Chapter 73: Daunting shores of an unseen world
Dawn
Mt Coronet
Dex Criminal's base. Commander's room
He slipped inside the folds of an emerald green kimono and shivered in the slight cold. Blue and Diamond woke up long before him and flew to Veilstone in order to buy last minute supplies. The spiky haired male swallowed, apprehension made him fidgety and he smoothed the silk shirt down, tied it and reached for a black kimono jacket. As he put it on, the slight creak of the door opening prompted him to tear his gaze away from the mirror and he found Yellow apologizing and backing away with a polite dip of her head. Green motioned her to come in as he pinned on his ornaments, to his pleasant surprise, he felt soft hands smooth the crinkled material on his back and his aide drew away and plopped down on a chair. She appeared strained and her hair, normally brushed into a neat high ponytail, fell loosely around her shoulders. A cold wind gusted outside the mountains and he saw a flecks of snow being carried along and hitting the tiny porthole window. Their plan to infiltrate Ransei was a risky one and he didn't know how long it will be before they came back. An awkward silence filled the space between them and the jade eyed male found himself desperately wishing for Blue to magically pop in and break the tension. The pesky woman had a knack of knowing what to say during troubling times.
"Don't worry about Red...I'll do my best in order to bring that idiot back. So, take it easy alright?" Green's voice hitched slightly, it still bothered him when Yellow became animated on mentioning Red. He knew she liked him and yet, a small part kept on hoping, praying that she might one day forget about the ebony haired moron and look at him the way she gazed at Red.
Wishful thinking, his brain sneered, the moment Red comes back, she'll forget you existed.
"Green-"
"And I won't let him get caught again." He quickly added on seeing her sorrowful face twist in a further slump of despair. "If he does something out of line...I'll kill him and bring him back from the dead." Growling to himself, he faced the mirror and fixed a crest on the outer collar of his sleeveless jacket. "So don't worry about Red okay, in a few weeks' time you will see him again." In the mirror, he noticed Yellow puff up, she blew her cheeks irritably and he wondered if he should apologize. Maybe reminding her of Red is making her angry. "Yellow..."
The girl got up and faced him. "I'm not worried about Red." She declared and flushed. Green blinked in confusion. "Red is fine...Well technically he isn't fine considering that he is in prison...What I meant was..." she inhaled deeply and looked at him square in the eye, admiring the resolve swirling in his jade irises. "I'm worried about you" crossing the space between them, she whispered and reached up to brush back a strand of his hair. Her fingers ghosted over his cheek and he felt lightheaded. "Don't do anything rash okay? Please. And stop working so much, you need to take time out for yourself Green. You can't drown your depression in work." Yellow stood on tiptoes and gently placed her petite arms around his shoulders. He caught a whiff of her perfume, a sweet scent which complimented her perfectly. Deciding to regret his actions later, he enclosed her into a tight hug and heard her gasp. She let out a small giggle and buried her face in his chest whilst he rested his chin on her messy corn silk locks. "Come back safe okay?" she uttered and he felt his heart speed up when she pressed her hands against his chest. "I will really miss you...And...and...You look really handsome in your kimono." Yellow refused to let go when Green's arms fell away from her waist. She didn't want her commander to see her face tinting crimson akin to a Cheri berry.
It's either do or die.
When she finally detangled from him and scooted to the other end of the cramped room, he found himself grinning childishly. If Yellow complimented him, then the last few weeks of wearing and getting accustomed to these clothing were totally worth it. Unlike Red, he wasn't dumb and on spying the zany, shy smile on her face he believed that he might just stop envying his best friend. "Yellow," he approached her and held out a hand to trace the curve her cheek. "I-"
The door flew open.
"Yo! Looking cool Emperor Green!" Gold announced at an earsplitting volume and the two seniors froze in their positions. Oak briskly straightened up and combed his fingers through his hair whilst Yellow squeaked in surprise and stood up. The ebony haired man grinned knowingly on seeing the killer stare Green aimed at him. "Oh! My bad, did I interrupt something here?" The blonde sputtered a negative whilst anxiously glancing at Green and wiped her palms on the woolen dress she wore. "I'm really sorry...So, you guys carry on whatever you two were doing. I'll warn the others to steer clear of his room." Winking, Gold retracted and Strategy's commander exhaled in irritation, way to ruin a moment student of Red; he thought and briefly entertained notions of kicking him out of the Dex Criminals. The breeder dressed properly, the commander noted, his sashes, threads and wraps were perfectly tightened and his ornaments shone silver against a satin sheet golden kimono and a pair of deep grey pants. He tucked a short sword into his ornate waist band and the red lacquered sheath contrasted oddly with the color of his clothes. Green relaxed his rigid stance and pondered on what to do next. Maybe he should organize his things and exit from the room...Although; he wanted to spend more time alone with Yellow. She didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave and simply smiled at him in her innocent way whilst combing her fingers through her messy hair. Seating himself next to her, he resigned to spend the next few moments in blissful silence when the door smacked open again. "A tip for you Warlord Green," the monkey-esque visage of Gold peeked out form the edge of the door, "be honest with your feelings...Heh!" Green grabbed whatever he could and threw it at the pervert, who slipped away and shut the door. The plastic object hit the rusting metal plated door instead, rebounded and came to a rolling stop a few feet away from him.
"I'm going to strangle him one day." Oak seethed, "I'm going to strangle him and his useless mentor one day and admire my handiwork!" Yellow's mellow laughter floated to his ears and he wondered why she found his predicament funny.
"You took good care of him Green." She softly whispered and felt the cold seep from underneath the fluffy grey carpet lining the floor.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" The man exasperatedly questioned, "How is having that monkey bother me in the dead of the night an indication that I took care of him? That pesky woman also said the same thing and I don't understand." His aide pointed out that previously, Gold regarded him with a measure of fear and defiance, the breeder blandly stated his displeasure when working with Green, whilst now, he warmed up and even resorted to annoying him at odd times. Apparently, its Gold's way of showing affection, the blonde nodded her head and announced while the spiky haired trainer deflated. "It still doesn't make sense," he intoned, "I don't see him bother Red like that...Anyway, we have to leave for Sandgem, in a few hours, the escorts from Ransei will arrive at Platina's mansion and we don't want to be late." Green got up and hefted a bag, "stay safe," he murmured tenderly, "and keep the rest of our friends safe."
And then he left and Yellow felt the characteristic ache in her heart.
One that came on each time Green left for a faraway mission.
Evening
Sandgem
Berlitz Mansion
The Organization members mulled about in a giant ballroom. At the far end, the double height wooden doors remained closed and securely locked, inside, heavy drapes and tapestries, depicting wars amongst legendary creatures, hung over French styled windows and blotted out light. In the middle of a fresco painted ceiling, an ornate chandelier hung and spilled orange light into the room. Sapphire sat on a chair as White hastily tied her short hair into a bun and wrapped gold thread around it. As Platina promised, the wild trainer had been given a shorter kimono, one that fell above her knees and her legs were clad in black leggings. To Gold's dismay, she managed to learn a few basic attack and defense moves with the metal fan she carried and it was rumored, by Ruby, that she could also wield the short sword with some degree of accuracy. The golden eyed male stood far away from his team mates and engrossed himself into a painting. It showed a milotic fondly rubbing its head against a trainer standing near the seashore, in the distance, the choppy, grey-green water appeared menacing and the ashy clouds making up the sky in the image did not look welcoming at all. The textile screens showed battles and his eyes reflected the newest addition to the ballroom; a picture of Zekrom and Reshiram roaring at each other in mid-flight, both their tail-turbos were ignited, one belted out a plume of brilliant blue flames whilst the other threw out sparks. Black and N...He wondered and forcibly piloted his attention somewhere else.
"If Black were here, he'd fall head over heels with you." Sapphire watched White blush through the hand mirror she held. "I'm pretty sure N would've felt the hots for you as well." The organizer draped herself in a pale pink kimono with snowflake patterns and her voluminous shock of hair had been fashioned into a thick braid. On both sides of her head, she wore ivory and gold flower ornaments and they shone lustrously under the mellow light.
Finished with fixing a ruby encrusted gemstone pin in Saph's hair, White came to the front and admired her senior. Due to the constant exposure in the sun, Saph had a permanent tan and it suited the blood red kimono she wore. The junior spied the dull grey metal of a fan peeking out from between the folds of her senior's clothes and at her waistband; she had a short sword similar to Gold. "Ahahaha, you really look pretty as well senior. Black and N...Aren't here any longer so that is why, I'm doing this." Their tones turned soft as the two girls refined each other's disguises. Near the window and slouching in an ignoble way, Green's emerald gaze lingered on them for a moment longer and shifted to Pearl. The youngster wore a heavily decorated hat on his head and each time he walked, the short tassel bopped in all directions. Out of all of them, Pearl managed to pull off the nobleman visage the easiest, possibly because he spent time with Platina the longest. A tiny seed of worry gnawed in his chest, this will be the most clandestine assignment they ever embarked on. Posing as nobles, breaking in a fortress swarming with Imperial guards and rescuing his best friend from the clutches of a militarist province...
Nice.
A feral grin lifted the corner of his mouth. Nothing gets the blood pumping faster than the prospect of an impossible challenge. Pearl lethargically sat himself on a chair and twirled his hat about on one ringed finger. Apart from them, no one else had been allowed in the ballroom and the members were inwardly thankful for that. A heap of pokeballs sat in an intricately woven bamboo basket and the creatures mirrored their masters' anxieties; charizard curled up in the minuscule space, its webbed wings covering its entire body whilst infernape sat still, exhibiting a rare moment of meekness. Empoleon looked up pompously; the beast suspected that it had a crucial role to play. The double doors at the entrance creaked open and Platina sailed in, the end of her amaranthine kimono gliding across the polished floor. On seeing her, Gold whistled and one of her guards frowned at him deplorably. She dismissed her escorts and they left with great reluctance. As soon as the Organization regained their privacy, Gold swaggered next to Platina and shamelessly draped his arms around her shoulders; Pearl jumped up and pulled his ears whilst Sapphire extracted her metal fan. The heiress emitted a suffering sigh and adjusted the jeweled comb nestled into the mass of her hair. Smoothly extracting herself from Gold's rapidly closing embrace, she wedged herself between her two female friends and ignored the childish pout on his face.
"You're one cold bride..." he piteously moaned and adjusted his hair piece.
She let the comment slide, nothing good will come out if she replied to it, instead, she unfurled an ancient map on a small table and the crowd gathered around her. The faded scroll showed a landmass in the likeness of Arceus, she pointed a manicured finger at a city situated at the end of the continent and informed, "this is Fontaine, it is where we shall land" her finger shifted a bit to the east, "and this is Greenleaf, our target location and from there, we will ask Warlord Motonari to help us get to Valora. If we have a Warlord accompanying us, then the military region will be more willing to open their doors." Green ruminated on her words for a moment and asked her how she was sure that this Motonari would help them and Platina simply smiled enigmatically. "Please don't worry, just focus on your roles and I'll handle the rest, when we arrive at Fontaine, we will also be greeted by members of the Nixtorm Royal family, I shall remain with you until Greenleaf and from there, I will have to depart for Nixtorm in order to settle some business." Her comrades remained eerily quiet; they all knew what her business was. "After we gain entrance to Valora, it will be entirely up to you people in order to extract Red. I do not have a layout of the Castle so you will have to pose as guards or servants. Once you secure senior Red, you have to get out of there at all costs. Do what you can to stay alive even if you have to resort to begging for your life." A few grimaces followed the noble's advice and they fully understood the gravity of their situation. "Their pokemon are monsters endowed with power and intellect far beyond our domesticated ones. A single one of them, during a period of mega evolution, can take a team of six pokemon down effortlessly. Also, as the customs dictate, you are only allowed two pokemon at most, and they should remain out of their pokeballs. Please choose your partners wisely, we don't have much time, the escorts from Ransei have already arrived.
A sense of desperation seeped into their actions and even Gold stopped joking around as he scrutinized his team. Choosing two pokemon proved to be an extremely tough decision to make and he tried to weigh the options in his head, as much as he loved Aibo, the monkey, with its bad habits and malicious grin, would blow his cover in an instant. Peering at Sapphire, he saw her jaw tighten as she picked up two pokeballs and released their contents. Gallade and blaziken solidified into existence and crouched down to the floor as their owner forced priceless ornaments on them. The fire bird snorted an ember as Saph squeezed a stone encrusted collar around its thin neck, gallade sported numerous arm and thigh bands; and when the Hoenn trainer tried to clasp a silver anklet around the creature's lower extremity, the psychic kicked violently and growled. Making up his mind, Gold chose typholsion and politoed, he watched as charizard lowered its head so Green could slip a gold neck brace around it. A gigantic ruby set in the middle oozed finesse and to the vermillion dragon's dismay, its master strapped a saddle its back. White fixed four anklets on her deerling and serperior smoothly slid into a few gemstone encrusted bands. The pokemon glared heatedly at their owners and fussed with their newfound ornaments, some of them gnawing on precious metal or jade. Once again, the oak doors opened and this time they collectively stiffened on spying men wearing tall, elaborate hats. Pale blue kimonos bore wave patterns and a dark blue crest. Wordlessly, they assumed a formation around the Dex holders and it took White all her strength not to quiver at the sight of their bland, mask like faces. She felt like they were escorting her to prison, nonetheless, at Platina's gesture, the troupe drifted out with dignity and Platina caught her parents dulled irises as they waved her off. Her father smiled sadly but her mother's lips were pressed into a thin, firm line indicating her utmost displeasure. A quick glance at her team mates told her that the managed to pull off their facade rather wonderfully.
Outside, two helicopters deposited the posse of 'nobles' into a private area of Jubilife Airport. During the aerial ride, Sapphire had to violently quash her desire to leap up and plaster her face against the window. She hated the metallic confines of the vehicle and longed to soar on her own pokemon instead. At the back, charizard growled and opposite him, deerling's spindly legs shook in fright. The short flight ended quickly and the men ushered them to a private airplane. White remembered to act haughty as she lifted her head up and glided into the plane, Amanda slithered in with her and turned around to give their escorts an arrogant glare. One of the men lowered their eyes and briefly muttered a muted apology.
Things proceeded too smoothly.
The interior of the aircraft sported individual cabins as well as an open hangar for pokemon to rest in. Dismissing each other, the members broke away from their friends and strode into their individual rooms. Inside the compartments, Pearl allowed himself to gawk. A couch upholstered in cream leather snared his attention and he scrutinized the room to find a bed tucked behind a screen of gold silk, a large flat screen television, a little glass table and even a mini fridge. Peeking behind him, he grinned wildly and attacked the mini fridge, opening it to find it stocked with his favorite drinks. Extracting a bottle, he sighed in bliss and unceremoniously plopped on the couch. At the same moment, the door hissed open and he almost yelped in surprise. The blank faced man bowed, approached him and comfortably harnessed Pearl to the settee. He placed a menu and a slim communications device on the table. "If you need anything my lord," the man intoned, his tone flat and unyielding, "please call me and I will present myself immediately." He bowed once again and Pearl eyed his unopened drink...he should've gotten the escort to pop the seal for him.
Lord Pearl...the Sinnoh native sighed and put his feet up on the table.
He could get used to this.
Sapphire closed the door behind her and locked it, in case those creepy guards barge in unnoticed. She disliked her opulent surroundings and the atmosphere reeked of money and choked her. Pulling out her weapons, the girl smoothed her clothes and tried not to fiddle with the heavy ornament weighing her head down. How did Platina do this on a daily basis now again? She contemplated and felt very sorry for the poor girl. A knock on the door made her jump and after schooling her facial expressions, she opened it and came face to face with a guard. The man smoothly expressed his regret for breathing the same air as her and threw himself into a ninety degree bow. He handed her a menu and a sort of black device. On spying the vacant mien on her face, he politely explained that the gadget functioned as a remote for her flat screen television and as a communications device in case she needed to call someone. The flight to Ransei, he further informed, will take at least a day and he excused himself as Saph shut the door in his face. Tossing the remote somewhere into the room, she kicked off her shoes and slumped into bed.
They had a long journey ahead of them and it was best to get some rest.
Midnight
Airplane Cabin
An hour or two after boarding the plane, the Ransei escorts knocked on their doors and delivered them their meals. White, after forcing down a dinner she definitely won't be able to digest, inwardly argued with herself before resignedly slipping out of her kimono and retiring to bed. The mattress depressed underneath her weight, cocooning her into a mass of white fluff. Against her bare skin, the satin sheets felt sinfully pleasant and she rolled around to her delight. Exhausted by her abnormally surreal experiences, she eventually delved into a restless sleep. Around midnight, her Xtransciever rang a ditty and the chocolate haired female, her mass of hair fanned out against her pillow, tried to blot out the sound and buried her head underneath the covers. The gadget beeped relentlessly and after growling at the unfairness of her situation, she pulled herself out of her cloud-esque bed and shivered when the chill of the cabin whispered past her skin. Moaning and blinking against the bright burst of light emitted by the screen, she opened the message folder and skimmed over the contents. A summon by Platinum. The members of the Dex Criminals should adjourn in the hangar area in fifteen minutes time in order to discuss last minute plans and they should sneak out without alerting the guards. The girl exhaled in mild anger, leave her heavenly bed and go prowling around in the middle of the night? Nothing new. Half asleep, her muscle memory kicked in and her hands expertly smoothed her kimono down and tied the several sashes and threads. Carefully, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and slapped an ornament on.
And tiptoed out of the cabin whilst injecting the drowsy guard crouching outside her cabin with a syringe full of sleeping chemicals which Diamond masterfully synthesized.
The hangar area looked as luxurious as their private cabins. A metallic roost and a large nest were erected for flying types and as she entered the area, she saw charizard swoop silently down from its perch. A few totem poles served as resting places for serperior, typholsion (who curled around the base), luxray and gallade. Off to the corner, a large bath full of murky water and aquatic plants sloshed against marble confines. Politoed swam lazily whilst deerling crouched to the edge and nibbled on some plants, golduck could also be seen, bobbing underwater and it vaulted out of the pool after hearing a curt call from its trainer. Toro and Chimhiko curled up together with the ape pokemon throwing itself over its fire bird partner. The hangar door whined shut behind her and someone switched on the lights. On spying her, Gold snickered and White felt herself blush. All her friends sported casual clothing, even Green, who suppressed a yawn, wore a t-shirt and jeans. She had been the only one who arrived dressed in formal clothing.
"It's the middle of the night..." Pearl unnecessarily added, "I'm surprised you had the time to dress like that." The boy yawned and wiped tears from his eyes. "Can we get this done already? I'm tired and I want to sleep on that feathery bed because I'm sure I won't ever get to experience such a chance again." Sapphire and Gold nodded vehemently at his words and grumbled, their complaints set a tiny smile on Platina's lips.
The members congregated around the noble and focused on her words. "Senior White is well prepared for any occasion, the fact that she thought of dressing up properly in the middle of the night shows her conviction." Green agreed with her words and slapped Gold's hand away when the latter pulled teasingly on his striped shirt. "We will be landing in Fontaine at dawn...As I have mentioned numerous times before, do not gape at the surroundings, no matter how much they impress you. And please don't be shocked at whatever I say, nod and act like this is all normal to you. Senior Sapphire...I implore you to bring about a measure of grace in your movements...Do not run like you are chasing a wild animal and please don't whip out your fan if a guard happens to appreciate your beauty. Imagine him as senior Ruby if he compliments you." The azure eyed girl stuttered heatedly and swore that she had absolutely no feelings for the flamboyant fashionista, Platina leveled her a look and she quieted down, smoothed her shorts and her face folded into a blank expression. "That is much better, when some lower ranked noble is speaking to you, ignore them, they do not have the right to converse with us." The monster and human group shifted around on the slightly warm floor and made themselves comfortable. "As for your pokemon...Charizard and surprisingly typholsion-"
"Oi! What do you mean surprisingly?" Gold interjected, "I'm telling you, Exbo is a perfect gentlemon...right buddy?" The fire type briefly ignited its mane and crouched over its trainer, engulfing its human in an affectionate swath of fur.
"...Are excellent examples of how pokemon should behave outside their balls. Serperior as well. Although, most snake-esque creatures drape themselves over their master. On hearing this, Amanda slunk towards White and climbed on her, much to the trainer's chagrin. It meticulously coiled itself around the Unovian and rested its crowned head near her neck. White tottered to the side and complained of the regal pokemon's weight and in response, it curled tighter around her. "Please bear with it, senior White; it adds credit to your cover. Also, another important fact you should remember...Do not attempt to battle anyone, a small scale skirmish might attract the attention of the retainers and eventually the Warlord of particular province. If things escalate out of control, they might force you into a public duel and no matter how skilled you are, you will lose. Our pokemon are not adapted to this region's fighting standards. Killing pokemon is perfectly honorable and they will do so in order to assert their supremacy."
The muted roar of the plane's engines filled the silence and members of Dex Criminals felt an invisible noose tightening around their neck. "If...we do succeed in rescuing Red, why can't we do the same for you?" Green quietly questioned and Platina felt touched by the normally stoic commander's words. "Blue will keep on scolding me, is there a way we can smuggle you out of this region as well? I'm truly grateful for what you have sacrificed for us...but both Red and that pesky woman won't appreciate it." Next to him, Pearl curled his fists and uttered a grunt.
"I am very thankful for your concern, but it is a contract I cannot breach." Platina replied and brushed her hair backwards. "If you do manage to extract me from Ransei, the Nixtorm family will cry foul. The nobles do not let such things slide, especially if it pricks their pride. Nixtorm is in an alliance with Valora, Spectra and Dragnor. These four provinces are considered to be the most powerful amongst all of Ransei and the Warlords are rumored to bear artifacts which allows them to summon and command legendary pokemon for a brief amount of time. A small rift will create war. Please thank Seniors Red and Blue for me, tell them I enjoyed my time with the Dex Criminals and tell her not to worry. I promise to visit when time permits me to."
After how long? Pearl wondered and tried to stop the tremble in his hands. A month? Two months? A year? A decade?
Perhaps never?
The blonde swallowed bitterly. It's all that ex-champions fault. If Red was sensible enough not to get himself caught, then Platina wouldn't have to sacrifice himself, Diamond would still be the chubby little stooge instead of an acting commander and to Pearl, life would make some sort of sense. However, Red is confined in some sort of hyper-security, Diamond's personality shifted drastically in order to accommodate the stress befitting a leader of Execution and Platina is getting married to Giratina knows who.
And Pearl's life will never be the same again.
"Let's go back to sleep." Gold declared and lightly thumped Pearl's back. "It's almost sunrise and we have to get ready. By the way, will the guards ask questions when they wake up? 'Cause I sorta jammed my syringe in a place it shouldn't be jammed..." The ebony haired ruefully admitted and fidgeted with his hair whilst Pearl emitted a short bark of laughter. "I was in a hurry, my jeans weren't properly on and the dude saw me. So without thinking, I stabbed him where it hurts the most."
"When do you ever think?" Green spat under his breath and scowled at him lividly. Platina, sensing the wound up commander's stress, hastily cut in their brewing argument and assured that the guards will not utter about their weakness. They have utmost loyalty to the people they are assigned to escort and any lapse will be a fault on their part. "Be grateful" the spiky haired commander growled and eased himself up from the floor, charizard heaved its wings, sent a gust of air ricocheting around the metallic cavern and took to his roost, "and next time...Be more careful or I'll wring your neck! And that goes for Pearl as well." With Gold's salute mocking him, he departed from the group and the rest of the members wearily stumbled back to their rooms.
Dawn
Ransei
Shores of Fontaine
The private jet landed on the water and Green, who was generally fazed by nothing, found his eyebrow arching upwards in wonder. Despite the region's traditionalist standards, the technology offered by it surpassed anything he saw in other continents. For example, this plane landed on water and sailed its way to the harbor where he gaped at the phenomenal amalgamation of an airport, ship port and a military base. True to what Platina told them, he spied pokemon toiling alongside their human partners as two swanna guided the aircraft swiftly up a metallic ramp and on to dry land. The vehicle juddered to a stop and after making sure he appeared his best, Green exited the lavish cabin with a jaded guard trailing a few feet behind him. He stepped out into Fontaine and eyed Gold from the corner of his eye. The latter slowly inclined his head and ogled at the street instead, he found art hiding in the most conspicuous of places. The path was tiled in bricks of jade, slate and shimmering blue colored stone and he spied red glazed wooden bridges spanning over canals of water. Fontaine reminded him of a luxurious version of Cerulean City. Sparse woodland provided a beautiful backdrop and against a perfectly cyan tinted sky, he saw the spires of a gold and an aquamarine castle rise up from an expansive moat of water. Stone fountains, carved into the likeness of water pokemon such as oshawott and swanna, lined the sidewalks and washed the air with the pleasant melody of gushing water. At the port, the blue clothed men assumed their formation around the Dex Criminals and escorted them to a waiting area.
"Lady Berlitz..." Barely had they entered into an air conditioned foyer when a masked man bowed deeply to Platina. He also donned blue but his clothes had a metallic sheen to it and on closer inspection, he had an array of weapons tucked into the sash around his waist. Even his hand guard and shoulder pads looked like they concealed some kind of deadly weapon. "It is my utmost honor to meet you, please let me-"
"Oh!" A childish voice piped up and grabbed on Platina's pristine robes much to the Sinnoh native's confusion. The guard stuttered something incomprehensible and fell into another deep bow whilst apologizing profusely. Next to her, Green shifted uncomfortably and behind them, the rest of the Dex Criminals furiously covered up their attempts of laughter. "She is so pretty!" The young female grabbing her kimono passionately declared and hung on tighter. "I bet big brother will be really happy won't he father?" Letting go of her robes, the fuchsia haired noble skipped to her father and on spying the pale, long haired man, they all bowed. Mitsuhide gave her an impassive once over, his stare as chilling as the lapras standing in his shadow. He and his escorts moved fluidly forward and the Dex Criminals remained bowing. Pearl resisted the urge to straighten up, rub his aching back and land a punch in Lord Mitsuhide's emotionlessly handsome visage. Infernape's flames shimmered next to him and to his utmost relief; the monkey remained docile and humbly crouched to the floor.
Mitsuhide walked closer, his shoulder armor plates creaking ever so slightly. "You did not inform me about your other escorts," he stated and his eyes veered to Green. "Who are these people?" The man demanded blatantly.
"We have some business in Greenleaf my lord." Platina demurely trained her eyes to the floor and hid the lower part of her face behind her sleeve. "Forgive us for being impudent, but we need to get to Greenleaf as soon as possible. The person standing next to me has controversial ties with Warlord Motonari." If the Nixtorm Warlord was surprised, he didn't show it and Green admired the composure in her voice. The Berlitz heir dipped her head once again and Mitsuhide, with his daughter Gracia meekly clinging to him, moved to the side.
"Yes, you mentioned that you have business in Greenleaf...Unfortunately I have to attend to some matters here in Fontaine and shall be staying here for the time being. My retainer will accompany you till Greenleaf and once you have settled your affairs, I will come and personally escort you to Nixtorm." He drew away and Gold snuck a look at him from the corner of his eye. The resemblance between him and Platina were remarkable, both had the same pale, almost bloodless skin, the man's inky hair was gathered in a low pony tail and he walked with his head held high. From head to toe, he was clothed in an assortment of blue silk robes, pleats of silver, black and light blue armor and his family crest gleamed brightly on the collar of his jacket. Following him, the lapras glided into view and Gold inhaled sharply; the rocky hump on the water pokemon's back sported a cover of gold. "Enjoy your stay in Greenleaf; we at Nixtorm are anticipating you greatly." The Warlord smiled tightly before being swallowed up by more retainers and guards. Platina bowed to his retreating form and stood up, she muttered a few words to her newest escort and without further ado, the posse set off again. Gold's heart hammered in his chest and his palms sweated.
At long last...He murmured to himself as they stepped out into the weak sunlight and made their way across a courtyard. Sapphire jabbed him in the side when his mouth opened at the sight of a giant airship anchored to the ground. Were they going to travel in that thing? He wondered and saw many water birds flying around the blimp. He calmed himself and with a wave of his hand, dismissed an approaching servant. The man bowed dutifully and kept his head trained to the floor. Gold boarded the blimp and for a brief moment, his spirit soared at the prospect of seeing his mentor after so many months.
Hopefully he will have a dreamless sleep tonight.
A/N: Poor Platina, Pearl and Gold (in the future); well, considering how crazy he drives everyone, it's expected. Heartfelt gratitude to all those who read and reviewed. Virtual cookies/cake and chocolate to all! Please keep on supporting the story and offering constructive criticism.
At Jack54311: In a way, the strict mannerisms shaped who I am but Platina has it worse. Some Asian cultures…make little to no sense. At HeyYouYaYou: Trouble at school? You own that trouble like a boss. If anyone is troubling you, print this fic out, make it into a book and bash it over their heads. I found it very satisfying. Jokes aside, I'm happy this fic made your day. Happy reading. At Guest: I wanted to do a cross over story with Pokemon and LOZ (Skyward Sword) but I never finished the game and I forgot some of the finer details and I can't spoil the ending for myself. So I decided to occupy my mind with something else for the moment. Heh, Gold is foolish, yes, but in case of some serious butt-kicking, no other person is more reliable. As for what is going to happen to the Dexters heh, read to find out. Okay, just to clear things up, I am done writing this fic and this chapter was written way before I read these reviews, but hey, at least we think alike :D. Focusing on one character is quite limiting to be honest, but it was a nice challenge of sorts. As for details, I found that staring at pictures helps, basically, I picture a scene and try to find a picture resembling the scene, then I keep it in front of me whilst writing. Siblings without parents generally turn out to be real close, Green loves his sister. Lol with the no food eating part, I think Dia would be the one leaning towards stuffing himself if stressed.
At Guest: I find it difficult to describe clothes…and spend way too much time on the net trying to find out what the different dresses and what not are called, sometimes I find pictures of the Dexters in different clothing and I just tweak their descriptions into this story. How shall the band fare in Ransei…hehehe. Oh right…they are Japanese…you know what? Let's pretend that they are ultra-modern, and thus don't use chopsticks. *Pretends* And voices huh, I suppose Red is going to sound like the typical shounen hero, normally a pleasing voice but it grates on your ears when he screams. Blue has an airy voice, it sounds like she is always up to something. Green has a low voice and he can't sing to save his life, Silver's is lower, and a bit hoarse since he seldom talks. Crystal has a mom voice (think Aqua from KH) and Gold is like Red but a more annoying and sultry. (The voice needs to woo the gals). I hate hot weather because the heat disrupts my sleep. Mildly cold is the best. Nobunaga is actually credited for unifying Japan. Kudos to the dude but later on, he turned into this tyrannical dictator and he is widely known for being a cruel, selfish old coot who will stop at nothing to fulfill his goals. Amarillo huh, sounds nice but I tend to skip names I can't pronounce. I have horrible pronunciation really. As for her name, in the manga I read it as: Amarillo lsdkfj laskdfj (I'm serious). I apologize in advance for her full name not making it into the story since I'm done with both writing and editing the remaining chapters.