A Dragon's Tail
Tail 4: Claura's Tail - Stagnation
Tail 4-5: A Ship Without an Anchor
-Snowlost Castle, at night
Tonight was a big night for Snowlost Castle, as there was a banquet being held in the dining hall of the castle. The purpose of this banquet was to celebrate the 22th year anniversary of the reunion of the Confederacy of Riverbrine and the Queendom of Snowlost, and the birth of Queendom of Riverbrine. Many nobles, from Snowy Region, River Region and Brine Region, were invited to join this banquet held by the first queen of the reunited Queendom of Riverbrine, Queen Nyxier Tundrafrost the Aurorus.
"Long live Queen Nyxier!"
Everyone in the dining hall made a toast for the beautiful queen of Riverbrine during the banquet.
"Ho Ho Ho!" Queen Nyxier laughed happily. She was now sitting at the head of the table. Beside her was her daughter and the heir to the throne of Queendom of Riverbrine, Princess Misvale Tundrafrost the Aurorus. Behind the queen of Riverbrine was a Lapras butler who always served under the Royal Family, Snow Tundrafrost the Lapras.
"Would you like some more Oran Wine, your majesty?" Snow asked.
"Ah, yes." Queen Nyxier said. "Don't forget to bring the wine that most suits a beautiful queen like me."
"Will this one do, my queen?" Snow asked and showed Queen Nyxier a bottle of Oran Wine. The label on the bottle told them that this wine was made 28 years ago.
"Ah! I remember this one! It was made in Rucas and Fenrir's wedding day." Queen Nyxier said. "This sophisticated wine would truly suit someone like me! Pour it for me."
Snow nodded and poured the wine into an empty glass in front of Queen Nyxier. Meanwhile, Misvale spoke up.
"Mother…" Misvale spoke up. "Did you just mention the name 'Rucas' and 'Fenrir'? Are they… the 'Hero of Justice' and the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory?"
"Certainly correct, my dear." Queen Nyxier said as she sipped the Oran Berry Wine. "They are good friends of mine when we travelled together during the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago… Ah… This brings back good memories for me…"
"I remember that there are 14 Hero/ine of Legend during the Fallen Crisis…" Misvale continued speaking. "Other than the three you mentioned, Emperor Garland and Empress Sharon of Dustorm Empire and Pontifex Hawkins and Archsage Iris of Theocracy of Venturnome are one of them too… What about the rest?"
"Ah! There are Cleric Zira of Theocracy of Venturnome, Swordman Joshua of Principality of Leafburg, Thief Ellisk and Engineer Kamui of Republic of Civilight, Pirate Magnus of Queendom of Riverbrine and Guardian Leonel of Fireview Kingdom." Queen Nyxier answered.
"…The names you mentioned... Combined with the names I mentioned… equal to only 13 Hero/ine of Legend…" Misvale said. "What about the last one?"
Queen Nyxier didn't answer her daughter's question. Instead, it seemed like she had completely ignored Misvale's question!
"Your majesty!"
An Alolan Sandslash suddenly appeared and ran up to the Queen of Riverbrine, much to her annoyance.
"What reason do you have to interrupt a moment of my celebration, you lowly soldier?" Queen Nyxier asked with a sarcastic voice.
"Forgive my sudden appearance, your majesty." The Alolan Sandslash bowed at the queen. "But this is urgent! It's about the villagers!"
"What do those miserable villagers do this time?" Queen Nyxier asked.
"There's ruckus all over the place!" The Alolan Sandslash reported. "The villagers say that they can't stand under the oppression of the queen anymore, so they will start a rebellion!"
"What?!" Queen Nyxier said. "How dare they defy me?!"
"W…What should we do about this?" The Alolan Sandslash asked.
"We must put an end to this!" Queen Nyxier declared. "Deploy the troops to all settlements in Queendom of Riverbrine that tried to start the rebellion, and then execute everyone in those villages immediately!"
"B…But, milady…" The Alolan Sandslash continued speaking with a shaking voice. "T…T…There're still several villagers in those villages who don't participate in the rebellion!"
"So what?" Queen Nyxier said. "They may not join the rebellion, but they didn't do anything to stop them! And if we let them go, they might join the rebellion too! We must stop them all at once!"
"B…But—" The Alolan Sandslash tried to say something.
"Silence!" Queen Nyxier scolded. "How dare they defy my order! I am Queen Nyxier Tundrafrost the Aurorus, and I am the Heroine of of Ice type! I am the one chosen by the god! To defy me is equal to defy the god themselves! Now go!"
"Y…Yes, ma'am." The Alolan Sandslash said before he quickly left the hall.
"Those wretched creatures…" Queen Nyxier mumbled after her soldiers left the hall.
"Mother…" Misvale spoke up again. "Are you…"
"Don't worry, my dear. I am fine." Queen Nyxier spoke to her daughter with a much softer voice compared to before. "This is my duty as a queen, which I must do."
"…" Misvale said nothing after hearing her mother's words.
"Would you like some more wine, milady?" Snow spoke up.
"Ah, yes, please." Queen Nyxier said.
Snow bowed at the queen of Riverbrine before he refilled the glass with the Oran Berry Wine and handed it over to queen Nyxier.
And then…
"Ah! Your majesty!"
A voice turned the attention of both Aurorus and the Lapras to two Pokemon who were walking up to them. They were a female and male Alolan Ninetales who were the nobles that were invited to join tonight's meal.
"Greetings, your majesty the queen and Princess Mivale." The female Alolan Ninetales said and bowed down at the queen and the princess of Queendom of Riverbrine.
"Good evening." Queen Nyxier greeted the Alolan Ninetales.
"Your majesty looks very nice, as always!" The female Alolan Ninetales said. "And tonight's meal is so wonderful!"
"Ho! Ho! Ho! That's so kind of you." Queen Nyxier said.
"And here, let me introduce my son." The female Alolan Ninetales said and turned her attention to the male Alolan Ninetales beside her. "He is at the same age as Princess Misvale."
"Greetings, your majesty the queen and Princess Misvale." The male Alolan Ninetales bowed down at the queen and the princess of Queendom of Riverbrine.
"Greetings." Misvale said.
"Now, now… Why don't both of you sit down beside us?" Queen Nyxier waved her paw to two chairs beside her. One of them was across the seat of Misvale. Both Alolan Ninetales then bowed down at the queen one more time before they walked up to the seat and sat down, with the male Alolan Ninetales sat across Misvale.
"Snow, could you bring the finest pastry for our guests?" Queen Nyxier gave an order to her butler.
"Yes, of course, milady." Snow bowed at Queen Nyxier one more time before he slowly walked up to the door of the dining hall, and then he left this hall.
"And now… My son, why don't you start a conversation with Princess Misvale?" The female Alolan Ninetales said.
The male Alolan Ninetales nodded at his mother before he turned his attention to Misvale. "Princess Misvale, do you mind having a conversation with me?"
"Of course not…" Misvale said.
"Your majesty…" The female Alolan Ninetales turned her attention to Queen Nyxier and started another conversation. "Would you honor me by telling me more about the clothing you are wearing right now?"
"Of course." Queen Nyxier said. "First, you should know that I would never wear any clothe that's cheaper than the average cost of living of Riverbrine's peasants per year. And next…"
-Meanwhile…
Snow was walking along the hallway of the Snowlost Castle. He then headed to the dark and long hall that would lead to the kitchen of the castle. Normally, this hall would have one or two soldiers guarding it, but since the army of Riverbrine was deployed to subdue the rebellion, there's no one around here.
"…" Snow started walking slowly across the long hallway. However, only just after he had already crossed half of the hallway…
"…Well… What do we have here… A member of the royal family walking around the castle in order to be a service to the nobles… Ironic, isn't it?"
The very same strong and gruff voice that the Lapras heard earlier today was heard again. It came from the very same mysterious Pokemon who was now standing at the end of the hallway. However, the darkness of the night made it impossible to see him clearly, but the Lapras knew who the owner of the voice was.
"…" Snow stopped walking, but he still didn't say anything while the mysterious Pokemon continued speaking.
"The Royal Law of Queendom of Riverbrine states that 'Only female Pokemon could be accepted into the Royal Family'…" The mysterious Pokemon said. "Such a nonsensical law… Only Venturnome and Fireview have worse Royal Laws than this one…"
"…" Snow still doesn't say anything.
"And yet Nyxier chose to follow this stupid Royal Law…" The mysterious Pokemon continued speaking. "Didn't she see what suffering she had brought upon everyone around her?"
"…I afraid that you must be mistaken, general." Snow spoke up. "I am always happy to serve under Queen Nyxier and Princess Misvale, and I will continue to be until the rest of my life. And if I am not mistaken, you once found this law acceptable, general."
"I would lie if I didn't say no." The mysterious Pokemon said. "However, it was because I consider myself as a foreigner in this realm of snow and water, but Snow… Don't forget that you are actually Nyxier's younger brother."
"…What about you, general?" Snow asked. "Despite I am not part of Riverbrine Royal Family, I could at least stay with them and serve under them. But you, general. Not only you didn't serve under them, but you also abandoned them! Don't you remember what Queen Nyxier and Princess Misvale are to you?!"
"How could I forget?!" The mysterious Pokemon spoke with a hint of anger in his voice. "That's why I chose to remain with them for the time being. However, I couldn't serve under the corrupted queen who is selfish to the extreme, so—"
"Stop speaking those words, general." Snow said. "You aren't allowed to speak about the queen using those horrible words. I won't accept this."
"…How's Misvale doing right now?" The mysterious Pokemon said with a calmer voice than before and changed the topic of the conversation.
"…Even without you, the Queen does her best to make sure that she grows up into the finest lady on the continent of Symmetria." Snow answered. "Princess Misvale has grown into a beautiful young lady, making many nobles want to have their sons to get married with her. Just before I left the dining hall, there was another noble who came to speak with the queen in hope that the queen and the princess would be interested in them."
"What?!" The mysterious Pokemon said with a hint of anger in his voice again. "How dare they do something like that?!"
"Don't worry about this, general." Snow said. "Queen Nyxier always refuses the proposal of marriage from any nobles who dare to offer one to her because she wants Princess Misvale to choose her own lover on her own. She wants Princess Misvale to find her true love by herself, just like when the queen chose her lover by herself."
"…I must agree that, despite being like this, Nyxier does a very good job as a mother to Misvale." The mysterious Pokemon said. "If only 'he' is here too…"
"...What are you talking about?" Snow asked.
"…Does Misvale know of… my existence?" The mysterious Pokemon asked.
"Of course not, general." Snow answered. "Queen Nyxier conceals your existence from Princess Misvale in order to protect her from the suffering you have caused by leaving them. With this, Princess Misvale doesn't know even your name, much less what you are to her."
"…Snow, could you tell Misvale to come to the Crystal Garden of this castle alone after the meal?" The mysterious Pokemon asked. "I have something very important to tell her."
"I afraid that your request is impossible, general." Snow answered. "Not only were you forbidden by the queen herself to come back here, which is what you are doing right now, but you also were forbidden to make any contact with Queen Nyxier and Princess Misvale. This is why I couldn't permit you to meet Princess Misvale."
"If not, then…" The mysterious Pokemon continued speaking, but his words were interrupted by the Lapras.
"You were forbidden to contact Queen Nyxier and Princess Misvale at any regard, so if you want me to hand over a letter to her, I can't do it." Snow said. His words made the mysterious Pokemon stopped saying for a while before he opened his mouth again.
"…Don't forget who I am, Snow." The mysterious Pokemon said. "With my strength, I could walk up to the dining room and confront Nyxier right now. And no one could stop me, not even you, Snow."
"…" Snow said nothing.
"…However, I won't do it, at least not for now…" The mysterious Pokemon said. "But soon… The pain she inflicts upon the land of Riverbrine will strike back to hurt her… She may think that she does a good job in stopping it to happen, but she actually made a mistake by planting the seed of chaos by herself. This will only lead to her own destruction."
"…" Snow didn't say anything.
"Well… For now, I think it's time for me to leave…" The mysterious Pokemon said. "However… I will come back soon… And if my fear comes true, the next time we meet, instead of trading words, we would trade our blood instead. And then…"
After he finished speaking, the mysterious Pokemon slowly walked away until he was nowhere to be seen anymore.
"…" Snow said nothing before he continued walking to reach the kitchen. However, the words of the mysterious Pokemon still lingered in his mind.
"…General…" Snow mumbled.
-On Riverbrine Island…
"…So, both of you were the one who found the corpses of these Pokemon first, right?" A Magnezone asked a question to two dragons who were standing at the isolated beach on Riverbrine Island. It was about 5 minutes after Xavier came back with Officer Magnezone and two Magnemites, who were the policemen stationed on this island.
"Right." Claura answered. "I told Xavier to go and bring you here while I remain here in order to see if there's any evidence of this murder."
"And did you find anything?" Officer Magnezone asked.
"Nothing." Claura answered. "The only thing I found around here were the bodies of those Pokemon and some Pyukumukus not too far from here. Maybe they have seen the scene of murder…"
"One of my subordinates went to ask them if they saw the one who did this or not, but those Pyukumukus told me that they were sleeping, so they didn't see anything or heard any voice…" Officer Magnezone answered. "Damn it… Another prey of this sea monster…"
"Another prey?" Claura spoke. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well… Actually, this isn't the first incident that happened in the Riverbrine Archipelago." Officer Magnezone answered. "Lately, several Pokemon were found dead on the beaches of Riverbrine Archipelago... All of them were brutally killed in a manner like these poor guys. This led everyone to think that it was some kind of sea monster who killed them."
"Really?" Claura asked.
"Yes." Officer Magnezone asked. "Other than being killed brutally, all Pokemon that were killed were killed on the isolated beaches around the Riverbrine Archipelago. We think that it was because the murderer did this to prevent being seen… But…"
"But?" Claura looked at Officer Magnezone.
"This case is strange…" Officer Magnezone continued speaking. "Because all murders were occurring on the isolated beaches around Riverbrine Archipelago, there would be only one Pokemon who wandered around those beaches alone and got killed. But this case…"
Officer Magnezone and Claura looked at the corpses of the Pokemon the beach. There were five corpses there, indicating that there were five Pokemon who were killed in this incident.
"Strange, isn't it?" Officer Magnezone continued speaking. "Instead of only one Pokemon, five Pokemon were killed this time. Why would these five Pokemon come to this isolated beach at the same time?"
"Hm… I have no idea about this…" Claura said. "My cousin and I came here by chance, but I don't think that they all would come here by chance too."
"We have no idea about this too…" Officer Magnezone said.
"…Wait a minute…" Claura seemed to realize something. "Does those five Pokemon have something in common? Something like they are friends or family?"
"Now that you mention it, they truly are." Officer Magnezone answered. "They all are the members of the wealthiest merchant family of Riverbrine Archipelago."
"A family of merchants?" Claura said.
"Yes." Officer Magnezone said. "They all belonged to the—"
"HEY! CLAURA! XAVIER!"
A shouting voice suddenly came from someone who were walking up to them. They were none other than Bismarck the Feraligatr. He was followed by Jasper the Sceptile, Zenpai the Scyther, Viola the Heliolisk and Grimlock the Aggron.
"Oh, hi, Bismarck." Claura mumbled.
"Are they your friends?" Officer Magnezone asked while Bismarck and others were walking up to them. Claura then gave a little nod as the answer to him.
"What are you doing here?" Bismarck asked. "And why is Officer Magnezone with you?"
"Well…" Claura said. "Xavier and I came here not too long ago and found corpses of five Pokemon."
"CORPSES!?" Bismarck, Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock shouted out in a shocked voice after they heard the Kingdra's words.
"Yes." Claura nodded. "It seemed like they were murdered by the mysterious 'sea monster'. Right now, Officer Magnezone and other policemen are investigating the scene of murder."
"Sea monster?" Grimlock said. "Don't tell me it's the same sea monster that roams the Riverbrine Archipelago and killed several Pokemon… We heard this from the postman at the post office, but we never thought that we would run into one of its victims so soon."
"Another serial murderer…" Jasper mumbled.
"…Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Zenpai mumbled.
"Anyway, who are the poor victims that were killed by this sea monster?" Bismarck asked.
"Well, they are right there…" The Magnezone said and turned his attention to five corpses of Pokemon lying on the beach. Seeing the corpses gave everyone different reaction. Viola was disgusted by the monstrous scene of murder. Grimlock seemed to be greatly disturbed by this. Jasper and Zenpai didn't show much emotion, but it's noticeable that both of them didn't like this. But for Bismarck…
"…" Bismarck didn't say or do anything after he saw five corpses on the beach. He just stared at them silently.
"By the way, Officer Magnezone…" While everyone was looking at the corpses of five Pokemon, Claura resumed her question she asked Officer Magnezone. "You said that these Pokemon belonged to the same family, right? What family do they belong to?"
"Well…They belong to the wealthiest merchant family of Riverbrine Archipelago…" Officer Magnezone continued speaking. "They are none other than the Aquamarine Family."
-Several Hours Later…
"Bismarck, are you okay?"
Jasper, Zenpai, Viola and Grimlock approached the Feraligatr who were standing at the prow of his ship. Despite it was just a few hours, it seemed like a few years after the incident at the isolated beach of Riverbrine Island. After seeing the corpses of five Pokemon, Bismarck didn't say anything, and he also didn't show any emotion, despite all Pokemon that were killed were… his family.
"…" Bismarck didn't say anything. He then just stared at the sea as the ship moves through the azure water of Riverbrine Sea. (Right now, Claura and Xavier were handling the control wheel.)
"Well then…" Zenpai mumbled, and all four Pokemon were about to head back into the control room when Bismarck suddenly spoke up.
"It's irony, isn't it?" Bismarck said. "The day I came back to see my family again is the same day they all passed away… And now, I will never have any chance to say any words to them…"
"Bismarck…" Viola said.
"Well… It started a few years after my father disappeared…" Bismarck continued speaking. "That left me with my mother, my uncle, my aunt, my grandfather and my grandmother. However, I felt that I was left alone in this world after my father disappeared."
"…" Everyone carefully listened to Bismarck's story.
"Being born in the family of the wealthiest merchant of Riverbrine Archipelago, I was expected to follow my family's legacy of being a merchant by everyone. Being in this state made me…stressful because I didn't want to become a merchant… I want to choose the path of life by my own… But no one understands me… The only one who understands me is my father because before he got married to my mother and got himself into a family of merchant, he was a pirate. However, after my father disappeared, no one was there to understand me… And everyone in my family gave me harder pressure to follow their legacy… And in the end… I chose to follow my heart… I decided to run away from home…"
"Bismarck…" Viola mumbled.
"After I ran away from home, I was wandering around the Riverbrine Archipelago. And in the end, I was adopted by the old Pirate Captain of the Seacross, who later died and made me the new captain of the Seacross. And then I remain as a pirate until several years later… I come back to my hometown once again, only to find my family slaughtered brutally…"
"…" Viola, Grimlock, Jasper, Zenpai fell into silence after hearing Bismarck's words. And…
"…How are you feeling right now, Bismarck?" Jasper broke the silence.
"…Despite them giving me a lot of pressure in the past, I do not feel any joy…" Bismarck answered. "However, despite them being my family, I do not feel any sorrow… I feel… empty… I feel that I am now empty inside… And I don't know why…"
"It's because, despite running away from home and choosing your own path of life, you still bind yourself with your family." Zenpai spoke up. "It's like a ship that's tied down to a spot with an anchor. But after the anchor is removed, the ship would wander around the ocean without any destination. Without someone to guide the ship, the only thing that would bring the ship to the land is the waves."
"Right." Grimlock said. "All of us have experienced a feeling of being without any guide before. We all understand what you feel, Bismarck."
"…I understand now…" Bismarck spoke up. "Without any binding and any guide, it's time for me to stand on my own legs and guide myself to my own destination."
"That's the way, brother." Grimlock said and gave a thumb up to the Feraligatr.
"Well then, I can't let the grief of losing everyone in my family to overcome me right now. I must focus on the task of finding my father." Bismarck said.
"And what should we do next?" Viola asked.
"We will go to the Solitude Island." Bismarck answered.
"Solitude Island?" Jasper repeated the Feraligatr's words. "Why go to that place?"
"Well… With everyone in my family is already dead, there're no more clues to be found on the Riverbrine Island." Bismarck answered. "The only clue we have right now is the words from the survivor of that horrible incident."
"That's right." Grimlock said. "You said that there're survivors from that incident, so if we ask them, they would be able to tell us something."
"But that incident happened several years ago, right?" Jasper said. "If that's so, then why didn't you ask them about that incident sooner?"
"You will know soon when we arrive at the Solitude Island…" Bismarck answered.
"And why's the Solitude Island?" Viola asked.
"Because there's only one survivor from that incident." Bismarck answered. "And he's now living on the Solitude Island."
"Okay…." Everyone nodded after hearing the explanation from the Feraligatr.
"Well… I will go and tell Claura where to go next…" Bismarck said and started walking up to the control room. But just before he entered, the Feraligatr spoke up.
"…Thank you, everyone, for cheering me up." Bismarck said.
"That's what friends are for, Bismarck." Grimlock said.
"Hmhmm…." Bismarck nodded and entered the control room.
-A Few Minutes Later…
"…So, our next destination is the Solitude Island." Claura said after Bismarck told them the next destination and left the control room.
"In order to go to the Solitude Island, we must pass through the Isles of Spice first." Xavier said. "We should reach the Isles of Spice by the time to today's dusk. And we should rest there for a night."
"That's a perfect opportunity for us to continue our search." Claura said. "And if we don't find what we are looking for on the Isles of Spice, we'd still head to the Solitude Island and continue searching there."
"Okay… Yawn…" Xavier nodded and gave another yawn. Seeing the Dragonite yawn reminded Claura of something…
"Xavier, back when we were on the Riverbrine Island, at the isolated beach…" Claura said. "While I was talking to Officer Magnezone, you didn't even get bored or fall asleep, like what you usually do… That means…"
"It's just the scene of lingering bloodshed had awakened me from a slumber." Xavier answered.
"And that murder at the isolated beach…" Claura said. "Xavier, I know that you know something about it, right? Being trained as a strategist, I think you had obtained a clue about that murder, and yet you didn't tell anyone, right?"
"It's just a thing that anybody would be able to see through a basic observation…" Xavier said. "Well, other than what you and Officer Magnezone said, there's one strange thing at that that beach."
"What is it?" Claura asked.
"The Pyukumukus." Xavier answered.
"The Pyukumukus?" Claura said. "Why?"
"Well… Everyone said that the one who killed Bismarck's family was a certain 'sea monster' that killed anyone brutally. However, despite it killing five Pokemon on the beach, it didn't even touch any single Pyukumukus who lived on that beach, let alone harming them."
"Now that I think about it, I find it strange too…" Claura said. "Could it be that the one who killed Bismarck's family isn't the 'sea monster' that everyone was talking about?"
"I don't think so…" Xavier said. "Before we left Riverbrine Island, I went to the Police Station again and asked Officer Magnezone to see the photos of the corpses of the victims of this 'sea monster'. The mark of claws and fangs on those corpses matched the mark of claws and fangs we saw on the corpses of Bismarck's family."
"Then…" Claura continued speaking. "Could it be that this sea monster only targeted Bismarck's family?"
"Didn't you hear what I said?" Xavier said. "This sea monster didn't only kill Bismarck's family, but it also killed the Pokemon who wandered onto the isolated beaches around the Riverbrine Archipelago. I already checked that none of those Pokemon who were killed by this sea monster has any relation with Bismarck and his family. If this sea monster really wants to kill Bismarck's family, why does it has to kill other Pokemon too?"
"Then, everything just doesn't make any sense!" Claura said. "A sea monster that roams Riverbrine Sea and killed everyone who went onto an isolated beach, usually alone, but today, it killed five Pokemon! Five Pokemon, all from the same family, and it didn't even hurt the Pyukumukus on the beach! And it didn't have any specific target too! I don't understand this!"
"Well… Actually…" Xavier spoke with a lower voice than before. "I think I have an idea about what's going on…"
"Hm?!" Claura looked at her cousin. "You say that you have an idea about those mysteries behind this?!"
"Yes." Xavier said. "However, I lack sufficient proof that my idea's right."
"Then, could you tell me that idea of yours?" Claura asked.
"Okay." Xavier said. "Now, listen up…"
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: Wow… Everyone in Bismarck's family (Except his missing father) is now dead… This tail quickly escalated into a serious story… Also, the story of Tundrafrost family… Do you see any crisis coming soon? And who is that Pokemon who was talking to Snow?
A special thanks to Ridin Valon for helping me with the error correction.