Chapter 5
This is where things get good. Teehee ;) Thanks for all the reviews. Let me know how you like the unfolding of the plot. Also, quick side note...I'm trying to figure out what other past characters to incorporate...so if you have any suggestions/favorites, lemme know. I don't want to make the group too big, but right now I feel as though the dynamic is missing something...we'll see.
Pancham looked as bored as Serena felt. The small pokemon was leaning against her throne with its arms crossed as the flurry of guests continued from every direction. Serena felt as though she couldn't breathe. The suffocation of the moment threatened to grip her lungs within an unrelenting vice, but her memories offered escape. She stroked her slender fingers down Pikachu's back. She thought of Ash.
The day he became a Champion—all those years ago—hoards of reporters and fans had pushed him out of her reach. He had reached out to grab her. Her hand had slipped from his fingertips. Ash's eyes had stayed with her. Even within a throng of hundreds, he had made sure to keep her in his sight. Later on, he would tell her that she had been his anchor; the only thing that kept him from drowning within the overwhelming ocean of attention.
And now the attention was on her. Ash was no where to be seen. She had no anchor. She seemed suspended in the heart of the sea, with no way to swim to the surface. The waves were too big and she still was not strong enough to move.
Sylveon wrapped a ribbon around Serena's hand, sensing her inner unrest. Serena offered her companions a small smile. Her heart swelled and lifted itself from the floor of her chest. It was a relief to know she could still love.
As the first hour of the ball came to an end, the line of guests dwindled before the throne. The dancing was about to commence.
"What do you mean we can't see her?!"
Serena heard a shuffle growing behind the last wall of visitors.
"You're not wearing the proper attire to see the queen, let alone to be at the ball," replied one of her guards, "who let you in anyway?"
Serena tried to peer around the line of fans waiting for a picture with her. The voice was familiar. Pikachu jumped on to her shoulder, sniffing the air, and Serena lifted herself out of her seat.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu squealed and jumped past the crowd and in to a Brock's arms. The guard flinched back and looked between the scene and Serena.
Serena's world spun and halted all with a moment. Her heart jumped with the faintest bit of joy at seeing Pikachu's excitement, but that happiness fell at the sight of the broad-shouldered man. Brock looked dark and tired. He looked the way Serena felt most days, and she knew, just by seeing him, that he was going to hurt her. Brock wanted answers, answers that were so far hidden beneath layers of dead soul and memory. She would have dig up to find them and the pain she had gotten so good at numbing would find its way back in to her being.
Serena stiffened.
"Your Highness?" began the guard, but Serena nodded and allowed Brock to come in. He was followed by another familiar figure.
"Nice title; suits you well," Gary Oak moved towards her with a confident stride and gave her a crooked smirk, one that reminded her so much of Ash. He took her gloved hand and lowered his head to kiss the top of it.
"Hello, Serena," Brock nodded, stiff and awkward. He cleared his throat and folded his large arms over his chest in an attempt to regain control of the situation, "how've you been?"
"What a surprise to see you here," Serena breathed, her dress suddenly felt too tight.
Brock looked down, self-conscious of his cargo pants and jacket, "Yes, well, I didn't plan on coming to the ball, but…" Brock shrugged.
There was an awkward silence.
Gary dug his hands in to the pockets of his dress pants, shifting back and forth from the balls and toes of his feet. "Nice party you got here."
"Clemont and Bonnie are upstairs," Brock said, "Kaleb too."
"What a happy coincidence," Serena sat back in her chair, feeling light-headed, "that you all came here on the same day and ran in to each other."
Brock shifted. "Bonnie wanted to tell you, but I didn't think it'd be a good idea."
"Why not? I always love it when friends come to visit," Serena bit her lip. An overwhelming desire to sob took hold of her, and she had to stifle a cry by placing a hand over her mouth.
"I think we should leave her alone now," Gary muttered, but Serena heard him and shook her head, dazed.
"I think that's a good idea," Serena whimpered, her voice cracking with fear, "whatever you're really here for, I don't think this is the time, or place."
Brock gave her an unflinching stare, but nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry."
The two bowed and were escorted away. Pikachu jumped back on to her lap and lifted its small eyes towards her, concerned.
"Pika…" Pikachu wanted to know why they were here. Serena did too, but she was afraid of the reason.
xxxxx
"That went well, good thinking there, Brock," Gary grumbled as the two walk away from what was, perhaps, the most awkward moment of their entire lives.
Yet Brock was unfazed. As Gary continued to rant about the foolishness of his approach, Brock felt oddly satisfied by Serena's reaction.
"I need to go back to the others," Brock said, sensing that his job here was done.
"What?" Gary shook his head, baffled, "So you make your entrance and and then just leave?"
"Yes."
"You might as well have punched Serena in the face."
Brock stopped and turned around to give his friend a stern glare. "Look. There's nothing more we can do. I'd rather her know we're here."
He turned back around to head for the door, but was stopped short halfway through his trek across the ballroom. A strong hand had gripped Brock's forearm, bringing him to a jolting halt.
Gary jumped, his hand at his belt ready to call on his companions.
"That won't be necessary," said the deep voice belonging to the strong grip. "I've come here to protect you, not to harm you."
"Who the hell are you?" Gary demanded, his nostrils flaring
Brock placed a hand over the chest of the fiery-eyed trainer, attempting to still the moment while he tried to recall where he had heard this voice before.
The man standing before Brock, polished and calm in a tux, could have been in his early-forties. He had a thick, brown beard that was cut and trimmed short around his jaw, while his eyes held no recognizable tint in their blue depths. The only trace of familiarity was in the man's low, formal tone, as if he spoke with the accent of older days.
"No, you are not drunk. You have met me before," the man said to Brock, as if well-aware of the gym-leader's thoughts, "I will explain what I can, but first follow me. The rain is coming."
Brock nodded.
"This has got to be the strangest day of my life," Gary muttered.
"No, I know him." Brock sounded distant and unsure, but turning back to the strange gentleman, he asked, "Where are we going?"
"To war, essentially, but you'll see soon enough," and the man smiled before turning away towards the exit. Before continuing through the crowd, he looked back over his shoulder, "Will you follow me?"
Again, Brock nodded, but Gary refused. Brock watched his friend look back at Serena and shake his head.
"You go ahead, but I'm not following some loon," Gary said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, "I'll catch up with you later."
Brock was about to protest, but the man again took Brock's arm. "Your friend has made his choice. Come, we don't have much time."
The man ambled out of the ballroom, and Brock felt his limbs disobey sense and follow. He looked back one last time to see if Gary had meant his refusal, but the young trainer had already disappeared back in to the crowd. This fueled Brock to relinquish his hesitation and pursue the man in to the foyer, where he waited for Brock to catch up.
The foyer was dark compared to the dazzling light spilling out of the ballroom. Outside, there was no light illuminating the castle's stained glass windows—not even a star—and the glass began to rattle. A few security guards and staff were running silently back and forth various areas of the castle, not even pausing to notice Brock and the strange man standing in the middle of the foyer. There was a sense of urgency that had not yet been verbally acknowledged out of fear of perturbing guests. Brock watched as guards exchanged glances before calling out their pokemon and running to opposite directions, disappearing through different corridors.
Questions formed along the tip of Brock's tongue, but they all vied to be asked at once, thus blocking the route to his voice and falling wordlessly in to the air. He clenched his jaw at the sight of the strange man standing very still with his eyes glued to the darkness against the windows. He appeared to be listening for something. Brock began to doubt his ability to make rational decisions.
"He's come sooner than I thought," the man said, more to himself, but then turned to Brock, "your friends are in trouble."
Brock took a moment to process these words but then bounded instantly up the grand staircase. The man followed him up and down the right-hand corridor, and then up again a set of spiral stairs winding through multiple floors of the castle. Panting, Brock found Serena's hall and sprinted forward towards her door.
He burst forth in to the room.
Inside, the room was a disaster. Bonnie and Kaleb had multiple pokemon out and were battling a sleuth of dark counterparts. Clemont had his Luxray and Chestnaught helping him hold the glass doors of the balcony shut, as the pokemon riding the darkness outside tried to push their way in.
Every opponent seemed to be in a mega form, for they were larger and darkly colored. They were primarily ghost and dark types; Mega Gengars and Sableyes and Banettes. There were even a couple Mega Aerodactyl, and more trying to pound their way in. A number of shadow balls flew across the room, missing their intended target, and blowing holes in the walls.
Brock sent out his Swampert and Toxicroak. He pointed to the multiple Mega Banettes attacking Kaleb's team and ordered, "Swampert, mudshot! Toxicroak, crunch!"
Swampert missed, but Toxicroak latched on to its target and help on to its arm as the Banette growled and flew in to the wall to pound its attacker off. Toxicroak held on and dragged the pokemon on to the floor, slamming it in to the carpet, ripping the Banette with its teeth again and again until it lost consciousness. Its black blood seeped in to the floor.
"Where the heck have you been?!" Clemont shouted, his blonde hair glued to the sides of his face with sweat dripping from the tips, down his cheeks, and off his chin.
"Oh, you know," Brock evaded an attack from a Mega Gengar and sent out his Manectric to retaliate with a thunderbolt, "I thought I'd check out the party downstairs,"
"And then you realized the real party's up here, huh?" Kaleb smirked and shouted for his Gogoat to look out a Sableye's faint attack.
"Our pokemon are getting tired," Bonnie cried, returning her weary Kirlia and sending out a Azumarill. "There're so many of them!"
"And there's gonna be more in a second if I don't get help with this door!" Clemont shouted, he and his pokemon, exhausted.
Just then, Brock remembered the strange man behind him as he called out a Dragonair. He ordered the dragon pokemon to use barrier and a wall of light sealed the glass doors shut and reinforced the glass. Clemont and his pokemon stepped back as the creatures outside began attacking the barrier, but to no avail. Their assaults were thuds against the wall. Clemont then ordered his Luxray and Chestnaught to take out one of the Mega Aerodactyls attacking his sister.
Clemont then turned to the stranger, "Thanks."
The man nodded. "Don't get comfortable. That barrier won't last the hour."
"What's going on?" Kaleb grunted, taking a tackle from a Gengar appearing behind him. Bonnie rushed to his side to help him up while her Azumarill took out the ghost pokemon. Kaleb rubbed the back of his head, "What kind of swarm is this?"
"This is no swarm," the man explained, ordering his Dragonair to use dragonbreath on a Mega Aerodactyl, "these pokemon are being controlled."
"Okay, time to tell us who you are," Brock growled, marching up to the stranger, "and what you know."
The man and his Dragonair barely evaded a hyperbeam erupting from the Aerodactyl, and the beam hit the wall and seared through two other rooms beyond the plaster. Shouts from castle guards and guests could be heard from the hallway.
"Explanations will have to wait," the stranger said, "but for now, call me Drifter."
xxxxx
Serena knew something was wrong. She could hear guards whispering to each other. They sounded distressed. All around the ballroom, there were some leaving their positions in a hurry towards the exit.
"Pika…?" Pikachu mumbled, his cheeks sparking in irritation, and he looked up at Serena.
Serena noticed Maximus Klein entering the ballroom. Max was the castle's head chief of security; a largely built man with some years on him. White hairs flaked his trimmed beard and small scars covered his weathered face. His entrance did not go unnoticed. Multiple guards followed him as he walked straight-faced up to Palermo, who was flirting with a potential investor near the bar.
Serena watched their exchange. Max whispered something in her ear and Palermo's face fell for half a second. She then turned back to her guest and gave him a reassuring smile. She placed a hand on the investor's arm and, by reading her lips, Serena could tell that Palermo was excusing herself. She silently left with Max out the door as a few guests exchanged glances at the scene, but they shrugged and carried on with the festivities.
Serena got up to follow, but a few of Max's guards had detached themselves from their chief and were now walking up to her.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we have strict orders to keep you in this room," said one of the guards, holding up a hand to stop her.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing to worry about. Please, take a seat and enjoy yourself. You're safe here."
"Safe?" Serena repeated, clenching her jaw. She stood in place for a minute or so, looking towards the exit and wondering how she was going to make her escape.
"Ma'am, it's nothing. Please sit down."
"I have friends here," Serena said, "I need to know if they're in trouble."
"Depends, are they where they should be?" the guard asked, glowering at the Kalos Queen.
"One is staying with me in my room,"
Both guards fought to keep a blank expression, but one revealed the flash of a grimace. The two looked at each other and nodded before one of them moved off to the side to speak in to his watch.
"Are my friends in danger?" Serena demanded, "I have a right to know!"
Pancham, Pikachu, and Sylveon all stood behind her, reflecting her tension.
"There's no way of knowing. All we know is that there's a pretty bad storm outside,"
"The castle's been breached," the other guard muttered aloud in shock, "half of the rooms are being swarmed."
Serena began to make a run for it.
She didn't make it far. One of the guards caught her by the wrist and was about to slam her back in to her chair until another figure intervened. There was a grunt, a pound, and a thud.
Serena turned around to see Gary Oak standing over the guard's unconscious body, his knuckles already swollen and bloody. He turned back to her and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her forward.
"Come on," he muttered gruffly, "time to go."
The two ran towards the exit and out the ball; Serena's pokemon were close behind. Serena snatched her arm back from Gary and began sprinting up the stairs to her room. He followed behind. Pikachu stayed close by her feet, its bright cheeks already lit with electricity.
When she reached her floor, Serena could already smell smoke and hear the shattering of wood and glass. Her heart began to pound in her ears. The door had already been blown off its hinges and flashes of light were pouring out of the room.
"Wait, watch out!" Gary yelled as Serena ran inside without hesitation. He managed to dive on top of her just as a shadow ball zoomed past their faces, exploding on one of the cabinets. "Goddammit, what the hell is going on here?!"
Serena opened her eyes. The room stood in complete catastrophe. Shards of wood from her bed posts were scattered all around the floor, mixed in with burnt plaster from the walls and ceiling. Glass from the chandelier above rained down on the fight with every back and forth assault from the pokemon amidst battle, and all the furniture lay ruined and broken.
Pikachu immediately began to join the fight, using thunder on the last Mega Aerodactyl still conscious in the room. The fossil pokemon howled and fainted with the blow, its electrified body landing in the fireplace.
Serena shoved Gary off of her and crawled over to one of the nightstands that used to be by her bed. She ignored the pain shooting up her elbow as glass and wood splintered her skin. The nightstand needed a key, which she usually kept under her pillow, but there was no way of knowing where it could be now. Instead, she grabbed one of nightstand's broken legs and smashed the body to pieces until the contents of the drawer spilled out. Inside were her old princess keys, print pictures, and a small, blue ribbon.
She took the ribbon and left the rest.
"You all have to leave; more rooms have been breached!" shouted one of the castle guards assisting Brock and Clemont fight off a swarm of five Mega Gengar.
"The barrier's about to break! I'm going to set off a smokescreen," a man Serena didn't recognize was shouting over at Brock, "tell everyone to return all their Pokemon on the count of three and run downstairs. Meet at the foyer!"
"You heard, Drifter," Brock repeated the instructions over the mayhem.
Clemont nodded and then noticed Serena. "When did you get here?!"
"Just now," Serena gasped and ordered Sylveon to use psybeam on one of the Sableyes. "Glad to see you made yourselves at home."
"We always do, but the welcome wasn't as warm as I remember," Clemont chuckled nervously, and despite everything, Serena felt comforted to see her old friend.
"Okay, 1…2…3…" Drift set off the smokescreen. All the trainers returned their pokemon and began spilling out of the room, in to the hall. Pikachu hopped on to Serena's shoulder and cried out from all the smoke. She wrapped the small pokemon in his arms, and felt Clemont's hand lead her and Bonnie down the stairs before him. Serena also took hold of Bonnie and the two led the way for the others back in to the foyer, where guests were now coming out of the ballroom to see what all the noise was about.
Once everyone was through, Maximus appeared from the opposite end of the grand staircase and called for all of the corridors to be barricaded.
"Call in the national police; and begin escorting guests back in to the ballroom," the chief ordered, and the protests and shouts of the guests began as the castle began to rumble ahead.
Drifter called out his Dragonair again to use barrier on the stained glass above the grand entrance, and he fell in to deep thought.
Serena watched the strange man, and he turned to stare at her. His bright eyes seared through her with an ethereal intensity that made her shudder.
"Everyone, remain calm," Max announced from the top of the grand staircase to the masses gathering below, "we are experiencing severe weather outside and it's not safe for anyone to leave. Please remain civil as our security escorts you to back in to the ballroom. We will let everyone leave once its safe."
"In the meantime, everyone enjoy yourself!" Palermo smiled, gesturing back towards the ball.
Just then, the lights went out, and darkness flooded in to castle. The crowd flew in to a frenzy. Screams and the thuds of people falling over each other, echoed all around while some banged their fists on the thick front door of the castle.
Tears began to well up in Bonnie's eyes, but Serena held the younger girl close. Pikachu stood by, ready to defend the two if necessary.
"Manectric use flash!" Clemont called from somewhere behind her, and the great foyer grew dimly lit by the small source of white light emitting from the pokemon.
There was a pause where everyone went quiet. The thudding on the windows stopped. There was only a buzzing sound coming from the electricity Manectric produced.
"You think its over?" someone asked.
The silence continued.
"The storm's gone!" people began to cheer.
"Nobody move!" Max shouted over the crowd, "Nobody move until we've cleared the area."
The chief nodded towards a group of his men, who soundly moved through the guests to the front door. They began to unlatch the heavy locks, their hands trembling. Their pokemon, Growlithes and Mightyenas, growled at beside the guards, still tense and uneasy.
They cracked the door open, but still kept a large steel dead bolt secure.
Serena felt Bonnie's grip tighten on her arm, and the Kalos Queen returned with a reassuring embrace. Serena's eyes were fixed on the door and the guards. She could hardly feel herself breathing. Her heart raced to her head. Adrenaline coursed through her veins like dopamine, and she grew high from the sensation. It had been a while since Serena had felt anything to this intensity, and for the moment, that was all she could think about.
She could feel her right hand pulsing around the ribbon.
A few moments went by, and all appeared calm outside. One of the guards was returning to report his observations, when a deafening roar pierced the darkness, scaring the last of the light away with its thundering.
The windows rattled. The earth quaked for an instant. Everyone, except Drifter, fell to the floor and covered their ears. Serena gritted her teeth against the pain and watched pieces of small debris rattle on the floor. She looked up and saw Drift staring at the door with a grim expression, a frown hidden beneath his beard. He was saying something, but Serena couldn't hear anything but a high-pitched ringing caused by the roar.
Clemont and Brock suddenly appeared. From their lips, Serena saw Clemont ask if she was okay, and she nodded before he turned to Bonnie. She went from being momentarily deaf, to hearing muffled voices.
Still dazed, Serena looked around the foyer and saw the entire crowd in panic. People were sobbing or abandoning their Pokemon to make a run for it.
Even Palermo had disappeared.
As Brock and Clemont helped the girls up, Gary and Kaleb appeared, their Pokeballs drawn and ready. Bonnie ran in to Kaleb's embrace, and her wrapped his free arm around her protectively. Serena looked around the room for Pikachu, and found him near her feet. They exchanged glances and nodded, preparing themselves for whatever they were about to face beyond the door.
"Stop it," Drifter grunted, pushing towards them, "keep your Pokemon at your belt. This fight is beyond you."
Gary gave the man a dark glare. "So we should just give up, huh? I don't think so, old man."
"Not even all the Pokemon in this room and bring down the beast heading our way," Drift looked at the trainers with the stern look one would see a father give his children, "you're going to have to run while I distract him."
"Look, pal, I don't know who you think you are," Gary spat, his eyes wild with a fearful rage, "but I'm not—"
"Him?" Brock echoed, "Who is out there?"
There was an explosion of blue fire.
The doors of the castle blew open. Bodies flew across the foyers and formed a charred heap on the floor. The moonlight spilled on to the tile, eclipsed by an enormous shadow as tall as the 15ft doorframe. Smoke blew in to the room then subsided in the darkness, and the crackling of the blue fire reverberated upon the debris.
Serena coughed and shook the soot from her face and eyes. She found herself on the floor, bruised and cut by the blow. She struggled to sit up, and found Pikachu unconscious on the floor beside her legs. Gasping, she gathered the small pokemon in her arms.
"That," Clemont's voice whispered in awe, "is the largest Charizard I have ever seen."
Serena looked up.
The pokemon was black, with blue flames dancing on its tail and around its mouth. It appeared to be a Mega, but even then the Charizard was four times taller than its normal form. Even its body seemed thicker, corded with muscle, and the fire burning around its mouth was so hot, Serena could feel its heat from where she sat, thirty feet away.
No one dared to move.
In the silence, the Charizard huffed and broke the air with a second roar, searing fear in to the hearts of all who beheld the creature, and everyone was rendered paralyzed.
Another figure moved from the back of the Charizard. The tall, slender shadow slid down the pokemon's back and landed lightly on the floor. The figure was a man, but all one could make out was his silhouette in front of the fire.
"I hope you've had enough destruction for one day," Drifter's voice called out above the sounds of burning woods and glass, "tell me, did your mission actually have purpose? Or was it a cruel manipulation of fear."
The man didn't respond. Serena peered harder in to the darkness to make out a feature, but she could see nothing. She only had the faintest sense that the man was staring directly at her.
"Leave now," Drifter said again, "tell your master that he has declared war on the Sun. His days are numbered. As are yours."
Just then, a piece of burning wood cracked from the wall before the shadow's feet. The fire illuminated his face.
Serena went cold. Her entire body began to break out in shivers. She began to tremble as a searing sensation of dread swept down her veins as though she were free falling. It drew the color from her face and the strength from her bones. Serena began to feel faint. She found her breath jagged and painful, as though she were inhaling a thousand splinters at once.
Ash Ketchum stood before the fire. He stared at her.
His eyes were black.