Chapter 74: Prelude to pandemonium
Mid-afternoon
Greenleaf
Gardens of the Imperial Palace
The soothing sounds of a bamboo tube filling up with water and hitting against a flat, round stone competed against the buzz of insects writhing in the shadows of trees. Inside a hammock of cream silk, a man shifted, trying to wake the serperior curled up on his chest. He moaned, scratched the hedge of forest green hair atop his head and extracted a book from the mess of clothes, papers and an ornate mug. Feeling the sharp prick of a pin skewering through his clothes and pricking against his upper arm, the individual wriggled and tore the offending brooch off. Tossing it into his hammock, he lay back, pushed the creamy belly of his serperior away from his face and flipped the book open. A breeze whistled past, bearing the aromatic fragrance of cherrim and flowers and the hammock swung gently in the wind.
"You have guests coming in around late afternoon and this is where I find you." A young male admonished him lazily. "Wake up Warlord Motonari...One of the guests is Lord Mitsuhide's future daughter-in-law, you have time to score some points and apparently, there is another brown haired half-noble who is somehow related to you." The male paused for a moment and glanced at the man in the hammock. Motonari, deaf to the sounds around him, blissfully ignored the retainer's advice and kept on reading the book in his hands. "Raichu...wake him up" The youth drawled and watched as his beast charged up and sent a bolt of thunder soaring at the unsuspecting individual. In a split second, the serperior coiled on the reading man's chest awaked and hissed. It directed the entire bolt to itself and absorbed it with an ear splitting growl. Instead of getting up and listening to the demands of his visitor, the green haired Warlord absent mindedly petted it's monster and serperior settled back on his stomach. "...Che. My lord sent me here to investigate and all I get is an unwilling participant. I should have spent my time in bed today."
At his words, Motonari shifted and got up, one boot clad leg dangling out of the hammock in an ungainly angle. The insects buzzed louder and he fumbled around for his hat. On spying his guest's thunderous expression, he smiled amiably. "It's rude to sneak into a neighboring province's Castle young lord...even if we are alliances. I warned you a few times." He found his cap crumpled underneath a stack of fallen books and after tugging it out, he smoothed it and fastened the felt hat on his head. "The next time you attempt to jump over my gates by using the tail of your Raichu...simply because you were too lazy to go through proper procedures...I will slice you into ribbons." The man quietly threatened. "My serperior will see to that. As for you, stop smoking Hanbei, I do not want you coughing up blood in my face." Hanbei nonchalantly twirled the ornate pipe in his fingers before clamping the wooden rod between his lips. He inhaled deeply and tossed it to his raichu. The electric rodent charred the slim piece of wood into charcoal dust and another gust of wind whisked the blackened remains away. "I know I have visitors, my retainers are getting the castle foyer ready. So one of the guests has controversial ties with me?" Motonari chuckled good naturedly, "you should stop suspecting everything around you Hanbei, I do not think we can recruit these half nobles who are coming to visit us...they lived in the commoner lands for quite some time and unless they go through rigorous training, they will never be able to conduct themselves in battle." The Warlord hefted his sleeping serpent on his shoulders and hopped off his silk bed. "Come inside, let us enjoy some tea."
Folding his arms behind his head, Hanbei followed the older Warlord out of the garden; they climbed a set of stone steps and stepped into his mansion. "Don't you think the timing is unnatural?" He worded his suspicions and the Warlord ignored him. "Please at least listen to me my Lord, think for a while, a few months ago, Warlord Ieyasu accepts a convict from commoner lands...this never happened before. Several months later, we have a branch family of Nixtorm re-opening their relations with the main family and although I am absolutely elated that Warlord Mitsuhide is finally getting the daughter in law of his dreams...I cannot help but suspect, she is bringing a company of half-nobles as her retainers and one of them happens to have ties with Greenleaf...I suspect foul play."
"Leave your strategizing for later and enjoy some tea with me." Motonari removed his boots before entering a sparsely decorated room. Hanbei seethed under his breath and waited till raichu untied his shoes. "I understand you are a genius strategist and you have my utmost respect...but please unwind for a while and have something to drink. Do you want some entertainment?"
"I would like to sleep if you do not mind." The boy coughed and gulped his tea down. "And I am not interested in dancing girls. To be honest, my Lord is considering cutting you off from the alliance. You are the weakest in our formation and you failed to send my Lord some tea leaves."
"Monkey is mad because I failed to send him some tea leaves?" Motonari's lips twisted into a mocking smile.
"Do not...address my lord by that derogatory nickname you green haired imp!" Hanbei hoarsely spat and clutched his chest. "The next time I hear you calling Lord Hideyoshi a monkey, I will ask Raichu to slit your throat!" Instead of feeling apologetic for his actions, Motonari poured him some more tea into a ceramic cup and the two delved into silence. "I shall stay here to assess these new comers..." the retainer yawned and huffed. "Ask your servants to prepare a bed for me right here...And wake me up when your guests come." Finishing his cup of tea, the strategist yawned again and his head hit the low table with a particularly loud thud. Raichu wriggled its bulk on his lap and the beast and master duo snored after a few seconds.
"..." Motonari watched them and exchanged a knowing glance with his serperior. "I still can't believe Warlord Hideyoshi is mad at me for not sending him tea leaves." He muttered to himself and peacefully drowned the contents of his cup.
Mid-morning
Valora
Palace prison
Red sat on the floor, his legs splayed over the cold metal and his head thrown back against his bunk bed. The nape of his neck hurt due to his bad posture but he didn't care, the pain made him feel alive. Since dawn, he practiced his speech exercises, wincing every time his pronunciation distorted. After his interrogation with Warlord Kotaru, an event he did not want to recall in the slightest, he suffered from terrible nightmares in which he remembered things from the past. He saw hallucinations as well and one particular time, when the guards arrived to find him gnawing on his hand, they forced him to go on medication. Occasionally, he blanked out and woke up with bruises on his head. Due to his corrupted speech, further interrogation was deemed impossible and he feigned his condition each time the guards suspected he could talk. Right now, he spat a few nonsense words and saw a helmeted warden glance at him disinterestedly. A strict exercise regimen had been drawn up for him and if he neglected it, he received harsh punishment. The ebony haired male stared listlessly at the ceiling, the past few weeks; he lived in the hellish nightmare of his war-torn past.
A bank of memories he'd gladly ask anyone to wipe. Maybe he should request Kotaru to clean up his memory the next time they meet. The harrowing process of having his suppressed recollections brought out to the forefront of his mind muddled him and it blurred the lines between dreams and reality. More often than not, the ex-champion found himself tortured with reminiscences he no longer wished to remember.
He did not notice the guards leaving. The two warriors posted outside his cell cast another quick peek and saw the prisoner sitting inertly. Nodding to each other, they checked their watches and discretely slipped away. If the Kanto native had been in his former state, a pair of crimson irises would scrutinize them. The scarlet depths swirled with a conundrum that made it difficult to decipher his thoughts. The man, pale due to the lack of sunlight, always had his thin lips stretched into a subtle smile which could mean anything, either he actually enjoyed his predicament, or he occupied his mind and tried to think of a way to escape this place. Nonetheless, the unnerving smile and stare vanished and the convict lolled about aimlessly, his vacuous expression a far cry from the confident visage he sported in his former days of glory. Along the corridors, the dull clank of shoes bounced around the metal confines and came to a stop before his cell. Perhaps he failed to hear the sound because he continued to lay in that painful position. Hands to the front, legs wide apart and his head tilted back in a ninety degree angle. His fingers twitched occasionally and apart from the rise and fall of his chest, one may mistake him for a corpse. Misty shuffled to closer to bars of his cage and waited a moment before calling out his name. It seemed an age before the individual finally stirred and with an audible pop, oscillated his head and faced the front.
"Must be hallucinating..." he slurred and attempted to slump back into his apathetic stance. When she spoke again, he frowned and looked up. She spied his hair, greasy with dirt and his cheeks sunk in giving him a cachectic look. A prickle of grey outlined his cheeks and the lines on his forehead appeared as if they might stay there permanently. "Good to see you again." He mumbled but made no attempt to get up from the cold floor.
"Red...When I said that we should meet under better circumstances, I didn't mean to see you in prison." Misty quipped and observed as he blinked and pushed himself off the floor. A tiny smile split his face as he came closer. "...The guards must be giving you a very difficult time...You look terrible Red." Instead of stepping back, she moved closer and gripped the bars to get a better look at his face.
"Whoops" his voice cracked, "looks like I've been busted." He joked and snickered.
"This isn't funny!" The Cerulean gym leader snapped, "Are you happy to spend the rest of your life in this dump? Do these four metal lined walls give you inspiration or something? Red...Just give these people the information they want and they will deploy you out of Ransei, from there you will be forced to go into civil service and make some sort of compensation out of the messed up life you are living. Please Red...It hurts seeing someone I respect being broken down like this."
The ex-champion took a moment to slick his hair back and scratch at the slow growing stubble on his cheek. "Well...I'm happy to see you at least," he grinned "and you look fine wearing that cheongsam." He indicated her one piece, leaf printed dress. "Turquoise and silver really suits you."
"...Are you flirting?" Misty gawked and stepped back.
"Yeah. Been a long time since I complimented someone I like...Blue doesn't count by the way." He quickly added on spying the confused visage on the red head's face. "Anyway, what's up? While I'm really excited that they finally sent someone I know as an interrogator...I will tell you absolutely nothing." His previously dulled irises hardened with resolve and she picked out a snarl lacing his words. "I don't mind if they flay me, roast me alive and feast on me or something...I'm not selling anyone out simply to save my own skin. My friends will find me and they will bust me out of here. All I have to do is wait for them." As he spoke, his speech regained a measure of raw confidence and he smiled toothily. Misty sighed; her work was already over before she even started. Red accurately guessed why she came here and truth to be told, she refused to do this. A special threat made by a certain Warlord coerced her to get on the next available flight to Ransei. "Is your gym doing well? How is Lance as a champion?" The raven haired man resumed his prattling, oblivious to her inner conflict.
Misty fiddled with her hair, the standards of Ransei were ridiculous, they frowned on her short hair and pulled the orange strands together and styled them into an elaborate bun. "I'm not here to interrogate you Red...I'm trying to make you see the error of you ways. Okay..." she exhaled and moved closer, her cheeks reddening with shame. Some junior Warlord took the task of giving her a crash course on interrogation and the methods made her curl up with a mixture of anger, mortification and pure disgust. "Let's forget about revealing the location of your friends. From the International Police reports, I read that the Dex Criminals capture legendary pokemon and are trying to create another, much friendlier world right?" Red nodded, his fingers curled around the thick bars, a few centimeters above her own fists. "I understand you want a better life for yourselves and your friends...However, you tell me Red, is this the correct way to do this? Evacuating a legendary pokemon, even temporarily, will have adverse effects on this world...And it is suspected that your friends sent them to another dimension. She spied the brief, proud upturn of his lips. "Don't you care about what happens to this world and all its inhabitants Red?" Almost absentmindedly, she brushed her fingers across his taut knuckles and waited with bated breath for his answer.
Red blanked out.
He listened to Misty, her words made a lot of sense and he understood what he did was very wrong. From the very beginning, his hands, sweat slicked, steadily inched downwards in an effort to brush against her fingers. As she spoke, her fingers briefly touched over his aching knuckles, caressing the ghastly bite marks over his joints and drawing circles around his sandpaper skin. Her slim fingers were cold and it reminded him of water. Soothing and refreshing. She kept on speaking, he dumbly watched her pale pink lips move but he ignored everything else and focused on the blissful sensation. The reprieve felt too short and when she pulled her hands away, the strength in his body drained and he wanted to curl up and dwell on her touch forever.
"I don't care about anyone but myself..." Red heard himself speak and saw her mouth fall open with shock. "When people see me up on stage; they laugh, cheer and smile widely and each time, the noise kills me a little inside." Misty's eyes darkened sorrowfully. "I know what I'm doing is abhorred and I have long stopped caring about other people. Did they care?" he rasped and roughly clasped her hands through the bars, "when they gunned my parents down? Did they care? When I lay there, screaming my lungs out as my mom's blood splattered all across my face?" Red squeezed her hands tightly, instead of shaking her hands free, she held on him tighter as he continued to rave. "I tasted metal and dirt...I saw bullets hit the ground, clods of earth blasted up and rained over my body and in my mouth. When Green's parents were forcibly conscripted for war, they both died and what did he get? A cold metal instead of two loving parents. I'm done caring..." his tone petered into a hoarse whisper and Arceus forgive me if I give a crap about anyone else anymore." Done with venting, he looked down and flushed on seeing how she still brushed her thumb over his hands. "Um...I have a request," he added and Misty nodded slightly, the sad tilt of her lips burning a hole in his stomach. "Can I get a hug? You smell really nice..."
Her mood did a revolution.
Letting go of his hands, an act he instantly regretted, she moved a few paces backwards and folded her arms over her chest. "You are still the cheekiest person I know...What sort of person flirts in this situation?" Misty vexingly asked and shook her head in disbelief.
"I know one other person who'd probably flirt with his executioner." Red drawled..."my student, Gold, he-"
"Picked his slovenly manners from you." The gym leader cut him off. "No need to tell me anything else." Silence descended on them and she knew any further questioning would amount to nothing. The red head had another hour before her interrogation time lapsed and she wondered whether to leave her ebony haired subject alone or stay with him. Red cracked another smooth line and commented on her shapely figure and her cheeks heated up for an entirely different reason. A tingle of fear raced along her spine when Red stared intently at her. She met his blood red irises and the man smiled gently at her. It took her back to the time he stumbled inside her gym and absolutely refused to believe that a kid like him could be the leader of Cerulean's prestigious water gym. Infuriated by his snide comments, she blindly dished out her most furious assaults and sent him whimpering away. The idiot came back the very next day, chest puffed proudly as he proceeded to barely scrape a respectable victory. When she handed the Cascade Badge to him, instead of humbly apologizing and vowing to better himself, he arrogantly flashed his measly badges at the cameras and posed right next to her. Fuming and shoving her lady like manners down the drain because this brat needed a wake-up call of his life; she grasped him by the lapels of his faded red and white jacked and proceeded to shake him so thoroughly, she swore his brains rattled. As he picked himself up, he gave her the same stare and timid smile and promised that he'd become the best champion there ever was.
"Say...Would you help me escape from here?"
"...No. I have my duty and the next time the police suspect me of being lenient towards you...I'll be fired." Misty coldly declared and leaned on the opposite end of the corridor.
"True...I don't want to make trouble for you." Red declared and she laughed at the absurdity of his words. "You know...I've already picked out an escape route in this castle, the only thing standing in my way is these bars." He indicated the thick rods of metal cutting him off from the rest of the world, "and the blast doors at the bottom of this palace. When the guards first escorted me here, they used a shortcut that goes underneath the escarpment the castle is built on. There are a few corridors and they look exactly the same so I strained my eyes in order to remember them. One corridor has a bonsai tree...Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that they are unfrequented places, they guided me through them because the nobles were too ashamed to have a commoner in their cells." The man inhaled and kept on speaking in a rapid fire manner. "Like I mentioned, a bonsai, tucked into an alcove...and there is another corridor decorated with silk screens showing swanna in flight-"
"Why are you telling me this?" Misty interjected for the second time and he blinked. "What if relay this information to the guards and they move you to a more secure area?"
"You won't." Red breathed, "You have a soft spot for me..." She flushed at his words and denied it furiously. "You had the chance to report me to the International Police a long time ago and you didn't, for that, I'm extremely grateful. I'm just refreshing my memory...After the manas dunking experience, I have difficulty telling reality and my dreams apart. In the event that Green and the others do bust me outta here, I should be ready to guide them out. Heh...he's gonna be proud to know that I'm using my brains for once." The convict chuckled darkly to himself and Misty checked the watch encircled around her wrist, almost time to go. "I suppose you will leave after a few more minutes...Thank you for staying and listening to me. I appreciate it greatly but I won't change my mind whatever you or anyone says. I've scarified..." Red's voice hitched on remembering Black and N, "I've been double crossed and broken...And I will not let anyone sway my goals. We don't share the same vision for the future...But you are the only person apart from my circle of friends who listens and understands me. It'd be nice if we...Could...Share our future together don't you think?" He refused to meet her eyes and trained them to the floor. The Kanto male bit his bottom lip and retreated to the safety of his dimly lit cell. Misty couldn't see him anymore but his words reverberated in her mind for a long time.
It would be nice if we could share our future together don't you think?
Wordlessly, she pushed herself off the metal lined corridor and schooled her facial expression to reveal nothing. On the other end, two guards slinked inside, their metal plated armor clinking softly together. They gave her a slight bow and one of them assumed his position behind her.
"Time to leave my lady." He droned, "Warlord Kotaru and Ieyasu are looking forward to your report."
Late afternoon
Greenleaf
Palace interior
Do not be impressed.
White chanted as the war blimp descended on the lush valley of Greenleaf. Surrounded by green woodland, a carpet of emerald spread around as far as the eye could see. Rows of tea, rice and other plantations waved about on the outskirts of the city as the dirigible floated to a stop. The chains were anchored to the ground, the ramp fell out with a thud and hastily, their escorts ushered them out. A fresh breeze, imbued with the scent of fragrant leaves tickled her nose and she inhaled heartily. Unlike Fontaine, with its carved stone statues, canals, bridges and crafting industries, Greenleaf appeared much more simple and homely. The houses were traditional wooden buildings, intertwined harmoniously against trees and other flora. Everywhere she turned, she saw brightly colorful flowers and shrubs. Despite the village atmosphere of Greenleaf, she beheld wonders of modern technology, giant wind turbines rotated lazily over a farm. Arch gates had flat screen televisions hammered into them and one displayed figures too complicated for her to comprehend. In the center of Greenleaf, isolated from the villages by a giant maze of leaves and dwarfing all other buildings around it, lay the palace. There seemed to be a sort of a glass dome over the domicile with trees and vines climbing around it. The castle and its adjacent buildings sat on top of a base of gnarled tree roots and a stone foundation, crawling with an array of vividly pink and mauve flowers, supported the entire structure off the ground. Crossing the maze had been simple and as they came closer, the gold leaf double doors sailed open and she found herself being hurried into the foyer of the palace.
Polished wood, incense, silk banners and paper lanterns jumped up to her as she sailed to a stop behind Platina. Keeping her face low, she strained her eyes upwards and peeked at the commanding Warlord. The man, all friendly smiles underneath a mop of olive tinted hair, spoke with a pleasing voice and she relaxed. An army of people stood behind the commanding Lord, each one still as a statue and proudly displaying the crest, stamped on the right side of their lord's sleeve, on their chests. Behind the regiment of soldiers, their pokemon stood as a line, docile to the point of being human. None of the creatures shifted and their eyes poised on the new comers.
"Welcome to Greenleaf Lady Berlitz." Motonari snapped his fan shut and smiled, "it is an honor that you graced us with your presence before leaving for Nixtorm." The musky scent of burning incense perfused the entire foyer and the silk banners, depicting scenes from the outskirts of Greenleaf, swayed in an imaginary breeze. "I understand that you did not come here simply out of your good will." Standing next to the Warlord, another raven haired youth uncouthly suppressed a yawn and adjusted a saffron silk scarf around his neck. He wore a hat similar to Pearl and had a raichu flicking its tail near his feet. "I heard you have some business with me?" The Warlord further enquired with an amiable tilt of his lips. "Your retainers are rather sophisticated for ones living outside of Ransei." White twitched...How rude, her first impression of the man being slightly better than her average image of a noble, blew apart. They were all the same.
Bowing once again to show her thanks, Platina straightened up and clasped her hands neatly in front of her. "The honor is all ours Warlord Motonari," she chimed and froslass mimicked her behavior as it floated a few inches above the ground. Next to her, empoleon drew to his full height, the trident on its face gleaming gold in the mellow light casted by the lanterns; coiled around Motonari's shoulders, a serperior rested its face on its master shoulder pad and eyed the water type maliciously. "It is true that we have some business with you. The Berlitz family as well as some of the nobles from Illusio, are keepers of History. Between the two of us, we, hold more information as my parents have a formidable information network spanning multiple regions." The more she spoke, the more Hanbei shifted, his gaze calculative and hanging on each of Platina's words. "I would like to introduce you to someone." Angling her body towards Green, who maintained his fathomless facade, she gestured at him with a highly decorated fan and continued, "Please welcome your illegitimate half-brother, since we do not use honorifics, he goes simply by the name of Green."
A shocking silence followed her outrageous remark. The crisp atmosphere shifted and shattered. Muted whisperings broke behind Warlord Motonari and the two accused males mirrored each other's distress. Green beheld disbelief stamped on the young Warlords face. Illegitimate half-brother...Dear Arceus, his parents were good people and they did not deserve such slander. Gold, who meekly stood behind the spiky haired commander, coughed violently in order to cover up his giggles. Platina remained stone faced and it took every ounce of his will power to remain impassive. To his credit, the olive haired Warlor's expression twisted into utter befuddlement.
"My...father...was not that sort of person." Motonari sluggishly regained his composure and scrutinized the half-noble standing next to Platina. Serperior hissed and opened its mouth, displaying two gleaming fangs to anyone who ridiculed its master. "I am the only child; the records say it as such. If...I did have a half-brother..." his tone dripped venomously, "I am sure my father would at least leave some sort of measly heirloom for him." His eyes snapped back to Green and the brunette felt the need to defend his honor as well. Of all the prospects...Why be an unwanted addition to Greenleaf's royal family? Platina's hands trembled, with conviction or anger he could not tell, however, if they needed to rescue Red, then he'd have to swallow any form of self-dignity and play along. They had to worm their way and secure a place in Greenleaf.
"Mistakes are best left buried and forgotten about." Green hissed and charizard snorted an ember, compelling the grass snake to dive back into the safety of its owner's back. "What our parent did is not for us to shoulder and you can deny my existence if it makes you feel better about your father. Being a half-noble, I do not have a right to claim this place...It is all yours. I simply wanted to learn and see the place where...father came from." His words sounded horribly emotional and sappy, although the junior Warlord next to Motonari pressed his lips into a firm line of mistrust, the reigning Warlord had second thoughts. His eyes flickered everywhere, across Green's face, his eyes, nose, hair and down to the clothes he wore. Deep down, the noble knew...often times Warlords had affairs with other women and conveniently denied their children born out of wedlock. Motonari felt the slightest twinge of regret blossoming in his chest...All the respect he garnered his late father burned away and replaced by a slice of sheer hate. The brunette opposite him looked desperate.
Desperate...And the poor man won't even be able to inherit even a small part of the kingdom.
"We do not look alike." Greenleaf's Warlord droned as a final measure to preserve an ounce of sanity. He should have listened more closely to Hanbei in the morning; it might have prepared him for this. Out of the blue...He gains a half-brother. A glance behind his supposed half-brother revealed retainers. A man with eyes of burnished gold and a youth around Hanbei's age. All of them sported fire pokemon and the prickly heat given off by the monsters made his skin crawl. "There is nothing in our appearances indicating that we are in some way, related-"
"Forgive my impudence my lord but he has the same pale skin of yours and your eye colors are matching shades." To Green's never ending dread, he saw that Platina was correct and once again, the Warlord's face crumpled into an expression he'd rather not describe. "Please accept him" Platina hammered relentlessly. "And let us inside the castle. I have been standing since the morning." Serperior shrunk; it slithered across Motonari's chest as the human stood and wondered what to do, and dropped elegantly to the wooden floor. This time, it coiled around its master legs, afraid the man might suddenly topple over.
"Introduce yourselves..." The olive haired man intoned, his voice barely perceptible behind the silk fan obscuring the lower part of his face.
The Dex Criminals collectively bowed and Green presented himself first. "My name is Green...It's my utmost honor to finally set foot in the land of my father." He flatly announced and pointed to the two individuals behind him. "The black haired one is called Gold...He is...My slave." He forced a twisted smile down on hearing the latter gasp involuntarily. Serves the brat right for ruining his moment with Yellow...And for all the times the Johto native drove him crazy. From now on, Gold must treat his spiky haired senior as royalty and even if Green told the ebony haired retainer to drown himself, the breeder had to stifle his mumbles and throw himself off a cliff. "And the light haired one is my advisor, his name is Pearl." Pearl smiled a vicious grin at the crushed Gold and behind Green's back, flashed him a victory sign. On the other end, Sapphire simpered, her fangs poking out beneath her upper lip. Only White had the decency to actually look apologetic. "Please take care of us." Green and his posse bowed once again and Motonari looked ready to keel over and faint. Platina introduced herself next, Sapphire had been promoted to private guard whilst White bowed delicately on being presented as a hand maid. After they finished, the Warlord stiffly faced Green and to the astonishment of everyone in the foyer, performed a stiff bow.
"Welcome home brother..." Motonari greeted gravelly, "I hope you enjoy your stay in Greenleaf. Please make yourself comfortable." He signaled to his retainers and the kimono and armor clad men swarmed over the visiting group. Most of them knelt at Green's feet and politely asked him to remove his weapons and other implements. Sliding out the several armaments hiding on them, the Dex Criminals hefted their swords, knives and fans on metal trays and the servants respectfully ushered the visitors to the interior of the castle. Motonari fell in step with Green and gave the latter a curt nod before excusing himself to attend to matters pertaining to his kingdom. As for Hanbei, the watched the processions of outsiders glide into the heart of the palace and his eyes snapped to Platina and her faithful froslass.
A witch...his mind agreed.
A beautiful, intelligent witch.
A/N: Seems like Red's grip on reality is loosening and Platina wove circles around Green and Motonari. Much thanks to those who read and reviewed; and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Virtual pizza to everyone.
At Silver: Cookies, cake and chocolate…heh, what else is better for midnight snacking whilst you are reading this fic? Lol. Grades are worth crap, trust me…Actually, don't listen to me, I'm giving really bad advice. In any case, hopefully you aced that test and essay of yours. Yellow Green likes Green…I laughed way too much at this. At Guest: Apologize? For what? Of course you don't have to apologize, I like curious individuals. Go ahead and ask me more if you like (I mean, some of the stuff I read is quite fascinating) you take care of yourself as well :) At Jack54311: Asian cuisine is nice, eating rice for breakfast, lunch and supper is not. The crossover idea huh…actually it was the other way around, the pokemon characters are part of Skyloft and I really like the mythos of the whole Link Origin story. Sigh, thank you for your ideas but for now, I'm distracting myself with cooking up something involving Wind waker and Twilight Princess. At AceTrainerLeaf: Stay tuned for Platina's fate (and the rest of the Ransei gang). Don't you think her lying was ingenious?