Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Centurnum

Chapter 2

Hammer And Nail

A tranquil quiet had come to wrap itself around the ninetales, offering respite and repose as she gazed on a crimson stump where one of her tails used to reside. The Ho-Oh had left her if only for a time, flying out the great mouth of the icy cavern through the raised, steep ledge behind her. The blizzard that had consumed the mountains earlier subsided, receding from battering, howling waves of snow and ice to quiet snowflakes, orderly descending from the pale blue sky. They had promised to return shortly.

She had no intention of staying.

She was compelled not by reason or belief, but by intuitive nature. Just outside this frozen cage were the rolling blanketed hills and slopes of frost she was at home to; its many facets and secrets; its reliable hunting grounds and wells of water; and safe sleeping hollows and raised peaks perfect for observing the world pass by her- all woven into her soul: a part of her.

All that was for her here was ice and emptiness.

Try as she might, the ledge that led to the great expanse of the mountains was intent on trapping her here. It was no exaggeration to say that every surface here -save for the cold dirt floor below her and a small pond- was ice. The frozen ceiling domed at its center capped the ice walls which curved all around her like waves frozen in time, too large to leap over and too slippery and steep to climb. Fire could serve to melt a path, but the risk was too great: weakening any wall carried the promise of being crushed by a failing ceiling before she could scorch an exit.

She was stuck, left meditating on the mystery of the bloody stump that had come to replace one of her tails; waiting with no choice.

Minutes had passed- maybe hours. It did not matter. As it would in the mountain's peaks and valleys, time would pass her by quickly once she took to her thoughts- neatly sitting, tails rhythmically rising and falling, the veil of closed eyelids granting a harbor for her thoughts to collect and become rich. And in that solitude of the mind, she stirred to attention by the beatings of great wings approaching from outside. The silhouette of the phoenix grew its approach through the meek snowfall, though something else caught her eye. Something large was clenched in its talons. It was like two rounded boulders were stuck together, covered with thick brown fur. A growing inkling of familiarity crossed her mind, and she realized what it was. When Ho-Oh glided over her through the narrow mouth of the cave, her suspicions were confirmed: a piloswine, a large one with deep red gashes on its back from where the Ho-Oh had snared it.

With great flaps that kicked up loose snow and dirt off the floor, the Ho-Oh hovered over the center of the room and dropped the piloswine, crashing it into the floor with an earthshaking thud. It made no attempt to move. It was dead.

Landing gracefully beside their catch, the Ho-Oh placed a bloodied talon on the collapsed side of the piloswine. The phoenix passed gazes between her as she backed away, teeth bared in a snarl, and the fallen creature. A small grin seemed to cross its beak as it looked at her hunched form. 'Don't worry,' a foreign thought invaded the ninetales' head. 'I am not reviving this one as I have you. This one shall serve as a fair meal for our first morning in cooperation with one another.'

The Ho-Oh's telepathic remarks did little to soothe her. Her back remained arched, fur flared, and a growl rumbled out from the ninetales' throat.

'Oh, spare the effort,' a strained thought arrived from the unamused phoenix. 'If I had wanted you dead, I would have left you so in the snowfield.'

The ninetales' thought on those words; a fair enough response, she surmised. She relaxed, if only a little, straightening her posture but remained observant. She still had her reservations, if not questions- a fair few of them.

Regardless, her compliance seemed to raise the Ho-Oh's spirits. 'Ah, so you have come to reason, then. Good.'

Thinking carefully, the ninetales chose what question to inflect to the legendary before her. With a simple bark that echoed within this icy chamber, she communicated in a way only other Pokémon like her could understand. 'What had happened to me? My tail?'

A humored scoff snorted out from the Ho-Oh. 'What had happened to you? I already revealed as much. I had found you- dead, if you can recall- covered in snow and despair from the mountains. From what I have witnessed, it was not the gashes of sneasels' claws or the broken bones of a defiant piloswine which had killed you. Something far simpler.' The Ho-Oh took grand steps that rumbled the earth over to the ninetales, and she felt as her body raised itself defensively once more. They rolled their eyes. Paying no heed to the unspoken threat, they craned their head over to the growling ninetales and with their crooked beak, tapped her chest in a precise location. 'There. That is what had killed you.'

That had given her pause. Craning her head down, she used her snout to push aside a tuft of fur where the Ho-Oh had pointed. There, just beneath golden fur, was a deep, indented scar on her skin.

'One small wound such as this had been enough to kill you. A piercing shot to the heart by man, elicited by black-powder, a spark, and a piece of metal as small as a pebble.' They scoffed. 'You are quite vincible, are you not? As for the tail, I do not know; it was likely taken for sport by the same man who had laid you low.' The Ho-Oh raised themselves up, looking down onto her. 'I do know one fact to be true, however: you had perished. Your heart had come to resemble something more akin to a bursted fruit than an organ.' They leered down, eyes focused on her small form. 'Dead. Yet here you stand still. I am Ho-Oh, the Sacred Fire of Johto, the Custodian of the Cycle of Eternal Return. I alone am responsible for your continued life. A miracle, many would agree. As such for an incredible feat, I am impressing on you a simple request- become my champion, and uphold the faith I have earned in this region.'

The ninetales did not know how to respond; this request had caught her unprepared. Her? Why her? Another bark belched out from her maws. 'Why?'

Ho-Oh reeled their head back, narrowed brows betraying a face of offended irritation on the phoenix. 'Why?' they repeated. 'Why!?' A slitted leer came to loom over the ninetales. 'I have enacted an utter miracle, come to reverse the finality of death that ensnared you, and you dare to ask 'why' like a bratty, ungrateful, worthless child?' Spreading their wings out, a whirling torrent of fire spiraled out from their body, snaking across the floor and instantly melting columns and walls of ice into blanketing mist and heat. Try as she might, the ninetales could not find any suitable spot to retreat to, save for pushing her back against a slick wall. Piercing eyes penetrated the fog with a hostile glow, sneering at her. 'Your previous life has already come to pass; that I should demonstrate infinite mercy in selecting you for the privilege of being my champion, is not a gift to be squandered.' Taking heavy footsteps through the fog, Ho-Oh's scornful visage became clearer as it hovered so close, eyes full of contempt. 'My patience is quite finite. If you will not serve, I will rip out the life I have given you, and search for another. As with all lives before you, you are replaceable.'

The ninetales made no attempt to move, only meeting Ho-Oh's glare with a reluctant stare. Passing a scanning glance around the room, no escape made itself known to her. She well and truly had no choice in the matter. Taking in a careful breath to soothe herself, she slowly nodded.

That seemed to appease the Sacred Fire. 'So we have an understanding, then? Good.' Beating their grandiose wings, they dispelled the thick mist around them, returning to clarity. 'Fret not, my champion- you will be instructed henceforth by myself in all of the virtues and principles that have come to represent the faith upheld by me. Quite a generous offer, is it not? Whence these lessons are ingrained into that spacious mind of yours, I will guide you to a village just at the foot of this mountain, where you shall remain and uphold the following I have so patiently and deservedly accumulated over these decades.'

Integrate into a village? A puzzled frown fell onto the ninetales, then deepening into a toothy snarl. She had been aware of a settlement of humans nestled within a valley at the foot of the mountain, where the enticing smell of meats of open flames and the sounds of laughter chorused in the air. She had known to keep her distance; humans were by far the most unpredictable of all in life. Beyond that, just hours ago, her life had come to an utter, sudden end at the hands of one, taking both her life and one of her prized tails. But now she was to be placed amongst them with no care for any of that? And why was she needed there at all?

Her furrowed brows had not escaped Ho-Oh. 'As usual for one of your ilk, you hold questions. No matter how many I quell, there will always be more,' these words echoed in her mind, dripping with contempt. 'Regardless, what patient god would I be if I did not briefly indulge in these games?' Ho-Oh raised their head to the ceiling, lost in thought in how best to explain this to the less-than being in front of them. 'If you had cared to notice, something of a concern has risen as of late across this land, and many others: dimensional rifts. They are bloated, crackling monstrosities that have come to spread across my kingdom like tumors. The appearance of these blisters have coincided with strange men not of this land.' They snorted, blowing out thick smoke from their nostrils. 'Not a coincidence, I am certain. I had flown out over the sea, traveling west in pursuit of where they had come last I had seen them. In time, I had come across a strange new land, one of strange cultures and language, flying scarlet and violet flags. But that was of little concern to me.' Their eyes narrowed. 'What was intriguing, was the evil I had sensed enshrined in that land. An unholy force has taken root there, perhaps even the source of these dimensional scourges themselves. I intend on returning to investigate further. And that is where you come into play. Whilst I am preoccupied with this investigation, you will champion my faith in this region, ensuring the gratitude I have earned does not falter in my absence. Though you cannot communicate with humans as I, you needn't to. Simply behave yourself and react accordingly with the values and principles I will teach you, and they shall be good followers.'

So that is how it would be, then. She would serve as a pin to this god, to hold up their faith in their absence. 'But for how long?' she asked with a small bark.

Ho-Oh balked at her question. 'You would ask more questions, still? What matter is it how long this divine decree is asked of you? A mission bestowed upon you by the Sacred Fire? As a ninetales, your long natural lifespan should be a great benefit to this task, so it was quite fortunate for the both of us that you were found. You will serve for as long as I instruct you- months, years, centuries.' Looming their head over the ninetales, Ho-Oh's eyes looked down onto her small form. 'It does not matter what you want.'

The ninetales hung their head low, eyes cast to the floor. That was truth. She would not have any input in the matter. 'Very well.'

A deep chuckle rumbled out of Ho-Oh's long throat, pleased that their message had gotten through. Craning their head around to their back, Ho-Oh used their beak to comb through their feathers, searching. 'This will take but a second. But in the meantime, it would do well to impart onto you grains of wisdom now. In the scope of the world and all meaning, we are all but actors on a stage of the play of existence, each soul filling their role around them as does water in a vase, until the final curtain calls. Life is just death's opening act. And when the curtain falls, the actors do not rescind to nothingness. We have more stories to tell. That is the eternal cycle of return I govern. We all have lived and died many times- myself included. You may not recall your past lives, nor dictate what role you play next, but I can my own. A perk of being the Sacred Fire, I suppose. This grand body, though beautiful and holy, is still flesh and blood. I too have perished a few times before, but unlike you and others, I hold choice in my next act. Once, I was a mighty tyranitar, lording over a great mountain and rolling hills with ironclad skin. Or even better, I had elected to be born as an heir to the throne of a now long-dead empire, becoming human if only for a short time, reigning over a nation with resolve and control like none others had before me. That had been good fun. Regardless, my return to this body takes a considerable amount of time, so passing time by playing amongst you lot can serve as a merry interlude. Regrettably, I cannot recall my true role as the Sacred Fire whilst separated from this body. Ah, here we are.' Done with their grooming, Ho-Oh had plucked two feather glistening like steel blades from their body, shining vibrantly in colors of ruby, emerald, and pearl.

Without warning, a talon from them shot out to the ninetales, clenching them and slamming them to the earth, pinning them once more as they writhed to escape. Ho-Oh scoffed, still grasping the feathers in their beak and the ninetales in claws. 'Oh, please. You are my champion, not my jester. Do not humor me with a laughable attempt to escape.' They moved their beak closer to the struggling ninetales, tightening their grip to the point of immobility and directing the pointed shaft of the feather down towards her, their pinpoint ends looming close behind her ears. 'Now, this only take but a minute. These will designate you as my champion to all, with no room for doubt.' The ninetales' eyes remained fixated on the points of the feather, only capable of watching with growing dread as they moved closer still, feeling as their shafts brushed past her fur behind her ears and poked at skin. 'Now, this is a delicate procedure, so I advise you to move as little as possible until I finish. Afterwards, we can feast on my catch to your little heart's content, and begin your instruction. Now, remain still…'

As plume pierced bleeding skin, driven even deeper until it was embedded into the skull, howls of tortured, consuming pain filled the cavern.

—-

99 years prior to the events of Dare To Dream.

—-

Pops and bangs filled the air with thick smoke and colorful flashes, illuminating the lavender night sky with fervor. The lights of fires blazing closely by casted long shadows dancing in its warmth across the plaza square, filling it with the joyful chanting of bonded people as they mingled with their brothers and sisters. If one focused hard enough, and was able to push past the consuming stench of black-powder that tainted the atmosphere, the appealing scent of a myriad of dishes such as broiling slabs of fatty meats and rising yeast for sweetbreads could be found and clung to with tantalizing torment.

That food was for the people. For Hachi, she had whatever scraps and pieces few souls tried to sneak her way on as she sat on her high podium, overlooking it all with a steadfast focus, eight golden tails rising and falling in unison.

Hachi had been the name bestowed upon the ninetales by the Johto people soon after her arrival nearly a year prior, on account of the eight tails of nine she obviously possessed. When she had descended from the snow-capped mountains to their village, they took notice of the pristine, ruby and emerald feathers she had laden behind her ears, thus marking her as an emissary of their deity, the Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh, whose mercy and kindness had earned their worship. This event had been a celebration of that anniversary.

These people had dressed Hachi for the occasion, covering her in red cloth and slathering strange red make-up onto her face and tails just for the occasion. Truthfully, she hated it. The oils from the paint clung to her body like cold water, and the red garment had made any movement constrained and uncomfortable. She would have torn the clothes to shredded remains if she were able.

Sitting on her steepled podium, she overlooked the crowd filled with merriment, as they danced and laughed with one another. Strangely enough to her, some Pokémon had joined the festivities as well. Hoothoots and spearows watched from above, perched on tiled rooftops and cherry-blossom branches; small critters like rattatas and a pikachu were not shoo'ed away, but instead were welcomed, being freely given food as well, an infectious smile present on all parties involved.

As the night raged on, fireworks and music and laughter filling the open air with warmth, Hachi looked to a hoothoot as it cawed and took flight, freely leaving the village and pursuing whatever it had desired. Her attention turned to the jagged horizon. The snow-white mountains she had called home, the life she longed for, lay so close yet so far away. She wished to dash along the frozen, treacherous landscape, wanted to taste the fresh spring-water unearthed in solemn, isolated pools at its peak, and look over a golden landscape below as the sun set for the day, as she feasted on a fresh, fatty catch she had earned for herself- living for herself.

All she had here was charred food and obligation.

Perhaps she might steal away for a night, like some times before, sneaking away in the darkness and solitude of night and indulging in a small hunt for rattatas or pidgeys as she had done before. It would be impossible this night, but she held close to the idea in her heart. She will simply have to be content and remain vigilant over the carefree masses a little longer, sitting with false dignity and hammered elegance.

That would have been the plan, if not for the incessant petting of a child who had snuck to her back. No matter how she quietly growled or more obviously snarled at the kid, he simply had kept his smile and remained petting her. Filled with reluctance and resignation, Hachi dropped her attempts to scare him away, and let him stay.

She must endure a little longer.