Dungeon 10 – Not all that shines: Part 2

The two months that had passed since Flint met the Aron and the Piplup represented a good time in his life. He had finally made friends, and during this period, he had helped them to train their skills. In fact, they were now in one of the training sessions. The Pawniard stood with arms crossed, watching the fight between Atlas and Napoleon, the water-type now had a different appearance, having evolved into Prinplup.

“You may have the type advantage and have evolved, but I won’t give in so easily!” The Aron declared, advancing against his friend.

The Prinplup’s body shone in a pink tone as he ran towards the other, his speed increasing before he fired a pulse of water from his beak, hitting Atlas and pushing him across the ground.

“The winner is Napoleon!” Flint announced, raising his arm to call the fight.

“Sorry man, but it seems I won this time!” laughing, the water Pokémon put his flipper on his head.

“Well, it was a good fight, thanks for helping me train, Flint!”

“Well, it wasn’t for nothing.” Flint closed his eyes. “Listen, my parents will be back in a few hours. So we won’t be able to see each other that often. How about a party? To celebrate our friendship!”

Napoleon nodded. “Sure! We can have a lot of fun! We’ve already trained so hard in those months…”

Finally, Atlas answered”Sorry. I want to stay a little with my dad, he’s still not taking it very well,” the boy put his head down.

“Of course, Atlas…”

The three friends agreed and went their separate ways, anxious. Atlas went straight to bed when he got home, falling asleep as soon as he laid in his bed. His mind was calm. Although the boy’s only wish was peace, fate seemed to have other plans for him.

The sound of an explosion woke Atlas, who fell from his bed. Disoriented, he peeked out the window, and the vision he saw made the boy widen his eyes in fear. Outside he could see only smoke, accompanied by the noise of fire, and something that sounded like mechanical steps. Then, the door opened hard. The boy’s father was on the other side, panting.

“Atlas, we have to get out,” the Nidoking was interrupted by another explosion, this time having hit their house, the two were knocked out immediately.

---

Away from the residence, Napoleon was running around, heart racing, trying to dodge the shots as he covered his head with his flippers. The boy didn’t know what to do.

“Dad?! Where are you?!” he screamed in despair, trying to find his parent.

The Prinplup then heard a coughing noise and went towards the sound. As he walked, he saw that the other residents were running disorderly, the houses destroyed and on fire. When he got closer, he saw his father under rubble, his black body bleeding, he was trying to free himself, without success. Napoleon then pulled his father from there, pulling him out the ruins.

“Ah! Son! At last you were useful, how nice! We have to get out of here…”

“I don’t know where my friends are! I have to find them!” he struggled to hold his father.

“Nobody cares about your friends! Let’s get out of here!”

Then, they heard the sound of footsteps, and as both turned their faces towards the direction of the sound, they saw a Genesect standing there with a grin on its eyes, the cannon on its back shined. The smoke was all around it.

What kind of Pokémon is that? I don’t recognize it from anywhere! Napoleon thought, his body was shaking with fear.

“W-Who are you?! I didn’t do anything, you can take the boy, but leave me alone!” the Empoleon said as he stuttered away from his son.

“My name is Genesect, and… are you sure this is the choice you want to make? Are you going to let your son die to save your own hide?” the mysterious Pokémon said and the Empoleon nodded.

“Dad?! What are you talking about?” The boy was in shock and trembled, not wanting to believe what his father said.

“You can go then,” Genesect crossed his arms, waiting.

Empoleon then ran, laughing happily that his plan had worked. He didn’t even look back, too busy running away from there. The Prinplup’s father didn’t notice fast enough the lightning coming towards him, puncturing his stomach and leaving a smoking hole in the penguin’s body.

“Hmph,” Genesect calmly declared, the cannon’s energy disappearing.

“DAD!” Napoleon screamed as he ran to his rescue, but when he got there, he could see that he was not moving or reacting to his calls. The prinplup tried everything, but his father had already died.

“I’m sorry boy, but don’t worry, you’ll join him…” his cannon shone again, creating a silver sphere, which was thrown against Napoleon.

In the blink of an eye, a quadruped Pokémon appeared in the middle of them, and in his head there was a sword of blue energy, which he cut the sphere, producing a huge explosion. After the smoke cleared, the Prinplup could finally determine who was the new arrival. A Cobalion. He tapped his hooves on the ground, staring at the bug.

“Boy… run away…” he said without even looking at Napoleon.

“Cobalion, you bastard!” Genesect gnashed his teeth, banging his feet on the ground, producing the same metallic sound as before.

“You are attacking this city without any purpose, it is my job as Sword of Justice to finish you off…”

Scared, the Prinplup ran away, carrying his father’s body on his shoulders. Alone, the legendary Pokémon stared at each other for a few seconds and then advanced against each other with violence.

---

Flint woke up with a sore head, he felt as if someone had thrown an entire house on him. The boy looked around, seeing only ruins of what had been his house. He immediately cut through the debris with the blades in his arms, looking for his parents.

“Dad?! Mom! Where are you?!” The boy had a hoarse voice, he was desperate to find his family.

And at last he saw them, but not the way he expected. In front of him, the boy saw two Bisharp, they didn’t move or scream, they just stood there. Flint widened his eyes, realizing what had happened. Without holding on, he let out a loud cry of pain and suffering, tears streaming down his eyes as the truth hit him.

Who did this? the boy thought, without knowing what to do now that his parents were dead. He fell on his knees, and screamed until he no longer had voice.

---

The two Legends were running around the city, each one trying to hit the other with their attacks. Genesect fired energy from his cannon while Cobalion deviated quickly to avoid it, they then stopped in front of a house, panting.

“You son of a bitch! Stand still so I can toast you!” the insect growled, his cannon glowing with yellow energy as _ prepared to fire again.

I’m getting tired and I have to dodge… the quadruped thought, then he was pushed aside by another Pokémon, who took the blow in his place.

The being in question was the Nidoking known as Nate, who by his typing, took no damage from Genesect’s electrical attack. The equine widened his eyes, realizing what had happened.

“Don’t worry, Cobalion! It’s the first time I’ve seen a legend, sorry to intrude, but I had to help,” the explorer said, his eyes shining with determination.

“You may have gotten help from someone else, Cobalion, but our fight isn’t over yet! Signal Beam!” Genesect was charging another shot, green-colored, shooting at the quadruped Pokémon.

The Nidoking put himself in front of the shot, spreading his hands and generating a rainbow-colored Protect barrier, protecting them from the blow. He removed the sweat from his face, staying in a combat position.

If I hit a Horn Drill on that thing, this fight will be over, the Ground-type pondered.

Atlas woke up again, this time in the middle of the commotion. He could barely see, but in the little he could, he noticed his father standing together with one Pokémon, facing another. Genesect ejected the object in his cannon, taking a new one out of his backpack and inserting it. He laughed lightly, analyzing his enemies. The Aron then slowly left the remains of his house, shaking his head to clear it as he tried to think of something he could do. Then, the bug Pokémon spotted the boy and let out a small laugh.

“Cobalion, I’m sorry but this fight is over now,” he said with a grin, charging the shot one more time, aiming at Atlas.

“Nidoking! Protect the boy! I’ll deal with him! Work Up!” Cobalion’s body shone orange, his Attack, and Special Attack status increasing.

Noticing this, the boy’s father ran to rescue his son, jumping and grabbing him in his arms. The two enemies that were near him started to carry their blows. From Cobalion’s mouth, red energy formed, while from Genesect’s cannon a blue gust was fired.

“…I’m finishing this!” Cobalion shouted as their attacks collided

Atlas could not see anything else that happened, a huge explosion followed by a flash that both blinded him and knocked him out once again. The wind howled, pieces of houses, and other debris flew around due to the impact of the legendary blows, the city was devastated. Both the boy and his father were ferociously dragged away from the collision. From afar, Flint and Napoleon could see the strong wind that was approaching them, before it threw them both away. The trio’s life would not be the same after the event.

---

One month later, Atlas ran through the streets of a city, he was followed by a humanoid Pokémon of defined muscles. The Aron from before was different, his body was now bigger, even though still quadruped, and his armor had become more resistant. Now a Lairon, Atlas tried to escape from the Machoke, but his speed left a lot to be desired. But the Fighting-type then received a sudden cut on its chest and fell to the ground.

“Flint, thank you… we couldn’t lose his money…”

“I’m starving,” the Pawniard came out of the shadows, panting.

“It’s a miracle we can eat, I hate it… all of it… being the survivors all the time… I want to have control of my own life!” He took a handful of the Machoke’s money.

“Hm, if you want that I have a suggestion, but let’s see with Napoleon when we get to our… home.”

The duo then left the alley. They wandered the streets in silence, glaring at the metal buildings. The city where they now lived was Bright Dawn, known for sheltering Pokémons from various places. They kept walking, going to a less noble area of the city, different from the upper levels. They were now in slums, where most of the crime was located. The friends entered one of the residences. When they arrived there, they saw the Prinplup laying on the floor with a bottle of beer on his flipper, assaulting it mercilessly.

“You’ll be sick if you keep drinking like that,” Atlas looked worried, he threw the coins on the ground.

“Screw you! I’m not in a good mood today,” he said, ignoring the other’s comment, before taking another swig.

“Well, gentlemon, I… have a suggestion for our problem,” Flint said, sitting on the floor.

“Really?! What problem? Our poverty? Or was it the fact that everyone who mattered to us was killed in a stupid fight between two legendary Pokémon?!” Napoleon said in a sarcastic tone.

“I don’t like things the way they are too, so… the idea I’m about to say is an extension of what we’re doing.”

“You mean the robberies?” Atlas questioned, rolling his eyes.

“Yes, the robberies… we can take a step further, and… we become mercenaries.”

“Mercenaries?” Napoleon said, seeming interested in the idea, now looking at Flint carefully.

“The opposite of what I was born to be…” Atlas stopped to analyze the situation. During his whole life, he had been raised to be an explorer, but because of that. his mother left him and his father died trying to protect him. “Screw it, I’m in.”

“I’m excited about this idea. I’m in as well!” Napoleon smirked.

“Then from this day forward, we shall be known as… the Heart of Steel Crew,” Flint laughed.

“Means to an end for us, then!” Napoleon cheered.

Means to an end, eh? Good, that’s all you’ll ever be, my “friends”, Flint thought. Yes, that was a good opportunity for him to improve his own skills. After all that happened, he needed to be strong, so he wouldn’t suffer the same fate as his parents.