A Dragon's Tail
Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity
Tail 7-3: An Unfortunate Encounter
"You will not gain anything from it, and you will soon lose everything…"
"!" Two Pokemon, a Charizard and a Mega Charizard X, both standing on the opposite side of the long hallway, stared at each other. While both didn't let their emotion show much, their heart was bewildered with what they saw across the hallway.
"… Are you the ambasssssssssssador from the land of flame and sssssssssstone?" Jormungand was the first Pokemon who broke the silent as he approached the Charizard in a tribal cloth and asked him a question.
"… Precisely." Dinus answered as he bowed down in a respective manner to the male Zoroark. "My name is Dinus Novaflare the Charizard. I came here in the name of the king of Fireview Kingdom, King Apollo."
"I sssssssssee…" Jormungand said as he bowed down in the accepting manner to the Charizard. "The chancellor is waiting for you. Allow me to essssssscort you to her chamber."
"I'd be honored." Dinus said.
After finished his short conversation with the Charizard, Jormungand turned his attention to the Pendragon and his younger sister, all who were still standing across the hallway, and spoke to her with a loud voice. "… I leave them in your hand, Hel."
"… Okay." Hel nodded to her elder brother as he turned his attention back to the Charizard before turning her attention to the Pendragon. "… Everyone, let's go…"
"Okay…" Baromyteus said as he turned his attention to his friends and noticed that two of them weren't acting normally. "What the hell has gotten into you, Diego, Zetarus?"
"… Oh, forgive me." Diego quickly snapped as he responded to the Shiny Haxorus, but it was clearly seen that the Mega Charizard X was staring at the Charizard that was standing across the hallway.
"…" Like Diego, Zetarus' attention was on the Charizard on the other side of the hall too. However, everyone could also see the dark red liquid started dripping from the Garchomp's nose.
"What's wrong with you, Zetarus?" Diego asked.
"… I understand it now…" Zetarus slowly spoke up as his nose continued to bleed, and his attention was still on Dinus. "I understand why I was born with two 'spears'…"
"Sigh… Not again…" Diego grumbled before he slammed his fist on Zetarus' head, causing the Garchomp to rub his head in pain.
"Ouch…" Zetarus mumbled. "I guess I can't have it both ways… Wait, I totally could! Both ways, actually! "
"Enough wasting your time." Baromyteus interrupted. "Everyone, let's get out of here."
The Pendragon, accompanied by Hel, started walking along the hallway toward the exit. Dinus and Jormungand, on the other hand, started walking toward the chancellor's room. Both groups passed each other at the middle point of the hallway, and the Charizard and the Mega Charizard X also passed each other at a close range too…
"…"
"…"
The Charizard and the Mega Charizard X walked pass each other. They neither spoke to nor looked at each other, as if to pretend that each other wasn't there. Dinus and Jormungand then proceeded toward the chancellor's room and entered it, while the Pendragon and Hel exited the hallway.
-Outside Shadowlost City's City Hall…
"… This is it… This is… where we part." Hel spoke up with her usual emotionless voice as she and the Pendragon got out of the City Hall. "I must return to the Newmoon Temple… and continue my duty as the priestess…"
"… Thank you for escorting us, Lady Hel…" Freya spoke.
"Please… You can call me 'Hel'…" Hel replied to the Flygon. "My siblings and I don't like using the honorific title, so… You can drop it when you speak with us… If you want."
"Fine…" Xavier spoke up and let out a yawn from his mouth.
"Also… If you want to pay a visit to the Newmoon Temple… Before that day arrives… You are welcome to do so…" Hel continued speaking. "And… Please be wary of the Shadow Pokemon that appear in the wasteland…"
"Okay, and thank you!" Rachael said.
"Then… May we meet again… In the near future…" Hel said as she slowly walked away from the City Hall, leaving the Pendragon in front of the City Hall.
"… Well… I guess that's it… Our first encounter with our target…" Xavier spoke up after Hel had left them. "To be frank, I am disappointed that she didn't get into the action right away. I could use a bit of bloodshed…"
"… If you know her, you will know that back then, she was barely able to restrain herself from getting into the action as I said that I killed her husband." Baromyteus slowly spoke up. "I guess that her role as the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory is what stops her, as it was also the same thing that… tore her away from her husband."
"But that's our least concern right now." Richard spoke up. "Now, we have three days to spare. Xavier, what's your opinion?"
"Yawn… Do whatever each of us wants." Xavier said.
"… Really?" Richard said as he looked at the Dragonite. "That's what you suggest us to do?"
"Actually… That's not a bad idea at all…" Zetarus spoke up. "We don't have anything else to do, so we could spend our time as we want during these three days."
"Agreed." Diego nodded to Zetarus.
"… Now that I think about it… That's… quite a good idea." Richard admitted.
"Then, that's it. Any objection?" Baromyteus said as he looked at his friends, and none of them said anything. "Then, from now on, going back to our base, visiting this nation's landmark or exploring the wasteland. Do whatever you want. We will regroup again three days from now on, at the Newmoon Temple. If any of you don't know where it is, ask around the city. The citizens here is quite friendly, so it won't be hard to get them to help you, assuming that you're smart enough not to speak of our objective of coming here."
"Okay." Everyone nodded to the Shiny Haxorus.
"Also…" Baromyteus continued speaking. "I… I am sorry for acting like a axxxxxe earlier. I was restless when I thought that I have to kill the woman I love, so I want to finish it as soon as possible."
"It's okay." Diego spoke up. "All of us sometimes also act like an axxxxxe too. It's normal to be pxxxxd once in a while, but don't do it too much."
"Yeah." Zetarus said. "But I can act like an axxxxxe in another way too, if you know—OUCH!"
"Hmpt!" Diego grumbled as he landed his fist on Diego's head again.
"Sigh…" Richard let out a sigh as he uncovered Rachael's ears, which he used his paws to cover as Baromyteus started saying a bad words. "Anyway, what will you guys do?"
"For me, you know the answer." Xavier spoke up. "You can find me in a local inn around here, but I won't promise that I will be awake when you come."
"Sigh… Typical Xavier…" Claura mumbled. "For me, I will visit both coasts of this land… The east coast and the west coast, to be exact… And maybe I will go to Venom Island too, if I could withstand its baneful atmosphere."
"For me, I will stay here." Snow spoke up. "I plan to try the local food, drink and tea, and maybe I could learn to make them too."
"Well… Good luck with that." Baromyteus said. "I said this before, but… Shadowlost food isn't what you expect. Remember my words."
"I will." Snow nodded to the Shiny Haxorus.
"… I will be around here too…" Diego spoke up. "I have something to do, and don't ask what it is. I won't tell you even if you ask."
"Can I come too?" Zetarus asked with a voice of a child that asked their parents for a new toy.
"No." Diego answered bluntly.
"Aww… Why not?" Zetarus pretended to be disappointed by Diego's answer. "I promise to be a good boy and be gentle with you and your—OUCH!"
"Don't make me say it again, you fxxxxr." Diego said as he pounded Zetarus' head again.
"Then… I will stay here too… And maybe…" Freya spoke up. However, her concerned voice reminded Zetarus of something…
"Freya." Zetarus said as he looked at his younger sister. "… Don't tell me that you think that we would encounter 'them'?"
"…" Freya answered her brother's question, not with the words, but with a nod.
"Geez… First Diego, and now Freya…" Zetarus mumbled to himself before he spoke up again. "Then, I will stay here too, Freya, and maybe I will help you do what you are trying to do."
"R… Really?" Freya said. "T… Thank you, brother…"
"What about you, Rachael?" Richard spoke up to his younger sister. "Is there any place that you want to visit?"
"Actually…" Rachael spoke up. "This land is so creepy that I don't know where I want to go…"
"If that's so…" Richard continued speaking. "Then, let's visit Cape of No Return together."
"Cape of No Return?" Rachael said. "Is there a place like that in the Valley of No Return?"
"No. Cape of No Return has nothing to do with Valley of No Return." Richard explained. "It's actually a landmark in the Shadowlost Territory, locating north to the Shadowlost City, and we will need to pass through the Darkveil Chasm in order to visit it."
"D… Darkveil Chasm?!" Rachael seemed to be scared when the name of the chasm inhabited by many Ghost type Pokemon was mentioned. "I… Isn't it…"
"We will be fine…" Richard said and showed his sister the Chronicle of Nightmare. "The Chronicle has unlocked several spells that we could use to our safety, such as a spells to repel the wild Pokemon or a spell to expel the Shadow Pokemon from our way."
"Wow! Onii-chan, you are so cool!" Rachael said. "Okay! I will go to that cape with you!"
"Good." Richard nodded to his younger sister. "But for today, let's explore the city first. We will leave tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay!" Rachael said.
"Okay, then… Next…" Baromyteus spoke up and turned his attention to the Type: Null. "Sirius, what will you do?"
"…" Sirius didn't say anything.
"Oh, I forgot that you can speak. Well, then… Do whatever you want…" Baromyteus said before turning his attention to his younger sister. "What about you, Anastasia?"
"… I will stay here too…" Anastasia answered. "I want to reminisce of my old day…"
"You too?" Baromyteus said. "That makes two of us."
"Wait… Reminisce?" Rachael spoke up. "What do you mean by that?"
"… I don't plan to tell any of you this, but since you ask…" Baromyteus slowly answered. "Anastasia and I grew up in this very land, in the land of darkness."
"Grew up here?" Claura said. "But I thought you said that you two have never gone to Shadowlost Territory before— Wait… Now that I think about it… If you haven't visited this place before, how could you open the warp portal to this land in the first place? That portal requires a previous visit to the place we want to go in order to work."
"Simple. By the time that Anastasia and I grew up here, this very land wasn't known as the Shadowlost Territory, but as the Lunar Isle." Baromyteus explained. "You know that Symmetria wasn't like this before the Fallen Crisis messed it up, right? Back then, the entire area of Shadowlost Territory barred Venom Island was the island located to the south of mainland Symmetria named Lunar Isle. That's where we grew up, and the last time we visited this land was before the Fallen Crisis ended, which is before Symmetria was twisted and Lunar Isle became the Shadowlost Territory. That's why I said that I have never been to the Shadowlost Territory, despite that I was able to open the warp portal to it."
"I see…" Diego nodded. "That explains why you know a lot about this place, about the way in that wood, the local food, and that poisonous Black Rose."
"About that Black Rose, it's just that I use to be such a brat and grab everything I found, and I was poisoned by that damn flower a lot." Baromyteus. "But now, after many times of being poisoned by it, my body had already developed an immunity to the Black Rose's poison. I heard that the Pokemon who live here and those who descended from them also have this immunity too."
"That explains why you could hold it and even EAT IT without getting poisoned." Diego said and turned his attention to the female Goodra who stood beside Baromyteus. "And what about you, Anastasia? Are you also immune to the poison of Black Rose?"
"No, I don't think I am…" Anastasia said. "I was always told to stay away from it, so I didn't have any chance to develop an immunity to it."
"… Can I ask something else?" Richard spoke up and looked at Baromyteus. "Baromyteus, how did Anastasia and you end up growing up here? You two don't seem to be native to this place."
"… As some of you may already know, I was exiled from my birthplace since when I was very young because I was born with a bad omen. This place is where I spent most of my early life in, or to be precise, I spent most of my early life in that Skeleton Wood."
"Skele—Wait…" Rachael spoke up. "D… Don't tell me that the rumored monster in that wood."
"… That was me." Baromyteus said. "I was there alone, in that dangerous forest, so I have to do anything in order to survive, even if I have to… degenerate myself. Also, that bone pile you saw was the remnant of my preys whom I had killed."
"…" Rachael didn't say anything, but she involuntarily got away from Baromyteus a bit.
"Anyway… About Anastasia…" Baromyteus continued his story. "Like me, she was forced to leave our birthplace at a young age too, not because of the same reason as mine, but because of a different reason… Anyway, she ended up in my custody. However, back then, I was just a bit more than a Wild Pokemon, and Anastasia was just an infant Goomy, and I don't want her to follow the same path as mine. And that's when… Fenrir appeared."
"!" Everyone was agitated when the name of the Zoroark whom they all had just encountered was brought up. This very same Zoroark was also the one whom Baromyteus called his first love…
"Fenrir... Despite that I was a bloodthirsty Pokemon back then, she still tried to help me and my sister…" Baromyteus closed his eyes and continued his story. "She took Anastasia under her care and raised her as if she was her younger sister, and she also helped me with my bloodthirsty issue too. Back then, she is the only one who didn't fear or hate me… And she continued helping me and Anastasia for more than ten years… With all of these, how can't I not fall in love with her?"
"Brother…" Anastasia said said with a concerned voice as she noticed that the last sentence her brother said was said with a shaking voice, as if he was trying to hold back something…
"… Enough talking about me." Baromyteus said. "Back to our topic. Where did we leave off?"
"We were deciding on what would each of us do next." Richard answered. "And the only one left is…"
Richard ended his words by turning his attention toward Korben. However, the Kommo-o didn't seem to pay his attention to anyone. All he did was gazing into the distant, and he had been doing this since when the Pendragon left the City Hall.
"Korben!" Claura yelled at Korben, causing the Kommo-o to snap and quickly come back to reality.
"Oh! Um… I… I am sorry, everyone…" Korben said as he realized that he didn't pay any attention to what his friends said earlier.
"Sigh… Whatever…" Richard sighed before he continued speaking. "Korben, we have three free days to spare. What will you do?"
"…" Korben didn't answer Richard's question. Instead, his attention was, again, drifted away.
"KORBEN!" Claura shouted into Korben's ears again.
"WHAAA—" Korben'sbody jerked quite a bit as he was suddenly called by the Kingdra again.
"Korben, what's wrong with you?" Diego asked. "You have been spacing out several times today. Focus! You will die if you do this in a battle!"
"… I am sorry, everyone…" Korben replied with a guilty voice. "But… Can you please leave me alone for a while?"
"Korben… Are you okay?" Freya asked with a worried voice. "If you want to tell us something—"
"No… I don't think I have anything to tell you…" Korben replied with a tired voice. "Please… Everyone…"
"… Fine." Richard said. "But remember that most of us will be here, in this Shadowlost City, and we have to go to Newmoon Temple three days from now on…"
"I will remember that…" Korben said before he turned his back and was about to walk away when he spoke up again. "… Thanks, everyone."
After finished speaking, Korben slowly walked away from where the Pendragon was standing and went into the downtown of Shadowlost City, leaving his friends in front of the City Hall.
"… Korben… Your heart… is clouded…" Rachael spoke up. "I wonder… What happened to him? He was… never like this."
"… He has some… struggle to do with himself." Baromyteus answered enigmatically. "And… I guess that this' all. Anything else to say, everyone?"
"Yes." Richard spoke up. "Before I forgot, if anything happens, or if you want to contact everyone else, use your Dragon Relic to contact everyone else, okay?"
"Hm?" Everyone in the Pendragon looked at their Dragon Relics, which was Rachael's Mist Pendant, Richard's Luster Pendant, Zetarus' Ring of Balance, Diego's Ring of Ruins, Claura's Feather Brooch, Xavier's Scale Brooch, Anastasia's Diamond Bracelet and Baromyteus' Pearl Bracelet, after they were mentioned by the Latios. "Oh, now that I remember… You use it to contact us during the Dragon Massacre, right?" Claura spoke up.
"Yes." Richard said. "If any of you need to contact anyone, just ask your Dragon Legend to send the message to the one you want to speak too."
"But Freya, Snow, Sirius and Korben don't have a Dragon Relic, do they?" Rachael spoke up, and she was right, and Freya, Snow, Sirius and Korben, unlike everyone else, hadn't formed a pact with the Legendary Pokemon.
"Don't worry about Freya. She will be with me, so I can help her with that." Zetarus replied.
"For me, I will just be in this city, so I think I will be fine." Snow said.
"…" Sirius didn't say anything. However, everyone had just realized that, even if Sirius had formed a pact with Legendary Pokemon and obtained a Dragon Relic, it won't do anything good as it couldn't speak.
"Then… All that's left is Korben…" Richard said. "But since he already left, and he doesn't want to speak to us right now, I don't think we can do anything."
"Then, that's all…" Baromyteus spoke up. "All right, everyone… See you three days later at the Newmoon Temple. Don't die before then."
After Baromyteus finished his words, eleven Pokemon who stood in front of the City Hall started parting from their friends in order to do what they planned to do, with most of them walking toward the downtown area of Shadowlost Territory. The exception was Claura and Sirius, who both walked toward the exit of Shadowlost City, and Diego, who was still standing in front of the City Hall.
"…" Upon seeing that none of his friends was around here, Diego started approaching the City Hall again. However, instead of going in, Diego moved to the side of the City Hall and continued walking until he reached the area behind the City Hall, which was normally just a small alley formed between the back wall of the City Hall and the wall of Shadowlost City. Normally, no one else would be around here. However, as Diego approached the alley, he soon noticed that there was a Pokemon standing there, with his back leaning toward the city wall, as if he was waiting for someone. This Pokemon was… a Charizard.
"… I know that you would be around here, Dinus." Diego spoke up, turning the Charizard's attention to him.
"And I know that you would come and meet me, Diego." Dinus spoke up as he noticed the presence of the Mega Charizard X.
-Meanwhile…
'What… What happen to me? Am I losing my mind?'
Korben thought to himself as he was walking alone in the large wasteland of Shadowlost Territory. After leaving his friends, the Kommo-o had been wandering around and left the capital city and entered the Shadowlost Wasteland a while ago. Luckily, there was no one else around him, be the civilized Pokemon, wild Pokemon, or Shadow Pokemon.
'Since the moment I came here, to this very land of darkness, I have been feeling very anxious…'
The Kommo-o thought as he continued wandering aimlessly around the Shadowlost Wasteland. He didn't know where he wanted to go, or when this wandering will end…
'At first… I think it's because I am outside Valley of No Return for the first time in my life… But… What I am feeling right now… Is the opposite of that…'
Korben continued wandering the wasteland, not aware that the distance between him and the Shadowlost City gradually became longer as he continued walking.
'Why… Why do I feel like… I don't know… I feel like… This whole land of darkness is… familiar to me… Or maybe… I feel that I am… accustomed to this place?'
The orange-red sky of Shadowlost Territory, eternal shrouding in twilight, existed above the head of the Kommo-o as he continued his walk, with his mind thinking about his feeling right now…
Until…
"… Hm?"
Korben snapped from his train of thought and looked around himself. This was when he realized that the capital city of Shadowlost wasn't in his sight anymore, and he was now standing in front of a dark wood, the same wood that he had been a few hours ago.
"Is this… the Skeleton Wood?" Korben spoke up as he looked into the haunted forest in front of him. The ominous sight of the dark forest still gave him the goosebumps.
"Oh, no… I have been lost in my thought for this whole time? This isn't good! Korben, focus! Take a deep breath… Yes… Like that…" Korben mumbled to himself as he stopped and took a deep breath. It made him feel much better, and he could focus much better. "Yeah… Now… I need to go back to the Shadowlost City before everyone—"
"WHOOPS!"
"GREEEEEAAAAEAAA!"
"!"
Out of nowhere, several figured appeared from the shadow that veiled over the Skeleton Wood and surrounded the Kommo-o. All of them were the wild Pokemon of all types, but Korben could sense that their hearts were closed, and their bodies were shrouded in the shadowy aura…
In other words, all of them were the Shadow Pokemon, and they were surrounded Korben!
"Gah…. I was careless…" Korben mumbled as he quickly got into a battle stance, as he saw that there was no way for him to escape from this, leaving him with no other choice but to battle!
"GRAAAAA!"
One of the Shadow Pokemon, a Lopunny, started attacking the Kommo-o with the move Jump Kick. Korben quickly reacted by raising his scale-covered paw to block the attack while using his other paw to counterattack!
"Sky Uppercut!" Korben said as he raised his fist upward, punching the Lopunny out of his way with the super effective damage.
"GRAAARR!" Two more Pokemon, a Vanilluxe and a Gogoat, charged at him, trying to hit him while he was dealing with the Lopunny!
"Not a chance! SKY UPPERCUT!" Korben roared as, once again, he used the move Sky Uppercut on both Vanilluxe and Gogoat, knocking them out instantly!
"GRRRAAAA!" This time, three more Pokemon, an Octillery, a Magcargo, and a Magneton, attacked him!
"Grrr… Now I have to…" Korben said as he quickly toughened up his body with the move Iron Defense, drastically raised his defense, and then he folded his arms, preparing for his next attack!
"CLANGING SCALES!" Korben roared as he released several blue shock waves from his body, knocking out the Pokemon that tried to attack him out of his way. However, the effect of using the move Clanging Scales caused his defense to be lowered a bit, but it was not much of a problem for him as he had already used the move Iron Defense to raise his defense earlier.
"Damn…" Korben mumbled as he looked around and tried to grasp the situation. While he was able to knock six Pokemon out already, there were still many more Pokemon left, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to deal with all of them before his strength ran out...
"I… I have too…" Korben mumbled as he braced him in order to prepare for the next attack…
But then…
"Dark Pulse!"
Before Korben could do anything, he heard a voice of someone, and it was followed by the pulse of darkness being released from somewhere behind him, knocking out half of the Pokemon that were surrounding him instantly!
"Wha—"
"WHOOSH!"
"!"
Out of nowhere, like when a group of Shadow Pokemon appeared, a figure of Pokemon suddenly jumped down from nowhere and landed just behind him, with their back facing the back of the Kommo-o! Korben then quickly turned back and saw that the Pokemon who had just appeared was… a Zoroark…
"W… Who are you?!" Korben quickly asked.
"Don't ask right now!" The Zoroark answered without turning back to face Korben. "For now, if you still want to live, focus on survival!"
"G… Got it!" Korben said as he quickly turned his attention to his opinions in front of him, who seemed to be eager to strike him down!
"… You'll regret messing up with me…" The Zoroark said as he raised his weapon, preparing for another round of battle!
With the help of the mysterious Zoroark, the battle was much easier to handle for Korben. The Zoroark seemed to focus on offensive, so Korben sometimes had to help defending the Zoroark from the Shadow Pokemon that tried to attack the Zoroark off-guard, but in the end, the battle finally came to the end with the victory of the Kommo-o and the Zoroark and the death of many Shadow Pokemon…
"Whew…" Korben wiped his forehead after the last Shadow Pokemon was eliminated, leaving several corpses of Shadow Pokemon around him.
"… And again, the shadows return to the place where they belong, to the depth of the darkness…" The Zoroark mumbled before turning his face to face Korben. With this, Korben was finally able to get a good look of the Zoroark that helped him.
Despite being the fourth Zoroark he met today, Korben could still see a difference between this Zoroark and the three Zoroark he met earlier. First, this Zoroark had a masculine face and a masculine voice, and his face looked much younger than all other Zoroark he met. Still, this Zoroark seemed to be a bit older than the Kommo-o, about ten years older than him.
"Thank you so much for helping me." Korben said as he saw the Zoroark looking at him.
"… Well… What do we have here?" The Zoroark started his sentence with a voice that showed a bit of amazement as he was able to get a good look of the Kommo-o, before he continued his sentence with a sinister voice. "If I remember correctly… Your kind is very rare, being a Dragon type Pokemon… However… You are a Fighting type Pokemon, and yet you are here, in the land of darkness…"
"Wait, what?" Korben quickly spoke up after the Zoroark finished his words. He didn't expect this kind of sentence from the Pokemon that had just saved him. "I… I can see about the Dragon type part, but what's with the Fighting type part? What's wrong for me, a Fighting type Pokemon, to be here?"
"Oh? Either you are ignorant… Or you also claim this very land that your kind despises as your own too…" The Zoroark continued speaking with the ominous voice. "Either way… Tell me… Why are you here, in the place where most Pokemon wouldn't even dare to speak its name, let alone getting near it… And yet…"
"W… What about you?!" Korben said with a shaking voice. "And what are you doing here, in a dangerous place like this?"
"Oh? That's completely right…" The Zoroark spoke with the sarcastic voice. "I guess that, if there was a dangerous place where no one else would get there in your land, and I just HAPPEN to be in your land, five kilometers away from that dangerous place, you and your kind would suspect me and immediately arrest me for being suspicious… I see what you mean there…"
"W… Why are you saying something like that?!" Korben was confused after hearing the words of this Zoroark. "Everyone is equal to each other, and what you said earlier is strongly against this! I don't understand why something like happen would! If you committed a crime, then you must be punished, but if you didn't, then there is no reason at all to arrest you! I don't understand what you are trying to say!"
"… A Fighting type Pokemon… Talking about equality?" The Zoroark looked at me with the expression of unbelief. "Wait a minute… Where did you come from? Did you come from the Theocracy of Venturnome?"
"No. I know almost nothing about that land you mentioned." Korben answered half of the questions that he was asked, and he prayed that he didn't have to tell the Zoroark exactly where he came from.
"… I see…" The Zoroark spoke up again, this time, with a much less ominous voice. "… Then… I'm sorry for being… unpleasant toward you… I was just being a bit too… secured with myself."
"What do you mean by that?" Korben asked again. "Is there something about me being a Fighting type Pokemon that you don't like?"
"… I see that you are cursed with ignorance… But maybe it's a blessing in disguise…" The Zoroark answeredbefore turning his attention to the corpses of Shadow Pokemon around him. "Well then… I was just happening to be around here, basking in the solitude of Shadowlost's eternal twilight, just like what I always did… When these things tried to attack me… And then I saw you being attacked by them, so I tried to be a decent Pokemon and helped you. Are you satisfied with this answer?"
"Um… Yes, I guess…" Korben answered. "And for me… I was just having something in my mind, so I left my friends in order to be alone… And the next thing I know is that I am here…"
"Ah… Not only the ignorance, I see that you are also blessed with the gift of luck too…" The Zoroark said. "Right now, Shadowlost Wasteland is much more dangerous than before due to the Shadow Pokemon that started spawning this area…"
"What do you mean?" Korben asked.
"Hm… Three years ago and back then, Shadow Pokemon is a rare sign in this land of darkness, but after that day… The day when the twilight sky was tainted by the shadow… Shadow Pokemon started spawning everywhere in this land… And their number had gradually increased…." The Zoroark answered.
"T… Three years ago?! The day when the twilight sky was tainted by the shadow?!" Korben repeated the words he had just heard, and his memory started flooding his mind, about the sky that suddenly turned dark, even when it was still daytime, following by the brutal battle that he tried not to think about, as it was the same battle that caused him to lose everything in his life.
"… You remember that day, right?" The Zoroark continued speaking. "The sun that usually shined over the continent of Symmetria was tainted by the veil of darkness, as if the demon lord of shadow was devouring the archangel of light, and the twilight of Shadowlost wasn't an exception either… For me, while I adore the darkness, I still found that day… a cursed day…"
"A… cursed day…" Korben repeated the words he had just heard. For the Kommo-o, he fully agreed with the Zoroark that the day when the sky suddenly turned dark was indeed a cursed day, but why did this Zoroark also think the same as him? "… Did something happen to you on that day?"
"… After that day, I never aged." The Zoroark answered.
"Never age?" Korben seemed not to fully understand what it meant.
"… I don't know why, but apparently, my age hasn't increased since that cursed day, three years ago…" The Zoroark answered. "I was 24 three years ago, and my current age is still the same as a 24-year-old Zoroark. I don't know what happens to me, but the age of mine was sealed since that day …"
"You too…" Korben said. While the Kommo-o and the other members of the Pendragon also didn't age since three years ago, it was because they were trapped in the barrier that covered the entire Valley of No Return, the same barrier that saved their life at the exchange of three whole years. However, this Zoroark wasn't in the same situation as he, and yet he still didn't age? How could that possible?
"You… also didn't age since that day?" The Zoroark said with an unbelievable voice. "Strange… I have known some… 'peculiar' Pokemon that also shared the same fate as me too, and I don't think that you are also included in that 'peculiar' case…"
"What is that peculiar case you mentioned?" Korben asked.
"… I spoke about those who hold the Blood of Legend in their veins…" The Zoroark answered. "All that possessed the Blood of Legend in their veins I know also didn't age since the cursed day, three years ago… All of them are the inheritors of Blood of Legend, and all of them, like me, didn't age since that day, three years ago… And… Pardon my rudeness, but I don't think that you are in the same case as us…"
"…Blood of Legend… Wait…" Korben said as he had just realized something. This Zoroark spoke about him having the Blood of Legend, and earlier today, Korben had just met the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, who, being the current Heroine of Dark type, also possessed the Blood of Legend…
Which meant…
"… Are you related to the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory?" Korben asked.
"If you want to know about someone, isn't it proper to give your name first?" The Zoroark asked.
"Okay…" Korben said. "My name is Korben Forcenter the Kommo-o. I am… just an ordinary warrior from… my village."
"Korben? Ah… I see that you were named after the avian of darkness…" The Zoroark said. "It's quite an unusual name for a Fighting type Pokemon, but I like how it sounds, though…"
"And what about you? What's your name?" Korben asked.
"… As for me, I was named after the binding wolf of darkness, which is also the name of my mother…" The Zoroark said. "My name is Fenrir Illunight Jr. the Zoroark. As you said earlier, I am the son of the current chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, as well as the heir to the throne of the land of darkness."
Meanwhile… Somewhere else in the Shadowlost Territory…
"Great… Just where did that Mega Charizard X go?" Zetarus mumbled to himself as he walked along the street of Shadowlost City. It had been several hours since the Pendragon dismissed themselves. During this time, Zetarus spent his time with his younger sister, Freya, by walking around the capital city of the land of darkness, in hope of finding their siblings. After several hours of doing so, Freya showed an obvious sign of tiredness, so Zetarus dropped her at the local inn in order to let her get some rest. For himself, Zetarus continued walking around the capital city, in hope that he would encounter his friends. Beside Freya, he had encountered Xavier, who was still sleeping at the local inn, Snow, who was visiting the local teahouse in order to try the local tea, Rachael and Richard, who were also walking around the city too, and Anastasia and Baromyteus, who were stopping at the central plaza of the city in order to have their lunch.). He didn't expect to encounter Sirius, Claura and Korben, as all of them had left the city and hadn't returned yet, according to Rachael and Richard. And so, the only one who should be around here, and Zetarus was yet able to meet was Diego.
Though… Zetarus was not unexpected that he wouldn't run into the Mega Charizard X.
"… I guess both of them left the city in order to get some time for themselves…" Zetarus sighed as he finally gave up searching for Diego. Right now, he was in a general store. He stopped here to buy some bullets for his pistol. "Too bad… I wish I could join them, and we could have a threesome…"
Zetarus scrolled through the shelves of the store, finding what he was looking for. Thanked to his time with Rachael and Richard, Zetarus, as well as Diego, was now able to read some words that he couldn't before, but he was still having a hard time understanding some of the more complex words.
"I think this is what I want…" Zetarus said as he picked a box containing bullets for pistol from the shelf. "Now… It's time to leave and—"
"I told you that I would be fine, Natasha!"
"!" Zetarus almost dropped the box of bullets in his paw as he heard a rough, masculine voice coming from the next aisle of the store. The reason why his reaction was like this was because he could recognize the voice and the name that appeared in what this voice said.
"Largo, don't be so reckless! Venom Island is a treacherous place for a non-Poison type Pokemon like you!"
Another voice was heard from the next aisle. This time, it was a soft, feminine voice in contrast of the first one. Like the former, Zetarus also recognized the voice, as well as the name that appeared in what the voice said too.
"…" Zetarus carefully walked from where he was to the next aisle, and, as he expected, he found two Pokemon standing there, both looking at the shelf and trying to decide on what to buy. One of them was a male Alolan Marowak while the other one was a female Dragalge, and both of them didn't seem to realize that they were eyed by another Pokemon…
"I will be fine! I am much tougher than everyone else!" Largo said as he still looking at the shelves in front of him. "I have already seen worse, and going to Venom Island won't be much worse too!"
"This is an entirely different case, Largo." Natasha scolded her younger brother as she picked some objects that she wished to buy. "Fenrir also said that Venom Island is the most dangerous spot in Shadowlost Territory, other than the c—"
"Achhhh!" Zetarus suddenly felt a need to sneeze, so he had to suppress it in order not to sneeze and let Natasha and Largo know that he was here, which cause him to miss the last past of Natasha's sentence thought.
"Speaking of Prince Fenrir Jr., won't he come with us to Venom Island and Darkveil Chasm?" Largo asked. Neither he nor Natasha seemed to notice the presence of the Garchomp here.
"He said that he has to watch out for the sudden increase of Shadow Pokemon in the Shadowlost Wasteland, so he won't come with us." Natasha answered. "It's a shame that neither he nor Terrus is able to come with us. Both of them only had a chance to meet each other during the ceremonial occasions. I am sure that they will get along very well with each other if they are met in the casual occasion."
"Yeah. Their ages are just one year apart from each other, after all." Largo said.
"… Hehehe…" Hearing the name of his elder brother gave Zetarus a crafty idea of something. He then slowly sneaked behind Natasha and Largo, carefully not to let them notice his presence.
"And speaking of Terrus…" Largo continued speaking. "Do you think there's anything between Terrus and that retainer of him… What was his name again? Soryl?"
"Largo… Again with your idea of shipping everyone you met…" Natasha said.
"Trust me, Natasha. I am quite sure about it this time." Largo said. "Terrus and Soryl seem too close to be just a prince and a retainer or two friends. Not that I am jealous or anything, but Terrus seems to be closer to Soryl than either you or me, Natasha. Maybe that Aerodactyl is Terrus' type…"
"Actually, I prefer someone of the same specie as mine, such as Zetarus."
"Ha! I never thought that you actually prefer that rascal Zetarus, Terrus." Largo replied to the voice he had just heard as he continued picking the things he wanted to buy from the shelf.
"Wait a minute…" Natasha spoke up, turning the attention of the Alolan Marowak to her. "Terrus isn't here, Largo. He stayed behind at the Dustorm Empire."
"Oh, that's right… Wait…" Largo said as he, as well as Natasha, had just realized something.
A second ago, both Natasha and Largo heard a voice that resembled their eldest brother's, so Largo answered without thinking out of familiarity. But now, both he and Natasha had just realized that his eldest brother wasn't here. So…
Who was talking earlier?!
"…" Natasha and Largo looked at each other with a blank look on their face before they slowly turned their attention to where the voice they heard came from. This was when both of them noticed the presence of another Pokemon, who stood behind both of them. This Pokemon was, like their eldest brother, a Garchomp. However, the body type of this Garchomp was different from their eldest brother and was more resembled to their father. This Garchomp also had an eye patch on one of their eyes, just like their father… Except that… Their father was already dead…
… Which meant that this Garchomp could be none other than…
"Z… ZETARUS?!"
-Meanwhile… Somewhere in the Shadowlost Wasteland…
"It has been three years since you fell into that lava pit, Diego." Dinus spoke to the Mega Charizard X that was sitting beside him. "And now… Which pit of blue tar have you fallen into this time?"
"It's a long story, Dinus." Diego answered.
Under the vermillion twilight of Shadowlost Territory, the twin brothers were sitting next to each other under a dead tree in the Shadowlost Wasteland. After being separated for 3 whole years, Diego and Dinus were finally reunited with each other, and both of them had so many things to share with each other. So, they left Shadowlost City and found a quiet and private place to speak with each other without any prying eyes.
"You have got to tell me about that." Dinus said. "I am free during these couple days, so I have a plenty of time to listen to your story."
"Sure. I am free during the next two days too." Diego said. "Anyway, what are you doing here? I never expect to encounter you in a place like this."
"I was sent here as the ambassador of Fireview Kingdom by King Apollo." Dinus answered. "After getting rid of that bastard Orion, Apllo, Artemis and I think that it's time to rebuild a diplomatic relationship with other nations. It went smoothly with Riverbrine and a bit roughly with Civilight, Leafburg and Venturnome due to the commotion within their nation. However, we never hear anything from Shadowlost, and it's understandable because of what Fireview did to Shadowlost during the Bloodmoon War, and so, Apollo decided to send an ambassador to Shadowlost, and me, being the son of Shadowlost's chancellor's old friend, was appointed to do this job."
"I see…" Diego nodded to his twin brother's words.
"What about you, Diego?" Dinus asked. "What the hell are you doing here? And what happens after you fell into that lava pit? How did you survive that fall?"
"One question at a time, Dinus." Diego said. "For the reason why I am here, I am here to… kill the chancellor."
"What?!" Dinus looked at his twin brother with an unbelievable on his face. "Did you hit your head when you fell into that lava pit?! Why the hell would you do that?"
"Again, it's a long story." Diego said. "But let me tell you one thing, no matter what you say, I won't change my mind, and I won't let you stop me from doing this, even if you are standing in my way."
"… I must hear what you have to say first about this before I decide." Dinus said.
"Thanks for being reasonable." Diego said. "Also—"
"I know. Whatever you have to say, I won't tell anybody else about it." Dinus spoke up before Diego could finish his words, as if he was able to read what Diego had in his mind.
"... You are my twin brother, after all…" Diego said before he remembered something. He then reached his paw into his pocket and picked something up. "And before I forget, this is for you, Dinus. It's a gift from me, your twin brother."
Diego threw something from his paw to Dinus, who was able to catch it. The Charizard then took a look at it. It was a small round object that resembled a glass marble, with the orange and yellow curved marks inside it. Just holding it in his paw gave the Charizard and strange but vigorous feeling. By all of this, Dinus immediately realized what this object was…
"… Seriously?" Dinus said as he looked at his twin brother. "You are giving me this? Are you dumb or stupid?"
"Neither of them." Diego answered. "I found it in the stones of ore that was dug from an underground mine, and when I ask my friend about it, and he told me that it's a very rare and valuable trinket. However, it won't be useful to anyone who isn't a Charizard. With me being like this, I can't use it too, and there's only one Charizard I know in my life who isn't dead yet."
"That's the reason for giving it to me?!" Dinus said as he looked at the Charizardite Y in his paw that was given to him by Diego earlier. "Don't you afraid that your act of giving this to me will one day—"
"I know." Diego interrupted Dinus' words. "However, if that day arrives, I will be the one who will take a full responsible about it, if you know what I mean."
"… Fine, and thanks for this gift." Dinus said as he put away the Charizardite Y. "I hope that the day when it happens will never come, despite knowing that it's impossible…"
"True…" Diego said as he looked into the vermilion sky above his head. "But still… It's nice to see you again, my brother."
"Likewise, my brother." Dinus said as he turned his head up and, along with Diego, looked at the twilight in the sky.
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: I think this chapter goes on quite slowly, and it's full of many detail and explanation, especially about the sudden appearance of the Shadow Pokemon that was foreshadowing earlier…
Korben acted a bit strange in this chapter… And he got himself into a trouble too! Either way, he was able to survive with a help of a mysterious Zoroark, who turned out to be the son of the chancellor, Fenrir Jr. Also, Diego and Dinus finally reunited after being separated for three years, and at the end of the chapter, Zetarus encountered his siblings, Natasha and Largo…
Q&A Session:
Tail 7-3 – Question: What's your blood type? (Assuming that Pokemon share their blood type with human.)
Answer:
-Korben: My blood type is O. I think that's the most common one out there, right? I don't know much about the outside world to be sure about that…
-Claura: Mine's B. One of my grandparents has the blood type of AB and the other one has O, and it's my line that inherits the B side while Xavier's line inherits the A side instead.
-Xavier: ZZZ… Look at Claura's answer… ZZZ… *Sleep*
-Anastasia: I have the blood type of A-. Yes… My brother and I both have the Rh negative blood, as both parents of us also have the Rh negative blood too. If I remember correctly, our mother has O- while our father has AB-.
-Baromyteus: As Anastasia said, mine's B-. This is one reason why Anastasia and I don't try to lose too much blood when we enter a battle, as it's very hard to find another Rh negative blood for us, and Anastasia's blood and my blood aren't compatible with each other, so we can't transfer our blood to each other.
-Diego: My blood type is O. I got blood transfer a lot back when I was in the arena after I injured myself in a battle, so I must make sure not to make a mistake about my blood type, as I can't get blood transfer from anyone else who doesn't have the blood type of O.
-Zetarus: I think mine's AB. It's a shame that I can't give my blood to almost anyone else, especially Diego, as I want him to have a part of mine in his body… Whatever, I will just get his blood in my body instead. *Get punched by Diego*
-Rachael: I have the blood type of O, so I can give my blood to anyone! Yay!
-Richard: *Look at Rachael* Rachael… While both you and me have the blood type of O, we still can't give our blood to Anastasia and Baromyteus, because we have the Rh positive blood while they have the Rh negative blood, which means that we have the antigen of— *Get his mouth covered by everyone else*
-Freya: Like Rachael, Richard and Korben, I also have the blood type of O too. Also, I think it's amazing that almost none of my siblings share their blood type with each other…
-Snow: I have the blood type of O. I can see that, other than being the most common blood type in the world, it's also the most common blood type in our group too.
-Sirius: … (Dragon of Vale: Sirius has the blood type of AB.)
Question from Ridin Valon: To Zetarus: "Heads or Tails?"
-Zetarus: Tails, of course! *Chomp on Diego's tail*
-Diego: GYAAAAAAHHHHHH!
Question from Parousia45: To Diego: Did you know that someone made a romance fanfiction about you and Zetarus? The writer also put the "Spear" innuendos in it.
-Diego: *While trying to get Zetarus away from his tail* W… WHAT THE HELL?! This isn't funny! You are taking this too far! Stop shipping me with that axxxxxe bastard!
-Zetarus: *Let Diego's tail from his mouth* Someone did that?! Get me one copy! Also, the next time, we could invite your twin brother and we could have a threesome—
-Diego: Enough of your bxxxxxxt! *Hit Zetarus' head*