EPISODE II – DARK, WONDEROUS PAST
CHAPTER XVI – UNDERSTANDING
Come the fu- Sam rolled aside as the shell slammed into the ground he just was. -ck on! Not again!
He managed to spring back up to his feet as the Tapu's icy eyes locked onto him. A clang rang out as a wooden gate slammed shut over the entrance.
There was no way out.
Electric bolts flickered around the Tapu, charging another attack. Heart pounding, Sam leapt aside as another flash of energy scorched the ground. He didn't even get a chance to catch his breath as another bolt came flying past him, forcing the Scorbunny on the defensive. Shock after shock forced him to evade, some searing his fur as they came far too close.
Sam was still in mid-air as the Tapu blinked across the chamber. Something yanked the fur of the fire-type's chest and Sam gasped as he was hefted above the enemy Pokémon, stuck in it's grasp. "You are fast." The Tapu stated, almost casually as Sam wildly kicked his legs, "But how hard can you hit!?"
He couldn't snap a reply before his face scraped across the wooden floor. Groaning, Sam looked over his shoulder to find the Tapu staring at him, the shell slamming shut and open as if egging him on.
Baring his teeth, Sam ignored the pain running across his face and sprung up. He needed to take his chance now before the Tapu tried zapping him again!
"Alright! Try this!" He bellowed and scraping his foot, Sam shot off a fireball. The Tapu didn't try to dodge, instead, the shell slammed shut and the attack splattered against it with a dull thump, leaving only smoke in it wake. Can't stay shut forever!
With a growl, Sam fired off another trio of Embers, each one hitting it's target. Yet there wasn't a response, each fireball not even leaving a mark on the shell. On the fifth Ember, the shell blinked to aside, the fire ball sailing past. The shell opened back up, and Sam tried another fire attack, only for the Tapu's slim form to dodge it easily.
This wasn't working, he needed another strategy and quick!
He willed the Quick Attack to surge him forward, rapidly closing the ga-
The Tapu blinked out of existence, and Sam could only gasp as he flew through empty air. Another Quick Attack!?
As he touched down, Sam spun to find the Tapu standing behind him, the icy eyes still focused on him. "Speed alone will not save you."
Heat surged from Sam's chest to his limbs and his vision briefly flashed red. Sam snarled as he leapt back at the Tapu, whipping his fist forward at the target.
That was when his punch burst into flames, the attack rushing straight for the face. Instantly, part of the shell snapped round to counter it.
The fiery attack struck with a boom, the Tapu faintly grunting as Sam felt the impromptu shield give slightly under his fist. He blinked, his eyes finally settling on his hand, still on fire. And yet, he felt no pain.
F-Fire Punch!?
From beyond the shell-shield, the eyes of the Tapu glowed brighter.
"Impressive. And now!"
The other shell half glowed bright yellow, and before Sam could even try springing away, it had sailed into his gut. He cried out as he was flung into the air. He could barely catch a flash of orange as the enemy blinked above him, grabbed his legs, and casually tossed him back into the ground. His back cracked as he hit the floor, all the strength suddenly fading from him. Weakly, he tried to get back up-
The Discharge burned into him hotter than any fire, Sam could only scream as the electricity surged through him, his body spasming beyond his control as a million sets of teeth sank into him.
He wheezed as the attack ceased, groaning as he weakly got to his knees. "Pain can be both a barrier and an ally." The Tapu continued, it's shadow forming over him, "But how will you use it? Surely you have far more to give dark one!"
Another Discharge struck Sam hard, nearly biting his tongue as he tried to contain his agonised scream.
"I ask you." The Tapu said as the attack stopped again, "How can you protect this world? Your friends? If you can't even defend yourself?"
As the discharge impacted him once more, Sam felt a familiar, dark pulse run through him.
Zech Vo. Tenari Ulay…
And this time, he didn't wait, willing the power to surge through him. Howling, Sam slowly rose to his feet, the air darkening around him, pushing the power of the electricity away.
"The Dark Power!" The Tapu declared with a surprised cheer.
Sam didn't care, as with a final pained roar, the red aura flashed into existence around him.
"At last!" The Tapu cried.
Dark flames ignited around Sam's paw as it slammed into the Tapu's gut, the larger Pokémon buckling around his attack with a gasp, cutting off the Discharge. Grabbing them with an iron grip, Sam spun round and threw the Tapu across the chamber. As the Tapu barrelled head over heels and got back upright, the Scorbunny pounced forward, the dark Fire Punch intensifying, ready to put this bastard down in the gr-
The dark red fist slammed against the sparkling yellow shield with an almighty boom, sending a wobble running through Sam's arm. That's not going to stop me b-
"Cease, Sam! I yield!"
H-Huh?
Blinking, he found the Tapu looking back at him from behind the shell. Their eyes had ceased glowing, and they appeared a slightly warmer blue. "Congratulations. You passed."
Sam's feet faintly touched the floor. He felt confusion flutter through him, the dark energy seeming more erratic around his arm. Anger retreated from his mind, and in it's place, the memory of the Tapu's first words came back to him. 'To test you!'.
They… they were just…
His body shaking, Sam took a deep breath, trying to calm that dark energy down. His chest clenched, as if the power was refusing to back down. Squeezing his eyes closed, he mentally pushed back, commanding the power to withdraw.
With one final clench of resistance, it faded away, leaving Sam wobbling on the spot. His knees buckled, and Sam began to fall forward, only for something to grasp his shoulders. His eyes fluttered open to find the Tapu had caught him and slowly lifted the smaller fire type back to his feet.
Sam planted his feet into the floor, feeling some strength return to his legs as he looked up towards the Tapu. "You… you were testing me?"
"I was." They replied as something rattled behind him.
"-get out of the fucking way, or I'll shove this ear right up… your…"
Behind him, the gate rose back up, he found Alice and Odessa standing in the first chamber, the former's ear coated in ice. "S-Sam!" she barked as she bounced forward, eyes widening, "You're…"
"I-I'm fine." Sam panted, raising a hand to reassure her. "Just another mad moment."
"Bullshit." Alice hissed as she checked him over, then glared at the Tapu. "What the hell did you do to him?!"
"Forgive me Tapu Koko." Odessa said nervously as she walked into the chamber behind them, "If I had known you would have tried this, I could have-"
The Tapu – Koko – shook their head in response to Odessa's words, "It is fine Odessa. I intended to surprise Sam." They then directed their attention towards the Buneary. "I am sorry for the deception, but I needed to be sure of who Sam was."
Tapu Koko's eyes lay upon Sam. "Human."
Aches vanishing, Sam instinctively took a step back, W-What the fuck!? How? Alice's ears had coiled in, ready to strike.
"Don't fear." Koko said casually with a bow of their head. "If I wanted you dead, I could have done so at any time."
That didn't do much to ease Sam's concern, his ears erect as spikes as he stepped back forward. "But how did you know?" he questioned coldly.
"All legendary and mythical Pokémon have the ability to sense the presence of humans." Tapu Koko explained, their arms - visibly attached to their shell – hanging at their side. "Most have a hard time doing so, and those that have honed that sense tend to not say anything as a private courtesy." His eyes narrowed slightly, "The fact that I am telling you this is an indicator how dire the situation is."
A Legendary? So this guy is like Volcanion? He felt a weight shift off his shoulders, At least he isn't trying to kill us.
"What? The pirates?" Alice asked harshly.
Koko shook their head, "They are not the only problem, especially given when they have been encroaching."
Encroaching? What? The village? Some tribal site? Unless…
One of Sam's ears dipped, "Do… do you mean the Guardians?"
Koko seemed to bob in the air more noticeably. "Yes."
Alice slackened in front of him, visibly taken aback. Sam couldn't help but recoil, questions pounding in his head like ping-pong balls. How did the Tapu know about the Guardians? Him being human? What the pirates were upto?
Realising he was starting to hyperventilate; he sharply shook his head to clear it. "T-Then that was one of the reasons why we came! We weren't just tracking down the pirates, but looking for Guardian ruins! We think they may be linked to these disasters around the world, plus a few other things."
"Being attacked by a ghost calling itself Kain being one." Alice added.
Sam didn't need eyes to see the surprise on Koko's face, as if they had seen a ghost. The expression along was enough to send a shiver running through the Scorbunny, "You… you know him?"
"I have heard of him by reputation. Deities like ourselves did not tend to interact with the Guardians of Balance."
"Guardians of Balance…" Alice murmured; eyes narrowed in thought. Sam didn't speak at first, trying to process the whole title. It was strange to think that they had a full title, even if he wasn't sure what it meant.
"What were they?" Sam asked, feeling his attention focus onto the legendary Pokémon.
The Tapu slowly turned away, floating across the chamber, "The Guardians were many things. An defending army. Illustrious scholars. Explorers of far-flung places. Saviors of those who cannot help themselves."
Sam frowned, That's a lot of jobs… actually sounds like…
His mouth nearly dropped open, "That's like the Guild!"
Alice jerked back at his statement, "Come again?"
"Think about it!" Sam replied, "Explorers is easy. Saviors? Sounds like Rescuers to me!"
It made sense. The Guild itself did all these things. It defended Robinswood, made a note to gather knowledge, explored the islands and rescued those who need it. The Guardians could have been a Guild all of it's own.
"In a sense, Sam is right, if under valuing who they were." Koko continued. "Especially around here."
"Hold up." Alice raised a hand to stop him, "Around here? But the islands have only been here for six years. How did the Guardians set up something a lot bigger than the Guild?"
The Tapu's next words bit into Sam hard.
"What makes you think the islands are that young?"
Sam felt a shiver run down his spine as the memory of the dream resurfaced, the ground cracking open as the castle was torn apart.
The island sinking.
His blood turned to ice. "They… they sunk…"
Koko's gaze narrowed, then he nodded. "Centuries ago, the Guardians were masters of the old continent. They were the protectors of many of the clans and tribes that had existed there, the Wela were one of them, if somewhat more autonomous. Peace and prosperity reigned. And the Guardians put down any threats to the people."
"What happened?" Sam quietly asked.
"I'm afraid I don't know much." Koko admitted with a tinge of sadness. "All I gleaned was that the continent and many of the islands sundered and sank beneath the waves. The few survivors did not say much, other than how there was a great rebellion…"
The Tapu froze in the air, "…started by one of their own."
Holy…
"They turned against each other?" Alice inquired with a twitch of her coiled ear.
"I don't know the reasons." Koko replied, "Save that one Guardian turned on the others and attempted to destroy them, and in the resulting battles, the continent broke apart."
That snapped Sam back to attention, "I've just realised… continent? I know the main island is pretty big, but it's still smaller than Sand even."
"I remember the earthquakes." Koko quietly replied, their voice now dark. "They could destroy a continent."
"And what continent was this?" Alice asked.
The Tapu and Chieftain shared a glance, before the former finally spoke.
"Fire Continent."
Sam couldn't shake off the sudden hollow feeling with him, an ear dipping. Fire Continent…
"Our islands were spared along with a handful of others." Odessa added, standing more distantly to one side, "But many others were washed away too."
"The few Guardians that remained stayed only for a short while. We never saw or heard from them again."
The revelation, even as basic as it was, something that still shook Sam to his core. The Guardians were far from a myth… and yet they tore each other apart. Was Kain responsible for turning that Guardian? Or was he someone else?
"Wait." Alice continued, "If you knew the Guardians, how old are you?"
"6,259 years." Koko stated without even hesitating. "Minimum."
Sam blinked, scanning the whole body of the Tapu, finding not even one scuff there. "Geez, you looking good!"
The Scorbunny grimaced at his own words, even when Koko merely shrugged at them. "Let us move on." They continued, "The pirates are not only threatening the tribes that entities such as myself are sworn to protect, it is the relics that are of great concern as well."
"Relics?" Sam questioned.
The Tapu rolled their shoulders. "The Guardians once had an agreement with the tribes of these islands to set up outposts, including the Temples here. Before they went into exile, they made sure to seal the few treasures and records they had left away inside."
"It is a secret shared only between the Tapus and Chieftains like myself." Odessa added, "Most of our people see them as sacred, but the truth is, we feared the damage that could be caused if the secrets within are released."
It didn't take much to connect the dots, "And let me guess." Sam said, "The pirates are trying to break the doors down."
"Exactly." Koko confirmed, "Even us Tapus don't know what was stored inside. But the Guardians possessed many secrets. If they left something dangerous inside those temples and the Pirates got their hands on them… the results would be catastrophic…"
Sam chewed his lip, finding the secrets of the Guardians suddenly seemed trivial at best and needless at worst. If there was some kind of weapon hidden in them, especially if Kain was searching for such a thing… he didn't want to think about what could happen.
"Then we need to stop the pirates." Sam uttered, "Like, even more than ever."
"We still need find the others." Alice stressed, giving him a thump in the side.
"I know." Sam stressed, rubbing one of his ears. "We've just a lot extra to worry about."
Koko floated towards them, "Then let me put it like this. We all want the pirates gone and to protect our people." They motioned with one of their shells, "Our goals are aligned. And I suspect if you want answers about the Guardians, or whatever you were looking for."
Sam spotted Alice's eyes narrow. "There's one thing I don't get." She said "You sound like you knew the Guardians. Like you were there. Why not just tell us about them entirely?"
Dang, Alice has a point. Sam realised, narrowing his own gaze.
The legendary tilted their head, "You are right."
Odessa's eyes widened as she turned towards the Tapu, her beak fluttering open before they spoke again, "But that is as much as I can tell any of you."
Sam felt a little growl rise from his throat, "And why the heck is that?". Hiding infom-what was even the point of that?
The Tapu didn't miss a beat, "The same vow I made to the last Master of the Guardians. Unless otherwise informed, I am honor-bound to keep knowledge of the Guardians a secret."
Oh for the love of-
"The Temples would be sealed for all, bar one and their companions." They tilted their head towards Sam, and the answer became all too painfully clear.
Sam took a step back, "M-Me?"
"Not by name. He requested to keep all temples, the Arcanum included, sealed until a Scorbunny not from this island arrived." The Tapu took in a breath, "I suspect that time is now."
Sam felt his gaze drift towards the ground, his hand shivering. H-How did they know I would be here? They'd have to be looking into the future! That shouldn't-
"I think it might have been… an arcanum?"
The Scorbunny stiffened as the word bounced around again in his head. "Wait, Arcanum. You know where that is?"
Alice, Odessa and Tapu Koko all looked over the Scorbunny, and in response, Sam could only rub the back of his head, "I kinda have a feeling that is gonna be the place we really need to worry about…"
"The Vengeful was not able to salvage the first schooner, but the crew were able to tow the second into the harbour. Axel is already starting to survey the ship."
Stood at the edge of a round table within the well-lit chamber, Blackaxe's form towered over her surroundings, her dark axes hanging at her sides. "What's his initial assessment?" she grunted.
Ezekyle stood to one side of the table, a clipboard and quill in paw, "The ship's internal structure is badly straining. She's repairable, but it would take a lot of work."
"Disassembly then?" Blackaxe inquired.
"Possibly, the wood is of good stock. Oak and teak from the Sea of Wonders, and some cedar from Air. It would aid in the repairs to Vengeful and Chance. There is the second river boat being worked on too."
Blackaxe seemed to chew on the thought, "Let Axel do his survey. Unless he finds a good reason why we should keep the ship, we'll break her up."
"Of course, my lady." Ezekyle said with a bow of his head.
"What about the crew?"
Opposite the two pirates stood the hulking form of Greg, the Swampert had his arms crossed as his gaze flicked between the two. "Some of 'em are part of the Guild. The others will be coming for them."
There was a slight glimmer in the pirate queen's eye, "Let them come. They won't be expecting the beacons or our defences."
Greg glowered across the room, "Those gems? Sounds like a con to me."
"They are authentic." Ezekyle replied. "You've seen how they've worked."
"Not against a lot of them."
Tapping the table with the tip of one axe, Blackaxe glared back at the pair, "It will work as long as it needs to. And if the guild comes, all the better. We'll make sure to roll out the carpet. And speaking of the guild…" she turned her gaze towards the Floatzel, "What of the prisoners?"
"We have gathered them all outside my lady." Ezekyle replied, "One of them is a fire-type."
"Then why isn't he dead?" Blackaxe growled, the air seeming to darken around her. "You know our policy."
"Indeed, but the captain claims he is famous."
Blackaxe leaned back, axes placed behind her back, "Is he now?"
"That is what he claims."
The pirate thought of this for a moment, before walking round the edge of the table. "Alright." Blackaxe stated, "I'll see them for myself."
With Blackaxe taking point, the trio made their way out of the chamber and towards the building's exit. The pirate queen shunted her way out into daylight, to the very same clearing she had revealed herself to the crew of the Daywalker. As she descended the steps, she scanned the assembled survivors from both the Penguin and the Crow were lined up before the building.
As Ezekyle and Greg kept their distance, the pirate queen paced the assembled mons, observing their flicker with a mixture of fear, worry, confusion and defiance as she gave her speech about their circumstances. She did want to give the crews, those strong enough to survive anyway, the chance to join the ranks of Libertalia. But she did knew some would try and break free regardless, and when that happened… well, the price would be high. She had little time for weak links.
Soon, her pirates started escorting the crews away. But with a swift movement, she swept an axe towards the one clustered group of prisoners. "Except them."
The group was forced back to their knees before the giant pirate. Amongst them were a Noibat and a Morpeko who were visibly close together, a bruised Skiddo… and held down by two pirates, locked up in chains and with a muzzle round his jaws, an injured Charizard.
Nia stared up at the Kleavor, her eyes wide, "W-What do you want from us?"
Blackaxe merely narrowed her eyes, "Information from you three." She waved an axe blade towards the three Rookies. "I know the rest of your Guild isn't far from here, I want to know more about them."
Edward winced as he tried to look up at her, "We won't give up anything."
"Maybe you won't." Blackaxe admitted with a grunt, "We do have… methods if you aren't feeling co-operative."
She turned towards the chained Calvin, the fire-type glaring at her from underneath the muzzle. "Now you" Blackaxe continued, "are most interesting. You might not know this, but we've met once before."
The Charizard stiffened, an eye narrowing as the Kleavor leaned forward. "Before you and your friends were Team ACT. I had to deal with a certain acquaintance of yours."
Unable to speak, Calvin's narrowed eye sharply widened.
"Now you understand." Blackaxe stated with a gravelly tone, her axe tapping the ground and where eyes glowing yellow. "I want to know all about him…"
Kaliani hissed as she stumbled through the undergrowth, her muscles straining as she struggled to pull her left wing away from her body. Not from injury, but from the sheer amount of gunk and webbing that was stuck across her flank. That was twice now that the seamon had been shot down in the last few weeks. At least she got to walk away with a bumpy landing in the trees as she attempted to get clear of the Penguin when Calvin ordered the remaining crew to try and flee. She was battered, bruised and cut in places, but she was alive and awake.
Lolo! Why did I have to fly so high! I was a sitting duck!
With her beak, she shoved another big green leaf out of the way and into a narrow clearing. A slim stream ran from left to right, not even past her feet in height. Her throat burned as she stared at the water. She hadn't drank anything since she touched down a few hours ago, and the water seemed clean enough. Maybe… maybe just one sip…
Something rustled from the other side. The Trumbeak's head snapped up.
Standing on the otherside of the stream, amongst leafy ferns was the very familiar form of Zeke, his eyes wide with shock and alarm.
Kaliani couldn't stop the gasp escaping from her mouth as she stumbled back…
Author's Note: And so, this took far too long to complete, but the next chapter is finally out. I was going to get it out sooner, but IRL stuff, following up with several creative projects ranging from other art, following up with novel stuff as well as looking at creating a combat system for a roleplaying game. Then my laptop nearly ended up breaking apart in my hands so that took some of the wind out of my sails. And that's before having a few personal bumps in the road.
Nevertheless, this is a bit of a slower chapter, but it does include some details I've been wanting to let out for a while. So I hope you all enjoy this chapter.