A Dragon's Tail
Tail 7: Korben's Tail - Inequity
Tail 7-7: Diabolical Siblings
"You must be ready to lose everything, even if you have to sacrifice your loved one…"
-The Next Morning…
At the entrance of Shadowlost City, the capital of Shadowlost Territory, stood several Pokemon, all which were Dragon type Pokemon. All of them were waiting for their friends to come and meet them here, as today was an important day for all of them…
While waiting for their friends, Diego, Snow and Claura were chatting with each other. Richard and Rachael were standing beside Sirius, while Xavier was leaning his back toward the wall of the city with his eyes close. Anastasia and Baromyteus were standing next to Xavier, both which seemed to be more anxious than everyone else.
And…
"Here we are."
The Pendragon's attention was drawn to two Pokemon who had just appeared from the city gate of the Shadowlost City. One of them was a Flygon while the other one was a Garchomp.
"I thought that you are going to keep us waiting, Zetarus." Diego said as Zetarus and Freya approached him.
"Yeah…" Zetarus replied without paying much attention to the Mega Charizard X.
"Hm?" Diego looked at the Garchomp. "What's wrong with you, Zetarus? That reaction isn't like you at all."
"Well… Something's on my mind." Zetarus replied.
"And that is?" Diego asked.
"… Last night, Zetarus and I had dinner with our siblings, who are currently visiting the Shadowlost Territory." Instead of Zetarus, it was Freya who answered the question. "And from our conversation with them, there's something strange…"
"Something strange?" Snow, who was standing beside Diego, asked.
"… Claura, you said when we met on the Venom Isles that I volunteered to deliver Xavier's food to him, right?" Zetarus asked the Kingdra who was standing beside Snow and Diego.
"Yeah, and you denied it out of the bat that you had no idea about it." Claura replied.
"I really have no idea about it." Zetarus replied. "I left for Venom Isles a few hours after our meeting with the chancellor three days ago, and I don't remember running into you before that."
"Right. That's what Natasha and Largo, our siblings, said too." Freya said. "However, I ran into you as I went back to the inn with Korben three days ago, and you told me that you were delivering food to Xavier!"
"I told you so many times that I didn't, Freya." Zetarus said. "And Natasha and Largo also confirmed that I didn't do something like that! We were on the ship to Venom Isles during that time, so, how was I going to go to the inn to give food to Xavier while I was on a ship to Venom Isles?"
"Strange..." Claura said. "I really gave you food for Xavier, and I checked with Xavier yesterday and he told me that you came and gave him food."
"Xavier did?!" Zetarus said. "But that's impossible! I was with Natasha and Largo all the time. How and I suppose to do something like that?!"
"But Claura and Xavier both confirmed that you were there…" Freya said. "And Korben and I also ran into you while you were doing that too…"
"Speaking of Korben…" Diego spoke up with an impatient voice. "Where the hell is that Kommo-o? That guy takes a fxxxxxg long time to come here?"
"Is he still sleeping?" Zetarus asked.
"I don't think so…" Freya spoke up. "Korben always gets up early, and he's never late."
"Did he forget that today is the showdown day?" Diego asked. "That guy's mind isn't very stable right now, so I wouldn't be surprised if he—"
"If that guy isn't going to show up, then we should be going."
A menacing voice turned the attention of everyone to its owner, which was a Pokemon in the black armor suit.
"A… Aren't you going to wait for Korben, Baromyteus?" Freya asked as the Shiny Haxorus, along with his younger sister, joined the conversation.
"We have already wasted enough time with nonsense things." Baromyteus replied with a menacing voice. "The longer we wait, the longer they will be able to prepare themselves. We should be going now."
"Are you sure that's the whole reason for us to depart right now?" Claura asked. "You aren't just anxious to see your crush again, are you?"
"I have no need to answer your question, Claura." Baromyteus answered as he turned his face toward the direction of the Newmoon Temple. "Now, no more wasting our time. You all are coming with me, and I won't hear no as an answer."
"…" Every other members of the Pendragon looked at each other before they slowly nodded to their leader.
"… Good." Baromyteus said with a calmer voice than before. "We will go to Newmoon Temple to finish what we started."
After Baromyteus finished his words, the Pendragon started walking from the city gate into the wasteland of Shadowlost, toward the Darkveil Chasm north of the wasteland. Their destination is Newmoon Temple, a place where they will fulfill their promise with the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory…
-Meanwhile…
"…"
"…"
"…G…Grrrr…"
Somewhere… In a place that's completely shrouded in darkness, a lone Pokemon slowly rose from the floor. He then slowly put his paw at the back of his head, feeling a throbbing pain coming from there.
"Ouch… That hurts…" Korben said as he gently touched the back of his head. "I was hit really hard… Wait… Where am I?"
The Kommo-o then looked around himself, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness around him. After several minutes, he was able to see more clearly, and he found that…
"I'm… in a house? No… It looked more like a shack…" Korben said as he slowly stood up and looked around himself. He could see that he was in a small shack with a few furniture and ornaments. "But… Why am I here? The last thing I remember before I passed out is—"
As the words of the Kommo-o reached this point, a memory before he passed out started flooding into his head, about his talk with Fenrir Jr. in the Skeleton Wood, about the third blackmail he received, about…
"T… That's right!" Korben mumbled to himself. "I… I was finally able to solve the mysteries behind everything… The blackmail I received… The lost diadem of Newmoon Temple… And… Everything is connected with each other! And the one behind all of this must be that Pokemon! But then… Someone knocked me from behind, and I lost my conscious— Wait a minute…"
Korben looked around himself again. For some reason, the sensation he felt right now was different from what he used to feel. He felt much more… positive than before, as if a dark cloud that surrounded him had suddenly disappeared…
"W… Wait! The diadem!" Korben realized something as he quickly reached his paw into his pocket, and he was bewildered when he found that the diadem, the artifact that was stolen from Newmoon Temple 19 years ago, was gone!
"T… The diadem is gone!" Korben mumbled as he tried to check his pocket again, but the lost artifact was still nowhere to be found. "T… That's why the negative sensation I had is gone… But why isn't it with me—No… The one who knocked me out must have stolen it, which means that…"
Upon realizing, Korben quickly looked around the place he was in again before he spotted a door that seemed to be the exit of this shack. The Kommo-o then rushed to the door and tried to open it, but the door didn't even budge when he tried his hardest to open it.
"Damn it! It's locked!" Korben cursed after he tried to open the door. "There must be other ways to exit this house…"
Korben looked around the shack again. This time, he spotted several windows around the shack. However, even if he broke it, his body was too big to squeeze through it, so it won't be any use to him. The Kommo-o then checked and found another door of this shack. However, this door was, like the first door, also locked.
"Damn it!" Korben mumbled after he found that he was basically stuck here. "No… Calm down, Korben… In a time like this… I should be calm first…"
The Kommo-o slowly breathed in and out several times, which helped him quite a bit, and a few minutes later, he found that he had calm down considerably, and he was able to think more thoroughly than before.
"… If the one who knocked me out is the one who stole the lost diadem from me…" Korben mumbled to himself after he found that he had finally calmed down. "… Then it means that they must be the same Pokemon behind everything too… But… They knocked me out, stole the diadem and locked me here instead of just killed me, stole the diadem, and left me in the woods… Why did they have to go that far— Wait… If what I think is right, it actually does make sense for them to do this! Which means that reason they want me to leave the land of darkness is…"
Korben closed his eyes for a few seconds before he opened it again and continued mumbling to himself. "Still… With that reason for wanting me out of the way, I understand why they locked me here after I refused to leave the land of darkness, but after that, why do they have to steal the diadem too? Could it be that stealing the diadem from me is their true goal? But if that's true, then they wouldn't have to bother sending me those blackmails. All they have to do is knock me out like this. Grrr… I don't understand a thing!"
Couldn't think of anything, Korben decided to stop focusing his thought at what's on his mind right now and explored the shack more thoroughly instead.
"This place…" Korben mumbled as he looked at the furniture and the decorations of it more closely. It didn't seem like someone was currently living here as it was voided of any sight of living being. However, the inside of this shack, including every object in this place, was quite clean, and the shack was also surprisingly well-built and well-kept. "Despite that no one seems to live here, it's quite clean… How could it be? It's as if someone comes and cleans it regularly, and it seems too nice to be just a random abandoned shack in the wilderness… And… I don't know why or how, but this place gives me a feeling of… nostalgia… Wait…"
Korben looked around the shack again when he started noticing something. From the light of dusk that shone into the shack via the shack's windows, he could see that the objects and decorations in this shack were quite out-of-the-place. Most of them weren't of the same style and design that could be found commonly in the Shadowlost Territory. In fact, the style and design of the objects in this house were very exotic, which most Pokemon wouldn't recognize its origin, but not for this Kommo-o.
"W… Why are all these decorations and furniture in the same style as the one in my village?!" Korben said. "No one should know the existence of the Hidden Village of Dragon, let alone its culture! Unless... The owner of this house, or at least the owner of these decorations, comes from Hidden Village of Dragon… Which means…"
Korben stopped mumbling to himself for a few seconds before he resumed his mumbling. "… That also makes sense… That explains why, despite no one live here, this place is surprisingly well-kept, and it also explains why they chose to lock me up here…"
"In the place that was once the house where my mother lived…"
Meanwhile…
"Wake up, you lazy Zoroark!"
"… Huh?"
Fenrir Jr. slowly rose from the table he was sleeping on and looked at the owner of the voice that yelled at him, which was none other than one of his friends.
"... Do you have to be obnoxious this early in the morning, Largo?" Fenrir Jr. said as he slowly stood up and stretched his body.
"Look who's talking!" The Alolan Marowak said as he pointed his bone club at the Zoroark. "You were always the one who wakes me up in the morning, claiming that I am such a lazy head, and now you are being one, so you can't blame me for doing this."
"Largo's right." Another Pokemon, who was a Dragalge that stood next to the Alolan Marowak, said as she also looked at the Zoroark. "Fenrir, you are never the one who would be like this. Did something happen to you?"
"It's nothing." Fenrir Jr. said as he looked around and found that he was in a room that seemed like an office room, which was actually one of the rooms in the city hall of Shadowlost City. "I was just investigating something last night, and… I must have fallen asleep while doing so…"
"What are you investigating?" Natasha asked.
"… A case." Fenrir Jr. replied.
"At least give us a better answer." Largo said with his arms crossed.
"… Sorry, I can't tell you anything about this…" Fenrir Jr. decided not to tell his friends about what he was investigating because he knew that a certain Kommo-o wouldn't want anyone else to know about the blackmails he got. "… And I have a reason for doing so, which I—"
"Yeah, yeah… You also can't tell us the reason why you won't tell us about what you're doing. I get it." Largo said. "You're always like this, keeping a secret from everyone, Fenrir Jr."
"It's not like that I don't want to tell you." Fenrir Jr. said. "It's just that I'm doing this for… someone, and that person doesn't wish for anyone else to know about it."
"And who could it be?" Largo asked. "Your mother? Your uncle? Or your aunt?"
"… None of them." Fenrir Jr. replied. "It's someone that you two don't know, so there's no point in telling you who they are anyway."
"Heh?" Largo looked at the Zoroark with eyes brimmed with curiosity. "Did I hearit right? You? Doing a stranger? Are you an imposter of the real Prince Fenrir Illunight Jr. of Shadowlost Territory?"
"That's enough, Largo." Natasha scolded her younger brother before turning her attention back to the Zoroark. "But Largo's right. We have known you since ten years ago, and we know that you aren't particularly close with anyone else but your family and us, and now, you are going this far to do a favor for someone—Fenrir?" Natasha's words were cut off when she noticed that the Zoroark didn't pay attention to her words…
"… Imposter…" Fenrir Jr. didn't have any attention on either Natasha and Largo. All he did was placing his paw on his chin and mumbled a words, as if he was thinking of something…
"… Fenrir Jr.!" Largo yelled at the Zoroark.
"… No one forces you to continue being obnoxious, Largo." Fenrir Jr. said as he tried to act cool after being startled by the Alolan Marowak.
"Then, at least pay your attention to Natasha." Largo said. "You are thinking of something else again, aren't you?"
"Yes." Fenrir Jr. replied.
"… I knew it…" Largo mumbled to himself.
"Anyway…" Fenrir Jr. changed the subject of conversation. "How was your trip to Venom Isles and Darkveil Chasm? Did you get what you want?"
"We did." Largo replied. "We both got our power awakened, so now, Natasha is the Heroine of Poison type and I am Hero of Ghost type, just like Terrus and you."
"No, I am not the Hero of Legend yet." Fenrir Jr. replied. "I haven't inherited my power from my mother yet. If you want to give an example, just use my younger brother."
"You mean Ridley?" Natasha said.
"Yes." Fenrir Jr. nodded. "Our father was killed three years ago during the… expedition in the inaccessible valley, so Ridley inherited his power and is currently the Hero of Fighting type."
"And…" Natasha quickly changed the subject from the death of Fenrir Jr.'s father to another topic. "And what do you think of your brother being the Hero of Legend right now?"
"… It's his destiny, so my opinion won't change anything, but I think Ridley is too naïve to be a Hero of Legend. He is too optimistic, and he still sees the world as a black-and-white place."
"More like you are too pessimistic, Fenrir Jr." Largo commented.
"Heh… Maybe you're right, Largo." Fenrir Jr. commented before he lowered his voice of the next part of his words. "After all, I just suspect one of 'them' for being the one behind everything…"
"Hm?" Natasha and Largo looked at the Zoroark. "Did you say something?"
"Nothing." Fenrir Jr. replied.
Meanwhile…
After walking through the Shadowlost Wasteland and fighting many wild Pokemon and Shadow Pokemon along the way, the Pendragon finally arrived at their destination, the Newmoon Temple.
"So… This is the Newmoon Temple…" Freya commented. "It looks so scary…"
"For me, it looks more ominous…" Diego said. "As if it's holding a dark secret within…"
As the Pendragon approached the entrance of the temple, they saw two Golett that were acting as the gatekeeper of the temple. However, both Golett were lying unconscious next to the entrance, as if they were already knocked out before the Pendragon arrived.
"Heh… I guess they really want us to have a fair fight…" Zetarus commented. "One less obstacle for us to worry about."
"No more wasting our time." Baromyteus said. "Now, we go."
After he finished speaking, Baromyteus entered the Newmoon Temple, and everyone else followed him into the temple, except…
"… Onii-chan?" Rachael spoke up as she and her brother were about to enter the Newmoon Temple. The Latias was now looking around herself, as if she was searching for someone. "… Did you see Sirius? I remember that Sirius was with us when we were waiting outside Shadowlost City, but I don't see Sirius anywhere here."
"Me too." Richard said. "The last time I saw Sirius was when we departed for Newmoon Temple. I remembered that I saw Baromyteus speaking to Sirius, but I don't remember seeing Sirius after that."
"Then, where could Sirius be?" Rachael said. "And… Baromyteus speaking to Sirius? I thought that everyone else in the Pendragon didn't trust Sirius, so what would Baromyteus have to say to Sirius?"
"I suspect that too…" Richard said. "However, I don't think we have to worry about that or Sirius. After all, Sirius is very strong, much stronger than most of us here."
"Okay." Rachael said as she looked at the Shadowlost Wasteland with a worried look on her face for a second before she turned her attention to the entrance of Newmoon Temple.
"… Let's go, Rachael." Richard said to his younger sister before both of them entered the Newmoon Temple together.
Inside the Newmoon Temple…
Ten Dragon type Pokemon silently walked along the long foyer of Newmoon Temple. None of them said anything until they reached the end of the foyer and entered the main hall of the temple. From there, they could see that the main hall was voided of any living creature… Except for three Zoroark who were standing in the middle of the main hall. Two of them, a male Zoroark and a female Zoroark, were wearing a demonic mask to cover the left half and right half of their face respectively, while the last Zoroark, the one who stood in the middle of the other two, wore a full demonic mask that covered her entire face.
"… You have arrived…" The Zoroark who wore a full demonic mask spoke up after she saw the Pendragon entered the main hall of Newmoon Temple. "Let me, the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, welcome you all to the sacred site of the land of darkness, Newmoon Temple."
"…" The Pendragon said nothing to the words of the Zoroark.
"… As we have agreed three days ago…" Fenrir Sr. continued speaking after seeing that none of the newcomers would say anything. "Newmoon Temple shall serve as a place for our battleground, and today shall be the day that one of us would live, and one of us would die."
"Right." Baromyteus spoke up. "Now that the time has come, let's end this."
"… Once again, I want to remind you that what we are doing isn't for a greater good, but it's personal, and there's no way that you can change my mind." Fenrir Sr. said as she drew out her weapon, which was a scythe, and stepped forward. "Now, since I am the target, I will be the one who battles you. And who would be my opponent?"
"Me." Baromyteus said as he stepped forward from the Pendragon, facing Fenrir Sr. that stood opposite of him. "I will be your opponent, Fenrir."
"As I guess." Fenrir Sr. said. "Now, are you ready, Baromyteus?"
"… Before we battle, there's one more thing that I would like to say to you." Baromyteus said. "I know that we have nothing else to speak with each other, but I will never have a chance to say this again after today, so I want to do it now."
"… And that is?" Fenrir Sr. asked.
"Fenrir…" Baromyteus looked at the Zoroark in front of him. "… I love you."
Meanwhile…
"Come to think about it…" Korben mumbled to himself. He was still in the shack that he woke up in, and he was now sitting on one of the chairs in the shack, trying to think about something. "How much time has passed since when I was knocked out? There's no way to tell the time from looking at the sky of Shadowlost… But… I think that… at least a night should have already passed, which means…"
Korben looked outside the window. From here, all he could see were the vermillion sky and the ominous wasteland. "Everyone must have already gone to Newmoon Temple… They must be worried about me that I am missing… Or some of them may be mad at me for being irresponsible, especially Baromyteus—"
Korben snapped as he had just realized something. "Wait… If today's the day of our showdown, then… They must be… Oh, no! Everyone is in danger now! If I don't go and warn them, they will…"
Korben quickly rushed toward the door in order to try and force it to open again. However, just as he was about to reach the door…
"!" Suddenly, the Kommo-o was bombarded by a dreadful feeling as he tried to reach his paw toward the door. It wasn't the same negative feeling he had when he had the diadem in his possession, but it was a mixed feeling of fear, anger and hatred.
'W… What is this?!' Korben's face turned pale as he staggered back from the door. 'I have experienced this feeling before… When—'
Before the Kommo-o could say anything else, a sound of something running was heard by the Kommo-o, and it sounded like it's running toward this shack!
'No… No, no, no, no, no, NO!' Korben thought as the sound became louder and louder, indicating that the thing that was running toward the shack was getting closer and closer! 'No! Stay away from me! Don't come any closer! NO!"
"CRRRRAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!"
The door of the shack cracked as something from the outside crashed into it, destroying it in the instant, and the thing that crashed into the door wasn't an object, but was actually a living creature, who was now standing at the entrance of the shack over the destroyed door, glaring at the Kommo-o inside the shack. The appearance of this Pokemon sent shiver down the spine of the Kommo-o, as not only this Pokemon had a very bizarre appearance, especially a mask that covered its face, but it was also a Pokemon that he didn't ever want to see again.
"Y…. YOU!" Korben was able to muster his voice to call out a Type: Null that just crashed into the shack. This Pokemon was none other than one of twelve current members of the Pendragon, but for Korben, this Pokemon was the monster that massacred the residents of Hidden Village of Dragon, including his grandfather…
"…" Sirius silently glared at the Kommo-o in front of it. It could see that, right now, the Kommo-o's body was shaking, and his face became pale. There were several expressions on the face of the Kommo-o, however, the most noticeable one wasn't the expression of anger or hate, but it was the expression of fear…
Then…
"…?" Korben's expression changed a bit as he saw that the Type: Null didn't approach him. Instead, it turned back and slightly shook its face toward the opening of the shack that it created from crashing the door earlier, indicating that it was now possible for Korben to escape!
"You…" Korben looked at the Type: Null, who still looked at him with eyes filled with unreadable emotion. "Did you come here… to rescue me?"
"…" Instead of answering the Kommo-o's question, Sirius lowered its body to the ground and nodded its head to its back, as if it was trying to tell Korben that…
"You… want me to get on your back?" Korben said before he snapped and shook his head intensely in protest. "ABSOLUTELY NOT, YOU MONSTER! I WILL NEVER ACCEPT A HELP FROM THE LIKE OF YOU! NEV—"
Korben's words were suddenly stopped when Sirius suddenly got up and turned back toward the Kommo-o, facing him. It then glared at Korben with fierce eyes, which sent shiver down the spine of the Kommo-o again, which made the memory of what happened during the Dragon Massacre flash into the head of the Kommo-o, at the moment when…
"GRAAAWWRRR!" The Type: Null jumped down onto the balcony of the house, facing the Drampa and Hakamo-o in front of it!
"Grandpa, step away!" Realizing that this Pokemon wasn't their ally, the Hakamo-o quickly stepped in between the Drampa and the Type: Null in front of him, preparing to fight his enemy!
"GRRRAAAAWWWRRRR!" Type: Null suddenly charged forward the Hakamo-o, who quickly got himself prepared for his enemy's tackle, but his enemy didn't tackle him. Instead, it stopped just right in front of him before it raised its claws and attacked him with it!
"URG!" Because he wasn't prepared for a claw attack, the Hakamo-o was easily knocked out of the way, leaving no one between this Type: Null and the Drampa!
"Oh dear…" The Drampa said as he saw the Type: Null right in front of him, who was gazing at him, like a starved predator who preyed on its prey. "… Over two thousand years of my life that I have never encountered anything like this before…"
"Grandpa!" The Hakamo-o said as he tried to stand up, and at the same time…
"GRRRRRAAAAAWWWWRRRRR!"
"ARG!"
The Type: Null charged toward the Drampa and then bit him right on his neck, and then it flung the Drampa's body right above the house!
"GRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRR!"
After flinging the Drampa into the sky, the Type: Null then jumped into the sky, toward the Drampa's body. It then stretched its sharp claws toward the Drampa.
And then…
"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUNNNNNNKKKKKKK!"
"…GRANDPA!" The Hakamo-o roared after he saw his grandfather's body being penetrated by the Type: Null's claws right through his chest, ripping his body into several parts, sending his dragon blood splashed around the entire area…
"!" Korben's body became frozen with fear as the memory of what happened during the Dragon Massacre flooded into his head, at the moment when his grandfather was killed… by the very same Pokemon in front of him, who was now looking at him with the very same expression as the one it had when it killed Elder Baldr…
And then…
Before Korben could do anything else, the Type Null rushed up toward him, tackled him with its masked face before using it to fling the Kommo-o upward, just like what it did before it killed Elder Baldr…
However…
Instead of being attacked, Korben found himself landing on something soft but sturdy, and he quickly realized that, after being flung from the ground by the Type: Null, he had landed on the back of the very same Pokemon who flung him!
"Did you just—" Korben was about to say the words when Sirius turned its face back to look at him. Right now, the Type: Null's expression had returned to its usual unreadable expression. However, the Kommo-o was able to catch a glimpse of expression that appeared for only a moment on the Type: Null's face. It wasn't the expression of violence that he had seen before, but it was an expression of… benevolence?
Before Korben could say anything else, Sirius turned its face away from him and faced the outside of the shack, and took a deep breath, and then it started running, exiting the shack and going into the large wasteland of Shadowlost instead.
"W… Where are you going?!" Korben asked as he held onto the back of the Type: Null in order not to fall from its back.
"…" Sirius didn't answer Korben's question. All it did was keep running along the Shadowlost Wasteland. However, after a few minutes of looking at his surrounding, including the location of the sun and the moon on the sky, Korben was able to grasp the direction that the Type: Null was going toward, as well as how much time had passed since he was knocked out as he knew how to read the sun and the moon.
"Comparing to the locations of the sun and the moon yesterday, the current locations of the sun and the moon tell that only a single night has passed, which means that today must be the day of our showdown…" Korben mumbled. "… And this way… It's the way to the Newmoon Temple, which means that…"
Meanwhile…
"Anyway…" Fenrir Jr. spoke up again as he looked at the Dragalge and the Alolan Marowak beside him. "What bring you two here today? It doesn't seem like you two come here just to hang out with me…"
"Oh, that's right." Natasha said as she handed over several brown envelopes to the Zoroark. "The chancellor asked us to give this to you after you woke up, as she said that she would be gone before you woke up."
"… Gone?" Fenrir Jr. repeated the words he had just heard as he received the envelopes from the Dragalge. "Where did she go?"
"I don't know." Natasha answered. "But it seems like an important business as the Serpent General also left with her too. I thought that you already know about this, Fenrir Jr."
"… Strange…" Fenrir Jr. commented. "My mother didn't tell me about this, and despite that it isn't rare for her to leave unnoticed, she never leaves for an important business without telling me first before…"
"Maybe she tries to see you first, but you were still sleeping, and she didn't want to wake her son." Largo said.
"Then she would just leave these stuffs and a note on the table instead of asking you two to pass it to me…" Fenrir Jr. said. "And the Serpent General goes with her? That isn't normal. Normally, both the chancellor and the Serpent General wouldn't leave the capital at the same time, and even if they do, the Somber Priestess would be here in the place of both of them, but since she's on a pilgrimage with all other priests and priestesses of Newmoon Temple—"
"You think too much, Fenrir." Natasha said as she gently placed her fin on the Zoroark's shoulder. "I know that you are very vigilant and prudent, but sometimes, you need to learn to unwind a little…"
"… I know." Fenrir Jr. said. "But still…"
"Speaking of the Serpent General and the Somber Priestess…" Largo spoke up. "I think the chancellor said that there are notes from the Serpent General and the Somber Priestess, along with her note to you, in one of the envelopes too."
"Hm?" Fenrir Jr. looked throught the envelopes he got from Natasha until he spotted one envelopes that's smaller than the rest. He then openned it and found three notes inside the envelopes.
"It seemed like all three Zoroark wrote it in a rush manner because the Somber Priestess wrote this before she left for the pilgrimage and the other two wrote it just before they left this morning." Natasha said as Fenrir Jr. read the notes inside the envelope. "I don't know the content of those notes, but I think it would have something to do with other stuffs in other envelopes—"
"THUD!"
The words of the Dragalge were cut off when Fenrir Jr. suddenly dropped the envelopes and the notes on the table in front of him, and before anyone could say anything else, the Zoroark quickly rushed to the old cabinet next to the table and started searching for something.
"F… Fenrir?" Largo said after seeing the Zoroark's sudden action. "What's wrong with you? Why did you just—"
"Largo…" Natasha called the name of her younger brother. Right now, she was holding the notes from Fenrir Sr., Jormungand and Hel to Fenrir Jr., and her face was rather grim and troubled. "Look at these notes…"
"Hm?" Largo received three notes from his elder sister and started reading it.
"To Fenrir… I have something that I must do, and so, I have to leave. If I do not return by tomorrow's morning, please do know that I am already dead. If that happens, you will be the new lord of Shadowlost Territory, as well as the new Hero of Dark type. Remember that the future will be in your paw, not only of the land of darkness, but also of the entire world too. Don't try finding what happened to me or what I was doing, because I am trying to follow what my heart told. And last, no matter what happens, I will always love you, my son. And please tell Ridley that his mother is sorry that she couldn't spend more time with him. Love, Fenrir the Master of Mercy."
"To my nephew… Fenrir Jr., I have to leave to do a very important mission that only I can do, and I'm very sure that I will not live to see you again. Don't shed any tear for me, because no matter what happen, I won't have any regret. If I have one regret that I could tell you, it would be that I won't be there to see the Shadowlost Territory flourish under your rule, my nephew. From your uncle, Jormungand the Serpent General."
"To Fenrir Jr… This is from your aunt, Hel… I don't know how much your mother tell you about what she's doing, but regardless of that, the paper in other envelopes is about the stuffs regarding the nation's affairs of Shadowlost Territory that your mother prepared in case of the worse. I pray that you will never get to use them, but if you do, remember that the you are never alone, and may the darkness of Shadowlost guides your way. From your aunt, Hel the Somber Priestess…"
"W… What are these?!" Largo spoke up after reading all three notes. "They wrote as if they would go to die or something like that!"
"Fenrir." Natasha called the name of the Zoroark, who was still searching for something in the old cabinet. "Do you have any idea what could these notes mean?"
"No." Fenrir Jr. replied.
"Then, what are you doing?!" Largo asked. "Are you trying to follow your mother and—"
"No." Fenrir Jr. replied again with the same word. "What I am doing doesn't have anything to do with the content of those notes."
"Then what is it?" Natasha asked as she saw Fenrir Jr. pulled out an old notebook and flipped through it hastily, and then an unreadable expression appeared on his face.
"Heh…" Fenrir Jr. mumbled as he closed the notebook and put it away. "I was having a suspicious about this, but I thought this would be impossible… But now that the evidence is clear… The story of living creature's existence is truly unfathomable…"
"What are you talking about?" Largo asked as Fenrir Jr. stood up at turned his attention to him and Natasha.
"Natasha, Largo, stays here." Fenrir Jr. said as he walked toward the door of the room. "I have something that I must do. I am not sure how long would it take, but no matter what happens, do not follow me."
"Wai—" Natasha and Largo were about to call the Zoroark, but it was already too late as Fenrir Jr. had already exited the room and closed the door as soon as he finished speaking.
'I knew it…' Fenrir Jr. thought to himself as he ran along the street of Shadowlost City, passing several Pokemon who quickly got out of the way of the Zoroark before the Zoroark ran into them. 'The handwriting on the notes they gave me… It is the same one as the handwriting on the third blackmail that Korben got, which is very unique, and I doubt anyone else would have the same handwriting, at least those in the Shadowlost Territory. I had a suspect that I have seen that handwriting before, given how unique it is, and I was right. That notebook I found in the cabinet is the notebook they gave me with the writing of all of them, and like the notes they gave me, the handwriting perfectly matches, which confirms my suspicions even further. That handwriting on the blackmail indeed belongs to that Pokemon, and the one who sent the blackmail to Korben is none other than one of three siblings, Fenrir, Jormungand and Hel.'
The Zoroark stopped for a bit to catch his breath before he continued running. 'The fact that they know Korben enough to be able to send him the blackmail, including their reaction to Korben in the Newmoon Temple two days ago, indicates that they knew Korben before, maybe even more than I know about him. But why do they have to send a blackmail to Korben? Could it be that they hate or fear that Kommo-o? Or maybe…'
After running for several minutes, the Zoroark reached the city gate of Shadowlost City, and after passing through it, he found himself facing with the endless wasteland of Shadowlost. "Either way, I must confront that Pokemon and ask them about this, and according to their note, they should be at the…"
Fenrir Jr. turned his attention toward the north of the field, to the direction of the Darkveil Chasm and the Newmoon Temple. However, as he was doing so, he noticed something in the middle of the Shadowlost Wasteland. It was a Pokemon that he had never seen before running through the wasteland, and on its back was someone that he didn't expect to encounter this soon.
'Korben?!'
-Meanwhile…
"Just a bit more…" Korben mumbled to himself as he held onto Sirius back while the Type: Null was running through the Shadowlost Wasteland, heading toward the Newmoon Temple. "I hope that I am not too late, or else that Pokemon might be—"
"Korben!"
"Hm?!" Korben turned his head back to the direction of the voice and saw the Shadowlost City in the distance, and the owner of the voice was running toward him from the city.
"Fenrir Jr.?!" Korben said as he quickly signaled Sirius to stop running, allowing the Zoroark to catch up with them. "What are you doing here?!"
"Huff… Huff… I… I found it." Fenrir Jr. replied as he tried to catch his breath. "I found out where I had seen the handwriting on that blackmail before, and I knew who sent you those blackmails."
"Me too." Korben said. "I realized it a bit after you left yesterday, but I was imprisoned until a while later."
"You were… imprisoned?" Fenrir Jr. repeated the words he had just heard. "How so?"
"It would be faster if we talk while we move." Korben said. "I know where that Pokemon is right now, and I am heading there, so, climb aboard. We will go together."
"…Are you sure that you REALLY want me to do that?" Fenrir Jr. asked as he looked at Korben and the Pokemon that he was riding on skeptically. "… And what kind of… Pokemon is that?"
"…" Sirius was looking at the Zoroark with a face that showed the expression of concern and anxious, as if it didn't want the Zoroark to go with them, but…
"Never mind that." Korben ignored Sirius and reached his paw to grab Fenrir Jr.'s paw. "Now, Fenrir Jr., let's go together."
"… Fine." Fenrir Jr. mumbled as he was pulled onto the Type: Null back by the Kommo-o, and after seeing that the Zoroark had successfully gotten on its back, Sirius continued running through the Shadowlost Wasteland, to the Newmoon Temple…
Meanwhile…
Thirteen Pokemon in the Newmoon Temple showed different reaction after hearing Baromyteus' sudden confession. Most members of the Pendragon were shocked and awed, except for Rachael and Freya, whose face turned red from blushing. Jormungand and Hel were also restless beside being shocked and awed. Fenrir Sr., on the other hand, just lowered her head a bit and didn't show much emotion due to her face being hidden behind the demonic mask she's wearing.
"Fenrir, I love you." Baromyteus repeated the words he had just said. "I always love you since before the Fallen Crisis. During my time as the 'monster' of the Skeleton Woods, you were the only one who didn't fear or hate me. Instead, you showed your kindness and mercy toward a cursed soul like me, and I gradually fell in love with you."
"…" Fenrir Sr. remained silent and didn't say anything.
"… Perhaps another reason while I hate that bastard whom you called your 'beloved' husband is because I am jealous of him." Baromyteus continued speaking. "After seeing how happy you are with him, and how much you love him, I decided to withdraw myself from you and let you be with him in peace. And now, I know that that bastard is already dead, and either me or you are going to die soon, so I thought that I would let you know this, so that I wouldn't have any regret left in my life, and I understand if you would—"
"No." Fenrir Sr. spoke up as she raised her head and looked at Baromyteus. Her eyes showed a hard-to-read emotion. "Baromyteus, you don't really love me."
"What?" Baromyteus looked at the Zoroark in front him, as if the answer of the Zoroark wasn't what he expected.
"Baromyteus, you don't really love me." Fenrir Sr. repeated her words. "The feeling you have toward me is just an affection, not love."
"… And how could you know what I truly feel?" Baromyteus asked.
"I don't, but I can tell based on what I know about you." Fenrir Sr. replied. "Baromyteus, you were an exile who was forced to live in solitude since when you were born, which isn't something that a newborn Pokemon would normally do, and so, you yearned for the kindness that you never received, and because I was one of the very first Pokemon who showed this to you, and as the result of that, you started having an affection on me. It is something like a feeling of love between friends, siblings or parents and children, but not the feeling between two lovers."
"… How can you be so sure that what I feel isn't a romantic feeling between two lovers?" Baromyteus asked.
"Because you don't even know what love is, Baromyteus." Fenrir Sr. replied. "Even if you and I end up as lovers, our relationship wouldn't last long because it wouldn't be a healthy one. Beside, you already have someone you romantically love that isn't me."
"… I have?" Baromyteus repeated the words he had just heard.
"My words are proved here." Fenrir Jr. said. "You already have someone you love, someone whose their relationship between you and them would be a healthy one instead of an unhealthy one between you and me, and yet you haven't realized it and still indulge in your fallacious love with me."
"D… Don't just tell that you know how I truly feel!" Baromyteus growled at Fenrir Sr., but it was noticeable that his voice was shaking a bit, as if he was hesitate to raise his voice against the Zoroark in front of him. "W… We haven't seen each other for more than three decades, and we have just reunited with each other for three days, so don't just say that you know everything about me!"
"See?" Fenrir Sr. said. "Even now that we are the enemies of each other and I have angered you, you still hesitate to raise your voice against me. Was it was other people who anger you, your blades would already be drawn out and point toward those who offend you, and yet you didn't dare to express your true feeling toward me…"
"I…" Baromyteus mumbled.
"I guess that's enough about this…" Fenrir Sr. said as she drawn out her weapon. "You will have plenty of time to ponder about this later, but that's only if I am the one who died today."
"… I suppose so." Baromyteus said as he looked at the Zoroark in front of him, who had a scythe in her paw. The Shiny Haxorus then drawn out his Dragon Fang Sword. "Then… Fenrir, let's get this over with…"
"You and me too…" Fenrir Sr. said. "Now, let the duel of vengeance begin."
-Meanwhile…
"… I was right." Korben said as he was riding on Sirius' back, along with Fenrir Jr., as they journeyed to the Newmoon Temple. Both Kommo-o and Zoroark had just exchanged what they had learned and deduced. "Our deductions match with each other's, so that person must be the real culprit behind everything."
"… To be honest, I still couldn't believe that one of three siblings would be responsible for this." Fenrir Jr. commented. "But now that I think about it… It would mean that we both are…"
"You're right." Korben said. "And I thought that I have nothing else left after… that day. I never thought that I would find it outside the place I called home."
"Now that I think about it, it's quite obvious…" Fenrir Jr. commented. "Back then, I was able to befriend Princess Natasha of Dustorm Empire easily, while I have a hard time doing the same thing to her younger brother, Prince Largo. And a few days ago, I was able to do the same thing I did to Princess Natasha to you, despite that you are just a random Pokemon I encountered. After all, you and Princess Natasha are the same to me…"
"…" Korben said nothing after hearing the words of the Zoroark.
"But… There're few more things that I still don't understand." Fenrir Sr. said. "How did you know that all of them are currently at the Newmoon Temple right now? What's your true purpose of coming to the land of darknesss? And… What is this… Pokemon that we're riding right now?"
"… I guess that I can't hide it anymore…" Korben said. "My friends and I come to the land of darkness… to kill the chancellor."
"…Are you serious?" Fenrir Jr. replied after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.
"Yes." Korben replied, not looking at the Zoroark.
"… Tell me everything, Korben. EVERYTHING." Fenrir Jr. said.
Meanwhile…
"SHIIINNNKKK!"
"CLLLAAAAAASSSSHHHHH!"
"GRRRRRRRRRAAAAA!"
"SSSSWWWWWOOOOSSSSSHHHH!"
The sound of battle echoed through the main hall of Newmoon Temple as a Shiny Haxorus and a Zoroark fought against each other in a duel. Here, Fenrir Sr.'s prowess as the Heroine of Dark type was shown. Her movement was graceful as she moved around, dodging her enemy's attack, and her ferocity was shown as she struck her opponent with her scythe.
"CLAAANNKKKK!"
Baromyteus shielded Fenrir Sr.'s attack with one of his blades and tried to strike her with his other blade, but the Zoroark was able to dodge it by jumping backward.
"Not bad…" Fenrir Sr. commented. "We have battled against each other before, remember? It was at the end of our adventure during the Fallen Crisis, just before the final battle against the Fallen Dragon."
"…" Baromyteus said nothing as he silently gazed at the Zoroark in front of him.
"In that battle, you are almost unbeatable. However, the strength you possessed at that time was but a cursed blessing from the Fallen Dragon…" Fenrir Sr. continued speaking. "But now, you fight against me with your true strength, and you are such a force to be reckoned with."
"… I remember that I both felt relieved and frustrated at the same time after our first battle." Baromyteus said. "I felt relieved because I don't have to hurt you anymore, but I also felt frustrated because I hate losing a battle."
"But at least you're still alive after that battle, in contrast of what I believed during these past three decades." Fenrir Sr. said as she tightened her grip on her scythe. "Now, let's resume our battle, shall we?"
"… Here I come." Baromyteus said as he readied his blades. The Shiny Haxorus and the Zoroark then prepared to resume their duel…
But then…
"RRRRAAAWWWRRR!"
Just before the duel resumed, something suddenly emerged from the foyer of the temple and entered the main hall of Newmoon Temple. That thing then jumped from the entrance of the main hall and landed between the Shiny Haxorus and the Zoroark, revealing itself to be none other than Sirius the Type: Null!
"What the—" While Sirius' sudden appearance was such a surprise to everyone, it was nothing compared to the appearance of two Pokemon who were riding on the Type: Null's back. It's because one of them was the son of the Zoroark who was engaged in the battle, and another one was none other than the missing member of the Pendragon!
"K… Korben?!" Rachael and Freya said as they saw the Kommo-o sitting on the back of the Type: Null.
"Fenrir?" Fenrir Sr. seemed to be confused after realizing that her own son was here. "What are you doing here?!"
"… That question could also be said to you by me, mother." Fenrir Jr. said as he jumped down from the Type: Null's back. "But that isn't necessary, because I already know everything."
"… Everything?" Fenrir Sr. repeated the words she had just heard.
"Yes, everything." Fenrir Jr. replied.
"… Not only you disappear during this whole morning, but you also have a nerve to show yourself here, interrupting my battle." While Fenrir Jr. was talking to his mother, Baromyteus growled as he gazed at Korben, who was climbing down from Sirius' back. "Now, I will give you ten seconds to step out of my way, or else I won't guarantee that my blades wouldn't find you their victim."
"… Before you do that." Korben slowly spoke as he looked at the Shiny Haxorus in front of him. "There's something that I must tell all of you, right here and right now."
"… And that 'something' is more important than your own life, the life of the last survivor of the Hidden Village of Dragon?" Baromyteus said with a creepy voice.
"Just… listen to me, please." Korben said as he turned back and found that Sirius had already walked away to join with Rachael and Richard, and the four Zoroark standing on the other side of the temple were having their attention on them. "Everyone, I know the identity of the one who stole the artifact from this very place 19 years ago."
"What?!"
Hearing the words of the Kommo-o generated different reactions to everyone here. Everyone in the Pendragon either was shocked or pondered in confusion. For the four Zoroark, Fenrir Jr. had an unreadable emotion on his face, and the other three Zoroark didn't show much emotion due to their faces were concealed beneath their mask. However, they all seemed to be interested in the Kommo-o's words.
"The one who stole… the artifact…" Diego repeated the words he had just heard. "Korben, what the fxxk are you talking about?"
"… For those who don't know, this very place in the Newmoon Temple…" Fenrir Jr. explained as he approached the Altar od Desire at the end of the main hall and placed his paw on it for a few seconds, before he walked back and joined the Kommo-o. "... Once housed the 'sacred' artifact, a diadem with a power to grant any wishes, be money, object, fame, glory or power, at the cost of their own misery of losing something in their life."
"An artifact… that can grant any wishes… At the cost of losing something in their life?" Freya said. Meanwhile, other members of the Pendragon except for Sirius involuntarily reached their paw to their own Dragon Relic, the symbol of their pact with the Legendary Pokemon to get an unimaginable power at the cost of being cursed to lose something in their life…
"With a power like that, the story of the artifact was concealed in order not to let anyone misuse it." Fenrir Jr. continued explaining. "However, during the fateful night 19 years ago, this very artifact was stolen from its place in this very temple, and so far, none was able to find the any clue regarding the whereabouts of the stolen artifact and the identity of the one who stole it, let alone retrieving the artifact and catching the thief who stole it."
"But now…" Korben spoke up after Fenrir Jr. finished explaining. "We have deduced this case from the evidences and data that we could gather, and we came to the conclusion of this case. We know the identity of the one who stole the artifact from this temple 19 years ago."
"… Go on." Fenrir Sr. said as she looked at the Kommo-o and her own son.
"First…" Korben said. "You may not believe it, but I once had the diadem, the very artifact that was stolen from this place, in my possession."
"You… have?" Hel said as she looked at the Kommo-o in front of her.
"Yes." Korben nodded. "The diadem was in the possession of my grandfather, who passed it to me just before he… died, and I had it in my possession during the whole time until I came to this land of darkness, the very land that the diadem belongs to."
"… And how could the diadem end up in your posssssssssssssesssssssssssssion?" Jormungand asked.
"According to my grandfather, the diadem was in the possession of my mother, who left my village 23 years ago, only to return to my village 18 years ago at her final moment. She came back with the Pokemon egg that contained me in her possession, along with the stolen diadem from the Newmoon Temple."
"Then…" Anastasia spoke up. "It would mean that…"
"That's right." Korben said. "It was my mother who stole the diadem with her from the land of darkness back to my village."
"Your… mother?" Hel said. "Wait, don't tell me that…"
"My mother… Her name is Diadora Forcenter the Kommo-o." Korben said. " You may remember her. She was once the priestess of Newmoon Temple, but she disappeared 19 years ago, around the time that the Bloodmoon War started, so she was believed to perish in the war. However, that is incorrect. She didn't die in the war. She died in the valley where her village was located in after escaping from the land of darkness with the diadem in her possession."
"… I have a sssssssssssssussssssssspeciousssssssssssss about thissssssssssssss." Jormungand said. "Sssssssssssstill, according to your wordsssssssss, that would mean that ssssssssssssshe'sssssssssss already dead, but you ssssssssaid that the one who sssssssssstole the diadem issssssssss in thissssssssssss very place, didn't you?"
"I stand by my words." Korben said. "It's true that my mother is the one who stole the diadem with her from the land of darkness back to our village. However, there's something about this whole case more than that."
"What do you mean by that?" Anastasia asked.
"Think about it. What kind of reason would my mother have in order to steal the diadem from this very temple?" Korben said. "While the diadem has a power to grant any wishes, its power would be lost unless it was placed on the Altar of Desire in this very temple, so stealing it from this place wouldn't be any use. Sure, she could steal it and then trade it for a large amount of fortune, but she didn't do that. Instead, she had it in her possession as she lay dying while returning to her village, a place where the diadem would be completely useless as it's separated from the rest of the world. So, what's the true reason behind her action?"
"… Now this is really interesting…" Fenrir Sr. said. "Tell me more about it."
"Next, do you remember what I said that I once 'had' the diadem in my possession?" Korben said. "The truth is, I don't have the diadem with me anymore, because it was taken from me when I was kidnapped yesterday."
"Wait…" Rachael spoke up. "You were kidnapped?"
"Right. That's why I didn't show up earlier today." Korben explained. "I was imprisoned in a lone shack somewhere in the Shadowlost Wasteland, and I was rescued later. Then I quickly rushed to this place."
"And I met him during his way, just after I discovered something." Fenrir Jr. spoke up. "And the thing I discovered actually leads to us finding the identity of the one who stole the artifact."
"What do you mean by that?" Diego asked.
"… When I was knocked out yesterday and woke up in the shack I mentioned before today, I checked my belonging and found that the diadem was taken from me." Korben continued explaining. "However, all of my other belongings still remain with me. Don't you find it strange? If the one who knocked me out want to steal from me, they would take my other belongings too, not that I have much, but still… They knocked me out and took the diadem from me, yet they didn't touch anything else. That could mean only one thing. The one who knocked me out must have targeted the diadem that I have since the start."
"And that's actually the vital part of this." Fenrir Jr. spoke up. "If the one who knocked him out really targets this Kommo-o because they want to take the lost artifact from him, how could they know that the artifact was in his possession? To other Pokemon, he was just a random Pokemon who appeared as a visitor to the land of darkness… despite his true intention of coming here."
"Wait a minute…" Fenrir Sr. interrupted her son's words. "Fenrir, don't tell me that…"
"Yes, I already know everything." Fenrir Jr. said. "However, that's beside the point here, and I'm not going to say anything about that right now. For now, let me and Korben continue our deduction here."
"…" Fenrir Sr. slightly nodded to her son.
"… Let's continue…" Fenrir Jr. said. "What I tried to say is that, the one who knocked Korben out must know that he had the diadem in his possession, not just a random burglar who was lucky enough to find the artifact in his possession, or else they would have taken more stuffs from this Kommo-o after they knocked him out."
"And here, let's leave that part like that for now…" Korben spoke up before turning his attention to everyone else in the Pendragon. "Everyone, there's something that happened to me during these past three days that I didn't tell you. I had received a serie of blackmails."
"B… Blackmail?!" Freya exclaimed.
"Yes." Korben said as he showed the Pendragon two small notes. "These are the first two of three blackmails I received. All of them told me to leave the land of darkness, or else something bad would happen to me. The second one, along with the third one that I didn't show, also mentioned that I ignored the warning in the first and second one too, which means that the one who sent it must know about my action and my whereabout."
"Then…" Baromyteus spoke up for the first time. "Why didn't you tell this to us? What sort of craven do you think to conceal this story to yourself?"
"It's because I don't want to worry all of you, for that this is my own matter." Korben replied. "Besides, I didn't lie to you. I just didn't tell you anything about it."
"…" Baromyteus said nothing after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.
"And of course, I ignored all three blackmails, and then I was knocked out and imprisoned in the shack." Korben said. "And so, the one who sent me these blackmails must have known that I didn't heed their warning, so they decided to act physically and knock me out of the way."
"… That might be possible…" Richard spoke up. "However, there's possibility that the one who sent you these three blackmails and the one who knocked you out are different Pokemon too…"
"Yes, I'm aware that that's also possible... If the one who knocked me out only want to take the diadem from me." Korben replied. "Think about it, if the only thing they want to do with me is to take the diadem from me, why did they have to lock me in the shack?"
"Heh… I see it now." Richard said. "The one who sent you the blackmails want you to get out of the land of darkness, and the one who knocked you out also locked you in the shack, or in the other words, also got you out of the way, right?"
"Yes." Korben said. "The next vital part that we're going to talk about is how they sent these blackmails to me, which also accidentally revealed more detail about the sender."
"First, the third blackmail was sent to this Kommo-o yesterday by being attached to a dagger that was flung to the tree next to where Korben was standing." Fenrir Jr. said. "I was with Korben during that time, so I can confirm this."
"The second blackmail, on the other hand…" Korben said as he turned his attention toward the older male Zoroark in this place. "… It was in the envelope that you gave me two days ago when I visited Newmoon Temple, Jormungand."
"… Then…" Jormungand spoke up. "You would say that…"
"Jormungand, you told me that it was a random Pokemon who was looking for me who asked you to deliver that envelope to me, right?" Korben said.
"I see…" Hel spoke up and looked at her elder brother. "Jormungand, then it would mean that you have met the sender of the blackmail before…"
"I guesssssssssss you could ssssssssssssssay that…" Jormungand relied. "Unfortunately, I didn't get to sssssssssssssssee the face of the one who assssssssssssked me to give the envelope to you becaussssssssssssse their face wassssssssss concealed in the veil of cloak that they wore."
"And then you proceed to give an envelope that contain a blackmail from a random stranger to this Kommo-o..." Fenrir Sr. said with a sarcastic voice. "What a good judgment you have, my brother."
"If I may…" Korben spoke up again. "Still, what we could learn regarding how they sent the second and the third blackmail doesn't help us learn much. However, the key lies with how they sent the first blackmail to me, in the very first day that I arrived at the land of darkness."
Korben then turned his attention to the Pendragon. "I found the first blackmail in my room at the inn after I came back from having dinner in the very first day I arrived at Shadowlost Territory. It was in folded towel on my bed at the inn."
"Now that you mention it… I remember that too…" Xavier spoke up. "You picked a small note from the floor, and then your face changed, as if you have seen a ghost, and then you asked me if someone had entered our room before you came, which means that the note you picked is…"
"Yes, it was the very first blackmail I received." Korben said. "This is the key to know the identity of the sender of the blackmail."
"Xavier…" Richard spoke up and looked at the Dragonite. "If I remember correctly, it was you who arrived at the in first, thus you would be the one who assigned the room that each of us stay, right?"
"Yeah…" Xavier replied. "And then I went straight to my room and quickly fell asleep, and I stayed in the room of all time until you arrived, Korben."
"Which mean that it's impossible for the sender of the blackmail to place the blackmail in our room before you arrived, Xavier, as they wouldn't know which room that I stayed." Korben said.
"But that's the problem." Diego spoke up. "Since Xavier said that he's in his room the whole time, then, how could the sender of the blackmail place the it in your room without being known?"
"Xavier…" Korben looked at the Dragonite. "I will ask the same question again. Before I came back to the room three days ago, did anyone come in first?"
"The only one who came in before you was Zetarus who came and gave me food that Claura forgot, thought I think that I heard Baromyteus' voice while I was sleeping too."
"I already told you about this!" Zetarus spoke up as he looked at the Dragonite. "I know nothing of this! I was on the ship to Venom Island during that time, so how could I come back and give you your food?"
"As I thought... Xavier's testament and Zetarus' testament didn't match with each other, right?" Korben said. "Well… That would lead us to more puzzle… If the one who came and gave food to Xavier was really Zetarus."
"What?!" Everyone in the Pendragon looked at Korben in disbelief.
"Heh… I see it now…" Fenrir Jr. spoke up. "While it's almost impossible for any other Pokemon to disguise themselves as someone else unless they are of the same species, it was possible for a certain species of Pokemon, who possessed an ability to trick the other Pokemon's eyes via illusion."
"… And those are the Pokemon whose ability is called 'Illusion', a Zorua and a Zoroark." Richard said and gazed at four Zoroark on the other side of the main hall.
"That's right." Korben said as he turned his attention to the four Zoroark. "The Pokemon who came to my room and gave food to Xavier, as well as the Pokemon that was asked by Claura to deliver food to Xavier three days ago, wasn't Zetarus, but it was a Zoroark who disguised themselves as Zetarus. This is why Zetarus didn't know anything about this."
"B… But…" Freya spoke up. "K… Korben, we encountered Zetarus just as we arrived at the inn, didn't we? A… And we also spoke to him too…"
"That Pokemon isn't Zetarus, Freya." Korben replied. "If you remember correctly, 'Zetarus' that we met didn't speak much, as if they tried to say as little as possible in order not to let their identity be revealed. That's because they weren't Zetarus, but they were another Pokemon in disguise instead."
"Heh… Now that I think about it… 'Zetarus' who gave me food also didn't say much, in contrast of the real one." Xavier said.
"Hey!" Zetarus yelled at the Dragonite.
"Xavier's right…" Claura spoke up. "But still… The fact that I asked 'Zetarus' to deliver food to Xavier is completely random. I was about to board a ship to Venom Island when I realized that Xavier's food was with me while Xavier was at the inn back in Shadowlost City, and 'Zetarus' just showed up randomly and offered to deliver food to Xavier. If you ask me, that's a bit too random."
"Actually, it's more random than you think, Claura." Korben said. "I think that it happened just because the sender of the blackmail was happened to be around there when you said that you want to deliver food to Xavier back at the inn in Shadowlost City, and so, the sender of the blackmail disguised themselves as one of us in order to trick Claura, starting their plan to send me blackmail."
"That might be possible, but still…" Zetarus said. "They're lucky that they chose to disguise as me, who wasn't in Shadowlost City at that time, but what if they chose to disguise as someone who was still in Shadowlost City, or if I was still at Shadowlost City, and the fake one run into the real one?"
"For this part, it wasn't luck." Korben said. "As I said before, they were just happened to be around there when Claura said that she wanted to deliver food to Xavier, at the port before she boarded the ship to Venom Island. If they were at the port, then they must know that you, Zetarus, had already boarded the ship to Venom Island, so you wouldn't be at Shadowlost City at that time, making it's safe for them to disguise as you."
"I see…" Claura nodded to the Kommo-o. "And after the fake Zetarus received food from me, they would go to the in where Xavier was as I told them which inn that we stayed, and then they could just pretend to be Zetarus and check with the receptionist that which room was Xavier's and Korben's. They were lucky that Xavier and Korben stay in the same room, so all they must do is go to that said room and gave Xavier his food, and then slip the blackmail in Korben's bed as Korben shared his room with Xavier, and since Xavier already chose one bed, the other bed must be Korben's."
"And even if Xavier and Korben didn't stay in the same room, all they must do is to go to Xavier's room to deliver food to him, and then go to Korben's room and slip the blackmail there, and since they were disguised as Zetarus, it would also be fine if they run into any of us too." Richard said.
"Even so, despite what you said, this whole thing is too random to be true." Baromyteus said. "From what I heard, everything that happened is very random and flawed. What if what happened wasn't like that, such as what if the sender of the blackmail wasn't happening to be where Claura was, or what if Claura didn't need to deliver food to Xavier? Then their plan would be ruined. Also, are you sure that the one who sent you the first blackmail was actually a Zorua or a Zoroark disguised as Zetarus? According to Xavier's words, I could also do it, and Xavier could also do it too. Also, I think that any Ghost type Pokemon could do it too, because they could hide in the shadow that secretly slip the blackmail to you."
"If the one who did it was actually a Ghost type Pokemon, they wouldn't have to use the Serpent General to send the second blackmail. They could just easily slip the blackmail to Korben, just like what you said." Fenrir Jr. said.
"And actually, this whole blackmail shenanigan is entirely random, if you think about it." Korben said. "It was very random that I showed up in the land of darkness three days ago, and so, the one who sent the blackmail to me didn't have time to carefully make plan to send the blackmails to me, so the method they used to send the blackmail to me was actually random, such as if they weren't happened to run into Claura at the port or if Claura didn't need to deliver food to Xavier, they would just find another way to send the blackmail to me, such as them sending the second blackmail via the Serpent General and sending the third blackmail by a dagger."
"And since the sender of the blackmail didn't have any time to prepare for all of this, they must have just met Korben recently, which meant that none of you…" Fenrir Jr. looked at the other members of the Pendragon. "… Could be the sender of the blackmail, or else you would have planned it more carefully… Unless that's beyond your ability."
"And so, the sender of the blackmail must be either a Zorua or a Zoroark. However, in order for this whole thing to be possible, it was also required that the sender of the blackmail knows that I am in the same group as Claura, Xavier and Zetarus." Korben said as he turned his attention toward the four Zoroark. "… Which means that the Zorua and the Zoroark sent me the blackmail must be one of you, who knows that I am in the same group as everyone else."
"And since I don't know anything about your group until today, as the whole shenanigan about a group that wants to kill the chancellor was kept as a top secret, I also couldn't be the one who sent the blackmail too." Fenrir Jr. said. "The one who sent the blackmail must be one of three Zoroark who know of Korben's association, the Master of Mercy, the Serpent General and the Somber Priestess."
"…" Fenrir Sr., Jormungand and Hel said nothing after hearing the words of Fenrir Jr. and Korben.
"And now, this is the final evidence that helps us seek the true culprit." Korben said as he took another note out of his bag and showed it to everyone. "This is the third and the final blackmail I got, and as you can see, the handwriting on this one is completely different from the first two. And why is that? The answer is because the sender of the blackmail didn't expect me to still be in the Land of Darkness after the first two blackmail, and so, they wrote the last one in haste, as a last resort to get me out before they had to use force."
"That's such a reckless plan." Richard commented. "If I was the sender of these blackmail, I would prepare all three blackmails in advance, just in case that they didn't work."
"But this really confirms the whole shenanigan about the blackmail and kidnapping, isn't it?" Fenrir Jr. said. "The culprit acts recklessly without a solid plan because Korben's appearance was very sudden, and considered that the culprit had just met Korben recently, they wouldn't know much about him too."
"And so…" Korben said as he turned his attention to the three Zoroark. "Since the third blackmail was written recklessly, we were able to track the true owner of the blackmail."
"…" Fenrir Sr., Jormungand and Hel said nothing after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.
"And here…" Fenrir Jr. said as he showed everyone an old notebook. "This is the notebook that was given to me a few years ago. It had the handwriting of the Master of Mercy, the Serpent General and the Somber Priest. However, at first glance, the handwriting on the third blackmail didn't match with any of their handwriting…"
"… What are you trying to say?" Hel asked.
"He said that the handwriting on the third blackmail isn't an ordinary handwriting." Korben said. "Because the third blackmail was written in haste, the handwriting on the third blackmail must be the handwriting of someone when they hastily write too."
"And since this notebook contains the handwriting of all three when they hastily wrote it, I was able to figure it out." Fenrir Jr. said as he looked at three other Zoroark. "The handwriting on the third blackmail really matches with one of your handwriting!"
"And that person, the one who sent me three blackmails, as well as the one who knocked me out and locked me in the shack, is you!" Korben said as he pointed his paw at one of three Zoroark on the other side of the room. "It's you, the Serpent General of Shadowlost Territory, General Jormungand Illunight the Zoroark!"
Everyone in the main hall was surprised by the revelation, and their attentions were focused at the Serpent General, except Korben and Fenrir Jr. who had an unreadable emotion on their face, and Jormungand himself, who didn't even show any emotion on his face. All he did was crossing his arms and looked at the Kommo-o.
"… It was you, the Serpent General." Korben spoke up again. "The handwriting on the third blackmail matches with your handwriting in Fenrir Jr.'s notebook, so you are the one who sent three blackmails to me, as well as the one who knocked me out and locked me in that shack."
"… Are you really sure that it's him?" Fenrir Sr. asked as she glanced at her younger brother for a bit. "His handwriting matching with the handwriting in the third blackmail may just be a coincidence."
"This isn't the case, mother." Fenrir Jr. said. "His handwriting is really unique, so I'm very sure that there's no one else who shared the same handwriting with him, at least for those in the Land of Darkness."
"And before you said anything else…" Korben said. "During the case of the second blackmail, he didn't encounter any suspicious stranger and was asked by them to give an envelope that contained the blackmail to me. He just simply gave the envelope that contained the blackmail to me and lied about where he got it."
"Which explains why you, the general of Shadowlost Territory, decided to be a deliver man for a complete stranger." Fenrir Jr. "Honestly, this lie is pretty easy to look through, but considers that your entire plan is very reckless and careless, it isn't possible for you to come up with something like this."
"… I musssssssssssst admit that the whole deduction is impresssssssssssssive." Jormungand spoke up for the first time after the revelation as he looked at Korben. "However, I ssssssssstill don't think the handwriting is a ssssssssssolid evidence. Sssssssssssure, I may have written it, but I may not be the one who sssssssssssent it to you or knocked you out."
"Yes, I am aware of that too." Korben said. "However, I have one last evidence, the one that would pinpoint you as the one behind everything, and you won't be able to break free from this one."
"And that isssssssss?" Jormungand asked.
"… I have it in my possession for a some time, so I know about it…" Korben mumbled. "After I arrived at the Land of Darkness with it in my possession, I felt that I was shrouded in a strong negative feeling, which I later found out that it was because I had it in my possession. And after it was taken from me, the strong negative feeling was also taken away from me too."
"… What are you talking about?" Fenrir Sr. asked.
"… But as I travelled closer to the Newmoon Temple, I started to feel the very same negative feeling again…" Korben continued speaking as he looked straight at the Serpent General. "And now, as I stand here, in the Newmoon Temple, I could feel a strong presence of the very same negative feeling, and that presence is coming from you, the Serpent General."
"…" Jormungand said nothing after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.
"Jormungand, you still have it with you, haven't you?" Korben said. "The final evidence of this case. The object that was taken from me when I was imprisoned. The very same artifact that was stolen from this very place. The lost diadem. You have it with you, haven't you."
"…" Jormungand said nothing as he slowly reached his paw into his pocket and pulled something out. It was a large diadem that was made from pure silver with several strange carving in an exotic style, and was decorated with several colored gemstones, which the most outstanding one was a large black gemstone, that glittered like a reflection of the moon in the water, that was placed at the center of this ornament.
It was the stolen artifact of Newmoon Temple…
"J… Jormungand…" Fenrir Sr. and Hel said as they looked at their brother. "Y… You…"
"Impressssssssssive. Very impressssssssssive." Jormungand slowly spoke up again. "You are right, young Kommo-o. I am the one behind everything. I am the one who sssssssssssssent you the blackmail, and I am the one who knocked you out and locked you in that sssssssssshack."
"Wait a minute, Korben…" Baromyteus spoke up to Korben. "Before this, I remember that you said that the sender of the blackmail must know that you had the diadem in your possession, and so, how could he know that you have the diadem with you? You didn't show it to anyone, did you?"
"Of course he would know it…" Korben replied. "During my second day in the Shadowlost Territory, I paid a visit to Newmoon Temple with Fenrir Jr., and I gave my prayer to the Altar of Desire in this temple. However, since I was having the diadem in my possession, I was frozen and was asked by the voice inside the diadem about what I want to wish for. At that time, the Serpent General was with me, and he was the one who pulled me away from the altar, so he must realize that I have the diadem in my possession."
"But that would be after you received the first blackmail, isn't it?" Baromyteus asked. "If so, then how could he know about you and that diadem?"
"It'ssssssssss becaussssssssse I knew nothing of the diadem in posssssssssesssssssssion when I sssssssssent him the firsssssssst blackmail." Jormungand said. "And the diadem isssssssssn't the only reassssssssson why I sssssssent blackmail to him in the firssssssst place too."
"What… do you mean by that?" Hel asked.
"… It wasssssss becaussssssse I already figured out ssssssssince the firssssssst time we met…" Jormungand said as he pointed his paw at Korben. "I already figured out that you are Diadora's ssssssssson, Kommo-o. You ssssssssshare the very ssssssssssame ssssssssspecie and ssssssssssurname with her, and your name… That'sssssssss why I wasssssssss able to figure it out."
"… Having the same surname and being of the specie don't guarantee that a Pokemon is really the child of another one." Baromyteus said. "Also, what's with Korben's name that you're talking?"
"… And I alssssssssssso figured it out sssssssssssssince a very long time ago that it wassssssssssss Diadora who ssssssssssssstole the diadem from the Newmoon Temple." Jormungand ignored Baromyteus' words as he looked at Korben. "I have been sssssssssssearching for her sssssssssssssince the Bloodmoon War ended, but I couldn't find her, and now that you, the sssssssssssson of Diadora, are here, and you even have the diadem in your posssssssssssessssssssssssion. I couldn't sssssssssssit still and let you do as you pleassssssssssse. That'ssssssssssss why I have to take an action by doing all of thesssssssssssse."
"But that still doesn't answer anything!" Baromyteus spoke up again in a threatening tone. "You find the son of the one who stole the artifact from this temple 19 years ago, who also had the very same artifact that was stolen in his possession, and what you did was sent him blackmail to get him out of this land, and when he didn't comply, you just knocked him out, locked him in a shack and then took the lost artifact from him. That doesn't make any sense, especially the part when you took the artifact from him when you knocked him out, and yet you tried to get him out of the land of darkness in the first place. If you really want to retrieve the diadem from him, why did you threaten him to leave Shadowlost, even after you learned that the diadem was in Korben's possession? If he left the land of darkness, then the diadem would be gone from this land too, which is opposite of what you did to him after you knocked him out."
"… The answer would be that… I have already losssssssssssssssssssst too much in my life…" Jormungand replied as he put the diadem back into his pocket again. "… And I refusssssssse to losssssssssse anything elsssssssse, even if I have to…. Sssssssssspill my venom."
"That's…" Korben mumbled after hearing the words of the Serpent General.
"… It sssssssseemsssssssss like the time hassssssss come…" Jormungand said as he drew his weapon, which looked like two swords with their hilt joined together, out. "Korben Forcenter the Kommo-o, the child of Diadora, I challenge you in a battle."
"A…. battle?!" Freya said as she, along everyone else, heard the words of the Serpent General.
"... No…" Korben replied. "I… I don't want to fight you."
"… After everything I have done to you, you're still a coward?" Jormungand spoke as he slowly stepped forward, toward the Kommo-o. "… What would your mother think of her sssssssssson being like thissssssssss?"
"… Don't try to provoke me." Korben said. "I already know everything, far more than what I have revealed, and I stand by my words. I don't want to fight you, of all people."
"…" Jormungand said nothing after hearing the words of the Kommo-o.
"And what I don't understand is why you have to fight me." Korben asked. "After all, we have no reason to fight each other! What would my mother think if we fight here?!"
"Don't take your mother into this matter, Korben!" Jormungand scolded. "Sssssssssshe has nothing to do with thisssssssssss!"
"She has!" Korben said. "After all, what's her true reason for stealing the diadem from this temple?! Isn't it because she doesn't—"
"ENOUGH!"
Jormungand cut the Kommo-o's words by slashing his swords at him, but the attacked was blocked by someone who suddenly appeared in front of the Kommo-o and shielded him with his weapon.
"… You have stepped out of your border…" Baromyteus grumbled with a creepy voice after he was able to block Jormungand from attacking Korben.
"Heh… Then…" Jormungand said as he approached his elder sister. "… Sssssisssss, let me join the fight too."
"No." Fenrir Sr. replied. "This is a fight between me and Baromyteus, and you have nothing to do with this."
"And you really think that your wordssssssssssssssss can stop me?" Jormungand said. "Like I ssssssssssssssssay, I would do anything about thisssssssssssss, even if I have to ssssssssssssspill my venom, and you, of all Pokemon, sssssssssssssshould know how dangerousssssssssssss the venom of the ssssssssssssserpent isssssssssssss."
"… If you really want to die that much, then do as you please." Fenrir Sr. said.
"Then…" Hel suddenly spoke up as she approached her elder siblings. "… If Jormungand can join the fight, then so can I."
"And for what reason, Hel?" Fenrir Sr. asked.
"… My two siblings are going to fight in a battle to death, and how can you expect me to just stay still and watch you two risk your life?" Hel replied.
"Heh… I guess you and Jormungand still don't listen to your elder sister, even after this whole time…" Fenrir Sr. said as she turned his attention toward the Pendragon. "I must inform all of you that our battle's rule is slightly changed. It's no longer a 1-on-1 duel. It's now a 3-on-3 duel. Is this acceptable?"
"Yes." Baromyteus replied before he turned his attention to Korben. "Join me, Korben. And don't ever think of saying no. If you did, I will make your life from now on a living hell. Understand?"
"…" Korben said nothing to the Shiny Haxorus. However, he didn't retreat to be with other Pendragon, which was an enough response to the Shiny Haxorus.
"And then, we need one more Pokemon from our side…" Baromyteus said as he turned back to look at his other teammates, deciding the one who would join him and Korben.
"…L… Let me help!"
Before Baromyteus could decide, Freya suddenly stepped forward and approached the Shiny Haxorus. She was holding her healing rod, Scarlet Rose, with her.
"Wait, Freya! Come back here!" Zetarus shouted out after realizing what the Flygon had done. "What do you think you're doing?! They're having a duel to death!"
"I… I know…" Freya replied. "T… That's why I must do this! My friends are risking their lives for—"
"Enough speech about your heroic reason." Baromyteus cut Freya's words off. "If you want to join us, then do it. Just don't get in our way."
"I… I will…" Freya replied.
"Geez…" Zetarus mumbled to himself after seeing Freya's decision. "Terrus' going to kill me for this…"
"… Are you done?" Fenrir Sr. asked. She was having Jormungand and Hel standing beside her.
"Yes." Baromyteus replied as he had Korben and Freya stood by his side. "We're ready."
"Then, the last thing that we must do is…" Fenrir Sr. shifted her attention to another Zoroark, who was standing beside Korben. This Zoroark was none other than her own son. "… Step away, Fenrir."
"... Okay." Fenrir Jr. replied with a nonchalant voice as he stepped away to the side of the main hall, which surprised everyone quite a bit.
"… I didn't think that you would be this obedient, my son." Fenrir Sr. said.
"That's because I respect your decision, mother." Fenrir Jr replied. "You decided to engage in a duel to death against a group of Pokemon who's responsible for father's death, with my new friend being part of said group, at the risk of you, the chancellor of Shadowlost Territory, being killed. If that's your decision, then I won't judge you for this, and I will oblige to it, no matter what outcome of this duel is."
"!" Korben felt stunned after hearing Fenrir Jr.' words, especially the part when Fenrir Jr. called him 'friend'. However, he wasn't able to see the expression on the Zoroark's face as he said those words because the Fenrir Jr. was facing his mother.
"Thank you for understanding, my son." Fenrir Sr. said. "… If anything happens to me today, I'm sure that you will be a fine ruler of Shadowlost Territory."
"Yeah, I will." Fenrir Jr. said. "If you die today, I promise not to make the same mistake you and father did, mother."
After finished speaking, Fenrir Jr. walked away from the middle of the main hall to the side of the hall to observe the battle, leaving six Pokemon in the battle area.
"Now, then…" Fenrir Sr. said to her opponents after Fenrir Jr. left the battle area. "… Let's get this over with."
Diabolical Siblings
Fenrir Illunight Sr. the Zoroark
Jormungand Illunight the Zoroark
Hel Illunight the Zoroark
Korben silently observed his opponents in front of him. Jormungand, who was having strange blades that looked like two swords with their hilt joined together as his personal weapon, seemed to be a fast physical attacker. Hel, on ther other hand, was having a small dark orb as her weapon, which, along with her title, indicated that she's some kind of long-ranged fighter, such as a mage, a priestess or a shaman. Fenrir Sr., however, seemed to specialize in both physical and special attack, with her weapon that looked like a scythe made from a dark and sinister gemstone, which told that it wasn't an ordinary weapon.
"Listen to me, you two…" Baromyteus whispered to the Kommo-o and the Flygon. "Korben and I will fight in the front. Freya, you cover both of us from the back row. Korben, focuses on defense, and I will focus on attack. Understand?"
"Hm." Korben and Freya nodded to the Shiny Haxorus.
"Then, I'm counting on both of you too." Baromyteus said before he dashed toward his opponents, with his Dragon Fang Swords in his paws, and then he slashed it at Fenrir Sr.!
"!" Fenrir Sr. was able to dodge Baromyteus' first strike and used her scythe to block the Shiny Haxorus' second strike. She then countered by attacking Baromyteus with her scythe, which the Shiny Haxorus managed to dodge the attack.
"SLASSSH!"
While Baromyteus were busy battling Fenrir Sr., Jormungand dashed up toward Korben and struck him with his blade. With how fast he moved, Korben could only manage the block the attack with his fist. Jormungand, however, kept attacking Korben without stop.
"GRRRRR!"
Korben countered Jormungand's attack with the move Counter, sending the Zoroark backward. However, after landing, Jormungand then rushed toward Korben and kept attacking him.
'W… What's he doing?!' Korben thought as he continued guarding himself from Jormungand's attack. 'T… That guy's attack is ferocious, like a wild beast… But… His stance has many opening that I could easily counterattack. Why does he fight like that?!'
"Korben! Let me help!" Freya said as she pointed her Scarlet Rose to the Kommo-o and tried to heal him. However, a dark wave of energy suddenly appeared and interrupted the healing aura from the Scarlet Rose, preventing her from healing the Kommo-o!
"Don't think I'm going to let you do as you please…" Hel spoke up. She was raising the orb in her paw upward, creating the very same dark wave that interrupted Freya's healing aura.
"YAH!" Korben roared as he, once again, countered Jormungand's attack and sent him backward.
"Tsk…" Jormungand slowly stood up again and then dashed toward Korben and started attacking him again.
"… What are you doing, Jormungand?" Fenrir Sr. said as she was parrying Baronmyteus's attack.
"I am doing what I mussssssssssssssst do." Jormungand answered as he raised his claws, which was cloaked in the dark power, and then slashed it at the Kommo-o, attacking him with the move Night Slash!
"Grrr…" Korben concentrated his power to guard himself from Jormungand's Night Slash.
"… Allow me." Hel said as she raised her orb again and created several waves of dark energies, which became the move Dark Pulse, to attack Korben and Baromyteus!
"NO!" Freya shouted as she raised her Scarlet Rose and created a protective aura to ward off Hel's Dark Pulse.
"Thanks, augh!" Korben thanked Freya before he had to guard himself again as Jormungand mercilessly attacked him again.
"GRRRR!" Baromyteus roared as he jumped away from Fenrir Sr. in order to dodge her attack. The Shiny Haxorus then crossed his swords and started performing a vigorous dance. "Sword Dance!" Baromyteus roared as he boosted his attack stat, which also boosted Korben and Freya's attack stat too.
"An opening!" Fenrir Sr. used the moment that Baromyteus used the move Swords Dance to summon a whip made of dark energy and then whipped the Shiny Haxorus with it. "Punishment!"
"GRRR!" Baromyteus groaned as he was attacked by Fenrir Sr.'s punishment, which dealt increasing damage to him as he had just increased his stat using the move Sword Dance.
"YAH!" Korben used the move Counter again to send Jormungand flying backward, and then he quickly approached the injured Shiny Haxorus.
"Baromyteus! Are you alright?!" Korben said as Baromyteus was trying to stand.
"Do you really think that someone who killed your best friend would die that easy?!" Baromyteus replied as he was finally able to stand up again.
"Jormungand!" Fenrir Sr. spoke up to her younger brother as Hel was helping him to stand up. "Why did you fight like that?! You shouldn't abandon your guard and put everyone on attack!"
"Don't tell me what to do, ssssssssissssss." Jormungand said as he stood up again and dashed toward Korben in order to attack him again.
"GRRRR!" Seeing Jormungand coming his way, Baromyteus raised his swords to guard Korben from Jormungand's attack.
"Out of my way!" Jormungand said as he struck Baromyteus with his blade, and then quickly used the other end of his blade to strike Korben immediately afterward!
"Arrrgggg!" Korben groaned in pain as he blocked Jormungand's attack with his arms again.
"That Zoroark… The Serpent General…" Claura spoke up as she and other members of the Pendragon, along with Fenrir Jr., observed the battle. "What is he thinking of doing? Not only he put everything in offense and neglect his guard, but he also focuses his attack on, of all his opponent, Korben."
"Right?" Zetarus said. "While that Zoroark's full-offensive battle style would be an advantage to Freya, who was supporting everyone from behind, and Baromyteus, who fights an offensive battle, but not to his degree, his battle style would be a great disadvantage to Korben, who fights an defensive battle. Anyone with half a brain would know not to target a defensive fighter using a full-offensive battle style like that."
"And if they really want to defeat Korben, the Somber Priestess' battle style of being a long ranged attacker or the chancellor's battle style of normal offensive style would be much more effective…" Snow commented.
"…" Xavier and Richard said nothing as they silently observed the battle.
"… The battle style of the Serpent General… I have seen it before… Back when I was a gladiator at the Brawl Arena…" Diego said. "He doesn't fight like a warrior who seeks victory. He fights like a warrior who seeks death."
"GARRR!"
Jormungand roared as he was sent back by Korben's counterattack again. The Zoroark then landed on the floor as he was flung backward.
"Jormungand, you stubborn mule…" Fenrir Sr. said with an irritated as her younger brother tried to stand up again. "Stop wasting your power like that! We're having a duel to death! Every bit of your strength and stamina matters! Don't waste it like that!"
"I know what I am doing, sssssssssisssssss." Jormungand simply replied his elder sister.
"Dragon Claw!" Baromyteus used the moment that Fenrir Sr. was talking to Jormungand with the move Dragon Claw!
"Hurh!" Fenrir Sr. had to jump away from Baromyteus to avoid being attacked again. She then inspected the wound she got and found that it bled!
"Dark Pulse!" Hel roared as she emitted a dark aura to attack Baromyteus.
"Shadow Claw!" Baromyteus cloaked his claws in the sinister aura and used it to neutralize Hel's Dark Pulse!
"RRRRRARRR!" Jormungand roared as he dashed toward Korben in order to attack him. However, he was stoped when the floor below started cracking and shaking!
"E… Earth Power!" Freya said as she used the move Earth Power to stop Jormungand from attacking Korben.
"Don't get in my way!" Jormungand said as he charged toward Freya, pointing his blade at her!
"Freya!" Korben quickly stepped between the Flygon and the Zoroark in order to shield her from Jormungand's attack. The Kommo-o then punched the Zoroark in the face, forcing him to stumble backward!
"Enough! Jormungand!" Fenrir Sr. roared at her younger sister with an angry voice. "Are you trying to get all of us killed?!"
"That's none of your busssssssssssinesssssssssss." Jormungand replied.
"Of course it's mine!" Fenrir Sr. roared at her younger brother again. "We can't lose here! They are responsible for Rucas's death! I can't lose here! I can't die until I have avenged him and erased my regret!"
"Me too." Jormungand replied. "I have already lost many thingsssssssssssssss in my life, and I refusssssssssssssssse to lose anything elssssssssssssssssssse. You must understand that too if you're fighting for your husband's sssssssssssssssake."
"No, you aren't!" Fenrir Sr. roared. Her voice was shaking from the anger she had. "I am fighting for Rucas' sake, but you?! WHO ARE YOU REALLY FIGHTING FOR?!"
"!" Everyone in the main hall was surprised after hearing Fenrir Sr.'s words. They had never seen her becoming angry like this before, even for those who have known her for a long time like Baromyteus, Anastasia, Jormungand, Hel and Fenrir Jr.
"… For the lassssssssst reasssssssssson of my exisssssssssstence." Jormungand replied to his angry sister before he rushed toward Korben and started attacking him again.
"Then…" Hel mumbled as she was about to use her power to help her brother, however, she was stopped when the floor below her started cracking!
"No, you won't!" Freya roared as she held her Scarlet Rose forward. "Earth Power!"
"AHHHHH!" Hel cried in pain as she was damaged by Freya's Earth Power, forcing her to stumble backward!
"HEL!" Fenrir Sr. roared at her younger sister before turning her attention toward Baromyteus with a blood-hungry looking on her face. "THAT'S IT! I AM DONE WITH ALL OF YOU HERE! IT'S TIME TO END OF OF THIS!"
After finished speaking, Fenrir Sr. rushed toward Baromyteus and struck him with her scythe, forcing Baromyteus to use his blades to shield himself from Fenrir Sr.'s attack.
'W… What is it?!' Baromyteus thought as he tried his hardest to kept himself guarded from Fenrir Sr.'s attack. 'Her attack is much more ferocious this time. Even I have a hard time keeping up with her.'
"I WON'T STOP HERE!" Fenrir Sr. roared while she was still striking Baromyteus with her scythe. She then summoned dark energy and used it to attack the Haxorus. "NIGHT DAZE!"
"GRRRRRR!" Baromyteus groaned in pain as he had to keep his guard up while enduring Fenrir Sr.'s Night Daze attack.
"GRRRRR!" Korben groaned as he was experiencing the same thing as Baromyteus, but with Jormungand instead as the Zoroark kept attacking him.
"ARRRRR!" Jormungand roared as he tried to stab Korben at his abdomen. However, the Kommo-o managed to grab him and then flung him upward before attacked him with the move Counter, making him being flung backward and collapse on the floor!
"I… I won't lose here…" Fenrir Sr. roared as she kept attacking Baromyteus. "I will not lose here, to the one who killed Rucas! I WILL NEVER LOSE TO YOU, BAROMYTEUS! GAHHH!" Fenrir Sr. then used her scythe to slash Baromyteus at his abdomen. However…
"GRRRR!" After being attacked at his abdomen, Baromyteus used his tail to swept Fenrir Sr.'s legs, stumbling her! The Shiny Haxorus then crossed his swords in the X-shape and then used it to strike the Zoroark!
"NOW! X-SCISSORS!" Baromyteus roared as he used his swords to strike Fenrir Sr. with the move X-Scissors, sending her stagger backward!
"Hrrrhhhhrrr…" Fenrir Sr. groaned in pain as she was trying to stand. However, the wound she got from the battle clearly told that she was nearly at her limit, and she might not survive if she was attacked again...
"Sssssisss…" Jormungand mumbled as he and Hel approached their elder sister. Both of them were also greatly injured as much as their elder sister, while Korben, Baromyteus and Freya, who were still standing away from them, didn't suffer as much injury as them. With this, the result of this battle was almost guaranteed…
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, JORMUNGAND!" Fenrir Sr. spoke with a maddening voice as she looked at her younger brother. "IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU HAVE DOOMED US ALL!"
"Sis, what happen to you?!" Hel asked as she, along with Jormungand, was clearly surprised by their sister's outburst. "You are never like this before!"
"THREE TIMES! THREE TIMES THAT YOU IGNORED MY WORDS, ALL WHICH ENDS IN OUR DOOM!" Fenrir Sr. continued shouting at her younger brother, ignoring Hel's words. "FIRST YOU LEFT OUR VILLAGE OVER FORTY YEARS AGO AND WENT TO SYMMETRIA WITHOUT MY WARNING, THEN YOU IGNORED RUCAS' REQUEST OF SENDING SOLDIERS FROM OUR NATION THREE YEARS AGO, AND NOW THIS! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
"Ssssssissss, calm down!" Jormungand said. "You are never like this before! What's wrong with you?!"
"DON'T SAY WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME WHEN EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE IS WRONG!" Fenrir Sr. roared at Jormungand. "I CAN'T LOSE HERE! I CAN'T DIE UNTIL RUCAS' DEATH IS AVENGED. I WON'T ALLOW THIS! I WILL DO ANYTHING! I WILL DO ANYTHING TO OBTAIN THE VICTORY OF THIS BATTLE. BUT YOU, JORMUNGAND!"
"Sssssissss—" Jormungand was about to speak up again when his elder sister burst out again.
"WHY WON'T YOU NEVER LISTEN TO YOUR SISTER!" Fenrir Sr. roared as she pushed Jormungand with her remaining force right at where he was injured.
"GRAA!" Being pushed at at where he was injured at full force caused Jormungand to stumble backward and falling on the floor. However…
"GRINK!"
As the Zoroark fell down onto the floor, something slipped off from his pocket and fell from it, causing it to roll on the floor until it stopped right at where Fenrir Sr. stood…
It was the stolen artifact of Newmoon Temple, the lost diadem…
"Huh! THIS!" Fenrir Sr. said as she quickly snatched the diadem from the floor. "THIS IS IT! THIS THING! I CAN USE IT! IT WILL ANSWER ME!"
"Sis, don't tell me that—" Hel spoke up, however, her words were cut off when Fenrir Sr. started speaking again.
"I CAN USE IT TO GET MY WISH COME TRUE, AND NO ONE CAN STOP IT!" Fenrir Sr. said as she started dashing toward where the Altar of Desire was located, with the diadem in her grasp.
"No, ssssssisssss! Don't do it!" Jormungand roared as he tried to stand up. "That diadem isssssss dangerousssssss and mussssssst never be used! Hel, sssssssstop her!"
"Stop, sis!" Hel said as she quickly followed her elder sister to the Altar of Desire. However, she was too late as Fenrir Sr. was already at the altar…
"SILENCE!" Fenrir Sr. roared to everyone in the main hall as she held the diadem above the Altar of Desire. "Hear me, the god or whatever in this place! I ask of you to grant me the ultimate power! Grant me the power to defeat those who killed my husband, and take whatever price you want! I don't care anymore!"
After finished speaking, Fenrir Sr. placed the diadem on the Altar of Desire, which caused her body to be frozen still, and then, the altar started emitting dark aura from it, which then surrounded Fenrir Sr.'s body!
"NOOOO!" Hel said as she, having just reached where her elder sister stood, was also swallowed by the dark aura.
"Sssssisss…" Jormungand mumbled as he watched both his sisters were swallowed by the dark aura from the Altar of Desire. "What have you done?"
To Be Continued…
Dragon of Vale: This chapter turns out much longer than I expected, and it took me long enough, more than enough, I would say. Anyway, the story of Pendragon's adventure in Shadowlost Territory is about to come to the end, and the mysterious cases in this whole tail were revealed in this chapter as we learnt the identity of the one behind everything. However, there's something that hasn't been revealed yet, which you may have realized it already or not. However, remember that there's still one more chapter left for this tail...
And the ending of this chapter… This is bad… Very, very bad…
Q&A Session:
Tail 7-7 – Question: What is your greatest wish?
Answer:
-Korben: I wish to become stronger, and to overcome the nightmare that's haunting me.
-Claura: I wish to never repeat the mistake I have done in the past.
-Xavier: I wish to sleep forever, so that I don't have to wake up and face the reality again.
-Anastasia: I wish… for love.
-Baromyteus: I wish to keep fighting, until I find the greatest enemy, someone who's capable of overpowering me.
-Diego: I wish to be free from all the battle that I have been fighting.
-Zetarus: I wish to find the purpose of my life again.
-Rachael: I wish to find a place where Onii-chan and I really belong to.
-Richard: I wish to discover the greatest knowledge of this world.
-Freya: I… I wish for everyone to stop fighting each other.
-Snow: I wish to understand myself.
-Sirius: … (Dragon of Vale: Sirius wishes to atone for what it had done…)
Question from Ridin Valon: From: Luca R. Ezperanda
I have a problem... It's a matter with a friend... Actually... one night, he went to push me away from him, pointing his weapon at me... But I'm certain that he had reasons... Although he rarely explains anything to me... Right now, I'm wondering what he is doing... whether he is safe... So... I want to know from your opinion, whether I should continue to look for him... Everyone else'll probably tell me to stop and treat him like an enemy... But I can't! He's my best friend... I just can't... I don't care whether he's a Dragon-Type or not! Why must everyone mistreat Dragon-Types...? Well, as far as I remember, he's the only one that I've met... other than...
-Freya: I… I once had the same problem too… With all of my siblings… After we met Zetarus the first time, Terrus seems to believe in him, but Natasha and Largo didn't. Largo even became hostile to him. But… I have known him better than everyone in my family, and I can tell that he's not a bad guy deep in his heart. For you, I am sure that you believe in your friend, and… Do you see good in him? If you do, then I'm sure that nothing wrong will happen, or even if it happens, everything will be fine... After all, I am very sure that you will cross path with him again. So, for now, I would say that you should focus on what's most important to you first, and if you meet him again, don't do something that will make you regret later…