Dungeon 43 – Secrets
by NavarThe hasty footsteps of a Salandit filled the ground as he hurried, carrying with him a brown paper bag. While he moved, the bag jiggled and from the bottle it even dropped a goopy, white-colored liquid on the floor.
The lizard stopped on his tracks, having barely avoided running into a Pancham and a Primeape, but continued right away without bothering to apologize to the two, his hurry growing exponentially by the second.
“Shit, she’s gonna kill me if I get late!” He exclaimed, panting. Just where was the place? That lady didn’t bother to explain. Oh, this was just the worst! He was glad to have a job, especially now that his mistress had… died. But he had his limits, and this was nearing them. He gulped, realizing he wasted time thinking about this when he could have gotten there already.
Now, to check where he was. The restaurant where he got the delivery was behind him, and from the rocky houses nearby, he figured out that he was on the right path. After all, his contractor told him she lived in the noble area of the city.
He could tell by the general tone of every passerby. He got a few stares every now and then, and the lizard ignored them as much as he could, focusing on continuing to move.
His feet were starting to hurt from all the walking, topped with the heat. The bag he carried was dripping more, and when he noticed that, he screeched, running faster than before.
“Where’s the fuckin’ house?!” He cried out. “Because of course she had to give the worst explanation possible! ‘Hey, I live in a noble area, in this huge ass house!’”
How annoying ! Couldn’t she just tell the address like a normal mon?! He hissed, stopping again. He might as well give up, considering how every house there looked the exact same! Gray houses that looked like they were built from stones!
The thoughts filled his head and he got distracted, hitting what he thought was a wall. The impact bounced him back to the ground, and the lizard ended up letting go of the bag, sending it to the sky.
After realizing this, he stood up and grabbed the bag, albeit barely, to the point where he fell flat on his face with both arms raised, holding the delivery.
“You okay in there, buddy?”
Huh? The wall spoke? Salandit raised his head and coughed. A rather large Electivire was just… standing there. Had he hit the furry electric-type?
“Shoot, sorry, dude!” He said, rubbing his head and extending his yellow arm to the lizard, helping him stand up. The smell of whatever was inside the bag came to him, and he had to contain his drool.
“Y-Yeah. I’m okay, sorry! I’m the one who bumped into you!” Truth be told, he was sure it was the Electivire’s fault, but picking up a fight with someone so large would surely end badly for him.
“No worries, lil’ dude,” he smirked.
That’s when he noticed. That Electivire was familiar. The gruff, but also friendly demeanor reminded him of that one from the meeting in the castle. Were they the same one?
“C-Can I ask you something?”
“Go on,” the ape nodded.
“Are you with the Lopunny and the Marowak?” The lizard tilted his head. If he was right, things would be easier. He could deliver the package right then!
Max snorted at the question, giving him a thumbs-up. “That’s me alright. What’re you doing here?”
“That Lopunny kinda asked me to deliver something, and I…” Thank Gods he couldn’t blush. “…I don’t know where the house is.”
“Oh!” Max lifted the lizard up, putting him on his shoulder, much to the smaller Pokémon’s chagrin. “Good for you, ‘cause I know where my boss’ house is! C’mon, I’ll take you there!”
Scar’s house, while not as big as the mansion the king lived in, was still large enough to fit the four main members of the Sunset Salvation. A house made out of wood. Some might say it was an antiquity, and it certainly looked that way. The house had a garden with a tree so old it was barely able to stand, but regardless of it, Scar had left it there.
It had three floors; The bottom one, where all the spies worked. The second one, where most of the rooms were located. Finally, the top floor, one that belonged to Scar himself, and nobody else but him was allowed there. Max had even heard stories about a few Gengar who tried walking in, only to leave with horrifying bruises.
Meanwhile, the lizard was impressed at how big it was. Sure, the mansion he used to live in was better, but this one was beautiful as well. Not that he cared much about that in the end, he just wanted to get the job done as soon as possible.
“We’re here!” Max declared, stepping into the living room.
The place was empty, other than Lilith, who sat on one of the couches, colored dark-red. She had glasses on and was reading a book when the others arrived. Her gaze shifted to them as she put down the book, stomach growling.
“Sup, guys!” She waved, eager to eat. She left the couch and walked towards the electric ape, waving.
“H-Hello, miss Lilith! Thanks for hiring me!” The lizard gave her the bag, bowing repeatedly. “S-Sorry for not finding the house! It’s a little hard, I was used to working for Miss Adelaide…”
“Nah, I getcha,” Lilith opened the bag, revealing a chocolate cake with white frosting. She licked her lips. “I know y’all are lookin’ for jobs, since she’s… y’know.”
“…It was so sudden,” he sniffled, looking down as Max put him on the ground. “B-But me and my friends will be alright.”
“Just know we’ll always have jobs for you guys!” Max stated, nodding and sitting down.
“Here ya go,” the bunny opened a purse and gave the Salandit a few golden coins. “Ya know the way out, right?”
“Yessiree!”
As quickly as he came, the lizard was gone. Lilith then sat like her friend and took a bite out of the cake. Sweet, just like she liked it.
“I gotta say, I feel a lil’ bad for them…” Max said, looking at the exit where the Salandit had walked out.
“I don’t. That girl got what was comin’ for her.”
He just shrugged. “…That, she did. And what’re you doing today?”
“Today, I’m translating more of the book. I could actually use your help on this. Wanna do me the honors?”
At that, Max chuckled. “You bet . Just gimme some cake while we’re doing this, alright?”
“Alright!”
Brian woke up curling on the ground, covered in his own drool. He blinked and yawned, sitting up. His mane had covered his eyes in his sleep, forcing the fox to push the fur aside to see.
“…Damn, what time is it?” He overslept. That had to be it. And his friends didn’t wake him up this time. Typical.
Leaving the room, Brian yawned again. He had no idea what day it was. Probably something boring like Mondays. God, he hated Mondays.
As he opened the fridge, Brian paused to consider. Was he hungry? Yes. But, did he have enough energy to make a full meal? Absolutely not. He just picked a berry and chomped it down, finishing with a glass of water.
Now, to actually do something productive that day. For some reason, Brian was eager to try a mission on the guild, and so he left his apartment. First things first, he knocked on Meggie’s door.
Although there wasn’t a response at first, she opened it after a few seconds had passed. Meggie looked tired, with a few cracks on her otherwise solid body.
“Morn. What’s up, Brian?”
Sheesh. Her voice sounded just as tired as she looked.
“Nothing much,” he said. “Just wanted to ask if you’re up for a mission today. But, uh… guess you’re not?”
“Oh, this?” Meggie checked herself. “I’m fine. Just had to carry some pretty heavy boxes yesterday, and our beefcake friend wasn’t available to help.”
“Right, that guy,” Brian blinked. The other member of the team. Dexter didn’t live with them, instead, he lived in a house a few streets away from them.
“Anyway, guess I’m up,” she floated out of the door, closing it behind her. “Wanna go now?”
“Sure.”
The duo stepped down the stairs. As they did so, Brian’s eyes widened. Right in front of the door were a Lucario and a Swampert, the latter adjusting a red scarf on his neck.
“Dad!” Brian exclaimed, climbing down faster to give his father a hug.
Taken by surprise, the canine moved so his spike wouldn’t hurt the fox and soon returned the hug, tail wagging. “Heya, kiddo. How are you doing?”
The amphibian waited for the hug to end, and managed to wave at Meggie. “Well, hello there! Fellow human, human fellow!”
“Mister Nick, mister Shiron!” Meggie waved. “Nice to see you two. It’s been too long!”
Brian continued to hug his father, but he started trembling. Tears fell down on his face as the hug went on. “H-Hey… hey, dad. S-Sorry. Lance… h-he’s… he left!”
“He what …?” The Lucario pulled away, dumbstruck. He eyed his Swampert friend and then his son. “Lance… left?”
“…I never had the time to explain to you, did I?” Brian looked back at Meggie. “Hey Meg, can you fetch Dexter while I explain everything here?”
“Don’t see why not!” As she floated towards the door, the amphibian followed her.
“Heya. Seems like those two will need some alone time. Mind if I join you?”
“Uh, no?” She blinked. It wasn’t like she needed the company, but it couldn’t hurt.
“Right. We can, uh, catch up!” The water-type beamed, eyes sparkling. “On human stuff, I mean!”
“Human… stuff. Sure.”
Said “human stuff” was easier on paper, considering Meggie barely remembered what her world was like.
This led to the two not talking all that much on the way to Dexter’s house. Shiron knew that, not needing to ask about it.
But Meggie? She wondered about the other way. Shiron was a human like her, and unlike the last one she encountered, he was far more friendly. Not to mention with years of experience living there. In that world.
“Mister… can I ask you something?”
He rubbed sweat off his forehead. “Phew! I was waiting for you to do that! Somehow, I didn’t know what to say.”
“Heh, okay!” Meggie laughed. “I… I just wanted to know if you remember what it was like. Being a human, I mean.”
Shiron stopped on his tracks. He looked at the town. Its appearance; Factorial, industrial. Things he knew from his time as a human. Then, he looked at himself. His new body. How naturally it fit him, almost like it was meant to be.
“…I do remember,” he answered without even looking at her. “I remember all my life, really. What abo–”
She interrupted him right away. “No.”
“I… Brian told me about your boss. A Gallade, right?” Shiron now gazed at her. The wind blew on his scarf as he stared into the ghost’s eyes.
“…”
“Look, if you want to talk about it, I’m… I’m here,” Shiron looked up, sighing. “I’ve been through so much here. I get how you’re feeling.”
“Did you ever want to go back?”
“Sometimes,” Shiron replied. “But most of the time? No. My life here… I li–No, I love it.”
“Got it,” she liked it too. But not as much as him, from the looks of it.
“Can’t say I miss my parents,” he continued, rubbing his arm. “Sometimes… you just gotta let go, y’know?”
“Let go?” Meggie sighed. She wasn’t expecting this answer. She wondered how Morgan was doing now. “…I’m not sure I want to do that, either. I really don’t remember my home. Just that it’s… this place called Lumiose?”
“Oh? You’re from Lumiose?!” The Swampert’s eyes sparkled more. “I never went there, but I kinda wanted to! I’m from a region far away from Lumiose city, though.”
“Region…?” What had she gotten herself into?
“Whoops, got carried away!” He rubbed the back of his head. “Look, my point is that my friends here, the family I found… they’re irreplaceable. Find your family, and I bet those struggles will go away. Got it?”
She wasn’t quite convinced with those words, but they were enough to make her smile right then. She began to float again and yawned. “Well, I guess we’ll find out, huh?”
“Maybe,” Shiron ran after her, laughing. “Oh, but you have to admit! Having all those cool powers is pretty sweet!”
“Did you say cool because I’m…” Meggie wondered, but shrugged. “Nah, doesn’t matter. But yeah, they are!”
Brian had let his father inside his home, and sat on the couch, sighing. His tears had dried by now, but he was still sniffling. Before the visit, he could pretend like the separation hadn’t been real. Like Lance was still there.
But with Nick there? It was too much. It was overwhelming to even think about it. And yet, he had to. He had to explain the whole thing, whether it hurt him or not.
“I’ll… make something for us to eat. You got cocoa powder?” Nick asked, twitching his ears and patting his son on the shoulder.
“Maybe? Lance’s the one who buys it. I’m not sure if he left some.”
“Then I’ll go check. Stay here, take deep breaths, alright?” The Lucario sighed, looking at Brian again.
The fox nodded and Nick left to the kitchen. He hit his face on the couch and grumbled. Everything stung. Not like needles, but like blades, piercing his skin. Brian trembled, trying to keep it together. He could do this! Just breathe! He had to breathe!
An act that he found himself struggling to do. Brian panted, trying to inhale, but nothing was working. On the contrary, his lungs were slowing down. He was slowing down.
Missing his brother, his best friend was hard. Not knowing where he was, what he was doing or even why he left was worse. Maybe it really was his fault. He wasn’t a good brother, was he?
Finally, Brian screamed. At the top of his lungs, the Zoroark cried out his sorrow and anguish, having kept it inside for months now. He was numb, unmoving now. All Brian noticed was his breath stabilizing. His panic attack was ending.
It was alleviating, relaxing in some bizarre way. He was getting better. He could feel it. Brian turned around, facing the ceiling. His ears flipped at the sound of the stove turning off, along with the distinct aroma of chocolate, which made him drool.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?!” He answered from inside the kitchen, before the noise of a pan falling down made the Lucario yelp.
“…I was gonna ask for marshmallows, but I don’t think we have ‘em.”
More pan noises, and Nick shouted. “No, but you have sprinkles! After it cools down, we could add those!”
“I’m not waiting for that to cool down!”
“…Remind me to punch your uncle,” Nick replied, walking into the living room with a plate.
On the plate was a large, brown and thick substance that gave off the smell of chocolate. Accompanying the dessert were two spoons, one of which Brian grabbed straight away to pick up a bit of the sweet.
“This is still great!” Brian chomped the chocolate down, but puffed out, gasping for air due to the heat.
His father smiled. “Shiron’s the one who brought this recipe to us. Guess we should thank the humans for creating this.”
“Name’s weird though. Breega… briga… brigadeiro? That’s it?”
“Yes,” Nick ate one spoonful of the dessert, licking his lips. “And it’s so easy! Even your brother could make it.”
“C’mon dad, you know he hates sweets. That and he’s banned from cooking…” Brian pouted. “And… I know what you’re doing.”
Nick never replied, waiting for his son to explain.
“…You want to distract me from this.”
“Is it working?”
He sighed. “Y-Yeah, it is.”
“Good,” Nick patted his son’s short mane. “Nice cut, by the way. A mullet, right?”
“T-Thought it’d be cool.”
“I see,” he smirked. “Now, Brian. Can you tell me exactly what happened? I’m here for you, son.”
“I-I guess I can try,” Brian gulped, looking to the side. “It started after our mission with Xerneas…”
“Ya just had to order another cake, dork.” Lilith giggled.
Max had just gulped down an entire slice of vanilla cake by himself, and rubbed his stomach, satisfied. He checked Lilith with a smile.
“Of course! You said it yourself! Those lil’ guys could use the help. I mean, it is kinda our–”
Lilith shushed him, reading the book again. The page she was on had lots of drawings. One of them was familiar; the same jewel on the king’s crown.
“In the end, it won’t matter much,” Lilith put down the book and yawned. “Once this is over, everyone’s gonna be happy. It doesn’t matter what we do, as long as we’re still able to get the job done.”
“Speaking of gettin’ the job done,” Max waved to a passerby Gengar on the corner of the living room, asking for a snack. He laid down on the couch, smirking. “What did you find out?”
“Seems like this jewel contains some sorta power,” she pointed to the book, where Max managed to read one of the letters, a “z”.
“What does it say…?”
“Z-Power,” she answered. “From what I got, this thing’s made out of Necrozma’s energy.”
“And it sealed our Lord, didn’t it?” Max said, scratching his chin. “Can’t we use this one to break ‘im out?”
Lilith went to another page. Alongside the black crystal, it showed two other ones. The first was colored green, and had a drawing similar to a Nincada being observed from above, but with four legs. The second one was purple and had a engraving looking like a flagellum with a sinister smile.
“They look kinda pretty… does it say the names?” Max observed, biting his lip, amazed at what he was seeing.
“Ya tell me,” she shrugged. “It’s something ending with “ium-Z”. Weird, wanna help me read it?”
“…I don’t know how to read Unown,” Max was stunned. If the three were required to break the seal, they’d have to be well-hidden. “Hm. is there anything you could say that’d give us a clue?”
“I haven’t finished the translation yet, but…” Lilith stopped to think. “The black one’s the closest we got. We should secure it first.”
The Gengar came back with a bag of chips and threw it at Max, who caught it without even looking. He quickly began to eat.
“Gotcha. Once you have more info on this, I’ll try to figure out where the other two are.”
“I think I’ll have that soon, actually,” she went back to reading, smiling. “This next part’s pretty interesting. It talks about the event that sealed Him.”
“If you want, we could, I dunno…” Max blushed, rubbing the back of his head and smiling sheepishly. “Like, grab some coffee and work on this together?”
At that, Lilith jumped out of the couch, hugging the electric ape with all she had. “Ya bet! I’mma prepare some snacks, and you grab the drinks?”
“Woohoo!” Max raised a fist. “Seems like this is our lil’ sleepover!”
“…As long as the boss and Percy don’t crash the party,” Lilith sighed. “Actually, where are they?”
“They said they’re busy with some stuff related to the king,” he shrugged. “Wish I could be there, honestly. There’s some stuff I could learn with the monarch.”
One of the rooms in the castle led to an area where one could look at the city. Percival was doing exactly that. His piercing gaze examined from right to left at the town he now lived in.
Honestly, maybe I should have started somewhere else. This place is good, but still… there has to be something else I can do. I’m basically doing the same as I was back home. Except… I don’t have as many nightmares anymore.
He supposed that what he really wanted was a more active role, not staying in the shadows anymore. That had to be it.
“Percival.”
Someone called out to him. Percival knew who it was; Scar. His mentor was standing behind him with his arms behind his back. The Marowak smiled a bit.
“What’s up now?”
“I have great news for you! Come with me, please.”
Without any reason to object, he did as instructed. However, as soon as he was next to Scar, the Marowak lunged in with his club, preparing to strike.
Percival was faster, creating a bone made out of pure, purple aura. The two attacks striked each other, unbudging. Scar smiled and put the club on his back.
“Well done, mister Percival.”
The energy bone faded into the air while Percival crossed his arms and raised a brow. “Something was up, huh? Did you really have good news, or was that… another one of your tests?”
“Bit of both, I suppose,” Scar checked his surroundings. They were alone, good. “…Remember how I told you about the king’s true intentions?”
“Yes,” his ears perked up at the words, and it suddenly became more interesting.
Scar approached more and whispered. “I am conducting an investigation of my own about him. There should be enough evidence soon.”
How did he get that so fast? Percival wondered about it. He felt that something was off, but by checking Scar’s aura and seeing how normal it was, he ignored the feeling. What mattered right then was the king.
“But he doesn’t have heirs. What’s… going to happen?”
“Ha!” Scar laughed. He retained the smile as he answered. “My apprentice, I already have plans for the substitute.”
So soon? Odd. But he trusted Scar with this matter.
“…Right. I don’t see how this is of any concern to me.”
“About that, could you accompany me? I have… a gift for you, but you need to come personally.”
The duo left and went inside the castle in silence. Percival was eager to find out what Scar meant by that, and couldn’t help but smile.
Even from far away, Shiron could perceive the smell of beer. And not a recent one, no. The pungent scent was from, at least , a week. So, this fellow teammate was that irresponsible?
“Yuck,” Meggie had the same reaction, sticking her tongue out in disgust.
She stopped before a house that, to put it nicely, was in shambles. Bottles of beer were scattered across the door, the wooden door was scratched and had a few holes in it. To top it off, a plank fell in front of the duo, but didn’t hit any of them.
“This guy lives like this?” The amphibian asked, not waiting for an answer. He knocked on the door, still sniffing the air for the beer scent.
“I mean… yeah. This city’s tough if you don’t have money,” Meggie replied. No wonder Dexter was so eager to join their team, now that she stopped to think about it.
“Touché,” he shrugged.
After he said that, the door opened, revealing an interior that wasn’t much different from the outside.
Before Meggie could interject or do much, Dexter just stared and grumbled at them, a bottle of beer in his hand. The weasel then turned around and flopped towards the tattered couch he called a bed.
“What’re doin’ ‘ere, Popsicle?” He asked, sipping from the bottle. Although he hadn’t noticed the Swampert at first, he did it now. “…And Gills? Who’s that there? Me replacement?”
“Not even close,” Shiron rolled his eyes at the question. “I’m just making a visit to my nephew, and followed this lady here, since she’s part of his team and Brian… Well, he had to talk with his pops.”
“…Gotcha,” Dexter sat down. “Whatever. What brings ye two ‘ere?”
“We wanted to check for a mission,” Meggie explained, leaning on the couch next to Dexter. “This time, we’ll let you have a bigger part of the reward. Might help reform your, uh… house.”
Dexter’s eyes sparkled and he nearly gagged on the beer. “Wait, really? Ye scurvy mons would do that there fer me?”
“I don’t see why not,” Meggie smiled. “You’re always having trouble with this, and I’d love to help.”
“She’s right, y’know.” Shiron nodded at them. “It’s the right thing to do, really.”
“Then, sure! I’ll join y’all on the mission!” Dexter jumped out of the touch. His twin tails wagged now. “An’ Popsicle… thank ye.”
“You’re welcome,” she raised a hand for a high-five, to which Dexter replied the gesture.
Shiron raised his arm. “ After Brian’s done talking with Nick. They need it.”
Oh. He was right. Meggie bit her lip, now wondering how things were with her friend.
With the help of his father, Brian had calmed down a lot more. Maybe it had something to do with him describing the events that happened two months ago. How they defeated that Gallade and saved a legendary Pokémon.
How they returned home to celebrate, only for Lance to run away from them. It still hurt, but it was manageable.
Nick listened to his son’s words in silence. The only thing he did while the fox talked was nod. Things were complicated, but he was there to help. Or try to.
“A-And he didn’t even say goodbye… I miss him.”
“Brian,” Nick finally said something. He looked at his son and sighed, ruffling the teenager’s short mane. “I get that you’re upset with this, but… maybe your brother did what he thought was right.”
“W-What?!”
That took him aback. How could his father say such a thing?!
“Lance didn’t do anything wrong ,” he continued. “He just joined another team. You’re hurt, but… there’s nothing we can do.”
“But he didn’t even say where he’s living now!” Brian shouted, breath raspy. His eyes reddened from the tears and he sniffled. “I don’t know where he is, how he’s doing… Nothing!”
“I can find out,” the canine replied, gaze fixed on the fox. “Things no longer are how they were nine years ago. We can locate him.”
Nine years ago? Oh. That event.
“…Are you sure, dad?” Brian was still unnerved by this, but his father had a point.
“I give you my word, both as an explorer and as your father,” Nick nodded, smiling at him. “Besides, we both know how tough Lance is. He’s okay. I just know it.”
“Bah,” Brian snorted. “You’re just sayin’ that ‘cause he’s a Lucario like you.”
“Well…”
Maybe a change of subject would be a good idea for their conversation.
“Y’know,” Brian ruffled his mane. “Uh… I got a question. Would I ever get the hang of aura like you and Lance do? I’m a Zoroark, but…”
“Oh!” Nick twitched his ears and scoffed. “Good question. Maybe, maybe not. But… I thought you weren’t interested in this?”
“I’m not. Just askin’.”
“Hm. Hard to say. Probably not, since you’re supposed to learn it as a kid…” Nick answered. “When I was your age, I could hardly do anything with it.”
“Really?” Brian chirped. That was reassuring!
“It took me a while, but… I got it. If you want it, then… training’s the way.”
“Don’t wanna,” Brian stuck out his tongue. “…But hey, it’s nice to know.”
His father sighed again, leaning on the couch and yawning. “Good to hear. I’m still free for the day. You want to do something together?”
“I… don’t know. All this left me tired,” Brian shrugged, getting up right after. “Might wanna take a nap.”
“Really?” Nick asked. “Well, go ahead. Don’t worry about the dishes, I’ll do them for you.”
“…Huh. Thanks, dad.”
Very few times did this happen. It was always a surprise for Brian when his father acted this way, not that he could or wanted to complain. He deserved it.
As Scar and Percival walked further into the castle, the Marowak made a turn to the right, followed by his protégeé. They ended up in an area unknown to the Lucario.
It contained sets of armors fit all in different shapes decorating the walls, and Percival could hear the sizzling sound of metal in the distance, not to mention the heat coming from a rather sturdy-looking door.
“Is this a forge…?” He asked, curious. A smile spread on his snout as he approached the door.
“Precisely. I think someone like you could use an upgrade.” Scar pointed out, laughing. “I prepared it myself. The blacksmith is almost done with your armor. Do not worry, I made sure he took your looplet and emera in consideration.”
“Hm,” Percival smirked. This was interesting.
“And the blacksmiths here are top-notch! I am sure you will find the armor to suit your needs.”
“I didn’t think about having one…” Percival hummed. “Until now, I suppose.”
“Well, you might want to get a weapon as well,” Scar said. “Perhaps… a lance?”
That last sentence had a tint of humor in it. Not much, but enough to make Percival cringe at the obvious pun.
“Please… don’t do that ever again,” he said with an eye roll. “And I don’t do weapons. I’m trying to come up with better strategies for my moves.”
“A wise choice,” Scar said. “Now, mister Percival, the blacksmith is inside. I need to deal with… personal matters. Can I leave you here?”
He pouted in response. “I’m not a child. Yes, I’ll be fine here.”
Left to deal with this by himself, Percival took a deep breath and opened the door to the forge. A Turtonator was waiting for him on the other side, wearing an apron that somehow, didn’t burst into flames. Probably reinforced with something fireproof.
Much like the room itself. The walls were bricky and black, and kept the heat contained inside. Percival looked up to see the forge, with the bright, orange light of the liquid inside it.
Working there would mean one had to be careful not to get burned. But really, Percival admired the courage to be in such a place.
“Hello. I’m Percival,” he waved at the dragon. “Pleasure meeting you. Are you the blacksmith?”
“Why, yes,” he answered, chirping. “Scar told me a lot about you.”
When didn’t he?
“Right,” Percival crossed his arms. “Well, what do you got for me?”
“Eager, aren’t you?” With a laugh, the Turtonator walked to the right of the room, motioning for Percival to follow him.
On a pedestal stood the armor. It had plates for Percival’s shoulder, wrists and legs. Colored in a bright silver, the armor shone brightly, so polished it had their reflections on it.
With a whistle, Percival stared at it. He had to admit, it looked good. Enough to make his tail wag a bit. And the armor was made for him . Scar really thought things through, didn’t he?
“Did you like it?”
“Absolutely,” Percival grinned. “It looks amazing, but why doesn’t it have protection for my chest?”
The Turtonator scoffed. “Well, I figured it would reduce the mobility quite a lot, and restrain your movements. Besides, your body —”
Suddenly, something clicked inside Percival’s mind and he gasped. “My body’s already resistant…!”
Was that why he had survived so many things during his entire life?
“Yes, that’s it. Your body is resistant, I merely amplified it with the armor. You should still move around fine.”
Dumbstruck, the Lucario could only nod and look at his armor. Whatever battles may come in the future, he could win.
Scar walked into the training grounds of the castle. Nighttime had already come, and the full moon shone in the sky accompanied by countless stars. Overall, a good view for anyone there.
Which was the case, as a black-scaled Haxorus stood, all alone, gazing at the stars. This time, though, Scar noticed Vulcan was wearing a fanny pack. The dragon heard the footsteps coming from behind him, and his tail thumped on the grass.
“Scar. Always a pleasure talking to you.”
“I could say the same, Vulcan.” He sat down next to the dragon, and proceeded to gaze as well. “I just came back from the forge. The boy should be checking out his armor by now.”
“Is that so?” Vulcan said, not changing where his eyes looked.
“As much as that child pleases me, I am not here to talk about him.”
“I suppose you’re here for our little… agreement.” Vulcan now looked at Scar with a blank expression, unmoving.
“Correct,” the Marowak nodded. “We will act soon. Therefore, I need all the… “evidence” for this to work.”
“Yes, yes. As sad as it is, the king is… unfit to rule,” Vulcan said bluntly, ending the sentence with a snarl. “But are you sure about your decision?”
“Our undertaking, you mean. I am.” Scar replied.
“Then… very well. I already forged the evidence you need,” Vulcan revealed a sheet of paper on a fanny pack, handing it to Scar. “It pains me that we’re going to do this to the king. Are you sure it’s the right thing?”
“Thank you,” Scar smiled, picking the sheet. “As for the evidence we’re planting… yes, it’s the right way.”
“Why?” Vulcan retorted.
Scar looked up and took a deep breath. “Even if we all have free will, it’s only a matter of time before any of us end up being corrupted. By preventing this from happening, we’re able to secure a better future.”
Vulcan wasn’t entirely convinced by that speech, especially because they were planting evidence. However, he wasn’t going to go on a philosophical debate with Scar. All he really wanted was the best for his fellow citizens.
“Alright, then. I… trust you, Scar.”
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