Chapter 26 – Day 11, Part 5: Cliffside

Chapter 26 – Day 11, Part 5: Cliffside

Anxiety and uncertainty peppered Larkspur’s mind like Durants on an ant hill.

He paced, back and forth, back and forth, his toes floating off of the ground. Tonight, the waves crashed upon the shore in the distance; he could hear them faintly. The Malamar longed to bask in the relaxing atmosphere of the ocean—and the moon’s brilliant, shimmering light.

Larkspur was feeling doubtful. This was a problem; doubt did not suit him well. But unfortunately, even he could not keep himself from accepting the fact that he might have lost his chance.

Progress had been slow. None of the mercenaries he had hired had found the human yet, and Crane’s work in procuring the four gems had only landed them with one so far.

This will not do.

He stopped his pacing to once again stare into the orb in the center of the room. In a sense, its glow granted him solace. The orb was still active; It’s surface was coated in bright white with tendrils of light bouncing off of it’s exterior—and communicated to him that the human was at least not dead. There was still a chance to find them.

And yet, he could not shake the feeling that the orb was getting dimmer.

Perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him. Or maybe…the orb itself was the one playing tricks. Larkspur was familiar with how the artifacts of the legendaries work and he knew that nothing was that simple. If given the opportunity, the gods of this world would find a way to toy with him—to laugh at him.

Unacceptable.

There was no point in spending so much time with the orb. However, this chamber, lined with jagged, ugly stone, was where Larkspur spent most of his time nowadays. He had been waiting for eleven grueling days with hardly any results. Though in reality, Larkspur had been waiting much longer. Much, much longer. One more day did not mean much in the long term, but to him, it was one more day where he did not get to see the true fruits of his labor.

The fruits that he so rightfully had earned—no one could deny that. Not even Anemone.

Larkspur scowled. Just the thought of that Gardevoir made him sick. What right did she have, claiming this continent for her own and robbing Larkspur of his wishes? He had spent more time and deserved it considerably more than she did. All Anemone deserved was to see Larkspur on the throne, her empire crumbling around her.

She deserves nothing less.

Larkspur floated up to the orb, his tentacles writhing and whipping in dissatisfaction. He had a plan to take the castle from her, but that plan was reliant on many factors. The gems that served to power the Kingfisher device, his servants doing most of the work for him, and…the human.

The unsightly Malamar squinted his eyes against the glorious, shining light of the Spacial Orb. It was a miracle that he still retained his perfect eyesight; the orb’s light was so bright that it would make most go blind just from looking at it. Yet for some reason…Larkspur could swear that it was getting dimmer. It had to be.

“Tell me,” he grumbled under his breath, “do you think this is funny?”

No response. The orb did not speak.

“I know that you hold secrets. I know that you can hear me.”

Still no response.

Larkspur’s brow furrowed. The anger he felt in that moment was lingering in the air with no way to be released. He wanted to shatter this orb for ignoring his pleas, and scream at the gods that cursed him to be dependent on it. Because as far as he was concerned, he had already failed.

He began to wonder how he even got this far in the first place. Anemone would’ve never allowed it. Larkspur was a genius that considered every possibility, yes, but Anemone was even more conniving than he was in some respects. If she knew about the gem’s disappearance, wouldn’t she take every measure imaginable to prevent this from continuing? Was she…playing games with him?

Because at the end of the day, it was just a game. A game that was determined by who had the most pieces, or in this case, all of the pieces. Including the human.

That human could be anywhere at this point. Perhaps they were wallowing in filth or drowning in riches. Or worse, they were already under Anemone’s control. Larkspur could spend all this time searching, but none of it would matter if Anemone had already gotten to them first. She would never let them go—Larkspur was sure of that. He could only hope that Anemone wasn’t aware of the human’s existence yet.

Once again, he had to wonder…had he lost his chance?

His tentacles whipped frantically in agitation. All of that time—all of that effort—potentially wasted on some bad luck. If that human had washed up on the beach right outside of Larkspur’s domain, then he would already be one step closer to his ultimate goal.

A cloud moved in the sky, revealing the beautiful beacon of light above. Larkspur could feel the warmth of the moonlight on his skin right under the open hole in the ceiling. No matter what obstacles he faced, the moon…his moon was always there, keeping him grounded. He did not know of love, but the affection he had for his moon was steadfast. It calmed him, causing his tentacles to come to a stop atop his head. Even in the face of uncertainty, it provided him with the light he needed in this tomb of darkness.

Some day, I will escape this torture. He lifted both of his arms up, taking in the brilliance of the moonlight, and closed his eyes. And when I do, you and I will meet once again.

A flash of light flickered in a corner of the room. Larkspur did not open his eyes, or even move, but he knew that someone was with him now. More than likely, it was Jasmine. She was meant to update Larkspur with a status report. Good news, bad news, it didn’t matter. All that Malamar wanted was a potential reprieve from all of the doubt. Thank you, my guiding moonlight.

There was a moment of silence before there was a second flash of light—then the sound of a mature yet feminine voice. “Lord Larkspur?”

He did not answer right away. Larkspur wanted to spend a bit more time basking in the glory of his one true love. Without turning, he addressed the pokemon behind him. “Ms. Jasmine, have you made progress?” he asked calmly.

Larkspur could faintly hear the Gothitelle approach on his right side to better talk with him. “The second excursion has begun, Lord Larkspur,” she said. “Crane, Ricinus, Aven, and Shasta are on the path to the second Kingfisher gem. The first is-“

“Under surveillance by the most vigilant of our coalition,” Larkspur interrupted Jasmine quickly, finally opening his eyes. He glanced at the psychic type, and shot her a contented smile. “Yes, I am aware. You have much to be proud of, Ms. Jasmine. Not many can claim to be responsible for the advancement of our revolution. Well done.”

Jasmine blinked. She must not have been expecting such high praise. And just as intended, the compliment seemed to fluster her, if only slightly. “Yes, Lord Larkspur,” she uttered, “I do what I must to ensure our success.”

As expected. This Gothitelle is impressive as always; still loyal and competent. Truly, the best at my disposal. The fact that she does not ask questions makes her quite trustworthy as well.

“Mmm…good. I would not expect any different from you. Now…” Larkspur floated away from the orb and stopped a small distance in front of Jasmine. His body floated to the ground, feet touching the cold stone floor. His arms were folded behind his back as he spoke more. “Has news of the gem’s disappearance spread?”

“I only hear whispers; rumors have spread linking the disappearance back to a small group of rogues, but none that tell of their motives.”

“But they are aware of the attack, are they not?”

“…Yes, I believe so.” Jasmine’s cold and calculated demeanor faltered slightly.

Larkspur scoffed. “Then Anemone has all of the evidence she needs to know what their true motives were. Good. I am certain that our actions have made her flinch. Our next action will determine the course of the coming weeks.” Despite all of his uncertainty, Larkspur still knew Anemone enough to be aware of how she worked. If he played his cards right, she would play right into his tentacles. But now he was even more confused.

She knows…and yet, I have not heard of many efforts taken to prevent this from occurring again. Strange.

Perhaps I could play this to my advantage, force a reaction and intentionally make it so she will have no choice but to address it. She will have to take drastic action. Hmm…yes, that could work. If anything, I like the idea simply because it means that Anemone will suffer. That is always beneficial.

Jasmine, uncharacteristically, smiled. Though she simply replied with “Yes, Lord Larkspur.”

“Once the second gem has been acquired, Anemone will have no choice but to take action.” The Malamar failed to restrain himself from laughing—he was too proud of his own genius. “Ahahahaha! Oh yes…it will become impossible to ignore. I cannot wait for the world at large to see her as the incompetent fool she truly is. Oh how I long for that moment. Ahahahaha!”

Yes, this had the potential of being even better than he was expecting. Not only would Larkspur defeat Anemone at her own game, but she woulld be utterly humiliated in the process! His tentacles began to writhe in excitement.

Jasmine remained silent and politely waited for Larkspur to continue, trying her best to ignore the mess of limbs atop his head.

Larkspur’s laughs turned into low chuckles as he asked his next question. “Now…Ms. Jasmine…tell me, is there any news on the human?” Her answer would determine his next course of action.

The Gothitelle shook her head and sighed out of frustration. “No, I am sorry, Lord Larkspur. Regrettably, we have found…nothing relating to the human.”

And all of a sudden, all of the excitement was lost. Larkspur grit his teeth in anger. “Drat!” he hissed. “How can it be so difficult? Curse you, Arceus! How can you be so cruel!”

“If it is like you said, Lord Larkspur,” Jasmine said, wringing her hands, “then this human has found their way into our society. I will admit, even I am starting to become frustrated.”

OUR society? Larkspur thought. No, you have the wrong idea, Ms. Jasmine. He rolled his shoulders, and for a moment, a slight smirk appeared on his beak.

“What about the mercenaries you hired?” Larkspur asked, the tentacles on his head swishing and whipping in the air. “Have they had any luck?”

Jasmine was sapped of some of her confidence, either by the question or Larkspur’s agitation. “…I was actually hoping to speak with you about that.”

“Hm? What is it? Tell me.”

“A leader of one of those mercenary groups, The Sandpiper, wishes to speak with you personally.”

Oh? Now Larkspur was interested. Usually when someone asks Larkspur for a private conversation, they tend to come with good news. “Well?” Larkspur said, his tentacles placated for now. “Bring him in if he wishes to speak with me. But keep in mind that I am a busy ‘mon.”

Jasmine nodded, and spoke clearly. “Lotus, if you would please.”

There was another flash of light and two pokemon appeared. A Beheeyem, Lotus—Larkspur’s trusted teleporter and the son of a prior general. Invaluable to their cause for certain. The other was a pokemon that Larkspur had previously never met. A Darmanitan.

“Gah!” the Darmanitan groaned. “Hate that teleporting crap.”

Curious. This is not the first pokemon I would have anticipated. Larkspur’s previous interest was already waning, but he figured that it was pointless to send the pokemon away without at least hearing of his findings. “Ms. Jasmine, please leave us. I will call you again when you are needed.”

“Yes, Lord Larkspur.” After she and Lotus locked arms, another flash of light engulfed them, and they were gone. Now it was just Larkspur and this…Darmanitan.

Said Darmanitan didn’t speak immediately. Instead, he scratched the back of his neck, looking around the room he was in. Not once did his eyes meet Larkspur’s. All the while, Larkspur watched the fire type with a scowl on his face. Whoever this pokemon was tried to make it seem as though he were relaxed and cool, but the Malamar in the room with him wasn’t buying it. Even the faintest psychic reading communicated to Larkspur that this Darmanitan was remarkably dim witted.

“So uh…quite the place you got here,” the Darmanitan said inconspicuously, still avoiding eye contact.

“What business do you have with me?” Larkspur glowered.

The Darmanitan stepped around the room before stopping in front of the orb. He then answered the Malamar, “I wanted to talk to the guy in charge about some issues I had with my latest assignment. Apparently, that’s you.” He outstretched his hand towards the orb. “Hey, what’s this thing supposed to-“

He didn’t get to finish. Larkspur was at the fire type’s side in an instant. Forcefully, he grabbed the Darmanitan’s arm and yanked it away from the orb with immense strength. The monkey became suspended in the air, hanging by the arm and in Larkspur’s grip. The surprise was evident on his face as Darmanitan stared into the eyes of the pokemon that was now directly in front of him. And as he did, Larkspur stared back.

“If you touch that, I will tear off your limbs and throw you into the ocean.” There was a tense moment where the two of them met gazes, and in the moment, Larkspur detected fear.

The Darmanitan fell onto the stone with a thud. “Ah! Sorry! Geez…” He sounded more annoyed than scared. “Coulda just told me ‘no.'”

“Do not waste my time,” Larkspur demanded, glaring at the pokemon below him. “You will tell me your purpose here and give me a reason to listen. Understand?”

The fire type raised an eyebrow. “Uh…alright, Mr. Larkspur. Don’t need to get all pissy with me.”

Larkspur blinked. Is he not afraid? No…no, he’s simply hiding it. The more time I spend with this wretch, the more I want to kill him. “LORD Larkspur to you!” His frown deepened. “Now, if you are done taking in the sights and slobbering all over the floor, say. Your. Piece.”

“What, not even gonna ask for my name?” the fire type scoffed. “You know, I was wondering what kind of pompous asshole would expect someone to find one pokemon, not a human, with no directions or species in mind, and scour this entire continent at the same time. Like, seriously.

“And by the way-” he pointed at himself, “-it’s Thrush. Leader of the Sandpiper Gang. Don’t forget it.”

“Is that what you came to tell me, Thrush?” The Malamar hissed the gang leader’s name with such venom—such vitriol. As far as he was concerned, the name was about as significant as the pokemon it belonged to.

“Tch! I came to tell you that it’s ridiculous to expect me or any of my friends to find this human or whatever in Distortion the thing is,” Thrush responded through gritted teeth. “The search is pointless without any actual direction!”

“Did you even try? Did you decide to take time out of my busy schedule just to tell me that you are incompetent?” Larkspur’s tentacles writhed and whipped more and more with every word. His patience was growing thinner by the second.

The Darmanitan was just as angry, and the flames of his eyebrows rose to new heights. “You gave us nothing to work with!” he seethed, pointing. “We had to take matters into our own hands and ask an entire town’s worth of pokemon where the human or whatever was. We had to threaten them.”

Those last couple of sentences lingered in Larkspur’s mind. They sounded concerning, incriminating even. Not to him, but the pokemon in front of him. Because what Larkspur had learned from this was that this pokemon searched to the point of giving away their intentions.

This would not stand, and he did not trust what this Darmanitan was saying. Larkspur wanted the full story, and by Arceus was he going to get it.

“Lotus, show yourself,” Larkspur suddenly called out.

Within a moment, the Beeheeyem from earlier reappeared in the room in a flash of light. Various beeping noises played out as the lights on his hands lit up with many colors. “Yes, Lord Larkspur?” he muttered quietly.

“I require your assistance in an important matter.” The Malamar pointed at Thrush with one of his tentacle arms. “Bring this one and I to the cliffs. Do it quickly; I do not wish to wait.”

“As you wish, Lord Larkspur.”

Thrush was visibly confused. “The cliffs? What are you-“

Larkspur did not hear the end of that sentence, as Lotus decided to teleport the two of them separately. There was a split second where he could feel his body being compressed, then, in a flash of light, Larkspur was atop the cliffs above the western ocean, the moon granting the waves a breathtaking, glistening sparkle. Lotus disappeared in another flash of light, leaving Larkspur alone with the waves. They sang to him louder now, blessing his ears with their cries. For a few seconds, Larkspur was calmed.

…That did not last.

In one final flash of light, Lotus and the Darmanitan reappeared. Thrush’s landing was admittedly less graceful, but he at least didn’t complain this time. “Ugh…what’s the big idea, huh?” the fire type questioned Larkspur. “Why are we here now?”

Larkspur’s expression darkened as he replied. “I prefer this kind of ambiance. The chamber we were in was just too…claustrophobic.”

His explanation didn’t make much sense to Thrush, as was obvious by his expression, but Larkspur genuinely did want to move the conversation here to improve his mood.

And for one other reason.

“You will describe the process, complications, and results relating to your mission in intricate detail,” Larkspur demanded.

“Lord Larkspur,” Lotus started in a quiet voice, “shall I leave no-“

“No. This will not take long. You may stay.”

Lotus followed orders and immediately went quiet. Whatever was about to happen…he was about to see all of it first hand.

Thrush scoffed. “Everything? Yeah, I’ll tell you everything. It all started when I got the mission from a friend of mine…”

As Thrush began to tell his side of the story, Larkspur blocked out his voice from his mind. The truth was, Larkspur never planned to listen to the story at all. Rather, he planned to use the distraction to invade Thrush’s mind.

Mind reading was a…taboo subject in Pamtre. It was a difficult skill to learn for most, and even when fully mastered, the act of using it was largely looked down upon. An invasion of privacy on that level was usually only utilized in the most delicate of circumstances. Or only when it was absolutely required.

Larkspur did not adhere to this. There were great merits in reading minds; gaining an advantage, preventing secrets from hiding under his beak. Who cares if the pokemon’s mind is full of embarrassing or intimate secrets? Anemone, the hypocrite, the “noble and just ruler of Kebia,” didn’t adhere to these social limitations. Why should he?”

As such, he felt no remorse in invading Thrush’s memories. And as the Darmanitan recounted the events of the last few days, Larkspur learned of the real story.

Thrush’s eyebrow flames lit up his face as he spoke with reverence of himself. “So I picked up a couple chicks from the bar that night. Is that important? Yeah, I think it is-“

It was not. In fact, that insignificant little detail is not even true.

This is the sad and tragic tale of a weak and pathetic whelp of a Damanitan named Thrush. With no sense of self-worth, his attempts of procuring companionship always ended in bitter failure. His parental figures saw him as a mistake, and did not love him properly. He went against their wishes and became a street urchin.

“-and then I told her, ‘no, these eyebrows never go out. You can touch them if you want-‘”

His “gang” was nothing more than a collection of pickpockets and thieves that decided to become proper mercenaries out of some misplaced want for belonging. They wanted to prove to the world that they are more than just petty thieves. The result? Sandpiper became well known for their consistency and teamwork despite their improper beginnings. Impressive.

“-I always thought that Cacturne was kinda weird, you know? Like-“

The events at Occa started as many as five days prior. Thrush and the Sandpiper started out slow with their investigation, only asking vague questions and spying during the night. But then they became impatient. Threats were made and tensions were high. Thrush, despite what he might say, was not a leader. He was a fool that believed that this was his destiny. The only victories at his disposal were hollow.

“-of course I did make sure everyone was on the same page before going with the plan-“

And then came the day in which it all fell apart. A Krokorok Thrush had known in his early years offered him a chance to settle things without violence. Because if any more time had passed, Sandpiper definitely would have resorted to violence.

Larkspur’s scowl became more pronounced by the minute.

“-I’ve never seen a Togetic look so angry before. You’d think they would be all about peace and love and-“

There was a confrontation in the center of that town. That same Krokorok and an unimportant Dewott talked Thrush down, but not before the Darmanitan told them and every other pokemon in the center of Occa about the human. He told as many as fifty pokemon, many of which were a part of the Kebia Castle Guild, about his true intentions. There was nothing left to hide, and at the end, he still backed down.

“-it did all turn out well in the end. But let me tell ya, they were scared-“

Now it was absolutely certain: Anemone is now aware of the human’s existence. By association, she knows that there are organized groups actively searching for said human, and they work for a single employer. Undoubtedly, she would know all of this by the end of tonight.

Larkspur was seething.

“-cause who’s gonna expect a Wobuffet in the end? I mean-“

“You may stop now.” Larkspur’s voice was level, yet sharp.

Thrush halted the middle of his speech and looked at Larkspur strangely. “I uh…I wasn’t done.”

“No, you weren’t. But I learned everything that I needed to know,” he said. “Congratulations, Thrush, you have successfully caused me immense displeasure and soiled my plans more than any other living pokemon.”

Thrush blinked. “What? W-what did I do?”

With narrowed eyes and frantic, unwieldy tentacles whipping about on his head, Larkspur growled, “You are perfectly aware of your misdeeds. Had I any patience remaining, I would trap your mind in a maze not unlike those ungodly dungeons this world covets so sweetly.”

The fire type, with his eyebrows blazing dimly, stared at Larkspur incredulously. “I…no, this is unfair. You made a mistake, not me.”

“You are right.” Larkspur raised a tentacle and pointed it at Thrush. “I did make a mistake. I provided you with the chance to waste my time. I will rectify this now.”

Thrush continued to stare in confusion, but that began to change once his body lifted slowly into the air. His limbs flailed as he tried to regain his footing. “Hey! Hey, let me down!” he shouted. His pleas only got louder and louder as he slowly floated to the edge of the cliff. Pleading turned to begging as he hovered over the cliffside, hundreds of feet in the air.

The last thing he saw before he plummeted was Larkspur’s cold, uncaring eyes, and a slight smirk.

The telekinesis was severed.

“AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaahhhhhh…”

…

Splash!

…

…

The cliffside became deathly quiet as three became two. Larkspur stared at the empty space that Thrush once held. He was still dissatisfied, but the smirk did not leave his face. As far as Larkspur was concerned, he just did the rest of Pamtre a favor.

What a worthless existence.

“Lotus,” he announced, “take me back to the chamber of the orb.”

“…”

“Lotus! Do it now!”

“…”

The smirk on Larkspur’s face disappeared. He turned his head only to see the Beheeyem staring at the cliff’s edge, his eyes wide in terror. Trembling wracked the psychic type’s body as he waited…waited for something that would never come.

“LOTUS!”

Lotus snapped to attention, whimpering in fear. “Y-yes, Lord Larkspur?”

“The chamber of the orb. Now.”

This time, Lotus did as he was told. He tentatively touched Larkspur with the flashing buttons on his hand, and the two of them teleported back to the orb’s resting place. As soon as they returned, Larkspur floated to the orb, the sphere still shining brightly.

“That will be all, Lotus,” Larkspur stated sternly. “Leave me.”

There was not a flash of light right away. Although he could not see him, Larkspur felt Lotus’s fearful gaze on him for several moments. Eventually, Lotus teleported away and left Larkspur to himself.

The anxiety had gotten worse, Larkspur soon realized. His mind raced with troubling possibilities and disturbing outcomes. Anger and agonizing dread coursed through his body so intensely that he feared that he might collapse from the stress.

But all of that paled in comparison to the horror he experienced when he stared down at the orb at the tips of his tentacles. Yes, he could see it now—there was no doubt in his mind.

The orb was getting dimmer. Larkspur was running out of time. Drastic measures will need to be taken soon.

He tore his eyes away from the source of his terror and looked up at the moon. His moon.

Please guide me, my moonlight. Grant me strength in these trying times….

Bring me the Kingfisher gems…and bring me the human…please…

Please…