Requiem of the Fallen Dragon
Part 3: Tale of the Fallen Dragon
Chapter 79: Demon's Proposal
Lumiere led everyone along the dark passage under the Civilized Capital. No one talked to others because they didn't know what they will meet.
While walking along the underground passage, Lumiere suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, brother?" Ellisk asked.
"…" Lumiere looked into the darkness in front of him. "It's me, Keldeo."
After hearing Lumiere's word, a Pokemon appeared from the darkness. He is none other than the youngest member of The Sword of Justice, Keldeo.
"Lumiere? Did you find another refuge? Or… Oh! Well, hi! Rucas and everyone!" Keldeo spoke and greeted the Hero/ine of Legend when he saw them.
"Keldeo? Why are you here?" Rucas asked.
"I am on guard now." Keldeo answered.
"On guard?" Joshua crossed his arms.
"Hm? Lumiere, didn't you tell them already?" Keldeo turned his attention back to Lumiere.
"I think letting them see with their own eyes is better." Lumiere spoke and turned his attention to Rucas and everyone else. "Let's go, the road is not too far now."
"Wait, Lumiere." Keldeo spoke and gave Lumiere a torch. "Take this too."
"Thank you, Keldeo, and do not shirk work unless you want another lecture from Cobalion." Lumiere spoke.
"I…I knew that!" Keldeo spoke.
Lumiere smiles and then continues walking. With the torch in his paw, travelling is much easier.
"Lumiere, why do you have to use a torch? You could just brighten this cave with your Flash." Kamui asked.
"Because the light from my Flash will make the Pokemon from the above knew our existence." Lumiere answered and then looked further into the passage. There are several torches located there!
"What are those torches? Is there more Pokemon here?" Magnus asked.
Lumiere gave everyone a faint smile and then led everyone to the place where the torches located. At that place, an unbelievable picture unfolds before their eyes…
Several injured or sickened Pokemon laid down everywhere in this underground passage, with several other Pokemon tried to tend their wounds and heal their sickness. Everyone immediately realized what happened here.
"…Because of the 'Number System', the poor Pokemon couldn't afford even to survive, and the coldness made everything worse. After we came back, The Sword of Justice tried to help them, but with the obstacle of the 'Number System', they couldn't do much, and then I remembered that there is a secret passage under my library, so I offered it to the Sword of Justice to use it as a hideout to help other Pokemon." Lumiere explained.
While Lumiere explained everything, everyone noticed that their comrades are among them too.
"Julia?! Aren't you at the sacred forest?" Joshua asked.
"Brother? Thank goodness! The forest had become frozen by the snow, so I had to evacuate the Pokemon from the Greenleaf Forest here." Julia answered.
"And you, Riftblade?" Magnus asked.
"Same here, Magnus. Bluewave is all frozen." Riftblade answered.
"…I didn't think that a star like you will be able to lower yourself to work for the lower Pokemon…" Leonel spoke with a sarcastic voice.
"Come on! It was because of a Volcano Guardian who couldn't protect his people when our home got frozen, so I had to do your job instead." Blazus answered.
"Snow!" Nyxier rushed up to her brother. "Is father safe?"
"…He is getting worse…" Snow answered with a sad voice.
"NO! Snow, take me to him, now!" Nyxier ordered.
"R…Right." Snow said.
"Nyxier…" Tyrus mumbled.
"Tyrus? Glad to meet you again." Skelethal appeared.
"Hm? Oh… Skelethal, you are so hard to die…" Tyrus mumbled.
"I will take that as a compliment." Skelethal accepted.
"By the way, where is the Sword of Justice?" Iris asked.
"They went to Venturnome Town to rescue more Pokemon." Lumiere answered.
"Venturnome City?! But that place is pretty far…" Anastasia spoke up.
"Not only to Gamma City, but this passage also led to Venturnome Town's Musketeer Bar too." Lumiere spoke.
"Is that so, then where are we now?" Fenrir asked.
"We are still under the Gamma City. I think we are under the Gamma Headquarter." Lumiere answered.
"Gamma Headquarter?" Kamui repeated.
"Yes. See that stair?" Lumiere pointed his paw to an old stair that led to above. "It led to the lowest floor of Gamma Headquarter. It is the place where Sir Glade and Lady Garvoir, now are the rulers of Symmetria in the place of the absent Prince Hawkins, stayed." Lumiere answered.
"Speak of Hawkins…" Iris mumbled and looked around, but they couldn't found Hawkins anywhere. Not only Hawkins, but also Garland.
"Garland… He didn't went into this underground passage with us… He said that he has some jobs to do and will catch up with us later. For Hawkins… He had just left us after he saw the poor Pokemon…" Sharon answered.
"Hawkins… Poor Pokemon… He couldn't forgive himself for the thing he had done, and seeing the fate of the poor Pokemon made him felt worse…" Iris mumbled.
"…" Everyone felt into silence, and after several minutes, the silence was broke by a grey goat Pokemon.
"Rucas, what brought you here?" Cobalion asked.
"Cobalion? Did you finish your job at the Venturnome?" Lumiere asked.
"Yes. Right now, Terrakion and Virizion are taking care of the refuges. And what about you, Rucas, will you share your story with me?" Cobalion asked.
Rucas and everyone told Cobalion, Julia, Blazus, Riftblade, Skelethal and Snow (After he came back with Nyxier.) the story as well as asking them of 'The Biggest Tree'.
"The biggest tree? Hm… For me, if the steel forest is the Gamma City, then the biggest tree must be the biggest building of this place. That's right. It must be the Gamma Headquarter, the biggest building of Gamma City!" Cobalion said.
"Then, let's go, everyone!" Rucas said, but Iris protested.
"Garland and Hawkins aren't here, and we should prepare for the upcoming battle. It has a very high chance that we will encounter Sir Glade and Lady Garvoir at the Gamma Headquarter." Iris said.
"!" Rucas remembered his last meeting with Sir Glade and Lady Garvoir. They are the children of a woman whom he loved, and a woman whom he killed with his own hands…
"Anyway, I will go to see Keldeo to make sure that he didn't fall asleep again…" Cobalion spoke and ran into the darkness.
"Rucas, we should rest for now." Fenrir suggested.
Everyone agreed with Fenrir, so they got into the deeper area of the passage to get some rest, except…
"Where…Where are you going, Iris?" Sharon asked.
"I will go to find Hawkins." Iris answered.
"Then… I will go to… I will see if Garland caught up with us already or not…" Sharon said.
Iris and Sharon walked up together along the dark passage. And then, they heard the sound of argument!
"What's that?!" Iris spoke.
In front of them, Hawkins and Keldeo stood there, watching Garland and Cobalion quarreled with each other.
"She is not worth for you, GARLAND!" Cobalion roared.
"Shut up! I will ask only her, not you, old freak!" Garland roared.
"Garland, Cobalion, what's wrong?" Sharon rushed up to them.
"Sharon, what a perfect timing!" Garland walked up to her, while Cobalion calm down, but still looked at Sharon with worried eyes.
"Garland?"
Garland then embraced Sharon's fin with his paw, and then he kneeled down!
"Garland?!" Sharon said.
"Miss Sharon…" Garland looked into her eyes with a strong and serious face, and spoke with a soft but powerful voice.
"Garland, what is this?!" Sharon asked.
"Miss Sharon, I… I love you to the bottom of my heart." Garland said.
Sharon blushed very hard. She was aware of his affection toward her, and she also held a feeling toward him, but she never thought of him to speak out loud like this?!
"Garland… I… I also love you too…" Sharon replied.
Garland smiles once he heard Sharon's word, and then he continued. "Miss Sharon, the most beautiful Pokemon I had ever seen, will you marry me?"
"W…WHAT?!" Sharon couldn't hide her surprise.
Sharon looked into Garland's eyes. It is not the crafty eyes that she used to see, but is the serious eyes that showed his strong affection toward her.
"B…But… I…I am not…that beautiful…" Sharon finally gathered her consciousness to answer Garland's question.
"…It is not the body's beauty that count. It is the beauty of your heart and soul that count. Sharon, your heart and soul is so pure. I may not be the best Pokemon in the world, but for you, I will make you the happiest Pokemon in the world." Garland spoke.
Sharon looked at her childhood friend, a friend whom she secretly had an affection to, but she decided to dispatch these feeling because she was sure that Garland won't interest in a Pokemon like her, but now, his word proved that she was wrong.
After reunited with her at the Desert Prison, Garland always takes care of her. She thought that it was because he is the childhood friend with her…
With all of this… Her heart will be able to guide her again.
"…Sharon."
Garland's voice drew Sharon back to reality. Garland still kneeled down in front of her.
"Sharon, will you marry me?" Garland asked the same question. This time, Sharon has no doubt in her answer anymore…
"…Yes, I will."
Sharon's word rejoiced Garland's heart. Garland then stood up and pulled Sharon into his chest, cuddled the one whom he loved to the deepest of his heart.
"Sharon, thank you… For accepting the proposal of this demon…" Garland spoke.
"You are not the demon, Garland." Sharon said.
"No… I am the demon, and you are the angel. I may not be the knight in the shining armor who protected his beloved princess like Tyrus and Nyxier, but this demon on earth will protect the angel of dusk for the rest of his life." Garland said. His word was different from the Mad Demon he used to be. Now he is such a strong and honorable Pokemon…
"Garland…" Sharon looked at the man she loved.
"Now Sharon, please accept this symbol of my eternal love…" Garland spoke and wore something at Sharon's fin. It is a ring… A pearl ring… The pearl, however, is not an ordinary pearl… It is a black pearl…
"H…How did you get something like this?" Sharon asked.
"I bought it from a jewelry shop of the Gamma City." Garland answered.
"Y…You went to Gamma City alone?! That's dangerous!" Sharon said.
"No. The streets are empty, and the shop is empty too. Don't worry. I got the ring, and I also left the money at that shop too. I may be the demon, but I still have a heart." Garland said.
"Garland… This is such a beautiful ring…" Sharon looked at her ring.
"Isn't it? The black pearl… It suited you well… Although it is black and dark, but it is very rare and valuable, like you." Garland said.
"Oh! Garland!" Sharon cried. This, however, is not the tear of sorrow. It is the tear of joy.
While Garland was comforting Sharon, Iris and Hawkins walked up to Cobalion.
"Cobalion, the topic you argued with Garland before we came…"
"…I don't want Garland to get married with Sharon." Cobalion spoke.
"Why?" Hawkins asked.
"Because I don't trust Garland. It is true that he had changed, but someday, the demon side within his body may hurt Sharon. However…" Cobalion mumbled.
"However?" Iris spoke.
"…Seeing Garland like this made me understand. Garland did truly love Sharon. He was able to discard his demon side out of his body. And now, I am sure that they will become a happy couple." Cobalion said.
"Yes. They will." Iris said.
After Iris finished speaking, Garland and Sharon walked up to them.
"Shall we go back? I am sure that puppy Rucas will cry out of his fear of darkness if we don't go back soon." Garland asked.
"Sure. Let's go."
Iris replied and walked ahead with Sharon. Cobalion looked at Garland for a bit and then followed Iris and Sharon. At last, Garland and Hawkins followed them, but left quite a distant from Cobalion in order to prevent anyone to hear their conversation.
"It seemed like I will get a sister-in-law soon." Hawkins opened the conversation.
"Yeah, and you'd better keep your foul mouth away from her or else I may assassinate you in your sleep." Garland said.
"You couldn't hurt me, stupid brother. The bond within our blood won't allow that. Don't you the one who tell me that?" Hawkins said.
"Yup. I am not stupid to forget that. However, Hawkins…" Garland said.
"What is this time?" Hawkins said.
"You saw my affection to Sharon already, right?" Garland said.
"Did your ash-filled brain forget that a perfect being like me possess eyes too?" Hawkins answered.
"Indeed… And… Why don't you find your love too?" Garland asked.
"D…Don't instruct me like that! A perfect being like I knew what to do!" Hawkins said.
"So you also have a heart for someone, right?" Garland looked at his elder brother with a crafty face.
Hawkins didn't answer. Instead, his face is red. It is the face that he had never shown it to anyone before…
"I see… I think I could guess who that girl…is" Garland said.
"S…Shut up!" Hawkins said.
"That would be a challenging task for you to win over her heart since she was having a heart for someone who was already dead, and she was the one who raised you, so your relationship with her is more like a mother and child. A perfect being like you claimed should know what to do…" Garland said.
"O…Of course!" Hawkins said.
"If that so… Then I expected that I will gain a sister-in-law soon." Garland said.
"B…BAGA!" Hawkins roared at Garland.
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: We met the underground community of the Gamma City, and everyone got a clue of their next destination…
Garland proposed Sharon for marriage. What a lovely scene! Now we have Tyrus x Nyxier and Garland x Sharon… Who will be the next couple?