn to normal. For the last month, Kira had spent her time training and battling as many Pokémon she could find, which allowed her to practice her own style of battling: Counter Style. She had also been practicing with Xatu every once in a while, which began to increase her control over the flames Ragnarök held. Even if neither of the training methods was complete, she was a force to be reckoned with.
"You're growing better and more used to your special style, and yet you still can't face a Pokémon like me in a true battle of power," Marowak said, twirling his bone before sighing. "I would have thought a month was enough for you to break the limits of being who you are, and yet you're still as weak and puny as the day I first laid eyes on you. Why aren't you able to fight back, Kira? Are you scared of losing to the point where you're trying to avoid battle? That's really sad."
"Sir, I'm not powerful because we've been doing this nonstop for a bit too long," Kira responded, her breathing heavy as she tried to keep standing. "As much as I'd like to say I'm not trying, we've been in this cave for a bit too long. My body can't heal and I'm using nutrients faster than they can be replenished. Just a bit of light would allow me to fight at full strength." Kira saw him stop for a moment, only to be thrown back as Marowak slammed his bone into her gut. "Oww! That hurt!" she snarled as she came to a stop. "That was such a jerk move. Why did you do that?"
"Do you really think your opponent cares of your strong or not?" Marowak asked, moving away from her. "Kira, you managed to defeat Kiminari, one of the most powerful Pokémon on this continent. Not only that, but you managed to do so in a single strike, which tore his defenses like paper. Access that power and use it to battle! Don't rely on just dodging and countering! You have to fight back!"
"You don't even listen, do you?!" Kira snapped, her eyes turning a light red. "Ragnarök isn't just some tool to use during battle. We share this body, not control each other. I fight alongside him as a friend, not a master! I can't tap into the power without his permission, Marowak! He has his flame, and I have mine! We have different battle styles as well! My style is called the Counter Style after all. He's the Attack Style."
Kira growled lightly as he chuckled, getting the feeling that he didn't believe her. Her eyes returned to normal before she shot forward, turning at the last second and slamming her tail into him. He was sent flying even though she hadn't tapped into the flame that belonged to Ragnarök. It was her own power that she had been growing over the entirety of that month. Even if she wasn't as strong as Sage, or even Kiminari in this base form, she was more than capable of holding her own against opponents, as was just proven.
"And that's the end of that," Kira panted as she stood to her full height, turning and beginning to walk away. "You know nothing about me. Only Duke has been with me since the beginning, and I believe that he is truly the only one who can understand the pain I have been cursed with; Sage as well. They're special, and I know they understand that I must keep myself the way I am. I do not need the power of Ragnarök to fight you, Marowak. I will only need it when my time to save the world comes."
Kira's breathing picked up as she exited the cave, then exiting the dojo where the training took place in. She hurriedly began to walk away and head for the beach. The town and its surrounding areas had become peaceful after a bit, but Kira still felt that something was going on behind closed doors. There hadn't been any sign of Infected either, so Kira was even more on edge than normal. But even through it all, she, as well as Duke, had become greater friends than ever before. They trusted each other to the point where their lives were practically one. They would have brought in Sage as well, but that guy was so stubborn and rough. He had left upon them even mentioning to make a team with each other. It may not have been an official team, but they were still going to help each other.
"So you finally escaped Marowak's endless training?" Duke asked as she finally reached the beach, laughing as he noticed how exhausted she was. As she plopped down in the sand, Duke hopped over to her. "We don't have too long to rest, Kira. Jamie is coming to Treasure Town to pick you up. I got a letter from Houndour about something he needs help with. He called for you specifically as well, so I can't come along."
"That's a bad excuse for not coming with me," Kira sighed lightly, then reacting when she recalled he had said Houndour. "Do you mean that dog we met on my first day in this world? I didn't think we'd ever meet him again. At least, I gave up on it when we came to Treasure Town. What does he want?"
"He said it was an urgent call for you and your special abilities," Duke said with a light sigh. "You know, he means he needs you because your special style of battling while using counters and that special power you had used against Kiminari that one time. He apparently needs your expertise in diverse battling for some reason. I would ask why, but because it's urgent, I won't question anything he has to say."
Kira was silent for a moment as she thought about what she should do. She remembered telling him that she promised to help him if he ever needed it, so perhaps this was her chance to keep her promise. On the other hand, she was wondering for what purpose he would need specifically her style. She knew she wasn't the only one to use it, but how did he also know about Kiminari? News must have spread fast after that battle had taken place. Then again, it had been quite a while since it had happened. Perhaps Duke had sent Houndour a letter or something.
Shaking her head, Kira quickly dismissed the thought and smiled at Duke. "Well, none of this has ever made sense, and I doubt it ever will, so I might as well just go with the flow." She laughed nervously before nodding. "Thank you for all you've done, Duke. So, when should I expect Jamie to be here at the beach? Is it soon, or will she be here at around sunset? I can see she isn't here, so where is she?"
"Actually, I just arrived!" Jamie chirped as she slowly moved onto the beach, lifting her flipper to wave at the two. "It's great to see you again, Kira. I heard that you were busy with training, so I didn't think I'd ever get to see you again. I guess I should be lucky that Duke trusts me enough to ferry you across the ocean whenever it's needed."
"Well, I think it might just be because I really only trust you to ferry her across the ocean and back to the land where we came from," Duke responded, looking away before shaking his head. "Apart from that, let's not worry about anything else, okay? Jamie, you know Kira needs to get across the ocean and back to the forest. Remember: avoid the beach at all costs."
"You think he'd care to forget about mentioning the beach, but I guess you're still one of those who think the beach is a dangerous area," Jamie said, laughing lightly. "But, seriously, you don't need to worry about anything happening at the beach, Duke. It's much quicker than traveling from the dock to the forest, and it's sure to be safe by now. I doubt we'd have to worry about anything now!"
"I told you to avoid the beach!" Duke snapped, fluttering his wings in anger. "Now, get going before I decide to turn this whole thing around and send you on a completely different mission, Kira! And don't let me hear anything about you heading to the beach. I'll kill you myself if you go anywhere near it."
Kira sighed and rolled her eyes as she moved closer before climbing on Jamie's back. She continued to listen as the two argued for a bit, but didn't really pay attention as they shouted at each other. If she was being honest, this entire thing was just carrying on for too long. Whether Duke liked it or not, she was going to found out what was going on at the beach.
After some time, she felt as Jamie started to move, and raised her head to see they were finally taking off from the shore. Duke was now no longer in sight, but Kira had the feeling he was watching them from somewhere. With a shake of her head, Kira sat up and watched the waves as they started to pass by, humming a tune with no rhythm. It wasn't meant to not have one, but she didn't know what to hum at the moment.
"So, I guess we're just gonna ignore Duke's advice and go straight for the beach?" Jamie asked, turning to see Kira nodding. With a light chuckle, she faced forward and swam quickly. "I've missed you, Kira. These past few weeks have been rough for Pokémon like us. After what happened at the tournament and what happened to Kiminari, Pokémon have really been avoiding Treasure Town and the nearby islands as much as they could. That's made it so rough for us to do anything or get anywhere."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Jamie," Kira responded, tapping her fingers together. "I think I might just be having a string of bad luck or something. Skarmory appeared at the tournament and I had to kill it along with a Riolu who had become Infected, and then Kiminari had to suffer the same fate." She sighed lightly before looking down. "I'm really sorry about all the trouble I've caused you. The world would probably be better without me here."
Jamie shrugged before sighing lightly. "I'd say that you were the one causing it all, but you actually aren't. Ever since you arrived, Infections have been going down like mad. Many Pokémon who were lost to the Infection have begun returning to us, and those Pokémon you had to kill seemed to have been leading those Infections. I didn't think it possible, but a recent finding found it possible for Pokémon to become Infected from those who aren't fully under the influence of it. It spreads until the main host is killed, freeing those who were infected by that host."
"Well, that's weird to hear," Kira said with a light chuckle before a sudden thought reached her. "I didn't ask about it before, but what is mega-breakthrough? I heard something about how Kiminari had gone beyond just mega evolution and something called breakthrough to create a mega-breakthrough. What exactly is that?"
"It's basically a god-like state that can be attained by years of training," Jamie responded. "All I know is that they're incredibly powerful and deadly in some cases. Kiminari must have been one of the few who can access but can't control it. I heard you absolutely destroyed him!"
"It's no exaggeration, but it also explains what happened rather well," Kira told her with a sigh. "I just attacked him, and all that armor on him just... shattered! The next thing I knew, he was on the floor, dead. I don't know what happened, but I'm scared. I don't want to access whatever power I used right then and there again; I liked being normal."
Jamie was silent for a moment before she sighed. "Not everyone can have what they want, Kira. We all have things we have to do whether we like it or not, and some of us know things that no one else can ever know. Duke and Sage are two examples of Pokémon who know and do things that can absolutely destroy those around them. That's why they usually lie and hide behind these masks that you see, Kira. You may not be able to tell, but they do. I can feel it hiding deep within them, struggling to escape but being kept somewhere no one can see it. Don't become like them, Kira. Be honest and fight for what you believe in, even if you think it might be wrong with the majority."
"You sound like some sort of counselor or something, Kira said, looking around Jamie and for any sign of land. Unfortunately, there was nothing in sight so far. "You would probably make a great one for the Pokémon who travel across the water with you. I wonder if that would count as two jobs in one."
"Probably, but who really cares about being counseled by a Pokémon who simply ferries them over the sea to a land where they've probably been to a hundred times?" Jamie sighed and shook her head, focusing forward as she swam slightly faster. "One of these days I'll be able to reach Killari Island in no time. I hope I learn it soon though."
Kira shrugged lightly before she leaned back on Jamie's shell. She watched the sky as she thought of what to do upon arrival to Kalliri Island. Now that she thought about it, that was a rather silly name for an island that had a Spanish town. Why wasn't the island itself Spanish? Perhaps the town had been built before a proper name was decided. Kira quickly shook her head and let the thought fade away. It wasn't like it was important anyways. A name was just a name, and that was all it would ever be.
After quite a long time of silence between the two, Kira could hear the sound of water as it hit against sand, a sound she had become used to during her time in Treasure Town. She quickly sat up and noticed them approaching the beach of Killari Island, to which she then smiled. The beach looked rather normal apart from a few rocks sticking up all over the place. Well, they at least gave the beach a bit of life. Treasure Town had Krabby and this place had giant rocks. At least it wasn't plain and boring.
"So this is the beach that Duke never wanted anyone to visit," Jamie said as she approached shore, soon sliding to a stop. "I can't tell if anything's different about this place than from Treasure Town. The air is peaceful, but there's also a bit of mystery to it. I wonder just what it was that Duke wanted to hide from us here."
"I don't know, but whatever it is, it must be hidden pretty darn well." Kira quickly slid off Jamie's shell, walking through the shallow water before she reached the dry parts of the beach. "Thank you for the help, Jamie. I think I can handle myself from here on. I might come back here after my mission with Houndour is done, so I'll see you in about... a week?"
"That sounds rather fair," Jamie responded, slowly sliding back out into the sea. "Well, I'll see you back here, Kira. Don't do anything rash while your friend isn't here." She quickly waved before turning and swimming away, likely to hide the fact that she had been there.
With a light chuckle, Kira silently walked through the beach, looking around for anything suspicious. As she was walking, she saw something glinting in the sun, and quickly walked over, picking up some sort of gem attached to a metal chain. The gem looked like some sort of black opal, but it also looked like a mix between some sort of emerald and quartz stone. Right below where it had been resting was a sheet of paper; Kira picked this up next.
"Dear reader, My name is Duke of Killari the Third. This necklace was once a sign of my family heritage, but I have abandoned it because of a secret I learned accidentally; my mother and father, Kisali of Killari the Second and Duke of Killari the Second, were talking about the island's history. The name may not seem like anything special, but the name came from a mission my parents had come across when they were married. Killari's name, when split in two, becomes Kill Ari, a death sign to my great-grandmother's best friend. Luckily, whether it be for better or worse, Ari escaped the first Dukes by escaping to another world: The Human Realm. I hope that wherever he is, Ari is okay. For now, this is the end of this letter... I hope no one finds this in my lifetime."
Kira looked at the letter and read over it for a few minutes before she dropped it, shock hitting her harder than, well, Kiminari had ages ago. She didn't know what to think, but was this why Duke had been trying to get people to avoid the beach? Was this letter and the fact that his family was so intent on killing Ari that he wanted to hide and lie about it all until his death? Kira wasn't sure what to think anymore, but she was sure there had to be more to it than she thought.
As she was debating to head further in and to the forest, she noticed some ink had seeped through the paper of the letter. She picked it up and flipped it over, finding a second letter, likely having been written in a rush since it was such a mess. Kira managed to decrypt it though, since she was used to messy handwriting, especially her own.
"This necklace... I don't want anything to do with it from now on, so the first person to find it will become the rightful owner of it and the rightful "King/Queen" of Killari. It doesn't matter whether they want it or not because I've had to suffer it for far too long. I guess... I have to look forward to smiling at a new ruler from a place that I never wanted to be in as a child. To whoever has found my gem, I wish you luck."
Kira felt shock once more, but it was an odd shock that filled her with joy as well. Whoever had found this gem... was a ruler? She wanted something like that, but could she really ever take such power into her hands? She was silent before she shook her head and set the letter into the sand. As much as she would have liked to, she couldn't accept it. She set the gemstone next to it, putting it in a position anyone could find, even if on accident.
Kira started to walk away before she felt a heavy feeling on her chest. She looked down and noticed the black opal hanging around her neck. Curious, she took it off and threw it away. She was sure she had put it back in the sand, not put it on. Shaking her head to try and clear it, she continued on her way across the beach and to the forest.
Upon entry to the forest, that heavy weight returned. She continued to walk forward as she lifted a hand, feeling the opal around her neck once more. As confused as she was, she figured this was part of the letter that she hadn't really cared about: "It doesn't matter whether they want it or not." She figured that this was what Duke meant by that, so she knew she probably wouldn't be able to get rid of it. She shook her head once more and continued into the forest, looking around for any sign of Houndour.
It wasn't long before she was back where this had all began. The dying grass beneath her feet told her that this place hadn't grown back since her time there, which kind of surprised her. Then again, it was great to see that not everything has to change so quickly around you. It gave her a feeling of calm and freedom, something she rarely ever got to feel nowadays. For once, it actually felt like the world was allowing the Pokémon to relax.
"I figured you'd come back here," a voice spoke, slightly scaring her until she turned; Houndour smiled as he pushed through the underbrush. "It's been a bit too long, Kira. I see you have yet to evolve, but I guess some of us still can't go past these forms. Even then, thank you for coming to my call. I didn't think you'd come after all that had happened in Treasure Town."
"I could go for a break every once in a while," Kira responded as she stepped closer to him, patting the top of his head. "You look like you've grown quite a bit yourself, Houndour. How have you been doing since the last time I saw you? Better, I hope."
"I've been through a couple of rough times, but the pack and I are doing better than when we last meet, although our leader has gotten severely worse." He sighed lightly and looked down. "I don't know if you've guessed it yet, but I asked for your help so we can save him. We need him to function, and he has yet to choose someone to lead us. I... We beg of you to save him."
Kira was silent for a moment before she nodded and stood to her full height, puffing her chest out as though she was acting bold and prideful. "I'll do whatever it takes to save your leader." She then realized she had no idea how to. "Umm... Can you give me a hint as to what I'm supposed to do to help you? I don't know anything about medicine."
"What we need isn't medicine," Houndour responded, confusing her greatly before looking into the forest. "There's a special flower known as the Harmony Lily that grows in a dungeon not far from here. We'd try to get it, but the Pokémon there are too powerful for us to handle, even in groups of five or six. We know because we've tried it before. Please, Kira. Do you think you can find the flower?"
Kira nodded quickly, chuckling lightly. "I think I can find it without too much problem. But since I don't know what any of your flowers look like, I'll just grab all that I can find before I'm chased out." She laughed nervously before noticing that Houndour looked a bit upset. "What's wrong? Is something happening that I should know about?"
Houndour shook his head, backing away from her lightly. "The flower looks like any normal Water Lily, although it has a black bud that's shaped like a diamond is usually seen as. I'm sure you'll find it without problem, Kira. Please, just hurry up and go."
Kira nodded and slowly started to walk towards where he had been looking to before. She wasn't sure of what it was, but a feeling of unease gripped her heart and filled her with dread. It wasn't like she hadn't felt it before, but it felt so much stronger now than ever before. She eventually shook off the thought before the forest began to change.
"Alright. Find the Harmony Lily with the black bud shaped like a diamond," she whispered as the ground started to become soaked under her feet. "You have nothing to worry about from here on. Just remember your training and keep pushing on."
Input: Hello. If you are reading this, then it means you have finished Chapter 6: Corruption P1. I hope you have enjoyed this little sidestep from all the action. Also, I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. If you notice any errors, please inform me and I will fix them as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please ask me and I will try to explain them to the best of my ability. Thank you for reading.