A Dragon's Tail
Tail 6: Baromyteus' Tail - Deception
Tail 6-1: A Dragon in Black
30 years ago, there was a great crisis happened on the continent of Symmetria…
It was the Fallen Crisis…
The name of the Fallen Crisis came from what happened during its occurrence… During the Fallen Crisis, several undead creatures appeared from deep within the ground and plagued the continent of Symmetria, under the command of their master…
Those creatures were called 'Fallen', as they were the corpse of the Pokemon who had fallen to their oblivion who were raised from death against the law of nature…
The Fallen had no mind of their own, because they were just the empty shells, working only for the one who commanded them…
Their master was… the Fallen Dragon…
What is the Fallen Dragon? There was no record of what it is other than it was the demon dragon who was imprisoned under the continent of Symmetria for committing a great crime to the world of Pokemon….
What did it do to deserve such a miserable fate? No one knew the answer…
However, there were several records that it tried to plague the world of Pokemon by sending the Fallen over to the land for many times…
What was the Fallen Dragon's intention of plaguing the world of Pokemon? There was no answer to this… Maybe it wanted to rule the world… Maybe it just wanted to be freed… Or maybe it was envious for those who bathed in the sacred light while it had to stay within the darkness under the surface for eternity...
Regardless, its action of raising the fallen against the law of nature was considered to be a great danger to the world of Pokemon, especially to the continent of Symmetria, so the Hero/ine of Legend, the protectors of the world of Pokemon, were chosen to be the one who stopped the disaster before it turned the continent of Symmetria into ruins…
The group of the Hero/ine of Legend that were chosen to stop the Fallen Crisis consisted of 16 Pokemon. They were the Hero of Justice, the Purity Cleric, the Forest Swordsman, the Lightning Thief, the Ocean Pirate, the Volcano Guardian, the Master of Mercy, the Diamond-dust Valkyrie, the Techno Knight, the Ancient Gladiator, the Toxic Ranger, the Black Sniper, the Sorceress of Existence, the White Bard, as well as two more Pokemon…
All of them fought valiantly to stop the invasion of the Fallen, even at the greatest moment of despair when the eternal winter had veiled over the continent of Symmetria as a result of the Fallen being the creatures against the law of nature, resulting into the continent of Symmetria being turned into ruins…
But they never gave up…
The continued their struggle until they reached the lair of the Fallen Dragon, preparing to finish the Fallen Crisis once and for all…
Only to discover the unexpected truth…
It was about the last two Hero/ine of Legend who were travelling with them and helped them in their mission…
They were not the Hero/ine of Legend…
But they were the faithful servants of the Fallen Dragon!
They were the one who was responsible for many actions during the Fallen Crisis…
They manipulated many incidents during the Fallen Crisis, under the command of the Fallen Dragon…
They befriended the Hero/ine of Legend with their lies and deceptions to fool them, allowing them to execute so many unforgivable crimes to the continent of Symmetria…
And then, at the final moment of the mission, they stabbed the Hero/ine of Legend in their back, before revealing their true intention to those who were once their comrades…
The sudden revelation gave a significant impact to the Hero/ine of Legend… All of them had never thought that thing would turn out like this. Nevertheless, they had no choice but to forget their pain and moved on…
They had to eliminate the one who stood within their path, including their comrades…
And in the end, they were able to defeat their comrades and eradicate the Fallen Dragon from the continent of Symmetria, thus ended the Fallen Crisis right here…
After the end of the Fallen Crisis, the 14 remaining Hero/ine of Legend devoted themselves in rebuilding the ruins continent into a prosperous continent once again…
At the end of their task, the Hero/ine of Legend will return to their home, and lived their life as an ordinary Pokemon… Until the time when they were needed again…
The Hero of Justice returned to his hometown, which was the Solar Village in the Theocracy of Venturnome, and became the Dojo Master there, teaching his skill to everyone there, including his son who one day will inherit his legacy…
The Purity Cleric lived her life quietly in the Republic of Civilight, but she was forced to flee to the Solar Village when the Civilusion War broke out, where she devoted herself as the servant of Goddess Yggdrasil and became the Archbishop of Solar Village's Church…
The Forest Swordsman disappeared into the deep forest of the Principality of Leafburg and lived his life quietly until the last moment of his life, where the lust of power had guided him to the path of death…
The Lightning Thief wished to live his life quietly in the capital city of the Republic of Civilight, but fate had turned him into a tool for one's ambition, which he later atoned in with his death…
The Ocean Pirate lived his life as a happy-go-lucky merchant in the Queendom of Riverbrine, but he later disappeared, and when he was found once again, he was at the last moment of his life…
The Volcano Guardian continued serving the God of Volcano in the Fireview Kingdom, and he would later perish by the wrath of the deity he served…
The Master of Mercy reunited the Pokemon of her clan and found the nation of the Shadowlost Territory, as well as becoming its chancellor…
The Diamond-dust Valkyrie lived her life normally at first, until the War of the Snowlost Plateau broke out, and when the Queendom of Riverbrine was found, she was chosen to be its queen. However, the wealth and the power she got from being a queen had corrupted her soul, and she had to atone it… with her death…
The Techno Knight wished to live his life quietly in the Republic of Civilight too, but during the Civilusion War, he was captured and being used as an experimental specie. He was later freed from his miserable life by his own son…
The Ancient Gladiator continued living with his wife peacefully, and when she became the queen of Ice and Water, he was made her personal knight. However, he was disgusted by the queen's corruption and left her. His whereabouts had been unknown since then…
The Toxic Ranger, following her husband, became the Empress of the Dustorm Empire. She then gave birth to many children, all whom she loved so dearly. However, she later passed away due to the illness…
The Black Sniper became the Emperor of Dustorm Empire, and he made the desert nation to become the most powerful nation on the continent of Symmetria. However, after the lost of his wives, he never was the same again…
The Sorceress of Existence became the Archsage of Theocracy of Venturnome, where she guided the path of the continent to the road of peace and prosperous, in hope that she would never have to see the continent of Symmetria being turned into ruins again…
The White Bard became the Pontifex of the Theocracy of Venturnome, and with the guide of his beloved wife, he was able to make the sacred nation to become a peaceful place where everyone could live together in harmony. Unfortunately, he was now unable to do his job anymore…
With the protections from 14 Hero/ine of Legend, peace had returned to the continent of Symmetria once again…
But…
What about those two?
Those two Pokemon who faithfully served the Fallen Dragon and stabbed the Hero/ine of Legend in the back?
What happened to them?
Did the Hero/ine of Legend kill them? Or did they spare their lives out of pity?
No one knew the answer…
However, there's one thing that everyone knew…
Both of them were now the traitors of the world of Pokemon…
They were the renegades…
They will be cursed and damned for eternity…
For the rest…
Of their lives…
"CLLANNKKK!"
"ARGGR!"
A Pokemon fell down onto the ground. His body was soaked with his own blood, which was now spilling non-stop from the wounds he had just gotten.
"Pitiful…" A strong and daunting voice came from someone who was standing in front of him, holding his weapon in his paws. His weapon was now stained with the blood of the Pokemon in front of him.
"Y…You…" The injured Pokemon spoke up with a shaking voice as he looked at the Pokemon in front of him. It's impossible to tell what kind of Pokemon he was as he wore a black armor suit covered his body, including his tail, and his head was covered with a black horned helmet. His body also emitted a sinister aura that made everyone around here felt uneasy about him, like a prey that was at the mercy of the predator…
"You miserable creature…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke up again. "How… DARE YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO HER?!"
"W..Wait! I am sorry! I wasn't thinking!" The injured Pokemon spoke with a shaking voice. "P…Please forgives me!"
"You pathetic…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit continued speaking. "Don't you know what are the things I hate most? They are lie and deception… And you… YOU JUST DID IT RIGHT BEHIND MY SIGHT!"
"P…Please forgives me!" The injured Pokemon pled. "I…I will double… No… Triple your gold if y… you let me go! Please!"
"Heh!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit snarled at the injured Pokemon in front of him. "Do you think that I am just a sloppy mercenary who only cared for gold?!"
"N…No…" The injured Pokemon spoke. "I… I didn't mean that…"
"WHATEVER!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared and raised his weapon. "YOUR TIME IS OVER! DIE, YOU MISERABLE CREATURE!"
"NOOO!"
"SHINK!"
A sound of something piercing through the chest could be heard if there was anyone else around here, but there was no sound of roar in pain as the one who was attacked was now lying lifelessly in front of the Pokemon in the black armor suit.
"Pathetic!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit put away his weapon before he walked up to another Pokemon behind the lifeless corpse of the Pokemon he had just killed. She was a slime snail Pokemon with gooey light-violet skin and violet belly. Her slimy tail had a curled tip. She had two long horns on her head and several green spots on her body; three on each side of her tail and two on each side of her head. Her paws and her chin had a dripping green goo. In other words, she was a Goodra. Right now, she wore a beautiful and graceful white dress that was usually worn by a songstress or a dancer, and her body was now trembling in fear.
"Are you alright, sister?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit asked the female Goodra with a warm voice that showed tenderness and concern to the trembling Pokemon, unlike the daunting voice he spoke earlier. "Did that earthscum hurt you?"
"N…No, brother…" The Goodra answered with a shaking voice. "Y…You came back just in time before he… did something to me…"
"That scum…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit looked at the corpse of the Pokemon he had just killed. "He hired me to do a work for him, but… LOOK AT WHAT HE DID TO US! HE STABBED US IN THE BACK BY TRYING TO GET YOU FOR HIMSELF!"
"Brother…" The Goodra looked at the Pokemon in the black armor suit.
"I don't ever want to imagine what would happen if I wasn't told that you were in danger and hurried back…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit said.
"But… Brother…" The Goodra looked at the corpse of the Pokemon that the Pokemon in the black armor suit had just killed. "You… You have just killed another client of yours."
"True." The Pokemon in the black armor suit said. "…And I never regret doing so…"
"But…" The Goodra continued speaking. "Brother… You did kill almost EVERYONE who hired to do their job! And now, you won't get paid for your job!"
"Um… Well…" The Pokemon in the black armor mumbled.
"Sigh…" The Goodra sighed. "Well, then… Let's go, brother. I still have a job at the tavern of the Stonehill Village to do tonight?"
"Hm?" The Pokemon in the black armor suit looked at the Goodra.
"They hired me to dance there tonight." The Goodra answered. "Brother, you should perform your dance there too."
"Nope." The Pokemon in the black armor suit answered. "I only do sword dancing, and almost no one would care to watch me doing so."
"If that's so, then…" The Goodra continued speaking. "Let's go, brother. I still need to prepare a bit for tonight's work."
The Pokemon in the black armor suit nodded to the Goodra, and both of them walked together to reach the exit of the building they were in. However, just before they left this place, the Pokemon in the black armor suit turned his attention back to the lifeless corpse of the Pokemon he had just killed…
"…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit didn't say anything as he looked at the corpse.
"What's wrong, brother?" The Goodra asked once she noticed the strange action of the Pokemon beside her.
"Heh… Cynical, isn't it?" The Pokemon in the black armor suit forced himself to laugh a bit, though he didn't do a very good job. "The things I hate most are lie and deception… But… Just look at what I have done 30 years ago… To the World of Pokemon… To the continent of Symmetria… To everyone… And most importantly, to them…"
"…Brother, I also share that feeling…" The Goodra approached the Pokemon in the black armor suit and gently touched his arm. "I deceived them by handing over a false friendship to them, before I stabbed them in the back at the end…"
"…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit said nothing.
"If they hadn't defeated us, the continent of Symmetria would surely fall into the complete chaos of madness…" The Goodra spoke with a sad voice. "But… I didn't deserve their mercy… They should have just… killed me right there… Why do they have to let me live? I do not understand…"
"…I can't say that I understand your feeling." The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke up. "Unlike you, I have been their enemy since the beginning, and I didn't plan to become a friend with them, not until the last breath of my life."
"…" The Goodra didn't say anything.
"…But I regretted what I had done." The Pokemon in the black armor suit continued speaking. "The things I hate most are lie and deception, and yet I did both to them… I didn't even deserve to continue living in this world…"
"Brother…" The Goodra spoke.
"…Let's go, Anastasia." The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke up.
"Okay, my brother." The Goodra nodded, and then both of them left the building together…
-Meanwhile…
"Ugh… What a pain…"
Claura mumbled as she finished smashing the last bandit's head with her anchor. This bandit, along with many other bandits, did try to ambush her and Xavier while they were walking across the Stone Ravine, in hope that they would be able to squeeze some loot from them. However, none of them knew how strong both of them were… So, in the end…
"Eww… That's all of them?" Xavier said with a disappointed voice as he cleaned his blood-soaked halberd. "I am still not satisfied with this yet!"
"That's enough, Xavier." Claura said as she walked up to Xavier across a dozen corpses of bandits that were brutally killed by Claura and, especially, Xavier.
"Aww…" Xavier mumbled.
"Anyway…" Claura looked at Xavier's halberd. For some reason, his halberd looked a bit different than when they were at the Riverbrine Archipelago. Its handle seemed to became more rigid, the blade itself seemed to become sturdier than before, and the edge of the blade seemed sharper than before. Moreover, even thought it was used in a fierce battle, it didn't seem to become very dirty like before. "How about your halberd right now? I upgraded your weapon, as well as mine, yesterday. Is it good enough?"
"Well… It DID become a bit better…" Xavier said. "The sharper edge allowed me to slice the bodies of these bandits easier, and the new handle made it become easier for me to grab it, so I can use it a bit better at defending the attack. However, it's just a bit better thought…"
"I am not a professional blacksmith, Xavier." Claura said and looked at her upgraded anchor. Her upgraded anchor had a longer chain than before, as well as a heavier but far more powerful anchor attaching to the chain. "This is as much as I can do. If we want to upgrade our weapon any further, you will need a professional blacksmith to do this job."
"Lame…" Xavier mumbled. "But I guess it couldn't be helped. Oh, well… Since my weapon had already been upgraded, I will now call it 'Stratosphere'…"
"Again with a strange name…" Claura mumbled.
"What about you, Claura?" Xavier asked. "What would the name of your upgraded weapon be?"
"Hm…" Claura looked at her upgraded weapon. "Well… I think I am going to call it 'Naidni'."
"…Such an uncreative name." Xavier commented. "Whatever… Let's get going…"
Claura and Xavier continued their journey across the Stone Ravine. Both of them had just crossed the Fireview-Riverbrine Border today, and were now heading toward the capital of Fireview Kingdom. The reason why both of them decided to go to the nation of flame and stone was the very same reason why they spent their time in the Riverbrine Archipelago. It was because they needed to find something…
However, after walking across the Stone Ravine for several hours, the sun had finally departed from the sky, and night had come, but the capital of Fireview Kingdom, as well as the exit of the Stone Ravine, was still far away. Luckily, both of them did come across the Stonehill Village, a small village located in the Stone Ravine near the Fireview-Riverbrine Border, so it did seem like both of them didn't have to spend their night in the wilderness again…
"Moreover, I want my poor stomach to take a little break after those tortures I did to it." Xavier said.
"And what does this support to be?" Claura asked.
"It means that I tortured my stomach by feeding it with those foods you made." Xavier answered. "Claura, you must never forget that your foods suck."
"XAVIER!" Claura roared.
First, both of them went to the store to buy some groceries. Next, they went to the inn to rent a room for a night.
"In order to save our money…" Claura spoke up. "We will sleep together in the same room, okay? Don't worry about it. We are cousins after all…"
"Whatever…" Xavier mumbled. "Just don't shove me to sleep on the floor again, do you?"
After they finished renting their room, both dragons went to a nearby tavern to have dinner. This tavern, like many other taverns around Symmetria, was the place where many Pokemon, usually travelers or mercenaries, would stop by to relieve their hunger and thirst. The foods, according to many travelers, may not be very good, but it's better than having to fill their belly by their own. Some tavern, like the one in the Stonehill Village, also had some sort of 'entertainment' for the weary travelers, such as a dancer who would soothe (Actually, stir) everyone's soul with their dance…
"Whewwww!"
"Wahhhh!"
Many Pokemon in the tavern, which most of them were Fire type or Rock type Pokemon, shouted out with glee as they saw a sultry Salazzle dancing on the stage in the tavern. The Salazzle dancer danced with such a sultry movement, and the pheromone was excreted from her body as she danced, made every male Pokemon in the tavern to become ' wild and arouse'. However, this didn't affect some Pokemon, such as all female Pokemon in the tavern, as well as…
"Zzzzzzzz…."
"Sigh…" Claura looked at her cousin, who was now sleeping while sitting beside her at the table. Both of them had just finished their dinner for a while, and they decided to order some drinks. However, while waiting for the drinks, Xavier did fall asleep, just like what he always did when he was left with nothing to do for a few minutes.
Claura turned her attention to the stage. It seemed like the Salazzle dancer had just finished her dance, and many male Pokemon in the tavern quickly approached her and asked her to 'spend a night' with them. Some of them even got themselves into a brawl in order to 'determine' that which one of them would be the one who will 'spend a night' with this dancer…
"Hm!" Claura mumbled with an unpleasant voice. Luckily, the waiter had come to her table to serve them the drinks they ordered, so Claura woke Xavier up and took the drinks they ordered. By the time they did this, the Salazzle dancer had already left. (Along with some male Pokemon) Right now, a new dancer was on the stage, preparing for a dance...
However, unlike other dancers who had come to perform a dance on the stage, this dancer wasn't like them. First, unlike other dancers who all were either Fire type or Rock type Pokemon, this dancer was neither a Fire type nor a Rock type Pokemon. Actually… She was a Dragon type Pokemon…
"!" Claura's attention was focused at the white Dragon type Pokemon on the stage. It's very rare to find a Dragon type Pokemon on the continent of Symmetria… Actually, everywhere, as most Dragon type Pokemon lived together in their own realm. That 'realm' was also where Claura and Xavier came from… But now, a Dragon type Pokemon was in front of her, and this Dragon type Pokemon was also a fully evolved one…
She was a slime snail Pokemon with gooey light-violet skin and violet belly. Her slimy tail had a curled tip. She had two long horns on her head and several green spots on her body; three on each side of her tail and two on each side of her head. Her paws and her chin had a dripping green goo. She wore a beautiful and graceful white dress that was usually worn by a songstress or a dancer. She also carried a long, white ribbon made from silk. In other words, she was… a Goodra.
However, being a dragon type Pokemon wasn't the thing that attracted the attention of the Kingdra to the Goodra. It was the voice that suddenly echoed in Claura's head.
"…"
"God it." Claura said and turned her attention to Xavier, who also had his attention at the Goodra who was dancing on the stage too. "Hey, Xavier. This dancer…"
"No, Claura." Xavier spoke up. "A dancer only dances, but she sings too, so she is a songstress, not a dancer."
"Whatever…" Claura said. "This Goodra songstress on the stage… Don't you think she—"
"Nope." Xavier answered. "Just because they are of the same specie doesn't mean that they would be the same being or related to each other."
"I knew that!" Claura said. "Even thought a Pokemon of the same species can be different from each other, such as my father and I. Both of us are Kingdra, but according to him, I look like our grandmother instead."
"And I don't look like my mother, yet I look like our grandfather…" Xavier said. "Well spoken, Claura."
"Back to our topic…" Claura said and turned her attention to the Goodra songstress on the stage.
"Lalala…" Unlike the other dancer, the Goodra on the stage didn't only dance, but she also sang a song while she danced too. Moreover, the song she sang, the movement of her dance, and the cloth she wore, were completely different from other dancers, as other dancers' dances were sultry and…aroused everyone, like a burning flame, but her dance was soothing and calming, like a stillness of water…
"Xavier…" Claura turned her attention back to the Dragonite. "…Did Zastra tell you anything?"
"Yes." Xavier said while he reached his paw to the Scale Brooch on his chest. "And I am sure that Vastria…" Xavier looked at the Feather Brooch on Claura's chest. "… Have already told you the very same thing that Zastra told me too."
"Well, what do you think about this, Xavier?" Claura asked.
"…"
"Right…" Claura said and turned her attention back to the Goodra songstress on the stage. It seemed like she was about to finish her show. "Well, then… I think I will go and ask her about this… Come with me too, Xavier."
"Fine…" Xavier mumbled.
After they finished speaking, the Goodra had already finished her show on the stage, and now, she was preparing to leave the stage. Claura and Xavier then left her seat and approached her. However, before the Kingdra and the Dragonite could approach the Goodra, several male Pokemon, mostly mercenaries, were able to get near the songstress first.
"Hey, lass! What's up with that show?" One of the mercenaries, who was a male Incineroar, spoke up.
"P…Pardon me?" The Goodra spoke up with a shaking yet gentle and serene voice.
"Don't you know how to dance for us?!" Another mercenary, who was a Magmortar, said.
"Right!" Another mercenary, who was a Barbaracle, said. "What we need is a strong and passionate dance that would arouse our soul, not the dance of yours!
"Yeah!" Another mercenary, who was a Magcargo, spoke up. "You danced as if we are a little baby who is needed for mommy's lullaby! Your dance isn't needed here!"
"I…I am sorry…" The Goodra apologized with a gentle and sincere voice. "Please accept my sincere apologize…"
"Well… We all would only forgive you…" The Magmortar spoke up. "…Only if you'd allow us to 'teach' you how to 'arouse' our soul with your body…"
"Teach?" The Goodra spoke with a confused voice.
"Yes." The Incineroar said and grabbed the Goodra's paw. "All of you have to do is coming with us. We will take you to where your kin belongs to, a bro—"
"T…Thank you for your offer… The Goodra said and quickly slip her paw out of the Incineroar's grasp. "But I think that I will pass."
"Hey! Come on!" The Magcargo spoke up. "It wasn't that bad! Once you know how to handle all of us, you will be easy with others too!"
"No…" The Goodra said as she tried to get away from the mercenaries, but she was surrounded by them!
"Hey… Come on, girl…" The Incineroar said and grabbed the Goodra's paw again. "Be a nice and easy girl and we will—OUCH!"
The Incineroar roared in pain as his head was whacked by something hard and heavy. It was an anchor that's attached to a long chain, and the other end of the chain was held by the owner of this weapon. The owner of this weapon was none other than Claura, who seemed to be very furious. Beside her was the Dragonite named Xavier, who seemed to act as if…
"You know what?" Xavier spoke with a voice as if the disaster was about to come. "You shouldn't have done that…"
"YOU WORTHLESS CREATURES!" Claura roared as she pulled the anchor back. "I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"
"What?!" The Incineroar said. "This is our business, not your— HEY!"
The Incineroar had to stop speaking as a blast of boiling water was fired at him from the angry Kingdra. He was able to dodge it, though.
"You want a fight?!" The Incineroar said, and he, as well as other mercenaries, equipped their weapon and got themselves into an offensive stance. "IT'S A FIGHT YOU WILL GET!"
"YAHH!"
All mercenaries (Except the Incineroar) attacked Claura at the same time, but the Kingdra was able to protect herself by creating a wave of water to cover her body from the attack!
"Xavier!" Claura said. "Grab your weapon and cover me!"
"Sigh… It was YOU who got yourself into a battle…" Xavier mumbled and grabbed his halberd. "But I never say no to a nice butchery anyway!"
"Scald!" Claura roared and blasted a stream of hot water at one of the mercenaries!
"YAH!" Another mercenary tried to attack Claura when she was using the move Scald, but he was stopped something that was rushed into him!
"Dragon Rush!" Xavier roared. It was he who cloaked himself with a navy aura before tackling the mercenary with his body!
"Ouch!" The mercenary said as he fell down onto the floor. "You will pay for this!"
-Meanwhile…
While Claura and Xavier and a group of mercenaries were battling each other, none of them could notice that one of the mercenaries, the Incineroar, didn't join the brawl. Instead, he was approaching the Goodra songstress!
"You!" The Incineroar said as he grabbed the Goodra's arm. "Come with me, NOW!"
"No!" The Goodra said as she tried to struggle free, but the Incineroar was too powerful for her to oppose him. "Unhand me!"
"No way!" The Incineroar said. "You are coming with me!"
"No, please!" The Goodra pled.
"Your plea won't work with me." The Incineroar said. "Now be a nice little lass and—"
The Incineroar's word was cut off… Actually… The Incineroar's word wasn't the only thing that was cut off…
The attentions of everyone in the tavern, including Claura, Xavier and other mercenaries who were fighting with them, were drawn to three Pokemon at the corner of the tavern. The first Pokemon was the Goodra songstress, whose body was trembling. The second Pokemon was the Incineroar mercenary. However… The only part of his body that could be seen was his body, as his head was now rolling on the floor of the tavern!
"WHAT?!" All mercenaries spoke with a frightened voice after they realized that the Incineroar's head was cut off by the third Pokemon, who was now standing in front of the Goodra songstress…
"…" The Pokemon who was standing in front of the Goodra said nothing. It's impossible to tell what kind of Pokemon he was as he wore a black armor suit covered his body, including his tail, and his head was covered with a black horned helmet. His body also emitted a sinister aura that made everyone around here felt uneasy about him, like a prey that was at the mercy of the predator…
"W…Who are you?!" The Magmortar mercenaries spoke up with a shaking voice.
"…You don't have to know my name." A strong and intimidating voice echoed from the helmet of the Pokemon in the black armor suit.
"B…Brother…" The Goodra songstress spoke with a worried voice and looked at the Pokemon in front of her.
"…Stand back." The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke with much-softer voice than the voice he used to speak to the mercenaries and raised his weapon, which were two long blades made of an unknown material within his paw, and those two blades were soaked with the blood of the Incineroar. "I will take care of these scums."
"Wha—" The Magmortar mercenary was about to say something, but his word was cut off at the same time his chest was pierced by one of the blades in the paw of the Pokemon in the black armor suit!
"WHAT?!" The rest mercenaries spoke with a frightened voice, as their bodies now were consumed by fear!
"I…I know you!" The Barbaracle mercenaries spoke up with a shaking voice. "You are THAT mercenary! You are the mercenary of DEATH!"
"R…Right!" The Magcargo mercenaries said with a shaking voice too. "Y…You are that infamous mercenary who betrays and kills many of your employers! Y…You are monster!"
"Monster, huh?" The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke sarcastically. "Then… There's nothing for us to speak. DIE, YOU MISERABLE CREATURES!"
After he finished speaking, the Pokemon in the black armor suit readied his weapon, and all mercenaries did the same thing. They were now preparing for a real battle!
And then…
"SHIIIINGGG!"
"ARRGG!"
"SWASHHH!"
"RRRROAROAROAR!"
"CLLANNKKK!"
"UGGHHTGH!"
"CLIIINKK!"
"ARRRRRRGRGRG!"
The battle ended very quickly. It was no more than one minute, and right now, all mercenaries who tried to harass the Goodra songstress were now dead on the floor of the tavern, making the floor soaked with their blood. The Pokemon in the armor suit, on the other hand, only had a few scratches on his armor suit!
"Hm! Pathetic…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit mumbled as he sheathed his blades and walked up to the Goodra songstress, who was still trembling. "Are you alright?"
"Yes…" The Goodra songstress answered with a worried voice. "I am fine… But…"
"Good…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke."Now, let's get out of here."
"Oh, wait a minute, brother." The Goodra songstress spoke before she approached Claura and Xavier, who were still in awe by the battle between a group of mercenaries and the Pokemon in the black armor suit. "Thank you so much for helping me back then."
"…It was nothing…" Claura spoke up. "Actually, we almost do NOTHING…"
"That's not true…" The Goodra spoke with a gentle voice. "If you didn't help me, those Pokemon would have got me. So, my deepest gratitude to both of you."
Claura and Xavier nodded, however, before either of them could say anything, the Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke up first.
"Enough." The Pokemon in the armor suit spoke as he walked up to Claura, Xavier and the Goodra. "We don't have enough time for this chitchat, ladies. Now let's—"
"Excuse me?!" Claura spoke up and looked at the Pokemon in the black armor suit. She seemed to be upset by his words.
"What's wrong, lass?" The Pokemon in the armor suit spoke up. "Unlike you, we don't have the whole day for the boondoggle. We still have works to do."
"WHAT?!" Claura roared. "Did you just say that we are out-of-work?!"
"I didn't say that…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke. "But since you say it, I guess that both of you are really useless…"
"YOU!" Claura roared and glared at the Pokemon in the black armor suit. "How DARE you say something like that to us?! It was YOU who are useless!"
"WHAT?!" It seemed like Claura's words had got him, as the Pokemon in the black armor suit seemed to be agitated by the Kingdra's words, and once again, the sinister aura started emitting from his body and chilled the blood of everyone around here, but it seemed to have no effect on the raging Kingdra.
"Your sister almost got kidnapped by those mercenaries, and WHERE had you been?!" Claura spoke. "And I am sure that you, being a mercenary, are not different than them!"
"YOU!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared and glared at Claura. "What the hell is with you?!"
"I am just an ordinary Pokemon, but YOU!" Claura roared. "You are such a JERK!"
"DO YOU WANT TO GO TO HELL THAT MUCH, VIXEN?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared angrily and glared at the Kingdra in front of him.
"YOU SAY AS IF YOU ARE ABLE TO DEFEAT ME, JERK!" Claura roared angrily and glared at the Pokemon in the black armor suit.
"YOU WANT TO FIGHT?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared angrily. "I DON'T CARE IF YOU ARE FEMALE OR NOT! I WILL BEAT YOU UP!"
"OH, THAT'S IT?!" Claura roared. "I WILL SHOW YOU HOW STRONG I AM!"
"AND I WILL TEACH YOU NOT TO MESS WITH ME!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared.
"YOU JERK!" Claura roared.
"YOU VIXEN!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared.
Claura and the Pokemon in the black armor suit glared at each other with a bloody-looking on their face. It didn't seem like both of them would stop them quarrelling at any time soon, but neither of them had drawn their weapons out…
"B…Brother!" The Goodra songstress spoke up. She seemed to be restless when she saw both Pokemon quarrelling with each other.
"Heh?" Unlike others, Xavier seemed to be VERY interested in the quarrelling between his cousin and the Pokemon in the black armor suit, but all he did was just continue looking at both quarrelling Pokemon.
"YOU JERK!"
"YOU VIXEN!"
-Ten Minutes Later…
"YOU JERK!"
"YOU VIXEN!"
"…" Xavier and the Goodra songstress facepalmed themselves. It was because, after a long period of arguing, both Claura and the Pokemon in the armor suit didn't seem to stop their arguing, and in the end, the owner of the tavern had to kick them out as their quarrelling was a nuisance to other Pokemon in the tavern, plus, they needed to clean up the mess after the brawl in the tavern too. This made them has to leave the tavern and went to the outskirt of the village, as both Claura and the Pokemon in the black armor suit didn't seem to end their quarrelling soon…
"…Hey." Xavier decided to speak up.
"WHAT?!" Claura and the Pokemon in the armor suit turned their attention to the Dragonite and spoke up at the same time, before they quickly returned to their quarrelling.
"HEY! HOW DARE YOU STOLE MY WORD?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit roared.
"NO ONE IS THE OWNER OF THAT WORD, JERK!" Claura roared.
"Sigh…" Xavier mumbled. "I think I will just let them be…"
"Um…" The Goodra songstress approached the Dragonite and spoke up. "I am sorry that my elder brother is so rude to you and that Kingdra…"
"Oh…" Xavier turned his attention to the Goodra songstress. "It's nothing. It's just that my cousin really likes to get herself into troubles…"
"Oh! She is your cousin?" The Goodra songstress asked.
"Yes." Xavier answered, however, before he could say anything else, a creepy feeling had started crawling over his body, and he realized that the sound of quarrel had already stopped… And…
"YOU!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit pointed his swords at the Dragonite. "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO STEAL MY SISTER?!"
"YOU JERK!" Claura spoke. "MY COUSIN DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! STOP BEING SUCH A JERK HERE!"
Claura and the Pokemon in the black armor suit was about to continue their quarrel when the Goodra songstress spoke up first.
"Brother! Stop it!" The Goodra songstress spoke up. "Why did you have to be so rude?!"
"It was her…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit pointed one of his swords at Claura, who was being held back from attacking him by her cousin. "…who started ALL OF IT!"
"Brother! That's enough!" The Goodra songstress spoke. "Why did you have to be so mean to everyone you met?!"
"But Anastasia…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit put away his swords and continued speaking.
"Please… Keep your anger to yourself for now…" The Goodra songstress said and turned her attention to Claura and Xavier. "I am sorry again for my brother's rudeness…"
"Yes, he's r—Ouch!" Claura was about to say something when she was jabbed by Xavier's elbow to her back.
"It's nothing…" Xavier said. "By the way, my name is Xavier Stormwing the Dragonite."
"And I am Claura Pulsawhirl the Kingdra." Claura introduced herself.
"Xavier… Claura…" The Goodra spoke their names out. "Both of you have such nice names…"
"Do not be fooled by their outside appearance." The Pokemon in the black armor suit spoke up. "Their inner cores are very much more rotten that you think."
"WHAT?!" Claura roared and was about to get into another quarrel with him, but she was stopped by her cousin.
"What do you mean by that?" Xavier asked.
"You know it, don't you?" The Pokemon in the black armor suit continued speaking. "You had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon, hadn't you?"
Claura and Xavier were shocked by the words they had just heard from the Pokemon in the black armor suit, and it seemed like the Goodra was as shock as them too…
"R…Really?!" The Goodra looked at Claura and Xavier.
"…You know what?" Xavier spoke up casually. Usually, he and Claura would be very shocked when someone found out about this, but for a certain reason, they were not as shocked as what would happen. "You have just spilled your secret out."
"What?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit glared at Xavier, making the feeling of dread started crawling over all of his body.
"It takes one to know one." Xavier spoke up. "The Legendary Pokemon whom we formed a pact with could tell if someone around here had formed a pact with a Legendary Pokemon too. So, if you know that both Claura and I had formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon, it means that… You also had formed one too, right?"
"…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit didn't say anything.
"Moreover…" Claura spoke up. "The Legendary Pokemon whom we had formed a pact with also detected this too."
"So…" The Goodra spoke up. "Not only my brother, but you also know about me too…"
"Right." Xavier said. "That's why Claura and I decided to check it out… But the brawl had broken out in that tavern before we couuld…"
"…I can't believe this…" The Goodra continued speaking. "I run into another Pokemon who had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon…"
"…Please forgive me for being rude…" Claura spoke up. "But… Could you introduce yourself to us?"
"Oh!" The Goodra spoke. "I am so sorry for my lack of manner! Anyway, my name is Anastasia Wyrmscale the Goodra. It's nice to meet you."
'!' Claura was shocked after she heard the name of the Goodra, but she decided not to say anything about what she had in her mind right now and said something else.
"Anastasia… Very well…" Claura said and turned her attention to the Pokemon in the black armor suit, who didn't say anything. All he did was just glaring with an unfriendly looking at the Kingdra and the Dragonite.
"Come on, brother! Don't be so rude!" The Goodra named Anastasia spoke up. "Why don't you introduce yourself too?"
"No." The Pokemon in the black armor suit answered.
"What?!" Anastasia said. "Why?!"
"Because she…" The Pokemon in the black armor suit glared at Claura. "… Didn't ask me to say my name. If I did, she may say that I am being obtrusive."
"Oh, aren't you?" Claura spoke with a sarcastic voice.
"WHAT?!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit said. "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO'S BEING OBTRUSIVE!"
"SAY THAT TO MY FACE AGAIN, I DARE YOU!" Claura roared.
"P…Please…" Anastasia said. "N…Not now…"
"Hmp!" The Pokemon in the black armor suit grumbled. "Whatever!"
"Well, then…" Xavier spoke up. "Could you PLEASE tell us your name?"
"And…" Claura spoke up with a sarcastic voice. "PLEASE take off that helmet of yours too. I can't even tell what kind of Pokemon you are."
"Well… If you say so…"
The Pokemon in the black armor suit reached his paw to the helmet that concealed his face, before he slowly removed it out, revealing his face to everyone here…
"WHAT?!" Xavier and Claura spoke up without thinking. It was like a natural reflex as they saw the face of the Pokemon in the black armor suit… And the reason why the 'natural reflex' of them was this was because of what they had seen…
The head of this Pokemon was… black, except from the edge of two axe-like tusks that jutted out of each side of his head, which were red. From this little information, it was easy to tell that he was a Haxorus. However, he wasn't an ordinary Haxorus He was different…
"W…What happened to you?!" Xavier asked. It was because the Haxorus in front of her… didn't possess any flesh and skin on his head! The only thing he had on his head was his skull… Black and bare… Unlike an ordinary creature, who had flesh and skin covered their body, the skull of this Haxorus didn't have any flesh and skin to cover it. It was just a bare black skull. Two holes in his skull at where that was supposed to be his eyes were just black hollowed hole with a small blood red spot, which serve as his eye, on each of them. Moreover, his head was also cloaked with a sinister black aura that made him look eerie. And, thought unbelievably, it seemed like his whole body that was being covered with the black armor suit he wore right now was not very different than his head….
In conclusion, he was more-or-less a walking undead skeleton Haxorus that seemed like he was brought back from death with some kind of forbidden magic.
"H…How could this be?!" Claura said. "W…Who are you?!"
"… I am the black dragon who had committed a great crime of the world of Pokemon by guiding it to the path of destruction…" The skeleton Haxorus answered. "… As a punishment, I was thrown into the depth of the abyss, where I was cursed and damned for the rest of my life. My name is Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus."
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: Sorry again for didn't update this story for some time. It wasn't because I was busy, but it was because this chapter is one of the hardest chapters I have written so far.
Anyway, this tale is called 'Deception'… This can't be good… Not good at all…
First, we finally have a chance to meet the protagonist of the sixth tail. He is none other than Baromyteus Drawyvern the Shiny Haxorus… However… He is more likely a Skeleton Haxorus… But… What happened to him? Why is he like that? Well… He is among the more mysterious characters in this story, but his back story will be revealed as the story proceeds. For now, we will have to focus on him…
And… Where would this tail take place? Find out in the next chapter!
P.S. He and his sister, Anastasia Wyrmscale the Goodra, had already appeared once in the first five tails of this story! Can you spot where?