Chapter 17: Rescue Team Sentinels
Pyre and Ivy sat together at the diner having just finished the meals Kettle the Polteageist had given them. They had been waiting only a few minutes before Cobalt arrived, entering through the front door.
"There you guys are, I got a place set up for you to stay, wanna see it?" Cobalt asked with a very Pyre-esque smile.
"Yeah! Let's check it out." Pyre smiled back, his mood had greatly improved since their arrival. The two pokemon hopped off the stools they were on and followed Cobalt back away from the Square and to the many buildings by the outer wall. One extremely plain one sat surrounded by a pond, with a small wood bridge leading inside. "Oh wow!"
"You're impressed right? And it's all yours, well both of yours." He stepped up to a small post with a box beside the home. "This is your mailbox. Pelipper delivers mail from other pokemon right here."
"So we have to share the home?" Ivy looked over the building.
"Yeah, but that's only because of the displaced pokemon that keep coming in."
"It isn't a problem, I was simply curious." The snivy stole a glance at Pyre's tail end.
"Hey, eyes up here naughty." Pyre joked to the grass snake. "Why don't ya head on in while I thank Cobalt a bit more."
"Alright, we need to get situated though, so don't waste too much time." The snake walked into the building.
"Thanks for this Cobalt, I really appreciate it."
"No problem. I did have something I wanted to ask though. Ever since Mount Calamity was fully engulfed in those black flames, disasters started to pop up everywhere, a lot of pokemon are suffering, and I want to help them." Cobalt took on a genuine look. "And I liked how you handled yourself when we rescued caterpie. So, Pyre, would you like to join me on a rescue team? With you, I think we could be the world's best rescue team. So how about it?"
"R-really? I'm not sure, I'm dealing with a lot right now myself and…" he trailed off for a moment before shaking his head. "Ya know what, yeah! I'd love to start a rescue team with you, Cobalt!"
"Great! That's that then. We're partners in our rescue team now! Now the team name, I don't actually have one yet. So Pyre, what do you think would be a good name?"
Pyre tilted his head a bit in a thinking position. "Hmm, I can't quite remember what it means, but Sentinels sounded cool!"
"So protectors essentially?" Ivy stepped out of the house again. "Nice name for you Pyre."
"Rescue Team Sentinels." Cobalt looked thoughtful for a moment. "I love it! From now on We're Rescue Team Sentinels!"
"Well since I'm already here, can I join as well?" Ivy asked.
"Totally!" Cobalt smiled joyously "Rescue team rescinded their limit on members due to the growing Calamity."
"About that, since Pyre hasn't had the brain cells to ask, what is this calamity?" Ivy teased.
"Ouch, ya don't have to be mean about it." Pyre giggled at the joke.
"Truth be told, we don't actually know much about the calamity itself. Everybody that's ever seen it is either dead or…changed. We call them lightless because they've abandoned all compassion. I've heard stories. Lovers tearing each other apart, brothers killing each other, parents slaughtering their children." Cobalt shuddered. "All we know for sure is that it has a seemingly endless army of Sneasel and Weavile. As well as five direct subordinates. So far we only know four of them by name. And of those four we only know two by appearance. Hmm, let's head inside, it'll be easier to explain if I write it down for you." Cobalt stepped into the house followed by Pyre and Ivy. He approached a desk, with paper conveniently placed on top. He set about coating one of his paws in ink before drawing a small chart. "So by name we know of Kimim, Moon, Swindle, and Eclipse."
"That's what those weavile called me earlier. They said Eclipse was in a bad mood." Pyre spoke up.
"That's a good point. We don't know what Kimim is, aside from the fact that he can apparently become anyone. Moon is an Umbreon, and seemingly a direct commander of their forces. Swindle is a Krookodile, and typically known for manipulative tactics. Nobody has ever seen Eclipse, but if those weavile mistook you for him, I think it's safe to assume he's a charmander."
"It's hard to believe someone like me could help something so evil." Pyre frowned.
"And finally, well, he's been just as mysterious as the calamity itself, all we know is that people are calling him the Frost Prince."
Pyre's frown grew. "Wh-what?"
"The Frost Prince, what's wrong?"
"It's just…" Pyre hesitated. His mind trailing off.
'He is my little Frost Prince.' Shadow's voice echoed in his mind. Pyre remembered vividly how Shadow was holding the sneasel close. How happy the darkrai seemed.
"A friend of mine called someone that, it just surprised me is all." Pyre looked shaken for a moment.
"Well, aside from that title rumor has it he might be a sneasel, given how many Sneasel and Weavile serve the calamity."
Pyre felt a sense of dread fill him but shook the idea from his head.
"So they are the most immediate threat to us. But given we only know two of them, I don't know if anything will be done about that anytime soon." Cobalt looked between the two. "Actually, I nearly forgot, Alakazam got a look at the calamity once, before three brave heroes sealed it away. He said it was sort of like, hmm well a…"
"Like a swirling tornado, with just the eyes visible?"
"Yeah, how did you?"
"Pyre, was that what you saw in your nightmares?" Ivy looked at him worriedly.
"Yeah, when it. Touched me." Pyre glanced back, and was surprised that he could see the mark on his shoulder.
"That wasn't there before. You got marked by the calamity? But you're still…hmm, I knew I liked you! You must be real tough to have that mark and still be sane in the head!" Cobalt gave a reassuring smile.
"Thanks, I am pretty tough, but this mark really hurts, and I wish I knew a way to remove it."
"I think the only way that is happening is if the calamity is beaten. But I don't think that's happening anytime soon. It's getting late, we have a big day tomorrow if we're gonna be doing rescue team work." Cobalt turned to walk out. "I'll set that up and see if I can find some rescue team jobs tomorrow." And with that the mudkip walked away and out of the doorway.
"Ivy…I'm..I'm scared…" Pyre sat down on a small stone surrounded by water, and covered in soft grass.
"Don't be Pyre, I'm here for you." Ivy took a seat beside him giving him a hug.
"Thank you." Pyre hugged back.
The two stayed like that for a moment. Ivy pulled back slightly. They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds before the grass snake dove in for a kiss, his tongue sliding effortlessly into the Charmander's mouth. Pyre didn't fight it, sinking into the kiss before suddenly pushed away.
"Stop…I…I can't…not right now I just.."
"No, I'm sorry, I misread the situation."
"Thanks, I…I appreciate your understanding."
Ivy gently pulled Pyre into his chest and repositioned them so they were laying down cuddling. "Don't be afraid Pyre, I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
The Charmander rested there, letting himself fall asleep in the snivy's arms.
*The Next Day*
Pyre felt himself nudged awake gently by Ivy.
"Hey big guy, how'd you sleep?"
"Okay. Nothing special. How about you?"
"Quite well. You're surprisingly soft and comfortable when you sleep. Sorry I had to wake you. Cobalt is outside."
Pyre stood up and stretched out. "Chaaaar" he groaned, rubbing his back as he stepped outside. "Hey cobalt!"
"Hey there partner!" The mudkip smiled as Pyre groggily approached.
"So what's up?"
"It's our first day as a rescue team? Aren't you excited?!"
"Yeah, just a bit tired is all." Pyre smiled.
The mudkip stood up and walked over to the mailbox. "Ooh I wonder if we have any mail?" He peeked into it. "Aww nothing. But that's fine, we're a brand new rescue team! We'll get more mail when we get famous. We should check the request board. It's right by Pelipper Post Office!"
"Do we have to go now?"
"Don't try to sleep the day away after you agreed to this Pyre." Ivy spoke up, stepping out of the house, looking less tired than Pyre. "Let's do this guys!"
*Elsewhere*
"At long last. I found you." The Charmander spoke, letting his onyx flamed tail sway behind him. Standing across from him was a blue jackal-like pokemon. "Lucario."
"Rio…" Lucario looked to his two companions, an injured and unconscious pair of bisharp. "You must be Eclipse, correct?"
"No need to learn my name, as far as you're concerned I just forgot my black cloak and scythe."
"I can feel you. Childish, with so much to prove. Hiding your fear with humor. Child of the calamity. Afraid Daddy will end you if you fail?" Lucario stayed stoic.
Eclipse was confused. Lucario was a hero right, so why were his words so cruel and cold. Why did they hit every nerve in his body? The charmander lashed out at the jackal.
"Pitiful." Lucario dodged one punch, then another. "Unrefined. Lacking." He dodged more of the fire types attacks. "You put so much conviction into each strike. And yet." Lucario caught the Charmander by the fist. "And yet you lack skill, finesse. You. Are. Weak."
Flames erupted around them both engulfing the fighting/steel type. Eclipse roared as the flames raged. "Shut up already and fight!"
"Hot headed. And outclassed." Lucario pulled the Charmander forth, making the fire type lose balance. And in one fluid motion twisted his own body hoisting the Charmander into the air before effortlessly performing a somersault and slamming his fist into the fire lizard's gut.
Eclipse shot into the ground like a bullet forcing all the air out of his lungs on impact.
"As I said. Weak." Lucario turned to walk away.
Behind him, Eclipse convulsed for a moment, until like some horrible marionette monster he rose, heels first straight into a standing position.
Lucario turned around to look at the charmander. His eyes had gone a pure blood red, and the flame on his tail had managed to be even darker than pitch black. "What in the…"
His words were cut short as the charmander's body lunged forth slamming fist first into his gut. The heroic pokemon stumbled back. Watching the Charmander closer, a black veil-like skirt pattern covered the charmander's lower body and the very top of his head turned a pale smoky white with a billowing wave pattern upon his scales. But what stunned Lucario most was how all the light drained in one eye, and the other seemed to glow its deep red. "Like I said, I forgot my cloak and scythe." The charmander rushed forth again, this time hitting twice as hard as before, and twice as fast.
Lucario adapted however quickly, regaining the upper hand, blocking and striking back more efficiently. The hero couldn't explain it, but the Charmander felt more threatening now. As though terror was radiating off of him. It had him shaken.
Eclipse ducked under one of Lucario's retaliating counter attacks, and finally landed a hit, sending the aura pokemon sliding back across the ground. "Does it hurt?"
Lucario refused to admit it, but it did. He didn't know why, but Eclipse hit harder than any normal charmander should. But judging by the strange change in pattern on his scales, he wasn't normal. "Hardly. But if this is all you've got, you're not winning."
"Then let's continue shall we?"
*With Pyre*
Pyre, Cobalt, and Ivy looked over the request board in surprise.
"H-how are there so many requests from tiny woods? We were just there yesterday and it was all but empty." Pyre looked flabbergasted.
"Oooh, that's because exploration teams always go into dungeons to see if anything was missed. Sometimes they get in over their heads." Cobalt piped up. "So what should we take?"
"Something simple since we're still fresh. That would likely be the best course of action right?" Ivy chimed in.
"Why not all of em, that's just a handful of pokemon that need to be helped! So let's help them all!" Pyre blurted out. "How do we do that?"
Cobalt pulled a toolbox from his side. "Just slap our team's sticker on the requests we'll be doing!"
"We have stickers?" Pyre reached into the box and immediately slapped a sticker on his forehead.
"To think I've slept with you and you do stuff that childish."
"It isn't childish, it's fun." Pyre took another sticker and gently put it between Ivy's eyes.
"Really?"
Cobalt in the meantime had carefully placed a sticker upon several requests. "Okay enough with the stickers you two!" Cobalt looked at the toolbox again. "That reminds me I got us some stuff." He pulled out a red bow tie , a blue scarf, and a white scarf. He fastened the red bow on himself. Then handed the white scarf to Pyre and the blue to Ivy. "I told Auntie Kanga we started a rescue team so she gave us these. Mine is a friend bow so we can find some recruits for our rescue team. That way we aren't running ourselves ragged. But uh, we will need to get some camps set up for new members. Ivy's is a special band, it'll make your grass attacks hit harder. And she said you had her hanging into the defense scarf so I brought it for you."
Ivy carefully tied it around his neck and looked it over. "Hmm, it kinda suits me don't you think?"
Pyre wasn't paying attention, he placed the defense scarf over his head and covered his eye like a pirate. "Argh mateys, I be Pyre, captain of this here ship!" He chuckled before removing the scarf and instead tying it off on his right arm, covering his shoulder. "Hehe, that fits better actually."
Ivy face palmed at the charmander's antics. "So we've got the team name, got our new outfits, got some jobs, anything else we need?"
"Oh yeah, one last thing." Cobalt placed a small badge upon each of their clothes. "This is our rescue team badge, it'll show people we're legit!"
"That's cool, but do we really need badges to help people?"
"Pyre has a point. Why do we need these?"
"Well, when we find a pokemon in need of assistance in a dungeon, we can hold our badge up to them and it'll teleport them out and back to safety. Can do the same for us if we're in danger."
"Makes sense. Well, let's not waste any time then." Pyre smiled and strutted off. "To Tiny Woods!"
*Meanwhile*
"Master won't be pleased, no he won't….Pyre is here, and I haven't had a chance to relay the information because I decided to pose as a guard." Kimim sat upon the outer wall watching pokemon passing back and forth. Rescue and exploration teams came and went all throughout the day. If not for the constant discomfort and weakening effect the sapphire flame had upon him and the others that served the calamity, they likely would have burned this place down by now.
Watching carefully he noticed one of his allies climbing a blind spot in the massive wall and approaching him. Being a master of illusion he forcefully made the Krookodile blend into the wall as he reached the top.
"So, any news? I'm getting tired of climbing this wall every day." Swindle spoke rolling his shoulders.
"Don't let the master hear you say that. But yes, the one called Pyre, he's here in Firelink Square."
"For real? Like dead ass?"
"You know you sound like an idiot talking like that."
"Bitch, don't on hate me just cause I'm beautiful."
"Anyway, yes. He's here, and he's already formed a rescue team!"
"That's good, he'll be on the front lines. We can hunt him down and end him before he's a threat. I'll tell Moon. Good job Kimmy."
"Don't call me that." At his words the Krookodile began descending the wall.
*Elsewhere*
"What's the matter? Getting tired?" Eclipse shook uncontrollably, his body barely able to hold itself up. And it fell backwards, landing back first on the ground.
"Really? I can do this all day." Lucario rocked back and forth, clearly feeling the exhaustion of the fight.
Throughout their battle the two managed to ascend to a high plateaued pillar surrounded by other pillars, and a long plummeting descent below.
Lucario watched the charmander as he laid panting on the ground, the pattern that had enveloped his body was gone. It brought a small victory to the heroic pokemon.
"Then let's do it! Bring me the glory that is my birthright!" Lucario hissed as he watched in horror as the Charmander again rose from his heels back into a straight standing position.
"That's just unnatural." Lucario took a ready position, widening his legs for a stable stance and holding his arms close to his center.
"Father knew I needed to be this tenacious. This unbreakable. I need this, determination. How else will I kill Pyre when the time comes?" Eclipse gave a cruel ear to ear grin.
"Daddy isn't going to love you for killing someone he's afraid of." Lucario sighed and let his fighting stance drop. He reached to his neck and found a small orb dangling there. "Why are you going to fight to kill someone the calamity fears. If you're meant to be this, Pyre's, mirror why not help him instead. Why not end this darkness."
"Just as I suspected. You're running on fumes. So desperate to save yourself you fall back on the weakness of diplomacy." Eclipse rushed forth wreathing himself in flames.
Before the charmander could reach Lucario the dual type was engulfed in a magnificent light. When the light died away, his body was accented with red fur, and some of his aura feelers had extended. Eclipse was about to make contact with Lucario when suddenly the flames around him died out, as if all oxygen had been sucked out around him. But that wasn't the problem. The dark char let out a loud cough as he felt Lucario's almost solid metal fist slam into his gut. His eyes blanked out as the momentum of his flare blitz carried him off the tall pillar.
Turning away with a flash of light Lucario returned to normal.
*Later With Pyre*
The three had been wandering through tiny woods for only a few hours, but had managed to fulfill most of their requests. At that point they had but one more request to deal with. Helping a Pikachu find their baby Pichu.
"Remind me again how this happened." Cobalt looked comfortingly at the mother.
"I, I took my eyes off him for just a few moments while the Kecleon brothers were handing me the stuff I'd bought, and he just showed away on an explorers back."
"Kids are fun aren't they?" Ivy made the remark rather rudely.
"Can't be easy being a mom, little guy is pretty lucky I think. You were so worried you showed up in person to help save him."
The Pikachu smiled weakly. "Thank you, I can't tell you how much it means that you're helping me."
Pyre couldn't explain it, and he hadn't brought it up to the other two, but something felt off about this Pikachu. The color of their aura didn't match what they were saying. There was something dark about her words.
"Hey Pyre, you okay? You look worried."
"I'm fine Ivy, just thinking of stuff is all."
After a short walk they found the Pichu they were looking for. He was curled into a ball.
"Hey there he is." Cobalt was about to rush toward the Pichu, but Pyre grabbed his tail.
The charmander took a deep breath before raising his arm defensively just as the Pikachu's tail struck him, sending him skidding back. "It's a trap!"
The Pikachu distorted and faded away leaving a Krookodile in its place. "Smart little fuck ain't he Moon?"
The Pichu faded out as well, leaving an umbreon in its place. "Seems that way Swindle."
"Moon and Swindle! You guys work directly for the calamity!" Cobalt looked shocked.
"Thanks, we all needed you to state the obvious." Swindle swung his heavy tail down at Cobalt, but the mudkip blocked the strike with his own tail. At least for a moment before he was launched back.
"Pyre, what do we do, these two are way too strong for us?"
"Use your badge and get out of here!" Pyre spoke, stretching his limbs.
The mudkip tapped the badge on his tie, but nothing happened. "No good!"
"Well then we get to do this the fun way." Everyone but Ivy was surprised by his words.
"Hahaha" Swindle burst out laughing. "I like you. You're funny. What's say you willingly come with us and serve the master?" Ivy stifled a laugh. "The hell you laughing at smugleaf?"
"That." Ivy gestured toward Pyre, and when Swindle turned to look he was face to fist with Pyre's right arm. The strike rocked him, sending him stumbling back, off balance.
"Wow Swin, I can't believe you let him hit you." The Umbreon chuckled before standing up. Seemingly in a flash she slammed into Pyre's side tackling him to the ground. "Don't take it personally. It's just our job. Master wants you gone."
"Who is your master anyway? I've never gotten a good look at him in my dreams." The statement seemed to catch the umbreon off guard as Pyre shoved her off. "Ivy, can you handle her?"
The snivy wrapped vines around the Umbreon and tossed her away. "Yeah, I've got this."
"Awesome, Cobalt, it's you and me on this guy!"
"Okay, I'm not too sure about this though!" Cobalt stood at Swindle's back while Pyre stood in front of him.
Just a short distance beside them, Ivy had sprouted dozens of vines out of the ground to keep Moon at bay.
"Let's show them the power of Rescue Team Sentinels!"