Chapter 11: Night Sprint
by dust_scoutAn hour wasn’t much time. DD and I together made haste through the catacombs, much to my reluctance. I didn’t want her to come, but she insisted that she would lead the way.
After minutes of silence, I spoke up first. “DD?”
“Call me Ivory,” she stated promptly.
“Right, Ivory. Are you going to talk or not?”
“Ditching the formalities?” she asked.
“Answer the question,” I coldly and calmly demanded.
“…Very well. Listen carefully, because I only have time to say it once.”
“Fine.”
We made a turn as the detective began her explanation. I merely followed along.
“As I said before, we were both set up,” she stated.
“And you pointed to Lucy, why exactly?” I asked skeptically.
“And you spared me, why exactly?” Ivory spat back.
“The poison had less patience than me,” I answered. looking away for a moment.
She shrugged. “Fine, whatever you say…”
“You don’t know that.”
The Indeedee waggled a finger at me, not even bothering to turn around. “Ah, ah, ah. Of course I do. And I still sense it. That dissatisfaction and disgust is something I know all too well. Or…did you somehow not hear of my kind’s abilities in that long lifespan of yours?”
I raised a finger, about to raise my voice, but I stopped myself, only letting out a quiet growl. Despite my experiences of hearing about them…I didn’t actually know very much at all. (Considering her behavior and fate’s apparent hatred streak…) I eventually answered, “…Great, you’re Psychic-Type too…”
Ivory shook her head. “Tsk tsk tsk…Half correct, Psychic Normal, but that’s not the main factor. My kind can sense emotions with their horns, quite helpful for interrogations, wouldn’t you say? Especially with the irritation that is building up right now.”
“Ok! Got it! Moving on! Please.”
“Right, you see that note of yours presents a rather grim possibility.”
“And that is us getting “set up,” is that right?”
“Correct.”
“How though?”
“I’m getting to that. You see, I was looking into a case one of my colleagues was dealing with when the Fledgling Alert was sent to all of us.”
I pondered a bit. (“Huh, I bet she wasn’t exactly thrilled about the news, considering Dalton’s reaction.”)
Ivory continued. “Needless to say, it was yet another search as usual. I began by asking local shops and townsfolk in the South Western side of town.”
“So that’s where you were at?” I inquired.
“Yes. It took about fifteen minutes for the alert to reach me.”
I pondered a bit to myself. (“Considering how she was on the literal opposite side of town, that’s pretty quick.”)
“Anyways, I found a potential trace when someone sighted her near a peculiar shop, a music materials shop to be exact. Apparently, she made a purchase there, and a good while before I came in, around five till Half Evening to be exact. When I asked where she went, I didn’t get much of an answer.”
I bit my thumb, trying to piece it all together as the detective continued her side of the story.
“So I rushed over to the Lugia residence. I was certain a kid like her would have some purpose for purchasing such expensive metal strings, but all I found was a locked door and a dropped to-do list. This to be exact.”
She showed me the list.
Things to Do Today:
[X] – Go to the Eastern Market Street
[X] – Go to the Deep Underside
[X] – Return to the Upperside
[X] – Ready the Packs
[X] – Make Noise at the Pier
[X] – Sneak Back
[X] – Buy Supplies
[X] – Prep
[ ] – Get to the (New) Blossom Palace by Fifteen Past Moonlight
[ ] – Find the Lunar Stars’ Hideout. The Leader of the Shining Slashers must know something…
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Everything on that list. (I didn’t understand. There was merit to what Ivory was saying to a small extent, nothing that would reek of betrayal though.)
I took a deep breath as Ivory put away the note. “So you went to the ‘New’ Blossom Palace at the appointed time and then what?”
“After traveling down the stairs and heading to the landmark, I received an anonymous tip upon arrival,” the detective stated. “An officer on duty came to me with a written notice. Someone saw you entering an old and abandoned building, muttering something about the colors of the sun on pipes deep below ground.”
I looked away. There was no doubt about Milotic anymore. (“That’s what she meant, a tip.”)
She glanced back at me. “I was skeptical, but it and the list were unfortunately the only leads I had. From there, I followed the tip, found the pillar and went to the nearby power house.”
I looked back at Ivory. “Power house? And why there?”
“Someone has to keep track of where all that Electric-Type power goes here.”
I shrugged. Figured it was yet another oddball thing from Silspring’s very complicated management.
Ivory continued. “Either way, I had to search through blueprints and materials just to figure out where you were going. Once I did that, I made my way to the spot, found the tunnel, and then entered the hideout of the Shining Slashers. I sneaked around until I heard the noise of some static. That’s when I found your ruckus and the leader. The rest is history.”
I scratched my head. (“Thorough, but something doesn’t add up.”) “Hey, hold on. I think I need the timing of it all at least.”
She gave out a long-winded and genuinely annoyed sigh. “Fledgling Alert started at Half Evening. I acknowledged the alert about fifteen minutes later. Met the shopkeeper just close to a quarter till. I reached the Lugia Residence at about fourteen till Moonlight. Using the stairs, I reached the Blossom Palace at the appointed time, and that’s when I got the tip. And finally, I followed the tip to the building and the tunnel spot, all by around fifteen minutes before Half Moonlight. Does that answer enough?”
I rubbed my chin, “Most, but what about the time to get all the way down here? I doubt you would have gotten all the way down and through the tunnels in such a short time. And why go to a different-”
“Oh, that’s why I went to the power house; to use their lift.”
I winced in disbelief. (“…What?”) “There’s a- There’s a lift?!?”
“Yes, I did have to climb a few flights here and there, but I managed.”
I hid my face in shame and groaned. (“Are you kidding? There was a lift?!?”)
Ivory gestured to me to follow along. “Well if you’re done mopping, can I finish?”
“Go ahead,” I answered as we took another turn. “You mentioned betrayal, but you’ve never said anything about that yet.”
The detective turned and started pacing backwards. “That’s because a certain little boy kept asking questions about alibis.”
“Just say it already,” I hissed with gritted teeth. I was not in the mood for an age-related back and forth (even if it is justified by today’s events).
“I suspect that Fi- Lucy may have joined up with the Lunar Stars,” Ivory said. “By luring us to their rival, the Stars would gain a big advantage.”
I raised a brow. “What? Like a territory conflict?”
“In a sense, yes. Now, I don’t know what possessed her to just join up with criminals.”
I crossed my arms and glared, making my thinning patience clear.
Nevertheless, the detective continued. “But regardless, it would explain the odd behavior. How she not only eluded the force’s sight, but also pulled you and the retainers around.”
“Meaning what?” I asked.
“I’m certain you already know. There’s no way a fledgling like her could elude everyone’s sight for so long on her own. It’s impossible to do so on a whim like she usually does.”
“So you think it’s a calculated effort, planned.”
Ivory nodded in confirmation. “Yes. Quite certain of it.”
“And how do you know about us being lured around?”
“I met with Dalton and he caught me up on the situation and how you wandered off on your own apparently.”
“Yeah, yeah, but I couldn’t just sit around and wait.”
“Do you two know each other that well?”
I shook my head in a fluster. “No. I only met her yesterday. Does it even look like I know that well?”
Ivory went quiet for a moment, muttering to herself.
After we took more turns, I spoke up. “Ivory…”
“Don’t mind my silence. Anyways, these past few hours have been a collaborative effort between Lucy and the Lunar Stars. That’s my hypothesis.”
Despite the explanation, I couldn’t help but doubt it. (There were too many uncertainties.) “Even still, I don’t think she would just join up like that, mischief-maker or not.”
“Of course not. It’s not like her to, even her first few years here in the records here didn’t show anything like that happening at all, which is why I’m so bothered.”
All in all, this mess of a day was a most bewildering case, a case with still far too many gaps. Like Ivory, I too was rather bothered by the facts and theories presented. “Any idea why then?”
The detective briefly glanced away from the path for a moment. “That’s still a blurry set of lines. I’d wager she was coerced somehow, in what way, I don’t know yet.”
“Threatened maybe, but why would they do that if she’s such a free spirit so to speak?”
The Indeedee turned around another corner. “…How disappointing. Surely you of all people would know by now.”
I tightened a fist at that moment. (One among several “reasons” that justified the isolation of us legendaries.) I turned away and scoffed.
“So you do know. The power of a guardian of the seas, right there for the world to see. Mold her at youth and the edge of the horizon doesn’t seem so far.”
“You really think they have the patience to go so far for such power?”
“A word from the wise, in Silspring, many criminals here scramble for power and control. And your legendary fledgling friend is a wild card that can change the dynamic dramatically. Think about it.”
Ivory went quiet and continued walking ahead.
As I followed, I pondered the detective’s words. I grew more and more anxious the more I thought about it, needless to say. (A most prized game piece indeed.) In the end, I decided that there was only one pokemon that could clear this up, but I had to get to her first.
We made our way through more turns and tunnels until we finally came across an old and ruined wall. Actually, it was more like a mural of sorts, depicting two hoofed creatures (similar to Rapidashes in some ways) and a flower.
On the left was a hazy black creature with a purple mane, while the right side depicted a white creature whose horns rose like the elegant glaciers of the north. And finally between these two hoofed pokemon was a single flower, a flower that glowed with snowy lavender color on its white stem.
Seeing the flower, my heart felt heavy. (Memories, plenty of memories poured into the mind’s forefront.) I walked over to the mural, placing my hand on the flower. My gaze slowly lowered itself. My eyes forced themselves shut. My deep breaths to stay calm were hindered by clenched teeth. (“Don’t forget.”)
“Are you done yet?” Ivory asked impatiently.
After a deep breath, I turned my gaze toward the Indeedee, who was tapping her foot. “What? Aren’t you going to say, ‘Didn’t expect you to be the art admiring type?’”
The detective crossed her arms and slowly shook her head. “I wouldn’t say anything like that to you.” She then glanced at the gate. “Now then, the gate here.”
I made glances at both the Indeedee and the mural. (“This is a gate?”) I stepped back. “I don’t follow.”
“We did go the right way,” Ivory explained. “Just as Gusoku said.”
“That’s what he whispered to you?”
“No, he said it to you too.”
“Huh?” (“He did? When…Come on think back…but the only way that could-”) That was when it hit me.
“Gated and locked in with no power.” I stepped back again to see the mural in full. It seemed dark, and on the wall was what looked like some kind of box. “North, West, North- Uhhh, and then another Eastern case there?”
I looked back the way we came. (“Now that I think about it, we did take a few odd turns while we were talking…”) “‘…don’t know true justice and steeds when you see them, no matter the radiant-tinted specs.’…Is that it?”
Ivory nodded at the question with a sigh. “Took you long enough to figure it out. Why else did I insist on coming along?”
I was impressed so to speak. Those terms were directions. Clever, but they were certainly hard to memorize in one go. Ivory, she was something else; she wasn’t working with ordinary feats of memory. “Gusoku led us here, but why?”
“An exchange. A deal,” she answered. “We scratch his back, he scratches ours as us commoners say.”
The implication of what she said at that moment, it felt wrong. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe someone like her would go to such…immoral lengths for a case. She did this before, that much was certain. And it begged a question, a question we both knew would take too much time to answer.
“So now what?” I asked coldly.
“There are two passwords we need to enter in addition to providing electrical power,” she promptly answered, staring at me. “You can guess what happens from there, right?”
I saw it happen before. So I sighed. “…I act as the Charjabug…”
“Good kitten. And for your information, that was rather mean of you to nearly kill me like that.”
I groaned as I figured it out. She would have needed me anyways. (“What the heck? And she couldn’t have said it promptly why?!? I mean, seriously.”)
Ivory eventually just sighed. “Fine, be that way. This is the fastest way he said. But we still need those passwords and…” She looked toward the mural. “But that mural has to be a hint. If only we weren’t so pressed for time.”
“Dare I ask how much?”
“If that note of yours is true, a little over thirty minutes till Midnight.”
I squinted at Ivory. “But didn’t you say Lucy set us up?”
“Yes, but who knows what will happen if you don’t cooperate.”
(“…She’s not wrong per say. If anything, they’d get suspicious if I failed to do what they asked.”)
Ivory tightened her fists. “Well?”
I raised a brow. “Well what?”
“Care to share with the class?” The detective asked, gesturing to me. “Gusoku said you would know. We both pieced together the directions, now we just need the passwords. Think back, will you?”
I pondered for a moment. (“…Do I know?…Come on, think!”)
Ivory forced a deep breath. “My word! Think about that last part!”
I pointed at the inpatient Indeedee. “I’m thinking! Come on!” (“There’s gotta be something. True justice and steeds. True justice and steeds.”) I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes. (“Steeds…that mural.”) My eyes opened up. (“Of course! Steeds! It’s them! But why is there a mural of them here of all places?…Doesn’t matter, just remember the names. Glastrier and Spectrier.”)
After rubbing my head for a moment, the names finally came to my mouth. “Glastrier and Spectrier.”
Ivory blinked for a moment. “Spectrier?”
The need for clarification made me furrow my brow for a moment, but then I sighed impatiently. “Yes. Those are the names. Glas-stri-er. Spec-tri-er. Capeesh?” (“…Wait…”)
Ivory hesitated for a moment, but shook her head. “Right. Capeesh, whatever that means. Just zap the box already and make it a light one please.”
“Yeah yeah, I know,” I said going over to the box. (“Capeesh? Where did that word come from?”) I opened the box and saw the wires.
Ivory was near the tile panel. She glanced towards me. “Just a light and constant charge until I say so.”
After grabbing the wires, I returned a similarly stern look. “Right, don’t forget to press on the Glastrier side when you finish.”
“And that’s supposed to mean…”
“Just do it.”
“Fine.”
I took a deep breath. “Here goes.” (It was a bit tough to not blow up upon sparking. The process started slow before providing enough power to go through the wires. It was fair to say it took some time before Ivory’s panel lit up.)
Ivory tapped her foot impatiently until she could enter the passwords. After that, she then pushed against the Glastrier side of the mural.
(Likely to her surprise) Ivory slowly slid the door open. Once she finished, the detective called out. “You can stop now.”
I promptly let go of the wire and stepped back.
The whole mural acted as one big door.
Ivory came over to me, rubbing her chin. “Hmmm, interesting. How did you know it didn’t rise or lower without brute strength.”
“Think about it. True justice and steeds. Steeds was one thing, but ever wondered why he mentioned true justice?”
“Personally, I believed it to be mere flavor on his part.”
“But, it could have also meant, true as is in truth. And truth often refers to the right hand, or right limb depending on the species…right side. Either way, I thought of pushing the wall.”
“Ha ha, and where did you get that idea from?”
“…” (“……Thinking back…I mean, Nah, there’s plenty of other sources, right? Like…a boulder in front of a cave opening?”) (There weren’t that many sources, human memories or not.) “Lucky guess.”
Ivory shrugged at that statement.
Despite my nonchalant response, something else came to my mind. “I just have one question.”
At that point, some incoming noise began to stir from behind us.
Ivory stepped past me. “I’m afraid that question must wait. We have bigger problems.”
I turned around to listen. My ears twitched. The sounds didn’t seem like ordinary footsteps.
The reason became clear the more the sources drew near.
I readied a battle stance when Ivory took a rod of some kind out of her coat. It kind of looked like a baton stick, cut down to the black handle lined with swirling silver lines. Near the blue silver top of this rod was a dull black orb with a lavender whirlpool for a core. It was unlike any orb I’ve ever seen in recent times. (No, it was unlike any orb I’ve ever heard about in my life.)
With a flick of her wrist, Ivory’s rod bent itself, shifting form with the sound of clock workings. The golden circular blossomed open in a flower bud fashion as a small and hollow silver cylinder extended itself from the opening. The rod and the gun were one in the same.
Before I had a chance to process what I noticed, Ivory tightened the grip on her weapon and a small green blast fired from the barrel, creating a loud banging noise as the projectile sped through the dark corridor at a blinding speed.
“Ack! Stop! Don’t shoot!” a voice echoed. My ears did not expect such a loud noise to come from that object. Explosions maybe, but that tiny little gadget? Nope. (It was enough to make even my ears ring.)
“Show yourselves, now!” Ivory commanded.
A different voice called out. “Yes, Officer. We will, very slowly now. Nice and easy.”
I massaged my ears as the group came closer. Eventually, some shapes became visible. A duo.
I recognized the duo, “Ot- Grapploct and Kalea?”
The retainers slowly made their way over to us. Ivory sighed and lowered her weapon, shifting it back to its initial rod form.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I can say the same thing,” Kalea replied. “What areyou doing here?”
Ivory finished putting away her weapon. “And I can say the same thing for all three of you.”
Kalea growled at the remark. “Good to see you again, Miss Negative Sniper.”
“Save it, Kalea,” the detective said coldly. “We’re pressed for time.”
Otto spoke up. “Can you say why?”
“Blame your new mythical friend there,” Ivory answered, giving me a side glance. “Apparently, he’s arranged for a little Midnight meeting with one of those big local gangs.”
“Zera!” Kalea hissed at me. “What the heck! We said to stay put!”
I snapped back at the Primarina. “Well excuuuuuuuuse me for trying not to put Lucy’s life at risk!”
The retainers were taken aback by the statement. “Wait, what?”
“Hold on, what do you mean?” they said simultaneously.
Ivory stepped between me and the retainers. “Stop. Your irritating squabbles can happen another time, we have a fledgling in danger here.” She then turned to Otto. “You, how did you get here?”
Otto cleared their throat. “Well, we found a potential clue just before Moonlight, met with Dalton sometime after and then we searched through the catacombs. We searched everywhere, hoping to find any trace of the little one and then we found this.”
The Fighting-Type showed Ivory a note, which looked like a series of directional words like North and West.
“We followed the note here,” Kalea explained. “There seems to be a way out too.”
“I can see that,” the Detective stated as she read the note. “How odd…”
Gruff and muffled voices could be heard in the distance behind the retainers. It seemed to be shouting.
Kalea heard the noise as well. “Darn it. Why now?”
DD promptly pulled out a notebook and started writing with a pen. Afterwards, she tore out a page and handed it to Kalea.
“Take this,” she said. “Go to the surface, and notify Dalton and the department.”
“What? No!” the Water-Type protested. “I’m helping!”
The Indeedee shook her head. “Kalea, you’ll only slow us down where we’re going and we’ll need all the backup we can get!”
A sleazy voice spoke up from a far distance. “I think it’s coming from this way!”
Kalea glanced between Ivory and the other tunnel before wincing.
Ivory spoke up once more, this time with a more commanding voice. “Look, I get it, but you and I both know this situation is delicate and dangerous. Do us all a favor by swallowing your pride and listen to me for just this once!”
After some long and silent moments, Kalea turned around and faced the corridor behind her. “F-Fine. Go! But we’re coming after you once we do it.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Ivory said, turning to me. “Now Zera, I need you to carry me on your back.”
“Wait, what?!?” I blurted.
“Your speed will get us there faster and you’re stronger too.”
“Oh suuuure, make the cat carry the goat-like. That will work wonders!”
Ivory frowned. “This is no time for a snarky debate!”
“I see ‘em!” another voice called out. “Get some folks o’er ere’ now!”
“We’re out of time, Zera!” Otto stated, turning to face the corridor. “Do what she says. We’ll buy you time! Go!”
(“They’re all right. Just do it and get it over with.”) I winced at the thought before making steps toward the mural’s tunnel. “Ivory, get on!”
With that, Ivory jumped on my back, wrapping her arms practically in a death grip around my neck.
“D-Don’t you get any ideas,” I said.
“Same to you,” she spat back.
And so, I started running forward, quickly picking up speed as we rushed through the tunnel.
With only my night vision to guide me, all I could do was run like the steed I was reduced to.
To my surprise, and probably Ivory’s, the corridor was surprisingly straight. There were hardly any signs of damage or rough terrain. Very rarely did the path ever turn.
As I moved, Ivory held on tightly despite the calm demeanor she gave off half the time I spent with her. She just remained rather silent.
We saw some light after some time, the tunnel was ending at last.
I started slowing down to a normal pace until we fully stopped at the tunnel’s clear exit.
Ivory spoke up. “Oh? What’s the matter? Afraid of the light?”
I gave a quiet hiss back. (“Not worth it, not worth it. Just move on.”)
I stepped through the exit without so much as humoring her.
Upon exiting, Ivory and I were met with a rather intriguing view. We stood on what looked like some kind of balcony. The land beyond was…mostly forest. Trees, plenty of blossom trees that glowed in the surprisingly bright artificial light in this place. Most of these blossoms had a strange green color, which was rather ironic given the lighting. Combined with the odd arrangement of what looked like mountains in the distance, it all just gave off an eerily ethereal aesthetic that was unlike the bizarre plants I saw on the Upperside.
Streams of water could be heard in the distance. The air was a mix of sweet and dusty, which seemed…wrong. What could I make of it? It just felt off, much like the nature of this sealed off place. The walls and ceiling above were cracked and jagged, exposing the cavern-like nature. The lighting on the ceiling, though seemingly broken in some places, still showed signs of use, complete with a full moon. (Although, said full moon was partially obscured by the aforementioned cracked and missing ceiling panels.)
However, none of it compared to the literal central piece. A widespread series of buildings a little ways away from where we stood. Some were merely house-sized while others stood as tall towers. And then there was the center building itself. It was an extravagant building standing several floors high with balconies, bridges, and other outdoor pathways. This palace, along with the other buildings, shined proudly with a torch-colored glimmer.
Overall, the sight of this Blossom Palace and its garden was a ghostly sight. I was a tad stifled just looking at it, this otherworldly past that shouldn’t be, this place that should never be.
Ivory hopped off of me and gazed at the area around us. “Hmmm, for a place that was destroyed 100 years ago, it seems rather refurbished.”
I turned toward the oddly calm detective. “Meaning…”
“We’re definitely at the right place.”
“And this place doesn’t at least make you nervous?”
Ivory merely crossed her arms and gave me a side glance. “Ehh, I’ve seen worse.”
My brow furrowed at that statement. (“Is she really trying to act tough, or is that actually the truth?”) (It was honestly hard to tell, her expression being stone cold and dull like that.)
With a quick shake of her head, Ivory waved a splayed hand. “Moving on to business, this is where we split.”
“Whoa whoa whoa, split?” I said, turning to Ivory. “What do you mean?”
The detective returned a dull glance. “What else? Someone has to act as bait while someone competent searches for Lucy.”
I frowned. “Wow, quite rude of you to say that.”
The detective closed her eyes. “Considering your explosive record in keeping the streets clean, I’d say my statement is more than warranted. If you weren’t a mythical, you’d be rotting in jail for that atrociously sad excuse of vigilantism, my thunder lord.”
I quietly rasped at the statement. (“Yeesh! The nerve of this goat. Really knows how to try my patience. Plenty sure Zapdos would have given her a shock by now for spouting those fighting words.”) I then sighed. “So you’re asking me to go through the front door and make some noise, while you search for Lucy?”
“Who said I was asking?”
“What about that gun of yours? You could kill like twenty guys in one fell swoop.”
As she opened her eyes, the Indeedee’s expression soured itself into the gruff frown I’ve grown used to. “…Firstly, it’s a Pipe. Secondly, that’s not how the item works. And third. My job is to protect the peace, not turn criminals into target practice. Get it right.”
“Pipe, gun, whatever! Same difference.”
Ivory briefly took out her pocket dial for a moment. “Are you done yet? We only have a little more than fifteen minutes here.”
“Fine, fine.”
“One more thing,” Ivory said, putting away the dial and giving me a stern look. “You may be on your own, but do refrain from using your stronger Electric Moves.”
“Not even Discharge?”
“Especially not Discharge.” Before I had a chance to ask why, she told me this. “You should know exactly why.”
She wasn’t wrong there. Not that I was planning on using my full power here, but…
Nevertheless, I nodded. “You better hold up your end of the deal.” And with that and quick rubbing of my paws, I hopped over the guard rail, allowing myself to fall into the forest below (and then faceplant on a branch or two before hitting the ground).
Some Time Earlier…
The fortress remained in serviceable condition for quite some time after settling in. The past seven or so years have been quite fortunate indeed. Tall stone walls surrounding the buildings along with handy charge lights. Even if the enemy were to find this main base, they would have to deal with a most impressive defense. That was the general consensus for most at the fortress, but as the leader stated multiple times, caution was a valuable ally in Silspring.
Tonight was a mostly ordinary night for the guard captain. Another late night patrol was needed and more than ever since their latest and uninvited visitor came in recently. An Electabuzz stood in the hallway of the eastern palace, pacing about.
In due time, the leader came out through the nearby door. A Greninja of great standing, the leader of the Lunar Stars himself, Shiro Hayashi. One may not think much of his rather average figure and skinniness, but he had held his own in more fights than one could count. His combative prowess and tactics were what made him the leading figurehead. From ragged robes that ran down to his knees, to a diagonal scar on his chest, Shiro was most certainly someone folks here could call proud and perhaps seasoned. And to that end, they would be right, for the most part.
Regardless, the leader approached the captain with a simple greeting as he passed by. “Hmmm, awake at last, Q?”
The Electabuzz sighed at the name and started following. “Can’t you call me, captain for once?”
The Greninja chuckled. “My apologies, but it is a mere force of habit.”
Q glanced away briefly in annoyance. (“It’s not that hard to call me captain.”) The Electric-Type eventually just shook his head and turned his attention back to Shiro. “So, about the lass…”
“Interesting to say the least,” the Greninja stated.
“And?”
“She is to stay here until further notice and she is not to wander off. I already gave the message to the others.”
Q raised a brow. “Umm…”
“Hmmm? Did I stutter?” Shiro gave Q a side glance.
“N-No, but I could have told the message.”
“Perhaps, but I needed to be thorough.”
“Do you think she actually told the truth?”
Shrio looked away at that moment. “…….I will consider those words before deciding, just like any other testimony.”
The captain rolled his eyes as he and the leader exited the building and started walking toward the central tower. (“And by consider, you means meditating, just like those Lucarios and Alakazams you fight against. Our leader, through and through.”)
Shiro turned around to face Q. “Until further notice, none of you are to lay a finger on her head. If you see the fledgling roaming around, capture her and take her back to the building. Put everyone on alert tonight, I suspect others will follow the trail. Do I make myself clear?”
“Loud and clear, Sir,” Q replied, giving a salute.
With one more nod, Shiro proceeded to the tower while the captain decided to make his rounds at the West building.
As he took the tower lift, Shiro pondered silently to himself. (“This feels wrong, not just in circumstance, but more…”)
(“Why? Why are there so many coincidences? First, the Auction going awry and now this? What is the big picture here? Have they grown aware?”)
Moving through a short set of wooden and dimly-lit hallways, Shiro would eventually approach a pair of double doors guarded by two Weavile guards. They were fairly strong, but still low on the chain. They were only here since everyone else was on high alert tonight.
With only a short exchange of glances, Shiro entered the old throne room. What was once a gathering place for the ruler and nobles alike, now it was reduced to a casual meeting room. Broken wood scraps, gashes, off-putting patches made over obvious holes. One would think a few years was enough to make the flooring have fewer holes, but it was a gang operation and there’s always that guy who tries to show off their newly learned Bulldoze attack, despite the obvious signs outside. Blasted pups.
Nevertheless, it was off to the passage way, hidden just behind the throne and some paneling. If only the dimly-lit passageway itself wasn’t so long. Oh well one’s excitement could make for a potential defense, it’d take a very bad day for someone that foolish to come through.
Eventually, the upper hatch came into view and Shiro climbed the stairs up to the garden.
The back garden was always a mostly peaceful place save for the outdoor echoes. It did have an open roof after all. Trees spread out their branches across the back of the room. Rows of flowers were laid on the soil along the side walls and along the sides of the path. The floral scent in the otherwise dusty air verified the legitimacy of the flowers. Combined with the sound produced by small rolling streams of water, the little garden was perfect for getting away from it all and finding a quiet time to meditate…even though everyone could see the garden from outside to some extent.
As Shiro made his way to the central plaza of the garden, he muttered to himself. “That lass, perhaps she was genuine? No, what if it was a trick? Unless…no. Something has changed and too quickly from what the reports say.”
The Greninja sighed and shook his head. He sat down with crossed legs and then closed his eyes. (“It seems like I’ll have to miss the meeting tonight after all.”)
After a few minutes of stillness, bells suddenly started to ring. The Greninja’s eyes shot open. “…!!!…” He looked toward the closed hatch with a furrowed brow. “…That vile little vassal,” he muttered with bitter breath.
Meanwhile, the distant chime of a bell echoed from the southern gate. In due time, more bells chimed until the whole base was notified.
Q rushed to the balcony of the western palace. “Shiro, how do you predict these things?” Q leaned on the balcony railing.
The distant and scrambled shouts of “Intruder Alert!” echoed from the southern entrance.
A crowd gathered behind the duo and started gazing at the southern entrance.
Q grabbed a nearby telescope to see what the commotion was about. With a zoomed-in view he witnessed something unusual.
A good portion of the guards surrounded the intruders, or rather the intruder. A yellow feline figure stood tall in the center of the crowd. Q could only see their back, but he picked up on a peculiar trait, the lightning bolt-shaped scarf that ran down their back. The figure’s large paws sparked violently across the nearby air.
Q’s breath stumbled, uttering, “Sweet merciful Zekrom…”
The intruder’s head turned, practically giving Q a knowing and wrathful side glance. In the next instant, the flash of an explosion lit up the area, followed by the wails of grunts and warriors soaring across the courtyard.
By the time the smoke cleared, the intruder was long gone and the noise of distant and loud crashes sounded out from the southern palace.
Q dropped his telescope and turned to the crowd behind him. “Everyone! Defensive Positions! Now!” He commanded.
A Nidorino stumbled back with a fearful expression. “What was- Us?”
Q’s teeth chattered but was forced to swallow the fear. “EVERYONE!” He answered. “NOW!”
Without only a brief second or two of hesitation, the crowd dashed to the stairs in a panicked rush.
Once everyone was gone, Q glanced back at the southern courtyard, only to see guards, grunts, and fellow gang members alike on the ground, struggling against the sparks of that Violent Electrical Burst.
He knew this was no ordinary rogue Electric-Type. No, far from it. Worse, much much worse. (“What invited the use of that kind of V.E.B.?”) Q shook his head before hurrying to the building’s tower bridge. Clearly, it would take far more than just grunts alone, as much as he wished it so. Shiro needed to know and fast.
At the southern palace, shouts, grunts, and door slams sounded throughout the uniform hallways. Louder and louder the noise grew until…
*Crrrssh!*
Zeraora tackled through the wall with a Mega Punch. He took a turn, rushing through the hall with shouts not too far behind.
In time, he found a storage room at the end and locked himself inside by kicking a heavy-looking box with his good leg. There didn’t seem to be much in there apart from spikes, rope, and other items. The only exit out was a small window that looked out from the roof.
While the crowd was catching up, Zeraora took the opportunity to eat his last Oran Berry and catch his breath.
The rope and the plethora of stored Iron Spikes caught his eye, making the Electric-Type smirk.
The exhausted grunts finally caught up to the door and started banging against with their combined might, but to no avail. The door was stuck tight, but then.
“Out of my way,” a Hariyama declared, pushing through the crowd in preparation.
But just before he charged, a thundering bang shook the building, forcing the crowd and even the Hariyama to stumble in their steps. The source was the storage room, which was now smoking through the cracks.
After a few moments, the Hariyama tackled the door and crashed through. Smoke spilled out of the room in an instant. The crowd poured into the room in an attempt to locate the intruder, but there was no one.
Yet the pitter patter of steps on wood could be heard from outside. Further inspection showed a hole in the wall, leading to the roof. The group glanced out, only to see Zeraora running toward the central building with rope and spikes in hand.
The cat dashed on the roof until the whistling of spikes reached his ears. Guards and grunts tossed spikes in hopes of halting his rapid progress.
He ducked, narrowly avoiding the soaring weapons.
Just as the mythical finally finished fiddling with his stolen material, another few spikes flew toward him.
He dropped to the ground, quick enough for the spike slice through his hair. However, the movement caused the cat to start sliding down the roof upon doing so. The rough texture ground against his back as he slid.
Seeing another roof across a short gap, Zeraora planted his feet on the edge and leaped across the gap.
Of course, with a harsh one floor difference, Zeraora made a hard landing on the other rooftop. The shock of the impact was enough to make him shut his eyes from the pain. He even had to brace himself with a hand to prevent himself from falling over.
Alas, he did manage to grit his teeth and tough it out. All it took was a few fist baps on the leg. After wrapping the remaining rope around his shoulder, Zeraora began to move once more at the sound of water coming his way.
Jumping onto the top ridge of the roof he narrowly avoided the splashes of several Water Pulses attacks aimed at his back. And thus the cat was once again on the move. What was his goal? No one was sure, but it was likely the central tower given his trajectory thus far.
But his path wouldn’t be so easy, especially when a few Acelgors hopped onto the roof to block the path. They each tossed a Water Shuriken at the intruder, intended to catch the cat.
To that, Zeraora merely scoffed and pulled out two Iron Spikes from his belt bag, one in each hand. “Stand down, schmucks!” the mythical dictated to the trio.
He then made a short hop toward the assault as the shurikens slipped closer together. To the trio’s surprise, Zeraora first parried the two top shurikens with the spikes in his paws, disrupting the attack’s trajectory and letting go of the spikes.
Slipping through the new gap and grabbing the spikes on the way out, Zeraora struck back, shattering the formerly dropped weapons on the two closest Acelgors while sliding on his left foot.
Afterwards, he snatched the remaining Acelgor’s ribbon while they weren’t looking and spun around. The sorry Bug-Type tried to resist, even firing off a Struggle Bug attack at him, but it was sadly a vain effort.
The last Acelgor was flung at his two companions as the Bug-Type attack struck true. The Acelgor trio collided with each other, falling over.
And as for Zeraora, his stance remained still and firm, hardly bothered by the prior attack’s damage. He just simply placed his fingers together, pointed toward the trio, and fired a Thunderbolt at the nearby group, creating a big blast that pushed him away at a steady speed.
Zera’s sense of balance was quite remarkable from afar, truly lived up to expectation for anyone with an acrobatic reputation. However, a glance back showed a pointed roof in the cat’s path and coming quickly.
He slowly rose up, placed his right foot down for added breaking, and then jumped just before reaching the obstacle.
With a handspring, a cartwheel, and a spinning double front flip, Zeraora not only cleared the obstacle, but also dodged some incoming projectiles with ease. It was a most impressive maneuver; sure he ended it with a ground roll, but he played it off well and was now on the way to the next building.
Unfortunately for Zeraora, even more foes of varying types hopped over the railing, eager to impede the mythical’s path.
Zeraora frowned at the sight and deviated from the central path. He hopped onto the roof and moved for a side entrance from the corner, whacking a Buizel out of the way in the process.
However, even more thugs jumped onto the roof in front of the mythical, with one of them tossing a spike toward the ground near his feet.
Zeraora was now mostly surrounded, with the only open direction leading to the tall wall of the central tower and a hefty fall. Any way into the western building was blocked by a group of miscreants. The nearest bridge to the central building was on a floor high above the mythical’s position.
Zeraora glanced at each of the groups, seeking a way out of this predicament.
It was at this point that one member of the crowd boated, “Nowhere to run, cat!”
Zera’s eyes shifted to the tower for a moment before silently running for the edge.
His hands sparked as the noise of incoming attacks and gasps sounded out from behind.
To everyone’s surprise, he jumped off the side and lightly clapped with Plasma Fists.
The resulting blast sent him skyward, leaving behind a nasty zone of shocks for the idiots below.
The humid and dusty air pressed against his head and back as Zera rose up from the smoke at a high speed. Sure, it may not have been the smartest idea, but the raw collateral damage and the potential movement was more than worth the added waste of stamina in short bursts.
Inevitably, gravity started to slow Zera’s rising progress down. At that moment, he grabbed an end of the rope he carried and chucked it up high toward the wall.
The spikes, that were tightly tied together with this rope, sped toward its intended target with an audible whoosh while the rope quickly unwound itself from Zera’s shoulder.
The end soon struck and dug itself into the wall. This allowed the mythical to pull himself up and toward the palace wall with a sharp and light tug.
Once at the wall, he pulled once more to gain vertical momentum and start running up.
Q warned more and more folks to get into position on his way to the tower’s top floor, including a few Acelgors for good measure. With the air’s charge rapidly rising however, there was always that grim thought the effort wouldn’t be enough to stop. Delay the inevitable? Maybe.
Even from far away, Q could feel the sheer magnitude of power from this intruder. It was truly unprecedented, far worse than a Lanturn and especially far worse than a surface-dweller’s power.
Sure, the lifts would have been nice, but now was not a good time for asking grunts for small favors. Every hand, paw, numb, limb, and anything was needed for this occasion. The stairs would have to do.
Climbing the flight, Q’s head slowly filled itself with fearful thoughts. Why was the intruder here? Was he alone? If not, who’s following? Who’s already here? Are they here for the fledgling, or are they here for something else…or someone else?
The Electabuzz’s line of thought kept getting cut short with each explosion outside. The sound and burst of power was enough to make the captain stumble as he continued to climb the stairs.
Q finally reached the top floor and ran to the throne room door, where the two Weavile guards stood.
They both raised a concerned brow at the tired Electabuzz. “What’s happening out there?” one of them asked.
Q struggled to gather enough breath to speak. “In-…ahh…”
The other piped up. “Something’s wrong, but we-”
“Forget orders!” the captain stated. “The intruder. Fast! Very fast! He’s coming here! Need to warn, Shiro! Let me through.”
“But sir-”
Yet another explosion occurred, coming from below outside. It was enough to make the captain grit his teeth.
“Now!” Q bellowed.
With no more hesitation, the uncertain duo opened the door and let Q through.
Entering the throne room, no one was there. Of course Shiro wouldn’t be there. The passageway behind the throne was open. He was in the garden again. Does he know already? Then why wasn’t he doing anything? (“Did he have faith in us? Are we failing him? No, how could we fail him like this? How could he expect us to fight against-”)
Even after the guards sealed the doors shut, the explosion outside was not muffled very much at all; in fact, it was close by.
But just as the Electabuzz steadied himself, a lingering static began to make its way closer. Q’s widened at that moment. It was over. The intruder was here.
He turned around. “……Oh no…”
Claws forced their way between the doors. With a forceful pull, the entrance is torn open by the intruder.
The Electric-Type raised their face with darkened scowl designed to spread terror, a wrathful stare that would make a Mismagius shriek. Yet despite it all, their eyes seemed quite tired with a lack of respite.
Regardless of the matter, the intruder was here now, staring at the captain, the sole remaining defense for Shiro.
Behind the intruder, the doors fell over, followed by knocked out Weaviles. Two of Shiro’s closest guards, guards he talked to mere moments ago, down and out.
Q’s fists trembled, but he had to fulfill his duty…but that all the time he was graced with. Before he could take advantage of the airborne power, before he could raise his fists, before he could even take a step, the intruder closed the gap in a near instant.
A strong fist slammed into Q chest, lifting him off the ground. Suddenly, the distance between the two increased, farther and farther until…
*CRASH!*
The captain’s body slammed against the throne, completely knocking the chair over. It was at this point that the sheer pain of that powerful punch finally registered.
Q gasped for breath as he struggled to move, but how could he? He knew he was slow for his kind, but the speed was on a whole level of its own.
The intruder approached the fallen captain with impatient footsteps.
Once Q caught his breath, he looked up and saw the intruder standing over with that judgemental frown. They briefly gripped their left arm for a moment, which seemed to bear some kind of odd bracelet, a looplet? He couldn’t get a good look at it to say for sure.
Either way, Q was done for. As he was forcibly pulled off the ground he wondered. (“Shiro, what brought this goddess’ wrath here?”) That was the last thought he had before taking nasty blow to the head and everything going black as a result.
The Electabuzz easily fell over in a knockout.
I was getting a little tired after all that running. I took a breath and winced. I took a few hits and used more force than necessary, but at least I was there, right at the place.
Though it seemed like the leader wasn’t around. The Electabuzz certainly wasn’t the leader. He felt too weak to be. Then again, it wasn’t like there was much of a difference to me, but he seemed more coward-like.
Regardless, there was a slightly open passageway behind the throne. Perhaps, the leader was hiding there (or maybe waiting there).
So after building some static with my paws and the carpet (an old trick of mine), I ran down the dimly lit passage. Occasional lights broke up the darkness, but it was oddly long. It even made my breath heat up for a bit.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the end to come. I came up to a long staircase followed by a small hatch. With a frustrated huff, I busted through it with a simple punch on my way up.
The hatch door flew off its hinges and landed nearby as I hopped out of the passage with a battle-ready stance. As my beating heart slowed down, I took a short moment to glance at the surroundings.
The room I found myself in had an open roof with light shining through the hole on the branches of trees spread out across the back of the room. (The sight of it all gave a conflicting and evocative sense of peace somehow.)
The flowers and trees started glowing a bright teal color, even pink fruit started to glow to some extent in this bright moonlight. (Manually forged or not, one couldn’t deny the impressive setup displayed).
Sitting cross-legged at the center of the path’s circular end was a Greninja clad in rugged black robes. Their scarf-like tongue slowed down in motion, likely reacting to my entrance.
My gaze quickly focused itself on the Greninja. Considering the isolated and secure nature of this room, I could guess this Greninja was the leader I was looking for. It seemed obvious, yet also oddly familiar to an extent.
Once I caught my breath, I finally spoke up. “…Right on time…”
The Greninja opened his eyes, acknowledging my presence. “Right on time indeed.”
Suddenly, a lower-pitched echo bellowed throughout the catacombs, reaching my ears with a chilling and guttural roar. It was a rhythmic series of sounds. Could have been anything, but considering the circumstances, one thing came to mind, the Midnight bell.
Fragment of Knowledge:
The Blossom Palaces
The Old Blossom Palace once served as a garden that both Upperside and Underside residents could visit. The plant life it fostered was among the finest in all of Silspring, combining species from the five districts. It even had its own manually-forged lighting system.
When the Calamity Rift Incident occurred however, many of its entrances and exits were incidentally sealed by rubble. Many in the area were buried, but the few that did survive testified the palace was serving as a temporary shelter for those trapped in the catacombs.
Alas, like the time’s exact details, knowledge of remaining paths to the palace and its garden was lost to time. Though there are supposed rumors of power theft. Some have claimed that the palace’s lighting system was reactivated after the incident. Such claims though were never backed up by empirical proof.
A new and more open Blossom Palace was later built in Underside, doubling as a museum and a local park. However, due to the lack of sufficient artificial lighting like the Upperside, the plant life is sadly not as vibrant.
Special Thanks to TheSnapDragon for Beta Reading and for helping me think about some directional ideas.
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