Chapter 8: The Dark Side of the Shield
"… And that's how it happened." Merleo concluded his explanations about everything that had happened to him and Chelsea to Naofumi and Tyler. Also, Naofumi ordered Raphtalia and Filo to go the hot spring to take a break. As for Kurisu and Chelsea… For some reason, they were glaring towards each other.
"So, you two ran into that moron Motoyasu and Myne, huh?" Naofumi asked rhetorically. "I swear, that guy is a real pain in the ass. As if causing a plant disaster in a famine-stricken village wasn't enough…"
"I agreed with you on that notion, Shield Hero." The young mage nodded. The mage also heard about the "Bio Plant" incident from Naofumi. "Still, to think he unwittingly released an ancient and dangerous seed to those poor villagers. He should've read the warning."
"At this point, he doesn't think with his brain." Tyler added. "He has beautiful women on the brain. I'm glad he got his ass whooped by Chelsea."
"I wish he would have at least some levels of awareness." Merleo sighed. "He won't get far in his journey if he has that as his mindset."
"I doubt that." Naofumi said.
"Still though, it's hard that you found a Pokémon before meeting us. And it's an Abra, of all Pokémon too." The delinquent looking young man remarked. "Those guys will teleport away before you could even touch 'em."
"Are these Abra really that big of a deal?" Naofumi asked him.
"For one thing, they immediately Teleport their way out when someone is trying to pick a fight it." He explained. "So you did a pretty good job of instantly throwing a Poké Ball at it."
"Why, I couldn't have done it without Miss Chelsea's help." Merleo said.
"And speaking of that…" Naofumi then glanced at Kurisu and Chelsea, who were glaring at each other. "Anyway, what is with those two?"
"Ah, right." Tyler said, realizing what his leader meant. "They've been like that ever since meeting with each other."
"Care to elaborate, Tyler?" The Shield Hero inquired.
"It went like this…" The delinquent looking young man then began to explain.
(Flashback)
Tyler and Kurisu were packing their belongings in their room before the two could check-out from the inn with the others.
"Man, yesterday was a blast…" Tyler remarked while getting ready. "Naofumi made the right choice of having us stay at the inn for the night."
"Yeah. The bath was nice and refreshing." Kurisu agreed. "Not to mention the food is good too."
"You got that right." The gunman continued. "While we were able to sneak some food to the room so our Pokémon could have a taste, we weren't able to get them into the hot springs."
"It's funny that the inn allows demihumans and transforming species, but they forbid monsters." The former police intern stated. "But not really unjustified, considering the staff and the other guests would freak out when they see Pokémon."
"Well, you can't win 'em all."
They then heard three knockings on the door.
"Who is knocking the door?" Kurisu wondered.
"Prolly Naofumi or Raphtalia…" Tyler proceeded to walk towards the door and opened it, oblivious to the surprise that he was going to experience.
"What's up—" He didn't get to finish when he finally got a good look at who was on the other side of the door. It was someone he didn't expect to see soon. Or in another world, for that matter.
"Hey, Tyler." The person on the other side of the door, revealing said person to be none other than Chelsea.
"Wha-!? It's you! Chelsea, right?" Tyler asked.
"Yeah, that's me." Chelsea answered with a warm smile, grateful that he remembered her.
"But how!? How are you in this world!?" He asked her.
"My secret." She simply stated.
"And how did you find my room?"
"One of your fellow party members, Raphtalia, told me where you're staying."
"I guess you already met her, huh—"
"Hey, Tyler. Who are you talking to?" Both of them turned towards Kurisu, who was attracted by the racket. The blue clad young woman immediately noticed Kurisu.
"Tyler, why is there a girl in your room?" Chelsea demanded with an irritated look.
"Well, she's my roommate." He answered, shocking the blonde young woman.
"Wait, she is!?" She exclaimed. "Does that mean… you both slept in one bed and went doing some unspeakable things!? What the hell!?"
"Wha-!? No! It's not like that!" Tyler denied the accusation as his face became as red as a tomato. "And besides, we slept in separate beds!"
"I can vouch for him." Kurisu stepped in as she shook off the surprise. "He's 100% not lying. Why? Because I happened to know when someone is lying or not?"
"Oh? Really now?" Chelsea raised her eyebrow, now glaring at Kurisu. "And who might you be?"
"Kurisu Hanatabi." The lie-detecting young woman answered. "Judging how you know Tyler's name; I assume you are friends with him?"
"That's for us to know and for you to find out." Chelsea retorted harshly. "The question is: What are your connections with him?"
"We're simply friends who happened to share a room together." Kurisu answered, who began to feel annoyed. "I don't see how that matters to you."
"It DOES matter to me!" Chelsea snapped. "I'll just say this once: Don't you dare seduce Tyler. He already has enough trouble as is from his ex."
"I don't care about that. And who says I'm seducing him?" Kurisu said, glaring at Chelsea. "You really have some weird imagination."
"It's better than having a made-up ability of seeing truth or lies." The honey blonde young woman mocked.
"Made-up!? How dare you! My ability is the real deal!"
"Who's to say? Maybe you're just a big fat liar!"
And just like that, Kurisu and Chelsea bickered with each other as Tyler just sighed at watching the scene unfolding.
"Is this how Naofumi felt when he had to put up with Raphtalia and Filo?" The delinquent looking young man muttered.
"My. What a pickle this is." Tyler turned around to see an unfamiliar face.
"And who the hell are you?"
"I have come in peace. There's no need to be wary of me." He spoke. "I came to look for Miss Chelsea, who apparently made her way here without my permission."
"You're with Chelsea, then?"
"Indeed." He nodded. "But where are my manners? I am Merleo Goneri, a mage and guide to Miss Chelsea. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance."
"Pleasure to meet you too, I guess." Tyler replied. "So, what's your deal with Chelsea?"
"Why, it was I who summoned her to this world." The newly introduced mage answered.
"Wait. YOU'REthe one who summoned her!? How is it possible though?"
"Patience. All will be explained in due time." Merleo said. "The only thing you need to know is that her summon was one not without reason."
"If you say so…" Tyler said as he glanced back at Kurisu and Chelsea, who were now glaring at each other. "I guess I need to stop this."
"A wise decision." Merleo added as he helped Tyler diffuse the situation.
(Flashback end)
"So yeah, and they're still at it again." Tyler said as he finished explaining.
"I see. No skin off my back though." Naofumi remarked.
"Naofumi, was it?" The messy haired young man turned towards Chelsea, who was looking at him. She was done giving Kurisu the "stink eye". "I want to join your party."
"For what?" He asked.
"Compared to that pathetic excuse of a hero, you seemed to be one who is close enough to being one. From what I heard anyway." The hammer wielder explained. "Plus, Tyler seems to trust you, so that's good enough of a reason for me."
"While we're on the subject, allow me to join as well." Merleo chimed in. "I simply wish to see where your journey takes you. And also because I've taken a personal liking to you, Sir Naofumi."
"In that case, go ahead." Naofumi replied. "But you know what happens if you end up betraying me."
"I'm not the type to stab people in the back. So, you can just relax." Chelsea said while folding her arms.
"As do I. You have my word." The former court mage said, agreeing to keep his promise.
"All right then." Naofumi turned towards Tyler and Kurisu. "Any objections, you two?"
"I'm down with that." Tyler replied. "Plus, it's great to have someone like Chelsea on the team. She's an awesome Pokémon Trainer, let me tell ya."
"Well… I'm not that amazing compared to you…" The aforementioned young woman stated sheepishly while scratching her cheek with one finger.
"As long as she doesn't try to start something with me, then I have no issues letting her in." Kurisu said her piece.
"Hmph! Same can be said to you." Chelsea retorted as she and Kurisu proceeded to glare at each other.
"Geez. Not again." Tyler muttered, having to put up with something like this yet again.
Then, Raphtalia and Filo entered the room, returned from taking a bath at the hot springs.
"Hey, we're back!" Raphtalia greeted the party as she immediately saw Kurisu and Chelsea glaring at each other and noticed Merleo in the room. "Umm… Are we missing something?"
"You could say that again." Tyler answered.
Naofumi began to explain the situation to Raphtalia and Filo. Surely enough, they didn't object to having Chelsea and Merleo joining the party. After that, they proceeded to pack up their things and check out from the inn once they were done. As Naofumi walked towards to the carriage where everyone was loading up their belongings , he heard something that caught his interest.
"An epidemic in the east, you say?" A man asked the merchant.
"That's right. Apparently, they don't have enough medicine for everyone who is sick." The merchant replied, giving Naofumi an idea on where to go next.
"So, where are we headed, dude?" Tyler asked after he put his bag into the carriage.
"We're going east." Naofumi answered. "Apparently, there's a high demand for medicine there because of some epidemic."
"I see. That is quite troublesome." Merleo said. "I believe that is the best course of action to take."
"Still, I wonder what kind of plague that needs medicine immediately?" Kurisu pondered.
"We'll know when we get there. No use thinking about it now." Chelsea remarked.
"Yeah. Let's go." After Naofumi said that, he proceeded to depart from the hot springs town and set course towards the east.
Several hours have passed since they departed from the hot springs town. By then, night had fallen and the party hadn't reached their destination. So, they decided to camp for the night in a forest area before continuing their journey tomorrow morning.
The party is currently having dinner prepared by Chelsea, who volunteered to cook instead of Naofumi. The meal for the night is cream soup.
"Whoa~! This is really yummy!" Filo said cheerfully as she ate her food.
"Yes. You might be on the same level as Master Naofumi. When it comes to cooking, that is." Raphtalia added, also finding her meal to be delicious.
"My cooking isn't that big of a deal." Chelsea stated, feeling slightly embarrassed by the praise she received.
"I don't know about that. This is really tasty." Naofumi said before putting another spoon of food in his mouth.
"See? Even Master Naofumi loves it." The demihuman swordswoman added.
"Thanks, I guess…"
"You know, my mom wasn't kidding when she said your cooking is top notch." Chelsea glanced towards Tyler, who was greatly enjoying his dinner. "This is prolly the best soup that I ever tasted. So, thanks for cooking this, Chelsea."
"I, uh…" The honey blonde young woman stuttered while blushing in her cheeks. "I-Idiot! It's not like I care what you think about my cooking or anything!"
"I don't have to use my ability to know that you're lying." Kurisu chimed in. "It's written all over your face. You really appreciate his praise, don't you?"
"T-That's none of your business!" Chelsea denied.
"Suit yourself." The former police intern shrugged as she continued eating.
"Honestly… Why are you people so nosy these days?" The honey blonde young woman muttered before eating her meal.
Once they were done eating, they proceeded to prepare to go to sleep. Tyler and Chelsea volunteered to watch at night, Naofumi planned to work on something, and the rest decided to go to sleep. As two Kalosian Trainers kept watch, they decided to talk to each other regarding some things.
"So, Mom has been looking for me, huh?" Tyler stated. "I guess I kinda leave to another world without saying anything."
"Yeah, she's worried about you. And me too." Chelsea replied while saying the last part quietly.
"What was that?"
"Nothing! It's nothing!" Chelsea assured Tyler. Then everything was silent between them as they watched the bonfire. And Chelsea was the one who broke it. "Look, I'm sorry for overreacting this morning. I might have jumped to conclusions."
"It's under the bridge, don't worry." The gunman stated.
"But, really though… What's your story between you and that Kurisu girl?" Chelsea asked him.
"We're just friends, Chelsea. We kinda meet at a village called Lute Village when we defend the place from the Wave." Tyler said. "The girl's pretty good. Especially with her ability to detect people's bullshits."
"You're not seriously thinking that she really has that kind of ability, are you?" His fellow Kalosian Pokémon Trainer asked with skepticism in her tone.
"Her ability's legit. Me and Naofumi tested it out the other night. You might consider testing it out yourself if you are still not taking my words for it." Tyler explained, speaking on Kurisu's behalf.
"No. I'm good. If you say her ability is the real deal, then I guess I'm okay with it too." Chelsea said before she changed the subject. The one thing that kept bothering with her mind. "Hey, Tyler. What do you think of me?"
"What do I think of you?" Tyler repeated. "What brought this up?"
"Well, I didn't get the chance to say this when you… saved me. But seriously, what do you think of me?" Chelsea asked.
"I dunno. But if I had to say…" Tyler said. "When we first met, you were competitive, heartless, arrogant, vindictive, and a little bit short tempered…"
"You just have to bring those up…" Chelsea groaned in annoyance as her "Hero" listed off her flaws.
"But honestly, I don't mind any of that." He continued, causing Chelsea to widen her eyes at the sudden compliment. Touched by his words would be an understatement. "A little bit of messed up, but that's part of your charm, I guess."
"That's a little bit cheesy, even for you." Chelsea told him.
"Hey! I'm trying to be nice here!" Hearing that made Chelsea giggle a bit.
"I'm not saying that as a bad thing, you idiot." She assured him. "But you know, I forgot that a delinquent like you had a soft spot for something cute."
"You know what they say about judging a person's personality by their appearance." Tyler remarked.
"And honestly, what's wrong with that? I think I like that part about you." Chelsea continued. "Rough on the outside but sweet on the inside."
"You don't say, huh?" Tyler muttered, who didn't know what to make of it.
"Believe it or not, you and I are not so different." The hammer wielder stated.
"Yeah that's true." Tyler said, agreeing with the statement. "I hope you'll find your special someone someday."
"I may have some idea about that…" Chelsea said while looking flirtatiously at Tyler, who was oblivious to the gesture.
"You are weird sometimes."
"Hey, what have you two been talking about?" The two Kalosian Pokémon Trainers turned to see Naofumi, who was holding the "things" that he had been working on through the night
"Nothin', just catching up for old time's sake." Tyler told him.
"Okay then." Naofumi said. "You guys should turn in for the night. We're going to have a busy day tomorrow."
"Sure, we're just about to do just that." And with that, Tyler left to find a spot to sleep.
Little did he know, he was observed by Chelsea. 'I hope that day will come soon… the day when I confess my feelings to you… My Hero…' And with that thought, Chelsea went to her tent to go to sleep.
(The next day…)
"Geez. First Motoyasu, and now Ren. Are these guys so irresponsible or what?" Naofumi grumbled as he and the party made their way up to the mountain.
Why has the Shield Hero been currently in a sour mood? When they arrived at the village in the east, he proceeded to treat the symptoms of all who were sick. After that, he was told that Ren, the Sword Hero, went to slay a dragon that was located on the mountain near the village one month ago. Which was something that the party, especially Naofumi, had heard about. However, he didn't properly attend to the corpse, and eventually, the corpse began to rot and it released a gas around the area that was so poisonous that the adventurers, who were visiting the village to see the dragon's corpse and purchase some supplies, succumbed to the gas one at a time.
Through the wind, the plague began to spread to the villagers and as a result, there were some casualties. When asked why they didn't do anything with the corpse, the local doctor explained that the adventurers weren't unable to handle the dangerous monsters that lived in the mountains. When Naofumi asked if they were able to seek aid from the royal court, they answered that the Heroes were too busy with other matters and were forced to wait. This prompted the Shield Hero to take matters into his own hands and demanded 500 silvers as payment for not only the treatment but the corpse disposal as well. After that, they set off to the mountain.
"I agreed with that sentiment, Sir Naofumi." Merleo stated. "But in any case, it seems one must clean yet another mess made by the carelessness of the Legendary Heroes."
"Again, It's not much of a carelessness as it's more like those idiots treat this whole thing like a game." Chelsea chimed in. "One of these days, karma is going to pay a visit to each and every one of them. Whether they like it or not."
"At least that's something that we can agree on." Kurisu added.
All of them were wearing masks over their mouth and nose so that they wouldn't inhale the toxic air as they traverse through the mountain. And Naofumi had his shield turned into the Chimera Viper Shield to gain the poison resistance skills.
"But are we there yet though? I feel like we're taking forever because of the luggage we carry. It's slowed down the wagon, if you ask me" Tyler complained.
"You can blame Filo for that." Naofumi replied, remembering how selfish Filo was of keeping the wagon and its contents.
"Hey look!" Chelsea pointed forward, where they saw a horde of monsters blocking their path.
"Tch! We don't have time to deal with small fries like them." Naofumi stated before he began to cast a spell. "As Shield Hero, source of thy power, I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature and defend my target! Fast Guard!" Then, a green aura enveloped Filo. "Run right through, Filo!"
"Okay!" Filo complied as she proceeded to run through the horde of monsters as they made their way to their destination.
The party then stopped their carriage once they were close enough near the corpse. Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Tyler proceeded to grab some equipment such as a pickaxe and hammer and walk towards the corpse on foot while Filo, Kurisu, Chelsea, and Merleo stayed by the carriage. In the case of Filo, she was gorging on some of the fruits that the party had once more.
"Yeesh! Dragon corpse really does smell like shit." Tyler commented as Raphtalia coughed a little.
"The air here is terrible. Stay behind the others if you can't handle it." Naofumi told Raphtalia.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." The demihuman swordswoman assured her master.
"It would be a really good idea to eat before coming here." Naofumi commented as he and the others saw several flies buzzing over the dragon corpse while also hearing the sound of Filo eating at the back. "This isn't doing wonders for my appetite."
"Hey, Filo! Keep it down a notch! We're trying to focus here." Tyler told the Filolial.
"Sorry! The fruits are just yummy~!" Filo replied as she kept eating the fruit.
After that, the three proceeded to walk a few steps towards the corpse.
"So, how do you go about this?" Naofumi wondered.
"Should've brought Merleo here. He prolly knows something like this." The gunman stated.
"I don't think a mage like Merleo would know how to deal with corpses."
"You don't know that—" Tyler didn't get to finish as he heard some rocks moving around. "What was that!?"
Before anyone could know what was going on, they saw the unexpected: The flies that were swarming over the corpse suddenly flew away followed by the jaw movement and glowing red lights can be seen slowly illuminating from where the corpse's eyes used to be. The blood that was spilled from it began to return to the body, which began to regenerate the wounds on said body and reforming the membranes of its wings. The once-lifeless dragon corpse slowly rose up before it gave out a roar.
"It's a damn Dragon Zombie!" Naofumi said in horror. He was even more shocked to find out that he wasn't able to get a reading on its level, making the Dragon Zombie an extremely dangerous adversary.
"What the hell!?" Tyler exclaimed.
"Oh dear. This is not good." Merleo, who watched from afar with the others, said.
"This looks bad…" Chelsea muttered, agreeing with Merleo.
"Looks like we're in for a bumpy ride." Kurisu mouthed, bracing herself for the worst.
"What do we do now, Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked her master.
"For now, let's get away from it!" Naofumi told them.
"I'm down with that idea! There's no way we can't handle something like that!" Tyler agreed as he and the others ran back to the carriage. But suddenly, Filo leaped off towards the Dragon Zombie, intending on facing it.
"A dragon!? I hate dragons!" And just like that, Filo proceeded to recklessly jump towards the undead monster. She was able to score a hit with a kick on the lower jaw.
"Maybe there's a way to beat this." Naofumi muttered.
"We're here to help!" The four turned to see Kurisu, Chelsea, and Merleo, who had joined the fray.
"Stay vigilant, everyone! Be wary of its poisonous breath!" As Merleo said that, the Dragon Zombie began to charge an attack.
"Get behind me, all of you!" Naofumi shouted towards his party members as they immediately did as they were told, just in time for the Dragon Zombie to let out a poisonous breath. Some of the gas managed to break through as everyone except Naofumi tried their best to try not to inhale it.
"My shield can't block all of its poison breath." Naofumi muttered. "I have resistance but Raphtalia and the others don't." He then began to think about all of the villagers and adventurers who had fallen ill to the toxic gas. "Still, if you don't stop it here, it will cause even more damage!"
"Now, I'm mad!" Filo proclaimed as she charged forward once more, without knowing the consequences of doing so.
"Filo! Don't fight it alone!" Naofumi warned her, but she ignored it.
The Dragon Zombie proceeded to swat Filo away with one of its wings before the latter tried again.
"If we don't get away and regroup, we're finished!" Naofumi commented while holding Raphtalia. "We gotta go, Raphtalia! Everyone! Come on!"
"I don't think she got the message." Chelsea pointed out as Filo kept trying to attack the Dragon Zombie.
"That idiot…!" Naofumi grumbled before a blue light came out from him, revealing Chespin in the place of the blue light.
"Don't worry, Shield Bro! I'll see if I can talk some sense into her!" Chespin stated before rushing after Filo, oblivious to the fact how bad of an idea it is for a Grass type Pokémon like Chespin charging towards something that is poisonous.
"No, wait! Chespin!"
"This is bad. Pokémon like Chespin can't stand poisonous hazards." Kurisu commented.
"Hey, Filo!" Naofumi shouted her name.
"I got you, Shield Bro! Vine Whip!" Chespin stated as two green vines came out from each side of his head before wrapping it around Filo's legs just as she jumped off.
"Chespin, no!"
"Hey, Filo! Didn't you hear what Shield Bro said? He told you to turn back before you get yourself killed!" Chespin told her.
"Huh?" What Filo didn't know was that the Dragon Zombie lunged it head forward, something that had not gone unnoticed by Chespin.
"Look out—" He didn't get to finish when the undead monster clamped its jaws over them.
The party were in horror as they saw what appeared to be blood coming out from the zombie's mouth and then swallowing its newest victims down to its stomach.
"Filo, no!" Raphtalia cried.
"Are you for real…!?" Tyler mouthed as he was just as surprised as the rest of the party.
"My word…" Merleo added.
"No…" Kurisu stated before the Dragon Zombie prepared for another poison breath.
"Incoming!" Chelsea warned her comrades before it unleashed another poison breath at them, but Naofumi managed to take the brunt of it.
Naofumi then reminisced about the time from when Filo hatched from her egg all the way to how she was given a dress. There was no denying the fact that the messy haired young man grew fond of her. While he didn't know much about Chespin, considering he was recently caught three days ago, he felt that the little Pokémon genuinely saw him as the Hero he really is. Not unlike how a younger brother admires his cooler older brother. And with them gone… he felt the same feelings for the third time. The unbearable feeling where he was about to lose everything that he had. While he was able to avoid it during the duel with Motoyasu thanks to Kurisu's intervention, this was where he felt that he was really going to get everything taken from him. By the very world that tormented him the moment he was summoned.
'Am I going to lose everything again!?' He questioned himself in his thoughts. 'Is this world… trying to take everything from me again!?'
Do you seek power?
He saw a red colored text in front of him, it was as if it's… calling to him.
'Power?' He repeated.
"Dude! Snap out of it! We gotta bounce, like right now!" Tyler stated as the Dragon Zombie readied its attack once more.
Do you hate everything?
'Hate?' Sure enough, he saw that he had unlocked the "Curse Series" where he was shown the Curse Shield and then the upgrade tree, which started to glitch out. Then, he saw the faces of King Aultcray and Malty, both of who were responsible for his infamous scandal. All of them were looking down on him.
"I hate them all…" Naofumi muttered quietly, shocking Tyler, who was the only one who noticed as Raphtalia was still shaken by what happened with Filo and Chespin.
"Uh, dude… You're scaring me." Tyler stated.
"Fool. Look at the gemstone of his shield." The gun telepathically called to him.
'What's wrong with—Holy shit!' The delinquent looking young man was caught off guard when the gemstone turned red and swirling black energy started to appear from it.
"How dare you kill Filo and Chespin! You—" Raphtalia managed to regain her composure but didn't get to finish as she saw Naofumi walk past her and Tyler.
"No! Master Naofumi!" The demihuman swordswoman stated.
"Guys! Something is very wrong with Naofumi!" Tyler informed them as Naofumi stood before the Dragon Zombie.
"Care to elaborate, Tyler?" Merleo asked.
"Call me crazy, but I just saw the gemstone on his shield turned red. And there's these crazy black swirly things and then… Well, he had this killer look in his eyes. It's scary as hell." He replied.
The Dragon Zombie snarled at the approaching Hero before it lifted its left hand to squash Naofumi, causing some dust to fly around the area.
"No… Not Master Naofumi too…" Raphtalia fell on her knees as she grieved over her master's apparent death.
However when the dust had settled, Raphtalia and the others were shocked that Naofumi was able to hold the attack off. What's more, they began to see some patterns that started appearing all over his body. Said patterns were the upgrade tree of his weapon, all colored in red.
Naofumi began to scream with all his might as his eyes started to glow red.
"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia rushed towards her master. Fortunately, she wasn't the only one who had the same idea.
"Dammit, Naofumi! Snap out of it!" Tyler went towards Naofumi as he tried to hold onto him.
"Tyler, no!" Chelsea tried to go after him, but she was stopped by Kurisu.
"Don't! There's no telling what happens if we get closer to either of them." She told her.
"But I can't just stand here and do nothing!" Chelsea argued.
They then saw both Tyler and Raphtalia get blown away by the sudden gusts of wind that covered Naofumi, which also blew the Dragon Zombie away into backing off. A discharge of red electricity fired off from the shield as it blew a piece of the ground up before disappearing. The color of the Small Shield was dark grey before the gemstone flashed red and soon enough, the shield was engulfed in fire. From the flames, the shield changed shape into something that was never before seen.
The Dragon Zombie proceeded to swiped its tail at Naofumi, but the latter managed to block it effortlessly.
"Now, burn." The Shield Hero stated before the flames started to engulf its tail, causing the undead monster to roar in pain. As he started to walk forward towards the Dragon Zombie, he reminisced of the time when the king voiced his displeasure towards him and the princess setting him up. "Kill." His mind then flashed back to Ren and Itsuki voiced their opinions regarding him, and Motoyasu reprimanded him during the duel. "Kill them all!" He proceeded to swat away the tail before he don a malicious look before deciding to land a finishing blow to the Dragon Zombie. "DIIIIIEEEEEEE—"
"Is this what you desire?"
(Somewhere, ?)
Naofumi snapped out from his "rage" as he heard an unfamiliar voice echoing through his mind. He then found himself in the middle of a forest, which was covered in a pale blue fog. He didn't recognize any of the trees or the ground.
"Who is… Where am I?"
"Becoming stronger through power is one way. But is it truly worth it when it's used for the sake of vengeance? And to let such overwhelming rage consume you? O' fellow shield wielder, you must remember! What is it that you truly desire?" The unknown voice questioned him as the Shield Hero could see a silhouette of an unknown figure. Said silhouette was in the shape of a large wolf or canine-like creature. The only thing he could tell from the silhouette is the piercing yellow eyes.
"What I… truly desire?" Naofumi repeated. "I don't… want to lose everything again!"
"Then do not lose yourself to despair! For you see, there are those who are willing to stand by your side despite the odds that are stacked against you. Allies who you can put your trust on in this cruel world."
'Allies…' Naofumi's mind then flashed back to how Raphtalia and Tyler pledged their loyalty to him once more.
"Master Naofumi. I swear to be your sword forever. So, wherever you go, I will always be there by your side."
"I'll be there with you every step of the way. Because that's what friends do, right?"
'Raphtalia… Tyler…' Naofumi stated, realizing what the unknown voice was trying to tell him. He was never truly alone.
"So, you see? These two kind souls were a few of those who were willing to side with you. Your party was not merely your allies in battle. They are your anchors. For better or worse, the power that is enriched by the heart is perhaps your greatest strength." The silhouette figure
"Power… enriched by the heart?" Naofumi repeated. To be honest, the messy haired young man hadn't put some thought into it.
"If you are able to overcome this trial, then I am certain that we shall cross our paths once again in the near future." The silhouette figure before it disappeared.
"Hey, wait!" Naofumi called out to it, but he was unable as the fog began to become denser, preventing him from seeing what was happening.
Naofumi then snapped back to reality. To where he was fighting the Dragon Zombie. "What was I doing?" He asked himself as he realized what had happened to him. Aside from the flaming shield, he noticed that Raphtalia and Tyler were by his side, each of them hanging to his shoulders. All of which were afflicted by some sort of ailment.
"Master… Naofumi…" Raphtalia weakly said as her master turned towards her. "I'm glad… that you're back to…" She didn't get to finish her statement as she coughed before collapsing to the ground.
"Raphtalia!" Naofumi shouted her name.
"Hey… man…" The Shield Hero then turned towards Tyler, who was also in a weakened state. "You… weren't yourself back there… Glad that we…" And much like Raphtalia, he too collapsed to the ground.
"Tyler!" Chelsea shouted as she rushed towards him, but was unable to because she was held back by Kurisu and Merleo. "Let me go, you two! That idiot needs my help!"
"I know what you're feeling, but you shouldn't go near him!" Kurisu stated. "Who knows if it's contagious."
"Miss Kurisu is right." Merleo stated. "It would be wise to keep our distance. Especially since the Dragon Zombie is still active."
"Damn it! Damn it!" Chelsea shouted as she barely held back her tears. The poor girl had just reunited with Tyler and now she was on the verge of losing him again.
Naofumi couldn't believe that his blind rage would let two of his party members get afflicted by some ailment. He decided to heal them. "As Shield Hero, source of thy power, I order thee! Decipher the laws of nature and heal my targets! Fast Heal!" Light green energy started to envelop the two fallen party members, but it didn't heal anything, not even the black spots that appeared throughout their bodies. "And heal my targets! Fast Heal!" He tried again, but it was to no avail. "Come on! I said "Heal", damn it!"
Unbeknownst to him, the Dragon Zombie was looming over him once more. Ready to attack once more.
"Fast Heal! Fast Heal!" No matter how hard he tried, the results were the same. "It's all my fault… I did this…" He muttered before he saw the Dragon Zombie tried slamming his left hand at him again, which he used the shield to block it. "Get away from them!" He shouted as swat the hand away, which set the hand the Dragon Zombie used on fire. Come on!"
The Dragon Zombie was flailing around as it tried to extinguish another fire.
"To defeat the dragon, I have to use this power!" Naofumi muttered before he glanced at the unconscious bodies of Raphtalia and Tyler. "But if I lose focus, hatred will consume my mind again. What can I do then!?"
The Dragon Zombie roared in pain as it felt something attacking it from its stomach. To everyone's surprise, the undead monster let out a final roar before it fell forward, dying for the second and the final time as it collapsed to the ground.
"My goodness. This was an interesting development." Merleo remarked.
"What happened… I don't…" Naofumi mouthed in disbelief.
"Master Naofumi…" He turned to see Raphtalia, who managed to regain consciousness and was on her knees before collapsing again.
"Raphtalia!" He proceeded to catch her before she could hit the ground. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I am…" Raphtalia replied. "Thanks to your healing, Master Naofumi… I'm glad that we're able to defeat the dragon…"
"Same can be said… with me…" Naofumi turned to see Tyler, who was barely standing up. "I don't know if you see it… but that healing helps…"
But just as he was about to fall again, a blue light came out from him, revealing it to be Hydreigon who came out from his Poké Ball.
"I gotcha, brother." Hydreigon said before using his two heads to catch his partner from falling.
"Thanks, Hydreigon…" Tyler thanked him.
"No problem." The Brutal Pokémon replied.
"Tyler!" The weakened young man turned to see Chelsea, who ran towards him. But she wasn't alone as Kurisu and Merleo approached them, as well as Naofumi and Raphtalia.
"Hey, guys…" Tyler weakly greeted the others as Chelsea grabbed by the shoulders, away from Hydreigon. "Whoa!"
"You ass! Where did you get off doing something as stupid as that, huh!? Are you trying to get yourself killed!?" Chelsea reprimanded him.
"But… I can't stand to let Naofumi actin' all crazy and shit…" Tyler replied before he coughed a little.
"Worry about yourself first for once! You can't save anyone if you're dead!" She retorted.
"I know… I'm sorry…"
"I swear, you're the most moronic moron that I've ever met." Chelsea muttered. Though she was glad that Tyler was okay… somewhat.
But then, they heard some noises coming from the stomach of the Dragon Zombie. Before they knew it, they saw the stomach burst open, causing a large amount of stomach acid to come out and spill on the ground. What surprised them is that the two who were supposed to be dead came out from the stomach as well.
"Ah…" Filo stood up as she was relieved to come out.
"Getting swallowed by a zombie dragon…" Chespin muttered as he was dripping with the liquid. "While it was awesome, I'd rather not do it again."
"Filo…" Raphtalia mouthed.
"And Chespin too… You are all alive." Naofumi finished.
"Of course, we're alive, Shield Bro!" Chespin said with a grin. "Like we're letting that big bad dragon eat us up."
"Yeah! It took us a while, but we're finally out." Filo said.
"That means you two are okay now?" Kurisu asked them as the two nodded.
"But it ate the two of you… And there was blood…" Raphtalia stated.
"Blood?" Filo repeated before she realized what she meant by it. "Oh! That was just the fruit that I threw up when the dragon gobbled me up!"
"Oh yeah… That's right." Tyler said as he and the others remembered how Filo was eating the fruits right before jumping to fight the dragon.
"And her vomit almost hit me." Chespin added as he shuddered at thought.
"Seriously? You threw up your snack?" Naofumi said, relieved that Filo and Chespin didn't die.
"Oh? Are you worried about me, Master?" Filo asked, causing her master to turn away.
"N-No, I don't!"
"Then why are you turning away?" She asked.
"I knew that Shield Bro's such a big softie!" Chespin said.
"Some things never changed." Tyler muttered.
"So, that means you and Chespin kill the dragon too?" Raphtalia asked, changing the subject.
"Sure! And you know what else? While me and Chespin were tearing the dragon's belly to get out, we found a big purple crystal! It's so shiny!" Filo replied.
"A crystal?" Naofumi repeated.
"I suspect that crystal may be the source of the Dragon Zombie's power." Merleo said. "But do you know where it is, Miss Filo?"
"Yeah… About that…" Chespin said as he felt unsure.
Filo then let out some burps before a purple light can be seen glowing in her stomach.
"You ate it!?" Naofumi exclaimed.
"Of course, she did." Hydreigon deadpanned.
"Who asked you, you three headed meanie!" Filo snapped at him.
"Chill out, will you? What did I do?" The Brutal Pokemon muttered as he grew tired of Filo's bigotry towards him.
"Classic Filo." Kurisu remarked as everyone except Naofumi laughed at this. Though Tyler and Raphtalia coughed a bit.
"Whoa! What happened!?" Chespin asked as he and the others saw Tyler and Raphtalia fall over after coughing a bit.
"In any rate. We should find some medicine immediately! Right now, Miss Raphtalia and Sir Tyler are in dire need of healing." Merleo suggested.
"Yeah. Let's go back and then—"
"No!" Everyone turned towards Raphtalia, who refused to be treated. "We have to get rid of the dragon's body first."
"Yeah. Or else that bastard rises up and wreck shit again…" Tyler added, agreeing with Raphtalia.
"You two come first!" Naofumi retorted.
"I don't think you two are in the position of waiting." Chelsea added. "Both of you seriously need to take your medicine right now!"
"Have a little faith in us, everyone. Especially you, Naofumi" Tyler stated. "We'll take some R right after we do something about that dragon. Count on it."
"Agreed." Raphtalia nodded in agreement.
"Okay, then…" Naofumi then glanced towards Filo and the others. "Everyone! Let's clean up this mess!"
They nodded as they proceeded to do just that.
After everything was said and done, the party returned to the village where they immediately headed for the clinic so that Tyler and Raphtalia could be treated.
Kurisu, Filo, Chelsea, and Merleo wait outside of the doctor's office as they await for Naofumi with the news. Surely enough, Naofumi came out of the room.
"So how was it? Are those going to be okay?" Kurisu asked him.
"Tyler is okay, right?" Chelsea asked him. "N-Not that I'm really worried about him or anything…"
"Well, I heard those two got hit by some sort of a curse. The doctor told me that it came from the Dragon Zombie." Naofumi said.
"I see. It really was a curse. And a strong one at that, since the Holy Water that this clinic has was ineffective." Merleo said before glancing at the Shield Hero. "Speaking of which, I assume he told you to get Holy Water from Capital Town's church, correct?"
"Yeah. That's what he told me." Naofumi replied. "I probably make a stop there when—"
"A word to the wise: do not trust the Church of the Three Heroes." Merleo interrupted, shocking everyone, including Naofumi, in the room. "They have quite the biased opinion against you, even more so than King Aultcray. Your presence there might stir something… unpleasant towards people like them."
"Not that you mentioned it, the church is called "Church of the Three Heroes" instead of the usual Four Heroes." Kurisu added as she began to sense something that was amiss about said church. "I don't know about you, but this raised some flags. So, I think we should watch our backs."
"Okay then. But how do I get the Holy Water then?" Naofumi asked.
"I believe this is where I come in." Merleo proclaimed, earning everyone's attention. "There's a connection of mine in the far south of here, who is a potions maker. If you desire it, I can procure a few high-grade Holy Water for you, Sir Naofumi."
"A connection of yours, huh…" Naofumi pondered before agreeing with it. "Okay. I'm interested in your proposal. So, let's stop by there tomorrow."
"It might take a little while to reach where he is, even by carriage, I'm afraid. It will take days or perhaps weeks to reach it. And by the time we arrive, it will be too late to treat Miss Raphtalia and Sir Tyler." The young mage explained.
"So then, how did you go there then?" Naofumi asked. But just about he was about to say anything…
"Oh, that's right! You have an Abra. You're planning to have Abra use Teleport to get there, right?" Chelsea stated, realizing what kind of mode of transportation that Merleo was going to use.
"Abra? You mean that Pokémon that you mentioned earlier?" Naofumi asked.
"Yes and yes." Merleo replied, answering both Chelsea and Naofumi's questions.
"That settles it then." The green clad Hero said. "So, then, how much?"
"I would say I will be giving them free of charge. But considering the fact that you currently are a traveling merchant and you don't like the thought of receiving items for free…" Merleo began to calculate the payment. "I believe 25 silvers will suffice."
"Deal." Naofumi then pulled out a bag of coins worth 25 silvers from his pouch and gave it to Merleo.
"It is as they say, "It's a pleasure doing business with you"." Merleo said as he put the money away. "Shall we meet up at Castle Town?"
"Yeah. That will be great." Naofumi said before something came up in his mind. "Also, can you ask the potions maker to get some recipes and materials for me?"
"I shall see what I can do to acquire them." Merleo said, making a mental note on Naofumi's request.
"Good." Naofumi nodded.
"Master!" He then saw Filo tugging his waist. "I want to see Big Sis Raphtalia! Come on!"
"R-Right…" The messy haired young man then turned towards Merleo. "Well, I'm counting on you to get it done."
"Of course." After he said that, Naofumi left towards Raphtalia's room with Filo, Kurisu, and Chelsea while Merleo stepped out of the clinic in order to get ready for his departure.
(In Raphtalia and Tyler's room)
"Big Sis Raphtalia! Tyler!" Filo greeted her friend as she and the others (excluding Merleo), entered their room. There, the two saw Raphtalia being treated by one of the nurses of the clinic. Tyler was lying down on the other bed. "How are you doing?"
"Well. They've taken good care of me." Raphtalia answered. "I feel better."
"Things are going well on my end, too." Tyler stated.
"I never knew that corpses could inflict such powerful curses." The nurse remarked. "I just can't believe how terrible dragons are."
"I know, right?" The demihuman swordswoman continued. "Me and Tyler should have been more careful…"
"You got that right. Really need to shake off this "charge first, ask questions later" habit." The gunman said.
"What you need is someone to look after you." Chelsea proceeded to yank one of Tyler's ears. "Seriously, do you have any idea how worried we are about you!? Are you stupid!?"
"Ow ow ow ow! I get it, okay! No need to do that!" Tyler cried in pain, which Chelsea let go of his ear. "Seriously, you almost act like my mom."
"Well, she isn't here, is she?" She retorted.
"My. Aren't you close?" The nurse that was treating Raphtalia teased them, causing them to blush. "One can tell how close you are from this bickering. Are you perhaps—"
"Whoa whoa whoa! D-Don't jump to conclusions!" Chelsea interrupted the nurse. "W-We were just friends! There's nothing between us!"
"Y-Yeah! It's nothing like that at all!" Tyler added.
"Okay~!" The nurse replied with teasing tone.
Naofumi was glancing at Raphtalia, something that had not gone unnoticed by the nurse.
"He cares very much about you, doesn't he?" The nurse asked in a teasing tone, causing her patient to slightly blushed.
"W-Well… I don't think that…" Raphtalia stuttered.
"Take care Raphtalia. And you too, Tyler. Bye!" After that, the nurse left the room.
"... I'm really sorry." Naofumi stated. "I put you and Tyler in serious danger."
"Everything's all right." His first slave assured him. "It's just that… I got this strange feeling that power would take you to someplace far away. And Tyler and I couldn't bear that. And so, given that we were able to stop you before that, this doesn't bother us in the slightest."
"Yup. If anything, it's good to see you back to your usual self, dude." Tyler said, agreeing with Raphtalia.
Naofumi then suddenly remembered one of the things that the mysterious figure said to him.
"Your party was not merely your allies in battle. They are your anchors."
'My party members are my anchors, huh? That sounds about right.' The green clad Hero contemplated, agreeing with the statement.
"What does she mean, Master? Are you going somewhere without us?" Filo asked Naofumi worry, who took one of the statements that Raphtalia mentioned literally.
"No, I'm not going anywhere." Naofumi petted Filo in the head to assure her.
Then suddenly, Filo remembered something. "Oh! I have a gift for you, Master! Right here." The winged girl reached out to her pocket and presented everyone with a small purple crystal.
"What's this?" Naofumi reached out and picked the crystal from Filo's hands.
"It's the crystal that me and Chespin found inside the dragon." She happily answered, shocking the two.
"Filo! Don't tell me that you threw that up." Raphtalia told her, causing Naofumi and the others to react in disgust.
"Eww! Did you seriously puke that up!?" Tyler exclaimed, feeling nauseated at the thought.
"Of course not! I kept this one 'cause I wanted to give you a gift!" Filo denied.
This eased the messy haired young man. 'If this is the crystallization of the residual mana from the dragon's corpse…' He then has the crystal to be absorbed by the shield's gemstone. His shield's upgrade tree popped out and he gained a new shield form. Unfortunately, it only showed a question mark, which left Naofumi to realize one thing. 'My level isn't high enough?' He then remembered about the black and red shield that he recently saw. 'That shield wasn't in the upgrade tree. If I continue to use that power, I would've killed Raphtalia, Tyler, and Filo, who was still inside the dragon…'
"Master Naofumi…" Raphtalia called out her master's name.
"Forgive me." Naofumi began, surprising Filo and Raphtalia. "I put you, Filo, and Tyler in grave danger because I hesitated in an instant. Just as bravery and recklessness is different, so is caution and cowardice. If I remain a coward, I'll fail to protect everything that I loved. Back there, I should've stepped up and distracted the dragon. There were so many things that I could've done."
"It wasn't your fault, Master Naofumi." The demihuman swordswoman told him. "If I was stronger, we could've done more to help."
"Yeah! Because I hate dragons so much, I charged in when I shouldn't have." Filo added.
"From the way I see it. This was on me too." Tyler said. "Mistakes happen all the time, man. Whether or not someone learns from it is up to them."
Naofumi cleared his throat a bit as he prepared to give a speech. "We're so much stronger now than we ever were before. And we'll be even stronger tomorrow. Let's keep that up, one day at a time."
"Yes! Together." Raphtalia smiled.
"Yeah! All of us!" Filo added.
"Hell yeah, man!" Tyler grinned.
"For Tyler's sake, I'll do my best." Chelsea said.
"Count me in on that." Kurisu nodded.
All of a sudden, two trails of blue energies came out from Naofumi, revealing Chespin and Aron who emerged from it.
"Chespin? And Aron too?" Naofumi greeted his two Pokemon.
"I got your back, Shield Bro! We'll kick danger in the butt! Together!" The Spiny Nut Pokémon said with enthusiasm in his tone.
"If you feed me some more iron, I could give it my all." The Iron Armor Pokémon added.
"Okay." Naofumi said, giving them a warm smile.
"Whoa! You smiled, Master!" Filo pointed it out.
"Huh?"
"She's right! This is the first time that you smile. And certainly not how you smile at someone's misfortune." Raphtalia added.
"Yup." Tyler nodded as Chelsea and Kurisu did the same.
"See? What did I say?" Chespin added with a smile as everyone, including Aron, happily laughed at the sight.
"It's getting late now. So it's time to rest up and get some sleep." Naofumi told them as he pulled out his Poké Balls. "Same goes for you two. Return!" He said as Chespin and Aron went back inside their respective Poké Balls before putting them away.
"Okay!" Filo complied as she ran to the other side of the room.
"Master Naofumi…" Raphtalia called out to him. "If you don't mind, could you sleep here with me tonight?"
"Feeling a little lonely?" Naofumi said. "Besides, Tyler is in the room."
"Yes. But, I felt that I should be allowed to have this for once." The demihuman swordswoman reasoned.
"Plus, I want to make sure this moron actually gets his rest." Chelsea said.
"You don't have to say it like that." Tyler muttered.
"In that case… Filo!" Naofumi called as the aforementioned girl stood before him. "Sleep with Raphtalia tonight."
"Yes sir!" Filo happily complied.
"Huh!?" Raphtalia was taken back at her master's decision.
"You're cold, aren't you?" Naofumi began to make his way towards the door.
"No… It's not what I'm talking about! What I meant was…" Raphtalia replied as Filo picked up the blanket from the side of the bed.
"Aren't you going to join us, Master?" Filo asked him. "It'll be more fun!"
"Not a chance." The messy haired young man retorted, much to his slaves disappointment.
"Prolly for the best. It's kinda cramped here." Tyler said.
"And besides, I'm not exactly a warm kinda guy." Naofumi stated before leaving the room.
"That guy seriously needs to be aware of those two's feelings." Kurisu commented before she turned to Tyler and Chelsea. "I'm also going to head out too. Not much room to sleep here either."
"That's okay." Tyler said, much to Chelsea's relief as she doesn't want to sleep with Kurisu.
"Just don't do anything indecent with each other, okay?" Kurisu teased as she made her way to the door, unintentionally causing them to blush.
"It's not like that!" Both Tyler and Chelsea shouted in unison as their faces were red.
"Right right. See you tomorrow!" Kurisu then left the room.
'Geez… Keep it to yourself, why don't you…' Chelsea groaned in her thoughts, dismissing her fellow party member's claim.
Naofumi stepped outside of the clinic as he looked up at the starry night sky.
'I have to be stronger… Along with everyone who believes in me.' He contemplated. 'I'll protect them. No matter what happens.' The green clad Hero then began to remember one of the last words that were uttered by the mysterious figure.
"For better or worse, the power that is enriched by the heart is perhaps your greatest strength."
'The power that is enriched by the heart, huh?' He repeated in his mind. 'I'll get to the bottom of what that meant. But more importantly… Who was that mysterious figure? And why did he refer to me as a fellow shield wielder?' Naofumi wondered before he went inside the clinic to get some sleep.
Next: Chapter 9: Melty
Party Data
Tyler Bryant - Level 39
- Hydreigon (Male) - Level 70
Ability: Levitate
Moves: Hyper Voice, Dragon Pulse, Draco Meteor, Dark Pulse
- Vivillon (Elegant Pattern) (Female) - Level 67
Ability: ?
Moves: Hurricane, Signal Beam
- Scrafty (Male) - Level 68
Ability: ?
Moves: High Jump Kick, Stone Edge, Iron Head
- Rapidash (Female) - Level 65
Ability: ?
Moves: Megahorn, Flamethrower, Protect, Extreme Speed
- Dunsparce (Male) - Level 67
Ability: Serene Grace
Moves: Thunderbolt, Drill Run, Coil, Last Resort
Naofumi Iwatani - Level 37
- Aron (Male) - Level 24
Ability: Sturdy
Moves: Headbutt, Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Protect
- Chespin (Male) - Level 15
Ability: ?
Moves: Vine Whip
Raphtalia - Level 39
- Zigzagoon (Female) - Level 14
Ability: Pickup
Moves: ?
Filo - Level 38
Kurisu Hanatabi - Level 38
- Riolu (Male) - Level 30
Ability: ?
Moves: Force Palm, Quick Attack
- Floette (Red Flower) (Female)- Level 44
Ability: ?
Moves: Vine Whip, Moonblast, Aromatherapy
Chelsea Arel - Level 37
- Vanilluxe (Female) - Level 65
Ability: ?
Moves: Water Pulse
- Delphox (Female) - Level 68
Ability: ?
Moves: ?
- Rhyperior (Male) Level 66
Ability: ?
Moves: ?
- Sawsbuck (Spring Form) (Male) - Level 63
Ability: ?
Moves: Double Edge, Horn Leech, Jump Kick
- Arbok (Female) - Level 67
Ability: Intimidation
Moves: Toxic, Venoshock, Sucker Punch
Merleo Goneri - Level 40
- Abra (Male) - Level 12
Ability: ?
Moves: Teleport
That's it for the 8th chapter of the story! I hope you enjoy it.
From one of the suggestions of the reviewer, I decided to make some party data in a similar style of Insane Dominator's Edventure in Kalos. That way, you all can keep track of the levels of the party.
So, who was the mysterious figure? I'll let you decide that.
Don't forget to leave a review and see you again in the next chapter :)