Enjoy!
"C'mon! Can't you pull this thing faster, old-timer?"
Zeb sighed for the umpteenth time. It was just his luck that he would be in this situation for the third day in a row. He didn't know if the world was against him or if he was just unlucky. He was leaning towards the former, as these pokemon were neither as pleasant to be with or as conversational as his previous two occupants had been. At least one of his current stowaways, at least.
"Didn't you say the night was dangerous around here? The sun's almost setting and I still don't see those white walls!"
"Please, do not hurry him. I'm sure he has everything under control."
Zeb mumbled in agreement. The only reason he had not lost his mind yet was the voice of reason to the one occupant's complaining. Two pokemon had stowed away on his wagon tonight, and he was glad the second one was with them.
"But, my lady! If we stay out here past sundown, your life will be in danger! I cannot allow that to happen!" Zeb guessed the shouting one moved closer to him because her blabbering grew louder. "So please move faster, dude!"
Zeb cursed his generous heart once more. Why couldn't he just leave pokemon to their own devices? But it was too late to regret his actions now, and it will all be over soon anyway.
Relief washed over the Zebstrika as he saw the white walls of Glass City loom in the distance. "Thank goodness..." he mumbled to himself so his passengers did not hear.
All feelings of relief were then immediately squandered by an immense feeling of deja vu. The gates were closing once again, and once again he had to make it within a hair's breadth. Without hesitation, he ramped up his speed. He would find this similar citation funny had it not been for the fear of death.
"Woah!" The load one exclaimed, clearly thrown off by the sudden change of speed. "So you can move, old-timer! I'm impressed!" Zeb huffed in thanks for the appreciation.
The gates drew ever closer. Zeb's legs were starting to burn and his lungs yearned for more air than he could breathe in, but he pushed onward. His old bones really couldn't take this kind of strain anymore.
"Yes! Let's go, old man!"
"Ah yes! You can make it!"
The peanut gallery cheered on the old Zebstrika, urging him to give a final spurt of energy. Luckily, that energy was enough to clear the gates and make it inside. And once more, the gates shut with a resounding boom!
Zeb collapsed from exhaustion. If the previous days were anything to go by, he should be hearing the voice of Captain Woods in a moment.
"Excuse me, sir, but are you well?"
Zeb looked up from his position to the face of a Ninetails, one of his passengers. He smiled at her, sincerely. "Yeah, don't worry about it. This 'old man' can still kick!" He heartily exclaimed to the fox.
The Ninetails let out a light, almost melodic sound that Zeb recognized as a chuckle. "Yes, I can see that."
"That was awesome, old dude! I didn't think you could move that fast!" The peace created by the Ninetails was lost to the boisterous noise of her companion. Zeb hesitantly looked at the other pokemon, a Pikachu.
"Thank you," he eventually got out. "I'm just glad the two of you are safe."
The Pikachu gave Zeb a thumbs up. "It's all thanks to you!" She then got close to the Zebstrika. "Seriously, man. If something happened to my lady, it would mean my hide on a wall." She said this in a low enough tone as to not have the Ninetails overhear.
Before Zeb could think too much as to what he just heard, a new pokemon approached the group. Contrary to Zeb's expectations it was not Captain Woods, but rather a Sudowoodo. The lone white cape indicated that this pokemon was only a standard guard.
"Are you folks alright?" He asked the group.
"We're perfect, thanks to him!" The Pikachu answered, referring to Zeb. The Sudowoodo nodded.
"I'm glad you are okay. But please do not think of doing that again. I shudder to think what may happen if you do not make it in time."
Zeb, now rested adequately enough, stood to his full stature. He glanced around, but did not see Captain Woods anywhere, not even barking orders on the wall. The Sudowoodo guard started to turn away.
"Well, you folks have a nice night."
"Excuse me, sir?" Zeb addressed the guard before he could fully leave. The pokemon turned curiously to the Zebstrika. "You wouldn't happen to know where Captain Woods is, do you?"
"C'mon, my lady. Let's find a place to rest tonight." Zeb heard the duo behind him converse and prepare to leave.
"The Captain?" The guard seemed to ponder for a moment. "Well, there were reports of a break-in at the Baron's house a bit ago. He went to investigate." Unknowingly to Zeb, the Pikachu's ears perked up.
"Wow, really?" Zeb wondered aloud. "Crazy times we live in, huh? Who would ever be stupid enough to attack the Baron's house?"
"Yeah, well, hopefully the offenders will be caught without much of a problem."
"I bet they will be." Zeb bowed to the guard. "Have a good night, officer."
"You as well." The Sudowoodo sauntered off towards the wall.
Zeb turned to give his female companions a farewell but found no one with him. They must have left when he was conversing.
Some manners, he thought to himself before noticing a small sack inside his wagon. There was a note attached to the sack. Zeb detached the note and opened it on the bed of his wagon. It simply read:
Thank you
He blinked at the words before opening the sack. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Inside the bag was 100P! That was more than he was paid this week through his normal job! He thought that there must be some mistake, no one in their right mind would give that much away without a second thought!
That, or they were extremely rich.
Before Zeb could give any more thought to just who he carted into the city, he shook his head and continued home.
"What a crazy world, huh?"
Rainbow: Umbreon
The time spent in Glass City was not spent very well for Rainbow and Vera.
They left the inn with high hopes of retrieving the Mind Plate from Baron Arteno. This optimism went to complete waste, as they couldn't even stand to gain a hearing from the Baron. Asking for an audience with the pokemon seemed like a high task, as they were shot down each and every time they had asked.
"Beat it, street rat," Rainbow remembered what a guard had said to him as he asked. "Baron Artneo has more important matters at hand than to listen to the likes of you."
Vera was a patient person, but she was approaching her wits' end with how they had been treated the day prior. She thought they may be turned down at first, but not in such a disrespectful way.
As if the world wasn't against them enough, news broke out that the Baron's home was broken into last night. While it was a relief that no one had been hurt and nothing was reported stolen, the two couldn't help but wonder who would do such a thing.
"It had to be Giratina's Champion." Rainbow offered to the conversation. "I mean, who else would be stupid enough to do something like that?"
"I'm inclined to agree with you, but we can't be too sure. For all we know, it could just be someone who has some sort of vendetta against the good Baron." Vera crossed her arms.
"Man, this sucks." Rainbow let out a sigh. "This means we probably can't seek an audience unless things cool down."
"The Baron will most likely be swarmed with guards for a while. It would be best to wait for this incident to blow over."
Rainbow looked out of their inn room's window and over the bustling streets of Glass City. "What should we do until then?"
Vera thought for a moment. "On the bright side of things, we are in a big tourist destination. I, for one, will take a walk and explore this beautiful city."
"I guess we can take it easy for a bit..." Rainbow smiled at the thought. "Then I'm going to go check out those famous glass sculptures. How about you?"
"I believe I will see what the market has to offer. Maybe find a nice souvenir?"
"I didn't take you for the type to collect those kinds of things, Vera."
"Do you not?"
"Nah, I like to keep those memories in my head rather than in an object. Plus, I'd have no place to put them if I got some."
The Gardevoir smiled and picked up her basket. "If I'm going to travel around Arkant, I want to have some things to remember the places I've been."
"Oh, that's a pretty nice sentiment." The duo split up at the entrance of the inn. "Make sure you get something nice!"
Vera waved her farewell and continued down the street towards the market square. Rainbow went in the opposite direction. He made his way through the crowds of pokemon and the white stone street for a while before he realized one simple fact: He had no idea where he was going.
It took him a while before Rainbow finally meandered his way to the first glass sculpture. The street he was on opened up into a large circular plaza. Food stands and merchandise shops were set up throughout the area. But the most notable thing in this plaza was the giant sculpture of a pokemon made of glass in the dead center of the plaza.
It was huge, to say the least. If Xerneas made Rainbow feel small, this sculpture could make Xerneas feel absolutely tiny. It stood on a white stone base, surrounded by pokemon. It shone brilliantly in the daylight.
Rainbow walked forward to get a closer look. It was quadrupedal, with long and elegant legs. Rainbow was behind it, so he went around the crowd to get to the front end. As he observed, he started to notice that the figure seemed oddly familiar.
He arrived at the front end, where miraculously not many pokemon crowded save for one. He looked up at the towering figure, reaching for that sense of familiarity he felt. And at once it hit him.
"It's Arceus!"
"It's Arceus!"
Rainbow hopped a bit in surprise as he heard another voice say the same thing as him at the exact same time. He looked at the only other pokemon on the front end with him.
The Ninetails looked back, making eye contact. Rainbow gave a mirthful laugh. "You thought so, too?"
The Ninetails gave her own chuckle. A light and beautiful sound, at least Rainbow thought so. "It seems we came to the same conclusion. Are you a fan of those legends, as well?"
"Yeah, you could say that." A bit more so than he revealed, Rainbow thought. "My parents used to tell them to me at night."
"Is that so? They are a popular bedtime story after all. Though not many pokemon carry them into adulthood."
"I can understand why. They seem a bit too hard to believe."
The Ninetails shook her head. "I wouldn't say so."
"What makes you say that?"
"The Lost Plates of Arceus, of course." Rainbow tensed a bit as the Plates were brought up. He felt the two he had still hidden within his fur, out of view. "Why would the Plates even exist if the legends weren't true?"
"They could just be some rare gems or something that are just named like that."
The Ninetails gave a huff and puffed her cheeks. "Where's the fun in that? I, for one, think that those legends are completely true. I'd like to think of some great pokemon as Arceus watches over us every day. It's comforting."
Rainbow gave a deadpan expression. "It's comforting to have someone spy on you all the time?"
The Ninetails blushed a bit in embarrassment. "You know what I meant!"
Rainbow laughed at her expression. It wasn't long before the Ninetails gave a small laugh of her own, her blush faded. Rainbow extended a paw out to her when the laughter subsided.
"The name's Rainbow. Nice to meet you."
The Ninetails seemed to ponder shaking Rainbow's paw for a second. He wondered if she wasn't going to take it for a moment. Thankfully, she met his paw with her own.
"It's Lia. Nice to meet you, Rainbow." Their paws returned to their sides, solidifying their newfound friendship.
"So, are you also new to town as well?"
Lia nodded. "I was on a nice sightseeing tour, but I seemed to have lost my traveling companion in these crowds."
"Oh, really? We could look for them if you want?"
"It's fine. I think we'll find each other later." Lia rubbed her neck with her paw. "I hate to say it, but she's a bit overbearing. It's a little nice to be on my own for a while."
"I hope I'm not interrupting your alone time, then."
Lia chuckled. "No, no. You're quite all right. It's a nice change of pace. What brought you to Glass City?"
"The same as you, actually. I wanted to see what the city was all about." Rainbow showed an embarrassed smile. "Though I didn't know how crazy the ferals seem to be around this time of year."
Lia nodded. "Same here… If I knew that I would have waited until next spring to come here." She shook her head. "What's done is done. All that matters is that I'm here now and can enjoy the city."
Rainbow smiled at her. "If that's the case, do you wanna check out the other sculptures with me?"
Lia returned a genuine smile. "Sure, let's go!"
The two then left the Arceus sculpture behind in search of the others. The city was packed with pokemon of all shapes and sizes. Rainbow could understand how Lia lost her companion in busy streets like these. He made sure to keep close to her so as to not lose her. But not too close, of course.
After sifting through the bustling streets and markets of Glass City, they eventually came across the next sculpture. It was in a similar environment as the Arceus sculpture, with the circular plaza and the sculpture at its center.
"What pokemon do you think this one is?" Rainbow asked his companion.
Lia brought a paw up to her chin. "It's bipedal, with a long neck and wing-like appendages on its back..." Her eyes shone with inquisitiveness and deep thought, not that you would catch Rainbow looking. "I believe it's Palkia."
Rainbow blinked at her answer. He only ever heard of Palkia once, and that was in passing when he was last talking with Arceus. "Who?"
Lia stared a bit incredulously at him. "You know, Palkia! The Ruler of Space!"
"I'm sorry, not ringing any bells for me."
Lia sighed. "I guess it's to be expected. Palkia and Dialga rarely ever get mentioned."
"Woah, there's a Dialga now?"
Lia's eyes gained a certain sparkle at his question. "You see, Palkia is the Ruler of Space and Dialga is the Ruler of Time. Legends say they have a deep-rooted rivalry with one another to vie for their master, Arceus's, attention."
"That's pretty interesting." Rainbow humored the Ninetails.
Lia nodded fervently. "Right? Did you know that Palkia is said to have created the actual universe?"
"Really?" Rainbow raised a paw to his chin. "But I thought Arceus was the one who created everything?"
The fox puffed out her chest, apparently proud to disprove him. "That is a very common misconception. You see, it was Palkia that birthed the universe. It was then Dialga that birthed the concept of time. Arceus, however, created everything within the universe. Things like galaxies and planets and stars." Rainbow started to lightly laugh. "What?"
"You sound like a teacher."
Lia's chest deflated and her cheeks took on a rose color. She bumped her paw into Rainbow's shoulder, chuckling at his antics. "Shut up. Let's go to the other sculpture. I think I know who this one's going to be, anyway." Their laughter subsided, and they continued on their tour.
Once again, the duo made their way through the crowded streets of the city in search of the final sculpture. Through broad streets and skinny alleys, they made their way onward. That was until they heard a voice calling out to them.
"My Lady! Is that you?"
Lia suddenly tensed beside Rainbow while dawning a slightly annoyed expression. Rainbow raised an eyebrow in concern at her before looking around and searching for the voice. He couldn't see any pokemon referring to them through the crowd.
"My Lady!" The voice sounded again, giving off a feminine tone.
Rainbow looked back at Lia and noticed her clench her paw. She looked conflicted about something before setting her eyes on him.
"Let's go."
"Wha-!"
Rainbow could barely voice his concern before the Ninetails grabbed his paw and sprinted off with him in tow. Lia was surprisingly agile as she effortlessly weaved through the crowds while leading Rainbow.
"Hold on!" Rainbow tried to get Lia to at least slow down, but she seemed dead set on getting away from that voice as fast and far away as possible. Rainbow was jerked back and forth, almost slamming into different pokemon.
The street suddenly opened into a huge open plain of grass and cobbled paths. Lia seemed thrown off by the sudden change in the environment long enough for Rainbow to stop her and catch his breath.
"What's wrong?" He asked in between breaths.
Lia tried to catch her breath as well. "Don't worry about it, please." She dismissed his question. Lia looked up and her eyes brightened. "Look!"
Rainbow followed her gaze and his eyes caught the last glass sculpture of the city. It was just as big and shiny as the other two, but it was in the middle of the huge field. Without any buildings around, it easily towered over everything in the area.
"As I thought, it's Dialga," Lia confirmed her thoughts as the two approached the towering figure. Rainbow examined the pokemon. It was quadrupedal with a long neck and head. Rainbow thought it looked like a stouter and rougher version of Arceus.
"So, who was that back there?" Rainbow had to ask his friend.
Lia looked to the ground in shame. "You know that traveling companion I mentioned earlier?"
"That was her, I assume?" Lia nodded. "What happened? I thought you would have wanted to reunite?"
"I do… but… it's complicated." Rainbow was a bit confused by that statement. He led her to a small resting area on the side of the sculpture and they both sat down.
"How so?" He asked her.
"I mentioned how overbearing she is. I just haven't been given time to myself during this trip of ours." She relented to him.
"Is she that bad for you?" Lia nodded in confirmation. "But I thought you two were friends?"
"Not really… We have a sort of arrangement. I don't really consider her a friend, just a traveling companion." She then quietly added, low enough that Rainbow could just barely hear her. "If it was up to me I would've come by myself…"
Rainbow thought it was best to change the subject before the sour mood took over. Thankfully, their stomachs rumbled at just the right time.
"Hey, you wanna go grab something to eat?" Rainbow looked up to the sky and noticed the sun lowering towards the horizon, maybe halfway between its apex and the horizon line. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
Lia brightened at the prospect. "Yeah, I guess we got too caught up in the scenery to have food."
The two stood back on their paws and made their way back into the city proper to find something to eat.
We now find the two recently befriended pokemon resting themselves at an eatery in the center city called The Fevered Clawitzer. An odd name, but who is Rainbow to judge?
"Man, this is great!" Rainbow exclaimed as he bit into his grilled feral Spearow. "I haven't had meat in a really long time. I forgot how delicious it is!"
Lia hummed in agreement. She politely finished chewing before she spoke. "Same here, although this is a little worse than what I'm used to."
Rainbow stared at her with disbelief. "Worse? This might be the best Spearow I've ever tasted! Where exactly are you from?"
"Uh, Prism City?"
Rainbow almost choked on his food from her answer. "The capitol?" He choked out, sipping his water.
"Yeah, born and raised."
Rainbow whistled. "Wow. No wonder this food doesn't suit your standards."
She smiled. "While this may not be what I'm used to, it's still quite good!"
The two continued to eat their meals in peace. As they finished their respective meals and went to pay, a sudden thought struck Rainbow.
"Oh, shoot!" Lia looked to Rainbow in concern as he facepalmed.
"Something wrong, Rainbow?"
The Umbreon hung his head in shame and rubbed the back of his neck. "I, uh, don't have any money on me." He mentally kicked himself. He completely forgot that Vera had taken all of the money with her that morning. "I'm really sorry, Lia, but could you cover for me?"
Lia stared at Rainbow for a moment before chuckling to herself. "Oh, is that all? I thought it was something important."
Rainbow watched as the Ninetails stuck her paw into one of her tails and pulled out a small money purse. A gold and jewel-encrusted money purse. His eyes bulged out of their sockets as she pulled out 200P just to cover their meals, which only amounted to 25P.
"This should be enough, right?" She asked, seemingly oblivious that she pulled out way too much money.
"Whoa, that's too much. We only need 25P, not 200!"
Lia tilted her head at Rainbow's reaction. "What's the harm? It's not like I can't afford it."
Rainbow stared in wonder at the girl in front of him as she paid their server, who had a similar reaction to him. Just who had he befriended? He thought she was just some normal, run-of-the-mill traveler. Her obvious wealth, knowledge, origin, and that pokemon calling her 'My Lady' earlier pointed otherwise.
The two exited the eatery and started to wander in an aimless direction together. The sun was starting to set once more. The city was coated in a brilliant orange light that was only accentuated by the white stone buildings.
Rainbow realized that he never thought once about his situation with Baron Arteno while sightseeing with Lia. He really did find himself relaxing throughout the day, not worrying about anything.
But he knew he had a mission to do. At some point, he had to part ways with Lia and reunite with Vera. He now found himself wondering what she had been up to this whole time.
"Ah, Rainbow! What a coincidence!"
It would seem fate was listening to Rainbow's ramblings. Vera suddenly appeared ahead of the two with her basket in hand and was headed towards them.
"Hey, Vera! How's it going?" He greeted back.
Lia looked between the two in confusion and slight disappointment. Vera came up to the two.
"Taking a break today was a wonderful idea, I think. I've just been exploring this wonderful city and I absolutely adore it." She then seemed to take notice of Lia. "Oh, hello there. Who might you be?"
Rainbow introduced the two. "Vera, this is Lia." He gestured towards the Ninetails, who smiled at the Gardevoir. "Lia, this is my traveling companion, Veraloe."
"A pleasure to meet you, Lia." Vera opened her hand out for Lia.
Lia took Vera's hand with her paw. "Likewise, Veraloe."
Fate seemed to have disregarded Lia in favor of Rainbow, though, as the now trio of pokemon were interrupted.
"My Lady!"
The trio now turned to the newcomer of the group. It was a panting, tired, and very annoyed-looking Pikachu. She had a black armband with a rainbow pin around her left arm. Vera was curious as to who this newcomer was. Lia inwardly frowned as her companion found them, though she tried not to show it.
Rainbow, though, couldn't believe his own eyes. He didn't think he would see her so soon, especially not out in Glass City. Fate was on his side today, indeed. He watched as the Pikachu angrily stomped up to Lia.
"My Lady, I've been looking everywhere for you! What do you think could have happened to the both of us if you had gotten hurt!"
Lia sighed dejectedly at the tirade. "Yes, I know."
The Pikachu let out a huff. "Honestly, what possessed you to run away like that!"
"Well..." The Ninetails seemed to lose some of her spine against this foe, so she glanced at the still stunned Umbreon for help. The Pikachu noticed this gesture and turned to Rainbow and Veraloe.
"What do you two think you're doing with My Lady? Not trying to take advantage of her, I hope?" She frowned with accusation at the two.
Veraloe responded to the Pikachu. "I'm sorry, but it seems we've started off on the wrong foot here. We mean no harm to you two."
The Pikachu narrowed her eyes and stepped defensively in front of Lia. She noticed that Rainbow was still looking at her.
"What do you think you're staring at, Umbreon?"
Rainbow was pulled out of his stupor. "Uh… well, is your name Joltier, by any chance?"
Lia looked at Rainbow in surprise, but the Pikachu immediately went on the defensive.
Vera covered her mouth in shock. "You can't mean-"
"How do you know my name? I haven't told anyone in this city that information except My Lady. Who are you?" She demanded of the Umbreon.
Rainbow was a bit taken aback. How could his own sister not recognize him? It had only been two years, surely he hadn't changed that much. But the feeling of the hidden Plates in his fur reminded him. He wasn't an Eevee anymore, the form which Joltier recognized. He was an Umbreon now. It made sense she didn't recognize him, his whole appearance was different. But he couldn't just change back in public, so he just had to tell her.
"Joltier, it's me," he said to the waiting Pikachu. "It's Rai-"
His answer was suddenly cut off by a crashing boom! The sound seemed to create a shockwave in the air that blasted over every pokemon on the street. The crowd was initially confused as to what the sound was until multiple Glass City Guards addressed the citizens.
"Everyone, do not panic!" The voice belonged to a Loudred, using his voice to overpower the crowds. "Please return to your homes immediately! The gates have been breached! I repeat, return to your homes immediately!"
A silent dread washed over the crowd as they realized the danger they were in. If the gates were breached, the feral pokemon could get in. This wouldn't be that bad if the sun wasn't also setting at the same time, and at this time of year, too.
The pokemon were set off. The street was chaotic as every pokemon rushed to get home before the city was overrun with feral pokemon looking for blood. The group of four were now being pushed around the street, caught up in the stampede.
"We must get to safety!" Veraloe shouted over the crowd. She reached her hand out to Rainbow. The Umbreon struggled but grabbed her hand. He looked around and saw Lia and Joltier do the same.
Rainbow extended a paw to Lia. She took his paw, creating a four-pokemon long chain. They cut their way through the crows and found themselves against a wall.
"My Lady, we have to get you out of here!" Rainbow heard Joltier say to Lia. "It's too dangerous here!"
Rainbow felt Lia's paw on his own. It clenched tighter and was shaking. He looked to see her eyes tightly shut and jaw quivering. She was absolutely terrified. He held her paw tighter to try and comfort her.
"It's been what!?"
Rainbow turned to see two guards ahead of them, the Loudred from earlier and a Chatot.
"It's true, sir!" The Chatot exclaimed. "There's been an explosion at the Baron's house!"
The Loudred slammed his fist into the wall. "Damnit! Alert Captain Woods! I'll try to tame the crowds here!"
The Chatot saluted. "Yes, sir!" He then flew off into the sky.
Rainbow caught Vera's eyes. "Vera, we have to go! This could be the Champion of Giratina!"
Vera clenched her teeth in frustration. "The timing of the gate falling and the explosion are too coincidental. It must be a distraction!"
"Exactly!" Rainbow responded. "Which means we need to get to the Baron's house! The Plate could be in trouble!"
"What about those two?" She referred to Lia and Joltier.
As much as Rainbow wanted to reveal himself to Joltier, he needed to focus on his mission. Right now, the Mind Plate is more important. Rainbow tried to pull his paw away from Lia, but she only held on tighter.
"If you're going somewhere, please take me with you!" She pleaded to Rainbow. He could clearly see how scared she looked, and he didn't have the heart to abandon her here. He clenched his teeth.
"Alright then, come on!" He pulled her along. She seemed grateful for his decision.
"Hey!" Rainbow turned to Joltier, who had a determined look in her eyes. "Wherever she goes, I go! You got that, Umbreon?"
Rainbow stared at her for a moment before returning her determined gaze. He nodded. "That's fine with me!"
Vera led the chain of pokemon towards Baron Arteno's house, where the fate of the Mind Plate was about to be determined.
Until next time!