Chapter 9|Hidden Power
Stonecrest
The Walled City
Erin's shadowy katana left a dark, smoky residue as it sliced through the air, and both Eko and Zoran knew that the particles weren't just for aesthetic purposes. A temporarily quiescent Watston stood his ground as his master charged towards Team Endeavor, her blade held across her shoulder.
She swung with all her might, engaging Zoran first. He countered with his Leaf Blade, the glowing sword countering the offensive for the meantime. Zoran's heart pounded as the blade's smoke spread towards him.
Without warning, Eko shot a Boomburst to knock Erin away from Zoran, but the normal type move didn't pack the same punch. Eko was filled with confidence after landing his first attack, but didn't expect the Kabutops to enter the fray. He slashed at Eko, the latter deflecting with his claws barely. With Watson's blade locked in Eko's grasp, the dragon swung him over to Zoran, who was ready for a combo attack.
Zoran's neon green blade hit its mark, sending Watson skidding across the stone castle floor. To Eko's dismay, he was still functioning because of his shell-like armor.
Eko's anxiety levels hit the roof when Erin locked eyes with him. He wasn't much up for conversation, especially during battle. With a glint in her dark eyes, she ran towards Zoran, her hands clutched around her sheathed demonic sword.
Zoran sidestepped Erin's charge, but realized that she wasn't the target. Eko whipped out his purple shortsword, Dragon Blade.
"Interesting," she said, making eye contact with Eko through their clash. "Noivern don't seem the type to wield swords."
Eko tried to think of a comeback, but was knocked away by the Bisharp's strength. Erin followed up with a side slash, which Eko blocked, followed by a flurry of slices that Eko could barely keep up with. Suddenly, she forced his claw out wide after parrying his blade, and jabbed her dark blade into the Noivern's scaled chest.
Eko winced, trying not to scream as he felt the dark sword penetrate his defenses. She took it out, Eko looking down and expecting to see a deep wound. There was nothing like that, but a black, almost singed-like smudge on his chest. It wasn't bleeding… it was worse.
Eko felt it tear at his soul, his organs demanding to be let out. It was corrupting him.
"Pathetic," she spat, Eko still terrifiedly clutching his wound. "That won't kill you, but it will slowly damage you throughout our fight. I wasn't one for killing like other bandits. Don't expect Watson to do the same."
Eko, face pounding with humiliation, fear, and anxiety, looked over to see Zoran squaring off against Watson. Leaves surrounded Zoran, some slamming into Watson's body like kamikaze flying types. Eko was horrified to see Zoran bleeding from his arms and legs.
He went back to his own fight, narrowly dodging a jab to his skull by rolling.
"I do not know what happens when I corrupt someone's skull, but I don't mind finding out," said Erin without any distinguishable tone.
Eko didn't understand how some Pokemon could talk during battle. He'd end up a stuttering mess if he did. He backed away slightly, his Dragon Blade still out and pulsing with energy. There was no way he would be able to defeat her in close combat, and his ranged moves would have little effect. Tailwind would do nothing without the open sky.
But there was still the one thing Eko was dying to try.
Creating his Signature felt special. He knew exactly what he was trying to do and what he wanted in an attack. He couldn't explain how he created it, but only that he thought,
'Forge a blade out of my soul,'
And there were many things with blades.
Concentrating hard and praying to Arceus that it would not fail and make himself look like an idiot while dying, he unequipped his blade.
"You surrender? I expected more from you," said Erin.
A few words rolled right off of Eko's tongue with little effort, "You haven't seen anything yet."
He knew this was going to work.
Eko formed the handle, and kept extending it to about two meters in length. That was how much his energy could take. With the rest of his ability, he forged a diamond-shaped tip to the long hilt, completing his summoning of a purple spear.
"You can equip multiple weapons?" she asked curiously.
"You jealous?" asked Eko, instilled with much more confidence. Erin scoffed, advancing slowly.
"Nonsense," she said, although not too confidently. "I only need one weapon."
As Eko and Erin dueled, Zoran was struggling with his own battle. Watson leapt over Zoran's low swing, keeping his distance due to his double weakness to grass.
Leaf Storm was his only defense at the moment, which he felt proud of. Partially inspired by Ivan, he learned to adapt to this new fighting style. Suddenly, Watson recklessly charged at Zoran, arm blades crossed. The Sceptile blocked it, but slid backwards at an alarmingly fast rate. His claws scraped against the stone floor, leaving black indents in the cobble.
"Stop it, dude!" grunted Zoran, "You're gonna hurt yourself!"
"This is nothing," said Watson, barely bothered by the cuts from the flying leaves. "I'd do anything for Erin."
"You aren't doing anything for her! We're not going to kill her!" exclaimed Zoran.
"Whatever Erin says is truth," he said, shaking his head. "And she told me you guys deserved to die."
Zoran backpedalled, crossing his arms and sending the leaves flying at the Kabutops. Watson leapt through the leaves and slashed down at Zoran, who blocked with purple blades on his arms. He used Dual Chop, another move he forgot he knew.
'Huh, didn't know I could do that,' thought Zoran, grunting at the impact and pushing Watson away with a yell.
'What is up with this dude? His defense is insane. What if… that's his Signature, a form of Harden? I have to figure out how it works,' thought Zoran, strafing around Watson, eyeing him closely. No signs of external protection other than his shell… Cuts still apparent on his body… But no blood. He had to pierce that shell.
Zoran summoned an orbiting Leaf Storm, which took a huge toll on his stamina. He blocked an incoming jab from Watson, rolled behind him, and kicked him backwards. Then, he saw it. His opening, right on the Kabutop's neck.
He gritted his teeth. Would a stab to the back kill him? Zoran didn't know the extent of his ability, but he didn't want to accidentally kill Watson. As he looked into his opponent's wild eyes, he realized he didn't have much of a choice. He raised his arm and sent the leaves flying in Watson's direction. That ticked him off.
The Kabutops charged towards him in outrage, readying his Slash. Zoran slapped some leaves into his face, blinding him. The Sceptile ducked, sending Watson to the ground.
"Give up already," pleaded Zoran, putting his foot on Watson's back. He readied a Leaf Blade and aimed it towards the weak spot. He jabbed it… but couldn't bring himself to do it. Was he ready to take the guilt of taking a life? His moment of hesitation allowed Watson to leap back up and attack again, leaving a gash in Zoran's thigh.
"Gah!" winced Zoran, staggering backwards.
"Why did you not finish me off?" asked Watson, cocking his head. "One stab was all it would take, but you hesitated. Why?"
"Because I don't want to kill someone, dude," panted Zoran. "Your life's as valuable as mine."
"I'm a bandit. I steal for a living, but yet you still treat me as an equal? What sort of Pokemon are you?" said Watson with a slight chuckle.
"The good type. And my buddy, Eko, over there is the same. Now how about we finish this duel?" asked Zoran.
"With pleasure, if you still aren't afraid of killing me," said Watson. "That Leaf Blade would only incapacitate me."
"That's all I need," said Zoran, aiming to hit that exact same spot. With his Leaf Blade equipped, he sent an arced wave of leaves towards him. From the other side, Zoran raised his blade, pincering him.
Watson raised his arms to block both attacks, but Zoran was ready. He realized that the Kabutops was too focused on defense. He swept his leg into Watson's knees, knocking him to the ground once was prepared, rolling to the side and jabbing his arms into Zoran's leg.
"Gah!" shouted Zoran, staggering backwards. Watson was definitely trained well. Zoran began having his doubts, sweat dripping from his head. Could he actually defeat him? Was his fight with Ivan a fluke? Watson slashed downwards, Zoran turning his sword sideways to block. Watson pushed forwards, slashing and slashing and slashing.
Suddenly, he flicked his hand-blade to the side, throwing Zoran's arm out the way. Zoran realized he was screwed as he fell backwards, Watson's blade ready to sink itself into his chest.
Suddenly, Watson fell forwards for seemingly no reason.
"Finish him!" exclaimed Eko, who had pulled the carpet with his claw during his fight with Erin.
Zoran would save being amazed at Eko's strategy for after the fight. He got up and raised his sword to jab Watson's neck once more.
"Not bad," said Watson, as Zoran plunged his blade into the Kabutops. The light disappeared from Watson's eyes as he fell unconscious.
Zoran heroically lifted his blade and hoisted into the air, flicking it to the side and dissipating the attack. After Eko deflected an attack with his spear, he looked up and ran beside him.
"It's a two on one now," said Zoran. "Our specialty."
Erin grimaced, her eyes narrowing beneath her helmet. Zoran could see Eko trembling from an injury in his chest, as he clutched it with his claw.
Eko noticed this, saying, "I'm good." It wasn't the worst pain he's had. If anything, he felt better now that Zoran was right beside him in battle.
This wasn't a battle to the death, so why not enjoy it?
Eko equipped his spear, replacing it with his longsword. He looked over at Zoran, who was brandishing his Leaf Blade.
"Let's end this," said Zoran.
"I agree," said Erin, taking the first move and summoning an array of ethereal black blades hovering in the air behind her.
"Swords dance," whispered Eko grimly.
"That's Swords Dance?" he sputtered, as the blades converged into her blade on Erin's command. Team Endeavor raised their blades.
Even though the duo braced for impact, the attack shredded their defenses, sending them flying backwards. Eko caught himself by flying, and soared in with a Dragon Blade. Erin blocked, but was overwhelmed by the momentum. She stuck her clawed feet to keep herself from flying.
As Eko's ears began to charge with sonic energy, her eyes opened in surprise. She quickly withdrew into a bubble, wasting a precious Protect. She wasted no time, whipping out her blade and unleashing a storm of black misty slashes. Eko touched down, slamming his blade into the ground to prevent being launched. More corrupting wounds opened up on his body, making him cry out in pain.
Zoran kept up the offensive once the onslaught of Shadow Claw ended. He leapt over Eko and slashed downwards, slicing through an attempted Protect by Erin. She didn't let up, slashing horizontally as she slid backwards. Zoran barely blocked the projected slash attack.
Eko leapt onto Erin with a Boomburst ready. She backpedaled and slammed her blade into Eko's side with an immense amount of force. His eyes widened as he felt his body fly out the window; the sound of glass shattering filled the room as shards flew through the air.
Fresh air flooded his senses as he was sent out the window. Below him was one of the bridges that connected the main castle to the outer walls. He landed with a thud on the stone. A few meters further, and he would've broken his back on the bridge walls. His body ached, but he still had some fight left in him.
The dragon's vision was slightly blurred, but an object seemed to be growing larger. That object was also screaming, and heading right towards him.
"Oof!" he grunted as Zoran collided with him. Eko was pretty much on the verge of being knocked out at that point.
"Fancy seeing you out here," groaned Eko.
"My bad," said Zoran, suddenly tensing up. "Don't look now, she's coming over."
Erin hopped the window and walked menacingly towards them. She looked mad, as there were many scrapes and cuts in her armor/skin or whatever it was.
"We need some ideas, team leader!" exclaimed Zoran, tugging on Eko's mane desperately.
"Agh, stop it!" shouted Eko, leaping back up. The pain snapped him back into the fight, at least, but he wasn't very happy about it. "I can use Tailwind."
"Combo attack?" grinned Zoran. Eko blinked at him, pointing at himself, and then at Zoran.
"H- have we discussed what that 'combo attack' is?" he stuttered.
"Nope," said Zoran. "But we'll come up with something."
Erin staggered into their range, taunting them. Through her beat-up helmet, her gruff and assertive voice still didn't waver.
"You two have enough of getting your asses kicked?" asked Erin, her ethereal swords hovering menacingly above her. "This fight has been nothing but trouble!"
"You haven't seen nothing yet," said Zoran mischievously. On cue, he raised his arms. Behind him, Eko rose into the air and summoned a mighty wind with a heavy flap of his wings. Eko soared over Zoran, who grabbed onto his talons to gain momentum. From the air, Eko unleashed a Dragon Pulse to serve as a distraction. Meanwhile, Eko heaved Zoran forwards with his feet, launching him towards Erin with an X-Scissor ready. She deflected the Dragon Pulse, but was caught unawares by Zoran's aerial attack.
"Take this!" he laughed as he slashed through Erin's armor. She didn't falter, only being knocked back slightly. Ethereal swords flared up as she used Swords Dance once more. Team Endeavor would have to finish this fight soon, or risk becoming overwhelmed by the stacking status move. Eko slid into battle with a Dragon Blade: Spear Forme. He jabbed forwards, but a Protect blocked the attack. Zoran went for a jump slash, but was kicked away by Erin.
Eko's spear finally lodged itself into her armor, dealing a significant amount of damage. She was nearing her limit, but Eko wondered if she truly was invincible. Could they do this?
With Tailwind's help, Eko evaded the Night Slashes with ease. However, his breathing became heavy and the world began to spin again. Her corrupting attacks had taken a much larger toll on him than Zoran. He just had to ignore it… he just had to ignore it. There was no pain at all.
Through his clouded mind, he had an idea to finish her off.
"Zoran! Hold her down!" he yelled, parrying multiple slashes with his spear. He quickly switched to a sword, jabbing a Protect again.
From behind, leaves bombarded her as she stumbled along the rooftops. She spun in a circle, a lethal cut grazing his chest. His entire chest was now a ghastly black, and smoke emanated from his wounds as if his soul was leaking. Zoran had leapt through the Leaf Storm, and Erin was left without a Protect. He wrestled her down with his Leaf Blade. She yelled insults as she attempted to slash up Zoran. Cuts formed on his body, as she was using Slash.
"Whatever you're doing, do it now!" screamed Zoran. Eko forced his body to pounce on Erin, his claws pinning her arms to the side and his talons holding her legs down. As he hovered over her menacingly, terror washed over her face. Her eyes slackened, and all she could muster out was,
"You're a monster."
Eko hesitated for a moment, but noticed Zoran's desperate face, his wounds dripping with blood.
"Maybe I am," said Eko, putting on a fierce face as he charged up a Boomburst. "But at least I'm fighting for what's right, and those who believe in me."
His ears unleashed a torrent of sonic energy, even making Zoran stumble backwards. Stones flew out from their places in the castle roof, and leaves flew into the air.
When the attack ended, the unconscious bodies of a Bisharp and a Noivern lay unmoving in the dusty air.
When Eko came to, he felt the cold arms of two Pokemon supporting him.
"Good, you aren't dead!" exclaimed Zoran, who was holding his head. A voice below him laughed excitedly.
"Dude, we watched the whole thing," said a feminine voice below his legs. Winter was supporting his talons from the bottom.
Eko reached his arm to his head as the world came into focus.
"Woah- where are we?" he grumbled.
"Easy there, we're on the way back to Mysteria," said Winter. "Can't you smell that dandelion-scented breeze?"
"Nope," said Eko, the memories of his battle with Erin returning quickly. "What happened back at Stonecrest?"
He scrambled to his feet, pulling them free of Winter's icy grasp. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he crumpled to his chest again with an "Oof!"
Wyler laughed good-naturedly from somewhere in the air. "Zoran wasn't lying when he said you were a slow healer! SCRAWK!"
"Yeah, sorry about that," said Eko. "Wh- what happened after I passed out?"
"You did it, dude!" exclaimed Winter. "You and Zoran took out Erin and Watson. Well, you two look worse for wear, but what doesn't kill you makes you a hell of a lot stronger!"
"And miserable," added Zoran, hoisting Eko to his feet. "We're gonna be out for a while. Once again, you carried this battle!"
"No I didn't," denied Eko, blushing slightly as Zoran helped him walk. "I was horrendous at hand-to-hand combat."
"Hey, you managed to keep the battle under control," said Zoran. "Without that strategy, we would've been out."
"Eko divided the fight into two: Him vs. Erin and Zoran vs. Watson. He kept the two fights separate until becoming the lynchpin in securing Zoran's victory by disrupting their fight. Then, the battle became a two on one. As you guys noticed, her defense was impeccable and her attacks brutal. To combat this, you used mobility and angles to your advantage, attacking from two different sides and even from the air. In the end, you overwhelmed Erin even though she was leagues out of your fighting level. Now that was strategy," explained Charlotte in one breath, smiling to herself.
Eko was speechless, his jaw hanging open. Even Justin looked amazed by that analysis. "I didn't- I didn't plan any of that. I just did what I thought was best, you know?" Eko mumbled, although what he said was seemingly ignored.
"I didn't see the whole thing, but Winter described the first bit… I've never seen anything like your battle strategy before!" marveled Justin.
"It was indeed impressive. Your attack combinations were well thought out," added Charlotte, walking with her arms crossed.
"That finisher though," said Winter excitedly. "That pounce and Boomburst was epic!"
"Thanks," said Eko quietly, realizing that he was bandaged up. "How long was I out for?"
"Couple hours," said Justin. "We got you treated back in Stonecrest and took our reward!"
"We're using it to buy dinner tonight! Any requests?" asked Wyler from above. Zoran's stomach growled on cue. Eko already had one idea, but decided to get their input first.
"You guys know any places?" he asked. "We're uh, kind of new to Mysteria. We've been around, but the only place we've eaten at was the Polar Cafe."
"No. Freaking. Way," said Winter excitedly. "You've met Mrs. Min-Min?"
"Woah, woah, woah!" exclaimed Zoran, "I thought her place wasn't well known!" Winter nudged him a bit.
"We're like one of the only teams that eat there. All the others prefer that stupid smoothie place down near the square," said Winter.
"Smoothies are pretty good," said Eko, craving a fruity drink after that battle.
"But hell yeah, we're hitting up Mrs. Min-Min's tonight," said Winter. "Haven't seen her in a while."
"We ate there three days ago," said Charlotte.
"That's a pretty long time ago!" exclaimed Winter. "Doesn't matter, we're going there again."
"What do you recommend there?" asked Eko. "We've tried the Honey Roast."
"Haven't had that before," said Winter. "But her honey berry salad. That stuff slaps."
"Not a fan of vegetables," said Eko quietly. "But the berries sound awesome right now."
"Yeah, it's a famous Mysterian dish," said Justin. "Plus, I try to avoid meat."
"You're missing out!" exclaimed Zoran. "I wonder what other cuisines are like. We haven't tried food from Leafre yet."
"Yeah, Zoran and I are planning on trying food from around the world. Since, well. We haven't travelled much," said Eko.
"Despite the known world being pretty small, it's crazy to see all the different cultures," said Justin.
"Well, that's the fun of being in an exploration team!" exclaimed Winter, throwing her hands behind her head.
As the neared Mysteria, a small figure approached from the air.
"Holy- oh, hey, Archer!" exclaimed Eko as the Fletchling landed on his head. "I told you to rest!
She pecked him playfully, as a metal object hit Eko in the face. She had brought his necklace with him, all safe and sound…
"Wasn't your necklace purple?" asked Zoran after laughing at Eko clutching his nose.
Eko took the necklace from Archer's talons, and was startled after realizing that the gem had turned a vibrant green.
"Woah, what you got there?" asked Winter, taking a peek. Eko observed the chain, and the silver, scale-like design that wrapped around the gem was still there. It definitely was his necklace, but why was it green?
"That's not normal…" said Eko. It didn't really bother him that much, but it was strange that it just happened. He noticed Zoran's eyes lighting up… he realized something. But surrounded by Team Ace, it wasn't the right time to ask him- as much as he trusted them.
"This normally doesn't happen, but it's cool," chuckled Eko, putting it around his neck nonchalantly.
Archer was very energetic, darting around the group and even flying with Wyler for a bit. Eko wished he could join them, but his entire body was still aching. He felt sick as well from the corruption from Erin's blade. He still didn't completely understand what it did to him, and from the looks of it, Zoran didn't either. His skin was tinted black still in the places he was slashed. If it weren't for the bandages around his chest, he could probably see a huge black gash.
"Tomorrow, we aren't doing anything involving fighting," said Eko.
"It's been a hell of a week," said Zoran. "Three dangerous missions in three days. It's a miracle we're still in one piece."
"You guys have got a whole lot ahead of you. We're a few years in our adventuring careers and so much has happened!" exclaimed Winter.
"I wonder what the top exploration teams at the Guild have gone through," asked Zoran.
"You've gotta meet them!" exclaimed Winter. Eko shifted uncomfortably. He could already imagine what they'd be like. A month at the guild, and he already got a glimpse of their potential. They could probably easily beat him up and assail him with insults.
"Sure," he said. Hopefully they had taken on the Guildmaster's personality. "Can you name a few?"
"There are ten professional teams at the Guild. The top six were just sent out on field missions that the Guildmaster won't tell us about…" growled Winter. Eko and Zoran knew what their mission was, but showed no reaction. "One that's still here right now is Team Torrent, who's led by Rico the Starmie."
Eko and Zoran remembered him all too well. Eko dreaded meeting him again, almost making him scared to enter the Guild hall.
"A Team that'll definitely like you is Team Misdirection led by a Claydol named Ken. Too bad they're out at Girdir doing some mission," said Justin.
"Any others still at the Guild?" asked Zoran.
"Team Fortuna is there, I think you've seen them before. There's only two of them, but they're both strong Fairies. Neither of them actually lead the team," explained Winter. Justin looked at Eko awkwardly, awaiting his reaction.
"They're that Sylveon and Kirlia, right?" asked Zoran. Justin nodded. "Yeah, we've seen them."
"Haven't interacted with them much," said Eko, if that death stare didn't count as an interaction.
"Well, you'll be interacting with them soon! Damn, about a week in and you're fit enough to be frontier explorers!" said Winter.
"You think?" asked Eko hopefully.
"Definitely," screeched Wyler from overhead. Eko thought about that to himself. He'd always been wanting to become a frontier explorer, but was he ready for it? Even after three tough fights, he thought that they were all just luck. Out there, mons were out to kill him. He'd read all about the lands outside of his home in his free time, from the jungles of Madavel to the tundras of Nedlik. The huge cities intrigued him, such as Syokeu City, who had an entire government ruling them. Aredia's guild wasn't even the governing body because of their sultan! New civilizations fascinated him.
But as a dragon, would he be able to even enjoy his visits there? Most of those cities weren't familiar with him being one of the only Dragon-type guild members.
As he chatted and healed with Team Ace and Zoran, he couldn't help but feel at ease. If they were with him, he'd be fine.
He dreamed about new adventures all the way back to Mysteria.
Mrs. Min-Min greeted the six of them with great joy at her restaurant.
"Arceus destined you to meet!" exclaimed Mrs. Min-Min. What are the odds my two favorite exploration teams meet up?"
"It may be as you said," said Winter. "We're just destined for great things."
"I second that," said Zoran.
"I wish it would be a bit easier," mumbled Eko, who was still bandaged up. Mrs. Min-Min finally pointed out their injuries.
"Young-uns are always getting into dangerous tussles," she tutted. "But your young bones will heal fast, especially with my food!"
"Can I help cook?" suggested Winter.
"Definitely not!" said Charlotte immediately. Justin nudged Zoran, telling him,
"First time we came here was for a job offer. After supplying the restaurant food, Winter offered to cook and ended up starting a fire in the kitchen. If it weren't for Charlotte, this place would be ashes."
Zoran bit back a chuckle as Mrs. Min-MIn sighed.
"All's well that ends well, I suppose," she said. "Now come, take a seat before your knees buckle. Especially you, Eko. Still thin as ever."
Taking a seat, the two teams (minus Winter, who had gone to the back with Mrs. Min-Min), chatted once again.
"If you don't mind- uh," said Charlotte timidly. "Could you tell us a little about dragons? Haven't had much experience with them except for stories and history."
Nervousness filled Eko as all eyes fell on him.
He swallowed. "Uh, well… What do you want to know? I don't mind."
"Like do you feel more powerful?" asked Charlotte. "With very little experience, you seem very adept at combat."
"I've been training my body for most of my life, ever since I evolved," explained Eko. "Although, I didn't put too much effort into it. I- I guess I'm pretty strong, but still weak compared to you guys and the other teams."
"I bet your childhood was rough," said Wyler. Eko took some time to reflect. He felt comfortable enough to answer honestly.
"To be honest, I had a decent childhood. As a Noibat, though. That was when my mom was still alive," explained Eko.
"I'm sorry about that, dude. My ma died young too," said Wyler sadly.
"My condolences as well," said Eko. "When she was alive, I did pretty normal stuff. Read, play with some of my siblings… I even got into music. Once she passed, my dad took over and made us train."
"Like how? Did he torture you?" asked Justin.
"I mean… not really. It was more verbal abuse than anything," said Eko, surprisingly keeping a calm demeanor. The more he explained, the better he felt.
"Why did he want to train you?" asked Charlotte suspiciously.
"To be honest, I don't know. I've tried to get that answer out of him and my older brother, but their response was, 'dragons are supposed to be strong'," said Eko, almost laughing. "And look how I turned out."
"You are one of the strongest dragons out there," said Zoran. "Turning your back on an entire way of life and facing prejudice? Now that's strong." The others nodded in agreement.
"Others have been doing that before… Dark types have been facing it as long as time itself. I'm nothing special," said Eko quietly
"Haven't heard of many other dragons betraying their own kind," said Wyler.
"Don't put it that way," sighed Justin.
"They're probably planning something. But no matter what happens, I'll be on your side," assured Eko. "Well, enough about that…"
"Yeah, what type of missions have you gone on? Any Frontier Explorer missions?" asked Zoran.
Justin reached behind his neck. "Well, uh, we kind of just became Frontier Explorers. The next frontier expedition will be in the spring, as always. During that time, all the Frontier Explorers from the nearby guilds will assemble and decide their move. This years' was to the Inkwell Forest to the west."
"Did they find anything cool?" asked Eko.
"Lots of ruins!" said Charlotte excitedly, the pace of her words quickening. "There were lots of totems that were believed to be part of the ancient Fae race!"
Eko subtly twitched. He had nothing against the Fae, but he knew that they would have everything against him. This whole rune ordeal... Did this have anything to do with the Fae?
Zoran nodded, not completely understanding the history of the world he found himself in. Still, it fascinated him and gave him hope for their team's journey in Arcana.
"Where's next years' expedition going to be?" asked Zoran, ready to pretend he knew where the hell the next location was.
"I think they're deciding between south of Sumergida and north of Nedlik," said Justin. Eko hoped that it wasn't in Nedlik. He hated the cold and figured Zoran wouldn't do too well either. Then, he realized he was getting ahead of himself. Team Endeavor wasn't a Frontier exploration team.
"You're going with us," said Wyler excitedly, as maniacal laughter echoed from the kitchen. Flames surged from behind the counter as Winter attempted to put out the fire she had created.
"That's not what well done means!" shouted a flustered Mrs. Min-Min. Winter peeked out from behind the counter.
"Food's almost ready!" she exclaimed joyfully.
"Great," said Charlotte, crossing her arms.
Finally, Winter and Mrs. Min-Min brought out the platters to the large circular table. The last time Eko had this much food was last year's Hallows Festival at his house, which just so happened to land on his birthday.
There was a huge meat and mushroom platter with gravy, pan fried noodles, a bowl of berries, and a plate of a charred steak.
"The steak looks great," said Charlotte sarcastically, reaching for the noodles.
"I'll eat it," said Eko, if only to make Winter happier. He awkwardly handled the knife and sliced a bit off, although it was thick as hell.
To be honest, the burnt parts gave it a bit more flavor in Eko's opinion. His only complaint was how tough the meat was.
"Great food as always, Mrs. Min-Min!" commented Justin.
"She's the best!" agreed Winter, thrusting her fork into the air.
"Pshh, you guys," said the Minun, getting all flustered. After a while, the platters began to thin out.
"What do you guys plan on doing tomorrow?" asked Winter. Zoran shrugged, looking over at Eko, who was halfway through an Oran Berry.
"Uh… I kinda want to take it easy tomorrow. Maybe do a few local jobs?" asked Eko, realizing that he'd have to interact with more of the Mysterians. Hopefully they'd be as nice as Mrs. Min-Min. He doubted it.
"Ho yeah, I second that," said Zoran. "Three insane missions in three days? I think that's more than enough."
"Suit yourself," said Winter. "We're probably going to gang up on some criminal."
"Although we need the training," said Eko. "I think a break would be good."
After a delightful meal, the two teams ended up exploring town for a bit. Alongside Team Ace, it was much more enjoyable (although Zoran ended up doing the actual buying). Realizing their dorm was empty and had near nothing inside, the two found some furnishings to spruce it up. A map was a necessity, and a clock wouldn't hurt either.
The two picked out some furniture to put in their room and fill out the empty space as well, including chairs, a rug, and a table. (They were given a cart to pull the items).
After a final stop at a general store, Zoran picked out a rubber ball, a deck of cards, and a notebook and pen.
"Can't hurt to have one," said Zoran.
"My handwriting's atrocious… since, well," said Eko, opening his claws.
After Wyler loaded up on candy, the two parted ways as Team Ace was meeting another team.
On their journey back, Eko felt a bit awkward hauling a cartload of furniture. Zoran held the bag of knick knacks while Archer clutched the map in her beak.
Eko clutched his necklace, which still glowed a dull green. He'd talk to Zoran about it in the room.
"Geez, that was a workout," said Zoran, laying down his bag on the ground. Eko rolled his eyes.
"You're not the one pulling four pieces of furniture," said Eko, his arms sore. In fifteen minutes, they were finished unloading their stuff. Underneath the window, they put the desk and laid the map out.
They had moved the chests to one side of the room, and put the two cherry wood chairs and the rug in the other corner.
Finally done and completely exhausted, the two retreated to their respective spots. Eko reclined in his bed while Zoran idly lounged by the desk and threw his ball against the wall.
Eko clutched his still-green necklace in his claws.
"What the heck is going on with this?" asked Eko.
"Your necklace? Beats me," said Zoran. "I arrived in this world like a couple days ago."
"I'm pretty lost too, being cut off from civilization for sixteen years," replied Eko.
"I have a theory," said Zoran, catching his ball and standing up. "Those symbols down in your basement seem to correspond to a type."
Eko stared at his necklace, glowing a bright emerald green- like the rune they tried to steal back.
"Grass," said Eko, excitedly rising from his bed. "My sister shoved the rune in my chest before she took it back."
"I'm guessing this happened when I was passed out," said Zoran. "So, there has to be one for each type, right?"
"I'm guessing, but there definitely weren't eighteen symbols down there. Why only a few of them?" pondered Eko.
"Beats me, but the Dragons want them," said Zoran, swapping the ball for his notebook and pen. "I'm gonna write this down."
"Good idea," said Eko, dangling over the ledge of the lofted bed. Eko tried willing it to change back. Surprisingly, it actually listened to him! The green faded back to purple. "Yo, Zoran! I got it back to normal!"
"How?" he asked.
"I just- willed it to change," said Eko. "Still have no idea what it does though."
"Look at you, discovering the powers of a magic amulet," smirked Zoran. "You're special, alright. You were meant to take down the dragons."
"Dude, both of us are special. A human that became a Pokemon? That means something."
Zoran nodded, reassured that Eko believed him.
"Definitely," he replied, clutching his head. "I have vivid memories of those runes, but that's pretty much all I've got."
Eko clutched his head, sighing, "Can we really do this? Like stop an entire kingdom- I mean- disjointed collection of powerful Pokemon. Just the two of us?"
Zoran shrugged with a hopeless smirk, "Probably more than just the two of us, but I think we can do it. I didn't get sent into this world to fail, you know."
Eko chuckled, "If I were sent into a different world in a different body, I don't think I would be sane for the first few days. Here you are, accepting this on your, what, fourth day here?"
"If it weren't for you, I can't imagine what I'd be doing right now," thanked Zoran. Eko went quiet, not knowing how to reply to that.
"Uh, you're welcome," he said awkwardly.
"Thanks for dragging me into three battles too," he said sarcastically. "Loved those."
"If anything, you dragged me into those," countered Eko. "Whatever." Zoran scribbled some words onto the first page.
"I'll keep track of our adventures here," said Zoran. "Documenting them as epic stories."
"Can't wait to read them," said Eko. "Maybe after this is all over, you can publish them."
Zoran paused. After all of this was over? If he really was sent to the Pokemon world to save it, would there be an "after"? Would he be sent back after his mission was over? Was he a martyr that would sacrifice himself in the end? Would he be stuck here? Was there a choice?
He had no idea which outcome he'd prefer. Although he felt out of place, he was determined to complete whatever he'd have to do, and enjoy himself along the way.
And with that, he began writing his first chapter: A Rude Awakening.
And so ends the first chapters of our heroes' journeys! If you've made it this far, I hope you've beared with my shaky writing and lackluster descriptions. The second story was written a bit after this and I think the writing/pacing is slightly better. As always, thanks to the few of you that read this and hope you enjoy what's coming next!