It's been a while. I recently have found myself a bit bored and decided to work on another chapter of this fic. It's a bit on the shorter side, but I'm still content with what it accomplishes. Enjoy!
Rainbow: Eevee
"So what you did back at Twinstick Village was your Champion's gift?"
"Indeed, it is the power bestowed onto me by Lady Xerneas."
"Amazing..." Rainbow tilted his head in a curious gaze towards his newfound companion. "What exactly does it do?"
"Lady Xerneas described it to me as such: It allows for me to take the 'life force' of a willing being and insert it into another to heal them, or rather, give them new life," Veraloe explained to the now-Eevee. Said Eevee looked down to the ground in thought. "Is there something wrong with my explanation?"
"No, I was just thinking how it's any different from, say, a Heal Pulse?"
Veraloe hummed in thought for a moment. "Let's put it this way," she began "a Heal Pulse is essentially a temporary fix to a pokemon's condition to stabilize them. Lady Xerneas's power repairs the pokemon through and through, abolishing the need for later treatment. It's just profoundly more effective."
"I see. But it comes at a cost."
Veraloe nodded. "Exactly. As I mentioned, I must use the life force of a willing donor, such as myself or someone else."
"Still, that is an amazing power to have! Especially to help other pokemon. Arceus's power seems kind of plain in comparison."
The Gardevoir chuckled. "Don't sell yourself short, Rainbow. Being able to change your evolution at will is something unique to you and you alone. It can be a pretty powerful asset in battle if utilized correctly."
"I guess it's a good thing I like to fight, then."
"As it would seem. I'm not much of a battler myself, so I am much content with my more support-heavy role."
The conversation died as the duo trudged on towards Glass City. The season had since turned from summer to autumn in the past few days. While still fairly warm, the temperature grew ever so cooler as the days passed. Soon, the green leaves of the passing trees will turn a spectrum of colors and fall to the earth.
As the sun started to set along the horizon, the two champions veered off the side of the path they had been walking on to rest for the night. Veraloe sat with her back against the base of a tree trunk while Rainbow elected to scavenge for berries within the forested area. After a short time, he returned to find the Gardevoir gazing longingly up towards the star-filled sky.
Rainbow dropped the small basket he had been carrying, an item Veraloe had retrieved from Twinstick before their departure, and tossed Veraloe a berry.
"Food's up," he chuckled as the berry he tossed startled the other pokemon as it landed on her lap. She shot Rainbow an annoyed glance before nibbling on her meal. "Are the stars that pretty?"
"Exceptionally so." She retorted. The two sat in silence for a few more minutes, eating their respective meals of the same berry. Rainbow thought to himself that it had been a long time since he ate anything but berries. He wouldn't be lying if he said he missed the taste of Lela's cooked feral pokemon. "What are your parents like, Rainbow?"
Rainbow was a bit thrown off guard by her sudden question. "Huh?"
"Pardon me if I was a bit forward, but I just found myself on the subject and I couldn't help but wonder."
Rainbow shook his head in reassurance. "Don't worry, you just kind of surprised me is all." Rainbow thought for a moment before he relented to her. "It's only fair that I tell you this when you told me about your life story already."
So Rainbow told her everything. About true parents and life within Quartz City. About his meeting with Arceus and his confrontation with Mourgue. About the death of his parents and his adoption into Lela's family. About his sisters, Pena and Joltier, and about the awakening of his power to protect Pena from the bandit duo of Shaid and Caid. And finally, he talked about his last meeting with Arceus and his decision to leave home.
Veraloe stayed silent throughout his story, intently listening to her new partner's tale. When Rainbow eventually finished, she sat back and closed her eyes, digesting this new information. Rainbow himself looked up to the stars.
"I see..." Veraloe initiated the conversation. "I'm sorry for what happened to your parents."
"Don't be, I've since come to terms with their deaths. They let me live, and I'll repay them with this mission. To make sure something like that doesn't happen again."
Veraloe smiled at his conviction. "Your new family seems wonderful, though. I would like to meet them someday, I think."
"Well, my sister, Joltier, left the house to work at Prism City. If she accomplished that goal, we may see her when we go to retrieve the Flame Plate from the king."
"It would seem so. But first, we must stay on course for Glass City to collect the Mind Plate from Baron Arteno."
Rainbow nodded at her response. Though he wished they could get to the capital as soon as possible. It had been too long since he had seen his sister. "What brought this up, anyway?"
Veraloe cast her gaze downward and rubbed the back of her neck in a sign of shame. "I'm afraid I was not completely honest with you when I joined you on this journey."
"About what?"
"I stand by my reasoning for initially joining. I do as I am told by my master. But I've been thinking." She looked back up to the stars. "This journey is going to take us all across Arkant. To places the both of us have never seen nor heard of before. Because of this thought, hope and curiosity have been rising in me once again, a feeling I haven't felt since Lady Xerneas adopted me all those years ago. A question that is now burning within me to be answered." Veraloe clenched her fists.
"What is it?"
Veraloe placed one fist on her heart. "I want to discover my true parents. I want them to look me in the eye and tell me why. Why they decided to toss their newly hatched child out in the wilds. Why they decided to abandon me. I have long since accepted Lady Xerneas as my mother, but I can't help but question just who those pokemon are, what kind of pokemon they may be." She quieted for a few seconds. "I hope I'm not being too selfish."
"Hey, Vera?" Veraloe locked eyes with the Eevee, who had a reassuring smile plastered on his face. "I think I'm pretty glad you came along."
"What?"
"Well, while I may be on this journey to stop Giratina's world, I'm also doing it to protect my family. You may be here because Xerneas wished you to, but you also have your own selfish reason, too. And someone once said to me, pretty recently, that a pokemon fighting without their own reasoning is a mindless puppet."
Veraloe blushed in embarrassment from her Lady's own words. "I-I guess."
"Plus, this journey would be pretty boring if I only had ferals to keep me company."
Veraloe let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Thank you, Rainbow."
"Anytime, partner."
"A little help, partner!"
"Hold on, Rainbow! Just stand still, damn you!" Veraloe charged up an Energy Ball and fired at a moment's notice. The attack graciously flew right past the feral Mightyena that was now attacking our Eevee hero.
"You weren't kidding with the whole 'support role' talk, huh?" Rainbow dodged another one of the Mightyena's reckless Tackles.
"I'm sorry! Battles really aren't my thing!" Veraloe apologized from the sidelines.
Rainbow sighed and prepared to fight back. "Guess I'll be fighting most of our enemies from now on, then."
Rainbow sidestepped another Tackle then retaliated with a Sand Attack right at the feral's face. Now blinded, the pokemon cautiously backed away while trying to remove the sand in its eyes. Rainbow swiped his tail at the distanced pokemon, firing a Swift. Sure enough, the attack hit and caused the Mightyena to fall towards the ground in pain.
Rainbow sprinted in with Take Down, fully intending to end the battle here and now. However, the feral had gotten the sand out of its eyes. When Rainbow got close, it ducked around Rainbow's attack and took the Eevee's leg in a Crunch.
"Ah!" Rainbow yelped in surprise at the pain. He tried to move and retaliate, but he flinched at the pain. He was trapped and couldn't move, but then again so was the Mightyena.
"Perfect, Rainbow!" Veraloe used this stalemate to blast the unmoving, and completely unsuspecting, Mightyena with her Energy Ball. The pokemon let Rainbow go and was thrown away from the duo, defeated.
"Whoa, nice hit Vera!" Rainbow congratulated his partner. Veraloe blushed at the praise before moving to help Rainbow.
"Well, all it took was for it to stop moving."
Rainbow tried to take a step but faltered a bit. He glanced at his leg and found it still bleeding from the earlier attack. He winced. "Man, that stings."
Veraloe kneeled down to his injured leg. "Here, let me."
Veraloe's hands started to glow a spring green color. Bright energy flowed through her body, all meeting together at the tips of he fingers. She then placed her fingers onto Rainbow's wound. The green energy flowed from Veraloe and into Rainbow, dissipating throughout his body. Rainbow watched Veraloe's work in amazement once again. The wound closed up and the bleeding stopped.
"Better?" Veraloe asked.
"Yeah, a lot actually. Thanks." Veraloe smiled in response. "That was the third feral attack today. I feel like they're becoming more active lately."
"Indeed. We hardly go a full day without being attacked."
"I wonder why that is?" Rainbow's ears suddenly perked up. He heard a sound in the distance, like grinding wood. And it was coming towards them. "Vera, do you hear that?"
Veraloe strained her ears for a second until she started hearing the same sound. "Be ready to fight, just in case."
Rainbow nodded and took a defensive posture. Suddenly, a wagon came into view. It was decently sized and was being hauled by an older-looking Zebstrika. The pokemon seemed to notice them, as it called out.
"Hey, kids! What are you doing? Hop on!" The Zebstrika stopped in front of them.
"What? Why?" Rainbow asked the stranger.
"It's almost nightfall! Do you want to die?"
"Excuse me?" Veraloe responded to him, taking the Zebstrika's response as a bit of a threat.
"Listen, you don't want to be out of the city at night this time of year. It's practically a death sentence!"
"You're headed to Glass City?" Rainbow inquired.
"Obviously! Now, are you getting on or not? The gates will close soon!"
Rainbow and Vera, not wanting to waste this opportunity, hopped on the Zebstrika's wagon. As soon as they were on board, the pokemon sped off once again towards the city. Veraloe now decided to get some answers.
"So why exactly are we in such a hurry Mr..."
"Zeb. The name's Zeb, and you two aren't from around here, are you?"
Veraloe shook her head, although Zeb couldn't see her. "No, we're travelers actually."
"Y'know, Glass City doesn't really get many travelers this time of year. And yet I have to haul some two days in a row. Figures."
"Oh, really?" Rainbow joined the conversation.
"Yeah. Yesterday I took a Zoroark into the city. You don't see many of those around. Much like your kind, Eevee. But anyway, I'm sure you've noticed the increased activity of ferals around here?"
"Actually, we had just fought one off before you came along," Rainbow responded, putting Zeb's Eevee remark to the side for now.
"Ferals always act up this time of year. Especially at night, they get more and more aggressive."
"Is that why we must get into the city before nightfall?" Veraloe questioned.
"Yep. You see, Glass City is surrounded by walls. The only way in and out is the two gates on the opposite sides of the city."
"Because of the ferals, I imagine."
"The city closes the gates around nightfall. No one in or out until morning. And if you're stuck outside, you'll be swarmed in no time."
"Wow. Thanks then, Zeb." Rainbow gave his thanks to the older pokemon.
Zeb gave a grunt in acknowledgment. "You can thank me when we're inside the city."
Rainbow sat back into the empty wagon and fiddled with his plates. So far, he has collected the Bond Plate and the Dread Plate. He was still missing seven plates. They were on their way to Glass City because the Baron, Arteno, holds the Mind Plate. After this, they would then go to the Capital of Arkant, Prism City, to collect the Flame Plate from the King himself.
Even then, four plates would still be lost to the world. Rainbow wouldn't even know where to start looking for those. And he had to be quick, as Giratina's champion was no doubt on the move already. Rainbow heard Zeb and Vera talking.
"What is Glass City like, Zeb?"
"I can't help but be a little biased since it's my hometown, but it's a beautiful city."
"How so?"
"Do you know why it's called Glass City?"
"Not really, no." She answered him.
"Well, the city is mostly known for its amazing glass sculptures. They're like massive glass statues that have stood the test of time for hundreds of years! Or so they say. If you'd have come any other time of year, say the start of summer, the city would be flocked with tourists to see these glass sculptures."
"They're that popular, huh? Who made them?"
Zeb shook his head. "That's the thing. No one knows. They've just been in the city for longer than anyone can remember. I think it's cool that way, though. The mystery is part of the charm, right?"
"If that's the case, I would love to see them."
"What brings you two to Glass City, anyway? As I've said, we don't get many visitors this time of year."
Rainbow subconsciously covered the plates with his paws, even though Zeb couldn't see them. Vera answered the question.
"I've wanted to travel around the world for the longest time, you see. I just dragged along my friend for the journey." Rainbow was a bit surprised at how quickly Vera could come up with something like that.
Zeb chuckled at her response. "Is that so? I hope you enjoy your time in the city, you two. We should be coming up on the gates soon, hang tight."
The sun just started hitting the horizon as the high walls of Glass City came into view. Massive white stone walls surrounded the enormous city, seemingly impenetrable. Only a few buildings grew taller than the walls. True enough, there was a massive gate that cut the wall in two.
The trio would have had enough time to feel relief had the gate not started to close. Massive steel doors started to shut each side of the gate, getting ready to seal off for the night.
"Oh, shoot!" Zeb exclaimed.
"We're not going to make it!" Rainbow voiced his concern.
"Not unless I pick up the speed a bit!"
Before Vera and Rainbow could even ask, Zeb blasted forward. The wagon shuddered under the stress it was now taking. After going a relatively good pace for a while, Rainbow didn't think the Zebstrika could move this fast! He wondered how fast he would be if he wasn't lugging two other pokemon.
"I can't keep this up for long!" Zeb started panting from clear exhaustion.
"We're still not gonna get there!" Vera shouted over the wind blowing past them.
"What else can we do?" Rainbow was starting to get really worried.
"Hold on, I got it!" Vera moved to the front of the cart and reached out to touch Zeb's now slowing form.
The green glow returned as she transferred some of her life force into Zeb. The Zebstrika took his surprise revitalization in stride as he picked up the pace once again. Vera stumbled back, panting in exertion. She really needed more practice with her power.
"Let us through!" Rainbow shouted to some of the guards on top of the wall, hoping they could delay the closing for a few more seconds.
It seemed to work. Some of the guard pokemon seemed to notice them gunning towards the gate. One pokemon shouted something to the other, and the gate stopped in its tracks. The trio blew past the gate and into the white stoned street of the city. Zeb swerved the wagon in a quick stop, then collapsed in exhaustion.
Rainbow sat back in relief and Vera let out a held breath. They had made it.
"Close the gate! Now!" A deep, commanding voice ordered from the top of the wall.
"Yes, sir!" A few more voices were heard in response.
Rainbow watched as a few pokemon pushed the steel doors closed with a resounding boom! The city was closed for the night.
Rainbow took notice of the pokemon, or rather, what they wore. Each had a short white cape around their shoulders with a specific symbol on the back. He concluded that these capes meant they were the guard force of Glass City.
"Are you trying to give me a heart attack, Zeb!"
Rainbow looked around to find the owner of the commanding voice now berating their new Zebstrika friend. It was a Bibarel who sported a white cap along with the cape.
"I'm sorry, Captain Woods, but I was helping my two friends here make it in time."
The Bibarel, who was named Captain Woods, looked at the two pokemon in Zeb's wagon. Rainbow covered his plates with his paw. The Captain eyed the two suspiciously before sighing in defeat.
"Two days in a row you do this crap. One more and I won't stall the gate next time, you got that?"
"Yes, sir!" Zeb bowed his head to the captain. Woods walked away and started barking orders to the other guards.
"Dang, sorry about that, Zeb." Rainbow apologized.
Zeb dismissed the apology by shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. Captain Woods is a big softy, he wouldn't really close the gate on anyone just coming in like that. And anyway, I'd rather be yelled at again than stuck outside for the night."
"Who was that, anyway?" Vera asked, now good enough to sit up.
"That was Captain Woods. He's the Captain of the Glass City Guard Force. They handle the law in this city, and he's the top of the top." Zeb fully rose to his full stature now. "Anyway, I don't want to sound rude but this is where we part ways for now. I would offer you two a place to stay for the night, but I'm afraid I don't have the room to spare at home."
"Please, don't worry yourself," Vera reassured him as she and Rainbow departed from the wagon. "You've helped us plenty today, we cannot ask any more of you."
"Yeah, don't worry about us. We'll make do." Rainbow joined in.
"I'll guess I'll see you two around then, friends." Zeb started to walk off with the wagon in tow. "I hope you two enjoy your stay."
With that, the friendly Zebstrika walked off into the massive city, quickly being lost within the still crowded streets. Rainbow turned to his companion.
"You still have that P, right?"
Veraloe pulled the sack of money out of the small basket she had been carrying. "Yeah. Looks like we're going to have to use a bit for housing, then?"
It wasn't long before the duo came across a nice-looking inn within the pearly white city. Seriously, every building seems to have been made with white stone. The streets were laced with bright lights and it was even lively during the night. A stark contrast to Quartz City that Rainbow lived in before.
Uncreatively titled the 'Glass City Inn', they rented a room for two. It hadn't been too long since their last meal, and they were weary from traveling, so they elected to sleep first before confronting Arteno in the morning. It was before they fell asleep that Vera talked to Rainbow once more.
"I know I don't have to tell you this, but please make sure you hide those plates. We don't want the wrong attention on us."
"I know," Rainbow responded. "I know all too well what pokemon may be like when it comes to these plates."
Vera shot Rainbow a knowing look before turning away. "We have to be especially careful. It's pretty common knowledge that Baron Arteno keeps the Mind Plate in his possession, which means that the Champion of Giratina knows as well."
"Yeah. Hopefully, the Baron will be understanding enough to give us the plate, though I really doubt it."
"You never know, some pokemon are more understanding than others. In any case, we won't know until tomorrow."
"We'll see… Safe dreams, Vera."
"Safe dreams to you as well, Rainbow."
See you next time!