A long-awaited reunion.
Dungeon 49 – Reunion
by Navar“Yer doin’ it wrong, dumbass!”
“Really? How’s about you try it, then?!”
“Maybe I will!”
Brian blinked. Seeing Dex arguing with the Bibarel he hired to take them… had to be expected. Considering they were both sailors.
It didn’t mean that was acceptable. “Dude, stop! He’s taking us to Cydonia, so take it easy!”
Dex huffed, pointing at the Bibarel, who was busy moving the wheel and checking the wind current, but still had the time to sport an annoyed look.
“Oh, c’mon, Goggles. The lad couldn’t steer that there wheel if ‘is life depended on it!”
“Don’t care!” the Zoroark snarled, having just finished putting his satchel on. “Zip it or I’ll zip you myself!”
A grunt came from Dexter’s mouth, and he slowly nodded. “Aye, aye, cap’n.”
Thank Arceus. I have no idea on how to zip him, and he could probably bend me in half… yikes. Brian put on a stern face, the sternest he could, thanking the numerous times his brother did the same. “Alright, glad we could sort this out.”
Brian sighed in relief, motioning for Dex to follow him. They walked next to the edge of the ship, where the fox pointed, directed at the sky. It was clear, for the most part, but on the horizon, he could see some rain clouds.
“Need your expertise, that’s too far away, right? We won’t get caught in any storm?” Brian sounded worried, and ended his sentence with a gulp.
“Oh, so now ye need me ‘elp? Can’t decide, eh, Goggles?” Dex chuckled as his twin tails began to swish. Nah, it be fixin’ to rain. Sooner or later, but it will.”
“Really?” Brian’s ears drooped. “Damn it, I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case…”
“The tides tell it, I be tellin’ ye.” Dexter shrugged. “An’ I doubt ye or Popsicle wants to smell wet Zoroark, that be why I been pressurin’ the lad. We’re at sea, gotta be tough if we wanna make it.
“…You could have started with that, y’know?” Brian grumbled. God, being a leader never got easier, did it?
Just then, the sound of a familiar yawn made its way towards Brian’s ears. Soon, he turned to see Meggie floating next to them, rubbing her eyes.
“You guys are loud. Can’t a lady take her beauty sleep in peace?” she asked, yawning again.
“Sup, Popsicle.” Dex waved. “We was blabberin’ about storms.”
Brian nodded. “I wanted to know why Dexter was being so agressive towards our ride, but—”
“An’ as I been about to tell yer boyfriend,” the Floatzel interrupted, grinning. “They be fuckin’ deadly. Need to be extra careful, or at least get there before shit happens.”
“Dex, what the hell?!” Brian protested, surprisingly fast, covering his snout. “C’mon, no time for that!”
Meggie’s face turned a deep red instantly. “W-What? No! And, uh, storms, storms! Yes, we should get to the city before, haha! How do we do that?”
Dex simply continued to smile. “I’ll let the Bibarel know. If ye two need me, I’ll be at the kitchen, gotta eat somethin’.”
It wasn’t long until they arrived at the port. After a “friendly” wave towards the Bibarel, in which Dex was stopped from throwing hands by his two friends, they entered the city, of course, they had a nice little chat with the guards before being let inside.
The rocky architecture was different from what they were used to, for sure. Not having to deal with constant smoke was great as well. It almost looked like a nice place to live in, all things considered.
…Almost. Brian rubbed his eyes to take in, but the area they were in looked awful. For starters, the smell of garbage littered the air, bags were scattered all around the place, and there were Pokémon sleeping on the floor, some even shivering with cold.
“Oh… oh no.” Brian gulped. If only he could help, do… something to make their lives better.
“Ain’t much different than me ‘ouse. Well, at least folks ain’t throwin’ their garbage on me.” Dex shrugged. Knowing how it was to live in such conditions meant he, too, wanted to help. It wasn’t like they deserved it.
“Guys…” Meggie frowned, wisps of ghostly energy falling from beneath her eyes. “…I know this sucks, but we’re here for a reason. And hey! If Lance’s the king here, we can always ask him to do something about it, right?”
Brian was far from convinced. He raised a brow. “If he is, then why isn’t he doing any—”
A ringing in his and Dex’s ears turned their attention to the direction the sound came from. Deeper into the city, a group of Trubbish, led by a Garbodor, strolled into the area. They giggled, muttering to each other.
“It better not be trouble… Goggles, if it be, can I whoop ’em?”
Before Brian had a chance to respond, two Trubbish walked next to one of the garbage bags and began eating it. This was followed by more of the poison-types, making their intentions clear: cleaning.
“Looks like you’ll have to let the whooping for later,” Brian sighed in relief. “So he is doing something.”
Not that it makes this any better. Lance… what is going on with you?
Meggie turned her head to see Brian with the world’s largest frown on his face. Now that just wouldn’t do! She floated in front of him and flashed a smile. “We can do this, alright? Let’s keep going, this part of town is fine. Alright?”
“Popsicle, Goggles. Get a room, ye two.” Dex grinned at them. He took a final look at the janitors around. Even the sleeping Pokémon had awakened, and were being treated by some of the Trubbish, holding what looked like bowls of soup. “See? Everything’s fixin’ to be fine. All we need be to knock some sense into yer brother.”
“I guess so…” Brian nodded. Still, what laid ahead for them… it was chilling, down to his very bones. Lance had to be fine. He had to be. Because if that wasn’t the case…
Brian had no idea what he was going to do.
More minutes were spent walking, but every now and then, Dex looked at the sky to check if that storm was getting closer or not. At the moment, it appeared so; he saw lightning bolts in the distance, and the clouds were getting darker and larger by the second.
Currently, the trio were heading to an open area at the center of the kingdom, reserved for large audiences. And the large amount of Pokémon there meant there was some sort of announcement to be done soon.
“In case we don’t find Pup today, we should think o’ gettin’ somewhere to sleep. It’ll rain soon.”
“Duly noted,” Meggie gave him a thumbs-up, but then floated forward, catching up with Brian.
“…” Brian stopped. His heart sunk as he looked forward. Dex tilted his head, but soon did the same as Brian, eyes widening. Lastly, Meggie took a look, slowly descending into the ground.
There he was. Lance. Surrounded by Fraxure guards, wearing a long, black cape, and a crown, embedded with a pitch-black gem. He waved to the people just as Scar came in, stopping on the Lucario’s right side.
“Ahem. As you are well aware, King Percival, you have a lot on your table. We should head back to the castle soon.”
“Don’t be so uptight, Scar.” Percival replied with a smile. “They are my people, I need to let them talk and ask me for ideas on how to improve!”
“Hm…” Scar clicked his tongue. Not what he had in mind for this meeting, but oh well, better to indulge his pupil. “Very well. For today only, I shall make an exception. What do you have in mind?”
Percival snapped a finger. “Hah. Very simple, my advisor.”
He turned to the crowd and extended both arms, like he was trying to hug the audience. “I don’t enjoy kings that refuse to listen to what their subjects have to say. Therefore, you are all welcome to visit me in my castle, and request an audience with me. I will listen, take what you have in mind, and work to better your lives!”
A roar of cheers erupted all over the place, along with claps and whistles directed at the king. It made his smile grow wider. Scar clenched his fist for one second, and on the other, stopped.
I cannot let him waste time. We need to break my Lord’s prison. Scar forced a smile on his face. “Ah, what a wonderful idea, your Highness.”
“Correct,” Percival said, bowing to his subjects solemnly. “With that, I believe our time here is over. So… if you need more information, please feel free to talk with Scar, he’s my advisor, and I trust—”
A lump formed on his throat. What the Tyrantrum said… it was still fresh in Percival’s mind. Could he really trust Scar?
“Ahem. Whenever you want to set up the meeting, just talk to Scar!”
With a final bow, Percival turned back, followed by his guards, and then by Scar. The audience still cheered.
“What the hell was that?” Brian asked, refusing to even look at his friends. “…I mean, I know what it was. But Lance… he changed his name?”
“Doubt that be the worst thin’ that ‘appened ‘ere.” Dex shrugged. “Pup’s doin’ a better job than I thought.”
Meggie, meanwhile, kept staring at the caslte, all the way in the distance. She frowned. “You two are missing the point. What do we do here? Not like we can just barge in at the castle, and setting up a meeting might take too long.”
“Heh! Always up fer a fight!” Dex flexed an arm. “We can totally kick their asses! And by that I mean ye two.”
“Oh yeah? I bet I can knock those dragons better than you!” Meggie posed dramatically, spinning and dropping tiny snowflakes.
While the two were talking, Brian was thinking, analyzing his options. On one hand… Lance had helped by letting anyone meet him. On the other, Scar was there, and surely he would never let them talk. Brian didn’t even want to fight… just talk. Why was it so hard?!
“An illusion,” he said, like some switch had just been pressed. “Goddamn it, why didn’t I think of that?!”
“Maybe they have measures against it, Bri.” Meggie said. True, she heard most, if not all prisons had it.
Their Floatzel friend raised an arm. “Bones will recognize me an’ Popsicle, so what’s yer game ‘ere? Goin’ alone?”
“I can try illusioning you guys t—” Brian shook his head, expression turned dead serious. “Wait, no. I mean, yes. I’ll go by myself, can’t let you two risk it, and maintaining three illusions is really taxing.”
“Brian.” Meggie floated, stopping in front of him again, and grabbing both of his cheeks. “Listen here. You… take care. We’re not—I’m not losing you. You go there, knock some sense into your brother, and we’ll deal with the aftermath later, alright?”
“S-Sure…” to say he was screaming internally would be an understatement. Brian only managed to focus on the task at hand by remembering his sibling. That serious look showed up again. “…Yes. I got this, will you guys wait for me here?”
“I mean… I kinda wanna get some booze, but sure, Goggles. We’ll wait ‘ere. Good luck there!”
“We’ll still be here when you two get back,” Meggie leaned in closer and planted a tiny kiss on Brian’s cheek. “Now go!”
Revigorated by everything the two did and said, Brian nodded, looking at the castle. He gulped and took a large breath. He could do this. He could bring Lance back. No, he had to.
“Alright guys, I’ll be back soon!” Brian got on all fours and bolted forward, shoving aside all doubt and anxiety, focusing on one single thing: Getting his beloved brother back, no matter the cost.
It had to work, for all their sakes.
First and foremost, Brian had to think of the illusion. Or rather, what to disguise himself as. Some species came to mind: Braixen, Drizzile, Grovyle, Cramorant…
Needs to have fingers. No Budew, then. Hm… Brian hummed, walking towards the castle. Oh, I know!
After a snap of his fingers, the Zoroark’s body turned a deep red, glowing and shifting into that of an Incineroar’s. Brian looked at the sky, feeling some raindrops falling on his head. He grumbled, extending the extension to his “fur”.
“Perfect! Or should I say… purrfect? Heh.” Brian grinned, far too amused with that pun. Alright, so let’s see… I should probably find an alias. Nothing too obvious.
As he got closer to the castle, Brian already saw a large line forming. Too large for his taste. It’d take the entire day just to get to his turn, maybe even more.
Alright, Brian. You’re smart, you can figure something out! Think, Brian, think!
Time to measure his options. The first idea he thought of was another illusion, invisibility, so he could sneak and get inside without much issue. To test this, Brian put his goggles on, pressing a circular switch on them to zoom in on the castle.
If I can make that jump… Brian wondered. With his goggles, he saw an open window to the second floor of the castle. Maybe using his hookshot would let him get there. He’d still need to be invisible, and that would make illusioning the sounds harder.
In other words, I can make it, but I’ll get discovered if I do it.
Normally, that’d be a real problem, and completely defeat the point of stealth. But his brother was the king, surely he’d let him survive even if Brian was discovered.
…The guards might not, on the other hand. Brian bit his lip. Part of the plan did work, but he needed something better. Or safer. Or both.
Before Brian knew it, there were already more Pokémon behind him. After noticing this, he gulped. Shit, shit, shit! Think… I really don’t wanna use the hookshot plan!
…
…It’s gonna be this one, isn’t it? Brian took a large sigh, then bolted right, snapping his fingers again and changing the current illusion to another one, turning invisible.
As expected, the Pokémon both behind and in front of his place in line were shocked, but quickly stopped. Thankfully.
Okay, here comes nothing…! Brian opened his satchel, taking the bright-blue hookshot he made earlier and grasped it tightly. He ran and ran, getting close to the end of the line, where two Fraxure guards were talking to the first Pokémon to enter.
Easy to ignore. Brian, instead, walked next to the guards, where a medium-sized stone wall stood. That jump had to be precise and swift.
Just what happened. The Zoroark hopped as high as he could and grabbed the edge of the wall, grunting, but still holding onto it. He jumped to the other side, seeing the green garden for the first time.
Whoa, Brian shook his head. Right, no time to waste here.
He took a few more steps forward and aimed at the window he saw previously, launching the hookshot at it. It clunked right in the wood, and with the press of a switch, Brian was launched upwards.
L-Let’s go—Whoa!
Brian clung to his gadget, shaking just as he heard a loud thunderbolt, coming from somewhere far away. Suddenly, the second floor looked much higher than before. Daunting, the ground called him, wanting Brian to drop dead and get flattened, like a pancake.
N-No time… to be scared! I need to see my brother!
Grunting, Brian used all his might to climb up again, and then inside the castle. He fell on the ground and panted, even dropping the hookshot from how shaky his paws felt.
D-Did I… did they hear me?! Brian looked over at the window, and to his shock… nothing changed. The guards were still in their place, as were the Pokémon in line. …That bolt probably silenced my noises. Convenient, and heck yeah, I’m taking it!
He sighed again, it was so convenient Brian wanted to believe Arceus was looking after him. The invisible Zoroark took a deep breath and looked around.
This floor was decorated with a large, red carpet. Oddly, the walls were clean. No paintings, nothing but the marks of paintings that used to be there. Some tables were spread around the hallway, carrying unlit candles, probably for decoration only.
Must’ve been redecorating. Okay… step one is finished. Now what…? Find Lance, I think.
So how to do that? Well, he was invisible. Brian could surely search the whole place, and nobody would bat an eye. There wasn’t even anyone there, but, faintly, Brian heard footsteps. Someone was getting close.
Oh… well, time to go even more stealth mode! Brian clung to the wall and picked his hookshot, turning it invisible as well. Now to wait for—
“Finally here, eh, Maxxy?”
That voice…
“Your observation skills are great, Lily.”
And that other voice…!
Brian covered his snout so he wouldn’t gasp, but as soon as he saw who was there, the effort to stay quiet turned into a chore.
Max and Lilith, walking like nothing was wrong in the world. The Electivire held a large bag on his back, and fidgeted with a western hat in his right palm, while Lilith was holding a sheet of papers.
“Think we should be good to start the hunt soon, just after Percy does his lil…” Lilith chuckled. “Good deed of the day. Necky’s gonna be released soon!”
“Aye, aye.” Max shrugged. “Don’t care much about the mutt, but he has been a good asset.”
…Necky? Release? Lance… what did you get yourself into?
Lilith picked Max’s hat with a grin, putting it on. “Have ya figured out how to contain the Darkinium-Z without the crown?”
“Was gonna tell you how. If you’ll accompany me, Lily.” Max bowed to her, like a gentleman.
“Hell yeah, let’s go!” she cheered, whistling.
Brian gulped more. He could go after Lance like planned, or… he could follow those two. Something was weird about it, and the weirdness had formed a lump in his throat.
…I’m sorry, Lance! I need to see this! he whined, then kept a slow pace behind the Electivire and Lopunny.
Why had Brian never followed anyone like this before? It was surprisingly easy! Taking slow steps, covering his snout, doing everything to make sure he made zero noises. Easy, barely an inconvenience.
It’s like stepping on nails. Or knives. Knails? Brian laughed internally, the best way to keep himself calm. I swear, it was easier to break into that Gallade’s lab…
“So are ya going to the bug dungeon? Or the ghost dungeon?” Lilith gave Max a friendly punch on the arm, grinning. “My research said that you’re afraid of ghooooooosts~!”
“You stop that,” Max gulped, feeling a shiver course through his body. “…Not afraid, but they’re weird.”
“Heh, don’t worry about it. I’ll let you go to the bug dungeon. I’ll stick with ghosts, they can be cute. Most of the time.”
Bug dungeon? Ghost dungeon? What…? Max and Lilith had to be speaking a different language. Or Brian just didn’t have the same information they did.
“Aight, aight, lemme show you the plans.” Max stopped in front of a door on the right side of the hallway. “Ladies first?”
“What a gentleman. Thanks.” Lilith opened the door and entered.
At that moment, Brian ran as fast as he could to enter after Lilith, judging Max to be too big for him to sneak through. At least not without being crushed.
Phew…
Max closed the door behind them and threw his bag into a nearby chair. Brian quickly shuffled around the room, seeing a large table containing a map of the continent, along with six chairs. Not the best place to hide.
Fuck. Brian darted again, this time noticing bottles of wine atop another table, and a punching bag on the corner. Thinking that was a better hideout, the Zoroark walked on that direction, sighing in relief.
“D’you hear that?” Max looked around.
“…Hear what?”
“Nah. Nothing, I think.” Max sat at the same spot where his bag was, but not before grabbing it again, messing around until he found a piece of paper. After putting it on the table, Max tapped at it with a finger. “A general idea of what I found out. The crown seems to be built like a looplet, and that’s why it can hold the stone’s power well. So all we really need is to, y’know, build something like that.”
“Oh, I get it,” Lilith lied naturally, like breathing. “Those crystals have a shitton of energy, it has to be a more sturdy looplet in this case.”
A snap of fingers. “Bingo, Lily. Even the dungeons seem energized enough to handle it.”
Brian stopped to process the information. They wanted to… release something named Necky, and needed… the crystal on Lance’s crown? He’d have to hear more.
“Once we have the stones contained, we can proceed to the ritual. Got it.” Lilith stated, her usual cheerful demeanor replaced by seriousness. “Who’d have thought Necky was on that island… a shame we don’t know what he showed the Zoroark and Froslass.”
What?! Brian gulped. Island, island… that island they were stranded on? Wait a minute, that thing that was controlling the vines… that’s Necky? I-I can’t… it was an awful feeling, and they want to let that thing free?! Why? What could justify it…?
Still, I’m gonna listen a little more. Does Lance know about this?
“…Lily, you know what will happen to Percy once we release Necrozma, don’t you? He needs a body.”
Lilith kept her serious expression, and instead of replying, all she did was nod.
“I see,” Max fidgeted with his fingers. “Does Scar know?”
“He has known for a while,” she replied. “Being sealed for so long… Necrozma requires a vessel to exist until he gets his full strength back. Percival… he’ll be a sacrifice for the greater good. We’re doing the right thing, Max.”
Vessel? Sacrifice?! Brian had enough. He needed to see Lance. His precious brother would not be a sacrifice.
“I know we are.” Max retorted. “…Does the mutt know what’s coming for him?”
“No.” Was all she said. “We’re omitting a lot of details. Scar knew that was the best way of convincing him to join us.”
So… they never planned on helping Lance? Brian’s heart skipped a beat. How could they do this? Despicable, disgusting. That was all he wanted—needed to hear.
Now to plan his escape. Much to Brian’s surprise, he managed to plan something faster than he thought.
Knock, knock.
Lilith went to check in the door, opening it, only to find the other side completely empty.
Except for an invisible Zoroark, who ran away from there, determination flaring in his eyes.
Walking through hall after hall, Brian was starting to feel dizzy, they all looked relatively the same, and he didn’t even leave the second floor! Where was the throne room located?
In hindsight, it probably wasn’t at the top. Brian slapped his face, annoyed at his own stupidity, then began to look for the stairs.
Handling this entire scenario with a mood ranging from calm to borderline panic had been a terrifying experience all on its own. Really, the only thing that kept Brian going was the thought of reuniting with his sibling. His best friend.
There was no way Brian would let Lance become some vessel, not for these crazy lunatics. Not for anyone. Determination burned on the Zoroark’s eyes while he ran and ran, going left, right, right, left. At the last stop, he saw the stairs leading to the lower levels of the castle. It was now or never for him.
I’m getting so close… can’t stop shaking, my heart’s pounding ! I’m… I’m coming for you, Lance!
Brian kept moving forward, or downward, in this case, climbing down a set of stairs from the first to the ground floor. With a set of perking ears, Brian realized that was the place he was looking for. Another pound from his heart stopped the Zoroark for a moment.
Even if it was too far away to properly discern his brother’s voice, even if the chances of him being caught by the guards or the lunatic that pretended to be Lance’s mentor… despite all that, Brian had strength. Willpower. The drive to keep going.
And that drive only got stronger. Brian finally left the stairs, panting. He was now in another hallway. To find the throne room, he used his ears, following the sound of weapons clanking, footsteps, but more specifically, the second line he saw that day.
If only the solution to this problem was violence. Punching them all out of his way. Brian didn’t like violence, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Desperate measures, then. Brian zipped open his satchel, pulling out two orbs. The one on his left paw had an eerie, almost blinding glow to it, while the other one seemed to have a rocky texture.
Okay, so I either blind these guys or petr—Actually, fuck them. I can’t keep beating around the bush, the time to act is now!
After aiming at his targets, Brian put the Luminous Orb back in his satchel. Still holding the Petrify Orb, he threw it as far as he could. The orb landed on the ground, next to the line, and cracked open, unleashing a wave that stopped every one of the Pokémon, including guards, on their tracks.
This is a temporary solution… need to be fast now.
Said and done. Brian ran ahead, squeaking through the petrified Pokémon, making his way to the door, and then opened it in a hurry. While doing so, Brian closed his eyes, as if to brace himself for what was to come.
Large, open windows on the wall, allowing the light to flood over the ornate carpet. Fraxure guards at either side, protecting the way to the throne itself. A grandiose red and gold seat, atop a short set of stairs. The regal atmosphere was beaming, exuding royalness. And at the other side of the room, there he was. Lance. Holding a glass of wine on his hand, with Scar on his side.
Whoa. Brian gasped, taking in the room he was in. Even as the guards began to rush through, running towards him.
Wait, running? But Brian was still invisible!
H-Huh?!
Not quite sure on how to react, Brian simply dodged them by moving to the side. As it turned out, they were headed to the door, investigating the petrified Pokémon.
“Hm? Scar, is my life in danger?” Percival asked, finishing his wine in a single sip.
“That is what I intend to find out.” Scar quirked a brow and ran next to them. “What is the meaning of this? Elaborate now.”
“Sir, someone threw a Petrify Orb at them!” one of the Fraxure said.
“Thank you for your lovely insight.” the Marowak rolled his eyes. Scar got on his knees, taking a look at the orb. “Perhaps a tad bit too early for someone to attempt assassination, but we must find out who did it.”
“Not necessary, it was me!” Brian took a deep breath, raising his right arm in the air and snapping his fingers. The illusion dropped.
Percival’s eyes widened in return. He looked at the Zoroark, arms shaking. “Brian… Brian? That’s… that’s you?”
“Lance, it’s me! Heavens, I’m finally seeing you ag—”
The guards all closed in on him, pointing fangs and claws. Scar snarled, walking until he was in front of Brian. “Child. I do not need to pretend your reasoning to come here escapes me.”
“Oh, fuck off, you deranged psycopath!” Brian snarled back, only being held back by the Fraxure. His fur poofed up, and he bore his teeth at all of them. “Leave me alone!”
“Now, now.” the king clapped his hands together, leaving the throne with a large smile on his face. “Is that any way to treat a prince? Brian is my twin brother, he deserves to be treated with as much respect as I am.”
“Your Highness.” Scar said, turning his face to meet Percival’s. “He is nothing but a remnant of your former life. You should cut ties with him.”
“I said to fuck off!” Brian tried escaping the dragons’ clutches, but they were too strong for him. “I know what you’re planning! Lance, don’t listen to him! He’s not your friend!”
Percival considered both options, tapping his chin in thought. Brian said similar things to that Tyrantrum. Two times now. There had to be at least some truth in those words.
And Scar noticed this hesitation. If left unchecked, that would jeopardize everything he worked for. “Are you not forgetting something, Your Highness? Brian, who you claim to be your ‘best friend’, never supported your definition of justice.”
“What I don’t support is senseless murder!” Brian shouted. “Lance, c’mon! Use that big head of yours! I’ve known you my whole life!”
“Shut up. The both of you!” Percival snarled, shaking his head. “Brian, I don’t have the faintest idea of what you mean, but I’m doing good here! Look around you! They count on me to be their savior!”
Scar took a sharp look at the guards, silently giving them an order. At once, they all let go of Brian. “That is your answer. As you see, Brian Williams, your brother does not wish to leave.”
“N-No…” Brian panted, clenching his fist as tightly as possible. “If… that’s the case… Lance! I’m knocking some sense into you myself!”
“What?” Percival blinked. Had he misheard it? “Brian… you don’t want to fight me.”
Brian snarled, quickly eyeing one of the open windows, the one right next to Percival. “You’re right. But sometimes in life, you gotta do something you don’t want!”
He charged forward, jumping in at the king. The latter responded with a grunt, even as their bodies collided and rolled around the floor. Brian roared, putting more strength than he thought possible to roll them in the direction of the window.
“Your Highness!” Scar protested, about to run the same way.
The siblings fell out of the window into the garden, amidst the heavy rain.
Nothing but the sound of them falling on the ground hit the air. Percival grunted, pushing his brother aside, while his ears rang. He snarled, taking a step back while trying to stand.
“Urgh. Lance, wait—” Brian shook his head, grumbling. “H-Heh. Didn’t know we were royals. Guess dad never bothered to tell us that, eh?”
Percival took a deep breath, taking in the raindrops that stuck on his fur, before replying. “…Zip it. What are you planning, Brian? I can’t—We are doing so much good here! You expect me to give it all away?”
Brian put his hookshot down, panting. With his strength reacquired, he stood up. “I’ve seen their… their hideout. Lance, Scar doesn’t want to help you. He’s sending you into the gutter, to this—this thing, creature, whatever!”
“Necrozma?” Percival replied nonchalantly, not bothering to properly react to it. “…I know that, Brian.”
What? Lance knew about it, but… the Electivire and the Lopunny told him something entirely different! Either that, or Lance didn’t know the entire thing.
“I said I’m knocking sense into you, and I intend on doing just that!” Brian snarled, getting on all fours. “Scar didn’t tell you the whole story! You’ll lose everything if you keep going on this path!”
“Have you considered that I want this path?” Percival deadpanned, producing a bone made of energy. “You have never defeated me in battle. Do you really think it’ll happen now?”
Thunder echoed just as Brian opened his mouth, muffling any words that he’d otherwise say. There was no escaping this… they’d need to fight.
“Don’t need to win, just… make you listen!” Brian charged forward, his claws dripping with dark energy. Then, right as he was about to connect with Percival, Brian vanished into thin air.
“Tch. Cheap tricks, like usual.” The king jumped back, dodging an invisible strike, then another, and another. Despite the illusion, Percival could see it clear, his red eyes having a tint of purple glow. “You won’t win! I’ll cut through all your illusions!”
Brian clicked his tongue. That was true. Damn aura sense… need to find a way to confuse him!
Percival maneuvered the club on his arm, spinning it around while dodging more attacks. Though his vision wasn’t crystal clear, he could still sense his brother’s aura.
Wait, got it! Brian jumped back, backflipping. Once far enough from Percival, Brian focused, slashing the air repeatedly with dark energy.
“Hmph!” Percival moved left and right, dodging all the Night Slashes as they went. Easy enough, or too easy. What was Brian doing?
Unbeknownst to Percival, that was part of Brian’s plan. Using the distraction from his other attacks, Brian was able to dash, producing a sphere of ghostly energy in his paw.
Now! With a jump, the attack landed on Percival’s stomach, causing the Lucario to grunt in pain, though he didn’t bulge a single inch. It also caused his illusion to drop. “Hrrrgh! Lance, listen here! Scar wants to use you, you’ll be a ve—”
“You talk too much!” Percival spun the bone club, using it to attack Brian’s snout, driving him back. To close this distance, Percival dashed forward in the blink of an eye, before kicking the Zoroark.
Or that was what he wanted. Brian, albeit hurt from the previous move, had just enough strength in him to use both arms to try and block the kick. It barely worked, managing to break his balance and force him on the floor.
Soon after, Percival dissipated the club, panting. Another thunder echoed. Brian grumbled, staring his brother in the face. Amidst the rain, he could see… the faintest of tears on Percival’s face.
“I don’t want to fight you, Brian. But you need to understand.”
“Can’t things…” Brian’s paws shook. No, his whole being shook, somehow keeping itself together by a miracle. “Can’t we go back to how we used to be?”
“No.” Percival looked away in that moment, letting the tears fall. His face turned into a large frown, his ears drooped, and his tail flickered slowly.
“I… I see…”
What could Brian do to turn the tables there? His mind’s gears began turning, working on figuring out something to do. If only he could win this fight… then Lance would have no choice but to listen.
“You’re hurt. Come on,” Percival offered a paw to his sibling, smiling. A fake, forced smile. But a smile nonetheless.
It was painful, impossible to bear. He took Percival’s paw, who helped him stand up.
Brian roared, both inside and out, standing up once again. To dare, to defy that fake smile, fake persona.
“You’ll listen to me!” Brian pulled Percival closer with one arm, and with the other, landed a powerful punch that knocked his brother back.
And that wasn’t the end of it. No. Brian ran, energy flickering in his claws. He was about to hit Percival again, but the Lucario blocked the claws with another bone club. The effort proved futile, as Brian’s claws cut through the weapon like it was made of butter.
“What? This shouldn’t—how?!”
“I don’t know, and I. Don’t. Care!” Brian punched him again. And again.
For some reason, Percival didn’t seem to bother dodging those attacks, letting Brian punch him for as long as the Zoroark wanted. Until his brother’s nose started to bleed. Until Percival’s legs felt like jelly. Brian kept going and going, nothing held him back.
“St—Urgh! Brian, list—”
“Did you listen? No! So keep quiet, you!”
Brian’s own knuckles were hurting by this point, so the frequency of punches began to die down, while the tears on both their faces were streaming down with no intention of stopping, much like the storm around them.
“When I got here, when I went into the castle, I followed Max and Lilith. They—” Brian panted, falling to his knees. “…I eavesdropped. They were talking about you, Lance. On how you’re a vessel, something for Necrozma to use when he’s unleashed. Do you… do you know that?”
Judging by the surprised look on Percival’s face and the lack of any vocal response, no.
“What… are you talking about?”
“They need that black jewel on your—wait, where’s the crown?”
Percival tapped the top of his head. No crown to be seen. At least not on his head. After a careful look around, he saw it standing a few feet away from them.
Normally, he’d go grab it. This time, though, there were more important things to worry about. Like rethinking all his life choices from the last months. Scar lying. Everyone lying about the reason they took him in. Forcing him to abandon his friends, abandon Brian and Meggie.
Brian wouldn’t come all this way just to lie to me. He’s… telling the truth. And I’ve been tricked. Deceived.
“…Tell me more about this, Brian. I deserve to know.” Percival grunted.
“Look,” Brian turned around, hearing footsteps slowly approaching. “They’re here. Come with me, let’s go back. Dexter and Meg are waiting.”
“If…” Percival stopped. The more Brian told him, the more his heart ached, hoping none of it was true. Confronting a lie was so, so much easier than confronting the truth. “If you’re right, then… this changes everything. We need a plan. They need the stone, right?”
“Well, yeah, but—”
Percival—Lance looked his brother in the eyes, not before giving a loud sigh.
“Hit me.”
“What?”
“Hit me, Brian. Take the crown and run. I’ll… I can’t go. If you’re right, you need an inside mon. And who better than someone that knows the ins and outs?”
“…Wha?! That’s insane, I can’t leave you with these bastards!” Brian protested, shouting.
“Listen to me,” he grabbed Brian’s shoulders, looking as serious as ever. “You’re not the first one that told me about how shady they are, and I… I was a fool. But we can still make this right. I’ll help you, only from the inside. Now hit me and go!”
“But—I can’t! I just… can’t.” Brian shook his head, denying it again.
“We will meet again.” Lance said, smiling. A genuine smile this time. “Find somewhere to hide, and think of a way for me to figure out. Something only we know, alright? I’ll see you as soon as I can. Now hit me!”
Brian was taken aback. Glad that his brother had seen the truth, but hitting him? Well, they were fighting until a moment ago. This was different.
“Do you trust me, Brian?”
“I…” Brian whined, slowly nodding. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Lance.”
The Zoroark did as instructed, punching Percival in the face and letting him fall, before grabbing the crown in a hurry, and ran. For better or for worse.
Even as he fell, Lance’s mind was nowhere near empty.
Needles pierced through him, right on the inside. Every word, every sentence Scar said to him was another needle. And it hurt. It hurt. Screams permeated his mind while he processed it all. How could he not see it before? All the chats they had, while Percival was on a low point. Scar only told him what he wanted to hear, what would give him the satisfaction in those moments.
Maybe a part of him knew it all along. It was all too good to be true, after all. That anyone could ever want to help him. His sense of justice told him all the sins, all the crimes were justified. Always justified.
And yet Brian never held back, did he? Percival smiled as he realized it, how Brian let him know that it was wrong. If only he knew about it before. He wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.
Things could be different now.
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