EPISODE II - DARK, WONDEROUS PAST
CHAPTER X - THE EXPEDITION
From your position atop the wall, you watched the scene unfolding below you. Over a dozen Pokémon scoured the Temple grounds, inspecting the walls, the obelisk and even the floor, searching for anything that could provide some insight into the ruin. Anything they did notice was noted down, recorded, and safely stowed away for future reference.
The first relief teams arrived shortly after the battle against Kain, allowing Sam, Alice and Kaliani to descend the mountain.
Zeke meanwhile, didn't resist the restraints that were swiftly clamped round his legs, nor the muzzle. One of the arriving teams immediately escorted him back down behind Team Audacity and their charge.
You had initially moved to follow, but the Shadow had soon made itself known once more.
When it had finally processed the events that had transpired, the shadow somehow managed to darken beyond pitch black. This is disturbing. It finally said, An entity claiming to know the Guardians possessed the same Pokémon rescued from Broken Wood, wielding power unlike anything we have seen?
The shadow seemed to shiver before you, The fact that regular attacks didn't work on the spectre himself despite manifesting as a Pokémon can only imply one thing. This Kain was a spirit of some kind.
You felt your attention drift mostly towards the shadow now.
I do have some knowledge of the subject, but it is scarcely studied. The shadow explained, Spirits have been reported to appear before Pokémon in the past. Or agents of spirits at least. It has been said they are often Pokémon who have died in the past, but have lingered on for some reason or another before moving on to the afterlife. At least, that is just one of many theories and stories. Some far more authentic than others. But I've never seen or heard of any spirit exerting its influence into the physical world.
Some distant part of you may have shivered, another part might have scoffed. It was hard to work out exactly what all of you was feeling. But either way, you could tell the concern in the shadow's voice.
A spirit persisting for centuries, perhaps even millennia… between that and his interest in the current events only further confirms that today's disasters are linked to the Guardians. There was a conflict between them and Kain. Perhaps they encountered their own disasters? And the one who could give answers has now gone to the wind.
A flicker of confusion formed in part of yourself, and the shadow immediately noticed. This entity has managed to survive for centuries as some kind of spirit to possess one unfortunate soul. I doubt Sam killed him. Kain will show himself again, I'm sure of it. And speaking of Sam… his newfound power was… ominous.
The shadow seemed to darken again, Same with Kain's power too. And strangely… both look familiar somehow. Kain's powers were warped and corrupted versions of conventional moves. It was as if they had been cloaked in shadow. Sam's power though was channelling some form of dark energy into his abilities… similar, but radically different.
You could almost see the cold murmur from the shadow's words, Shadow Energy… and a Dark Power… where did I come across those before? Back in the Crater? Or during the Crisis? It involved… emotions… I'm sure that is part of it somewhere…
You heard someone bark out in surprise. Towards the entrance of the temple ground, Rex and Esper had emerged from the arches and were making their way towards the centre of the ground.
In the meantime, we should let the guild launch their own investigation. Without the means to access this 'Oracle', The Shadow motioned towards the obelisk, Our next best move is to wait on them. I must reflect on these Shadow Moves and the Dark Power. Once you have seen what Rex and Esper have to say… please keep an eye on Sam and Alice, I sense what anger they have towards each other between this reveal of Sam being human, and the events here will only intensify… you may have to step in to intervene again discreetly if all else fails.
The shadow seemed to turn to go, Be wary Observer, I fear we may find ourselves off balance at the wrong moment.
With those last words, the Shadow departed, leaving you to slowly approach the guildmaster…
Rex could feel his feathers ruffle up at the sight of the obelisk, the smooth stone wall that once, according to Team Audacity, contained a strange mural. But with this so-called Oracle now inactive, they had no means of gleaning that information.
He didn't doubt Team Audacity's report. If there was a way to access the mural, he would make sure to use whatever means the guild had to do so.
No, that was not what put the guildmaster on edge. It was the power that the entity controlling Zeke had for a start. An entity that appeared to have existed for centuries, with dark powers that sucked all the strength out of its victims.
But what really troubled him was the look on Sam and Alice's faces as they escorted Kaliani off Waterfall Mountain. How blunt and detached they were. How angry they were. How little they interacted with each other.
He could already tell something had left them on edge before they departed Robinswood, but whatever happened on the mountain had only made things worse. Esper hadn't even been near them, having passed each other along different paths. But even she could still sense the tension between them.
If they were vital in dealing with what may well come…
He shoved the thought aside. He would have to try and get to the bottom of the problem as soon as possible. In the meantime, he needed to complete her inspection of the site.
One of the members of Team RAY, a Rhydon, stood at the base of the obelisk, scouring every last inch of the surface. He noticed the two senior Pokémon approach, and turned to face them, "Guildmaster. Esper." He said in greeting with a bow of his head.
"Rhys," Rex replied, returning the head bow. "Have you and the others been able to find much out?"
The Rhydon frowned, "Not much. We've come across a few markings on the walls, but we doubt they mean anything."
It was Esper's turn now to frown, "Nothing at all? No pictograms or symbols? No artifacts?"
The Blaziken cast a concerned eye over at the young Meowstic. He tried to order Esper to stay behind and recover from the psychic backlash, and Mary attempted the same thing. But the leader of Team Spirit was not easily cowed, and even they had to relent from her persistence.
Even Rebecca couldn't stop her. And that was quite the achievement.
"Nothing we can see." Rohan admitted, "Maybe a Pokémon with sharper senses or something could spot something, but this place is bare."
Rex turned his attention towards the obelisk, taking a few cautious steps towards it as Esper questioned the guildmember further. Apart from its height, and the bare wall itself, the obelisk appeared unremarkable.
The guildmaster placed his clawed hand against the smooth stone, the material cool to the touch. Inert. Unresponsive.
"Guildmaster?"
Rex's eyes flicked towards Esper and Rhys, the two Pokémon staring at him. Raising a brow, he glanced back at the hand once more, before finally peeling it away. "Kaliani told me that the entity had activated the obelisk with her blood. Did anyone-"
"I volunteered to try." Rhys admitted, holding up a scaling hand where a thin line was marked out across his palm. "Couldn't get the thing to fire up. I asked Axel too, being a flying type, but he couldn't get it to work either."
Rex turned to face the obelisk, Curious… he pondered, scratching his beak. "I appreciate your efforts." He said, "We'll get ready to depart soon."
"Not going to leave someone here?" asked the Rhydon.
"There is not much worth we can glean for now. The dungeon will help keep this place isolated for now. Thank you, Rhys."
Bowing his head, the Rhydon set off to join the rest of his team. Esper narrowed her eyes, staring at the blank rock feature. "If blood isn't what allows access to this device… then why bring Kaliani up here?" she asked softly.
Rex directed his gaze upwards towards the top, clicking his beak as tried to peer at any finer details. "Perhaps it was a key." Rex mused, scraping a talon across the stone and leaving no mark. "Or rather, one half of one. Kaine must have had a hypothetical second half."
"Then why not use Zeke?" Esper replied with a frown.
"Perhaps that entity's act of possession caused issues. Either way, with it gone-"
"Then we have no way of accessing this mural." The Meowstic finished with a faint hiss.
Rex pulled his hand away from the wall. "Short of this… Kain returning, our only hope is that Zeke can recall anything about his methods."
Esper's frown only deepened, "Sam and Alice are in a bad enough state as it is. Zeke is borderline catatonic. We're not going to get much out of him no matter what method we try."
It was the fire-type's turn to frown now. "I know. But first Broken Wood, and now this. We need some answers. And whatever is plaguing Sam and Alice… is something we need to be able to try and support them with."
The Meowstic suddenly looked nervous, "Thinking back on what I sensed, I noticed… a lot of anger. At the wider world and each other. A sense of betrayal. Rex…"
She glanced round herself, making sure the other guildmembers were out of earshot before continuing, "Do you think Alice might have found out that Sam is human?"
Rex softly thumped his fist against the obelisk. Little escaped Esper's notice. If she couldn't work that out from a glance… then wherever his niece found out about Sam's true nature didn't matter. "I don't know." Rex admitted, "Either way, our course is the same. We do what we can to help them get through this. And hope they work through their issues."
He stepped back from the tower, shakingly letting out a breath of air he'd been holding in. "The events here just confirmed how important they are."
Esper stiffened, "You are that certain? The disasters and the last few weeks are connected?"
"Absolutely." Rex acknowledged, eyes narrowing as he looked towards her. "I have a feeling that what has happened here is just the beginning…
When Sam and Alice emerged from Waterfall Mountain, several more Pokémon had been waiting for them. Zeke was swiftly restrained further before being placed within a specialised cage before just as quickly being carried away under the wings of a Corviknight. That had sent a few alarm bells ringing in the Scorbunny's head, until one of the other Rescuers explained that the cage was designed to contain electric types, even in the air.
There had been another Corviknight on standby, but she only had enough space in her travel pod for two Pokémon. And so, without giving much of a chance for anyone to express their preference, Sam immediately volunteered to take the slow way back on the ground.
Not that Alice complained as she and Kaliani had climbed onboard.
The two members of Team Audacity had barely spoken since the battle at the temple.
It didn't take too long for the Arcanine, Carol, to come back round on her return leg and carry Sam on her back towards Robinswood.
And during that time, Sam turned inward, trying to think back on the confrontation with Kain. That ghost or spirit or whatever he was. He knew about the Guardians. He knew about Volcanion! And Sam was the one person who could even understand him!
And the whole thing has left him with only more questions than answers.
He nearly ended up thumping Carol's back in a blitz of rage, only just holding himself back at the last second. Still, he couldn't help but fume about the Oracle as well.
Even if Kain couldn't give him answers, that thing might have been able to do the trick too! It could have given him an idea of where was from, or even find out what was causing the disasters. And yet, unlike him, Sam had no such luck accessing the device.
He glanced at his hand, where a thin set of marks on the palm of his hand was already beginning to fade. Even his piss-poor attempt at trying to use his blood to reactivate the device failed miserably.
Puffing out a breath of air, Sam tried to ease out his anger, and refocused on what he did learn. The temple must have been first built by the Guardians. Kain had known about them too. Volcanion might have been connected to them as well. But the biggest indicator was his dreams, how the castle in them had features not too different from those of the temple.
I… I suppose that confirms it. He admitted to himself shakingly, Whatever I'm here for, it has to be connected to the Guardians.
He frowned to himself, But how? And why? Damn it, I wish I didn't take out Kain like that.
Sam was as much angry with himself, even with that power. It was… it felt like nothing he had ever had before. That sheer, unbridled energy that just surged through him, darkening his thoughts and empowering his every move. He… that went beyond anything he had mustered before.
Did… did I just lose it with Kain? Like with Pyro Ball? He shook his head, Nope, that can't be it. Even Pyro Ball didn't feel like that. It felt… it felt darker than that…
He was still trying to come to terms with it as Carol jogged into Robinswood, by which point, darkness was beginning to fall. He exchanged his thanks to the fire dog once more, before starting to make his way towards the tree. But he halted just short of the entrance, the tree suddenly feeling cold and unwelcoming. No one had come out to greet him, an odd occurrence to the Scorbunny. He had no idea he needed to see anyone, or just had some time to himself.
If it was the latter, then going back to his and Alice's room was not the right call. His chest tightened at the thought of Alice. How she just tore into him. He couldn't stand that bullshit of hers! He might have been wrong to hold back his identity from her, but he wasn't going to put up with that attitude. Not yet.
Instead, there was one other place he knew he could go. As what little sunlight remaining faded away, the former human headed through the town's streets towards the barracks, coming across very few Pokémon as he arrived at the large building, made his way inside, and onward to his destination.
Aidan's old room had been left abandoned ever since Sam moved into the Guildtree after he and Alice had been accepted into the Guild. No one had wanted to move into the free space ever since the smuggler had tried to kill him and planted the seeds of an attack on Robinwood itself. The beds and drawers had been left untouched, without even an inch of dust.
It worked for the night, he may have not had much of his stuff, but he still fell asleep with surprising speed.
If he dreamed, he didn't recall it as a paw gently shook his shoulder. "Hey, buddy." Jack said, "Wake up."
Groaning, Sam pushed himself upright, rubbing his eyes before focusing his gaze on the Butterfree. Of course Jack would be the one to find me, he lives here.
"You holding up alright?" the bug-type asked, his red eyes dim with concern.
Sam stiffened, hesitating for a moment as a knot formed in his stomach, "…not really." He admitted sadly, "What's up?"
Jack's concern remained evident in his tone, "Rex has asked for you and Alice to come to his office. To talk about the mountain mission."
His back creaking, Sam clambered out of bed. "I'll head up now." He replied quietly, already not looking forward to the prospect of seeing the Buneary again.
With a flutter of his wings, Jack hovered in front of him. "If you need to talk… you know where to find me right?"
His words were gentle, clearly intended to comfort the Scorbunny. Was it to do with Sam and Alice? The mountain rescue? Or something else?
Sam merely nodded, "Yeah. Thanks Jack."
With that, the Scorbunny pressed onwards, retracing his steps back to the tree. The sun still hadn't risen yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time judging by the faint orange smudge towards the east.
The corridors of the Guildtree were silent, and this time, there was no one waiting for him outside. The doors themselves were ajar, allowing the conversation to seep through.
"I told you everything I know." Alice explained, "He spoke gibberish the whole time, we didn't understand what he was saying short of a few words."
"And that is all?" came Damon's voice, firm and sceptical, "You expect us to believe that this babbling baffoon travelled to what it claimed was a Guardian temple, accessed a strange device to try and learn the events of history, and then tried to kill you."
"We've all heard and seen stranger things." Calvin grunted.
"And this is not one of those cases." Damon responded coldly, "A possession gone too far trying to deceive these recruits."
"You saw the bodies." growled the Charizard. "That was no trick."
"Yet where is the evidence?"
Must just be them. And Rex, I guess. And… Alice seems to have told a few details at least about what happened up there.
Did she say that I was the only one who ended up understanding Kain? She might have said something about me being human? How would Calvin and Damon react to that?
His fur going erect, Sam shook himself loose. No, she seems to be implying that we both heard bits and pieces. Well, whatever happens. I've gotta go in there.
Rolling his shoulders, Sam pushed his way inside. Alice and Rex were sat opposite each other on the couches, whilst the representatives Calvin and Damon stood surrounding them. The four Pokémon turned towards him, "Ah, Sam." Rex said, "Good to see you. Please, take a seat."
The Blaziken directed Sam towards the couch Alice was sat on, and with an iron lump settling in his gut, he sat down at the other end of the seat, away from the Buneary.
Sam got a narrowed eye from Rex, before the debrief began. He found himself assailed with questions, not only from Rex, but the two representatives. Rex and Calvin asked their questions carefully and neutrally, whilst Damon's were blunter and to the point. The Scorbunny did the best he could to answer the best he could. How they navigated the mountain, their discovery of the temple, their encounter with Kain.
"Did this ghost express knowledge about these Guardians?" Damon questioned, eyes narrowing. "Any peculiar details?"
Sam's ear twitched, refusing to show signs of emotion, "We got bits and pieces." He said, "I swore he said Guardians a couple of times."
"And this Oracle… did he explain how it functioned?"
"Not really." Sam admitted, "Details of recording history, but that's it."
It felt daft, holding back on information. But until he had a better idea of how to process everything, he didn't want to say much, especially in front of Damon. At the very least, his account seemed harmonised with Alice's. No one was questioning any holes in his story.
So… Alice is saying we both heard bits and pieces? Ha, I suppose she is not entirely wrong. She did hear me talking to Kain.
As the questioning finally ended, Rex scratched his chin with a narrowed gaze, "So the entity you faced… Kain he called himself, needed Kaliani's blood to access the Oracle. And whilst you didn't completely understand what he said, he seemed intent on killing other Pokémon. You seemed to suggest Sam, that Kain would try to force others to subscribe to his point of view, or get killed?"
"Yeah." Sam simply said bluntly, shrugging at the words. "Like Alice said. We didn't learn much."
"And these Guardians?" Damon questioned, arms crossed, "Did he say anything else?"
Calvin rubbed his forehead, "He did know where to find the biggest set of ruins in years."
Sam opened his mouth to reply, then hesitated. He hadn't revealed everything, he didn't want to start going through his newfound power. Nor did he want to go into how he understood everything Kain said. If he tried explaining what little he heard about the Guardians from Kain, no one would believe him. Not even Alice or Rex.
And yet… maybe he could still lean into using a small segment of what he knew to test the waters.
And so with a sharp sigh, Sam continued, "I'm… I'm not sure if I heard this right… but he did mention having known the Guardians."
That earned a surprised look from Rex, and Calvin seemed taken aback as a little whiff of smoke escaped his nostrils. He could almost taste the dagger pierce him from Alice's direction. Calvin opened his mo-
"The ramblings of an insane fool or liar." Damon declared harshly, clicking his fingers, "Not even the legendaries have talked about these Guardians, and you expect us to believe that he knew them personally?"
Sam bared his teeth, unable to hold back his anger. "That guy was stupidly powerful! We're lucky to beat him! You have to believe us!"
The Greninja's eyes went dark, "And I say again, where is your proof? An inanimate obelisk? The eyewitness report of a panicking, injured sailor?" He began to pace the side of the room. "This is mere fantasy."
"For fucks sake." Calvin growled, "You've changed your tone on how dangerous this guy was."
"I don't deny it's power." Damon countered, "But I won't entertain this story. More likely this 'Kain' was just a ghost – a powerful ghost granted – who happened to possess a missing rescuer and used an old ruin he found as part of some twisted game."
"The obelisk flashed an image of Volcanion." Alice hissed, speaking up for the first time since Sam entered, "Shouldn't that concern you?"
"A mythical who has recently emerged? Likely another part of this ghost's story to make it seem more relevant."
Alice's jaw visibly clenched, whilst across the way, Calvin looked about ready to spit a fireball at him. Rex merely narrowed his eyes.
Sam grinded his teeth, Fucking hell Damon… he thought to himself, seething at the Representative's nonsense. He turned towards Rex, "Guildmaster, you have to believe us!"
"I do." Rex replied, barely glancing back. "Especially given recent events."
Damon finally uncrossed his arms, leaning on Rex's couch, "The matter is dealt with. It is time. To move. On."
"Even if you're right." Calvin barked, "It's not over."
"As far as I'm concerned, it is!"
Sam's mind raced, trying to think of anything to try and convince Damon of the truth. How dangerous Kain was, it can't have been over just like that! He sprang to his feet, "What about Zeke?!" he shouted, "Maybe he caught something from Kain!"
Damon huffed in reply, "I doubt he'll offer anything worthwhile."
"You'll be surprised how resilient our rescuers are." Rex replied coldly. "Sam and Alice here are proof of that."
What little warmth Sam felt in his chest was quickly suppressed when Damon glared at the Blaziken, "An exception. I've seen little proof otherwise."
Rex slowly rose to his feet, eyes flashing red as he stared down the water-type. "You might want to watch what you say." He growled, jaw tight. "More than a few might take offense at that."
Sam's breath fluttered, his full attention focused on the two.
The bang that rang out made him flinch.
All eyes snapped towards the door, where Esper now stood at the threshold, a calm, unfazed look on her face. "Apologies for interrupting." She said, "But Zeke would like to speak to you."
Alice blinked, "That's sudden."
"I thought he was locked in isolation." Calvin said, a blank look on his face.
"He was." Esper confirmed, "He insisted he couldn't wait."
Damon narrowed his gaze, but the Meowstic beat him to the punch. "And before you asked, I personally looked into his mind. The presence that was there is gone. He isn't a threat."
Softly sighing – in a manner that suggested to Sam that the Guildmaster was glad for her arrival- Rex nodded at her. "Very well. Bring him in."
Esper pushed the door further open, allowing the Electrike to shuffle in. His legs were chained together, and a strange silver collar was fitted to his neck. "Don't worry." The deputy said, "He can't use his attacks."
"I don't want to use them." Zeke said quietly, positioning himself in front of the assembled Pokémon. Rex sat more upright, directing his attention towards the canine.
"Zeke… are you-"
"No." Zeke interrupted the Guildmaster, "I'm not alright. But I need to tell you what I saw."
Sam tilted his head, finding himself suddenly intrigued. "Like what?"
Zeke actually turned his gaze away from Sam, seeming to shrink in the presence of the Scorbunny. Sam couldn't help but feel numb as the Electrike continued, "I… I think I could read his mind."
"A psychic link." Esper uttered with brightening eyes.
Calvin flashed a smirk at Damon, "Sounds like you've spoken too soon."
The Greninja merely huffed in reply as Rex leaned Zeke's way. "Please Zeke, continue."
"I didn't see much." Zeke admitted with a sigh, "I was barely… l-look. All I saw were these images of some kind of ruin."
"Like at Waterfall Mountain?"
There was a moment of hesitation, "Similar but… different. Kain… he planned to get there."
Another ruin? Sam thought to himself, Why would Kain want to visit it? An artifact? More knowledge? It has to be a Guardian thing again, I'm sure of it.
"That does little to further explain the ghost's agenda." Damon said.
Zeke didn't seem fazed at that. "I… I think I know where it is."
A faint crack rang out in the room.
Well shit!
"W-Where then?" Sam asked, his mind buzzing. "On the island?"
"N-No." Zeke replied, finally directing his gaze towards Rex, "Can I look at a map?"
Alice reached over the side of the sofa, "I've got my map, here." She laid it out across the table in the middle, on the side showing the wider region of the Sea of Wonders. It showed a large island to the west side of the map, along with a cluster of smaller landmasses towards the east. Most of them were unmapped. From what he had heard, most of the smaller islands hadn't been fully explored.
Zeke shuffled forward, his eyes scanning the surface. "There." He pointed a paw towards some of the smaller northeastern islands. "It's one of those."
"Are you sure?" Rex asked, leaning forward to inspect the set of islands, roughly five of them clustered together.
He nodded, "They look a bit different… but yes… I'm sure of it."
Sam frowned, trying to inspect the details of the little islands. But they appeared only as little blobs. "How would he even get out there…" he uttered, not really intending the question to be answered as he lifted his head up towards Rex. "Any idea what's there?"
"We don't know." Rex admitted, "The best we have is just observations from offshore."
Ideal place to hide something… Sam figured as he spoke again, "Rex, this had to be important to Kain. We have to go and check it out!"
"I concur." Esper replied, "The fact that Zeke found this out just highlights it's significance."
"And maybe we'll find out more about what was going on with this place." Alice admitted with a shrug.
Damon grunted, "This is absurd. This outpost cannot fulfil all of it's requirements and search these islands at the same time. All on the word of one troubled Pokémon." He waved his hand dismissively at Zeke.
The Electrike's head slumped down in shame, and Sam couldn't help but glare at the Greninja, "How abo-"
Alice's elbow shunted him hard of the ribs, cutting off his words. The Buneary stared at him harshly, her coiled ear twitching. Damn it Alice…
Calvin's lips tightened, "It is quite a reach Rex." He advised.
Rex's claws moved to scratch his beak, only to stop short, his eyes brightening enough that the Guildmaster had suddenly become younger, "Remind me Esper, where have we been monitoring pirate activities?"
Esper recoiled in surprise, but then, just as quickly, a faint smile formed. "On the east side, especially towards the northeast."
Rex returned his own smile, "I believe the saying is our course is set."
"Very well. I'll send the word out to the dockmaster immediately." Esper warmly replied, turning and walking out of the room.
Wait a second… is Rex thinking of-?
"What are you plotting Guildmaster?" Damon coldly questioned.
"Fulfilling our requirements." Rex replied, "One of which is dealing with criminals, including any pirates who happen to be within our waters. And whilst the Guild is out in the field, we can do some survey work on those islands."
Sam's heart soared as started realising what was happening, even more so as Alice stuttered next to him, "Your planning…"
"Yes." admitted the Blaziken with a deeper smile, "You two best get yourselves ready. We'll be going on an expedition."
Hell yeah! We can cover both bases like this! Sam exclaimed internally, resisting the urge to fist pump.
And he had to fight his own smirk as Damon visibly shook to one side, "I struggle to…", he cut his words short with a hiss, as if realising he could talk his way out of this one.
"Sounds like a brilliant plan Rex." Calvin replied with a toothy grin, "You don't mind if I tag along?"
Damon spun on him, "You'd give up your responsibilities?"
"Consider it one part of the job." The Charizard grunted, "You and the others can still check over the town, whilst I can see the Guild in action."
He winked at the Blaziken, "Just like old times."
"I'd be delighted Calvin." Rex replied warmly.
Damon meanwhile sighed, "I will inform the other representatives of your decision."
As the Greninja left the room, Rex turned towards Sam and Alice, "Take the time you need to sort anything out." He advised firmly, eyes flicking between the two, "We could depart as early as tomorrow morning."
"You got it Rex." Sam replied, rising to his feet and moving for the door and sensing Alice moving to do the same, feeling a new warmth flow through his chest at the new possibility ahead.
Neither noticed Rex's focus directly on them, beak closed tight. He started to reach back out, only for his eyes to flick towards Zeke, the canine's head still bowed towards the ground, no doubt knowing what state he was in. When he turned to look at Team Audacity again, the door was already swinging shut.
His beak hanging open, Rex clicked it shut and turned towards the Electrike again. "Zeke… do you feel up for talking?" he asked.
You caught a brief flutter of his thoughts, I just have to hope Sam and Alice are mature enough to work though their issues. Zeke is much more in need of help now.
"I can offer an ear too." Calvin offered, his own features softening.
Zeke shivered, his eyes finally drifting back up towards them, tears starting to form again. "I… I'd like that…"
Twenty-Six Hours Later
There were two things Sam was processing as he walked through the wooden gates. Firstly, how consistently amazed he was at Robinwood mobilising itself with such speed, even in the face of preparing a long expedition to distant islands.
The second was how big the port itself was.
The port was a fenced-off area a few miles away from Robinwood proper, nestled within a well-sheltered bay. Several wooden and stone warehouses were scattered all around him, with dozens of Pokémon scurrying between them, carrying supplies to head back towards Robinswood or towards the water itself.
Off to one side though, Sam could see the darkened shell of one warehouse, scaffolding erected around it as a small team of Timburr worked on repairing and reinforcing the structure. The victim of Aidan's fire attack on the docks.
Sam ducked and weaved through the crowd, his satchel tightly secured around his red jacket. The Scorbunny had elected to bring as much as he could in terms of his own gear. Fruits, some left over potions from Waterfall Mountain and… well, two things he had recovered from Broken Wood apart from his jacket and goggles.
He flipped open the satchel to see the blue Guardian armband within it, its white striped tear and cross embroidered on the surface. If they found a Guardian ruin on the islands, better to bring something bearing its symbol just in case.
Tucked in at the very bottom of the bag however was a small, metallic red cup, its only other distinguishing feature being a white circle on the side. It was another item he had recovered from the dead Mystery Dungeon. Much like the armband, he hadn't shown it to anyone, but the cup itself was even more of a mystery to the Scorbunny. He found no reference to it in any materials. So what was it doing all wrapped up in a chest within Broken Wood was beyond him. But again, he had a feeling it would come in handy.
Sam cleared the bulk of the crowd, and found himself walking onto a wooden jetty, where the ships themselves finally appeared. Seven ships were tied up alongside a set of piers running into deeper waters. Four of them seemed to be fairly small, with a single mast and flashing a small red and white flag striped flag behind them. Alongside them was a larger, double-decked, double-masted ship with the same flag. Sam had to guess they were Robinwood's vessels.
The other two sported different flags, a grey flag fluttered on another, more battered-looking two-masted ship. Whilst at the other end of the port was a gigantic three-masted ship, a large blue flag waving from the stern, with two visible decks, on par with the two-masted ships, though she was considerably bulkier in comparison. Sam hazarded a guess that it must have been the ship that the representatives arrived on. A Water Continent ship maybe if the flag was any indication.
"Hey Sam! Over here!" came the big boom, enough that Sam and several other Pokémon dropped their heads in shock.
In the direction of the red-flagged ships, Nia was bouncing up and down on the spot, waving for Sam's attention. Pokémon were moving up and down gangways leading on board three of the ships, including the larger one of the set. Sam bared his teeth, "Volume Nia!"
The Noibat froze, her gaze snapping from left to right as a few of the dockworkers glared at her. "Sorry!" she whispered, a little too loudly.
Sam jogged over to join her, "You guys got called up too?" he called out as he approached. It only became apparent until a few hours ago that not all the Guild could join the expedition. They could only get so many onboard the ships at once and others were needed to protect Robinswood. It boiled down to choice, skill or just having the luck of the draw.
"We did!" Nia exclaimed with a massive grin, "Edward and Denver too. It's about time we all got back together again!"
The brief thought of Alice crossed his mind.
"Yeah…" Sam replied, "You can say that."
The two started walking towards the trio of ships being prepared, their names now becoming visible on their sterns. The two smaller ships donned the names Penguin and Crow. The larger vessel meanwhile was christened the Red Kite. At least, it seemed to be named that because of the red stripes that ran along it's hull, making her look in far better condition compared to the grey-flagged ship. "And on an expedition too!" Nia cheered, "On ships! We're going somewhere no one has been able to map yet!"
Sam eyed the Red Kite in particular; besides the red stripes, the vessel had been painted a warm, dark brown and it's sails were also dyed in a more reddish brown. At the front of the Kite itself, the figurehead resembled an angular-looking bird of prey. What species he didn't recognise, given the stylised form it had.
It seemed like a damn fine vessel either way, the Guild must have been lucky to have it.
"Should be quite the adventure for sure." Sam said with a small grin.
"You can count on that!" Nia said, "We're going to be on the Kite for the trip out!"
The Scorbunny felt a little bit more energised at that, "Should be comfortable at least."
In truth, he wasn't sure if was going to be seasick or not.
"Come on, we better get aboard!" Nia said, "Bruce and the others are already picking bunks- wait a second, where's Alice?"
"Wait up."
As Sam took one step onto the gangway, he turned to find Alice jogging towards them, her own satchel bouncing by her side. "Could have waited." She said with a bit of venom in her tone.
Nia quickly rubbed her face, blinking all the while. "I thought you two were coming together?"
"Not something we do everyday." Sam replied coldly, not feeling in the mood still to talk to the Buneary. She was still hostile towards him, and still feeling a spike of pain in his chest at her own rants at him, he wasn't ready to talk to her either. He turned to carry on up the gangway.
That was when he felt her hand clamp down on his shoulder. "How about you cut the damn attitude?" Alice snapped.
Growling, Sam shook her hand loose and spun round at her, "My attitude?" He questioned, "How about you start working on fixing yours before telling me about mine!"
Nia had frozen on the spot, eyes snapping between them.
Rolling her head sharply, Alice's teeth grinded together, "You're the one who can't control yourself! Did you realise how far off the rails you've been going!?"
Sam couldn't stop himself, heat flushing through him, "Maybe if you acted less like a rotten bitch and tried to think about others more, you'd understand better!"
Deep inside the Scorbunny, he felt like had suddenly stabbed himself in the gut. Or, rather, wanted to do so. Alice backed up an inch, a hiss of breath escaping her mouth. But then she recovered, glaring back at him.
"Maybe this is just what you are. A liar and cunt who thinks he's important enough to try and dictate what others should do. No wonder Aidan took a shining for you."
Anger rushed back through the Scorbunny again, with Sam stomping one foot forward and down hard enough that a brief spark flashed from beneath it. He could feel this sudden urge to lunge forward, and it took every ounce of his strength not to lash out at her.
Nia's wings snapped forward, the little bat managing to squeeze between the two. "P-Please guys! Can you two just make up?!"
Sam and Alice didn't respond, their burning gazes focused on each other.
When Alice finally spoke, her voice was cold.
"Long enough to get through this." She said, "Then I'm done."
Nia's eyes went wide with alarm, "N-No!" she exclaimed, "You two h-"
"One more time." Sam interrupted, unable to contain the venom in his tone.
He felt a hollow mass reluctantly fade away, as some form of understanding settled between the two rabbits. They shared a nod, and Sam stepped aside, allowing Alice to stride past and ascend the gangway. Nia started to protest, and biting his tongue, Sam silently held up a finger.
Nia clamped her mouth shut.
"Don't ask about it." he quietly urged her, before turning and marching up to board the Red Kite.
Nia watched the two rabbits go, shaking softly on the spot until the two vanished from sight. Only then did Sam and Alice vanished from view did she seem to steady herself, a new-found look. An alert, determined look. With a beat of her wings, she took to the air, flying for the Kite herself.
None of the trio saw a certain Charizard watching them from a distance, his eyes narrowing before he himself began to move…
Rex strolled into the harbour, making a deliberate effort to control his pace, "I understand it wasn't easy for you to ease the concerns of the other representatives." he said.
"It wasn't a problem."
The Mawile, Mary, walked alongside Rex almost casually, "Brooks was ecstatic at the pirate hunt. Triss took more convincing, but we've developed a good working relationship over the years, so she heard me out."
The pair now strode onto the pier leading towards the three Robinwood ships preparing for departure. As they did, Mary's expression hardened, "I am worried about you leading the expedition." She said, "There aren't many who can handle running the guild whilst you are away."
Rex placed his hands behind his back, "I would normally agree, but after the incident with Waterfall Mountain, I can't leave this expedition to chance."
"Water Continent's neutrality offers me a lot of weight in easing disputes, but Damon has much more influence." Mary warned, "Without Calvin or you to counterbalance him, I doubt Brooks will be able to resist anything he pushes for, and…"
She hesitated.
"You don't have to tell me." Rex reassured her.
"No, you should know." Mary countered, "Triss is worried that Sand trying to exert more influence in Mist. Grass may be a junior partner to Air, but at least it's still mutual partnership. Triss only has so much pull in trying to keep things equal between their two states, she may well be forced to follow suit with Damon."
The guildmaster's frown deepened, "Why are you telling me this?"
Mary flicked her gaze away for a moment, "Water's leadership believes in trying to maintain the peace, and a multinational approach to the Sea of Wonders is critical to that. If any continent asserts itself as the main entity here, it'll upset balance of power. Grass, Mist or even Water would be bad enough. But if Sand or Air gains the Sea? It'll trigger a massive escalation, and it'll drag all continents into conflict including Water."
Rex stiffened at the words, unwilling to imagine the hell that would unfold. "And… what do you believe?"
"Just in peace." She admitted softly, "Which is why I still feel that you are needed here."
Good thing I have a contingency for that.
Rex raised a brow, "Which is why I'll be leaving someone I closely trust to run the Guild in my absence."
"I can't run-" Mary paused, only for a small smile to form, "Esper." She realised, "But is she ready?"
"She nearly half runs the Guild as it is." Rex replied, "And she has the rest of Team Spirit to help her. Besides, they deserve the break."
They stopped at the bottom of the gangway leading upto the Red Kite, the Blaziken crouching down to the Mawille's level, "Can I trust you to support her?"
"As a representative, I can't influence Robinwood's internal affairs without the others." Mary admitted quietly, before giving a careful nod, "But as her friend, absolutely."
The two bowed their heads at each other respectfully, "We won't be long." Rex said, "Take care Mary."
With that, the Blaziken climbed aboard the vessel.
Whistles were blown as the gangways were pulled aboard and the lines were cast off. Larger Aquatic Pokémon, consisting of a squadron of Sharpedos and a few massive Gryandos took hold of other ropes and worked as tugs, pulling the expedition ships away from the piers and towards open water.
Only when they released their grip did the three ships unfurl their sails. The Penguin and the Crow released brilliant white sails, standing in stark contrast to the Red Kite's red ones. With the wind at their backs, the fleet accelerated, headed towards the east.
Sam leaned against the railing at the stern of the Red Kite, his eyes fixed on the slowly shrinking landmass of the island he was leaving.
The only one he had ever known.
I'm doing this for the right reasons. Sam thought, We gotta follow all the leads we can. The disasters, Kain, Broken Wood, the Guardians… me…
He looked down at the Guardian armband within his hands, the white symbol shining brightly under the sun. And yet…
With a sense of hollowness at his core, Sam turned to his side, only to find the familiar shape he had subconsciously been looking for wasn't there.
I've… I've never felt so alone.
Author's Note: And so, we conclude what is essentially the first half of Episode 2 of Guardians of Balance. I hope you guys enjoy this!
I'm hoping to try and make future chapters a little bit shorter, both to allow for quicker posts and to make it easier to work on edits.
And this is the perfect stop over point, potentially, before the start of Mercenaries of Dawn, hence the shorter chapters will be a big help for writing both fan-fics. My question now of course, is what are you readers more interested in right now? The continuation of the GoB story with Chapter 2.11 as the team heads in the direction of pirates? Or the first chapter of MoD?
Either way, GoB will still continue, and GoB and MoD will alternate chapters accordingly once GoB starts off, with MoD occassionly getting breaks whilst GoB gets to the relevent plot points. Let me know what you fancy.