A/N: A few edits have been made in the previous part due to some continuity errors.
- Special Episode: Adhered to a Promise (Part 2) -
Shuffle… shuffle… shuffle… shuffle…
Gravel scraped against steel—a sound grating to the ears with every shift and turn. Bladed flippers pushed and shoveled through the blistering hot sands, some loose gravel knocked back by what seemed to be nothing more than a light push.
(What am I doing…?)
Shuffle… shuffle… shuffle… shuffle…
(In the middle of the day…I find myself out here…)
Shuffle… shuffle… shuffle… shuffle…
A small kick, and Tenacious picked up speed. It was never a pleasant experience to slide across the scorching desert grounds, but walking wasn't going to get him where he needed to be fast enough.
He always despised the desert sands, how the texture felt so grainy and rough when compared to snow. He had to keep moving so as not to sink into it.
Although, perhaps being swallowed by the scorching sands was a far better fate than what awaited him…whatever awaited him.
With a shake of a head and an agitated caw, the senior Empoleon kicked himself forward. He flew from atop a hill and landed stomach-first below, skiing through the desert like a bullet seed. A cloud spewed behind him as a dusty trail, thicker with every sharp turn he took.
A shadow swept past him, a shadow he recognized. Of course it was a foolish thought—it would be impossible for him to go alone. He left quietly, and he was still spotted by the sharpest eyes the corporation could ask for.
And of course, there was the unmistakable sound of sand crushed between rapid feet. A large and bright body followed him close behind—the quickest legs the corporation could ask for.
He didn't dismiss them. It would be pointless to shove them away. Instead, he kept going, with his mind fixed on the dread that ate him alive.
(I have this feeling of constant anxiety that refuses to ebb away…)
(My instincts are trying to tell me something… Something is wrong…terribly wrong…)
(…and I must lure it as far from the corporation as possible!)
His flippers were in constant work to propel his body forward. Where he needed to go, it didn't matter, as long as it was far from where he started.
The sharp slide slowed to a shuffle. His motion came to a stop, and he rose to his feet. After he shook the sand that clung to his body, he took a quick glance around. The scenery, as expected, looked identical as it did when he left. That was how Wayward Dessert was.
A mystery dungeon was nearby, but he had no need to head to it. He was far enough…yes. Far, far away from where the corporation was hidden. It was all that mattered.
As Tenacious climbed up a hill, his eyes were fixed past the dried shrubs that coated the rocky landscape. The relentless heat of the sun against his body was something he learned to endure a long time ago. The slippery sand between his webbed feet were nothing more than an afterthought. They shifted as gravel rolled down the hill.
He could see just about everything from the peak.
(It's at its strongest here.)
He felt it a hundred times, and not once did his instincts ever betrayed him. It was the sensation that coursed through one's being when they stood at the edge of the cliff. They were the chills that consumed one's body when they plunged in arctic-cold waters. It was plummet their heart took when a large carnivore charged with fangs and claws. The mind ran in a panicked circuit. It was the maddening spiral that claimed those with a weaker will.
(Something terrible is going to happen here.)
The digits of his flippers reached for the lopsided scarf around his neck. He leaned his head back to avoid the cold steel. A few nervous tugs adjusted the fabric. A fourth was for comfort.
(How long must this madness go on…?)
He thought about Zypher, and Chessie, and their cursed child.
He thought about Wyrdeer. Was the silver buck still alive…?
He thought about the Slowbro prince. Was he involved in some way? Was The Central King involved…?
Or perhaps…they had no idea. If that was the case, then why did the prince let Tenacious go…?
Why did—
The cry of a raptor followed by a heavy beat of wings drew Tenacious' attention to the sky. Valiant perched atop a tall cactus nearby, the needles pushed down by the scales of his talons.
"Dreadful day today, isn't it, Tenacious?" the old Braviary asked.
The very question made Tenacious feel as if he aged ten more years. Perhaps his heart would give out.
Heavy and rapid footfalls came to a skidding stop. A cloud of dirt blew past them, and a large bird walked out. Her tan body was coated with a heavy plume of feathers, supported by long, thick legs that refused to sink into the sands. With wings far too small to grant her flight, she tucked them away, having used them to keep her balanced in her top speed. She craned her long neck and shook the white fringe of feathers that covered her head.
Her own scarf—orange and yellow—was tied to the base of her frill tail. Her Retaliator badge, pinned to her chest, displayed the deep red of Hyper-rank. It made her blue eyes stand out amidst the sea of yellow and brown that surrounded her.
She was the youngest among them, almost a senior herself. Tenacious could recall when she was still a frill.
"Ah, you kept up well I see, Insight," Valiant praised her.
The ostrich—the "Espathra"—scoffed as she strutted closer to the pair. "You speak as if you are surprised."
"Oh, no! Not at all! I would be surprised if you haven't shown up!"
"Don't." Insight turned her gaze towards Tenacious. "What ails you?"
Tenacious opened his beak.
"And don't lie to me. What possible reason could you have left so suddenly during the hottest time of the day? You would rather be deep underground where the sun can't pester you. Something's on your mind, something that forced you to come out here…because it felt too dangerous to remain so close to the corporation…yes?"
She got her nickname for a reason. Tenacious could give her that.
"I trust your instincts. They are sharper than ours," Valiant said. "You would never do anything disconcerting without reason."
Tenacious tuned his gaze towards the ground. "Yes…the both of you are correct. Something…ghastly is upon us. It's been haunting me in my sleep."
It was no exaggeration. Every single time he closed his eyes, he would see the glowing yellow-green pair of eyes which burned deep in his soul. He would see the razor-sharp row of fangs grinning at his despair. It had been that way for years, and only recently it grew much worse.
Just last night, he had a vision of the very corporation being imploded by a massive swarm of The Sorcerer's forces. He could still hear the hundreds of agonizing cries, and the little voices that pleaded for mercy…
"You look as if you've seen a ghost." Valiant lost his smile, unable to keep the mood light.
Tenacious' gaze fell to his feet. The swarm of rapid thoughts flooded his head, all directed to one thing.
"I…have I made a mistake?" he asked no one.
The images spliced his mind.
The cave. The Wyrdeer. Quill… Chester… Needler… Pecan…
The tiny spiny-nut child. How the other children looked at it with horror or disgust. How the beastly mother clung on to it. The father…
Those yellow-green eyes…
"Two…fortnights…"
The deadline had long, long passed.
"Twenty-eight days…"
Tenacious felt the world spin. Those terrible eyes burned through his skull.
The sound of sand crushed beneath feet pulled him free. Insight walked to his side, puzzled. "Whatever do you mean?"
Tenacious pressed his beak together.
He was a coward…to let Zypher have his way.
"The…spiny-nut child…" he whispered.
"The what?"
What that hoofed beast said to him all those years ago… Zypher decided to run away instead of answering its call.
The prince Slowbro…approved of it. But why?
What could he possibly see in that cursed child?
Foresight could have controlled it, right there, if it suspected the spiny-nut was corrupted. Better question…why didn't Foresight take advantage of the fact that Chessie was undergoing her Corruption? Sorcerers were known to puppet Corrupted creatures…and yet…
"Tenacious?"
Zypher's other children likely resent him for his decision. His mate surely spiraled into madness by now. She was a mindless thing…it would be wise to put her out of her misery, but Zypher refused to see it.
He hadn't seen the Chesnaught since that night, and somehow, he still haunted him…
"Tenacious…?"
Could Tenacious consider himself to be a Retaliator for neglecting the one duty his very position allowed him to do? Did he deserve to be the queen's advisor, when he couldn't even bring himself to prevent a growing threat to prevail? The mere fact that he lived long enough to see his feathers turn gray was almost an insult.
Wisdom was bestowed to him by the queen who came before. He was granted the privilege of a new life—no longer did he have to worry about his next meal, or to dodge the ruthless jaws of the ball-roll beast. He learned to speak and read the language of Pokémon. Did he…deserve such a sacred title anymore?
All he had to do was finish the job. By not doing that, he might have brought—
"Empoleon!"
Tenacious jumped, and he glanced at the Espathra who could only stare at him.
"I have a question for you two," he started.
They both listened.
"What are the odds…that we would have to call our banners?"
Insight reeled back, as if she were hit by a stone. "I…I beg your pardon…?"
Valiant shook his head. "No. We can't have that. Why…why has such a terrible thought crossed your mind? Is it because of what happened to the Houndoom?"
Tenacious lowered his head. (No. That's not even close to the reason.)
"If The Sorcerers desired retaliation…as much as I hate to say it…we would be safe from their wrath. Their sights would fall upon The Central instead," Valiant said.
"The corporation has been careful about how we deal with those mages," Insight said. "A war would be catastrophic. Even they are aware of that, and would rather avoid it as much as we do."
Tenacious didn't know how to respond. Those statements were true…he knew they were. But the sickening feeling deep within the pit of his stomach…
"If you would like, I will do another quick round," Valiant said, parting his wings.
"And I'll see if I sense any hostility nearby," Insight added.
"Thank you…" were the words Tenacious managed to utter.
(But no. Something else…there is something else that bothers me…)
… … …
With Valiant scouting the skies, it did not bring Tenacious' worries to rest. He asked Insight to issue an order for five of the corporation's strongest teams to meet him at his location. (Of course, save the strongest team to remain within the corporation if anything were to happen.)
He instructed them to arrive stocked on wands and seeds, and plenty of elixirs to spare. Enough food to last the day would be a necessity, because they would be patrolling Wayward Dessert for the entire day.
There was the intimidation, the bone-vulture, the scarecrow, the mouse—such a spikey rodent, and several other desert-dwellers. There were the occasional topical or forest-dwellers that learned to tolerate the dry heat as Tenacious did, and they arrived in a timely manner, as they always have. Each and every one of them were in position, with the ground creatures hidden in the sands, and the birds perched on the eroding pillars. It was perhaps the greatest thing that came with being second-in-command. His words were the queen's word, and everyone would listen with little hesitation.
Of course, as always, Insight had to question his judgement.
"Is all of this truly necessary? You act as if you are searching for a reason to declare the act of war."
Tenacious opened his beak.
The terrible eyes crossed his vision once more.
"Two…fortnights…"
"Twenty-eight days…"
"A precaution, is what it's called," Tenacious told her, his voice almost betraying him. "And I am not seeking war. I am trying to prevent it."
Insight stomped a foot. "I understand your species tend to act foolheartedly when your pride is insulted, but this is ridiculous!"
(We are also known to cut the assailment in two,) he added mentality.
Instead, he said something else. "Someone once told me that it never hurts to be too careful. That is exactly what I am doing. If my instincts tell me that there is something amiss, then I will see to it."
"Instincts, instincts…that's all you former wilds ever talk about," Insight muttered. "But fine. Fine! I'll entertain this for a while. You best hope The Headmistress doesn't chew you out for it. I know that always hurts your pride the most."
(Would rather face her disappointment than the lifeless beneath my feet,) Tenacious also thought.
A heavy flutter of wings fell behind them. A large body landed, and strong talons sunk into the dry earth. Everyone glanced back, silently acknowledging the old Braviary.
"I've checked the perimeter twice," he said. "Nothing seems to be amiss, but you can never be too careful."
Insight scoffed and fluttered her short wings. She kicked sand towards them both before she walked away.
Valiant frowned. "Have I said something wrong?"
"You two waste so much time! Such paranoia!" she spat from a distance.
Valiant hopped over to Tenacious with a warily smile. "You can worry about The Headmistress later. I don't believe you are doing anything wrong here. Our Pokémon are more than ready to engage against any fool who believes they can surprise us. Not a single one omitted from the request I've asked of them. I trust you. They trust you."
Tenacious turned his attention to the flatlands ahead. (Would you trust me if you find out what I've done?)
With nothing else to say, Tenacious kept his gaze on the ubiquitous sand and stones that occupied the ground as far as the eyes could see. Heat radiated from the steel on his body the most—hot to the touch. It took four times until the frost he summoned to coat him managed to not melt off on contact.
When the minutes dragged on, and it was near the end of the second hour, Tenacious began to have doubts.
Perhaps Insight was right. Perhaps he was overthinking things. While the Pokémon he summoned wouldn't mind being on lookout for the entire day, he still felt the guilt of having dragged them out of their usual schedules. A Pokémon could be rescued right about now…
…?
Tenacious peered at the sky. Very little clouds were present there, but that wasn't what caught his eyes.
He squinted and searched. Nothing stood out from the clouds, and the torturous sun was as bright as ever—
A gleam.
Sunlight reflected from something.
"Craaaaw! Ground yourselves!" Tenacious cried in the silence. The Pokémon were startled. "The enemy has engaged!"
Tenacious threw a bladed flipper high in the air.
"Hold! Hoooooold!"
"Hoooold!" many voices merged as one. Pokémon readied their wands.
"Steeeea-dyyyyy!" Tenacious held his stance. His eyes darted as he searched for the slightest movement…for anything amiss. He thanked Groudon for the lack of clouds today…it would make the search a lot less daunting.
So he searched…
…and he searched…
…but not a single thing looked out of place.
He thought—no, he saw something shimmer there.
"Tenacious…" Valiant had his wings half parted and talons planted. His hardened gaze was also towards the sky. "Are you sure that you saw something?"
"I've fought in hundreds of battles in my lifetime, Valiant," Tenacious said. "My eyes have never deceived me once. I know what I saw."
"And I have fought dozens more," Valiant said.
Next to him, Insight reclaimed her position to Tenacious' side. "I do not sense any malice. Valiant has the sharpest eyes among us, and he has seen nothing. You have these Pokémon riled up for no good reason."
Tenacious had to swallow down the creeping cold that stabbed his throat. That bitter tone of hers was almost mocking… Mocking? His judgment? He knew what he saw…but no one believed him. To them, he looked like a fool sputtering nonsense.
(There is something up there. I've seen it! I've seen it with my own eyes!)
The sky…the shimmer was there…
But how could something possibly vanish like that…? It was impossible…unless…
Bold squinted again. The sun. Near the sun. His eyes despised it. It was foolish to look directly at the ball of fire…but…
Again. The light flickered, bigger that time.
He knew that shimmer.
It came from steel.
Just as his eyes burned and watered, he made out the diving shape that made his heart sink to his feet.
The raven.
Tenacious let out a squawk of alarm, and all eyes were on him. He pointed a flipper towards the sky again. "The raven descends upon us! She uses the cloak of the sun!"
Valiant looked again, and he staggered back. "Armora! It's Armora!"
"WHAT?!" Insight shot her head towards the sky.
It was unmistakable. The steely corvid was taking the most drastic dive any bird could ever make. Her red eyes were locked on the many Pokémon below. With her cover blown, she tucked her wings and snapped her beak open.
KRAAAAAAW!
Insight took a step back, a nervous whistle escaping her. "Impossible! I should have sensed her!"
"There she is!" the mouse cried as he readied his whirlwind wand.
The bone-vulture was ready to throw a talon-full of seeds. "She's here! The Corviknight is here!"
"Blasted avian!" cried the intimidation.
Tenacious slashed the air, a feral squawk escaping his beak. "I said steady! Hold your fire! Hoooooold!"
The raven was close. Her eyes did not leave him.
"Sir!" a voice cried out, desperate.
"Hoooooold!" Tenacious shut it down.
The shadow loomed over them. The steel-clad avian was several feet away, sharp talons aimed.
"Loose!"
"LOOSE!" several voices roared as one. Wands were flicked all at once. A thousand whirlwinds sent seeds flying.
The raven pushed herself back with a strong beat of her wings. Next to her, a seed burst into a flaming explosion that knocked her back. Another stunned her. A third behind her blew her forward. A forth struck her on the chest. A horrible cry escaped her beak.
A series of endless explosions rang out in the air, knocking the bird around like a cruel game of badminton. The cloud of smoke thickened until it grew too large to aim. All firing ceased.
The mouse swung out an arm and casted the whirlwind spell.
The smoke was blown away.
Armora was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did she go?" a cobra hissed.
Several eyes were on the sky, but any visual of the corvid remained unknown.
If she wasn't in the sky then…
Tenacious spun around. The raven's stomach was only a head's length from the ground as she sailed towards the unaware Pokémon. Tenacious cried out a warning, and pink light pulsed from Insight's eyes.
Pink psychic energy oozed from her frills, and it bathed the Corviknight's body, locking her in place.
No words had to be spoken. Fire, lightning, and ice were unleashed toward the trapped corvid. They collided into a brilliant explosion of elements as the cold and hot temperatures blew through the crowd.
When the fog cleared, Armora was gone.
The glow faded from Insight's eyes. "What?!"
(Something's not right.) Tenacious scanned his surroundings, his blades ready. (Twice now, we thought we had her. How could she have possibly escaped…?)
"Above!" roared Intimidation.
Tenacious had no time to turn his head. Feathers shot down like flying daggers. Many scattered as the quills stabbed through the ground. Another wave broke the crowd further apart. Pokémon were knocked down as they were struck.
Valiant lunged from the ground with a powerful beat of his wings. He twisted and spun his body around the projectiles. With his talons outstretched, he slammed his claws against the corvid's left wing and clenched down to the bone. In an instant, his body was thrown around as Armora tried to shake him off, having lost her balance in the air. Her maneuvers only gave him the angle needed to push her weight towards the ground.
Armora clawed the air with her talons until she caught Valiant by the leg. With sheer strength, she tore his grip free, sacrificing a clawful of feathers. As she caught air with her now freed wing, she blocked Valiant's blow with her other foot and turned her body upright for control. Both birds were forced to separate to avoid collision to the sands. A dusty cloud blew beneath them and rushed through the gaping crowd.
A feral screech from Valiant pierced through the air. He shot up from the blind, and towards the raven who hovered high above. She did not flee, and instead engaged with vigor as she picked up speed.
Body bodies collided.
Valiant had a firm grip around Armora's head, but she tore his ankle free as she turned her body around. She was the one above, in control, but only for that second. Valiant caught her chest feathers with his other set of talons. Armora recoiled back, clawing at his thighs, spilling feathers with every strike.
The two birds locked talons and swung in a brutal circle high above. Wings beat in a mad rhythm as angry squabbling swelled in the air. The crowd below could only watch the spectacle, unable to aim for their rapidly moving target.
Armora gained control of the momentum, and she swung Valiant over her head.
His beak was wide open as orange and purple clusters of light compressed into a spiralling sphere.
He fired.
Armora was struck, and her weight was shoved through the ground. It hissed through the air and slammed full-force through the desert grounds. Sand was churned into a trench as the blast weakened into a thread.
A line of explosions erupted along the trail. Sand and gravel rained back down as voices panicked.
Winded, Valiant kept a steady beat of his wings as he remained fixed in his position. He searched through the clouds for any sign of movement.
She dove from above. Valiant had no time to react as his body was struck by a heavy blow across his flank. He staggered in the air, and Armora shot for freedom.
"How did she even get there?!" Valiant cried as he dove after her.
Onlookers from the ground ducked as both large birds zipped past their heads, disturbing the sand's surface. It was a hot pursuit as Valiant shrunk the gap between him and his target. Armora glanced over her shoulder, surprised how she couldn't shake him off.
"Here!" Insight's eyes took a pink glow again, and Armora was swallowed by its light. Her muscles went stiff.
Behind her, Valiant caught up. He reached and snagged her ankle, and he pulled her close to his body. Armora used her other leg to try to pry herself free, but Valiant held a vice-grip of her talons. The force behind his strength was almost bone-crushing, evident from the shrill cries that bellowed from the corvid's beak. Both sides teetered in the sky as they fought for control.
Valiant opened his beak again, charging the blast as he did before. That time, Armora thrashed her body to disturb his aim. Several times, Valiant was forced to close his beak and try again. He couldn't focus.
Tenacious planted his feet. "Insight! I'm going to need a boost!"
Insight looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "Throwing someone as heavy as you? Between those two? You're mad!"
Tenacious said nothing. He didn't budge.
"But fine!" she obliged. "I don't see why not! You've done crazy enough, so what is one more careless stunt?!"
He shuddered as the warmth of psychic energy bathed his body. He always hated how it felt, but at that moment, it didn't matter. Valiant could only hold off someone younger and larger for so long.
He felt his stomach against his chest as an unseen force threw him forward. He flew towards the fighting pair, one of his flippers engulfed with glowing energy. The savage cry that exploded from his beak alerted both avians. Valiant pushed back in an instant.
Armora was not as graceful. She was too slow.
SHING! SHING!
She was sliced in half. Her wounds held the very glow of the blades that done her in.
And as Tenacious allowed his weight to pull him down to the earth, he knew something was wrong.
(It shouldn't be that easy.)
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the spinning halves of the corvid faded into smoke that vanished out of sight.
His question was answered. As soon as his webbed feet touched the sands, he staggered into a shout.
"Double team! She casted double team!"
And Armora multiplied by ten.
Her corvid cries assaulted the panicked Pokémon from all sides. Fire and lighting spewed in the sky, destroying the illusions into smoke, but they were replaced in an instant.
No. They multiplied.
Ten turned to twenty, then thirty. Elements continued to spew and strike the corvids that taunted them with sweeps and talon strikes. Mouse was knocked down. Intimidation's fangs chomped through smoke. Tenacious slashed an Armora that failed to ambush him from behind. Another illusion.
Insight planted her feet as psychic energy bathed her feathers.
"That's enough!"
It was unleashed as a blinding pulse of light that stung Tenacious' eyes. He almost lost his balance, despite not being the target.
It was as if a light spell was unleashed against a swarm of shadows. They were cleansed, and the storm of corvid cries ended abruptly.
Valiant landed, his footing clumsy. The feathers on his body were a ruffled mess.
"Are you alright?" Insight asked him.
Valiant plucked a loose feather from his chest. Between breaths, he responded. "As…I said before…I've fought in a lifetime of battles. This…is nothing."
"You're old, you foolish bird!" Insight scolded him. "Don't be so careless!"
Valiant almost laughed. "Oh, but my foolish and careless stunt gave us more information than we could ask for."
"What?"
"You've seen it, haven't you?" He smiled at her. "Why is it that she was solid when I attacked her…but she wasn't when Tenacious went for a killing strike?"
Insight's expression changed.
"Her double team…Corviknight can't learn that technique naturally," she said.
"Yes…?"
Insight planted her feet. "It wasn't a double team. It was…some sort of spell. She can switch places with her clones whenever she likes! Double team can't do that!"
"How astute of you…" a voice cawed from somewhere.
The Pokémon went stiff.
"It doesn't surprise me that three of the Western Headmistress' most talented associates would figure me out so soon. That's a problem…I simply can't tolerate."
Tenacious readied his blades. "Valiant. Do you see her anywhere?"
"I've been searching since I heard her," Valiant answered.
"Lumina crash. Is that what that technique is called?" cawed Armora, from somewhere. "My, that's an annoying one. The light is bright enough to assault your very mind. A very…effective technique…if it manages to actually land on the target."
She chuckled.
"I've seen what I wanted to see. I believe…I'm through playing with you lot."
Valiant's beak parted open. "Wh…"
In a blur, the vast number of ravens returned. Tenacious couldn't begin to count them all as they seemed to multiply even higher.
The very sun was blacked out by the dark steely bodies.
Insight planted her feet and unleashed the explosion of psychic light again. It cleansed the many copies into smoke, but they were replaced in an instant. She took a wary step back as a hundred voices laughed at her in waves.
A black storm. Hundreds of crimson eyes. There was no shape, only a sickening cloud of chaos that enveloped the group in darkness. With every attack that destroyed one, it seemed as if two more ravens replaced it.
"Stop!" Tenacious squawked. "If we keep attacking like this, we'll be swallowed by the storm before we can do as much as scratch her!"
"Then what will you have us do?" Bone-Vulture cried. "We can't just stand here!"
He was trying. Tenacious had sorted through a hundred plans in his head already, but none of them brought a decent solution.
What they faced was some kind of spell. Like all spells, they were typically interrupted if the caster were to be attacked. Armora knew that, which had to be why she was hiding somewhere. If he knew better, Armora probably wasn't in the cloud at all, and was instead watching from a distance.
The only reason the copies couldn't attack then anymore was because of the shield of light Insight summoned, which told Tenacious the spell relied on eyesight. Armora couldn't be far then, if she had to see her targets.
Another thing Tenacious noticed…
…Valiant had been quiet the entire time.
"What is it?" Tenacious asked him as Insight sent another wave of psychic light.
"I just needed to focus for a while," Valiant said. "I see her now."
"You do?!" Insight gasped.
"I have the best eyes in the region, or did you let that slip your mind? Illusions? I may be a little slow with seeing through them, but I found her."
He stomped and crouched low to the ground, untucking his wings. His hardened eyes were locked in one direction, where Tenacious could only assume the true raven resided.
As he spoke, his voice changed. Low and seething, he made his directions clear. "Oh my signal, Insight, I need you to unleash your most powerful lumina crash. The corvid won't see me until it's too late. While I have her locked in, Tenacious, that's when you come in and finish her off."
There it was. The old warrior that was known throughout Solis. He was always able to adapt quickly in battle, and that was what made him so powerful in his prime. It was what Tenacious always respected about him.
"Alright," Tenacious said with a nod. "Whenever you are ready."
Insight ruffled her feathers, and it gave the illusion that she had doubled in size as she prepared to unleash as much light as her body and mind could create.
Valiant stomped into the sands once more, his wings broad. "Now!"
Insight unleashed the blinding light, enough to stagger Tenacious for only a split second. The shadows around them were extinguished, and they could see the sun.
Valiant lunged from the ground and soared towards the lone and confused corvid high above. By the time she noticed him, he crushed her wings with his talons, and they both descended towards the ground.
Tenacious already had a running start before he kicked himself in the air. He landed stomach-first, skiing across the sands as his eyes remained locked on his falling target.
Armora met his eyes. A flicker of fear.
With her wings trapped in Valiant'a dagger-like talons, she grew desperate. No matter how much she twisted her body, she couldn't escape. Valiant's screeching grew more hostile as his wings assaulted the air to keep them airborne. Armora paid it no mind. Her eyes were locked on Tenacious. She knew what came for her.
Her parted beak opened wider, as the pain of the crushing claws was too much for her to bear. Her steel-hard feathers fluttered from her form amidst the struggle, and they adopted a white glow. Streaks of light tore from her core, swirling in front of her beak.
Tenacious knew what it was.
A terribly painful sacrifice. It required shedding a great layer of one's body that was made of steel. The steel-core within them would also be forcefully siphoned, and it always stole his breath away, as if a blade was twisted in his heart. To witness the process before his eyes brought bitter memories of last-resorts. A do-or-die situation.
But in exchange…
"Valiant!" Tenacious screeched his warning in horror. He somehow zipped faster, hoping deep in his heart he would make it in time. "Valiant!"
The Braviary glanced at him.
"That's steel beam! Get out of there!"
Valiant's eyes went wide in horror as the clustered light formed into a compressed sphere. He released her and backpedalled in a panic.
The unleashed blast swallowed him whole.
His shadow disintegrated in the light.
"VALIANT!"
Tenacious stopped and hurried to his feet. His eyes glued on the spot he last saw his old friend.
His heart hammered in his ears. He couldn't focus.
Armora flew back, her wing beats sloppy and uneven. Patches of her feathers had been stripped from her chest, some hung by threads from the tips of her wings.
Valiant was in far worse shape.
Charred feathers flew from his body as he spiralled towards the ground. Tenacious kicked himself to a slide in an instant, pursuing him.
(No…no…)
Valiant's form crashed into the sands. A heavy cloud exploded like geyser.
That fall…was too heavy…!
Tenacious reached the sinking crater. He stood, and horror flooded his being at the wounded sight of his friend.
Feathers had scattered all over his broken form. His wings were twisted, feathers scorched or torn. Talons crumbled, a sign of pure agony as his beak and eyes remained wide open.
He was in shock.
Tenacious rushed forward, but he stopped as sand spilled between his feet. The crater continued to sink. Sand spilled inside, filling the gaps—
"No, no!"
Tenacious reached out a flipper. His claws were too short to reach him—they were always so short, useless! He cursed the gods.
"Insight!"
The Espathra heard his call, and she sprinted over in a hurry.
A black shadow swallowed her.
Armora's eyes swelled with fury. Her outstretched talons aimed for Insight.
The blades gleamed under the sunlight. She swung.
"KIIIIIIIIIII!"
A horrible, feral screech. Clumps of yellow feathers flew.
Tenacious spun around. He sprinted over, and he froze. Valiant was being swallowed—
"KIIII-AAAAAAIEEE!"
Orange feathers. White feathers. Insight had fallen on her back, her chest wounded. Armora lifted her talon once more.
Insight kicked, but her heavy blow missed Armora by an inch. The raven lunged with a heavy beat of her wings. Her massive talons locked Insight's ankles in place. Even as Insight jerked her legs, her efforts did not shake the corvid's death grip.
Tenacious shot forward. "Stop! NO!"
'Tenacious…'
A thought that wasn't his own. It forced its way into his mind.
It was as if time came to a standstill. Armora was frozen in her stance. Insight no longer seemed to be in pain, her soft gaze on the furious Empoleon.
'Use it wisely.'
Armora rose a talon, and swung.
A heavy strike. Clumps of red-stained feathers flew.
Insight had gone silent.
Valiant was buried.
Tenacious was alone.
Sinister laughter echoed from the depths of his mind. It spoke to him through a hiss:
"Continue to persist…"
The terrible eyes overtook him. The sharp fangs smiled in the darkness.
"Continued to persist… Someone shall be slain in its place…"
(No…)
"…until you finally understand the weight of your consequences…"
Rain.
He hadn't realized it started raining.
The unnatural clouds above were the angry back of a thunderstorm. The rolling roars that followed the lightning rattled deep, the perfect mirror of Insight's emotions…
Her rain dance was her final gift to him.
"Tah…"
A cruel jerk freed Armora's talon from Insight's motionless form. She took a step back and ruffled her wings into a fold. Her beak dipped towards her claws. Efforts to clean them off were ineffective.
"The valiant fell, because he lacked the moxie required to face me."
The voice. That voice. It was a cold, sharp, metallic caw. Every word the escaped her beak sliced through the little courage the soldiers had left in their spirits.
"The ostrich fell, because she lacked the bloodlust required to face me."
Armora lowered her foot and turned her red gaze towards the Pokémon who remained.
Many of them yielded in an instant, overwhelmed by her mere presence…the sickening and malicious pressure that pierced through their spirits. She paid them no mind. Every step she took past them was dismissive, almost mocking. Her sharpened talons clacked against the gravel, one foot heavier than the other—a talon layered over a talon. Artificial daggers that made her natural weapons look like needles. Its red color made it difficult to know what was blood and what wasn't.
What was the most terrifying thing about it, was how it crackled with small red bolts.
Tenacious held his breath. The stories were true, after all.
Yveltal's Claw. She found the artifact.
"Who will defy me?" Armora's caw rang in the frozen air, but no answer came. "For I have arrived here as a delegate for my queen! Allow me to inform you that if you surrender, no harm will come to you, for I do not fight the unwilling. Do understand, however, that this territory will become mine detain. If you have no heart to defend it, depart now!"
Silence. Only the endless hiss of heavy rainfall swelled in the air. Water soaked and dripped from miserable, frightened bodies.
They shifted. So many of the soldiers did. Their will…it wavered. So many stepped back, frightened beyond their wits. All of them…each and every single one of them averted their eyes.
Cowards. All of them. It was the bitter thought that tried to claim Tenacious's mind, but he stifled them. He tried to think with logic. For them to be afraid…he understood. Upon seeing their beloved leaders falter so easily…he understood.
After all, he felt the pressure too. The malice that demanded for him to yield…but he refused.
A scoff. Armora took a look at the crowd. "No one? Will no one else defy me? How fares your queen? Why does she not present herself before me?"
The Headmistress…would Armora go looking for her?
Tenacious hissed.
"For what reason should she make herself known, when her priority is to protect the stronghold and nothing else?"
Armora snapped her head, almost so fast that Tenacious was sure she almost broke it. Her gaze was locked in his, but there was no anger in her eyes anymore. If anything, she looked a lot more intrigued.
If Armora was looking for The Headmistress, she would have to get through him first. He would have to cut her down quickly…not because he feared Armora finding her.
He feared The Headmistress finding them first.
Tenacious couldn't allow it. He knew The Headmistress all too well. She would join the fray without second thought…and if anything were to happen to her…
The sight of a wounded Delphox in his arms…how the light left her eyes…
(I can't…let that happen again…!)
He shifted his feet and aimed his blades. Bubbles seeped through his beak. He was more than ready to fight.
"Ah…of course…" Armora chuckled.
She shifted her feet as they sank through the dampening sands, but it never slowed her down. Her stroll towards him was slow, condescending.
The ravens were a species that were naturally taller than the emperors. But, Tenacious was born a runt. He had been the smaller one his entire life.
So as Armora towered over him with her cruel gaze, he did not budge. Fear was an emotion that tried to claim him. While he was afraid…something else bubbled to the surface.
He had to suppress it, for now. The cooling sensation made an effort to rise from his throat. He had to squeeze his beak shut just to keep the water from spilling out.
His body trembled against his will, but he knew it wasn't from terror. Now…it was a raw, primal emotion that tried its hardest to blind him.
Rage.
Oh…his rage was so strong. He could already imagine a hundred ways he could cut into that corvid. Her head would roll to his feet soon enough.
"Such wild eyes…I see. You came to this world as a wild beast," Armora said. "None will ever understand how you think."
"Your sympathy is unneeded," Tenacious spat. "Only your life."
Armora shifted her wings, almost as if she were offended. A small laugh escaped her as they parted halfway. "Oh. You have mistaken me. I give you no pity, Emperor. In fact…I am perhaps the only Pokémon who will ever understand you."
The weight of her words sunk in.
"The merciless life within the maddening distortions of the dungeons…is a life I was once familiar with as well!"
Her wings flung open, sending the water droplets flying. The loud shrill that bellowed from her parted beak was like a cannon. Tenacious felt it deep in his heart.
There was no lie.
"Two Pokémon…who once thrived in the mysterious dungeons…come face to face in a glorious battle!" Armora cried. "A scene scarcely ever witnessed! One would think that perhaps…it is why I am here. I will admit. I've sought you out. I intend to crush you. To stifle you. Pacify you. For what reason is not what you, or any of your feeble allies think."
"Then, for what reason do you stand before me?" Tenacious challenged. "Revenge, is it?"
"The dark hound is dead to me. He serves no purpose to us anymore," Armora said. "I am not here for vengeance. No…no…not at all, Emperor. I stand before everyone to remind this world…that the present is frail for as long as you try to protect it. The past is lost. The future is forever. The present…the present…"
Armora chuckled.
"Oh, forget the formalities. I am here to kill their spirit…starting with you, old-timer."
Her change of dialect almost caught Tenacious off-guard. Still, Tenacious crossed his steel blades in front of his torso, and he tucked his head. His eyes were locked on the piercing red that seeped deep into his core. There was no fear…only resolve.
"Then by all means; come at me, Raven."
Armora's smile grew.
"I know what you're thinking," she said with a wave of a wing. "'Just how can I strike this bird down?' And…that's fair. Very fair. After all, I did manage to…hmm…strike down two of your friends? Were they your friends? Tuh. Doesn't matter. It's not like they can tell me."
Tenacious stiffened his muscles.
"Oh, but it's not like I decided to get rid of them for no good reason. Oh, no. I'm not like Knight," she continued. "See…we've…been looking for something for quite some time now. Years actually… Someone about…yay high?"
She held a wing just below her thigh.
"A little runt, just like you, actually. His little ability is broken, and as you can imagine, that's a problem. So you know, we need him gone."
Tenacious froze.
"You know exactly who I am talking about, don't you, Emperor?"
"What…" Tenacious managed to croak through his fury. "What did they have to do with any of this?"
He knew why. It was a foolish question…and he knew the answer to it.
But the denial… The denial… The denial…
"I'm glad you asked!" Armora almost cheered. "I was reminding you of the weight of your consequences!"
Dizziness hit Tenacious like a wave.
"…you finally understand the weight of your consequences…"
Oblivious to Tenacious' trauma, Armora continued. "It's been quite a while, as you can imagine. Do you know how many lives that adds up to?"
Tenacious almost didn't catch her words. He snapped out of his thoughts and flashed her a seething glare.
"The spiny-nut creature eludes us, because he thinks he can. So, I decided to be rid of all of you, because I think I can."
Armora raised both wings, and she launched for the sky.
"No." Tenacious stepped forward. "NO!"
He let it free.
It was like a chilling explosion from his core. The force almost knocked him back, but he remained grounded. The high-pressure water arched towards the corvid, and it struck her head-on. Her shrill rang strong as the water sent her body back as if she were hit by a flying boulder.
She spun her body around, and freed herself from the momentum. With her body drenched, she needed a second to breathe.
A second Tenacious refused to give her.
He fired, and he fired again. Armora managed to avoid them both with a sharp twist of her body and a tuck of her wings. The third one grazed her. The fourth sent her back.
She shook herself free and let out a frustrated cry.
Her form doubled, then tripled.
The swarm of Armoras returned and blackened the sky further.
The sands beneath him had turned into sad mud as his feet searched for an anchor. Without Valiant to scout out the true corvid, he was left alone with his soldiers.
He couldn't let her overwhelm them.
"If you know a technique that can strike multiple targets, unleash it! No holds barred!" he cried.
And just like that, it happened.
A chilling blizzard swarmed in the air. A powerful discharge buzzed through his ears, charring the screaming shadows.
Tenacious stomped through the sands as he felt the weight in his core grow heavy. He pulled and pushed, like the tides of the sea. With a heavy downward motion of his blades, water swarmed from his feet and arched over his head like a raging tsunami. He spread out both flippers, and the wave shot out in every direction.
He was always proud of his surf technique. His control over water was pristine. He watched as the waves snaked or arched over his allies, sparing them from the brunt of the impact. The waves battered the shadows, washing them away like ink. Combined with the discharge, it was a lethal attack.
Or, so he thought.
The corvid hovered high above, her feathers shimming as they did before.
Thousands of sharpened feathers were stationed in the sky.
Tenacious was speechless.
(She used the cloak to hide what she was creating…!)
Armora swung out her wings.
The feathers shot down, and Tenacious prepared to counter.
He…couldn't see them. And he realized…
…they blended in with the heavy rain.
Bullets.
The air whistled and hissed as feathers sliced through. Pained cries and screams flooded the air. Tenacious could only shield his head as the feathers sliced through his skin with little effort, bringing burning pain to the surface.
Then, it was over.
Only the sound of rain and thunder remained.
Tenacious staggered as weakness flooded his being. He dropped his arms, almost wheezing as he held his breath for too long.
The amount of cuts that decorated his body was impossible to count. They didn't hurt, not when adrenaline coursed through him like a mad river—
(Everyone…!)
He took a look around him, and his heart dropped.
Intimidation…
Mouse…
Bone-Vulture…
Scarecrow…
Everyone…
All of them, scattered on the ground, unmoving. Their bodies all coated with horrifying slashes and stab wounds, all trickling with blood, washed away in the muddy rain.
Ice. The sharp, stabbing sensation ripped through his veins. It blistered into heat he couldn't contain.
Every raindrop that touched him merged with the rest, until it coated him like a blanket. Blue light swallowed his eyes as the water that engulfed him adopted the same glow. It rose and snaked around his body like a stream, illuminating his surroundings as if he were a walking beacon.
"Hoo. So that's what Torrent looks like!" Armora cooed. "Not as impressive as Blaze…but I like that glow."
Her words…they were grating against his skull…
"That ostrich friend of yours…she was wise to set up the rain. Right now, you are at your most powerful state. Such a shame she has to waste her final breath on you—"
"ARMORAAAAAAA!"
His screech was blistering. Wild. Swelled with primal rage that made his vision turn red.
A glowing wave exploded behind him. It engulfed him. He shot from the ground, his eyes locked on the corvid that ripped everything from him.
Steel against steel clashed in the air.
Armora had blocked his savage swipe with her enhanced talon. It shook against the strength behind his blow. Her leg was pushed back against her stomach. The other wavered as it struggled to keep her body balanced.
"You're allowing that power to get to your head," Armora said, her voice strained. "You're not different from that superpower brute! She tore my leg from my body as if it were a twig! It's not something one can easily forget!"
She turned her body, allowing the bladed flipper to shoot right past her.
Tenacious swung with the other, and she spun her body around and parried with a single wing.
"So what I am doing…isn't any different, is it?"
CLANG! CLANG-CLANG!
Armora was forced to land as Tenacious continued with his wild blows.
She was wrong. The power didn't get to his head.
He hated this power. The way the chills flowed through him, how his muscles burned…the haze that tried to cloud his mind…
…the sound of blood rushing through his ears…
He hated it.
It was usually easy to ignore it, to focus on what needed to be done. Armora, however, somehow managed to amplify it.
Tenacious had fought against many Pokémon in his lifetime. Novices. Masters. The ones who fought out of fear. The ones who fought to kill. Yes, he faced them all.
He fought against countless wild creatures in several mystery dungeons. Most had tried to strike him down. Others sought him out as a food source. It was the sort of danger he was all-too familiar with.
But never before had Tenacious fought against another wild creature who gained the sacred title of "Pokémon".
With every blow they exchanged, there was a rush he never felt before. It was focused and tense, the sort he experienced whenever he crashed against Pokémon born with civil minds. Then there was the feral heat that surfaced whenever he faced a wild beast.
It was a strange thing. Such energy…was far wild.
And he knew at that moment, Armora felt those same sensations. No words were exchanged. Instead, she swiped. She clawed. A mad laugh bellowed from her chest.
Every blow was meant to kill.
No one should ever see Tenacious like this…
…but they were all gone.
And it was her fault.
Her fault…!
Her fault…!
"CRRRAAAAA-AAAAAW!"
In response to the feral cry, murky and wild waves washed through the sands. It washed Armora away, and her weight slammed against one of the pillars. A blade hovered above her head. She ducked. The pillar was sliced in two. The top half crashed through the floodwaters in a massive splash.
Tenacious didn't care what it took. No one alive would be caught in the crossfire. There was no reason to hold back.
There was no reason to hide his true nature anymore. The very nature he was taught to suppress, to command…
He allowed it to guide him instead, and it demanded her head.
Any other Pokémon would have gone pale at the sight. A ferocious emperor out for blood—how his wild swings sliced through anything it made contact with like paper. How the wild waters hammered and flooded his surroundings by his command. How every primal screech that exploded from his throat was incomprehensible, as if he had forgotten the very language he was taught.
But Armora was not afraid. She had no reason to be.
Her eyes were heated, but focused. Her blows were heavy and lethal as she fought for her life, as she once did in the wild. Her corvid cries swelled in the air, creating a dissonance with the Empoleon's own.
SHING! SHING!
Black shiny feathers flew. Armora screamed.
A heavy splash. A dull thud. A crash.
She was on the ground.
(Strike…!)
He rose a blade.
(STRIKE!)
Splash!
Only water.
He only struck—
"GGGGH!"
His throat burned as if he inhaled a thousand needles. A heavy, chest-deep cough tore out of his throat, a wave of blisters making each wave unbearable. He wanted to stop, but he couldn't. Something had gotten into his lungs, and his body was unable to reject it.
He fell into the waters.
"Ah…ahahahaha…"
Armora's muffled laughter…Tenacious could just barely make it out from underwater. How parched the sands were to swallow it so quickly…
"Such…incredible…fury. I…must…thank…you…"
She struggled to speak. Her voice was hoarse, a gurgled croak, as if she were a wild creature learning to speak for the first time.
"It…has been…a long time…since I've last…let myself go…"
In his coughing fit, Tenacious pushed his weight off the muddy ground. He staggered, but he remained standing as the shadow came closer.
The first thing he saw were the talons. One was large, bulky, and artificial. It swelled with dark energy, as crimson bolts jumped from the surface.
Then, he saw the bloody feathers, how some hung by a thread…the black sharp beak dripping with water…the piercing red eyes.
He did not back down even as he burned. His body shook as he coughed from his core. He felt the unmistakable cooling sensation that spilled out of his throat. A large amount of water splattered between his webbed feet…his heart sank.
Something was wrong.
"You've pushed your body too far, old-timer."
The crooning voice made Tenacious winch. He sent the strongest glare towards the raven he could muster, but it didn't stop the coughing that followed. More water spilled. He felt lightheaded.
"Looks like you ruptured a very important organ. It would be wise to get that checked."
Armora held up a wing. A loose feather glistened under the sunlight.
Sunlight…
The storm clouds had already started to part. The rain turned into a drizzle.
"Do you know how concerning an internal injury is…? I think one of my feathers shot through your throat…or something. I don't know. I was just…you know, in survival mode. Just as you were a moment ago."
She chuckled.
"Oh, but don't be too hard on yourself. You actually did a good number on me… I'll need to…take the week off, thanks to you."
She told no lie. Tenacious heard the soft splat on the mud. As his eyes fell on the source, another drop of blood fell, then another.
Clumps of feathers were scattered on the mud, some belonging to him, he was sure.
Armora's feathers did well to hide it, but she was wounded far worse than she displayed on her face. If Tenacious could strike her again…perhaps…just maybe…
He tried to find the push and pull off his core, but instead he found pain. It ripped through his throat again as he coughed out another lungful of water.
"You should breathe. That doesn't look so good," Armora chuckled. "You poor thing."
The glow on his body…it was gone. The water…it wouldn't obey him anymore.
All that remained was the glow of his eyes, but it did nothing more than display his fury.
He was helpless.
Through all the pain, Tenacious felt nothing but acceptance. This was the way of things. It was a life he was familiar with…from the moment he hatched from his shell.
Kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest. It was the oldest rule embedded in every creature's heart.
And today, Tenacious was going to be Armora's stepping stone.
He would die. That was just the way it was. It was the way it always was.
He would see Valiant…and Insight.
He would make sure to apologize to them—
"You know…it would be dishonorable to strike down a Pokémon who is unable to do battle," Armora said, her tone condescending.
That.
Tenacious trembled with rage.
(What?)
She saw his face. The smile formed on her beak grew more obvious. She even let a chuckle slip.
"What honor would it be to beat an old Pokémon to death? You've lived a harsh life as is…so it would only be fair…to let you go. Relax. I think it's about time you retire, you know? Go ahead and enjoy your remaining days!"
"Wh…why ..?" To speak a single word felt as if his throat was sliced.
"Why?" Armora laughed. "Because…! You're familiar with showing mercy to the enemy, no?"
What…?
"The fifth child of Zypher…you let him live."
His heart sank.
"So I'm returning the favor! Go on! Enjoy your life. Enjoy the light of day that your comrades will never see again, because of the asinine decision you made all those years ago. I hope you enjoy it."
She turned her body around.
She started to limp away.
(No…)
That was not the way it was supposed to end!
The most humiliating thing for one in the wild to face…is to be considered too irrelevant to be worth killing.
It meant you didn't exist. Your very presence was meaningless…a waste of air.
And she knew…! She…
"Oh, that's right."
Armora turned around.
"Do you mind sending a message to your Headmistress, or whatever?"
(What…?)
"Our queen…will do everything it takes to have what she wants close to her heart." Armora bowed her head. Her tone was filled with utmost respect.
Tenacious loathed it. "Even if…this country…were to…blaze over and perish…?"
"What you fight for will set this land ablaze first, Emperor. You refuse to see the beauty that our queen sees. You protect something that has every intention to ruin it. Our queen sees the land as a future paradise for her children, and she has every intention to allow it to flourish."
She had to be mad. Her so-called queen didn't want to see the country blossom.
She had to be brainwashed.
"The Retaliation Corporation is a wondrous organization…but you are all fighting for the wrong reasons," Armora added. "If we were to join forces…this country would become its most beautiful…don't you think?"
"You slimy…"
"Of course…I don't expect you to understand." Armora shook her head. "'We are destroying each other…can't you see? Why can't things be the way they are meant to be?' That is what the queen would say."
She parted her wings.
"I did what I had to do," she said. "You have been spared to see another day, Tenacious. If I were you, I would see to your fallen allies…see if there is a slim chance that they still breathe."
With only a bit of struggle, she left the ground with a strong beat of her wings. Her shadow shrunk as she ascended for the clouds.
The rush of battle has vanished, and the pain slammed into Tenacious at once.
He collapsed on the ground. The little water that remained splashed underneath his pathetic weight.
"Valiant…Insight…" Tenacious wheezed. "Armora…you fiend… You won't…get away…with this…"
The darkness…it started to swallow him.
Whether it was sleep or death, he didn't care at that moment.
He just wanted the pain to stop…
…
… …
… … …
"Tenacious…!"
Another voice…it barked in his ears…annoying…
Was a nap too much to ask for…?
"Tenacious…! Tenacious…!"
Warmth… It flooded his entire being. It wasn't…the sort he hated. It brought comfort. It made the pain go away…
"TENACIOUS! PLEASE!"
Oh…the voice. The way it broke on the verge of a sob…perhaps he should answer.
He opened his eyes, and immediately squinted against the sunlight that burned them. Everything was a blur.
The first thing he saw was how clear and blue the sky was.
Then…he saw the distraught face of a fox. The Delphox. Her eyes were glossed with formed tears.
The poor child…
"Say something!" she pleaded. "Or just nod your head…or something! Anything!"
Tenacious almost laughed. He would had, if he didn't feel so horrible.
"Wanda…"
For a split second, she looked as if she could burst. Instead, she let out a relieved laugh and rested her head against his chest.
"Oh, thank the gods…. you're alive…"
Alive…?
Right… Armora spared him, when he was supposed to have died…
But there he was, defenseless…while the queen broke down in front of him.
"She's gone," Tenacious croaked. "I…I couldn't stop her. I have…failed you… I failed…everyone—"
The green, glowing eyes.
It crossed his vision again. He winched.
"The child…"
Zypher.
The Obsidian Prince.
"The child…they are…after the child…"
"Child?" The Headmistress lifted her head, confused. "Who do you mean…who do you…?"
"The child… the child… the child…"
He realized then…why he was still alive.
Zypher made him swear an oath. And if he broke it…
If he broke it…
"You should rest…" The Headmistress swept the pink glowing rhombus of her scepter across his head. Warmth…it flooded him again.
And he realized it was her. She was the one who pulled him back into consciousness. Her healing…
"The…the others…?" Tenacious managed to say.
"The others…" The Headmistress raised her head. "What's the status?!"
A gleam-eyes feline shook his head. "I'm sorry…I…they…."
The Headmistress lowered her head. "I see…"
As if Tenacious were made of the most fragile material imaginable, she set him down so carefully…oh-so carefully…
She stood, her head hung. Her paw trembled, clutching the scepter near the brink of snapping through the wood. The Pokémon she brought with her took a cautious step back.
Just like that…it was like a switch has been flicked.
Her gentle eyes scorched into fire as her lips curled back, revealing almost every fang in her mouth.
Then it happened.
He felt it pierce through his heart.
Cold. Dangerous. Deadly.
His primal instincts screamed and clawed through his mind, demanding for him to move. To run. Energy…energy he thought had been extinguished rushed to him at full.
Fire. The yellow and orange light illuminated his body. It reflected from his steel, shimmering the ground.
It danced around the Headmistress as a raging ring. It vaporized the water. It scorched through the earth, it sliced deep, and consumed everything.
At its core, the Headmistress stood, eyes consumed by an orange light. Her scepter…her scepter…
It didn't glow. Not yet.
It didn't glow.
It wouldn't glow.
Tenacious swallowed down his desire to run. He was in no danger…
…but the suffocating presence in the air was almost too much for him to endure.
The fire vanished in a wisp. The Headmistress' paws relaxed as she took a deep breath.
Her eyes…returned to normal.
"I will achieve nothing…if I pursue blindly," she whispered to herself. "I must remain here. We will rebuild. We will renew our strength…"
The Headmistress swung her scepter to her right. A ring merged with a hum sounded in the air, and the rhombus pulsed in a bright yellow light, adopting the color in an instant.
She thrusted the scepter high above her head. Ribbons of light followed the aggressive motion, then it cracked into bolts.
Five angry lightning bolts fired into the sky. It crackled across the blue canvas and exploded into a shockwave with a loud roar of thunder. The little clouds that remained were extinguished.
She lowered the scepter and stared at the sky. Her lips curled back again.
The air whistled not long afterwards. Several shadows were scattered across the ground. Everyone looked up.
Tenacious could see it.
Starling. Several of them. They rained from the skies and fell into the sands. Their wings were stiff, their limbs twisted and awkward. Some had smoke that seeped from their singed feathers.
"So that's how she found them," The Headmistress hissed. "Just as I thought…"
The gleam-eyes marched forward. He nudged one of the fallen birds with a paw, anger in his eyes. "What would you like us to do with them?"
Delphox glared at the starling that fell the closest to her. "Throw them in a mystery dungeon. Dispose of them. Eat them. I don't care."
She turned to the Pokémon who accompanied her. Her voice rang strong in a harsh bark.
"PSY!"
In an instant, a psi arrived from thin air. He gave her a slow bow. "Yes, Headmistress?"
"Send a message to the associates. They must know of this immediately."
"Of course. And I shall make the report to The Supervisor—"
"They will not relay the message. I can see it already," The Headmistress said. "I need to tell…The Central Headmaster…everything that happened here. Every detail. I need to tell him…"
A saddened expression crossed Psy's features. He gave her a solemn nod. "As Your Highness commands."
Tenacious managed to lift his head. "W…wait…"
Again. The switch. The queen reverted back to the gentle and kind fox he had known since she was a hatchling.
She was trying to hide it so well, but he knew she was in pain. She wanted to cry more than anything, but she held back the tears.
(You don't have to do that…) he thought. (You don't always have to be this strong for me…)
'But I must. I must…because you meant the world to Mother. You mean so much to me. I can't lose you. Not you too…'
Thoughts. His inner voice, but it wasn't his own. The intrusive voice…they called it telepathy. Tenacious didn't need to question where it came from. All he had to do was look at her pained eyes.
He didn't know what to tell her…or how to describe his grief in full.
Everything that happened, every detail.
'Open your mind.' her mind whispered. 'Let me read your memories,. He needs to know everything that happened here…to the finest detail.'
Tenacious nodded.
(Take whatever you need from me…)
Her paw reached, and settled atop his head.
It was a sensation he could never grow used to.
First the dizziness, then the darkness. Then the streak of light that sliced through it and exploded before his eyes.
The ringing…that annoying ringing…
…the scream…
Visions…so many of them flashed before his eyes. It started from when he arrived with his companions…and he had to relive that nightmare again.
The way Armora skillfully fought.
Her clones of shadows…
The way she struck down Valiant.
The way she sliced through Insight…
The thousands of dagger feathers that flew down at everyone…
'There. I have it,' The Headmistress said.
Tenacious could relax.
'I've done everything I could to heal your major wounds…but as for your water core…I…'
(It's alright.)
'No. It is not alright. We'll heal you. I promise. I will find the best doctors. I will scour the entire continent—no, the entire world if I must. We can fix this, I swear it. I swear it!'
He could never understand why the Pokémon born in civilization had such high hopes when things seemed so bleak. Had he stayed wild, he would have been left for dead.
'But you are not wild,' her gentle voice whispered in his mind. 'You had not been wild…for a very long time. You're an important Pokémon to us. A warrior…a leader…a…father…'
If only he had the strength to comfort her the way he wanted. To see him in this state…he wished he could make it all go away in an instant. He hated to see her suffer. She had already lost her mother.
Her mother…who changed the world for him.
She gave him her wisdom, yes. He gained the wisdom the other Pokémon held on to.
But such wisdom was limited. They were not bestowed the miracles humans were said to possess.
The best doctors in the world…would not repair his water core. Let them cut him open, and he would only bleed out.
To be alive right now, was what mattered. To live and see how The Headmistress remained as strong as her mother always did…he was so proud of her. She truly grew up to be such a great queen…
'Don't think like that!' The Headmistress shouted in his mind. 'You aren't going anywhere! Please…stay strong for us. They will help you. I promise…'
(I'm sorry…)
'Don't be. This wasn't your fault.'
Her words only stung more. What he wanted to think, he kept from surfacing to the front of his mind. She would see it…and surely…surely…
'No matter what it is that you did…you didn't deserve this. Please…don't allow yourself to drift away. I…I need you to stay alive… I can't do this alone…'
(I…won't go anywhere…)
Not like he could…even if he wanted to.
He was too angry to die.
(I'll stay…right here… I just…need to sleep for a moment…)
'Tenacious…Tenacious, please!'
Tenacious closed his eyes. He wanted to believe that everything would turn out fine.
'Tenacious…!'
But the way his body felt…how horrible his joints ached…the way his throat burned…he knew…
He knew that he could do battle no more.
Valiant and Insight…
Their blood was on his hands.
Just as his late mate's was.
He…had so many Pokémon to apologize to…
But first…sleep…
Sleep…
…
'FATHER!'
- 0000 -
"AAAAGH!"
The bellow came out as a boom. The brazier near the chamber's entrance was sent to a harsh flight across the room by an unseen force. Its heavy weight crashed against the marble walls. It clattered to the floor, spilling coal.
It was a miracle it wasn't lit.
Slowking's eyes…his hardened glowing eyes…they met a pair that stared back, frightened and frozen in place.
Frost looked half ready to bolt.
"I-I apologize! It appears my arrival is unwarranted—" Frost's stammering was cut off as Slowking held up a claw.
"No…no. Don't run. Forgive me… My presentation is unfavorable right now, don't pay it any mind," Slowking told him, his tone pressed.
(Easy…easy… Look at yourself…)
He took a deep breath. To soothe the heat…that unbearable heat that felt like fire…
It ebbed from his eyes. The cool air brought relief. That bitter flow was gone. He would thank the gods a hundred times if he could.
He would curse his grandsire a thousand times if he could…
His irritation only grew as a wave of pain stabbed through his skull. The Shellder on his head was in a terrible mood, and in turn, he was in a terrible mood. Every single time the fangs sunk, he saw the vision flash before his eyes in vivid detail, all compacted to a mere few seconds.
"No, no. I mean, yes…do pay it mind. I…"
Slowking winched again as the vision flashed through his mind again. A terrible desire to claw the Shellder from his head almost tempted him, but he swallowed it down.
"I…just received an urgent transmission from The Western Headmistress…"
"Urgent?" Frost echoed. He casted the fallen brazier a nervous glance. "What happened…?"
"An…emergency meeting. Right now." Slowking tried to take a step forward, but his vision flashed white once more. He growled as he took a seat. "I need Howler to gather everyone together. I'll…relay everything to him. To…to Boomer."
The very mention of the Noivern had Frost shaken.
Relaying anything to Boomer never meant good news.
"B-Boomer…? What…what exactly happened?" Frost asked. 'Can't you speak to the rest of us—"
"I am in no condition to walk right now."
"I…understood." Frost bowed his head. "Right away, sir!"
"You will remain here."
"Wh…what?" Frost looked startled.
"I need your insight. Your experience."
Frost swallowed. "My…I see."
(Pity…I had no intention of frightening him so…) Slowking had to bite back a groan as the pain stabbed his skull again. (To have hours of information condensed into seconds is too much for a mind to process…this is going to be a migraine for the rest of the week…but it's nothing…)
He raised his head. His eyes held a dangerous glow. He knew they did, because by some miracle, Frost's face had gotten paler.
(Nothing compared to the damage those blasted beasts dealt on Wanda just about now…)
(Being petty now, aren't you, Mystic?)
But was she truly being petty?
The words Armora said…
"Our queen…will do everything it takes to have what she wants close to her heart."
"We are destroying each other…can't you see? Why can't things be the way they are meant to be?"
His other hand clutched the frill collar around his neck. The glow of his eyes intensified as he leaned against the wall.
He looked at his reflection, and saw the pained scowl on his face. There was absolutely no way he could leave his chamber today, not in the condition he was in.
"Heh-heh-heh-heh…"
Slowking could see Frost's reflection.
"The Sorcerers will not stop here," he told him. "You understand that more than anyone else within this facility…do you not?"
"Of…course."
"You haven't withheld any…important information from me, have you?"
Frost responded with a vigorous shake of his head. "No. I wouldn't dare. The thought never once crossed my mind. Whatever you ask of me, I will answer honestly. I've sworn my life to you."
"So you have."
Slowking turned to face him. With every step he took to close the gap between them, more flakes of snow would flutter from Frost's body. The Abomasnow fought hard to not take a step back, and Slowking couldn't blame him.
"Unlike the others, you will see what I've seen in full. Is that alright with you?" he asked.
Frost stared for a moment, then he dropped to one knee his weight a dull boom against the floor. As he lowered his head, a thin sheet of frost grew beneath his stance and crawled across the floor.
"If that is what you wish…then let me repent once more," he said.
Slowking reached a claw towards Frost's head.
(Zypher… What would you have this child do…for the sake of this country…?)
He rested his hand on the surface, and Frost's eyes turned blue.
To be Continued in Chapter 26.
A/N: Arc 2 still has some time before it is ready to be published, but I had planned this "special episode" a while ago. I do hope you enjoyed it!
See you soon!