Chapter 5|The Birds of Baino Village

Zhanfang Valley

The River of Clouds and Cherry Blossoms

"Let's just keep walking," said Clef, starting to make his way down the side of the mountain. "They'll ignore us."

"They better, because this path is steep," Richard commented. Looking down, Riley realized that Richard's description was an understatement. Since they had left the beaten path, they had to take a detour down an even more beaten path. Wooden stakes lay askew to crudely mark the treacherous mountainside path that led down through the fog. It was only about a meter wide, and if you lost your step, you'd plummet about a hundred meters down. Riley looked out towards the incoming cloud of birds.

They weren't stopping.

"Uh, guys," said Riley, "What do we do?"

"I don't have any ranged attacks, you've got flame burst, right?" asked Richard. Riley hesitated for way too long, distracted by Saphira and Clef's screams as they were swarmed by the birds. Talons scratched everyone everywhere, beaks were driven into flesh. Through the flying feathers and commotion, Riley noticed they were Vullabys, completely feral. Richard was punching blindly into the air, luckily knocking a few out cold. As a Vullaby pierced her arm, drawing blood, Riley screamed, fire jetting out of her mouth and scorching a few Vullaby. "Nice one, Riley! Let's head down carefully! Try to take a few out if you can!" exclaimed Richard. Behind her, Clef and Saphira were struggling.

"C'mon! Just get down the mountain!" yelled Riley, covering them with a few more bursts of fire. A few scorched ones fell to the ground, fainted from Riley's inferno.

"Agh!" yelled Clef, getting carried up into the air by a Vullaby. They were way stronger than they looked.

"I got you, Clef!" exclaimed Saphira, shooting a bubble blast at Clef's kidnapper. It knocked it away, dropping Clef in the process. He began slipping down the side of the mountain when Richard grabbed his arm.

"That was close," said Richard. Clef looked like he was about to pass out.

"Thank Arceus," sighed Clef. They hightailed as fast as they could down the mountainside trail, knocking pebbles loose. Luckily, they pierced the clouds and made it to the bottom of the valley.

"What's up with those birds?" asked Riley, stepping aside for Clef and Saphira to collapse on the ground, completely winded.

"Something's happened. Everything's coming together. Wild Pokemon becoming agitated, the attacks on Greyhaven, you, a human showing up as a Pokemon," said Richard. "I'll bet you and the dragons have something to do with it."

"You know what, Richard?" said Riley, sitting down on a rock. "You're probably right. I don't even trust myself anymore."

Richard scoffed. "I don't blame you. I'd be hella confused as well."

Clef seemed to regain his composure, brushing himself off.

"What was that?! Half an hour in and I almost get carried off by some Vullaby!" he exclaimed, three lone Vullaby descending from the clouds.

"Watch out!" exclaimed Saphira, rolling off the rock she was sitting on. "They're back, boing!"

"They look normal now," noticed Riley, watching the three birds touch down on a tree to rest, the burn marks still etched into their feathers. "Wonder what that's all about."

"We'll ask the villagers, boing!" said Saphira, hopping along the path. "What's the village called again?"

"Baino Village," said Clef, "I haven't heard much about it."
"We'll stop here for a bit," said Riley. "I'm hungry."

After another hour of snaking through the valley, the path found its way to a small bridge that arched over a small stream. The fog still hung in the air, obscuring their view of the village.

"We're here," proclaimed Clef, stopping at the foot of the bridge at a sign that said BAINO VILLAGE.

"Uh," said Riley, noticing violent scratch marks on the wooden sign.

"They must have a problem with the birds as well," said Saphira. "Let's go. Maybe they need help."
The path led straight into the main street of the village. The houses were the same in design as the ones in Kungwei, but they were much more ramshackled. Rather than strong clay bricks, the walls of the village seemed to be held together with mud and wood. The tiled roofs attempted to be regal, but they were made of bamboo and straw. The streets were very organized and varied; some were wide and straight, while others were narrow and curved through little gaps between buildings. The mist was still prominent inside the village, but the most unsettling fact was that there were no Pokemon anywhere.

"What the hell happened here?" muttered Richard. Clef's eyes shot left and right quickly, as if he were expecting an attack at any moment.

"Hello?" exclaimed Saphira, to Clef, Richard, and Riley's fear. Clef shot a vine whip to cover her mouth.

"What are you doing?" hissed Riley. Saphira undid Clef's vines and still spoke too loudly.

"We aren't going to find anyone if we just sneak around like this, boing!" exclaimed Saphira. A measly voice whispered from the nearby window, nearly sending Clef into submission.

"Are you from Kungwei?" it asked. It sounded like an old woman, with a raspy voice that sounded like she needed water.

"Yes! What's going on?" asked Riley, glad to have found someone. The voice shushed her and hissed,

"Get inside!"

The four didn't need her to tell them twice. They quickly and quietly snuck through the wooden double doors that protected the household from the outside. The inside was a lot cozier than they expected, with candles, a rug, a stove, and most importantly, visibility. They were greeted by an old Hawlucha, who rushed to close the door behind them. She looked tired, her green feathers ruffled, dull and peeling like dried paint. There was another Hawlucha sitting in the corner, looking distressed and barely paying any attention to his new visitors. He only looked up slightly.

"What's going on here?" asked Riley, craning her neck underneath a low beam.

"Are you an exploration team?" she asked.

"Yes, the Azumarill and I are called Team Requiem," said Riley. "I'm Riley, and this is Saphira. Those two are Richard and Clef, but they decided to tag along."

"Yep, yep!" exclaimed Saphira.

"My name is Robin," she said. "My grandson's name is Hix."

"What happened?" asked Richard. "Is Baino always like this?" Robin hobbled over to the small table and pulled one of the three seats out and sat in it.

She sighed, "No. We expected the Pangoro guild to come help us, but nobody came until you showed up. It's been three days."

"Three days?!" said Clef, bewildered. Richard and Riley looked at each other, as it had been three days since she appeared in Luminus. "I'm so sorry no one came to help you."

"Nobody cares enough about a small village," muttered Robin. "It's barely even on the map."

"What's with the fog then? I thought that was why no one came to check out Baino." asked Richard, looking out the window.

"The fog is temporarily keeping us safe, but it always goes away around four o clock," she said. " We're lucky it came today… Those birds… those birds." She shuddered while Hix noticeably shifted behind them.

"We ran into them on the side of the Zhando Mountain Range," said Clef. "I almost got carried away."

"That's what happened to my granddaughter and several other children in the village," said Robin sadly. "You must be strong to be able to defeat a hoard of Vullaby." Richard rubbed the back of his head.

"That's terrible!" exclaimed Richard angrily. "Do you have any idea where they took her?"

"The birds headed North," said Robin. "We have no idea where they are headed, but we fear going outside now. The leader of our village has gone on a rampage as well."

"We were about to head north," said Riley, relieved they were going the right way. "My hearing was correct. We're on the right track!" The other three nodded approvingly.

"T- the guild didn't send you?" asked Robin disappointedly.

"No," said Clef quietly, "But we can help you too! We think we know where they are headed."

"Where?" asked Robin quietly. Hix looked up as well.

"There's an old castle that used to be a fort for the Dragons. We think they have something to do with this," said Riley. "We're going to defeat whoever's doing this, without instruction from the guild."

"We'll save all the kidnapped children as well!" exclaimed Richard.

"You do that!" exclaimed Robin, louder than anyone thought she could yell. "Please!"

"Of course, Mrs. Robin, boing!" said Saphira, saluting.

"Y- you're going to save my sister, right?" asked Hix, whose voice was dark and unconfident.

"Yeah, she's gonna be okay," said Richard, as a shrill shriek pierced the air from the town streets.

"What the hell was that?" asked Riley, Saphira jumping on top of her out of fright.

"Our leader," said Robin softly. "He's been acting differently ever since the birds arrived. We had to lock him in the cave under the town hall."

"Couldn't handle the stress, huh," commented Saphira quietly. The old Hawlucha looked out the window into the fog.

"No, it's different," said Robin, "Whenever we try to calm him down, he lashes out at anyone who approaches him. A few of our strongest men shoved him in the cave and locked him in there."

"It's like he's possessed," added Hix, standing up. "I wonder if we could help him somehow."

Saphira blurted out, "We'll go save him."

"How?" asked Robin. "You're already doing enough for us."

"We can, we can!" exclaimed Saphira. "The Vullaby, boing!" Riley stood up tall, understanding what Saphira was trying to say.

"We knocked out a few of those birds earlier, and the ones that recovered were perfectly fine," explained Riley.

"So you're saying it's mind control?" asked Clef.

"What else could it be?" asked Riley, pacing the room. Hix tapped Riley's tail that was dangling dangerously close to the firewood that lay next to the fireplace in the back of the house.

"Careful," he said calmly.

"Sorry," apologized Riley, rubbing the back of her neck. "What I was saying; is that if we defeat your leader…"

"He'll return back to normal, boing!" interjected Saphira.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Richard. "We're here anyways, and it's a four on one, so it'll be quick."

"You better not," chided Robin. "I appreciate the offer, but he's one of the best fighters in the village. He has a Signature as well. Saving the young ones is already a big enough task."

"We can do it!" asserted Richard. "What Pokemon is he?"

"A Corviknight," answered Robin. "I'm pretty sure his ancestors were feral as well." Riley confusedly asked, "That can happen?"

"You probably know the answer to that question," said Robin, narrowing her eyes.

"Never mind," said Riley with wide eyes.

"That explains why he's affected by the mind control!" exclaimed Saphira. Hix came over to the rest of the group.

"I still don't understand," he spoke up. "Why is someone mind controlling birds to kidnap Pokemon?"

"That's what we're here to find out," said Richard. "But first, we'll beat up your leader, if you don't mind."

"No, don't," repeated Robin. "You've already done enough as it is, young ones."

"It's our job, isn't it?" asked Richard, gently smiling. Clef and Riley nodded at Robin, Saphira already headed out the door.

"I'll show you the way," said Hix softly. Robin glared at him.

"You will not get into the fight," commanded Robin.

"I won't," he said quickly.

"Go, quickly now, before the fog clears," warned the old Hawlucha. The now five of them navigated the foggy streets of Baino, Hix noticeably shivering in the front.

"It's ominous," said Clef. "This fog doesn't feel natural."

"It's never this thick," said Hix. "Something's gone wrong."

"You can say that again," replied Riley, scanning the cloudy skies for any signs of movement. The town hall was a ramshackled building on a hill, and it didn't seem like a place where a leader would stay. A crooked perch could barely be visible on top of the straw-topped building. A plank-lined path climbed its way up to the entrance, although most of the inhabitants didn't need it.

"Down here," whispered Hix, indicating a rock that lay conspicuously on the side of the hill. "We covered the cave with this boulder."

"Okay, so you can wait here and we'll do the hard work!" exclaimed Saphira, pumping herself up by doing her signature bounce up and down.

"I'm coming with you guys," he declared.

"But… your grandma said-" said Saphira.

"I know," said Hix. "But I'm 12 now. My grandma is just overprotective." Riley blinked hard.

"Your sister was kidnapped," she said. "Of course she's protective."

"How can I help you guys rescue her if I can't fight for myself?" asked Hix.

"You are not going with us," said Riley.

"Why not? She's my sister," said Hix, raising his voice. Richard shushed him and said,

"Okay, okay, we're getting too loud. Let's just get this over with, Hix can come with us. Now, help me with this boulder."

When they moved it, Saphira half expected the Corviknight to pop out and unleash hell upon them. It was probably worse that there was no reaction when the boulder was moved and rolled down the hill, revealing a dark hole into the ground with a ladder grasping for the light.

"What is this cave even used for, boing?" asked Saphira, looking down into the ominous cave from behind Riley.

"Sacrifices," answered Hix. Saphira inched backwards away from the hole.

"I'm sorry, what?" asked Riley.

"You're joking," said Clef, jaw dropping.

"I'm scared, Riley!" exclaimed Saphira, shutting her eyes.

"That's really cool, what for?" asked Richard, earning stares from the other three. Hix chuckled quietly to himself.

He answered, "It's a ritual for the three Legendary Birds, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. Don't worry, they normally use wild Pokemon."

"Normally?" asked Riley.

"Don't worry about it," replied Hix, gesturing towards the hole with his wing.

"Fine," growled Riley, slowly making her way towards the hole. "If I see one bit of movement down there before y'all join me, I'm getting the hell out."

"Sure," said Hix ominously. Riley gulped, her heart beating loudly. This was definitely the most intense moment of her life so far. Before she could let herself stop, she threw herself down, her tail light illuminating the cave. She was quickly followed by the other four, who landed behind her. It was a large, well-carved room shaped like a cube, with some identical stalagmites arranged in a circle in the middle of the room. A dark figure rested in the middle.

A dark bird, with feathers that glinted like obsidian was asleep in the center of the room. The air was so tense and quiet, that all of their heartbeats seemed to synchronize. Suddenly, Saphira spoke up.

"E- excuse me, Mr. Corviknight," she whimpered, "Are you okay?" Everyone looked at her with fear as a red, crimson eye lit up the dim cave.

"I go by Corvus Corviknight," he said with his deep and echoey voice. It sounded like it would normally be very soothing to listen to, but now, it sounded ominous and threatening. He spread his wings out, a strange aura emitting from the feathers. It refracted the area inside and behind it with a dark energy. "Prepare to die."

That energy was released with a deafening boom.

Hix blocked with his wings, but still got knocked back a bit.

"That's his Signature, a modified version of Power Trip called Enigmatic Release. I don't know how it works exactly, but he channels his anger into an explosion," he explained as quickly as he could. Riley was curious as to what a Signature was, but now was not the best time for that.

Clef and Saphira were blasted to the back of the cavern, grunting as they hit the wall. They slowly got up, but they took massive damage.

"We're good," groaned Clef. Saphira had already begun climbing the ladder out of there.

"Silence!" screeched the Corviknight, performing a flying dash move directed at Hix. He didn't flinch, sidestepping the attack with a red glint in his eye.

"Nice Detect!" commented Richard. Riley just was amazed at how Richard could easily talk during a fight. Her heart was pumping, and she was terrified. Being in the body of a Pokemon during a Pokemon battle was way scarier than commanding them to battle for you. She respected Pokemon a lot more after this. She was about to do the only thing she knew how to do: a Flame Burst, but Richard yelled at her to stop as the flames welled up in her nostrils.

"STOP!" he exclaimed, "We're in here, too!" Riley's breathing was too frantic to stop, the fire was going to come out of her mouth, one way or another. She shut her jaw as tight as she could, the fire scorching the inside of her mouth and making its way back down her throat. Tears formed in her eyes as her esophagus was burned. It would've been worse if she let it out, she told herself.

Saphira was on top of the ladder, desperately attempting to attack Corvus with her Bubble Beams. She wanted nothing more than to get as far away as possible, but she had to help somehow.

Corvus chuckled as the bubbles popped as they hit his steel feathers, slashing his wing at Richard, who ducked underneath as it whistled through the air over his head. He quickly exhaled in relief and carried on battling.

"Corvus!" exclaimed Saphira. "Surrender and you'll be back to normal, boing!" Clef was frozen in the corner of the room, expecting another Enigmatic Release.

"Yes, we don't want to hurt you!" he added.

"Unfortunately, I want to hurt you," said Corvus as Hix stood before him. "Stand aside, Hix."

"Wait, this isn't mind control?" asked Clef. Hix said nothing, covering himself with his wing and releasing a Feather Dance into the air. When the feathers settled, Hix started to move. He seemed to be skirting around Corvus, keeping him distracted while everyone else continued their pointless barrages.

"He's just a kid," thought Saphira, tensing herself up, "If he can do it, why can't I? I need to be able to fight!"

"You'll get in their way," she answered herself as Riley rushed blindly to help Richard and Hix fight. Clef suddenly pulled Hix and Richard out of the way of a Steel Wing with his vines. Riley engaged Corvus with her claws, eating a few slashes but landing a blow with her tail. Her right arm was cut, and it stung like nothing she'd ever felt before. Now this was what Pokemon felt in battle.

"Whew, you saved us, Clef!" exclaimed Richard, brushing himself off and rejoining Riley in the fight. "Thanks!"

Hix looked terrified, but after another look at Corvus, determination returned to his face and coughed out a quiet, "Thank you." Clef was shocked, but his surprise became confidence, and he inched closer to the battle. Clef's sudden determination threw Saphira for a loop, and it didn't feel good.

"Clef sucks at battling, and he's still going in there?" Her mind was racing. "Do I even have what it takes to fight a Dragon?" She shook her head. "I may not be able to fight right now, but I can still do something."

"You guys can do it, boing!" exclaimed Saphira, who had hopped down the hole again to cheer them on. Richard gave her a thumbs up while still concentrating on the fight. Riley and Clef grinned, while Hix had no visible reaction. Corvus hesitated, growling,

"Come on! You too scared to join the fight?" taunted the steel raven, grinning, his eyes flashing black. "Well, you're the smart one." Everyone knew what was coming; Clef backed away, Saphira stood with her back against the wall, and Riley and Richard braced themselves, but Hix jumped on Corvus' beak, with his colorful wings spread out to cover his face. Corvus said nothing, but frantically batted at Hix with his wings.

"Get him, now!" exclaimed Hix, taking multiple blows to the back.

"What are you doing, Hix?" sputtered Riley. Corvus shook his head violently to shake Hix off, but he wouldn't budge.

"Quick, before I actually pass out!" exclaimed Hix, closing his eyes. Richard began to violently bludgeon Corvus with his fists, landing a few heavy blows.

"He needs his eyes to use his attack!" explained Clef. "Hix just blocked it."

"Thanks, Clef. Now's the perfect time for that," said Riley sarcastically, running in with her claws to land a Slash. It wouldn't do much damage, but it was better than incinerating everyone. Corvus was still deadly, Richard needing to jump over low sweeps with his wings as he flailed around. Riley backpedaled by flapping her wings. Saphira thought they had him cornered, but that was it… they had him cornered against the wall.

To everyone's horror, Corvus began brutally bashing his head, along with Hix against the solid rock. Hix had pain written all over his eyes as he grunted with each blow, blood spurting out of his beak eventually. Riley, Richard, and now, Clef, rushed to pull Corvus away from him. Suddenly the Corviknight whipped his head backwards with a screech, lobbing Hix backwards. He fainted, his body limp in the air like a leaf in the wind, his feathers drifting in the dimly lit air as he collided with one of the stalagmites in the center of the room, reducing it to pebbles. Clef rushed over and cradled him in his vines as a dim aura surrounded Corvus.

"Why did you get in my way?" he asked. He hesitated for a moment when he saw Hix's crumpled body, his aura fading a bit. He blinked and continued the attack as Riley attempted to stop him.

"Get Hix out of here!" shouted Richard, looking right at Clef. "He's gonna blow!" Riley wrestled Corvus with her claws clamped tight on his wings to prevent any other attacks.

"Everyone, out!" exclaimed Riley, her breaths becoming quick and short. Her head became dizzy. Richard attempted to dash up to help her."GO! RICHARD!" she commanded harshly.

Richard nodded and turned around, being helped out of the hole by Saphira and Clef. Despite everything about her telling her to get the hell out of there, she forced herself to stay put. Her fear of death was suppressed by sheer urgency.

"Save the others," she repeated in her head to block out the fear. Sweat dripped into her open wounds, catalyzing the pain. One attack should do it: Corvus was a Steel type. She awakened the inferno in her throat as Corvus prepared to explode.

On the surface in the dusty road by the hill, Clef was tending to Hix, opening his shut eyes and examining his body.

"He's got a concussion, and serious bruises. He's still breathing though," examined Clef. "He'll be fine by tomorrow." Richard nodded, still looking at the hole where Riley and Corvus were still fighting.

"C'mon, Riley!" shrieked Saphira, tears coming out of her eyes. She looked down at Hix, who was unconscious and bruised and over at Clef and Richard, who looked like trees that were struck by Razor Wind. She had no injuries on her, and it felt terrible. A loud explosion shook the ground beneath them, sending Saphira four feet into the air in fright. Even the fog itself seemed to dissipate for a moment. A column of flames burst out from the trapdoor to the cave, seemingly consuming both Riley and Corvus and dissipating into the mist.

Saphira and Richard cautiously approached the hole as if it were a grave. The eerie silence from when they first entered Baino had returned. Saphira gulped. Was Riley fainted? Injured? Dead? What about Corvus? Would the village lose their leader? Would Baino be subjected to the same fate as Greyhaven without their strongest fighter?

A deep cough could be heard from just below the hole. A claw reached out, attached to an orange arm, attached to a dazed Charizard.

"Thank Arceus!" exclaimed Saphira, running and jumping into Riley's arms. Except that Riley didn't expect it and fell over in the grass.

She coughed, smoke spurting out of her mouth. She had dark marks all over her face and corrupted, bloody scales lined her body.

"How did you survive?" mumbled Hix, who had just come to, the bruises on his chest and wings already fading. His eyes were half open.

She rubbed her neck, "Fire creates light, right? I shot him point blank with a Fire Blast at the same time. It lessened the effect, but it still felt like my skin was peeling off. Not fun." She pushed Saphira off of her belly and stood up, her heart still beating fast.

"And Hix, you saved us there," said Riley. "You've got a fight in you." Clef helped him up. Hix just closed his eyes, but Saphira could make out a slight grin on his beak.

"Yeah," said Clef, "I wish I could've done more."

Saphira looked at the ground, "Yeah… But we all managed to come out alive and in one piece!" Richard chuckled at her optimism, which Saphira forced herself to show.

"And you, Riley," said Richard, hitting her belly, "Lost a few pounds in that fight."

"You need to shut up about that," panted Riley, still out of breath, "You didn't do too bad yourself?"

"I could've done better," said Richard, lending Hix a hand. "You good?"

Hix nodded, "Yeah… Don't tell my grandma about it, please?"