A Dragon's Tail
Tail 5: Diego's Tail - Reprisal
Tail 5-9: The End of the Beginning
-Four Days Later…
It had been four days since the day of Flame Blessing Ceremony, and just one more day before the Coronation Day of Fireview Kingdom's Prince Apollo. Despite it wasn't the Coronation Day yet, today was also important as it was the day where all rulers from other six foreign nations (Or their representatives) will arrive at the Fireview Kingdom and pay their respect to the king and the crown prince of the nation of flame and stone, and right now, at the time where the twilight covered the whole sky, there was a banquet in the main hall of the Palace of Flame that was held as a welcoming ceremony for everyone. The banquet was held in the style of buffet, where the food was prepared and placed on the tables, and the guest can take it for eating while having a conversation with other guest too.
Right now, almost every guest from foreign nations had already arrived at the Palace of Flame. Started with Prince Terrus and his siblings from Dustorm Empire, Prince Fenrir Jr. from Shadowlost Territory, who had arrived since six days ago. Daimyo Augustine of the Principality of Leafburg had already arrived since yesterday, and President Voltson of the Republic of Civilight had just arrived a few moments ago. Because there wouldn't be any representative from the Queendom of Riverbrine due to its civil war, the only guests from foreign nation that hadn't arrived yet was the prince of the Theocracy of Venturnome…
"Freya, why don't you try this one?"
Largo said and handed over a leaf cup that contained something that looked like orange custard with a white topping to Freya.
"Oh, thank you, Largo." Freya said as she received the leaf cup from Largo and started eating the orange custard inside, only to suffocate it out later!
"Cough! Cough!" Freya coughed after she ate the food Largo gave her.
"F…Freya?! Are you alright?!" Largo was shocked by his sister's action.
"W…Water please…" Freya said.
Largo quickly passed a glass of water to the Flygon, who quickly drank it up. After drinking water, Freya seemed to be better.
"T…Thanks… Largo…" Freya said with a shaking voice as she handed over the empty glass back to the Alolan Marowak.
"What happened to you, Freya?" Largo asked as he put the empty glass down on a table. "Does the food I gave you taste bad?"
"W…Well…" Freya said. "I…It was so spicy… T…That custard you gave me…"
"Custard? …Hahaha HAHAHAHA!" Largo said before he let out a burst of laugh. "That's not custard, Freya! That's one of Fireview Kingdom's traditional dishes! It's some sort of spicy mashed fish with a topping of coconut milk, not custard!"
"W…Well… I…I am sorry…" Freya said as Largo continued laughing, only to be stopped by their elder siblings.
"That's enough, Largo." Terrus appeared and spoke. Beside him was Soryl the Aerodactyl who still worked as his bodyguard, and Natasha the Dragalge.
"It's just so funny…" Largo said. "Freya mistook this spicy food for custard! I couldn't stop laughing!"
"It's only because Freya haven't gone anywhere outside Dustorm Empire, so she didn't accustom with a foreign dish like this." Natasha said.
"Moreover…" Terrus continued speaking. "Don't you remember that Freya couldn't eat anything spicy?! And Fireview's traditional dishes are among the spiciest cuisine on the continent of Symmetria as it contained several different kinds of spices in one dish, giving it an exotic taste."
"But Dustorm's traditional dishes are also spicy and rich with spices too, aren't they?" Largo asked.
"That's because your sister stayed at the Windsky Plateau for the most part of her life." Soryl spoke up. "Because the plateau of the wind was once a part of Theocracy of Venturnome, Windsky's traditional dishes aren't as savory as Dustorm's dishes."
"True…" Terrus nodded. "Dustorm's cuisines are famous for its strong scene of many kinds of spice being used in a dish, compared to Fireview's cuisines that are famous for its taste."
"In other words… Both Dustorm and Fireview's cuisines use a lot of spices…" Largo said. "But Fireview focuses more on the taste of food while Dustorm focuses more on the scene of food. That's also the similarity between Dustorm Empire and Fireview Kingdom."
"Speaking of similarity…" Natasha spoke up. "I also heard that Venturnome's cuisines and Leafburg's cuisines are very similar to each other too."
"That's right." Terrus said. "Both Venturnome's cuisines and Leafburg's cuisines don't use too much spices like Dustorm's and Fireview's, as both nations prefer to season their dishes by drawing the natural taste of the ingredients that are being used in the dish, while Dustorm and Fireview prefer to use spices to season their dishes."
"If so, then…" Freya spoke up. "What is the difference between Venturnome's cuisines and Leafburg's cuisines?"
"From what I know…" Terrus answered. "Leafburg's dishes are very simple as the ingredients being used in their dishes are mostly berries, so they don't do much when preparing the cuisine. Venturnome, on the other hand, prefers their food to be… sophisticated. I mean, while they do not bother using too much spice, they always make sure that their dishes turn out to be perfect in every way, including the decoration and the amount of nutrients they received from each dish."
"Wow… I see…" Freya said. "Terrus, I never know that you know so much about other nations' cuisines!"
"Well… I usually have to go to other nations by our father's order anyway…" Terrus said. "Moreover, I need to practice my sense to taste, so I need to concentrate my attention at my tongue every time I had a meal, whether in other nations or not."
"Well then…" Largo spoke up. "Since you already told us about four of seven nations' cuisines, how about telling us about the rest three? You can start with Civilight."
"Well… Living in a busy city, they have to live their life in a very fast, pace, so the Pokemon of Civilight prefer their food to be… very, very simple." Terrus said. "They do not mind what they eat, as long as it is easy to eat in within a few minutes or a few seconds. So, Civilight's dishes tend to be what they called 'fast food'. Also, for some reason, the Pokemon of Riverbrine, mostly Electric type Pokemon, loves sour food."
"And what about Riverbrine?" Natasha asked.
"Because the Queendom of Riverbrine possesses two completely different climates, the dishes of Riverbrine could be divided into two types." Terrus said. "The Pokemon of Riverbrine Archipelago prefers their dishes to be cold and refreshing to counter the sunny climate of this region. The Pokemon of Snowlost Snowfield, on the other hand, prefers their dishes to be hot and warm to fight the tundra climate of their region. This doesn't apply to the Ice type Pokemon thought as, because being Ice type Pokemon, they don't need any warm food to keep them warm. However, there is one thing that the cuisines from both regions share; both regions, like Leafburg and Venturnome, always use fresh ingredients for their food as Riverbrine, especially the Riverbrine Archipelago, is a nation that's rich with food, unlike Fireview and Dustorm that could hardly grow anything. The Snow Part of Riverbrine also couldn't cultivate well too, but they are able to get the ingredients from the Riverbrine Archipelago anyway, so that's not a problem for them."
"And…" Freya said after Terrus finishes his long analysis about the cuisines of the Queendom of Riverbrine. "What about the Shadowlost Territory's cuisines?"
Before Terrus could say anything, the Alolan Marowak beside him spoke up first. "Trust me, Freya, you do not want to know about this one."
"Why?" Freya asked.
"…Let's just say that Shadowlost's cuisines are VERY very…peculiar." Terrus said. "Everyone who has gone to Shadowlost for the first time would always have a problem eating local cuisines."
"True." Largo nodded. "I still remember when I went to Shadowlost for the first time after I finished training in Fireview…"
"Yes." Natasha said. "You refused to eat anything for almost three days! If Fenrir and I didn't shove the food into your mouth, you would be dead by now!"
"C…Come on!" Largo said and looked at Natasha as his sister revealed his embarrassing moment in the past. "T…That was so long in the past! It's water under the bridge!"
"Oh…I wouldn't say so…"
A voice came from someone who was standing behind the Alolan Marowak. Largo quickly turned back and saw someone whom he rarely seen since when he had arrived at the Fireview Kingdom, and that 'someone' was also the representative of the Shadowlost Territory…
"Prince Fenrir Illunight Jr.?" Largo said as he saw the Zoroark behind him. "Where have you been?! I haven't seen you since when we arrived at the Fireview Kingdom!"
"Well…I just went out to find a nice place to calm the beast within my soul from destroying the whole kingdom…" Fenrir Jr. answered with a casual voice that completely contrasted of what he was saying.
"And where have you been?" Natasha asked.
"The Cape of Blood." Fenrir Jr. answered.
"The Cape of Blood… That's the northernmost point of Fireview Kingdom, isn't it?" Soryl spoke up.
"Yes." Fenrir Jr. said. "From there, if you have a sharp eyesight, you could see the Venom Island on the other side of the acid sea that separated Fireview and Shadowlost from each other. That place is also where… it has begun."
Everyone didn't say anything after hearing Fenrir Jr.'s words, because the Cape of Blood was where the army of warships of Fireview Kingdom left for the Shadowlost Territory at the start of the cruelest war of Symmetria, the Bloodmoon War.
"…And it's thanks to both of you that the damn war had finally come to the end, Natasha, Largo…" Fenrir Jr. continued speaking.
"We didn't do anything, Fenrir…" Natasha said. "It was our mother, Empress Sharon."
"Right." Largo said. "It was she who sent Natasha to study in Shadowlost and sent me to study in Fireview. All we did was just following our mother's order."
"And if both of you didn't, the war would never end…" Fenrir Jr. said. "Having the child of the Dustorm Emperor at Shadowlost and Fireview, the armies of both nations would sure to be hesitated to attack the other nation and risk themselves of harming either of you and turned the Dustorm Empire, the most powerful nation on the continent of Symmetria, to be their enemy. Thus, the war had finally ended… By the brain of Dustorm's Empress Sharon."
"…By the way." Terrus changed the topic of conversation and turned his attention to Soryl. "Soryl, did you find what I told you to find?"
"Well… Yes." Soryl answered. "But not now, Terrus. We are in a middle of a banquet! There are several better food to eat!"
"Sigh…" Terrus mumbled. However, before he could say anything else, an announcement of the Palace of Flame was made instead.
"Here comes the crown prince of the Theocracy of Venturnome!"
"C…Crap…" Largo said as he heard the announcement of the incoming guest from the last nation. "H…Here he comes!"
-Meanwhile… Somewhere in the Fireview Kingdom…
"Arrgg…."
Diego slowly woke up from his long slumber. It took him quite a while to adjust his eyesight and look around to see that he was now in the same place where he and his friends were camping six days ago. However, this place still looked like what it was six days ago, and there was another Pokemon here, a Latias.
Upon seeing he woke up, Rachael quickly approached Diego.
"Oh! Diego! You finally wake up!" Rachael said. "We were so worried about you!"
"Rachael?" Diego spoke up as he saw the Latias. "Why are you here? And where are Zetarus and Richard?"
"Well… This is our camp, and I stay here to take care of you." Rachael said. "Onii-chan and Zetarus went out to find more ores for you. They should come back soon."
"And how do I… end up here?" Diego asked.
"Well… Four days ago, Zetarus, Onii-chan and I went into a cavern at the Fireview Volcano to find more ores…" Rachael said. "And then, we found a body of someone floating on the sea of magma in that cavern. When we took a look, Zetarus immediately recognized that it was you, so we took you back here…"
"So… It has already been four days…" Diego mumbled as the memory gradually flew into his head… The memory of meeting Dinus and Leonel… His father and his twin brother… The memory of the Flame Blessing Ceremony… His revenge against Regent Apollo… His true inheritance… His battle against the wrath of the God of Volcano… And…
"You have a lot to explain to us, Diego." Rachael said. "Especially about… the body of yours."
"!" Diego quickly examined his body and realized that his body was not the same as before. While he was still a Charizard, he didn't possess the appearance of the ordinary Charizard. First, his body appeared to be a bit more muscular than before, and his entire body was turned into a different color. The majority of his body was now black instead of orange while his belly was sky blue instead of pale yellow, and his wings were now dark blue instead of dark green blue. The tip of his horns, as well as the tip two curved spikes that appeared on each of his shoulders, was blue (While the spikes were black like the rest of his body). He also had a few black spikes growing on his neck, as well as on the tip of his wings. His wings right now were divided into several sections. The flame on the tip of his tail was now blue instead of its usual color of yellow and red, and he now always breathed blue flames out the side of his mouth.
However, despite having a new body, there was something that was on his old body that was still on his new body. They were the orange tattoos that Leonel gave him, which now could be seen even more clearly with the contrast between its color and the color of Diego's new body…
"M…My body…" Diego said after he finished examining his body. Right now, he didn't wear any armor pieces, as those armor pieces were now beside him. It seemed like his friends removed it earlier.
"Onii-chan said that you now have the body of Mega Charizard X, Diego." Rachael said.
"Mega… Charizard X?" Diego said.
"It's one of two forms that a Charizard took when they did a Mega Evolution." Rachael explained.
"Mega Evolution?" Diego said. "What is it?"
"Onii-chan told me that Mega Evolution is a kind of temporary evolution with the help of the Mega Stone and the Key Stone to temporarily increase the power of a certain Pokemon…" Rachael said. "He also said that only a few kinds of Pokemon could achieve the Mega Evolution, such as a Charizard."
'So…The potential of hidden power he mentioned…' Diego thought. 'He did refer to the Mega Evolution…'
"But he also said that you are strange, Diego…" Rachael continued speaking. "The effect of Mega Evolution will only last for a few moments, but you had been a Mega Charizard X since when we met you until now, which was already four days…"
"…" Diego didn't say anything, as he knew the reason of this…
"Moreover…" Rachael continued speaking. "In order to achieve a Mega Evolution, we will need to use a Mega Stone of that Pokemon and a Key Stone, but we do not see any of them on your body… Well, except that ring on the claw of your right paw…"
"!" Diego quickly looked at his right paw and saw the Ring of Ruins there. He could also feel a connection between him and someone via this ring…
However, before he or Rachael could do anything else, Diego suddenly felt a sharp pain in his tail, as if something sharp was penetrated into his tail! But… He had ever experienced a pain like this before!
"OUCH! ZETARUS!" Diego roared and looked at his tail, which was now bitten by a male Garchomp who appeared out of nowhere!
"Nomnomnom…" Zetarus acted as if he did nothing wrong and continued biting Diego's tail.
"GET YOUR FXXXXXG MOUTH OFF MY TAIL YOU FXXXXXG BASTARD SON OF A BXXXX!" Diego roared as he tried to struggle free from Zetarus, but it didn't seem like the Garchomp would let him go easily…
While Diego was struggling with Zetarus, Rachael noticed that another Pokemon also arrived at their camp, and that Pokemon was none other than the one she called 'Onii-chan'.
"Onii-chan?" Rachael looked at her elder brother.
"Sigh… We have just come back and something like this happened…" Richard mumbled. "And I see that Diego has finally woken up."
"Um…" Rachael said and looked at Diego and Zetarus, and then looked at her brother. "Shouldn't we help them?"
"Let them go for now." Richard said. "Rachael, why don't you start preparing for dinner? It would be quite some time before those dorks…" Richard looked at Zetarus and Diego. "… Finish their 'job'."
"Okay…" Rachael said.
-Meanwhile… Back at the Palace of Flame…
"Sigh…" Largo let out a sigh. "I will never get used to that fancy prince of Venturnome…"
"He is not that bad, Largo." Natasha said. "But I agree that he is a bit… out-of-world…"
"Don't you see what happened as he and other representatives of Venturnome entered this place?!" Largo said. "I thought that I got high from smoking weed or something…"
"…You spoke as if you have ever… smoke it…" Fenrir Jr. spoke with a crafty voice.
"What?! Nonononono!" Largo seemed to be flustered by Fenrir Jr.'s words. "It…It was just a metaphor!"
"Haha…I got you this one…" Fenrir Jr. said and let out a small laugh.
"Hmp!" Largo grumbled. "And where is that fancy prince of Venturnome right now?"
"He and other representatives of Venturnome went to the throne room to pay a visit to King Leonardo." Terrus answered.
"Speaking of King Leonardo…" Largo spoke up. "I heard that something bad has happened to him during the Flame Blessing Ceremony on the Fireview Volcano four days ago. Terrus, do you know anything about this?"
"…Regent Orion had been killed during the Flame Blessing Ceremony." Terrus said.
"What?!" Largo, Natasha, Soryl and Freya said with a shocked voice, while Fenrir Jr. just crossed his arms and said nothing.
"According to Prince Apollo, it seemed like Regent Orion was killed by the wrath of the God of Volcano…" Terrus said. "Moreover, not only Regent Apollo, but the Volcano Guardian of Fireview Volcano was also killed during the Flame Blessing Ceremony too."
"WHAT?!" Largo said. "The Volcano Guardian is already dead?! Damn it! I should visit him sooner… Now I will never have another chance… Damn it!"
"…Do not blame yourself, Largo."
Another voice came from someone who stood behind the Alolan Marowak. Largo then turned back and saw that it was a Charizard with many weird tattoos on his body who dressed in nothing but a loincloth on his crotch. He quickly recognized this Charizard at once.
"Dinus!" Largo said. "Long time no see!"
"Long time no see too, Largo." Dinus said.
"Me too, Dinus." Largo said before he turned his attention to his siblings. "Everyone, this Charizard is my friends, as well as the son of the Volcano Guardian."
"Nice to have a privilege to meet everyone." Dinus said. "My name is Dinus Novaflare the Charizard. I am the friend of Largo and the son of the Volcano Guardian."
Everyone took turns to introduce themselves to the Charizard, except for Soryl, who looked at the Charizard with a suspecious looking at his face.
"By the way, Dinus…" Largo spoke up. "We have heard about the Flame Blessing Ceremony…"
"…It was such a tragic event…" Dinus said. "The regent of Fireview Kingdom and my beloved father were killed during the ceremony. It was one of the most painful memories in my life."
"Who did kill them, Dinus?" Largo asked. "Did they really get themselves killed by the God of Volcano's wrath?"
"…" Dinus didn't answer Largo's question.
"What are you doing, Largo?!" Natasha said. "Asking your friend about the death of their father! That's not something to do right now!"
"Oh, right…" Largo said. "I am sorry, Dinus. I hope that I didn't hurt your feeling…"
"…It's fine…" Dinus said. "The Volcano Guardian may already pass away, but his spirit is still with the sacred soil of Fireview, and I will follow his legacy of being the next Volcano Guardian…"
"…Speaking of this…" Terrus spoke up. "Dinus, I remember that your father, Leonel Novaflare the Charizard, the Volcano Guardian of Fireview, was also one of the Hero/ine of Legend…"
"…Right." Dinus said and showed the Mark of Legend on the back of his right paw to everyone. "After the death of my father, I am now the current Hero of Fire type."
"Me too…" Terrus said and showed his Mark of Legend to Dinus. "I did inherit the title of the Hero of Ground type from my father, Emperor Garland Quakersand the Garchomp, during the Succession Ceremony in Dustorm Empire several months ago."
"Nice to meet the fellow Hero of Legend, Prince Terrus." Dinus said.
"Me too." Terrus said and turned his attention to Soryl. "Soryl, why don't you say something too?"
"Well…" Soryl spoke up and turned his attention to Dinus. "While I may not look like one, but I am the Hero of Legend too."
"You are?" Dinus said. "What kind of power do you have as the Hero of Legend?"
"I am the Hero of Flying type." Soryl answered. "Please do not ask how I became one right now."
"Then, I won't." Dinus said.
"And more…" Soryl continued speaking. "Dinus, isn't it? Haven't we met each other before?"
"I am sorry?" Dinus looked at Soryl.
"I think I met you… at the Desert Palace during Terrus' Succession Ceremony several months ago…" Soryl said.
"I am afraid that you must be mistaken…" Dinus said. "I have never left the sacred realm of Fireview before in my life, so it's not possible to be me…"
"Strange…" Soryl said. "Your face looks very much like that guy… But whatever."
"…" Dinus said nothing after hearing Soryl's words.
"By the way, Dinus…" Largo spoke up. "Where's Chronos? Isn't he coming here with you too?"
"Well… Chronos won't come." Dinus answered. "He is busy with… his work right now."
"That's too bad…" Largo said. "Well…If not, then I will have to visit him soon before I left Fireview Kingdom."
"Speaking of leaving Fireview Kingdom…" Natasha spoke up and turned her attention to Terrus. "Terrus, when will you leave Fireview Kingdom and go back to the Dustorm Empire?"
"…Well, it won't be anytime soon…" Terrus said.
"What do you mean?" Freya asked.
"…Our father gave permission for me to visit the Shadowlost Territory after Prince Apollo's Coronation Ceremony…" Terrus said. "So, Fenrir Jr., Natasha and Largo, I will accompany all of you to the Shadowlost Territory too."
"That's great." Natasha said. "I am so glad that you would come with us too, Terrus."
"Just do not wander around and gnaw anything you found on the ground, alright?" Largo said.
"…I won't make a promise to you, Largo." Terrus said.
"So…" Soryl spoke up. "It seemed like I will have to go with you too, Terrus."
"Only if you want to." Terrus said. "You can come with us, or you can go back to Dustorm Empire with Freya too."
"What?!" Largo said. "Won't Freya come with us too?!"
"W…Well…" Freya spoke up. "Father didn't let me. He told me that Shadowlost Territory is too dangerous for me, and all of Dustorm royal children shouldn't leave our empire for long, so I will have to go back…"
"That's too bad…" Largo said. "But… Well… Since it was father's order, then we couldn't do anything…"
"Anyway, Soryl, what would you do?" Terrus asked. "Will you come with us? Or will you go back with Freya?"
"…I think I will go with you, Terrus." Soryl answered.
"Are you sure?" Natasha said. "I think that you should accompany Freya back to Dustorm Empire."
"Well… That won't be a good idea…" Soryl said. "No offense, but what would the nobles of Dustorm Empire think of someone from the Windsky like me who accompanies the youngest child of Emperor Garland while crossing the desert of Dustorm? They may think that I plan to do something bad and then they will use it as an excuse to do something bad to my village…"
"Oh, that's right…" Natasha said. "I am sorry, Soryl."
"M…Me too…" Freya said.
"Nah, all of you didn't do anything wrong." Soryl said. "Pardon me for saying this, while I don't like the Dustorm Empire very much, especially its nobles, I like all of you. All of you, the royal children of Dustorm Empire, are all good guys whom I can trust."
"I am glad to hear this from you, Soryl." Terrus said.
"…Well… I am happy too to hear you say that, Soryl…" Largo said with a voice as if he had something on his mind. "But… 'ALL royal children of Dustorm Empire' is kinda tickling my mind…"
"Oh…" Soryl understood what was going on. "I am sorry, Largo. I didn't mean to say that."
"Whatever…" Largo said before he realized that Dinus was still here. "Oh, I am sorry, Dinus, for leaving you out of the conversation for so long."
"Don't worry about it, Largo. It's nothing." Dinus said.
"Then, why don't you join us, Dinus?" Terrus said. "I really want to know more about the sacred mountain of Fireview. Can you tell me about it?"
"Gladly." Dinus said. However, before any of them could say anything more, a voice of someone could be heard by all of them.
"Oh! Marvelous! Such an extraordinary phenomenon! Like a script of fate written by a wondrous writer of drama and bloodshed! Like a wonderful and tragic play on a stage! Like a foretelling and a prediction of the stars!"
"C…Crap…" Largo spoke as he heard the voice, as the owner of the voice was someone he didn't want to meet. "W…Why now?"
-At a Small Camp, Somewhere in the Fireview Kingdom…
"…So, that's what happened to you after you left for the Fireview Volcano." Richard said after Diego told him everything about the incident on the Fireview Volcano, as well as his true inheritance.
"But it's still unbelievable, isn't it?" Rachael spoke up. "In the end, Diego, like Zetarus, turns out to be the member of a Royal Family too!"
"I am NOT a member of any royal family." Diego said. "And, unlike you, Zetarus, I am NOT a prince of Fireview too."
"Um-em." Zetarus nodded to Diego's words, but he didn't actually pay his attention to Diego's words. Instead, his attention was at something else…
"And you are the son of the Volcano Guardian of Fireview…" Richard said.
"And you also have a twin brother too…" Rachael said.
"Well...Yes." Diego nodded.
"…You know…" Richard said. "From what I have heard, you and Zetarus have a story that's very similar to each other…"
"How come?" Diego asked.
"First, you were the wanted criminal of a nation who had an intention to get rid of a certain member of the royal family of that nation…" Richard said. "But in the end, it turned out that both of you are actually the prince of the fellow nation, yet you chose to abandon your birthright and followed your own destination…"
"Maybe…" Diego said. "However, there are some minor difference between Zetarus and I. First, I succeed in killing that certain member of the royal family while Zetarus didn't, at least right now. And, while both of us didn't accept our birthright, Zetarus still considers himself as a part of his royal family while I cut every tie from my royal family. It's like black and white, both are similar to each other, but also completely different from each other, right, Zetarus?"
"Yes… Black and crunchy…" Zetarus said as his attention was on something else, and Diego couldn't bear it anymore.
"STOP STARING AT MY TAIL, YOU MXXXXXXXXXXR!" Diego roared and punched Zetarus' face with a flame-cloaked fist, attacking him with the move Fire Punch!
"Ouch…." Zetarus said as he rubbed where he was punched. "So hot… It burns…"
"Why did you have to keep your eyes on my tail, you axxxxxe?!" Diego spoke with an angry voice. "And I told you NOT TO BITE MY TAIL YOU BASTARD SON OF A B—"
"Say it again and I will bite your tail off, Diego." Zetarus spoke with a serious voice. "I did punish you just because you worried me!"
"Me?! Worried you?!" Diego spoke with a surprised voice. He didn't expect that to come out of Zetarus' mouth.
"You disappeared for an ENTIRED day and came back by unconsciously floating on the sea of magma!" Zetarus said. "Don't you know how much I worried about you?! How much I fear that you wouldn't come back?! Don't you know?!"
"…You are right…" Diego said. "I am sorry for disappearing and coming back in that condition… I was so selfish and I didn't care for your feeling… So… I am truly sorry, Zetarus."
"Well, that tail bite was a punishment to you not to do it again…" Zetarus said. "However…"
"What?" Diego looked at Zetarus.
"…I think the tail of your new body is far more crunchy and tastier than your former body…" Zetarus said and licked his lip. "Can I bite your tail again?"
"WHAT?!" Diego was shocked after he heard Zetarus' request. "NO! DON'T YOU DARE!"
"Come on!" Zetarus said and approached Diego. "I promise that I will be gentle!"
"W…WHAT?!" Diego said as Zetarus touched his tail, and then…
"…If you want to do it, go and find somewhere else to do."
A voice of a Latios turned Zetarus and Diego's attention to Richard, who was now covering Rachael's eyes and ears.
"Oh…" Zetarus quickly got away from Diego. "I am sorry!"
"Sigh…" Richard sighed as he uncovered Rachael's eyes and ears. "You know what? Both of you sound like a pair of couple when both of you quarrel with each other…"
"W…WHAT?!" Diego said. "D…DO NOT SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!"
"Welp… Actually, I wouldn't mind…" Zetarus said with a crafty voice.
"ENOUH!" Diego roared and looked at Zetarus with an angry face. "NO MORE ANYTHING LIKE THIS, OKAY?!"
"Fine…" Zetarus said and looked at Diego's tail. "But you'd better watch your back from now on or you may find your tail in my mouth."
"Do it you bastard, I dare you…" Diego spoke with a creepy voice, as if he was trying to hold back his anger.
"…Are you done yet?" Richard spoke with his arm crosses. "Diego, you still haven't told us how did you turn into a Mega Charizard X yet, and how did you survive a fall into that crater."
"Oh, right…" Diego said. "Well… It was the Legendary Pokemon I did mention earlier that saved me."
"Legendary Pokemon?" Rachael said. "The same Legendary Pokemon you said that they saved you from the arena?"
"Yes." Diego said. "And, as you thought, he did offer me to form a pact with him."
"…Holmer told me that he could sense that you are now like us…" Richard said. "So… This means that you accepted his offer, didn't you?"
"Well… It's true that, now that my thirst of vengeance had already been quenched, and I no longer need power…" Diego said. "But it wouldn't be a bad idea to accept this offer…"
"And your body…" Rachael said.
"…It's the price I paid for forming this pact…" Diego said. "My old body had already been destroyed, so I will not be able to turn back into a Charizard anymore, and I also lost my Flying type, but I did gain a new body, a new type of Dragon, as well as an increasing in my power…"
"…Then…" Richard spoke up again. "Who is the Legendary Pokemon that you formed a pact with?"
Diego didn't answer Richard's question with his words, but with a gesture of raising his paw to show everyone his Dragon Relic, the Ring of Ruins. The ring started emitting a mysterious light, and a silhouette of a Legendary Pokemon appeared…
'My name is Frostic the Kyurem…' A creepy voice echoed from Diego's Ring of Ruins. 'I am the corpse of the Dragon's God… I am the dragon of emptiness… I am the empty shell of the god…'
Before any of Rachael, Richard and Zetarus could say anything after hearing Frostic's introduction, their Dragon Relics started glowing with a mysterious aura, and then the silhouettes of three Legendary Pokemon suddenly appeared from each Dragon Relics. Upon appearing, the Legendary Pokemon that appeared from Zetarus' Ring of Balance quickly spoke up.
'YOU! YOUUU!' Zygarde spoke with an angry voice. 'HOW DARE YOU SHOW YOUR FACE TO ME AGAIN?!'
"What?!" Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego were surprised by Zygarde's hostility toward Frostic, as Zygarde was usually calm, even when Zetarus did something disgusting, but now…
'…Zygarde…' Frostic mumbled.
'How dare you address my name, you monster!' Zygarde said. 'What you have done 130 years ago is truly UNACCEPTABLE!'
Frostic still didn't say anything.
'Hm! You are so disgusting that I don't even want to see your face.' Zygarde said. It seemed like he had calmed down a bit. 'But do not dare to show your face to me again, understood?'
After finished speaking, Zygarde's silhouette disappeared into Zetarus' Ring of Balance, leaving three silhouettes and four Pokemon here…
'…Well...' Holmer spoke up and looked at Frostic. 'The great Frostic, I am glad to see you again.'
'Me too…' Ilia spoke up. 'It had been so long since the last time we had a decent conversation with each other.'
'…I remember both of you…' Frostic said. 'Both of you once aided the Hero/ine of Legend in their quest of ending the Twilight Crisis, as well as both of you are also my fellow d—'
'A…And…' Holmer quickly spoke up. 'I heard that you, like us, also aided the Hero/ine of Legend in their quest of saving the world too.'
'Yes.' Ilia said. 'Unlike us, you did aid them to end the Daybreak Crisis instead, right?'
"Really?!" Rachael said and looked at the silhouette of Frostic. "Frostic-san, you are so cool!"
Frostic didn't anything.
'Not only the Daybreak Crisis…' Holmer continued speaking. 'But you also aid them during the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago too, right?'
"Really?!" Rachael asked.
'…Yes.' Frostic answered. 'I aided the Hero/ine of Legend during their quest to stop the Fallen Crisis 30 years ago.'
"If that's true, then—" Diego spoke up, but his words were interrupted by Frostic's words.
'Yes, I knew your father, Diego.' Frostic said. 'And I also knew the father of the Garchomp who sits beside you too. Their names are Leonel and Garland, right?'
"…" Zetarus and Diego didn't say anything after hearing the name of their fathers.
'…Anyway, I forgot to tell you something about the power of Mega Evolution I gave you, Diego…' Frostic said.
"What?" Diego looked at the Kyurem that he had formed a pact with.
'…Despite I gave you the power of Mega Evolution and turned you into the Mega Charizard X, it didn't turn out very good.' Frostic said.
"W…What did you mean by that?!" Diego asked.
'Normally, in order for a Pokemon to do the Mega Evolution, they need to possess a Mega Stone of their kind, a Key Stone as a catalyst, and some sort of 'bond'…' Frostic explained. 'However, all I did to you was giving you a new power, as well as transferring your soul to your new body. I didn't use either Mega Stone or Key Stone. Moreover, I had to put some part of my power to make the effect of your Mega Evolution permanent. As a result, the power you gained from this Mega Evolution aren't as strong as the normal Mega Evolution. You only gained the increase in your attack stat and special attack stat while your defense stat stays the same as when you were a Charizard. So… Be careful.'
"That's fine with me." Diego said. "I didn't pay much attention to both my defense stat and special defense stat, as I'd prefer the offensive fight, so I like to have high attack and special attack instead of defense and special defense."
"Me too." Zetarus spoke up. "But I'd prefer having high speed instead as I like attacking the enemy from afar."
"Me too, Zetarus." Richard said. "But, unlike you, I'd prefer special attack over physical attack."
"Well… I…" Rachael said. "I don't like to battle, so I'd prefer to support all of you in a battle instead…"
'…If you say so…' Frostic said. 'But I kept my promise by keeping those tattoos on your new body.'
"Yeah… Thanks for that, Frostic." Diego said and looked at the orange tattoos on his black and blue skin.
"So, the one who gave those strange tattoos was your father, right?" Richard spoke up.
"Yes." Diego said. "I really don't know why I didn't stop him from doing so. It's so ugly and strange…"
"And yet you kept it even when you were transferred to your new body…" Richard said.
"But I kinda like them, Diego." Zetarus spoke up. "It also makes you…look tastier…"
"DON'T. YOU. DARE!" Diego grumbled.
'…I think it's time for me to go…' Frostic spoke up. 'I will leave all of you for now… Good night, everyone.'
'Us too.' Holmer and Ilia said. 'Good night, everyone.'
After they finished speaking, Frostic, Holmer and Ilia disappeared into their respective Dragon Relic (Ring of Ruins for Frostic, Luster Pendant for Holmer and Mist Pendant for Ilia.), leaving Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego here.
"Well… Diego…" Richard spoke up and picked something up to show to the Mega Charizard X. They were two small pieces of ores, one black and one white. "Are they the ore you mentioned?"
Diego took both ores from Richard and started examining them for a few minutes, and then he gave the answer to the Latios. "They are, without doubt, Blancer and Noiria."
"We found quite a few out of both of them during these past five days!" Rachael said.
"And since we have them, could you upgrade our weapons again by using them?" Richard asked.
"Well… I could do it." Diego said. "But it's getting late. You all wouldn't want to hear the sound of forging during your sleep, right? So, I will do it tomorrow, okay?"
"That's fine with me." Richard said. "Well, then, there's one more thing that we need to discuss before we call it a day."
"And what would that be?" Zetarus asked.
"…Since our objectives that led us to Fireview Kingdom were already fulfilled, what will we do next?" Richard asked.
"…I think that…I will go back to the Dustorm Empire…" Zetarus answered. "I need to complete my mission of killing the Emperor of Dustorm Empire, so I have to go back."
"Well…" Diego said. "I don't have anything to do with my revenge is already finished, but I did promise Zetarus that we will help each other, so I will go back to the Dustorm Empire with him too…"
"Glad to have you with me, Diego." Zetarus said before he turned his attention to Rachael and Richard. "What about both of you? Wanna come with us or not?"
"…We don't have any reason to go with both of you…" Richard answered. "But we also don't have any reason not to go with both of you. So… Rachael, I will let you decide…"
"Me?!" Rachael said. "W…Well… Since Zetarus and Diego are our friends, I think we should continue helping them…"
"…Are you really sure that you want to continue travelling with two outlaws?" Zetarus asked.
Rachael was about to answer Zetarus' question, but was stopped when Richard mumbles something…
"I heard that Dustorm Empire has many beautiful cloths for sale, especially at the Sandust Port." Richard mumbled without looking at anyone, but his words couldn't escape Rachael's ears.
"REALLY?!" Rachael looked at her elder brother.
"I don't know…" Richard answered. "But I heard that the Sandust Port of Dustorm Empire has an Opera House too…"
"Yeah, that's right." Zetarus confirmed Richard's words.
"YES!" Rachael said and looked at Zetarus and Diego. "Zetarus, Diego, Onii-chan and I will go to the Dustorm Empire with you for sure!"
A moment of silence followed Rachael's words, and it was broken with a sigh of a Latios, Garchomp and Mega Charizard X.
"Whatever…" Zetarus said. "It's always nice to have someone cooking and guiding us…"
"Yeah!" Rachael said. "All of us will be able to travel together again! Yeah!"
"But there's a little problem…" Diego spoke up. "How could we go to the Dustorm Empire? By foot? Nah… The guards at the checkpoint would immediately recognize the outlaws like Zetarus and I."
"Then, that leaves us with a travelling by ship…" Zetarus spoke up, but Richard shook his head.
"That won't do." Richard said. "Fireview's Coronation Ceremony will end soon, so the Pokemon from other nations will be going back to their home, and they would likely go back by ship. It won't be a good idea for us to take a ship at this moment…"
"Then, what should we do?" Rachael asked.
"There are two ways to solve this." Richard said. "First, we can wait in this nation for at least one week to let the Pokemon from other nations to go back to their home…"
"That won't do…" Diego said. "I don't want to stay here anymore."
"Then… That leaves us with one choice…" Richard said and opened his Chronicle of Daybreak. "According to the record in this Chronicle, there should be a cave that leads us to the Dustorm Empire."
"But wouldn't that cave already be discovered?" Diego asked.
"I don't think so…" Richard said. "The Chronicle said that the entrance of this cave was completely sealed and hid. So, unless they have the exact location of this cave, no one would be able to discover this cave."
"And… Do you?" Diego asked.
"Yes. The Chronicle did have a record of the location of the cave." Richard said. "And we can use it to sneak into the Dustorm Empire undetected."
"Great!" Zetarus said. "Now I will be able to complete my lifetime mission! YAWN…" Zetarus let out a yawn. "I am so sleepy right now… So, I will go to bed right now. Well, see you all tomorrow."
"Me too." Diego said. "See you all tomorrow."
As they spoke, the Garchomp and the Mega Charizard X got themselves into their respective sleeping bag and then quickly fell asleep.
"Rachael, you should go to sleep too." Richard said. "I will keep watching here…"
"Okay!" Rachael said. "Good night, Onii-chan!"
Rachael approached her flower-patterned and got herself into it, before she quickly fell asleep. Right now, the only one left was Richard.
"…" Richard picked up his Chronicle of Daybreak and continued reading it.
With Rachael, Zetarus and Diego were sleeping and Richard was reading his Chronicle, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of burning flame in the middle of the camp, which would soon die out, leaving only a gray ash behind…
And thus, the journey of burning revenge had come to the end…
And their new journey will start soon at the first light of the next day…
However… The place they would head to… It doesn't lead them to their destination…
But it will lead them to the past…
To the beginning… Of Everything…
And… Soon…
The prophecy… Will come true…
-End of Tail 5: Reprisal-
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: Thus, the fifth tail of this story, Reprisal, have come to the end. The reason behind the name of this tail is very clear, isn't it?
Diego has finished his revenge, and he, along with Zetarus, Rachael and Richard plan to go back to Dustorm Empire to continue his mission… But will things go on as they plan? All I can say is 'The story of living creature's existence is truly unfathomable…'
This tail gave me the same vibe that the second tail gave me, and Diego, who had made an appearance since the second tail, finally got his own tail… (No pun intended.) For me, this tail turns out not too bad. (At least, for me…)
As usual, the next chapter will be the interlude of the fifth tail! And then it will be the start of the sixth tail! I can't really wait to start writing the sixth tail! Because the sixth tail is one of the most important tail of this story, and many major characters will appear in this tail too…
By the way, Rachael, Richard, Zetarus and Diego will all play a major role in the next tail, along with Claura and Xavier from the fourth tail too! However… No, Xavier isn't the protagonist of the sixth tail. The protagonist of the sixth tail will be a new character who had already appeared, but they didn't get a proper introduction. I bet that you wouldn't be able to guess who is the protagonist of the sixth tail…
(Hint: The protagonist of the sixth tail had already appeared once throughout the first five tails of this story, and I hardly told you anything about them, not even a hint about their specie… But… Look at Rachael, Zetarus, Richard, Claura, Diego and even Xavier, as well as the name of this story, before you guess…)