A Dragon's Tail
Intermission I: Freya's Tail - Arrogance
Intermission I-3: The Birth of Pendragon
"Anastasia? Baromyteus?" The Mewtwo said as she saw the female Goodra and the male Shiny Haxorus who suddenly said her name out right in front of her. "So… After all that happened 30 years ago… Both of you are still alive…"
"... Iris…" Anastasia said. "… What are you doing here? And… How could you…"
"I have learned everything from the survivors of the battle that were blown away when a mysterious barrier was formed around the inaccessible valley." The Mewtwo answered. "And a few hours ago, I could feel that the power of the barrier started to weaken, which means that the barrier will soon disappear. So, I decided to pay a visit to the place that's called inaccessible valley to find the truth behind what happened during the Dragon Massacre. But… I have never thought that I will run into both of you here, Anastasia, Baromyteus…"
After finished speaking, the Mewtwo turned her attention from Anastasia and Baromyteus to ten other Pokemon who was also here too. She then looked at them, one by one, thoroughly, before she spoke up again.
"… I guess what I fear has already come true…" The Mewtwo said.
"Hey!" Claura spoke up with an irritated voice. "Who are you?! And what are you doing here?! Say it!"
The Mewtwo slowly turned her attention back to all twelve Pokemon in front of her and started speaking again. "My name is Iris Mysteric the Mewtwo. I am the Archsage and the current Regent of Theocracy of Venturnome. However, I am also the current Heroine of Legend who controls over the power of Psychic type."
"Y… You legend bastard!" Claura roared angrily after hearing the introduction of the Mewtwo in front of her. "W… Why are you here?! And what do you want from us?!"
"…What I want is the truth behind the Dragon Massacre 3 years ago." Iris answered with a calm voice.
"T… Three years?!" Richard spoke up. "Three years have already passed since that day…"
"… Could it be that all of you, including the entire area of inaccessible valley were frozen in time after the barrier was formed?" Iris asked.
"W… What?!" Everyone except Sirius said.
"When I came here right after the barrier was formed, I could sense the existence of several lives within the barrier, but I couldn't sense any motion of those lives, as if they were frozen still." Iris said. "And hearing the words of the Latios over there has just confirmed what I have in my mind."
"And what the hell are you going to do with that?!" Korben spoke up. "You outsiders have brought a chaos and madness upon us, despite that we haven't done anything to you, and yet, you…"
"… During the Dragon Massacre 3 years ago…" Instead of answer the question of the Hakamo-o, Iris yet asked another question. "… Have you met the leader of the Pokemon who came from the world outside this valley?"
"D… Do you mean Rucas?" Anastasia asked, and Baromyteus grumbled as he heard the name of his nemesis.
"Yes. Rucas." Iris said. "Rucas was the one who led the armies of six nations on the continent of Symmetria after he heard that the criminal who killed my husband may be hiding here."
"T… The criminal who killed your husband?!" Anastasia said. "Y… You mean Hawkins?"
"Right." Iris said and closed her eyes. "About a month before the day of Dragon Massacre, my husband and the former Pontifex of Theocracy of Venturnome, Hawkins Gale-norval, were found dead in the middle of Dustorm Desert near the inaccessible valley. He had disappeared for some time after he attained to the Succession Ceremony of Prince Terrus in the Dustorm Empire. And so, the suspicious was laid onto the area known as the inaccessible valley."
"Wait a minute…" Rachael spoke up. "Why did this valley become—"
"Because the place where Pontifex Hawkins, as well as other royal guards who accompanied him, was murdered was among the most isolated spots on the continent of Symmetria, the eastern area of Dustorm Desert, right next to the inaccessible valley." Iris answered and she opened her eyes. "Moreover, I also found an opening that may lead into the inaccessible valley near the border of Fireview Kingdom and Dustorm Empire."
"!" Everyone (Except for Korben, Sirius and Snow) was shocked after hearing the words that the Mewtwo had just said. If her words were true, then it would mean that the cause of the whole Dragon Massacre was none other than themselves!
"But I didn't believe in this very much…" Iris continued speaking. "However, when I told Rucas about all of this, he suddenly became... enraged, and he claimed that he will go to the inaccessible valley in order to bring the criminal who killed Hawkins to justice…"
"That bastard…" Baromyteus said and tightened his fist.
"But soon, Rucas realized that only himself may not be enough, as, in order to take down Hawkins and the royal guards, at least hundred Pokemon are needed, and only himself may not be able to face the legion of hundred Pokemon. So, he decided to call for the help of seven nations on the continent of Symmetria." Iris continued speaking. "And soon, while he was able to get the help from only six of seven nations, he decided to march right into the inaccessible valley to—"
"T… The only Pokemon who lived here are the wild Pokemon and the Dragon type Pokemon who lived in peace and harmony for several thousand years!" Korben suddenly roared out. "W… We didn't do anything wrong! We just live here! C… Couldn't that Rucas guy see that all of us mean no harm?!"
"… The Pokemon who lived in the inaccessible valley are the peaceful Dragon type Pokemon?" Iris said closed her eyes again. "Alas… What a tragedy… To think that such a tragedy like this is the result of misunderstood and coincidence…"
"W… What do you mean?!" Korben asked.
"… When the lifeless body of Hawkins was discovered, we found some of this on Hawkins' body, as well as the body of some royal guards." Iris said as she opened her eyes and showed everyone something in her palm. It was a small brown scale with a rough texture. "Do you know what this is?"
"I… Isn't that… the Dragon Scale?" Freya asked.
"Right. It's the scale of dragon." Iris said as she put away the Dragon Scale. "Because we found the Dragon Scale on the body of Hawkins and some royal guards, and we once came up with a suspect that the one who killed Hawkins and the royal guards must be a group of hundred Pokemon… So… I suspect that… When Rucas and the six armies entered the inaccessible valley and found out about the Dragon type Pokemon who lived here, combining with the suspect he had and the Dragon Scale we found…"
"!" Everyone realized what Iris was trying to say. She wanted them to know the truth behind the Dragon Massacre; the ugly truth that brought upon death and destruction to Hidden Village of Dragon.
"I… Impossible!" Korben spoke with a shaking voice as he kneeled down and held his head with his paws.. "How?! How could all of this happen?! Everyone in this village died for nothing! I… I can't believe this!"
"Terrible…" Rachael said.
"… Then…" While everyone was in the state of shock and denial after hearing the truth, Xavier spoke up. "If the whole Dragon Massacre is just a misunderstood and coincidence, then… Who is the one who killed that Hawkins guy and the royal guards?"
"… After hearing what happened during the Dragon Massacre, I decided to redo my investigation about Hawkins' death, and I found… a terrible truth that I haven't realized earlier." Iris said.
" ... What's that?" Richard asked.
"…" Iris closed her eyes again before she opened them and continued speaking. "The Dragon Scale we found on the body of Hawkins and the royal guards… After I carefully examined them, I discovered that… all of them are of the same qualities; be their color, their texture, their composure, their age, and everything else."
"W… What?!" Richard said. "T… Then…"
"… All Dragon Scale we found came from the very same Pokemon." Iris finished Richard's sentence. "And so, the possibilities behind Hawkins' murder had narrowed down to only one; the murder of Hawkins and all royal guards is caused by only one Pokemon."
"O… Only one Pokemon?!" Freya spoke up. "B… But P… Pontifex Hawkins is a Lugia, isn't he? A… And he was accompanied by several royal guards…"
"Right. It's almost entirely impossible for just one Pokemon to kill Hawkins and the entire legion of Venturnome's finest royal guards…" Iris continued speaking. "Unless… That Pokemon possessed the integrated amount of power and wisdom that matched Hawkins himself."
"W… What do you mean by that?" Anastasia asked.
"… She meant that the one Pokemon who killed Pontifex Hawkins and the royal guards is a Pokemon that's powerful enough to take all of them down with ease." Xavier spoke up. "However, the only Pokemon that match this description are the more powerful Legendary Pokemon."
"… But if what you say is true, then…" Diego spoke up. "Why did she mention 'the integrated amount of power and wisdom'? What you just said requires only just power, not wisdom too."
"That only applies if the Pokemon who killed Pontifex Hawkins and the royal guards possesses an enormous power that's enough to take down Hawkins and the royal guards." Instead of Xavier, it was Richard who answered the Mega Charizard X's question. "However, it's also possible for the less powerful Pokemon to take down Pontifex Hawkins and the royal guards… If they possessed enough wisdom to carefully plan what to do."
"… Getting even just a single scale from a dragon is a suicidal job, let alone several one. So, there's no way for any non-Dragon type Pokemon to leave the Dragon Scale there in order to frame the Dragon type Pokemon." Claura said. "However, all Dragon type Pokemon possessed quite a power… So… It's possible for any Dragon type Pokemon to do it."
"Actually…" Baromyteus spoke up. "Some non-Dragon type Pokemon could also do this too, as there are some non-Dragon type Pokemon that possessed a quality of Dragon type Pokemon such as their appearance and their egg group."
"What you said is only valid for taking down those royal guards, Claura, Baromyteus." Xavier spoke up. "However, taking down that Lugia isn't an easy task, even for a Dragon type Pokemon. In order to do it, not only be powerful, but that Pokemon also needs to know quite a bit about him, so that they would be able to grasp what to do in the battle against him and kill him with ease."
"… Does someone like that really exist?" Zetarus asked.
"Yes." This time, it was Iris who spoke up after saying nothing for some time. "While being the Pontifex of Theocracy of Venturnome, Hawkins actually doesn't interact himself with everyone that much. And so, the only Pokemon who have enough information that can be used to kill him are the Pokemon who stayed travelled together with him during the Fallen Crisis."
"The Hero/ine of Legend!" Baromyteus spoke out. "I see… So… Among the remaining 13 Hero/ine of Legend, one of them must be…"
"You miss something, Baromyteus." Iris interrupted Baromyteus' words. "Not only the Hero/ine of Legend, but there were also two more Pokemon who were travelling with him during the time of Fallen Crisis; you and your sister."
"… Heh. Make sense." Baromyteus spoke with a sarcastic voice. "I am a Dragon type Pokemon, and I also have a strong grudge against the Hero/ine of Legend… So, I may be the one who killed Hawkins. However, I am not, and I ensure you that my sister isn't too."
"... That's also what I am thinking." Iris said. "And hearing it from someone who hates lies and deception to the extreme is a solid support to this."
"Wait, how did you know that I hate lies and deception to the extreme? I remembered that I have never told any Hero/ine of Legend about this, except maybe Fenrir and… that bastard Lucario." Baromyteus asked.
"I knew this from my observation over you and your sister during the time we travelled together, Baromyteus." Iris said. "It's not hard to notice. And this is the main reason why I was shocked when I knew that your sister and you have betrayed us."
"…" Baromyteus and Anastasia said nothing after they heard the Mewtwo's words.
"But enough about that…" Iris changed the topic of conversation back to Pontifex Hawkins' death. "As you can see, omitting you two out, the only Pokemon who was able to kill Hawkins are the 13 other Hero/ine of Legend; Rucas, Zira, Joshua, Ellisk, Magnus, Leonel, Fenrir, Nyxier, Kamui, Tyrus, Sharon, Garland and me. However, Rucas, Zira, Fenrir, Nyxier, Kamui and me aren't someone who could leave the Dragon Scale behind as our species have no association with dragon or similar specie. And so, the only Pokemon among us who's capable of doing this are Joshua, Ellisk, Magnus, Leonel, Tyrus, Sharon and Garland."
"... It's impossible for Ellisk to do this." Richard spoke up the name of the Pokemon who rescued him from a custody of Civilight Laboratory. "Considered his work, it could be said that he was incarcerated in the Republic of Civilight of all time. So… It can't be him…"
"And so Leonel." Diego said as he closed his eyes when he thought about his own father. "That guy is the Volcano Guardian of Fireview Kingdom, and so he can't leave Fireview Kingdom to kill someone who's in the Dustorm Empire."
"Magnus can't do that too." Claura spoke up with a heavy heart when the memory of her journey in the Riverbrine Archipelago appeared in her mind again. "He was being controlled by a parasite that got into his body since the incident several years ago, and he always stays near water, so there's no way that someone like that would be able to kill someone who's in the middle of the desert."
"J… Joshua too." Rachael spoke up with a shaking voice as the image of the mad swordsmen who murdered her mother appeared in her mind again. "H… He committed suicide before I left Principality of Leafburg, which is several months before Pontifex Hawkins was murdered, right?"
"… That leaves us with two bastards and a bxxxh." Baromyteus spoke up.
"It can't be Sharon." Iris spoke up. "She had already succumbed to the illness a decade ago."
"…" Zetarus lowered his head as he heard the name of his mother whom he never had a chance to meet.
"And so…" Iris continued speaking. "This leaves only two Pokemon who could kill Pontifex Hawkins, Garland and Tyrus."
"Tsk… I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that that Emperor is the real murderer." Zetarus said.
"That bastard too." Baromyteus spoke up. "Considered that it runs in his family, all he knows is betray everyone whom he has a connection with, be his home or his family, and I wouldn't be surprised if he betrays his friends too."
"Baromyteus, that's enough." Iris scolded. "But to be honest, between Garland and Tyrus, if I have to pick the one whom I suspect most, I wouldn't pick Garland because Pontifex Hawkins is, in fact, the elder brother of Emperor Garland, and despite the conflict both of them had, I don't think that Garland would kill his own younger brother."
"… Can I ask you something, the Archsage of Venturnome?" Xavier spoke up, but before Iris could say anything, he continued speaking. "No, your answer doesn't matter, since I'm going to ask anyway."
"…" Iris said nothing after hearing the words of the Dragonite.
"… What's your real objective of entering this place to meet up with the survivors of the Dragon Massacre?" Xavier asked. "Since the moment you appear, the main topic of our conversation is just the death of some random guy. However, do you really think that this should be an appropriate topic of conversation between someone from the world outside this valley and a group of Pokemon who have just survived the horrible massacre? Oh, and don't think about lying to us, as you can see that we also have someone who won't hesitate to cut your limbs off when you lie with us too." Xavier ended his words by glancing at Baromyteus a bit before turning his attention back to the Mewtwo in front of him.
"… Hm." Iris closed her eyes and revealed a cold smile on her face before she opened her eyes again and said. "… There are three reasons why I decide to enter the inaccessible valley after the barrier vanishes."
"…" All 12 Pokemon in front of the Mewtwo stayed silent as they waited for Iris to continue speaking.
"First, as I said before, I come here in order to find the truth behind the event of Dragon Massacre 3 years ago." Iris said. "Considered how… diabolical the massacre was, part of me thought that there would be no survivor left, and I won't be able to learn much about it."
"…" The 12 Pokemon carefully listened to the words of the Mewtwo.
"But the other part of me also expected that there will be some survivors left, which was proved to be right in the end." Iris said. "And it leads to the second reason why I am here. If I am able to find any survivor of the Dragon Massacre, I want to tell them the truth behind our invasion that brought upon the tragedy of massacre."
"D… Do you really think that we would be able to forgive you just by hearing the truth?!" Korben spoke up. "A lot of Pokemon had died just because of the madness that was brought upon us by you the outsiders! Do you really think that this would be enough to make up with what we have lost?!"
"This guy is right." Diego spoke up. "Just a few words of someone who sides with our enemies wouldn't be enough to earn the forgiveness from any of us."
"I already know that." Iris continued speaking with a cold voice she used before, showing no reaction from the raging words she got from the Hakamo-o and the Mega Charizard X earlier. "The reason why I tell you all the truth behind our invasion isn't because we want your forgiveness, but because we want you to know the truth behind our invasion, and use your judgment to decide. No matter how the final judgment of yours turns out, I won't controvert them, and I will accept your final judgment with my whole heart."
"… Then." Claura spoke up. "What's your last reason for coming here?"
"… To unveil the concealed truth." Iris answered.
"Hey… Isn't that the same as your first reason?" Zetarus asked.
"No." Iris said. "For the first reason, the truth I seek is the truth that's in the grasp of the survivor of the Dragon Massacre, as well as this inaccessible valley. But for the third reason… The truth I seek… I am sure that it isn't in the grasp of any of you, as well as anywhere within this place."
"… Do you mean Hawkins' death?" Anastasia said.
"… Hawkins' death is just a tiny part of it." Iris closed her eyes and answered. "The truth regarding the third reason that I want to find is what is happening to the Hero/ine of Legend from the time of Fallen Crisis."
"W… What do you mean by that?" Anastasia asked.
"… Sharon died several years ago, which caused Garland to fall into a deep grief and started the War over the Windsky Plateau later. Joshua became a mad swordsman who hungered only for brawl and blood. Kamui became a Cyborg Pokemon who didn't have a control over his body. Ellisk decided to work under the corrupted government of Republic of Civilight. Magnus was possessed by the sea creature which caused him to go rampage. Nyxier became a corrupted queen who abused her power to the extreme. Leonel was possessed by the God of Volcano who believed their decision is always right. Hawkins died and later caused the tragic event of Dragon Massacre led by the Hero of Justice, Rucas, who believed that he was right." Iris said with a cold voice. "This is the information regarding to each Hero/ine of Legend's death. Do you see anything there?"
"Their fate regarding their demise…" Richard spoke up. "Either they were corrupted before they died, or their death had brought upon a huge calamity to the World of Pokemon."
"That's right." Iris said. "And so, this gives me another question. What's happening to the Hero/ine of Legend right now? Why are we, the Pokemon who has a duty to protect the world from any danger and madness, become the one who causes catastrophe and calamity upon the World of Pokemon ourselves? It's as if we are—"
"No, you are absolutely wrong." Xavier spoke up with a cold voice. "You Hero/ine of Legend are nothing more than just an ordinary Pokemon who were lucky enough to be born as a descendant of some certain Pokemon who was granted a power by Arceus. And so, except for the Blood of Legend in your veins, you have nothing different from other Pokemon in this world. Being a Hero/ine of Legend doesn't mean that you are good and aren't evil at all, so never think that you are someone who represents all of the goodness in the world."
"… You are right." Iris said. "Maybe it's because all of us have a sense of madness that was suppressed within our heart by our sense of goodness. However, it started to show up recently… Is it because we are actually evil at our heart, but our role as the Hero/ine of Legend prevents us not to show our true core out?"
"…" The 12 Pokemon in front of the Mewtwo said nothing.
"And so… With 9 of 14 Hero/ine of Legend becoming like this..." Iris continued speaking. "Then… Garland, Fenrir, Zira, Tyrus and me… Will our fate turn out to be like our comrades? Will we…"
"… Are you afraid that one day, you will face the same fate that your 'friend' faced?" Xavier spoke up, this time, with a hint of something in his voice.
"… I am not afraid of facing that face myself." Iris answered as she looked at the Dragonite who asked her this question. "However, I am afraid of the innocent Pokemon who will become a victim of my action. Either I am consumed by madness or my death brings upon madness, there will surely be innocent Pokemon who will suffer from this. This is the only fear I have right now, as I… I don't know what to do."
"Simple." Xavier spoke up. "Why don't you just let yourself get killed by us?"
"Wait, what?!" All other Pokemon turned their attention to Xavier.
"You want me… to be killed by all of you?" Iris said with an emotionless voice.
"Well… If you are afraid of the consequence that you or your death would cause, then let's kill you here in this valley, where no one else except us is, so that no one else would be able to suffer because of you… Well.. Maybe we will, but I am sure that we can bear with it. Moreover, you, the Heroine of Legend, are here in front of 12 Pokemon who have just survived a cruel massacre that was caused by the Heroes of Legend… Think about it…"
"Xavier! What are you saying?!" Anastasia said. "Why do we have to do something cruel like this?!"
"R… Right…" Freya spoke up. "S… She doesn't do anything wrong, a… and she's trying to h… help us too."
"… Interesting." Instead of being shocked or frightened by the Dragonite's words, the Mewtwo just revealed a sharp smile on her face. "Your method of solving my trouble is very interesting. However, I refuse."
"…For what reason?" Xavier asked.
"Because I am Iris Mysteric the Mewtwo." Iris answered. "I have a strong moral regarding the life of the living creature. I believe that every life does matter, even for the wild one. And so, letting my life getting taken away like this is against my principle, so I have to decline your offer, Dragonite."
"…" Xavier said nothing after hearing the words of the Mewtwo.
"I can't say that I understand your feeling." Iris continued speaking. "But I somehow have a tiny glimpse of what's in your mind right now. After all, every life is precious. They can't be replaced by anything, and nothing in this world is worth enough for life to be sacrificed for. And so, I—"
"Enough talking, you Slave of Legend!"
Before Archsage Iris could finish her words, a loud and powerful voice suddenly echoed through everywhere around them, sending a chill down on everyone's spine!
"W… Who's there—" Iris said as she tried to look around to find the owner of the voice, but before she could do anything else.
"!"
"WISSSSS WOOOSSSHHH!"
"WATCH OUT!"
"SHIIINKKK!"
"!"
It happened very fast when everyone noticed that there was something heading toward them at a very fast speed. And before everyone could do anything, it was over. While it took only a few seconds before it was over, but it still left a great shock to everyone who's here, especially for the Mewtwo...
"Iris!"
"Harrrr…." Iris groaned in pain as she slowly fell down onto the ground, with her paw reaching to her chest…
"!" Other 12 Pokemon here quickly gathered around the Mewtwo. This was the point where they noticed that there was something stuck in Iris' chest! It was something sharp that looked like a blade, but it also glowed mysteriously with a deep purple aura, indicating that this wasn't a real blade. It was a magical blade, and it was the very same object that was heading toward them at a blinding speed earlier!
"A… Archsage Iris!" Freya cried as she and everyone else gathered around the fainted Mewtwo.
"H… Hang in there!" Rachael said as she quickly looked through her berry pouch to find something that will help the injured Mewtwo. "I… I will heal you right n—"
"H… Heh… N… No…" Iris spoke with a shaking voice as her breath gradually became fainter. "A… After all… T… This is it… M… My death is right here…"
"No!" Freya spoke up and raised her Crimson Rose in order to heal the Mewtwo. However, her staff didn't work! "A… Archsage Iris! Y… You can't die here!"
"It's….useless…" Iris said and tried to reach her paw toward the magical blade that pierced through her chest. "M… My injury's… beyond return… This blade… It was created by… someone who possessed… a very strong… power that… exceeds… any power of… mortal…"
"W… What do you mean by that?!" Claura asked.
"Everyone… be careful…" Iris said as her voice gradually became fainter, indicating that she wouldn't live much longer. "Be… careful… of us… Legend… Blood… Only… four… remain… They… are… like… me…"
Before the Mewtwo could say anything else, her breath suddenly stopped as she stopped moving and fell down onto the ground, like a puppet that its strings were instantly cut. And… Like the puppet, the Mewtwo that was surrounded by 12 Pokemon, as well as the current Heroine of Psychic type who had saved the world from the Fallen Crisis, were no longer alive…
"Iris?! NO!" Anastasia cried as she reached her paw to gently touch the Mewtwo's face after realizing that she had already stopped breathing. "No! You can't die yet! You can't!"
"… Damn it…" Baromyteus cursed.
"Why?" Freya mumbled as clear water started flowing out of her eyes. "After everything that happened, why do we have to witness death right in front of our eyes again?!"
The whole area around here fell into silence as another death occurred within the Valley of No Return, as if the valley had cursed anyone who entered it not to return anymore…
"…"
Silently, Anastasia, Freya and Rachael shed their tear for the lost Archsage, and Snow and Richard are both couldn't hold back their tear anymore, while Zetarus, Diego, Baromyteus, Claura, Xavier, Korben and Sirius lowered their heads to pray for the Mewtwo. All of them had no idea why they did all of this despite Archsage Iris being the Heroine of Legend, and thus she should be their enemy. All of them should be glad that she died, and yet they didn't.
Why?
Maybe it was because they had some respect for the fallen Archsage. Maybe it was because they knew that Archsage Iris wasn't their enemy… Or maybe it was because…
"… How long are you going to lament for that slave? That creature doesn't worth the tear all of you shed."
"!"
The very same voice that was heard by everyone just before Archsage Iris was stabbed by the magical blade appeared again, making everyone immediately turn their attention to the source of the voice, which was just north of where they were.
However, unlike when the voice appeared for the first time, when they couldn't find anyone or anything other than them, this time, they found another Pokemon standing at where the voice was generated, and that Pokemon was having their intention at them!
"W… Who are you?!" Claura was the first Pokemon who could speak after everyone noticed the presence of the new-coming Pokemon. Because that Pokemon was standing quite far from them, none of them could grasp a good look of that Pokemon, let alone what kind of Pokemon they were.
"..." The new-coming Pokemon didn't answer the question as he slowly walking up toward the 12 Pokemon that were also here, until he was just a few meters away from them. This time, because he was closer to them, everyone was able to see their appearance clearly.
This Pokemon was very tall. His height was over 2 meters, and they were even taller than Xavier, Sirius and Snow, who were the three tallest Pokemon among 12 Pokemon. Other than being very tall, this Pokemon was also muscular and had a very strong build. However, other than this, it was almost impossible to tell anything else about this Pokemon, including their specie, because the whole body of this Pokemon was concealed within the armor suit they were wearing. The armor suit, however, was very outstanding because the whole suit was golden as it was made from gold and other rare and high-quality ores to maximize the defensive capacity of it. The armor suit, greave, gauntlets and boots of this suit were carved with exotic but majestic carving that made them look like the scales of dragons. The helmet of this suit, on the other hand, was made into the shape of a dragon head, like Diego's helmet. However, while Diego's helmet was in the shape of the generic dragon, the helmet of this Pokemon was in the shape of a certain powerful and magnificent dragon…
"You…" Baromyteus said as he and everyone else had their attention at the Pokemon in the golden armor suit in front of them. "Are you the one who killed Archsage Iris by using that magical blade?"
"Yes." The Pokemon in the golden armor suit answered as he reached his paw toward where the lifeless body of Archsage Iris was, and suddenly, the magical blade that pierced through the heart of the Mewtwo disappeared, as if it hadn't ever exist! "It was me who conjured that blade and used it to purge that Slave of Legend from this world."
"S… Slave of Legend?!" Anastasia spoke up as she remembered that the voice that appeared just before Archsage Iris was stabbed, which should belong to this Pokemon in the golden armor suit, also called someone with this name too, and that someone could be none other than… the Mewtwo that this Pokemon had just killed. "W… Why do you have to call Archsage Iris with such a horrible name like that?!"
"Because that's the most honorific name that I would allow myself to use to call them." The Pokemon in the golden armor suit answered. "Don't you hear what that bxxxh said when she was still clinging onto her pathetic life?"
"What?!" Everyone said after hearing the words of the Pokemon in the golden armor suit, as their answer indicated a very strong hatred that they had toward the Archsage Iris…
But… The hatred may not limited only to Archsage Iris… Because…
"Hero/ine of Legend." Xavier spoke up. "Before she died, this Mewtwo said something about the Hero/ine of Legend being turned into the evil that—"
"Not 'being turned into'." The Pokemon in the golden armor suit interrupted the Dragonite. "They had just revealed their true nature, that they, the one so-call Slave of Legend, are nothing more than the scumbag that only exist to tarnish this wretched realm!"
"Y… You…" Rachael said with a shaking voice after hearing the aggressive words from the Pokemon in the golden armor suit. "H… How could you?"
"And…" Richard spoke up. "Who are you? And why are you here, at the ruined village that was destroyed three years ago? What objective do you seek to accomplish?"
"… You there." Instead of answering the question of the Latios, the Pokemon in the golden armor suit turned their attention to Korben and called him. "Fight me."
"W… What?!" Korben said as the Pokemon in the golden armor suit, whom he had met for the first time, challenged him to a battle, just like what happened when he met up with Baromyteus for the first time! "W… Why me?!"
"Because you are the sole survivor of the Dragon Massacre who is native to this place, as well as the last living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon." The Pokemon in the golden armor suit answered. However, the voice he used this time, as well as the voice he used when he challenged Korben to a battle, was much softer and much gentler than the voice he used when he spoke about the Hero/ine of Legend.
"And why do you want to challenge the last living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon?" Korben continued asking. "And how could you know that I am the Pokemon who live in the Hidden Village of Dragon?"
"A better question would be 'How couldn't I know?'." The Pokemon in the golden armor suit answered. "Your cloth, your action and the accent of yours… All of that, which unique to you among all of you, are the cultures native to Hidden Village of Dragon."
"H… How could you know?!" Korben asked again.
"And again, a better question would be 'How could I forget?." The Pokemon in the golden armor suit continued speaking. "After all, while you are the last living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon, me, on the other hand, I am the first living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon."
"First living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon?" Korben said before the expression on his face suddenly changed into an expression of shock and bewildered. "W… Wait… C… Could it be?!"
"You are right." The Pokemon in the golden armor suit said. "For the outsider, I am known as the tyrant of the world. For the Hero/ine of Legend, I am known as the evil creature that must be eliminated by any mean. However, for the resident of Hidden Village of Dragon, I am known as their savior who liberated them from the world's oppression. I am also the one who found Hidden Village of Dragon. But for you all… You may call me… Bahamut."
"B… Bahamut?!" Korben spoke with an expression of great shock on his face. The very same expression also appeared on the face of other 11 Pokemon here, except for Sirius who didn't know anything about Bahamut. "I… Impossible!"
"But here I am, in front of you…" The Pokemon in the golden armor suit who introduced himself as Bahamut said. "I am the dragon who gathered the surviving Dragon type Pokemon on the wreched continents of Mytherel, Luminus and Origia and took them into the secluded Valley of No Return, and we hoped that we would never have to return to the outside world again."
"B… But it's impossible for you to be Bahamut!" Diego spoke up. "As far as I heard, that guy was alive during the time when the Hidden Village of Dragon was found, so…"
"Correct…" Bahamut said. "I am the very same Bahamut who found this village. And this means that the age of Hidden Village of Dragon is also part of my age."
"H… How could it be?!" Richard spoke up. "Y… You don't look like any Legendary Pokemon… But non-legendary Pokemon doesn't live that long!"
"… True, I am not a Legendary Pokemon. I am just like most of you, a non-legendary Dragon type Pokemon." Bahamut said before he turned his attention back to Korben. "Enough talking. Now, you, the last living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon, will you fight me, the first living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon? I want to see the strength of a dragon born to the village I found."
"… Fine." Korben spoke up. "I accept your challenge."
"Korben!" Freya spoke up with a shocking voice after hearing the answer of her Hakamo-o friend. "A… Are you sure about this?"
"…" Korben didn't answer Freya's question, as his attention was at the Pokemon in front of him.
"Good." Bahamut said. "Now… Draw your blade."
"I don't need any blade." Korben said as he equipped something on his fists. It was a knuckle that a fighter who used their fists as their weapon usually wore. However, that knuckle wasn't an ordinary knuckle, despite its appearance, as the knuckle itself was made from several kinds of metal that was combined together and reinforced so that it would become stronger and sturdier. The knuckle also had the exotic carving of Valley of No Return's style on itself too. Moreover, while this knuckle seemed to be very old, it also seemed like a deadly weapon that can deliver a great damage to its wielder's opponent. "Just my fist and this knuckle is enough for this battle."
"That's Scion's Fist, isn't it? The knuckle of yours…" Bahamut commented on the weapon of the Hakamo-o. "I once used that weapon when I had to defend this village from the outsiders just before the village was found. And now, it's in your possession."
"So… The story is true…" Korben mumbled. "This knuckle was actually belonged to Damos as one of his family's heirloom. However, because they and everyone else in this village don't fight using their fist, Damos gave this weapon to me… But I have never think that I will be able to meet the original owner of this weapon, let alone fight him using it…"
"I don't consider that weapon mine." Bahamut spoke up. "It's true that I once wielded it, but it's only once, and I never use it again because I don't like using a physical weapon. So, if you are skilled enough to wield it, that weapon is yours."
"T… Thanks…" Korben spoke with a shaking voice, as he didn't know what to do after hearing the words of the dragon in front of him.
"Now, that's enough." Bahamut said. "Now, fight me. Show me your strength!"
After finished speaking, Bahamut got himself into the battle stance, preparing for the battle against the last living Pokemon of Hidden Village of Dragon!
"YAH!" Korben roared as he charged at the dragon in the golden armor suit in front of him with his fist, attacking him as a first strike! However…
"!"
"Wah!" Korben did a front flip as he landed on the ground again after his attack failed! It was because Bahamut dodged his attack just right before the Hakamo-o reached him!
"YAH!" Korben attacked again. This time, he tried to punch Bahamut at his left flank, but again, Bahamut dodged by jumping to the right!
"SKY UPPERCUT!" Korben roared as he attacked Bahamut again. This time, he charged directly at him before punching him upward with his fist! But still, the dragon in the golden armor suit was able to dodge by doing a back flip to jump away from the Hakamo-o!
"Huff… Huff…" Korben stopped attacking a bit to catch his breath. "So… You prefer to dodge my attack, hm? Now, let's see if you can dodge this!"
Korben attacked Bahamut again by punching at his left flank. However, before Bahamut could dodge his attack by jumping to the right, Korben released another punch at Bahamut's right flank!
"!"
Unbelievable to Korben and everyone else who was watching the battle, Bahamut was able to dodge the attack by jumping over Korben's fist to the left, before Korben's fist attacked him from the right flank!
"F… Fast…" Korben mumbled as, in order for someone to dodge his attack like that, that Pokemon must be a very fast and agile Pokemon!
"…" After dodging the attack, Bahamut did a back flip to jump away from the Hakamo-o in order to prepare for the Hakamo-o's next attack.
"YAH!" Korben charged directly at Bahamut again, and Bahamut could easily dodge the attack by jumping up and let Korben charge pass under him.
"NOW! DRAGON TAIL!" After realizing that he had already passed under Bahamut who jumped up to dodge his attack, Korben cloaked his tail in a draconic aura and swung it upward in order to attack his opponent!
However…
"!"
Unexpectedly, Bahamut did a single flip in the air and was able to dodge Korben's tail before he landed behind the Hakamo-o again unscratched!
"H… How?!" Korben mumbled unexpectedly after seeing that all of his attack didn't work again Bahamut. "H… How could you?!"
Meanwhile…
"A… All of Korben's attacks don't work again him!" Rachael said as she and others were watching the battle between Bahamut and Korben, who was still trying to hit his opponent with his attack, but none of his attack could even reach the dragon in the golden armor suit.
"That guy…" Diego mumbled as he looked at Bahamut, who could easily dodge all of Korben's attack. "He is no ordinary Pokemon…"
"Yeah." Zetarus nodded in agreement with the Mega Charizard X. "That guy is much more powerful than us. I would even say that he's even stronger than Baromyteus."
"…" Baromyteus said nothing. All he did was observing the battle in front of him silently.
"B… But…" Freya spoke up. "At this state… Korben will…"
"But… That guy…" Claura spoke up as her attention was focused at Bahamut. "That guy… He is strange…"
"Strange?" Freya and Rachael turned their attention to the Kingdra.
"Look at him." Claura said as she looked at Bahamut, who continued to dodge all of Korben's attacks. "Since the battle starts, he didn't even try to attack Korben, not even a bit. With his skill like this, he could easily knock that Hakamo-o out. But why does he still keep the battle going on? I don't understand…"
"But that Hakamo-o is also not bad." Richard spoke up. "He rarely leaves an opening, even when he attacks. Well… I guess that this Hakamo-o would be better if he fights defensively…"
"Korben…" Anastasia mumbled as she looked at the Hakamo-o, whose attacks gradually became slower and slower, indicating the fatigue from the battle had started to take a toll on him...
-Back to the battle…
"Huff… Huff…" Korben kneeled down on the ground in order to catch his breath. After all, he tried his hardest to attack his opponent, but his opponent was able to dodge all of his attacks! And now, the fatigue from the battle had gradually overcome his body as well…
"Rage and fear." Bahamut spoke up as he approached Korben, who was still catching his breath. "During the battle, I saw these two things in your heart. Could it be that you are trying to get rid of them by driving them against me?"
"…" Korben didn't answer Bahamut's question.
"I see…" As if he had gotten the answer he wanted, Bahamut spoke up again. "So, that explains your battle style… I can see that you are not used to the offensive battle, and you are more adapted to the defensive battle, and yet, you chose to attack me offensively because you want to get rid of, not only rage and fear, but also the greater fear in your heart."
"G… Greater fear?!" Korben spoke up after hearing Bahamut's words.
"… Before I appeared, your body and heart were consumed by rage and fear, possibly from the terrible fate you are facing." Bahamut continued speaking. "But for some reason, you were able to suppress your rage and fear into yourself… For the time being… However, while you were able to conceal them, a new unpleasant feeling has emerged in your heart. It is the feeling of greater fear. You fear that you will soon unable to suppress rage and fear you have. You fear that your body, your heart and your soul will be completely consumed by the rage and fear you hold in your heart. All of this is a great fuel for the greater fear that is generated out of your subconscious."
"…" Korben said nothing after hearing the words of Bahamut.
"Fear is one of the most powerful feelings." Bahamut continued speaking. "Just only itself is enough to make a great difference. I don't blame you for feeling fear, as feeling fear is a proof that you are still alive. However, sometimes, you will have to learn to face your fear."
"Face your fear…" Korben mumbled before looking at the dragon in the golden armor suit in front of him. "I understand what you mean, but… I don't know how."
"I won't tell you how." Bahamut said. "Only you know how to face the fear within your heart."
"Only… me…" Korben mumbled before he closed his eyes and tried to think of what he feared right now. Currently, the greatest fear he had was the rage and fear that were suppressed in his heart. He knew that one day he wouldn't be able to suppress them anymore, and so, he will have to get rid of them…
But how?
A battle against his opponent? No. A battle would only serve as a fuel of his rage. It won't do anything good for the rage and fear in his heart…
A comfort from his comrade? Not really… Sure, a comfort from his friends could help him with his rage and fear. But he couldn't rely on them forever. He must learn to rely on himself, or else he will never become independent.
So… Without a way to drive rage and fear out of his body, there's only one way left to deal with them…
He had to accept them…
He had to accept the feeling of rage and fear in his heart…
"…" Korben braced himself as he slowly released the feeling of rage and fear from his heart, little by little, and let them gradually consume his body. This made a feeling of greater fear he had gradually become stronger, but at the same time, it also sparkled something in his body…
However, the thing that sparkled in his body wasn't a new feeling, but it was…
"!"
"K… Korben! Y… You…"
Everyone except for Bahamut and Sirius suddenly spoke up with a surprised voice as they saw the Hakamo-o's body started glowing with a faint blue light, and the faint veil of light started cloaking his body as well!
"T… That's just like…" Rachael mumbled. "W… When Jasper and Zenpai… became the Hero of Legend…"
Despite the words of the Latias, Korben didn't become the Hero of Legend. Instead, he, like when everyone became the Hero/ine of Legend, was granted a greater power, but it wasn't the power of legend. It was the power that was generated within his body…
"Everyone!" Freya spoke up and pointed her paw at Korben. "L… Look at that!"
Everyone looked at Korben again and realized that the Hakamo-o was gradually changing! His tail became longer. His body became larger and more muscular. His arms and legs grew larger. The scales that covered his body became larger and the amount of the scales increased.
"RAAAWWWWRRRR!"
The light blue aura and the veil of light that covered Korben's body disappeared as Korben finished changing, leaving a single Pokemon there. However, the Pokemon who was standing there wasn't Korben the Hakamo-o… Or it could be said that… Korben the Hakamo-o didn't exist anymore.
"… Finally." Bahamut mumbled as he silently observed the Pokemon in front of him.
The Pokemon who appeared at the place where Korben the Hakamo-o was was a large bipedal, reptilian Pokemon covered in scaly armor. Most parts of his body were gray except for some parts, such as several scales that covered his body in the different parts, such as his arms, his neck, and parts of his torso, which were part yellow. A few scales were partly red, such as the scales that covered both of his paws. His claws were also yellow, and the lower part of his legs were black. His shoulders were covered in some white fur. At the tip of his tail were several scales of different sizes that encircled the tail itself. The most outstanding part on his body was his head. On his head were several yellow scales (And some of them were partly red just like the scales that covered his paws) that formed into a shape of a crown, making him look like a king or something similar.
Overall, this Pokemon was actually Korben, but not Korben the Hakamo-o, as he was…
"Korben…" Freya was the first one who spoke up after seeing Korben's evolution. "Y… You evolve?"
"…" Korben carefully inspected his new form. Right now, he was no more Korben the Hakamo-o. He was now Korben the Kommo-o.
"Right…" Claura spoke up. "Korben… You have evolved into a Kommo-o, your final evolutionary form."
"I… am now… a Kommo-o…" Korben said as he looked at his arms, his legs, his body and his tail. He was still not used to his new body at all. "I… I did it."
"Right." Bahamut spoke up. "You have learned to accept your rage and fear within your heart. With this, your potential has unlocked your true power and grants you a new form. All of this is because of you."
"No…" Korben spoke up before he bowed down at the dragon in the golden armor suit in front of him. "It was you who I must thank, the great Bahamut. It was you who taught me to handle the painful feelings within my heart and gave me a chance to achieve a greater power. And so… My gratitude is yours, the great Bahamut."
"Just Bahamut is enough. The same thing applies to all of you." Bahamut said as he shifted his attention to other 11 Pokemon who were watching the battle.
"So…" Diego spoke up. "This is your real objective of this battle… You didn't want to test Korben's power, but you want Korben to evolve into his final form."
"…" Bahamut didn't make any gesture to suggest that he accepted or he denied the words of the Mega Charizard X.
"But…" Xavier spoke up. "You didn't come here just because you want a single to evolve, right? After all… You had just killed Archsage Iris."
"Do you have a problem with that?" Bahamut asked with an emotionless voice.
"For me, no." Xavier spoke up.
"Good." Bahamut said. "But I don't care if you are having a problem with my doing or not, because that isn't my main concern right now."
"Your main concern?" Zetarus repeated the words he and everyone had just heard.
"… You all are the Pokemon who has experienced it first-handed, so you must know how terrible it was…" Bahamut said and waved his arms from in front of him to the right of him, showing everyone the dreadful picture behind him that everyone had already seen, the picture of the ruined Hidden Village of Dragon.
"…You mean… The Dragon Massacre?" Snow spoke up.
"Correct." Bahamut said. "This horrible incidence is the cause of almost all of my people's death, and the cause of this terrible tragedy is the Slave of Legend, and so, they are the one responsible for this, and they must pay the price of their action with their misery beyond redemption."
"B… But…" Anastasia spoke up. "T… The Hero of Legend who c… caused this… H… He is already…"
"I know that." Bahamut said. "But while the Slave of Legend who's responsible of this incidence is already dead, there are still other Slave of Legend being allowed to tarnish this world."
"But they aren't responsible for this!" Rachael said. "And they don't do anything wrong too."
"'They don't do anything wrong too.'?! Hm! Don't make me laugh!" Bahamut said with a hint of resentment in his voice. "Think of what those Slaves of Legend did before speaking to me like that!"
"!" Everyone went silent after hearing the words of Bahamut. It made them think of Iris' words before she died, about the demonic action that the Hero/ine of Legend had done…
"Now you understand what I mean." Bahamut said. "Those Slaves of Legend are the creatures that shouldn't exist by any mean. They are the mistake that Arceus had created in the past. And so, it's us who have to bear the consequence of their mistake."
"And…" Diego spoke up. "What do you really want?"
"…Of 14 Slaves of Legend in the past, ten were already dead, and four remain." Bahamut continued speaking. "And I am sure that they are or will be the source of the tragedy in the future."
"Wait…" Rachael spoke up. "D… Don't tell me that…"
"Right." Bahamut nodded. "The remaining Slaves of Legend… They aren't allowed to exist in this world anymore. It's time for them to face their sin and return to where they came from, the deepest pit of hell."
"You want us…" Snow spoke up. "… To kill the remaining Hero/ine of Legend?"
"No." Bahamut answered. "This is what I am planning to do, to kill… No, to obliterate the remaining Slave of Legend from this realm."
"You plan… to kill them?" Freya said. "Why?"
"I already answered that." Bahamut said. "Those Slaves of Legend are nothing but the evil spirits in the forms of everyone's saviors, and they shouldn't exist in this world anymore."
"T… That isn't true!" Rachael spoke up. "T… There are still some good Hero/ine of Legend! Not all of them are bad!"
"… I don't know what are you talking about." Bahamut continued speaking. "But what I am talking about is the remaining Slaves of Legend from the time of the Fallen Crisis…"
"The remaining Hero/ine of Legend from the time of the Fallen Crisis?" Richard repeated the words he had just heard. "Do you mean Garland, Fenrir, Zira and Tyrus?"
"Right." Bahamut said. "However, doing alone won't be fair to all of you, and so, I offer you a chance to get rid of them."
"W… WHAT?!" Rachael, Richard, Freya, Snow and Anastasia spoke up out loud after hearing the words of the Pokemon in the golden armor suit.
"One question." Xavier spoke up. "What you mean by 'doing alone won't be fair to us'?"
"The cause of the horrible incidence you all faced, the Dragon Massacre, is one of the Slave of Legend, and so, this will be a chance for you all to counter their action and erase the vengeance of you all." Bahamut answered.
"But…" Rachael said with a hesitate voice.
"I can't say that I understand your feeling, because I don't." Bahamut continued speaking. "But if you are hesitating about this, think about the words of that bxxxh I killed earlier. She did confirm that they had just started to show their true self, their true side of evil. And didn't you see what those Slaves of Legend had already caused. If they continue to exist, this realm would surely fall into the realm of evilness."
"But… Are you really sure that the Hero/ine of Legend are truly evil?" Richard asked.
"I have lived over 3,000 years already, and that's enough for me to see the true side of them." Bahamut answered.
"…" Everyone said nothing after hearing the words of Bahamut.
"But again, I don't care if you all will do it or not, because it doesn't matter to me." Bahamut said. "Whether you do it or not, they all will die no matter what."
"… I don't understand…" Baromyteus spoke up after saying nothing for quite some time. "What benefit will you get from doing this?"
"…I did this to avenge my people who died from the action of those Slaves of Legend." Bahamut answered.
"And if that's true… Then I even don't understand about you more." Baromyteus continued speaking. "As far as I heard about you, you were living in the Hidden Village of Dragon since the day it was found until you mysteriously disappeared from this place, and you aren't even there when this village faced their final moment. What kind of 'savior' you are!"
"… You still have a long way to go." Bahamut slowly said. "And I would say that the reason why I left this place in the first place isn't because I don't care about this place anymore, and the reason why I am not here during the Dragon Massacre is because the mistake I made. I knew nothing about the Dragon Massacre when it occurred. If I could just have a vision of what will happen to this place, I would surely rush back to defend this village. But… When I knew about the Dragon Massacre, it was too late. The barrier was already formed over the Valley of No Return. That's the mistake I made, and I greatly regret about it. And so, I pledged to myself not to make the same mistake again."
"And so… This action is just your selfish desire to undo the mistake you made by killing other Pokemon instead…" Baromyteus spoke with a sarcastic voice. "Am I correct?"
"I can't help it." Bahamut said. "The dragons of Hidden Village of Dragon died in vain, and I can't do anything to save them. This is the least I can do for them."
"…" Everyone said nothing after hearing the words of the dragon in the golden armor suit. Bahamut was right. The dragons of Hidden Villageof Dragon all died in vain, with nothing good happened, even to the one who killed them. Did they really deserve this? Did they deserve to die in vain?
"… There's one more thing that I don't understand." Rachael spoke up. "Why can't we just talk to them about this? Violent is one of the worst solutions to any problem, and there's other ways that are much better than this!"
"But would those Slaves of Legend be willing to oblige to pay for the crime they committed, especially since they all always think that they are always right, just like that one slave who brought the destruction upon this place" Bahamut said. "Moreover, there's no other path for all of you, the whole world has already become your enemy, so there's no other way for you to run except for turning back and fight."
"What do you mean by 'the whole world has already become your enemy'?" Richard asked.
"Think of who you are first." Bahamut answered.
"…" Everyone was silenced by simple but powerful words of Bahamut, as they had just realized the status of them right now. As, among them, Rachael and Richard were the orphan who wandered the continent without a place to call home, Zetarus and Diego were the wanted criminal who had a plan to commit a regicide, Claura and Xavier were the dragons who failed a mission from their queen, Anastasia and Baromyteus were the dragons who betrayed Hero/ine of Legend and the whole world of Pokemon during the Fallen Crisis, Freya and Snow, with Snow being unaware of this, were the member of a royal family who was created badly despite their status of nobility, Korben was the last living Pokemon from the Hidden Village of Dragon, and Sirius was an experimental specie that was created as a tool of war. No matter what they thought, they weren't the Pokemon who belonged to Symmetria, not anymore…
And this didn't count that over half of them were…
"…" Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus unconsciously reached their paw to their Dragon Relic respectively.
"… As I thought…" Bahamut spoke up after seeing the action of 8 of 12 dragons in front of him. "Over half of you even already have chosen to turn their back against this world."
"W… What do you mean by—?" Freya asked, but her question was interrupted when the Garchomp spoke up.
"Freya." Zetarus spoke up with a grim voice. "Other than me being a wanted criminal of Dustorm Empire who wants to murder our father, there's more reason why I don't want you to get close to me, Freya."
"B… Brother?" Freya looked at her elder brother.
"It's because I have already chosen to live a life of an outcast." Zetarus said. "I knew that I will have to walk this path since the day I chose to form a pact."
"Form a pact… Huh?!" Freya suddenly gasped as she realized what her elder brother tried to say. "Y… You didn't mean that you have formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon at the cost of being cursed to lose something in your life?"
"Yes." Instead of the Garchomp, it was the Mega Charizard X who answered the Flygon's question. "And apparently, your brother isn't the only one around here who did something like that."
"Right." Richard spoke up. "Your brother and Diego… Anastasia and Baromyteus… Claura and Xavier… Rachael and I… All of us are the Pokemon who had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon."
"I… It can't be!" Freya said with a shock expression in her voice, as she was greatly shocked by the revelation of her friends!
"I… I remember that I have read about the Pokemon who have chosen to form a pact with Legendary Pokemon before…" Snow spoke up. "But… To think that I would meet one…"
"What are you guys talking about? Forming a pact… What the heck is that?!" Korben said as he seemed to know nothing about this.
"…" Sirius didn't say anything or show any expression. It seemed like it known what Zetarus and others were talking about, but he still didn't react to it.
"… That's what I am talking about…" Bahamut spoke up again. "Over half of you have already chosen to live a life of an outcast. Every Pokemon fears the Pokemon who forms a pact with Legendary Pokemon, as they view them as a demon who trades their soul for power, and with the fear in their heart, they would immediately brand them as an evil Pokemon and turn their back upon them. I am sure that you all knew about this since the moment you chose this path, right?"
"…" Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus said nothing.
"… You all seem to have a lot to think, so I won't force you to decide right now." Bahamut said before he turned his back to the 12 dragons that he was speaking to. "Take your time to think about this. Meanwhile, I will go back into the Hidden Village of Dragon, in their current condition, to see the result of my mistake. If you need anything, you can find me there."
After finished speaking, Bahamut was about to walk away before he seemed to remember something. He then pointed his paw toward the lifeless body of Archsage Iris and made it suddenly disappear! "The corpse of this Slave of Legend doesn't deserve to be here, in the sacred Valley of No Return. And so, I sent her back to the place where she came from."
Bahamut then walked toward the ruined Hidden Village of Dragon, leaving Korben, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia, Baromyteus, Diego, Zetarus, Rachael, Richard, Freya, Snow and Sirius at the place they were, and left themselves in their thought…
Twelve dragons stood in a circle, looking at each other. They were the dragons that survived The Dragon Massacre. Over half of them were the dragons who chose to turn their back to Symmetria, and all of them are the one whom Symmetria had turned its back to. And now, they were standing at the crossroad, where they must choose the path for them to go on. But… After all that happened, there wasn't many paths for them to choose, and deep in their heart, all of them knew what path they must choose for them to go on
"… Well, what do you think, everyone?" Xavier was the one who broke the silence several minutes after Bahamut left them. "Right now, we have nothing else to do, so we must move on. But which way will we go?"
"No matter which way we choose, there's one thing that we know…" Zetarus spoke up. "Symmetria is not a place for us anymore."
"Right, because they betrayed us." Claura said. "I don't consider Symmetria as my own place in the first place, but their betrayal is too far for me to easily forgive them."
"And over half of us have already chosen to turn back to the continent of Symmetria." Richard said. "Even if we try to return, we couldn't."
"I… It's just like the name of the valley we are in… Valley of No Return…" Rachael said.
"And for those Hero/ine of Legend…" Diego said. "… While they are the one who saved Symmetria from the Fallen Crisis, their action right now is… unacceptable."
"Their action in the past doesn't matter now." Anastasia said. "The past is in the past. Now, we have to look at the present."
"And so, I will do it." Baromyteus spoke up. "After all, the world has branded me as a bad guy, and those Hero/ine of Legend are already my enemies. And… If I do this, I will be able to avenge for the dragons who died in The Dragon Massacre."
"Me too." Claura spoke up. "Those Hero/ine of Legend are just good-for-nothing scoundrels who pretend to be everyone's saviors, and I can't accept this!"
"Well… That's just because we already hate those Hero/ine of Legend for what they had done to our Grandparents, Claura…" Xavier spoke up. "And that's why I will do it too. Plus, I won't say no to a brawl with those Hero/ine of Legend. I just wonder how their intestine looks like, and what will happen if I draw it out while they are still alive. Hm… Maybe I should go with their heart or their brain as well…"
"Count me in." Zetarus spoke up. "Like this Baromyteus guy, I was already being made a bad guy, and my current mission is to kill the current Emperor of Dustorm Empire, who is also our target too. And after this… I can't return anymore, and so I must move on."
"And I will do it too." Diego spoke up. "Like you, Zetarus, I can say that I am not a good guy. And my own objective was already over… And this… I am sure that this is my new objective… This is the path I chose, and no matter what, I will never turn back."
"… Everyone in this village… They did nothing wrong, and yet they have to die in vain…" Rachael spoke up. "I… I can't leave it like this… I can't leave them to die in vain… They really don't deserve this… And so… No matter how painful it is… I will do it… So that everyone will not die in vain…"
"… I once thought that Symmetria is a place that my sister and I could call home…" Richard spoke up. "But it was a lie. Symmetria has destroyed this village, a place for us to call home. I won't allow it. I will not allow Symmetria to take anything else from us… So… I will do it… For everyone whose life has fallen… And for my sister's sake…"
"… It's true that I don't have a love for death and killing…" Anastasia said. "But if we don't do anything about it… More people will suffer… I don't want everyone else to suffer from this… Only us and everyone is more than enough… And so… I will do it…"
After Baromyteus, Claura, Xavier, Diego, Zetarus, Rachael, Richard and Anastasia made up their mind, they turned their attention to the remaining four Pokemon, all who weren't, unlike them, the Pokemon who hadn't formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon. "What would you all do? We know that our choice of forming a pact with Legendary Pokemon may make us look like a bad guy to all of you—"
"No." Korben was the first one who spoke up. "For me, I don't even know anything about forming a pact that you all are talking about, so that doesn't matter to me. And for me… My home was destroyed, and my family and my friends were killed, this makes the world outside this valley my enemy, and with my new power, I swear that I won't let them go without paying for what they have done."
"…" Baromyteus, Anastasia, Claura, Xavier, Zetarus, Diego, Rachael and Richard nodded to the decision of the Kommo-o.
"And what about you?" Xavier asked as he turned his attention to the next Pokemon, Snow. "Unlike Korben, you know how terrible our action of forming a pact is, and thus, you don't have to stick with us if you don't want to…"
"No." Snow suddenly spoke up. "I will join you too."
"Are you sure?" Korben asked. "You don't have to feel that I own you after I saved your life, because you have already repaid me by fighting with us during the Dragon Massacre.
"Moreover… " Claura said. "Don't you view us as an evil Pokemon like what other Pokemon of Symmetria do?"
"… If they say that you all are vice and evil, then I am evil as well, for my body is also considered abomination." Snow said and looked at his draconic body. "I have no memory of my past life, and in this life, I have already decided that this is my path, for that all of you have earned my loyalty."
"…" Again, everyone nodded to the decision of the Draconic Lapras, and then they turned their attention to the 'last' Pokemon, Freya.
"…" Freya said nothing even when she knew that everyone's attention was at her. All she did was looking down at the ground and didn't show her face to anyone.
"Freya…" Rachael slowly asked the Flygon. "Will you… join us?"
"I…" Freya slowly answered. "I can't…"
"!" Everyone was shocked by the decision of the Flygon, and this would mean that Freya's feeling toward them after learning that they had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon was...
"I see…" Zetarus spoke up. "Then…"
"N… No!" Freya said. "I… I didn't mean that I hate or despise all of you."
"Then, why?" Korben asked. "Why didn't you decide to join us too?"
"B… Because I'm not worth it…" Freya answered, and her answer gave an expression of shock to everyone, as this wasn't the answer they expected.
"W… What do you mean by that?" Rachael asked. "Why wouldn't you worth joining us?"
"B… Because I am just an ordinary Pokemon with no special power, a… and all of you are the Pokemon who has a power of Legendary Pokemon…" Freya answered. "I… I couldn't bring myself to join with the one with such a great power like you all… I… I can't…"
"…" Freya's answer made everyone speechless, especially for Zetarus and Diego, because both of them knew about Freya's terrible past, which caused her to suffer from a great insecurity.
"… Hey, Freya…"
"… ?" Freya turned her head to the one who called her name, who was happening to be the Pokemon who had just recently evolved to their final form.
"Why do you think that you aren't worth us?" Korben asked with a gentle voice.
"B… Because I…" Freya answered. "Because I… I am just an ordinary Pokemon with no special power…"
"And does that really matter?" Korben asked.
"I… It is…" Freya mumbled.
"No, it isn't." Korben said. "While you may don't have the power that everyone has, you have another power that rivals the power that they have."
"W… What are you…" Freya said.
"Freya, remember after we woke up?" Korben asked. "After learning about the Dragon Massacre, I nearly lost my mind, and if it wasn't because of you, I will never be able to face it. This is the power you have, Freya, and you should be proud of it."
"I…" Freya said.
"If you still doubt your power, then, at least, why don't we join us for now?" Korben suggested. "And when the time comes, I am sure that you will be able to make up your mind."
"…" Freya said nothing, but she gave the Kommo-o a small nod, indicating that she decided to join up with them.
"And so…" Baromyteus said. "Everyone has already made up their mind—"
"..."
"Hm?" Rachael and Richard interrupted Baromyteus' words when they noticed that something had gently touched their body, and when they looked at it, they realized that it was none other than Sirius.
"Sirius?" Rachael said as she and Richard looked at the Type: Null.
"…" While Sirius didn't say anything, it looked at Rachael and Richard with its eyes filled with a strong feeling of something, and apparently, Rachael and Richard were able to interpret what it was trying to say.
"You want to join us too?" Richard said.
"…" Sirius nodded to the Latios.
"Then—" Richard was about to continue speaking, but his words were interrupted by the voice of the Kommo-o.
"NO!" Korben suddenly roared out with an expression of anger in his voice. "I won't allow it!"
"K… Korben…" Rachael and everyone turned their attention to the angry Kommo-o. "W… Why not?!"
"Didn't you remember what this… thing did?!" Kommo-o said and pointed his paw at Sirius. "It was the thing that killed many of the dragons in the Hidden Village of Dragon, and it was the thing that killed grandpa too!"
"I… It wasn't Sirius's fault!" Rachael said. "Sirius was just forced to do that! Sirius didn't really want to kill everyone!"
"How could you tell that?! This thing couldn't even speak!" Korben continued speaking. "And moreover, how could you sure that this thing really wants to help us? What if it joins us just because it will stab us in the back later?!"
"That will never happen!" Rachael said. "Sirius will never do anything like that!"
"…" Sirius looked down at the ground after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.
"… Then…" Before Korben or Rachael could say anything else, Baromyteus spoke up. "… Since there are 11 of us except for this creature…" Baromyteus glanced at Sirius for a second before turning his attention to everyone else. "… We will vote that we will allow this creature to join us or not. The side that gets over half of all votes will be the winner. Do you agree with that?"
"Hm! Fine…" Korben grumbled.
"B… But…" Rachael spoke up. "W… What if the result of this vote says that Sirius couldn't join us?"
"Then, as the result says, it couldn't join us." Baromyteus said. "And I will kill it too."
"W… WHAT?!" Rachael cried out after hearing the words of the Shiny Haxorus. "W… Why?! Why do you have to kill Sirius?"
"Because if this creature isn't with us, there's a very high chance that it will fall into the enemy's grasp again." Baromyteus said. "And to prevent that, I will have to nip in the bud."
"No!" Rachael said.
"Or would you prefer that I kill this creature right now?" Baromyteus said with a creepy voice.
"EEEAAAEEE!" Rachael quickly got away from Baromyteus and hid behind her elder brother.
"Now, no more talking." Baromyteus said. "I will count one to three. The one who wish for this creature to join us, raise your paw."
"…1…"
"…2…"
"…3!"
After the count reached 3, several paws were raised into the air. Two of them, of course, belonged to Rachael and Richard, but there were paws that belonged to someone other than both of them too.
"Let's see…" Baromyteus said as he looked around and counted the paws that were raised. "… 1… 2... 3… 4… 5... 6… 7… 8."
"What?!" Korben was shocked as he looked at the Pokemon who raised their paw again. They were Rachael, Richard, Zetarus, Diego, Claura, Xavier, Anastasia and Baromyteus. In summary, over half of them decided to let Sirius joined the team!
"!" Sirius seemed to be surprised after it had learned the result of the vote.
"W… Why?!" Korben said and looked at the six Pokemon who raised their paw. "Why did you…"
"For Rachael and me, we have already told you the reason why." Richard said.
"For me, I know that this creature really didn't want to kill everyone, but it was forced to do it…" Anastasia said. "It was just like when…"
"… When we were forced to betray the Hero/ine of Legend." Baromyteus said. "And so, this creature and I are not much different than each other, and if I can join the team, this creature would too."
"For me, this creature is just a pawn of fate." Zetarus answered.
"Yeah." Diego nodded to Zetarus's words. "Fate is cruel. It could direct us to the path that's against our will, and now, in the moment that the tide of fate is no more relevant, we might as well not bar the path it chooses."
"For me, it's not that I really want this creature to join us or anything like that…" Claura said. "But as Baromyteus said, if we decide against allowing this creature to join us, it would make us our enemy, and we will have to spill another wasteful blood in this place…"
"Me too…" Xavier said. "Moreover, I know somebody else who has done much worse than this creature, so their action is just a tiny bit compare to that."
"I… It can't be…" Korben said after he heard the answer from everyone.
"Korben, you lost." Richard said. "Accept it."
"H… Hm! Of course I will." Korben said. "After all, everyone is equal to each other, and so, no matter how much I hate it, I will accept this decision… For now."
After finished speaking, Korben glared at Sirius and pointed his paw at it. "But if you even dare to show your unfaithfulness to us, I will be the first one who beat the cxxp out of you! Remember my words!"
"…" Sirius slowly nodded to the angry Kommo-o.
"Hm!" Korben grumbled again and turned his face away.
"And so…" Rachael said and turned her attention to Sirius. "Congratulation, Sirius!"
"Right." Richard said as he looked at Sirius too. "I am glad that you could join us."
"…" Sirius nodded to Rachael and Richard.
"Now, everyone has made their decision." Baromyteus spoke up. "And our decision result in that all of us will agree to walk this path."
"And so…" Claura looked at other 11 Pokemon here. "This makes us a group of Dragon type Pokemon who seek to get rid of the Hero/ine of Legend, hm?"
"Yes. We are together again." Anastasia said.
"Next…" Baromyteus said. "This would mean that…"
"… After the Dragon Massacre, we have suffered so much…" Freya said.
"Many lives were lost, and their deaths were in vain…" Snow said.
"The cause of this tragedy is the corruption of Hero/ine of Legend, who think of themselves as someone who is always right." Claura said.
"But in the truth, they aren't. And we will prove them that they aren't" Xavier said.
"For the sake of the dragons who died in The Dragon Massacre… For everyone in the Hidden Village of Dragon… They must be stopped." Korben said.
"…" Sirius said nothing.
"And in order to do that, we have to stop running away…" Rachael said.
"We will not run away anymore. This time, we will have to fight…" Richard said.
"But… Fighting against those Hero/ine of Legend will not only making them our enemies, but the whole continent of Symmetria will see us as evil creatures…" Zetarus said.
"And we will not give a damn, as we have already chosen to walk this path. Some of us even chose this path a long time ago… A path of an outcast…" Diego said.
"And no matter what, this time, we will not regret our decision, because this is the decision we make by ourselves." Anastasia said.
"The decision made by the dragons who survived The Dragon Massacre… Together, we will teach Symmetria and those Hero/ine of Legend the pain it had inflicted upon us!" Baromyteus said and let our a roar.
"GAAAAARRRRRWWWW!"
"RAAAAWWWRRRRRRRR!"
After Baromyteus let out a roar, everyone else did the same thing too, even for Rachael, Richard, Freya and Snow who never did this before… But now, they were able to do it without any hesitation in their heart…
Because this symbolized their strong belief in their decision and their cause...
For the path they had chosen…
For their unweaving decision…
The roar of 12 dragons echoed through the whole Valley of No Return, scaring all wild Pokemon who has been living in this place…
And soon, this roar will reach every corner of the continent of Symmetria, scaring its residents as well too…
Soon… Symmetria and its people will learn the fear for the sin they have committed…
They will be taught a lesson of a great fear… By a group of dragons who survived The Dragon Massacre…
A group of dragons… That would later be recorded in the history as the mortal enemies of the Hero/ine of Legend who stroked fear into the heart of everyone and everywhere on the continent of Symmetria…
This is the birth of them…
The birth of… Pendragon…
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: Finally, this chapter is done… It took me several weeks to write this chapter as so many things happened in this chapter… Archsage Iris appears again… And dies. Bahamut finally makes a proper appearance in this chapter, despite that we still haven't learned much about him, but he will become one of the most important characters in this story later on. Korben finally evolves into a Kommo-o at last! Yay! And moreover, this chapter also possessed one of the most important events in this story, The Birth of Pendragon.
Also… Not only this chapter has a very important event, but the day this chapter was published is one year after the prologue of A Dragon's Tail was published. In short, this chapter served as a one-year anniversary to A Dragon's Tail! I think this chapter really suits for being the one-year anniversary chapter because a very important event occurs in this chapter.
And so, because this chapter is one-year anniversary, I would like to thank everyone who has read this story, as well as everyone who has supported me during this one year. All of you mean a lot to me! And for this story… It still has a long way to go, and I hope that you all will continue to support me! Thanks again!