A Dragon's Tail
Tail 1: Rachael's Tail – Contamination
Tail 1-7: Heartache
"Jasper, do you know him?!" Zenpai spoke up after hearing the young Sceptile's words.
"Y…Yes." Jasper answered. "He is an honorable swordsman and one of the best swordsmen in the Principality of Leafburg… No… In Symmetria. I found him in a lonely shack in the middle of the Leafburg Forest just outside the Leafburg City one day. After seeing his skill with his blade, I asked him to take me as his apprentice, which he accepted. After that day, I always go to his shack to practice my skill with katana with him without telling anyone. Only Julia and Jasmine know this."
Jasper then looked at his master. "M…Master Floratree! W…What does this mean?! D….Don't tell me you were the mysterious Tsujigiri who killed the Pokemon in the Leafburg?!"
"…" 'Master Floratree' didn't answer Jasper's question. He just stood there, near the body of the Scizor.
"Whatever!" Zenpai said and looked at 'Master Floratree'. "You there! What had you done with my father?!"
"…So…" 'Master Floratree' looked at the Hokage's body. "You are this pathetic ninja's son. Well, if the father couldn't overcome my blade, neither would his son."
"WHAT?!" Zenpai spoke unbelievably. "You killed my father?!"
'Master Floratree' didn't answer the Scyther's question. Instead, he gripped his blade firmly and…
"SHING!"
The sound of a sword piercing through flesh echoed through the Leafburg Forest, and it ended with a tip of katana that 'Master Floratree' was holding was now stuck into the ground, piercing through the Scizor's body!
"FATHER!" Zenpai roared.
"EAH!" Rachael covered her eyes with her paws.
"W…WHAT THE?!" Jasper became shocked.
"That's better…" 'Master Floratree' drew his katana out of the Hokage's body. A tip of the blade was covered with a colorless liquid as it was drawn out of the Scizor's body. "He was as good as dead when you came, but I saved this moment just for you! How about it? Wasn't the last moment of a living creature marvelous?"
"Y….YOU!" Zenpai roared furiously. "Y….YOU KILLED MY FATHER! I WILL KILL YOU! RAWWWWWWRRRR!"
Zenpai grabbed his kunai and was about to dash up to attack the Sceptile who killed his father when he was held back by another Sceptile!
"Calm down, Zenpai!" Jasper spoke up. "Y…You can't attack him!"
"LET ME GO!" Zenpai roared. "I WILL KILL HIM! I DON'T CARE IF HE IS YOUR MASTER OR NOT!"
"The one who will be killed is you, Zenpai!" Jasper continued speaking. "He is not only one of the strongest swordsmen, but he is also the Hero of Legend!"
"WHAT!?" Not only Zenpai, but Rachael also became shocked after hearing Jasper's word too.
"Hm…" 'Master Floratree' crossed his arms. "It would be better if I introduce myself properly. My name is Joshua Floratree the Sceptile, the Forest Swordsman. As Jasper said, I am the Hero of Legend who holds the power of grass type. I am one of 14 Hero/ine of Legend who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis. I have devoted my life to the art of the sword. I am the one who killed the Pokemon in the Leafburg City. And I am the one who killed your father and your brothers, Zenpai the Scyther."
"Whatever!" Zenpai spoke angrily. "Hero of Legend or not, I will kill you to avenge my father! RAWRRRR!"
Zenpai dashed up to Joshua the Sceptile and tried to attack him with his kunai, but Joshua dodged his attack easily by just leaning his body a bit.
"I WILL KILL YOU!" Zenpai slashed his kunai madly at Joshua again, but none of his attacks could harm the Sceptile!
"So boring… Mineuchi!" Joshua mumbled and smacked Zenpai with the blunt side of his katana. It didn't harm the Scyther much, but it stunned Zenpai and sent him flying toward Jasper and Rachael!
"Zenpai!"
Jasper and Rachael approached the Scyther. Rachael then healed him with the healing potion. This made the Scyther became a bit better!
"D…Damn it…" Zenpai mumbled. "W…Why the hell is he so powerful?!"
"I am not the Hero of Forest for nothing…" Joshua answered as he sheathed his katana and slowly approached the trio.
"M…Master!" Jasper spoke up. "Y…You weren't like this before! W…What made you become like this?! You were once an honorable swordsman who devoted your life to the art of sword!"
"Silly Jasper…" Joshua answered as he stopped in the middle of the courtyard. "I am not the man who wields a sword. I am a sword, and a sword only has one purpose of existence; to feast on the blood of living beings."
"Y…You are mad!" Zenpai spoke as he was finally able to stand up.
"So, what will you do?" Joshua crossed his arm. "As you know, I feast on the blood of living beings, and since all of you are here, I couldn't let you leave here alive, right?"
"And I will not allow your existence anymore." Zenpai equipped his kunai again. "I will kill you and end your madness right here."
"Master…" Jasper mumbled. "Y…You… You are not the master I knew! The master I knew is an honorable swordsman, not a lunatic swordsman with a thirst of blood like you!"
"I see…" Joshua crossed his arms. "Both of you chose to resist against your destiny of being killed by me… How… pathetic… Anyway, as a fellow warrior of Leafburg, I won't go easy on you!"
The Forest Swordsman
Joshua Floratree the Sceptile
"Rachael!" Jasper spoke up as he drew his katana from its sheath. "Stay here and keep your guard up!"
"We will not let that lunatic swordsman harm you." Zenpai said.
"Okay…" Rachael said.
Jasper and Zenpai turned their attention to Joshua, who had drawn his katana from its sheath already.
"Jasper, do you know this blade?" Joshua spoke and showed his weapon to Jasper. It was an exotic sword with a long blade. Although it was smaller than an ordinary sword, it was slimmer than an ordinary sword. The blade was sparkling dark green as if it was made from a pure Emerald that got tarnished by something...
"That katana…" Jasper mumbled.
"This is the Emerald Katana, the personal weapon of the Hero of Forest." Joshua explained. "This blade had been used to slay countless evil beings that plagued the world of Pokemon in the past. This very same blade was also used to slay many Pokemon of Leafburg, including the family of your friend next to you."
"… 'The power of a swordsman does not depend on their blade. It depends on their skill.' That was what you once told me, Master Floratree. And today, I will see if it's true or not!" Jasper spoke.
"Then, allow me to show you!" Joshua said and got into the offensive stance. He then charged at Jasper! Jasper was about to dodge Joshua's attack when Joshua suddenly changed his target to Zenpai instead! His fast and unexpected action resulted in Zenpai having no time to react to the attack!
"Ughhhh!" Zenpai roared in pain after he was hit by the attack.
"Fool!" Joshua said as he continued attacking the Scyther!
"Zenpai!" Jasper slashed his katana at Joshua, but Joshua dodged it, and not only that, his evasion forced him to cancel his assault on Zenpai!
"Zenpai!" Rachael approached Zenpai and used the healing potion on him.
"Rachael?! Get away from here! Do not approach the battle!" Zenpai scolded, making Rachael retreat for cover.
"Interesting…" Joshua mumbled. "I think I should… entertain myself a bit more…"
Zenpai stood up and spoke up to Jasper. "Jasper, we must disarm him first. If we could disarm him and then attack him off-guard, he would be weak both offensively and defensively. Do you have any idea how to do it?"
"HM…" Jasper started thinking. And then…
"…Listen to me, Zenpai…" Jasper whispered something into Zenpai's ear, and Zenpai nodded in response.
"It's worth a try." Zenpai commented.
"Right." Jasper said, and then both of them turned their attention to Joshua, who was now in the middle of the courtyard.
"What's wrong? Too scared to fight me?!" Joshua mocked.
"Let's go, Jasper." Zenpai said, and then the duo got into the offensive stance.
"YAH!"
Jasper rushed up to Joshua with a katana in his paw. He prepared to attack Joshua!
"Hm!" Joshua got into the defensive stance to prepare for Jasper's attack, but just a bit before Jasper reached Joshua…
"YAH!"
Zenpai jumped over Jasper's head and quickly rushed up to Joshua with a kunai in his paw!
"Hm! Do you think you could fool me with a trick like this?!" Joshua said and quickly prepared for Zenpai's attack. But again, just a bit before he reached Joshua, Zenpai immediately jumped away from him!
"W…What?! Ouch!" Joshua said. And when Zenpai jumped away from him instead of attacking him, the Scyther threw a shuriken at his paw, making him drop his Emerald Katana on the ground!
"YAH!" Jasper, who had been waiting for this chance, slashing his katana at Joshua in hope of catching him off-guard!
But…
"Shinken Shirahadori!" Joshua used his bare paws to catch Jasper's blade, much to Jasper and Zenpai's shock!
"W…WHAT?! ARRR!" Jasper roared as Joshua flipped his wrist, making Jasper lose his grip of his katana! And when Jasper's katana was falling toward the ground, Joshua grabbed it!
"Damn!" Jasper cursed as his katana was stolen by his opponent!
"TAKE THIS! IAIJUTSU!" Joshua roared and aggressively attacked Jasper and Zenpai off-guard! His attacks made Jasper and Zenpai collapse on the ground!
"Huff… Huff…" Zenpai and Jasper panted after they were attacked mercilessly by Joshua.
"Zenpai! Jasper!" Rachael quickly approached the duo, but just a bit before she could reach them, the Emerald Katana that was just picked from the ground was pointed at her!
"!" Rachael became paralyzed with fear.
"Hm… It seemed like my words were right after all…" Joshua threw Jasper's katana on the ground. He still pointed his Emerald Katana at the Latias.
"R…Rachael?!" Zenpai and Jasper said as they saw the Latias in danger, but their injuries were too harsh for them to even stand up!
"Don't worry, both of you…" Joshua said. "I will not kill you right now, but I would let you witness my blade drinking your little friend's blood!"
"Rachael! Get away from here! Quick!" Jasper tried to stand up, but Joshua used his foot to pin him down, preventing him from stand up!
"Just go! Don't worry about us! UGH!" Zenpai roared as he felt the pain running through his body.
"!" Rachael was too scared to do anything!
"…Good bye, Rachael the Latias." Joshua said and slashed his Emerald Katana at the Latias!
"NOOOOO!" Jasper and Zenpai roared as they heard the sound of katana slashed at the flesh of living creature...
"Arr…."
Rachael slowly regained her consciousness. She rubbed her head with her paw.
"W…Where am I… And…" Rachael looked around to see where she was. She was in a place she had never seen before… It seemed like she was in front of an abandoned temple in the middle of a deep forest…
"W…What is this place?! And…" Rachael mumbled as she felt strange about her body. First, her skin wasn't supple like before… And… Where were her legs?!
"!" Rachael was shocked when she realized what happened to her body. She had been turned into a creature that looked like a red plane!
"W…What happened to me?! A…And…" Rachael looked around, trying to find someone who was with her until a while ago…
"O…Onii-chan! Where are you?!" Rachael tried to call her brother, but no one responded to her.
"Onii-chan!" Rachael tried again, but the result was still the same.
"WAHH!" Rachael started crying. She was now in the middle of a nowhere, turned into a strange creature, and the worst of them all; her Onii-chan was nowhere to be found!
"Oh! My…"
A soft and gentle voice echoed into her ears. Rachael looked around and found another living creature standing behind her…
"W…Who are you?!" Rachael asked with a shaking voice as the creature behind her looked like a leaf insect that stood on two legs.
"My name is Lydia the Leavanny…" The leaf insect answered as she approached Rachael. "And who are you? Why are you in the middle of nowhere like this?"
"AH!" Rachael cried. "P…Please don't come closer…"
Lydia paused for a bit, and then a gentle smile appears on her face. "Do not be afraid… I will not harm you… I promise…"
Lydia slowly approached Rachael again. This time, Rachael just looked at her suspiciously.
"…There…" As she reached Rachael, Lydia hugged her. "There's nothing to be scared…"
"Sniff.. Sniff…"
"There… Do not cry… My dear…" Lydia used her paw to dab Rachael's tear. "Do not be afraid… I will not let you get harmed…"
"I will protect you…"
"Until my last breath…"
"HEAAH!"
A cry of pain of female Pokemon turned the attention of everyone around here to Rachael. But it wasn't Rachael who was hurt. It was…a female Leavanny.
"MOTHER!" Rachael cried as just a bit before Joshua's Emerald Katana slashed her, Lydia appeared from nowhere and shielded her from the attack!
"R…R…Ra….Rachael…" Lydia spoke with a shaking voice. A colorless liquid flew out of where she was slashed. "A…Are you alright? Pl…Please tells me you are okay…"
"I…I am alright…" Rachael spoke with a shaking voice.
"T…T…Thanks goodness…." Lydia said before she fell down onto the ground. Her breath stopped and her heart stopped beating!
"MOTHER!" Rachael cried over Lydia's lifeless body.
"Y…Y…YOU!" Zenpai and Jasper roared angrily and looked at Joshua, who had a satisfied smile on his face.
"Hm…" Joshua sheathed his blood-cloaked katana. "I thought killing this Latias would be enough… But since this happened, I will make all of you suffer a bit more…"
Joshua turned his attention from Rachael who was crying to Jasper and Zenpai who were trying to stand up. "What do you think about this? Marvelous, wasn't it?"
"Y…You fiend!" Zenpai roared.
"Hm…" Joshua crossed his arms. "Other than killing you right now, I don't see any future for yourself, Zenpai the Scyther, since everyone in your family has been already sacrificed their lives to my blade… Be your brothers, father or mother…"
"W…What?!" Zenpai became shocked. "Were you the one who killed my mother during the War of Jasmine?!"
"Poor Scyther…" Joshua shook his head. "Your mother had just died in front of you, and you still don't realize it?"
"W…What do you mean?!" Zenpai asked with a shaking voice.
"…It started after my wife died and I devoted myself to the art of sword…" Joshua started telling a story. "And I had yet tasted one side of the sword. It was the blade's dark side. If I couldn't get myself into the dark side of a sword, I will never become master of the blade. Thus, I devoted my life to become a sword itself, killing anyone who stood in my way. And then, the War of Jasmine started… Perfect, wasn't it? With the ongoing war, I could kill anyone as much as I like… And one of my victims was… a beloved wife of a Hokage…"
"T…That…" Zenpai mumbled.
"It was your mother, Scyther." Joshua continued his story. "But because she looked very much like my wife who had passed away, I couldn't kill her. Instead… I did something to her… Well… Let's just say that her disappearance after the War of Jasmine doesn't mean that she was already dead. It meant that she was too scared and embarrassed to come back to her family. So, she escaped to the Forezon Village and started a new life as the owner of a berry farm…"
"T…Then…" Zenpai started to realize what was going on.
Joshua turned his attention to the Leavanny he just killed. "This Leavanny, Lydia, was your real mother, Zenpai the Scyther."
"NOOOO!" Zenpai roared as he learned the truth of his mother. Lydia was his mother, but he didn't know it until she was already dead!
"Painful, isn't it?" Joshua sneered at the Scyther. "Well… Two down… One more to go…" Then Joshua turned his attention to Jasper.
"Jasper, do you want to hear the rest of my story?" Joshua asked with a crafty voice.
"W…What?!" Jasper asked with a shaking voice.
"After I let her live, she gave birth to… an egg… But it was an egg that was born to her and a monster with the body of the hero. So… She gave that egg to the orphanage in the Leafburg City instead… And that egg was you, Jasper! That also meant that Lydia is your real mother!"
"NO!" Jasper roared before he realized something. "W…Wait?! I…If that so… T…Then… My father…"
"Yes." Joshua sneered. "Your father is a monster with the body of the Hero of Legend. Your father killed your mother. And your father now stands in front of you, Jasper. Your father is Joshua Floratree the Sceptile, and your father is me."
"NO!" Jasper cried even harder than before. "T…That isn't true! Tell me that it isn't true!"
"Painful, isn't it, my son?" Joshua said. "After the War of Jasmine ended, I lived an isolated life in the shack in the middle of the Leafburg Forest. And one day, you found me and asked to be my apprentice. If you aren't my real son, I will never accept you as my apprentice. But because you are, I chose to accept you as my apprentice… And did you know? Julia Floratree the Serperior is actually my younger sister. She knew everything about you. She knew that you are my son, and yet she didn't tell you… Why? It was because she neither loved you nor cared about you!"
"STOP!" Jasper cried and covered his ears with his paws.
"Amazing, wasn't it?" Joshua crossed his arm. "Rachael the Latias, your mother, who isn't even your real mother, was already dead. Zenpai the Scyther, everyone in your family was killed by me. And my son, Jasper the Sceptile, your mother was already dead, everyone at the orphanage didn't love you or care about you, and your father is the mad swordsman! Are you all enjoying this moment of despair? Do you lose your will to live? If that's so, then I will be glad to grant death you all wished…"
"…No…"
It was Zenpai's voice. His voice attracted the attention of everyone, include Rachael who stopped crying to hear him.
"Y…You are wrong…" Zenpai spoke with a shaking voice as he tried to stand up. "Not everyone in my family was killed by you. There's still one left… That's right, my brother, Jasper?"
"R…Right." Jasper spoke as he tried to stand up too. "When I first met Zenpai, I felt that while we are on a different race, we still have something in common. And today, I knew the answer… If Madam Lydia is the mother of Zenpai and I… It means that Zenpai is my older half-brother."
"Not only that…" Zenpai said. "If Rachael is the adoptive daughter of Madam Lydia, she is also our younger sister too."
"Father, no, Master, no, Joshua." Jasper spoke with a cold voice. "You may think that you had taken everything in our lives from us already, but you were wrong!"
"And I will prove it that you are wrong!" Zenpai roared.
And then…
"What?!" Jasper and Rachael became surprised as Zenpai's body started glowing with a light green aura!
"W…What's happening?!" Rachael asked.
"T…That…" Joshua mumbled. "It can't be…"
A light green aura that glowed from Zenpai's body started healing the Scyther, making him able to stand up again! Not only that, it also healed Jasper too!
"W…What was that?!" Jasper said as he realized that his wounds were all gone! And his strength had returned to him!
"I feel… warm… and… powerful…" Zenpai mumbled. "And… I feel like… I could do anything in this world with this power!"
After healing Zenpai and Jasper, the light green aura cloaked around Zenpai's kunai, changing its color into sparkling light green! Zenpai could feel an enormous power emitting from his weapon!
"I….Impossible!" Joshua said unbelievably. "T…The Legendary Power of Bug type…. H…How could it…"
"Zenpai..." Jasper started to realize what happen when he heard Joshua's word. "The Power of Legend of the Bug type has awakened within your body! You are now the Hero of Legend who holds the power of bug type!"
"Joshua…" Zenpai spoke up. "You are not the only Hero of Legend around here anymore. With my Peridot Kunai, I SWEAR THAT I WILL DEFEAT YOU!"
Zenpai equipped his Peridot Kunai and dashed up to Joshua. This time, Zenpai's movement was much faster than before, making Joshua unable to dodge it!
"Garrr…." Joshua used his Emerald Katana to block Zenpai's attack, but it was still quite powerful!
"W… Why you?!" Joshua said and tried to thrust his katana, but Zenpai was too powerful!
"Take this!" Jasper appeared from behind and stabbed Joshua in the back with his katana!
"And this!" Zenpai fiercely attacked Joshua with his Peridot Kunai while Jasper used his katana to slash at the Sceptile mercilessly!
"ARRRRRR!" Joshua roared in pain as he was attacked by both Pokemon.
"I will help too!" Rachael said and used the move Helping Hand on both Joshua and Zenpai, giving them enormous power!
"And now!" Zenpai and Jasper prepared their attack before they both attacked Joshua with their X-Scissors!
"DOUBLE X-SCISSORS!" Jasper and Zenpai roared as they attacked Joshua.
"ARRRRR!" Joshua roared. He was injured badly that he couldn't stand this!
"H…How could you beat me?!" Joshua said unbelievably as he collapsed on the ground.
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: Wow… The first tail started with a bright and cheerful scene, and then it turned into this! This chapter is so dark, especially for the first tail…
Well… One more chapter to go and the first tail will end…
A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.