Requiem (PG-13)

[Sidewinder]

*Marco and that psychotic freak and the sadistic Scyther made this chapter something very intense. I definitely liked that, you really did a nice job of pouring some drama into things, they were all very villain-like in the sense you could really feel the antagonism within their characters.

Well, that's what I was trying for so I'm glad it worked out well. Thanks!

*Nuzleaf's evolution was simply epic, I never cared for the Shiftry family but your fic. somewhat has changed my opinion on it. I also loved the description about Shelton kissing Shiftry's nose.

Thanks again! I'm glad I was able to change your opinion. Shiftry started out being my favorite Pokemon when I started playing the Hoenn games a long time ago, but after I read up on what they're based on and how versatile they can be in battle, I was completely hooked

I enjoyed Shelton's snark comments this chapter, of course I usually enjoy Shelton's behavior XD It's not hard to tell she'll catch the Steelix next chapter given her allure toward it.

Well, Shelton is about 70% based off my wife, so a lot of the stuff she says in terms of wanting to verbally abuse Dorian, comes from real life. Well, maybe not 70% but pretty close haha

Thanks for taking the time to review, I'm glad you enjoyed it

 

[Sidewinder]

I'm going to rate this chapter (R) for violence and a disturbing image. May be overreacting but I wanted to make sure. Enjoy!

Chapter 20​

Snowflakes melted on Ethan’s shaved head as Salamence spiraled down towards the shore of Lake Acuity. The water from the snow annoyingly streamed down his face and melted almost immediately in the unrelenting wind. Wiping his face away for the umpteenth time, Ethan tightened his grip on Salamence as the dragon touched down on the ground. Alakazam hopped off first, sinking instantly knee-deep into the snow. Ethan retrieved Salamence’s pokeball and returned the tired Pokemon to its confines while he was still straddling it. As his Pokemon vanished beneath him, Ethan dropped to the ground and landed heavily next to his psychic type.

The water of the lake was the color of frozen iron and it languidly morphed to a light shade of black as it churned across its borders. Dotted here and there, frozen blocks of gray ice bobbed up and down like dozens of tiny islands. They failed in comparison though to the massive but crumbling structure of stone centered in the middle of the lake. The decrepit building was assuredly thousands of years old, and surely would have already crumbled to the ground if not for the centuries of ice still holding it together.

“Are we in the right spot?” Alakazam asked.

“I believe we are,” Ethan affirmed. “The button is at the bottom. Wrap us up and start heading down, I’ll take care of the cold.”

Nodding, Alakazam took a step closer to Ethan and closed his eyes. A moment later, a bubble of lilac energy surrounded the two of them. As the shield of energy closed completely, Ethan centered himself and drew on the energy from the flakes he carried within him. Focusing, he channeled their power to his fingertips; moments later, the psychic bubble was filled with pleasant warmth that wrapped itself tightly around them.

Alakazam willed the sphere to rise and quickly lowered them into the water. The softly sloshing water rose around them as they sank, obscuring their vision completely as they passed below the surface. As Ethan watched Alakazam grit his teeth in concentration, the water around them suddenly adopted a bright violet tint, illuminating the area around them as they traveled downwards. The shapes of curious Pokemon flitted quickly past as they sank, though none were brave enough to come more than ten feet away.

They reached the bottom quicker than Ethan anticipated, the energy of the bubble kicking up a small plume of sand as they settled down onto the floor of the lake. Just as the voices had told him, there was a small pedestal embedded in the rock a few feet to their right. A Seaking hovered protectively over the pedestal as Alakazam moved them closer, but retreated behind a nearby boulder as Alakazam made their bubble flare threateningly. The pedestal broke through their protective shield as they came to a halt, its surface still wet from the water it had just abandoned.

Ethan reached out and firmly pressed the button on its surface. The button sank easily into the pedestal and a small sliver of stone closed over the button and hid it from view. As Ethan expected, a long groan echoed through the water around them and signaled that his task below the surface was complete. Nodding to Alakazam, Ethan felt a moment of vertigo as his psychic Pokemon raised them quickly to the surface. They broke through the top of the lake with a mighty splash and settled down onto the bank of the small island.

As Alakazam released the energy surrounding them, the howling wind rushed back to meet them and they were once again bathed in an arctic chill. Before them, the stone stretched upwards fifty feet, with no noticeably discernible point of entry. After a moment though, Ethan spied a crack in the rock at about eye level that was smoother and straighter than it should have been if it had been naturally formed. He informed Alakazam of this, and waited impatiently as his Pokemon probed the crack with his mind.

“Well?” Ethan asked.

“I feel, something,” Alakazam admitted. “It’s like a lever, or long button of some kind.”

“Go ahead.”

With a grunt, Alakazam pushed against the object, and immediately the crack widened. It followed the line towards the ground and split again, eventually outlining the shapes of two doors in the rock. Focusing further, Alakazam focused a tendril of thought on the space behind them and pulled forward, swinging the two slabs of stone outward to expose a narrow passageway.

“Thank you,” Ethan said.

As the door stopped moving and Ethan began walking forward, an excitement began to creep over him. Another flake was close, and after he had absorbed it and taken the shard to which it belonged, there would be only two left. His moment with the six kings was coming, regardless of the hiccups in the plan that had arrived earlier. Though he hadn’t heard from Marco in almost twenty-four hours, Ethan had no doubt in the man’s abilities, as he had cost a small fortune and came so highly recommended.

As he and Alakazam entered the stone structure, another thought forced itself into his consciousness. Worry for the six kings. It was odd but something he was used to. The kings had whispered to him for so many years, and when they had finally sent him on his mission, every step closer to fulfillment he got, the worse he felt. A part of himself was scared that once he was finished and they were restored that they would abandon him. He knew that he was being foolish by thinking that but a part of him still had doubt. The largest part of him however disregarded these notions and instead focused on absorbing another flake. The feeling he experienced as they entered him and the power they gave him far outstripped any emotion that he could ever experience.

“Do you feel anything?” Ethan asked.

“No, and that’s what concerns me,” Alakazam muttered as they continued forward into the dark.

“Light it up.”

A small sphere of white energy expanded above Alakazam’s head as they continued forward, illuminating their immediate area. The only thing Ethan could see, even with his enhanced eyesight, was only cold grey stone. As they progressed further and further into the structure, the air seemed to grow colder, causing him to finger Rhydon’s pokeball nervously. Before he preemptively pulled the pokeball from his pocket however, the shard he was searching for appeared to him.

Ethan guessed they were in the center of the structure based on how far they had walked. The pedestal was like the others he had encountered; undecorated and plain, with the shard resting straight up on its surface.

Smiling, Ethan hurried forward.

As he closed to within five feet of the pedestal, he felt his body encounter an invisible wall. As his foot came down in shock, Ethan felt the wall encompass his entire body, firmly holding him in place. For a moment he struggled, but soon realized that despite his strength, trying to get out of this hold was useless. Furious, he turned his eyes toward Alakazam, but saw that he too was motionless. Ethan’s heart picked up pace as uncertainty crashed down; if Alakazam had not halted his movements, what had?

In answer to his question, a soft blue glow presented itself to them near the ceiling of the structure. As the ball of energy lowered itself closer to them, Ethan saw that it was perfectly round, with streaks of white rapidly circling its surface.

“Ethan, try and break free! I’ve never felt something like thi-,” Alakazam started, only to be cut off by a voice that demanded even more attention.

“Now now,” a voice spoke. “Rudeness will not be tolerated. This is my home after all, and I reserve the right to formally introduce myself.”

The voice cut through Ethan like a knife, reverberating through not only his body but his mind as well. The voice was confident and unyielding, slicing through straight to his core. As Ethan renewed trying to struggle through the hold that bound him, the circle of energy in front of him began to lose its definition.

As the circle cleared and the being in front of them became visible, he heard Alakazam gasp. An Uxie floated purposefully above the ground, twin tails lazily swiping the air. The Pokemon’s eyes were closed but Ethan had the distinct impression that it was seeing them both down to their very essence. Declining to speak, Ethan retreated deep inside himself as the Pokemon floated before them, trying in vain to hide his thoughts from the legendary Pokemon.

“Ethan, listen,” Alakazam said quickly to his mind. “I’m going to try something. If I’m able to free us, just run, get out of here. Do you understand?”

“As I said, there’s no need to be rude,” the Uxie said with a swish of its tails.

As the psychic Pokemon’s tails traced a small circle in Alakazam’s direction, Alakazam’s body shimmered. It was almost as if Alkazam’s body was being viewed through a smooth pool of water and then had a stone thrown through it, taking him from solid view and blurring his image. A moment later, Alakazam winked out of existence and he vanished entirely. Rage filled Ethan’s mind as the Uxie turned back towards Ethan to face him, a smile etched on its small mouth.

“What did you do to him!?” Ethan shouted.

“I sent him somewhere, well, unpleasant,” the Uxie explained. “From what I know of you, Ethan Bernard, he’s far better off.”

“Release me, now!”

“You think yourself strong, yes? Your mind is a book to me human, and as strong as you believe yourself to be, I am stronger still.”

Drawing on every shred of energy the flakes could give him, he resumed trying to break himself free from the Uxie’s mental hold. As hard as he tried however, he wasn’t even able to move a finger; he was firmly anchored in the creature’s grasp. As Ethan moved his eyes back upwards, he saw that the Uxie was wearing the same bemused smile.

“What did you do to him?!” Ethan angrily repeated.

“Now there’s no need to shout,” admonished the Uxie. “If I give you control of your limbs back, I’ll need you to calm yourself while we speak. Agreed?”

Seeing no alternative, Ethan released a sigh. As the breath escaped his lips he felt the pressure surrounding his body vanish, allowing him to move his body again.

“What do you want?”

“What do I want?” the Uxie asked, anger evident in its voice. “I WANT to dismantle you down to the atomic level. I WANT to see my family again. I WANT to not have agreed to guard this relic for the rest of eternity!”

“You couldn’t kill me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Ethan. I know that you draw your strength from those flakes inside you; and no matter what injury might befall you, I’m sure they would piece you back together. But what would happen if I opened your chest and tore them from your heart?”

For longer than Ethan could remember he had not feared death; but as the Uxie’s words reached his mind, he suddenly felt the creeping shadow of doubt. Could it be right? Could he die? The voices had assured him that he was immortal, yet the Uxie’s words had been spoken with such confidence. He dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it came. Ethan knew he was indestructible, and even more importantly he knew that his cause was a noble and virtuous one.

“It’s not, actually,” the Uxie commented with a swish of its tail. “Whatever cause you think you were attempting, it is over. I will not allow the six kings to subjugate this world again.”

“Funny thing it is to speak of subjugation as you hold someone prisoner.”

“Even now you fight? Your attitude is admirable, human, but you will gain nothing from it. Your end is very near, but before I unmake you, allow me to remind you of all the evil you have done.”

Without giving him a chance to form a more compelling argument, the Uxie drifted closer through the air and came to hover mere inches from his face. The red jewel set in the Pokemon’s forehead began to glow; steadily increasing in intensity until a small beam of light lashed out and struck Ethan in the forehead.

*******​

Alakazam opened his eyes.

As his mind processed the rock walls rushing past him and the pillars of steam folding around his body, he correctly deduced that he was falling. Swinging his numb arms to the left, he flipped himself over as he continued to plummet. What greeted him snapped him out of his daze faster than a bullet from a gun. Screaming his name and stretching his arms wide, he was able to erect a psychic wall and stop his momentum just before he hit the bottom.

Molten rock and bubbling lava churned across the inside of the volcano only inches from his hanging form. Shadows danced across the inner walls of the cavern as small fires rippled across the surface of the fiery lake, further accenting the danger that lay just beneath him. Pulling himself vertically upwards through the air, Alakazam wrapped the shield around his body and shot towards the faint rim of daylight at the top of the volcano.

Faster and faster he rose through the plumes of steam and ash, until moments later he burst through the lip of the mountain and into the cloudless blue sky. A soft wind brushed his body as he hovered over the mountain, and the cerulean water of the ocean merged into a single line with the sky no matter which direction he turned. Looking down, he saw a small human town at the base of the volcano.

Alakazam had visited this place before many years ago, and as that realization settled in, the weight of his situation crashed down on him like a pile of bricks. He was above Cinnabar Island. In Kanto. The Uxie had somehow transported him thousands of miles in an instant; a feat that he would have thought impossible.

Which also meant that Ethan was completely unprotected and alone in Sinnoh. Uttering an involuntary growl of anger, Alakazam turned himself towards where he thought Sinnoh should be and zoomed forward. A mauve aura surrounded his body as thirty foot rooster tails shot up out of the water behind him.

“Please.”

*******​

Ethan’s vision flickered.

He registered sunlight but he felt no heat on his skin. Likewise did he feel no breeze, yet the trees in the field he was standing in were occasionally rocked from side to side by a powerful wind. The grass was vibrantly green, more so than he remembered. As Ethan looked on he saw his fifteen year old self sleeping not too far away; his Kadabra hunched over protectively to his right. Ethan recalled this field vividly from his youth, he had spent days sleeping here and speaking to the voices.

A figure in a crisp black suit stumbled towards Ethan’s unconscious self, an amber bottle clutched in his right hand.

Realization coldly made itself known as the figure approached.

“Why did you bring me here?” Ethan demanded.

“You remember this day, yes?” the Uxie offered in return.

“Of course I do and you know it. This is MY memory.”

Turning his attention back to the situation about to unfold, Ethan took a breath. As the man in the black suit drew closer, Ethan saw his former self and Kadabra bolt to attention.

“Sleeping again, are you?” the man asked. “Talking to your imaginary friends again?”

“Father, we were just tryi-“ his younger self began to explain, before being quickly cut off as the man smashed his bottle of liquor on a nearby rock.

As the man took a step closer, Kadabra did likewise, placing himself between Ethan and his father.

“Return your disgusting creature to its ball before I have it put down,” Ethan’s father said with a glare.

“He’s not disgusting.”

“What did you say?”

“He’s not disgusting,” Ethan said again.

“How dare you backtalk me!” the man roared.

As his father raised a hand to strike his younger self, Ethan turned back to the hovering Uxie.

“Why are you doing this? Obviously you know where this goes so I’m finding it difficult to understand the point of all this is.”

“I’m curious to see what your reactions are. You’re right, I do know how this plays out, but I’m eager to see how you judge situations now as compared to the instinctual reactions you gave when the situations presented themselves.”

“To what end?”

“This is my show, Ethan. Now watch, or I’ll start this over again. It means nothing to me to do so, I assure you. Unlike you, I have a long while to wait until my demise,” the legendary said with a grimace.

Ethan turned back to his younger self in time to see Kadabra throw himself between him and his father. Curses were thrown, threats were made, and even though Kadabra made no attempt to injure him, Ethan’s father began punching him. His younger self screamed for him to stop hurting him, but it was no use. The drunken rage his father was in knew no bounds, and a moment later, his father had knocked Kadabra to the ground and began viciously kicking him.

“Stop it now!” younger Ethan screamed as the beating continued.

As his father’s foot down came down again to stomp Kadabra, Ethan watched with a macabre fascination as his younger self jumped forward and struck his father in the chest. The punch caved in his father’s chest and sent him hurdling ten feet backwards where his head struck a stone and loudly cracked his skull.

“There you have it,” the Uxie said gleefully. “Your first murder, your own father no less. How does that make you feel?”

“It doesn’t make me feel anything. He was a drunk, and a fiend. He deserved his fate.”

“I’m inclined to agree with you, what I’m trying to point out though is your blatant disregard for anyone else.”

“Are you trying to make me see the error of my ways? Because if that’s your plan it’s not going to work. These trivial memories don’t do anything to prove any sort of point.

“No, I’m not trying to make you see your errors; I can already tell that that would be a pointless endeavor. I was hoping that perhaps you would want to atone for your many transgressions.”

Gritting his teeth in anger, Ethan turned back to his younger self. He and Kadabra had carved deep ruts in the field, along with toppling a few trees to make it look like his father had been the victim of a random Pokemon attack. Minutes later they had both grabbed backpacks full of supplies and streaked off into the woods to start their new lives. So scared they had been as they trampled through the woods. With any luck, the police would assume that Ethan had been killed too, thus giving him a way to start a new life in a different region and avoid an assured prison sentence.

“This is where I feel like we can make some progress,” the Uxie laughed. “Come now.”

Ethan felt his feet leave the ground as the words reached his mind, and soon thereafter he was following behind his younger self and Kadabra as they raced through forest after forest.

Ethan knew what was coming next. The incident. It had troubled him in his youthful ignorance, but over time he had come to accept it as part of his larger goals. People died everyday; more than he would ever be able to appreciate or put into a rational scale. The reason he felt no empathy for the people he had murdered was actually quite simple. The goal was restoring the six kings, no matter what. Done and done. They told him long ago that he would have to change himself to do what would be necessary; and Ethan was more than willing.

“Here we are,” Uxie cooed, setting them down onto the asphalt.

A white SUV sped by them down the narrow, lightly misted road they were standing on. Looking up towards the nearby hill, Ethan saw his younger self jump down into the road and accidentally plow straight into the side of the vehicle. Tires and his younger self screamed as the vehicle was thrown clear off the road and down a steep embankment. The crunch of metal and chrome echoed loudly through the empty road as Ethan quickly walked over to where his younger self lay in the road. His body had been broken severely, with several bones sticking out at random intervals from his legs to his shoulders.

“Kadabraa?” the psychic pokemon asked as he pulled Ethan into his lap. “Bra, Kadabra?”

A few minutes passed as Kadabra slowly rocked Ethan back and forth on the barren stretch of road. As Kadabra moved, tendrils of black smoke began drifting out of the holes and cuts in Ethan’s body, followed by the splintered bones in his broken frame snapping back into place of their own accord. After he had regained consciousness and ambled back to his feet, Ethan spoke quickly with Kadabra, who pointed down the far hill.

“Let’s follow them, shall we?” Uxie asked, grabbing him off the ground and pushing him along again.

As he was forcefully dragged once again behind his younger self, a red haze began to descend across Ethan’s vision. This tiresome creature was getting his jollies putting him through this. Which was fine until he figured a way out of his predicament. The unfortunate thing though, was that he was still drawing a blank on how to rescue himself.

Ethan saw his younger self bent down to look inside the overturned vehicle, then recoil backwards as a small and frightened voice spoke from within it.

“Aunt Susan said don’t drop,” the voice said. “Don’t drop.”

In an effort to appease the Uxie, Ethan bent down to look inside the vehicle. Three people were still strapped to their seatbelts inside, though the devices didn’t seem to have worked as they were obviously dead. A fourth adult had removed herself from the seatbelt and was taking her last breath as he watched, a large chunk of plastic embedded firmly in her neck. On the ceiling of the vehicle that now served as the floor, a small boy no older than three sat holding a freshly delivered newborn. The baby girl seemed completely unfazed by the situation though, and curled closer into the boy’s shoulder, body still drenched in her mother’s blood.

“Aunt Susan said don’t drop,” the boy repeated. “She made me promise.”

Despite Kadabra’s urging for some sort of resolution to what they had caused, Ethan saw his younger self move quickly backwards. Darting past the car, he began to run again with Kadabra following reluctantly behind.

“By my tally, we have five murders in less than four hours. Not a record I’m sure, but still pretty impressive.”

“What do you want from me?” Ethan honestly asked.

“I suppose I wanted you to actually care about what you have taken from so many people, Ethan. The six kings did what you have done, but on a global scale. Millions of human lives lost, and countless numbers of Pokemon who tried to defend them. Yet, you see fit to try and restore them to power? A power that not even we could match? I just can’t understand why you would want this.”

“And you never will. You may be an immortal Pokemon, but you are just as weak and unworthy as any human. If my kings were here they would make short work of you, and believe me, when they are restored you can bet this will be the first place we come. I will not bend my knee to you, you dull creature. If you think you have the power to match me and my kings, then show me. Otherwise, I will have no more of this.”

“Have it your way, human. I had hoped you would want to offer some semblance of remorse for your actions, but I see now that you are too far intertwined with your masters to ever experience an emotion like that again. And yes human, I do have the power to match you.”

A psychic scream tore through Ethan’s mind as the Uxie threw its arms out wide. The world around him changed instantly. The failing sunshine and light breeze were suddenly replaced with the freezing temperatures and dark rock inside the cave of Lake Acuity. The scream reached a fever pitch and Ethan fell to his knees, unable to even think amidst the psychic torture.

“Tell your kings I said hello,” the Uxie said with absolute menace.

A red beam of light suddenly shot from the Uxie’s forehead and tore into his chest, slicing through his layers of clothing and into his skin. As the beam pierced his sternum and struck his heart, Ethan began to scream. The pain was like nothing he had ever felt. This lance was pure fire, and when combined with the psychic screaming, it was almost more than he could bear. He tried to backpedal and get away, but he was still caught up in the Uxie’s hold.

Ethan looked down as the pain stopped for a moment to see green light beginning to shine from the hole in his chest. The scream he let out as he saw that was not a scream of pain, but one of deep horror. As the light from his chest grew brighter, Ethan felt his body begin to twitch. It was slow at first but it got more and more pronounced as the seconds ticked past. So bad did the shaking get that his vision blurred and he couldn’t even draw the breath to continue yelling. He called out to the six kings with his mind, asking for guidance, for anything. He didn’t want to die, not when there was so much left to do for them.

Their answer was not one he expected.

On its own accord, his right hand broke the Uxie’s hold on him and swiped through the beam of red light. As Ethan’s hand came back down, he saw that his thumb was where it was supposed to be, but the other two pairs of fingers had merged together to create two oversized digits. His eyes and head moved without his direction, and a moment later he spoke, but the voices that came from his mouth did not belong to him.

“Why don’t you say hello to us yourself?” the voices asked.

The Uxie growled.

The psychic Pokemon released a blue wave of energy towards Ethan, but the voices had already moved his body underneath it. They scrambled his form across the ground like a Spinirak, not even pausing at the far wall but rather running straight up it. The Uxie began firing a barrage of glowing grey orbs at him, but no matter how fast it shot, the attack was never able to correct. As Ethan watched his body close in on the Uxie, he began to laugh hysterically. They were here! His body was commanding their power, he was their instrument!

The six kings launched his body sideways through the air as the Uxie disintegrated the wall they were running across. As they hit the ground they somersaulted forward, coming up beneath the hovering legendary. Before the psychic type could react, the six kings grabbed it by the throat and slammed it against the wall with all their might. Rock and ice fell from the ceiling from the impact, and the floor buckled as the Uxie cried out.

“You are not the one to bring us down,” the voices said with Ethan’s mouth. “Our exile is soon coming to an end. It’s a pity you won’t be there to see it.”

“You won’t succeed.” the Uxie threatened. “My family will stop you.”

“No, they won’t. But we will make it our first priority to visit them for the bother you’ve caused us. Ethan, are you watching?”

Ethan tried his best to say some sort of affirmative even though he had no control over his mouth.

“Good. These legendary Pokemon can be tiresome to deal with, but as they were created by Arceus, not part of him, they can be separated from the power that makes them strong. Like this.”

Reaching out with his free hand, the six kings quickly forced a hand down the Uxie’s mouth. They pushed far down into it, all the way to his elbow. As the Uxie psychically yelped and cried, the hand inside its body gripped something tightly and yanked. The Uxie’s colors suddenly became more muted and ordinary as Ethan’s hand left his body; as if it had begun to be erased.

“You see, Ethan?” the voices asked as they opened his hand.

A small orb of golden light rolled across his palm. It pulsed like a smoldering campfire and exuded a feeling of heat that existed on more planes than the physical and mental. After a moment, the ball of energy leapt out of Ethan’s palm and flew upwards, melting through the ceiling of rock and vanishing from sight.

The voices turned his body back to the now limp Uxie and smiled.

“You will all fall.”

They tightened Ethan’s hand around the Pokemon’s small neck and quickly wrenched it to the side. A small pop echoed through the chamber as its neck broke. They threw the Pokemon roughly to the floor and began speaking again.

“You must be more careful from now on Ethan. Until you absorb the rest of the flakes, we won’t be able to help you like this again. You’ve seen a fraction of our power here, and what you’ll possess after you release us will make sure no creature like this ever troubles you again.”

Ethan’s body suddenly sagged towards the floor.

“We grow weak, Ethan. This effort has taken much from us. You must go to the oasis in Orre. There is another flake there. The thieves that stole the shard in Johto have taken the one from there. Your associate failed, and the thieves escaped. We know this causes you much anger, but heed our council. Retrieve the flake from Orre, and then go find the thieves. Deal with them yourself this time. No more mistakes. We love you, Ethan.”

With a feeling similar to falling upwards, Ethan settled back into his own skin. Looking down, he saw that his hands had morphed back into their original shape. Wasting no time, Ethan strode forward and snatched the shard from the small pedestal in the center of the room. After depositing the shard in his pocket, he placed a hand on the flat surface of the pedestal, using his body’s heat to coax the hidden drawer out. The drawer did as it was asked, and he was quickly bathed in green light as a flake presented itself from inside.

Ethan barely noticed as the flake drilled into his skin. He started laughing as he headed towards the missing wall at the far side of the room. The thieves had stolen another shard? Marco had failed? They had no idea what was coming for them. He felt no anger anymore, just a murderous hilarity. They were both going to die, and they’re Pokemon for good measure. Just as he reached the door though, he heard a small whimper from across the room. Walking quickly, he saw that the Uxie was still holding on to life somehow. Bending down, Ethan straddled the small Pokemon.

“It’s cold in here when you’re by yourself, isn’t it?” Ethan asked. “Oh no, there seems to be a slight kink in your neck. Let me help you with that.”

Grabbing the Uxie around the throat, Ethan proceeded to raise the Pokemon up a few inches, then smash its head into the floor. Over and over he did so until the Pokemon’s bulbous round head had been completely flattened and the spattered blood made Ethan lose his grip. Ethan laughed, wiping his hands across the Pokemon’s lifeless face. Reaching down, Ethan hooked his fingers under the Jewel in the Pokemon’s forehead and pulled it free. Admiring the jewel in the small light provided by the missing wall, Ethan stuck the jewel to his forehead, a gurgling laugh escaping his mouth as he did so.

Pulling himself up from the floor, Ethan tucked the small keepsake into his pocket next to the shard. Striding outside into the howling wind and thickening snow, Ethan pulled Salamence’s pokeball from his belt. The voices have ordered him to go to Orre and then track down the thieves. He had every intention of following their instructions, but he decided to do them in a different order.

******​

Situated in the south half of Sinnoh, on the east and west sides of the region, are two lakes. Named Lake Valor and Lake Verity, they are the counterparts to their sister lake in the north. Both had ancient caverns situated in the middle of their lakes, and were both sources of tours and folklore for locals and foreigners alike. One thing that travel books and flyers failed to mention though, was that like the sister lake in the north, both of the southern lakes had permanent tenants. These legendary lake spirits had been dormant for hundreds of years, having grown tired of the dealings of mortals outside their walls.

Thanks to the psychic connection that all three lake guardians shared, the remaining two felt their brother’s passing. Not only that, but their connection gave them a glimpse of the being who murdered him. When the Azelf and Mesprit realized that one of their kin had been murdered by a human, a rage boiled inside them unlike anything they had ever felt before. Both Pokemon roused their bodies from centuries of sleep, communicating their shared grief over the many miles that separated them.

They quickly and wordlessly formulated their plan, their anger washing over each other’s minds in waves. Simultaneously, both Pokemon blasted through the roofs of their stone dwellings in titanic explosions of energy. Stones the size of basketballs were reported to have landed as far away as Oreburgh City.

 

[diamondpearl876]

Ethan retrieved Salamence’s pokeball and returned the tired Pokemon to its confines while he was still straddling it. As his Pokemon vanished beneath him, Ethan dropped to the ground and landed heavily next to his psychic type.

Not gonna lie, was hoping he’d fall and land on his butt in a comedic fashion… But I suppose that’s not Ethan’s style…

The water of the lake was the color of frozen iron and it languidly morphed to a light shade of black as it churned across its borders. Dotted here and there, frozen blocks of gray ice bobbed up and down like dozens of tiny islands. They failed in comparison though to the massive but crumbling structure of stone centered in the middle of the lake. The decrepit building was assuredly thousands of years old, and surely would have already crumbled to the ground if not for the centuries of ice still holding it together.

Really like this bit of description. Nicely done.

“I feel, something,” Alakazam admitted. “It’s like a lever, or long button of some kind.”

I feel that if you were trying to show a pause, you should put an ellipses instead of a comma.

Focusing further, Alakazam focused a tendril of thought on the space behind them and pulled forward, swinging the two slabs of stone outward to expose a narrow passageway.

Not really feeling the two “focusing” words so close to each other.

“You think yourself strong, yes? Your mind is a book to me human, and as strong as you believe yourself to be, I am stronger still.”

Uxie is easily my favorite of this legendary trio, and you present himself to be so badass and cool. I think I love you.

“What do I want?” the Uxie asked, anger evident in its voice. “I WANT to dismantle you down to the atomic level. I WANT to see my family again. I WANT to not have agreed to guard this relic for the rest of eternity!”

And he’s being all so emotional here. It’s so cute and heartbreaking all at once. *sobs*

Which also meant that Ethan was completely unprotected and alone in Sinnoh. Uttering an involuntary growl of anger, Alakazam turned himself towards where he thought Sinnoh should be and zoomed forward. A mauve aura surrounded his body as thirty foot rooster tails shot up out of the water behind him.

“Please.”

Heartbreaking last part and scary.

As his father’s foot down came down again to stomp Kadabra, Ethan watched with a macabre fascination as his younger self jumped forward and struck his father in the chest.

Remove the first “down”

“Are you trying to make me see the error of my ways? Because if that’s your plan it’s not going to work. These trivial memories don’t do anything to prove any sort of point.

Forgot the quotation mark at the end.
I’m also interested in the fact that Ethan was clearly abused when he was a child. Child abuse can have a lot of psychological effects on a person, obviously, which makes me wonder if what Ethan feels/believes/sees/hears is real or imaginary. I mean, Dorian experiences some stuff, too, so that kind of gives some merit to Ethan’s situation, but where is the line drawn? Am I making any sense? LOL.
I’d also like to point out that the death scene wasn’t very suspenseful or intense like I think a death scene should be. But that also seems appropriate since Ethan doesn’t care about his father anyway. So I guess I’m trying to ask—was that intentional?

This tiresome creature was getting his jollies putting him through this. Which was fine until he figured a way out of his predicament. The unfortunate thing though, was that he was still drawing a blank on how to rescue himself.

“jollies” is such a cute word to use.

“Aunt Susan said don’t drop,” the boy repeated. “She made me promise.”

Creepy, confusing, and heartbreaking. Why are you so heartbreaking this chapter? Ugh. That’s what your rated R imagery is doing to me.

A psychic scream tore through Ethan’s mind as the Uxie threw its arms out wide. The world around him changed instantly. The failing sunshine and light breeze were suddenly replaced with the freezing temperatures and dark rock inside the cave of Lake Acuity. The scream reached a fever pitch and Ethan fell to his knees, unable to even think amidst the psychic torture.

“Tell your kings I said hello,” the Uxie said with absolute menace.

Why was this written in 2013? What is wrong with you? I’d be nominating these suspenseful and heartbreaking scenes all OVER THE GODDAMN PLACE.

They scrambled his form across the ground like a Spinirak, not even pausing at the far wall but rather running straight up it.

“Spinarak”

Ethan watched his body close in on the Uxie, he began to laugh hysterically. They were here! His body was commanding their power, he was their instrument!

Another well written line. The exclamation points work very well here. Ugh.

“You will all fall.”

They tightened Ethan’s hand around the Pokemon’s small neck and quickly wrenched it to the side. A small pop echoed through the chamber as its neck broke. They threw the Pokemon roughly to the floor and began speaking again.

Wow. That whole scene was intense. There goes my poor Uxie. *cries* But I suppose it was a necessary sacrifice… Why are you so good at writing? Stop that.

Reaching down, Ethan hooked his fingers under the Jewel in the Pokemon’s forehead and pulled it free.

Not sure why “Jewel” is capitalized here but nowhere else.
This chapter is by far my favorite Ethan chapter. The description was well done, magical, and it made me think I was watching a movie or something, it was so clear. The dialogue was also perfect most of the time, though some of Uxie’s words sounded unnatural and forced. Still, this new development in the plot is interesting, and I’ll want to see what you have planned for it. Also wondering what Sid87 thinks about this? Harhar.

 

[Knightfall]

I'm going to rate this chapter (R) for violence and a disturbing image. May be overreacting but I wanted to make sure. Enjoy!

This sounds right up my alley.

The water of the lake was the color of frozen iron and it languidly morphed to a light shade of black as it churned across its borders. Dotted here and there, frozen blocks of gray ice bobbed up and down like dozens of tiny islands.

Very nice description. Most specifically, the word "languidly". Very nice.

Though he hadn’t heard from Marco in almost twenty-four hours, Ethan had no doubt in the man’s abilities, as he had cost a small fortune and came so highly recommended.

He had a little mishap. And unfortunately, there is no refunds. Ever.

“Ethan, try and break free! I’ve never felt something like thi-,” Alakazam started, only to be cut off by a voice that demanded even more attention.

“Now now,” a voice spoke. “Rudeness will not be tolerated. This is my home after all, and I reserve the right to formally introduce myself.”

Ooh, what newcomer may this be? I kike their attitude.

“What did you do to him!?” Ethan shouted.

Hmm, is this actual emotion? Signs of caring?

“You think yourself strong, yes? Your mind is a book to me human, and as strong as you believe yourself to be, I am stronger still.”

I know what happens to him later on, but I like the job you did with Uxie. Something in its personality and hatred of Ethan clicked with me.

“Now there’s no need to shout,” admonished the Uxie. “If I give you control of your limbs back, I’ll need you to calm yourself while we speak. Agreed?”

Seriously, I love his dialogue.

“What do I want?” the Uxie asked, anger evident in its voice. “I WANT to dismantle you down to the atomic level. I WANT to see my family again. I WANT to not have agreed to guard this relic for the rest of eternity!”

Damn, good, good stuff. "Atomic level", very well put.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Ethan. I know that you draw your strength from those flakes inside you; and no matter what injury might befall you, I’m sure they would piece you back together. But what would happen if I opened your chest and tore them from your heart?”

I'm going to end up highlighting every single line of Uxie's dialogue by the end of this...

For longer than Ethan could remember he had not feared death; but as the Uxie’s words reached his mind, he suddenly felt the creeping shadow of doubt. Could it be right? Could he die? The voices had assured him that he was immortal, yet the Uxie’s words had been spoken with such confidence. He dismissed the thought almost as quickly as it came. Ethan knew he was indestructible, and even more importantly he knew that his cause was a noble and virtuous one.

I was hoping we'd be able to see some actual fear out of Ethan, but unfortunately we don't see much more than a split second of uncertainty from him.

“Even now you fight? Your attitude is admirable, human, but you will gain nothing from it. Your end is very near, but before I unmake you, allow me to remind you of all the evil you have done.”

No, Uxie! Finish him off! Don't get caught monologing!

Molten rock and bubbling lava churned across the inside of the volcano only inches from his hanging form. Shadows danced across the inner walls of the cavern as small fires rippled across the surface of the fiery lake, further accenting the danger that lay just beneath him. Pulling himself vertically upwards through the air, Alakazam wrapped the shield around his body and shot towards the faint rim of daylight at the top of the volcano.

Well, Uxie has quite the power to be able to teleport him that far away. I also have to wonder how he and his siblings got caught up in the six kings in the first place...

“Please.”

I mentioned this before, but Alakazam's love for Ethan can only stretch so far. I expect that his loyalty will be pushed to the extreme in the coming chapters.

“You remember this day, yes?” the Uxie offered in return.

Shut up and kill him.

“Return your disgusting creature to its ball before I have it put down,” Ethan’s father said with a glare.

“He’s not disgusting.”

“What did you say?”

“He’s not disgusting,” Ethan said again.

“How dare you backtalk me!” the man roared.

As his father raised a hand to strike his younger self, Ethan turned back to the hovering Uxie.

As much as I hate him, you do a good job of making me feel pity for Ethan. Having an abusive parent wrecks havoc on a child's mind, and Ethan is a perfect example of that.

“To what end?”

“This is my show, Ethan. Now watch, or I’ll start this over again. It means nothing to me to do so, I assure you. Unlike you, I have a long while to wait until my demise,” the legendary said with a grimace.

Uxie, you have just asked the universe to kill you. For a being that's lived for thousands of years, it made several fatal mistakes all in the course of ten minutes. Rather unbecoming of a legendary.

Ethan turned back to his younger self in time to see Kadabra throw himself between him and his father. Curses were thrown, threats were made, and even though Kadabra made no attempt to injure him, Ethan’s father began punching him. His younger self screamed for him to stop hurting him, but it was no use. The drunken rage his father was in knew no bounds, and a moment later, his father had knocked Kadabra to the ground and began viciously kicking him.

Alright, I cringed reading this. Very well done.

As his father’s foot down came down again to stomp Kadabra, Ethan watched with a macabre fascination as his younger self jumped forward and struck his father in the chest. The punch caved in his father’s chest and sent him hurdling ten feet backwards where his head struck a stone and loudly cracked his skull.

“There you have it,” the Uxie said gleefully. “Your first murder, your own father no less. How does that make you feel?”

I like how you achieve the perfect balance of detail and vagueness by telling what happened to the father, but at the same time leaving out the details.

And Uxie, you are not a therapist.

The crunch of metal and chrome echoed loudly through the empty road as Ethan quickly walked over to where his younger self lay in the road. His body had been broken severely, with several bones sticking out at random intervals from his legs to his shoulders.

Wow, Ethan's younger self was extremely unlucky. Just walked down a road and into a car. And, again, nice detail with the bones jutting out of his body.

In an effort to appease the Uxie, Ethan bent down to look inside the vehicle. Three people were still strapped to their seatbelts inside, though the devices didn’t seem to have worked as they were obviously dead. A fourth adult had removed herself from the seatbelt and was taking her last breath as he watched, a large chunk of plastic embedded firmly in her neck. On the ceiling of the vehicle that now served as the floor, a small boy no older than three sat holding a freshly delivered newborn. The baby girl seemed completely unfazed by the situation though, and curled closer into the boy’s shoulder, body still drenched in her mother’s blood.

“Aunt Susan said don’t drop,” the boy repeated. “She made me promise.”

Wow... just... wow. That's horrible, yet I love the amount of detail you put into it. I had a hard time comprehending what just happened myself.
You have outdone yourself, my friend. Bravo.

“I suppose I wanted you to actually care about what you have taken from so many people, Ethan. The six kings did what you have done, but on a global scale. Millions of human lives lost, and countless numbers of Pokemon who tried to defend them. Yet, you see fit to try and restore them to power? A power that not even we could match? I just can’t understand why you would want this.”

Hmm, alright, more history. I honestly cannot wait to see where this goes now that I know the true extent of the kings' power.

On its own accord, his right hand broke the Uxie’s hold on him and swiped through the beam of red light. As Ethan’s hand came back down, he saw that his thumb was where it was supposed to be, but the other two pairs of fingers had merged together to create two oversized digits. His eyes and head moved without his direction, and a moment later he spoke, but the voices that came from his mouth did not belong to him.

“Why don’t you say hello to us yourself?” the voices asked.

Not done with the creepy imagery yet, are we? Not that I'm complaining, I love this.

They were here! His body was commanding their power, he was their instrument!

Hmm, an unseen entity is using a mortal body as a vessel to do their bidding, where have I seen this before? XD

Reaching out with his free hand, the six kings quickly forced a hand down the Uxie’s mouth. They pushed far down into it, all the way to his elbow. As the Uxie psychically yelped and cried, the hand inside its body gripped something tightly and yanked. The Uxie’s colors suddenly became more muted and ordinary as Ethan’s hand left his body; as if it had begun to be erased.

.... uugghh. Very... nice.

They tightened Ethan’s hand around the Pokemon’s small neck and quickly wrenched it to the side. A small pop echoed through the chamber as its neck broke. They threw the Pokemon roughly to the floor and began speaking again.

It was all because you monologued, Uxie. It's your own fault.

“We grow weak, Ethan. This effort has taken much from us. You must go to the oasis in Orre. There is another flake there. The thieves that stole the shard in Johto have taken the one from there. Your associate failed, and the thieves escaped. We know this causes you much anger, but heed our council. Retrieve the flake from Orre, and then go find the thieves. Deal with them yourself this time. No more mistakes. We love you, Ethan.”

And now I see the outline for the next few chapters.

Grabbing the Uxie around the throat, Ethan proceeded to raise the Pokemon up a few inches, then smash its head into the floor. Over and over he did so until the Pokemon’s bulbous round head had been completely flattened and the spattered blood made Ethan lose his grip. Ethan laughed, wiping his hands across the Pokemon’s lifeless face. Reaching down, Ethan hooked his fingers under the Jewel in the Pokemon’s forehead and pulled it free. Admiring the jewel in the small light provided by the missing wall, Ethan stuck the jewel to his forehead, a gurgling laugh escaping his mouth as he did so.

Alright, Ethan fully deserves the "Best Human Villain" award. This scene solidifies it.

Pulling himself up from the floor, Ethan tucked the small keepsake into his pocket next to the shard. Striding outside into the howling wind and thickening snow, Ethan pulled Salamence’s pokeball from his belt. The voices have ordered him to go to Orre and then track down the thieves. He had every intention of following their instructions, but he decided to do them in a different order.

Oh? What order is he going to follow them in? And what is he planning? Probably the murder of two more lake legends.

They quickly and wordlessly formulated their plan, their anger washing over each other’s minds in waves. Simultaneously, both Pokemon blasted through the roofs of their stone dwellings in titanic explosions of energy. Stones the size of basketballs were reported to have landed as far away as Oreburgh City.

Well, it looks as if Ethan is going to have a challenge killing them since they're aware of his actions and driven by revenge. Also, according to the kings, he won't have their power helping him this time.


My God, that was an amazing chapter.All the descriptions and details, even the creepy/violent ones were done to perfection. Ethan's character got some much needed development and backstory, a fact I am very happy about.

And, you've set the stage for the final conflict of the story (though I believe we're still a ways away, right?).

Sidewinder, you've outdone yourself with this one.

Knightfall signing off... ;005;

 

[Sid87]

Snowflakes melted on Ethan’s shaved head as Salamence spiraled down towards the shore of Lake Acuity. The water from the snow annoyingly streamed down his face and melted almost immediately in the unrelenting wind. Wiping his face away for the umpteenth time, Ethan tightened his grip on Salamence as the dragon touched down on the ground. Alakazam hopped off first, sinking instantly knee-deep into the snow. Ethan retrieved Salamence’s pokeball and returned the tired Pokemon to its confines while he was still straddling it. As his Pokemon vanished beneath him, Ethan dropped to the ground and landed heavily next to his psychic type.

There are only three adverbs in this passage, but two of them really caught my eye, so I'm going to go into them a bit. We'll excuse "instantly" because that's a pretty basic one and there's nothing wrong with throwing it in. But then there's "annoyingly" and "heavily". The thing with adverbs is that they aren't REALLY strong descriptors. It's kind of just a one word, blanket-level description that doesn't paint a very good picture. Not to say never to use adverbs--sometimes brevity and expediency is the key to description--but most times, it's better to take a few words to describe HOW the snow annoyed Ethan or WHAT ABOUT Ethan's landing was heavy.

“Are we in the right spot?” Alakazam asked.

...Has Alakazam TALK-talked before? Where did this come from? Hasn't it always been "Kazam! Alakazam!"?

They reached the bottom quicker than Ethan anticipated,

"quicker"... that's not actually correct there. Should be "more quickly" (adverbs! so... see? Sometimes they work) because it's describing how they reached the bottom.

A Seaking hovered protectively over the pedestal as Alakazam moved them closer, but retreated behind a nearby boulder as Alakazam made their bubble flare threateningly.

I am... really on this adverb thing all of a sudden. WHAT ABOUT the flare was threatening to the Seaking?

As the door stopped moving and Ethan began walking forward, an excitement began to creep over him. Another flake was close, and after he had absorbed it and taken the shard to which it belonged, there would be only two left. His moment with the six kings was coming, regardless of the hiccups in the plan that had arrived earlier. Though he hadn’t heard from Marco in almost twenty-four hours, Ethan had no doubt in the man’s abilities, as he had cost a small fortune and came so highly recommended.

I like... most of this paragraph, and possibly all. I'll explain. I like the description of Ethan getting "excited" because he has seemed, with the exception of rage, to be rather emotionless so far. So it's good to see him feel another sensation. And I like the use of "hiccups" because it shows how dismissive Ethan is and how little he is concerned with murder or destroying the lives of others. I'm NOT sure I like the bit about Marco because if Ethan really did have faith in Marco, he wouldn't even bother thinking about how he hadn't heard from him. UNLESS you are using this bit to show us that Ethan is deceiving us/himself through the narrator, and he doesn't ACTUALLY trust in Marco because he thinks no one is as efficient as he himself is. Then it works to show more of his ego-centric mindset.

It was odd but something he was used to.
He knew that he was being foolish by thinking that but a part of him still had doubt.

Don't forget your commas before contractions.

The only thing Ethan could see, even with his enhanced eyesight, was only cold grey stone.

Watch the repeating of "only" there.

An Uxie floated purposefully above the ground, twin tails lazily swiping the air.

Is the implication here (AN Uxie) that there are multiple Uxie in the world? If so, that's fine. I know different fans have their own ideas on legendaries. Just curious.

And I suppose the reason Alakazam "spoke" in this chapter is so Uxie can, too, and the reader can understand it?

“It’s not, actually,” the Uxie commented with a swish of its tail. “Whatever cause you think you were attempting, it is over. I will not allow the six kings to subjugate this world again.”

Uxie sure is swishing its tail a lot. That's at least twice this chapter.

“Even now you fight? Your attitude is admirable, human, but you will gain nothing from it. Your end is very near, but before I unmake you, allow me to remind you of all the evil you have done.”

Oh, allowing the enemy to stall for time. Uxie is every Bond villain ever. Not that that's a problem in the story; it displays Uxie's vanity and certainty. But the whole "Now let me explain my plans in detail!" thing never ends well (except in Watchmen...)

Tires and his younger self screamed as the vehicle was thrown clear off the road and down a steep embankment.

I like that bit about the screaming. Very well-done.

Grabbing the Uxie around the throat, Ethan proceeded to raise the Pokemon up a few inches, then smash its head into the floor. Over and over he did so until the Pokemon’s bulbous round head had been completely flattened and the spattered blood made Ethan lose his grip. Ethan laughed, wiping his hands across the Pokemon’s lifeless face. Reaching down, Ethan hooked his fingers under the Jewel in the Pokemon’s forehead and pulled it free. Admiring the jewel in the small light provided by the missing wall, Ethan stuck the jewel to his forehead, a gurgling laugh escaping his mouth as he did so.

Well that was creepy and bloody. Good work.



-Despite some of my criticisms, there was a lot of good stuff here. The maniacal Ethan stuff after the kings saved him was good. I thought the don't-drop-the-baby scene was sad and poignant. And I feel like, despite the appearances to the contrary, we got more of a hint that Ethan will, probably too late, have a change of heart and start feeling remorse. It seems to imply the opposite of that, but it shows that he USED to care, so he obviously can again. The flakes didn't erase his humanity--they just clouded it.

I was still thrown by the suddenness of Alakazam speaking words. It really did feel kind of like a plot device just to explain why Uxie was speaking. But I can live with it.

Keep it up!

Still, this new development in the plot is interesting, and I’ll want to see what you have planned for it. Also wondering what Sid87 thinks about this? Harhar.

I think he should get his own damn legends! I'm already using these ones. Go use the Regi's or Musketeers!

 

[Shadow Lucario]

Wiping his face away for the umpteenth time,

Sounds painful. I'd cry if I wiped my face away.

As his Pokemon vanished beneath him, Ethan dropped to the ground and landed heavily next to his psychic type.

Always has to look cool. >.>

Just as the voices had told him,

I will please you now. THE VOICES! Sorry I had to.

Though he hadn’t heard from Marco in almost twenty-four hours, Ethan had no doubt in the man’s abilities,

Oh Ethan what you don't know.

Ethan guessed they were in the center of the structure based on how far they had walked. The pedestal was like the others he had encountered; undecorated and plain, with the shard resting straight up on its surface.

Smiling, Ethan hurried forward.

I feel that this could be apart of the previous paragraph or even the beginning of the next. Nothing to serious. Just a different perspective.

So scared they had been as they trampled through the woods.

Am I the only one who thinks this sounds like Yoda?

the attack was never able to correct.

Connect.

We love you, Ethan.”

I don't know why, but this struck me as odd. I know the kings need him to come back, but I just thought at that moment it was very, well, odd.

Admiring the jewel in the small light provided by the missing wall, Ethan stuck the jewel to his forehead, a gurgling laugh escaping his mouth as he did so.

It's moments like this that make me love the Ethan chapters. These parts show his descent into madness. Slowly, but surely he is losing his mind. I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of it he is completely insane.

By far my favorite Ethan chapter. He runs into a bit of a problem with getting this flake in the form of Uxie. I never really liked Uxie so good riddance. He was too hard to catch. >.> The description was lovely in this chapter. Nice length as well. Only one real error and it wasn't even major. Keep it up. I'll be waiting patiently for the next one. Even though I can't wait. DX

 

[Skiyomi]

Chapter 13 Notes:

The sweet smell of whiskey filled her nose as he crossed his arms and started staring at the floor. The smell hung on him like a stubborn rainstorm, unwilling to move along. She looked him up and down, taking in the sight of his tired eyes and unshaven face. His suit had a small amber stain near the collar and for some reason that slight imperfection annoyed her more than his demeanor. As the executor of Ronnie’s will started talking from the chair across from her she found herself trying to remove the stain with her eyes.

There’s some really nice description here. I especially like the last sentence.

Shelton thought for a moment. Paying off the home was the smartest option, especially when Ronnie left specific instructions that that was what he wanted. She didn’t think she’d be able to live there anymore but the potential resale value of the home would net them a healthy profit. She had no intention of selling the house anytime soon, but it didn’t hurt to plan ahead. She turned to look at Dorian to ask his opinion but he would not meet her gaze. Shelton kicked him lightly with her foot to get his attention, and he threw up both hands in mock exasperation.

Since they’re actually in Ronnie’s house this might be a good place to put in some description of their surroundings and make them emotionally charged. It’s a place that now represents a loss, after all, and while she wouldn’t want to stay in it, there also could be some mixed feelings about getting rid of it. It might make this paragraph a bit more charged and less process-driven. There’s nothing wrong with it as it is, it just strikes me as an opportunity.

“Wonderful, I should have the property paperwork for you to sign tomorrow morning, along with the receipt for the transfer of the remaining credits. Anyway, I was contacted by your former guardian’s attorney and he wanted me to let both of you know that another 225,000 credits would be deposited into both your accounts within the month. Apparently you were both listed as beneficiaries for his life insurance policy.”

Mild nitpick. Lots of “both”s coming up here. I know there’s only so much you can do to switch things up, but a “the two of you” or “you two” might not be out of order, or simply removing “both” in the case where it’s unnecessary (such as the earlier: “I said that Mr. Dvakna’s checking and savings account has been divided equally between the both of your Fidelity Trust accounts here in Pewter.”)

Shelton knew this situation was a heavy blow to Dorian’s livelihood but it didn’t give him the right to treat either of them so brashly.

Hmm. I’m not sure if “livelihood” is the best word here. I generally think of that relating to income/employment.

Such a good man, such a good father.

I don’t think we need this spelled out. The paragraph this is from illustrates the point much more fluidly than this statement does.

Shelton opened it and took in a breath; it was time. She settled down to the floor and crossed her legs, extracting a small pink sphere from the inside of her jacket. She rolled it around in her palm in an effort to shelve her thoughts and focus on the situation at hand. It was odd for her, wanting to do something so badly while at the same time scared out of her mind to follow through with it. It had been three days since Golduck had been absorbed into the hospital provided heal ball. He could be released now, and would presumably be conscious and coherent enough to function. Shelton pointed the ball to a space about three feet in front of her and pressed the release button.

Ah! I’ve been waiting for this.

“Duduck?” Golduck asked as he pulled back to look at her face.

“Yeah I’m okay,” Shelton said meekly. “Ar-Are you okay?”

“Golduck duck,” he replied with a small grin.

*sits back* Well, that’s a relief.

The sun was setting to his left, setting the sky ablaze with a swirl of orange and red.

The repetition of “setting” there doesn’t really feel like a purposeful repetition. I think it might be better with a different word replacing one of them.

People giving their condolences made it real, and though he knew it was real, it just made it harder.

I think this is very well observed. He knows when all the numbness of this finally recedes that the pain will be almost unbearable.

“Look, all I mean to say is that you should count yourself lucky that you actually had someone who probably gave a **** about you.”

“Well I guess you’re right.”

Dorian’s been wavering back and forth a bit during this conversation. First he actually wants to know what Ledian has to say instead of going the easy route and ignoring him—implying some level of interest. Then he’s glaring at the creature for patting him on the back. He’s been snappish at Garrett most of the way through and now he’s suddenly being very reasonable about a comment that I honestly expected him to respond negatively to (“Had. I had someone.” In some ways having something and then losing it is worse than never having it at all, no matter what Mr. Shakespeare says). I’m uncomfortable criticizing the consistency of Dorian’s behavior here because he is 1. Drunk and 2. Grieving, but I guess I should just say that I’m not always following his mindset and why these turns are happening (aside from the fact that it allows Garrett to share his backstory, which does cause a turn in Dorian that I can understand).

The alternating of Dorian’s gloom-and-doom inner-monologue with Garrett relating the abuses of his past is very effective.

“Oh yeah, he can go **** himself, wherever he is. The best day of my life was when I started challenging Gym’s with Ledian, and we haven’t lost yet.”

Gym’s should be Gyms.

“Not really,” Garrett laughed. “I ripped out his IV and broke his jaw.”

I was expecting something like this, but it’s no less effective! Garrett’s coming across really vivid right now. You’re doing a good job with him.

I find it really interesting, the subtle change in the voice of Dorian’s inner monologue and its reaction to Garrett’s story. It morphs from encouraging Dorian to wallow in his own self-pity to castigating him for that self-pity and pushing him to action.

He still felt like his eyeballs were in a dryer

Great description!

“We’re going to kill him.”

“Kill who?”

“Ethan Bernard, we’re going to gut the bastard.”

“Believe me Dorian, I would if I had an opportunity, but we can’t kill him.”

*steps back* Well, I see we’re not having any conversations about the legitimacy of vigilante justice or an eye for an eye leaving the whole world blind. (at least until the next chapter)

I think this was a very necessary chapter—to work through grief and move to action—and I think you handled it ably, particularly during Dorian’s section at the bar. The transition there really worked.

Chapter 14 Notes:

“Well yeah…You know I believe what happened to you, but that aside, you really think you could bring yourself to kill him?”

“Don’t you?”

“Of course not. What would Ronnie think?”

I’m really glad Shelton is bringing this up because last chapter and the opening chapter here, the fact that there wasn’t pushback to the revenge-killing plan bothered me. And, much like Shelton, Dorian’s casualness was starting to worry me more than what he was suggesting.

Another nitpick: I feel like in this scene and some scenes you’ve had in the past where you only have two people talking, there haven’t been a lot of dialogue tags. I suppose other writers might have other opinions, but I prefer not to have lines of dialogue hanging out there with nothing to attach themselves to. I like to include indicators of whose speaking—not just because it helps the reader to not get lost as to whose talking (it does) but as a place to add stage business to make sure the characters don’t become disembodied voices.

…I’m raising my floating-dialogue problems as getting stronger as I’m going through this. There are a lot of lines that feel like they should be given some indication of tone or action to go with them, but they’re completely unmarked. I can’t see the characters in a lot of these lines and I feel like I should.

“I’m sorry, but all I heard from all that is that you don’t care enough about what that man did to us to bother.”

Respect for Shelton: Rising. Respect for Dorian: Lowering.

“Seeing as how I’m the only responsible adult in this house, I’m going to Sarvine’s office to sign all the paperwork. Do try and grow up while I’m gone.”

*cough* I wouldn’t really call “Let’s murder someone” a childish sentiment. I respect Shelton sticking to her principles, and I also understand just how hard Dorian must be to argue with in this state (though the very lucid sort of casualness I keep perceiving from him is not making me particularly understanding to his plight), but I’m not really sure Shelton is taking this as seriously as she could. She’s just lost her father figure. Now her best friend and the person she’s grown up with wants to commit a terrible crime. Just putting herself out of the conspiracy to commit murder isn’t going to be enough to spare her from pain. Will she ever be able to look at Dorian the same way again if he becomes a murderer? This is serious stuff. I would expect her to try with more desperation (and not just exasperation) to talk him off this ledge.

“No you’re not,” a voice said in his head. “You’re doing this for you. This infantile half-plan you’ve formulated is so YOU can have revenge on Ethan Bernard. That’s it.”

Inner-monologue, I like your style.

she noticed that the ground below refused to crack no matter how hard she stomped.

Great line high-five!

Shelton smiled as Shuppet landed on her shoulder and started gabbing away. Her old house came into view, and she knew without being inside that Dorian was still fuming. Ronnie would have wanted her to patch things up with him. Shelton was beyond furious with Dorian for his willingness to take a life, but at the same time Shelton had no reservation to watching that Ethan Bernard publicly executed. She just couldn’t be a part of it though. Ronnie would have been disappointed in her. As angry as she was she knew she wasn’t capable of murder; and as much as Dorian claimed he was, she knew he wasn’t either.

Shelton’s talk of having no qualms with Ethan being executed, but not wanting to be a party to his murder (or having Dorian do it) is interesting. Reminds me a bit of… I forget which book in the Discworld series. But it was something with the Night Watch and the idea that execution should be a grim task, done by the state out in the open—properly and without enjoyment.

I’m not sure if she’s right or if she’s taking the easy way out by not entertaining the notion of Dorian killing someone. And I understand her being angry at him, but I’m surprised she’s not a little chilled by his behavior. I would be if someone I cared about started plotting murder.

“Oh come on grumpy bears, I’m sorry for being mean.”

“Well you were.”

“Hence why I’m apologizing. Now what are you doing?”

“I’m sorry I yelled at you when you were talking seriously about murder! Clearly I was in the wrong!” <- Sorry, but that’s a “What?” moment for me.

“I want him dead, Shelton,” Dorian explained. “But this is justice too, I guess.”

I’m surprised he’s changing his tune since Shelton suggested something like this before and he seemed dead-set on killing. I’m not really sure what’s changed.

I’m going to have to be perfectly honest; I found this chapter uncomfortable. There were things I liked about it—Shelton’s backstory with the Pidgey, several of the lines. But all the sympathy I built up for Dorian in the last chapter is gone and then some. And while I appreciate Shelton arguing against him, I feel like some of her arguments came off a bit hollow. I’m glad our main characters have decided not to become murderers, but the way it’s resolved doesn’t restore any of my regard for Dorian.

A lot of the problem could stem from the way Dorian talked about his plan. It didn’t come off as erratic or enraged or grief-stricken—it often came across logical, casual. And that made any extra consideration I might have made for him as someone who’s grieving vanish. A lot of that, I think, is the floating-dialogue problem where I can’t really see the characters or their actions, so everything comes off more clerical and matter-of-fact. But I think some of it is just the tone of the chapter. It lost a lot of the emotional weight that was handled so well in the last chapter and returned a bit to the casual, even bantering, tone of some of the other chapters. The lightness of some of the comments made by the characters was very jarring to me since the entire thing was about the possibility of murdering another human being.

I’m not saying there’s no way to handle a revenge quest on Ethan, or even morally greying the characters, but at the end of this I don’t like Dorian and I am not rooting for him to complete his goals. Some of that seems to be purposeful (in that Dorian’s inner voice seems displeased with him too), but… I gotta say. I’m a little bummed out right now.

So of course I can’t leave it there.

Chapter 15:

“Nothing really, it’s just that we’re traveling to Orre on an international manhunt to find and citizenly arrest the man who killed our uncle, and you look like you’re on your way to a party.”

“Citizenly?” Shelton laughed.

“It’s a word!”

I’d laugh, but I’m still mad at you, Dorian.

Shelton had barely moved from her original position, but was now holding two asps in front of her face in the shape of a cross. Almost three feet long when extended and made from segmented steel, her two weapons were formidable enough in unskilled hands, but much more so considering that she held two degrees in combat with them. With a snort Shelton pressed two small buttons on each of the batons, collapsing them back into themselves. She lifted the bottom of her dress and returned them to each of the thigh holsters she was wearing. She cocked her head sideways, a small grin etched on her face.

Miiiiiiight signal a bit of trouble getting through airport security.

He opened a beer from the inside and quaffed deeply.

!!! You used the word quaff! Yaaaaaaaaaaay!!! (…I like certain words, okay?)

Oh, I should probably read that in context.

He opened a beer from the inside and quaffed deeply. The realization of what he was doing shocked him and a squirt of beer came out of his mouth as he swallowed wrong. This was Ronnie’s beer.

I really like this moment, because it’s so genuine—the idea of the magnitude of someone’s death hitting you the hardest in these small moments where a part of you forgets and is suddenly reminded and it’s like it’s happening all over again.

That moment and the Kecleon hugging thing (and the Shelton hugging thing) have done a little to repair a bit of my regard for Dorian.

Dorian shrugged it away as quickly as the thought came to him. He could do this and he would, and regardless of what Shelton wanted, he was going to make sure that that bastard never saw the inside of a courtroom. Dorian knew as soon as this plan was set that he was going to kill Ethan Bernard.

*sigh* Well, that didn’t last long. *waves goodbye to regard*

He didn’t know when and he didn’t know how he would do it, but he would. Shelton would forgive him eventually, and if they were in a foreign country his odds of evading prosecution were stacked in his favor.

For murder, maybe. For lying to her and making her an accessory to his crime? I’m not sure. I wouldn’t.

Marco knew what he was. He was a Gengar, a Dusclops. He was shadow and rumor, he was a light breeze that strengthened and faded. His average height and build along with his facial features made him one of the most ordinary people anyone would ever see.

I quite like this description—and the idea of his ordinariness being such an asset.

The substance was a refined version of stun spore he had bought from a Unovan merchant which had been derived from a captured Vileplume. When absorbed by the skin it produced a numbing sensation similar to a foot falling asleep, but when inhaled it resulted in a full body paralysis that lasted several hours in humans.

This is a neat idea.

This chapter was much more even in tone than the last one was, so I enjoyed it a lot more. Marco’s bit adds intrigue and suspense which makes me much more invested in what happens next. On the other hand, I’m still not happy with Dorian and… kind of disgusted that he would bring Shelton along with him anyway even knowing how she feels about what he intends to do. …But perhaps a turn is coming and I should just shut my trap until it does.

Chapter 16 Notes:

With his enhanced hearing he could hear the heartbeats of all four of the men and could tell that they were all still alive. While the thought of ending them certainly had its appeal, it was the best idea to keep as many bodies away from him as possible at the moment. One in particular was causing him a lot of unwanted attention right now and it was probably best not to exacerbate the situation.

Glad to see Ethan and his chilling inner thoughts back.

surely someone that intelligent would be able to put apart simple ideals for the greater good.

*holds flashlight* *drones* The greater good.

…Sorry.

“I know that’s how you feel, but Ethan please, see the logic of the situation. You murdered someone over your obsession. You do realize we’ll probably never be able to set foot in Kanto ever again.”

Hmmm. Parallels to be drawn between Dorian and Ethan perhaps in the whole revenge/murder theme?

I’m liking Alakazam in this, by the way.

Perhaps Alakazam was more powerful than he gave him credit for, or maybe it was because he only very rarely tried to hide things from his brother in all but blood, but he still hated when Alakazam plucked things from his mind before he was able to articulate a sentence.

I could imagine that feeling very… invasive.

Oooh. I like that phrase. “The shadow of contempt.”

The smell of Floaroma Town made him light headed.

It’s enough to make a man want to cease his mysterious quest to absorb shards of power and just go berry-picking, am I right?

…I’m not right. I’m really not right.

The one’s who knew their place built it for us as tribute,

Should be “ones” not “one’s.”

Hmm. So the voices value those who “know there place.” And they’re using the carrot instead of the stick this time. Suspicion levels rising. I wonder who exactly those rebels were.

An intriguing chapter, to be sure. Definitely one that makes me want to keep following. I also like the addition of Salamence. Dragons are rad in general, but ones that threaten to rip out the spine of the main antagonist are somehow radder.

Ugh… I wanted to do another chapter, but I’ve still got homework to do and the night is getting older. I’m going to have to stop it here for now. I’ve already said this to you in my PM, but I really am sorry for falling out of step with this. I really want to try to catch with the story as soon as I possibly can, because then it will be much less time-consuming for me to handle one chapter at a time as they come out (because I want to give you good, solid reviews on each chapter instead of just summing things up). I hope there are no hard feelings about this.

 

[Sid87]

Another nitpick: I feel like in this scene and some scenes you’ve had in the past where you only have two people talking, there haven’t been a lot of dialogue tags. I suppose other writers might have other opinions, but I prefer not to have lines of dialogue hanging out there with nothing to attach themselves to. I like to include indicators of whose speaking—not just because it helps the reader to not get lost as to whose talking (it does) but as a place to add stage business to make sure the characters don’t become disembodied voices.

I'm pretty sure you can blame that one on me because I'm nearly positive I'd advised him to do the exact opposite previously. I, personally, absolutely loathe an abundance of dialogue tags because I feel like it upsets the flow of conversation. I think conversation should be quick and have a snap to it as both characters go back and forth. I think adding" he said, twiddling his thumbs" and "she noted, straightening her posture" more than is absolutely necessary (or unless you REALLY need to make note of their action/tone of voice at the time to get the point across) makes the dialogue feel jerky and unnatural.

So, yeah... we've each given him completely oppositional advice on the manner. Heh. I guess he has to choose now. Death battle!

*holds flashlight* *drones* The greater good.

…Sorry.

Best movie ever.

 

[Sidewinder]

Hello all

Well, first off I'd like to apologize for not updating in so long, and more so than that, for not responding to your awesome reviews. It's been a very weird time in my life. Work, school, marriage, they've all been taking so much of my time lately. However, that's not why I've been writing or responding to anyone's reviews; or even reviewing other people's work.

I had gotten burnt out. I would sit down with my laptop and stare at a page for hours trying to articulate what was going on in my head. It took awhile for me to realize that I had stopped treating my characters like the people they were, and started thinking of them as more of abstract stick figures that I was bending to my will. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with my last few chapters, I just feel like they could be so much more than they are. I watch their struggles and tribulations and had gotten into the habit of forcing it, which is not how it should be done. I'm not the architect of this story, they are, and I needed to get back to that point. So I shut it off. Not just my work, but with fic's in general, even one's whose authors are friends of mine.

I needed to be an observer who listened and wrote, instead of a dictator who forced things to happen. I love my characters and the story I've created. They fill up a big portion of my day, everyday. Thankfully, this break has allowed me to get back to the point I wanted to be at, and I know this because I just wrote 5 pages in thirty minutes. I'm happy now, and my new chapter is coming along beautifully.

Thanks to all of you still following and reading, you'll never know how much I appreciate it. Within three days I'll have some replays posted to the things you've said, and by this time next week, I'll have a new chapter out.

For my absence as of late, I thought I might post a little snippet of the next chapter. Nothing big, just a little convo between Dorian and Shelton. It cracked my wife up lol

-----

"Shelton," Dorian asked.

"What?"

"What did the Sharpedo say to the Krabby that wouldn't share?"

"Oh dear lord, please no," Shelton begged. "I told you what would happen if you ever told me another one of these moronic jokes."

"Oh come on, I swear this one is good."

"Fine, what did it say?"

"Don't be shellfish!" Dorian cackled, doubling over in laughter.

Shelton stalked forward with her fists clenched.

-----

 

[Sidewinder]

I'm gonna limit my reply's to reviews to three for each person (with the exception of Skiyomi, since she reviewed multiple chapters at once.) Believe me, I want to tackle every point, but I have a lot of reviewing and writing to do and I'm trying to be as efficient as possible. I promise that I'll try harder next time to get to more of the points you list. And as always, thanks for reviewing!

Not gonna lie, was hoping he’d fall and land on his butt in a comedic fashion… But I suppose that’s not Ethan’s style…

lol it sure isn't, though keep watching, he's bound to make a mistake sooner or later...I hope

I’m also interested in the fact that Ethan was clearly abused when he was a child. Child abuse can have a lot of psychological effects on a person, obviously, which makes me wonder if what Ethan feels/believes/sees/hears is real or imaginary. I mean, Dorian experiences some stuff, too, so that kind of gives some merit to Ethan’s situation, but where is the line drawn? Am I making any sense? LO

Making total sense actually. As the fic goes on, I'm going to try and explore Ethan's past more and more, because I really believe he's not inherently evil, but the events in his childhood (along with the six kings) laid the foundations for his present violence and erratic behavoir

though some of Uxie’s words sounded unnatural and forced

I'm glad you commented on that, as I thought the same thing as I was posting it. I think it was because Uie appeared instead of gradually being introduced like the rest of the characters, it was harder for me to really paint a real picture of it in my mind.

Thanks for the review as always pair! <3

I mentioned this before, but Alakazam's love for Ethan can only stretch so far. I expect that his loyalty will be pushed to the extreme in the coming chapters.

I'm inclined to agree with you. However, I've always thought of love as being too fickle for it's own good. I can definitely see Alakazam getting to a breaking point, but on the other hand, I see him following Ethan to whatever end they come to.

Hmm, alright, more history. I honestly cannot wait to see where this goes now that I know the true extent of the kings' power.

Lol I'll tell you man, I'm looking forward to it too

Well, it looks as if Ethan is going to have a challenge killing them since they're aware of his actions and driven by revenge. Also, according to the kings, he won't have their power helping him this time.

A part of me things that Ethan is smart enough to heed their advice, but a bigger part of me thinks that he's going to do something reckless again (which is what I'm secretly hoping for lol). I just hope that his little experience didn't up his confidence too much, as his flaws make certain that he can still lose

Thanks for the comments and corrections buddy!

Has Alakazam TALK-talked before? Where did this come from? Hasn't it always been "Kazam! Alakazam!"?

Yes actually, he started speaking with his mind since he yanked Ethan and Scyther out of Pewter and held them both in stasis for awhile. I've always liked the idea that psychic types could communicate with actual human language with their minds. You'll see more of it from other psychic types as the story goes on.

Oh, allowing the enemy to stall for time. Uxie is every Bond villain ever. Not that that's a problem in the story; it displays Uxie's vanity and certainty. But the whole "Now let me explain my plans in detail!" thing never ends well (except in Watchmen...)

That's actually exactly what I was shooting for lol. I thought that Uxie's legendary status would give it a false sense of security, which it did to lethal effects. And did you just name-drop Watchmen. Omg you're my new best friend. *High-five*

The flakes didn't erase his humanity--they just clouded it.

Hold on to that buddy

I think he should get his own damn legends! I'm already using these ones. Go use the Regi's or Musketeers!

and lmao. The Musketeers are so boring lol. The Regi's are kinda the same way. They talk in beeps and boops. So played out haha

Thanks for your thoughts and corrections buddy, I appreciate it.

Sounds painful. I'd cry if I wiped my face away.

Lol thanks for pointing that out. And you wouldn't cry, you'd take it like a man!

I don't know why, but this struck me as odd. I know the kings need him to come back, but I just thought at that moment it was very, well, odd.

Could you possibly elaborate further?

I never really liked Uxie so good riddance. He was too hard to catch

Lmao nice.

Thanks for the review man!

Since they’re actually in Ronnie’s house this might be a good place to put in some description of their surroundings and make them emotionally charged. It’s a place that now represents a loss, after all, and while she wouldn’t want to stay in it, there also could be some mixed feelings about getting rid of it. It might make this paragraph a bit more charged and less process-driven. There’s nothing wrong with it as it is, it just strikes me as an opportunity.

I had not actually thought about that since you brought it up. I find it hard to correlate memories with surroundings like how you suggested. I've been working on taking my own experiences and doing just that, but I find myself missing chances like the one you suggested. I'll keep it in mind

I was expecting something like this, but it’s no less effective! Garrett’s coming across really vivid right now. You’re doing a good job with him

I'm glad you like him. I keep hoping that he'll come back for more, as he has an interesting story that I'm eager to explore

Well, I see we’re not having any conversations about the legitimacy of vigilante justice or an eye for an eye leaving the whole world blind

You gotta think about that though, because if that happened, there would still be one guy left at the end with one eye

Chapter 14

Another nitpick: I feel like in this scene and some scenes you’ve had in the past where you only have two people talking, there haven’t been a lot of dialogue tags. I suppose other writers might have other opinions, but I prefer not to have lines of dialogue hanging out there with nothing to attach themselves to. I like to include indicators of whose speaking—not just because it helps the reader to not get lost as to whose talking (it does) but as a place to add stage business to make sure the characters don’t become disembodied voices.

That's great advice, and I appreciate you bringing it up. As Sid mentions later, I've been getting conflicting advice on the subject, and I still don't think I've found my niche with it yet. However, I'm gonna add your advice to the pile and I'm sure it will help me out. Thanks!

Respect for Shelton: Rising. Respect for Dorian: Lowering

Lol get used to that

I’m not sure if she’s right or if she’s taking the easy way out by not entertaining the notion of Dorian killing someone. And I understand her being angry at him, but I’m surprised she’s not a little chilled by his behavior. I would be if someone I cared about started plotting murder.

I think the reason behind that is because at this point she didn't really believe that he's capable of it at all. Dorian talks big a lot, but he's got a bad track record of not backing it up

Some of that seems to be purposeful (in that Dorian’s inner voice seems displeased with him too), but… I gotta say. I’m a little bummed out right now.

I get what you're saying, and I can appreciate it. I feel like as the chapters progress you'll gain a little more sympathy for him, or you might not. Either way, I'm glad you're responding to him

Chapter 15

!!! You used the word quaff! Yaaaaaaaaaaay!!! (…I like certain words, okay?)

lol I love the word quaff too. I try and use a word every chapter that I pick randomly from the dictionary. This wasn't one of those times, but quaff should be used more regularly everywhere.

I really like this moment, because it’s so genuine—the idea of the magnitude of someone’s death hitting you the hardest in these small moments where a part of you forgets and is suddenly reminded and it’s like it’s happening all over again.

Thanks! I took that moment from the death's of a few members of my own family. That moment in particular came from the death of a good friend of mine who died. I did exactly what Dorian did. Grabbed a beer, took a drink, then realize that my buddy buying that was one of the last things he did. Hit me like a ton of bricks

Chapter 16

Hmmm. Parallels to be drawn between Dorian and Ethan perhaps in the whole revenge/murder theme?

That's a good thought to follow, and I believe someone else brought that up too. Surprised I was able to do that, as it was actually completely inadvertent

It’s enough to make a man want to cease his mysterious quest to absorb shards of power and just go berry-picking, am I right?

Lmao I wish

Dragons are rad in general, but ones that threaten to rip out the spine of the main antagonist are somehow radder.

As this story has progressed, I'm starting to wish that Salamence actually could. Ethan is very hard for me to write, as he's very different from me, but that's the part that makes it exciting. And I'm going to have a lot of fun with Salamence

Thanks again for the review! I'm sorry I didn't get to more of your points, but rest assured that they were well received and I really appreciate them

So, yeah... we've each given him completely oppositional advice on the manner. Heh. I guess he has to choose now. Death battle!

Hah! Pretty much. I feel like if I take the middle of the road between yall's advice, I'll be in good shape.

 

[Sidewinder]

I appreciate the support. I've been going through some family/job stuff but its behind me now. New chapter will be up tomorrow night

 

[Sidewinder]

Well, due to an accident I had as well as a job change and some family stuff, I was forced to put Requiem on hold. But now I'm back, and super jacked for what's to come. For those who have been following my story, as always I appreciate your input. And to new people checking out my story, buckle your seatbelt. BTW, this chapter is Rated R for violence and language. Enjoy!

Chapter 21​

It took the police four days to find the crazy man’s hidey-hole. Despite anonymous tips and numerous handwritten notes from her and Dorian, the local authorities refused to send a single person to investigate. Getting desperate, they had eventually sent Golduck into the fountain during the middle of the afternoon when the square was bustling with activity. Six times he opened the trapdoor until people started to take notice. After that, the area was quickly taped off and barred from public use.

The mercenary and the old man were hauled up in glossy black body bags while the two Nidoking had to be lifted from the hole using a small crane. From preliminary estimates reported in the paper, over three thousand pounds of diamonds and other precious stones had been discovered. Pictures of the monstrous mural were also featured in the newspaper, and several local artists had given interviews giving their take on what the painting most likely stood for. Shelton knew they were dead wrong in their interpretations but it was probably for the best that they weren’t corrected.

“Breakfaaast,” Dorian sang as he entered the room, Shiftry following close behind.

“Did you remember the hot sauce?” Shelton asked.

“Seriously? Christ Shelton, I know!” Dorian exclaimed as he dropped the bag of burritos at the edge of the bed.

“Don’t snap at me. If you didn’t forget all the time, I wouldn’t give you as much hell about it.”

As Shelton tore into the bag, she saw Dorian giving her a look of vile contempt. Intimidating as he thought he was, the stare was even more laughable by the ring of brown and green circling his left eye.

“How’s the eye?” Shelton said between mouthfuls of food.

“Shut up.”

They ate in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Shelton had stopped being angry at Dorian yesterday. When he electrocuted her, the shard had done exactly what he had said they did. They took her from Orre and plopped her in Sinnoh, then to Unova, then finally to her own body. She had seen Ethan Bernard as well, riding a Salamence through a blinding snowstorm. From the outlines their shard showed her, Ethan had three of the shards, and from the snow covered lake it took her to, he was riding towards his fourth.

Dorian caught her eye, his mouth full of scrambled egg and red peppers. Shelton still wasn’t completely sure why she had forgiven Dorian so quickly. She knew that part of it was because she had hurt him much worse than he had hurt her. She saw him wince every time he bent over, despite how hard he tried to hide it.

The magic of the shard was surely another reason. Over the last couple days of experimenting with it, they were able to figure out two things. First, the psychic trip they took with them lasted eighteen seconds in real time, which translated to three seconds with each of the six shards. The trips seemed much longer when the shards were activated and they were in the odd dream state it put them in, but she attributed that to the assumption that her mind was moving faster than her perception of time.

The second thing they had learned was that direct skin contact with the shard was required for the mental excursions it took them on. If a buffer like a shirt was used, they received a painful shock from the stun gun. The reason behind that was unclear but it didn’t matter anyway. Besides those two things, what the shard actually was and how it did what it did still eluded them.

“You done?” Dorian asked.

“What, you think I’m gonna eat the wrapper?” Shelton said sarcastically.

Shiftry snickered.

“Shut up,” Dorian replied, hastily gathering their trash. “Anyway, we need to leave in a few minutes. Our plane leaves in two hours.”

“I know, and since when are you conducting the travel plans? I’ve never seen you be on time for anything that I didn’t make you do.”

“I just want to get back to Pewter so we can make our next move. I want to show the director the shard, see if he can tell us any more about it.”

“You’re not planning on showing him what it can do, are you?” Shelton asked.

“Not unless it feels like we have to in order to get answers from him.”

Shelton rolled her eyes.

“Well, put another ribbon in your hair or whatever, I’ll meet you downstairs,” Dorian said, grabbing both their duffels. “Hey though.”

“What?”

“What did the Sharpedo say to the Krabby that wouldn’t share?”

“Oh dear lord, please no,” Shelton began. “I told you what would happen if you ever told one of those moronic jokes again.”

“Come on, I swear this one is good.”

“Fine. What did it say?”

“Don’t be shellfish!” Dorian cackled, doubling over in laughter.

Shelton stalked forward with her fists clenched, ready to dislocate his jaw. Luckily for him though, he read her body language and darted out into the hallway, Shiftry following close behind.

She checked the room one last time to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything. It all looked clear so she grabbed the shard from the nightstand and placed it into her pack pocket, patting it reassuringly to make sure that it was snug.

“Hmm,” Shelton sighed.

**********​

It was almost a day and a half later when they landed back in Kanto. As they stepped off the plane, the moisture in the air hit Dorian like a brick wall. The clouds darkened and lightened threateningly fast, the sky confused as to whether it had the energy to storm or not. They quickly walked through the midday sun towards the kiosk marked for Pokemon owners, both eager to retrieve their friends from the confines they had been restricted to. The droll awfulness of customs followed swiftly afterward.

Soon enough though they were meandering down the concourse, both of them eager to get back to Ronnie’s house for multiple hours of laziness. On the way down the crowded hallway, Shelton stopped, transfixed by a poster hung on the wall. The picture was of Sarah Ball, arguably the most famous trainer in the world. By no means for her prowess in battle or for any sort of accomplishment, but rather for what she possessed.

Standing against a billowing background of flame, eyes cast towards the heavens, the international celebrity was accompanied as always with her shiny Vaporeon. Sarah Ball, the woman who actually captured a shiny Pokemon and proved the biological skeptics wrong. She was attractive looking enough, with her average height and build, along with wavy chestnut hair and a grin that stretched ear to ear. The Vaporeon mimicked the expression of its owner. A wide smile only shadowed by the soft sparkling glow of its shimmering body. Below their posing forms was a list of tour dates for Sinnoh.

“Can you even imagine?” Shelton cooed.

“I’d sell it,” Dorian answered, shooing her on. “People would pay anything for it.”

After making their way outside to Ronnie’s motorcycle, they draped their duffels over the saddlebags and prepared to make the journey back to Pewter. Just as they mounted the bike, two figures on a neon red street bike pulled up next to them to park. Dorian glanced sideways in time to see Garrett remove his helmet and run a hand through his shaggy hair. Before Dorian could decide whether to speak to him or not, Garrett took the decision away from him.

“Dorian?”

“Yup. What’s up man?”

“Not much buddy,” Garrett said as he hopped off the bike and extended his hand. “Who’s this?”

Dorian gave him a firm handshake and gestured towards Shelton. “This is my sister, Shelton.”

Garrett shook her hand as well; cordial hello’s exchanged as they did so. As the passenger hopped off the bike and removed their helmet, Dorian’s heart stopped. Brown hair cascading down her frame, with the smile that all the photographer’s loved, was Sarah fucking Ball. Dorian heard Shelton gasp mid-sentence, and saw her wince as she shook the celebrity’s hand. The woman turned towards Dorian then, extending a hand and speaking words that Dorian had trouble understanding.

“What?” Dorian queried.

“I said it’s nice to meet you,” Sarah laughed loudly.

“Same to you,” Dorian managed.

“Hahaha!” she replied, shaking her head to and fro.

“What are you guys up to?” Garrett asked.

“Just got back from Orre,” Dorian explained, attempting to take his eyes off the celebrity but not quite being able to do so.

“What were you doing there?”

“Vacationing for a bit,” Shelton explained. “We stayed in Phenac City for a few days.”

“I was in Phenac a few months ago,” Sarah commented.

Sarah followed her sentence with another wild laugh that echoed through the parking garage, spastically shaking her head back and forth. Very mad scientist esque.

“How do you guys know each other?” Dorian asked.

“When did we meet, baby?” Sarah wondered. “Oh yeah, at the airport in Mossdeep, right?”

“Hah, yeah that’s right,” Garrett agreed. “God I was drunk, I threw up on your shoes.”

Shelton giggled.

“I’m sure it was really politely done,” Dorian suggested.

“Agreed,” Garrett laughed.

All four of them suddenly found them at a loss as to what to say next. To Dorian it was awkward, almost felt like going to a fancy dinner party and not knowing what fork to use. Thankfully though, Sarah broke the silence.

“Well, it was nice to meet you guys,” she said, pumping both of their hands enthusiastically.

“Me same too!” Shelton managed. “I mean, we literally just saw a poster of you in the airport.”

“Hah, I didn’t know my PR team had gotten around to Kanto yet. It’s terribly over the top.”

“Oh come on,” Garrett piped in. “You know you love the attention.”

“Haha, I do actually,” Sarah responded, pinching him in the ribs.

“Ms. Ball?” two voices asked from behind them.

Dorian turned and saw two eerily identical men, both dressed in crisp black suits and matching ties. They wore mirrored sunglasses and had muscles that bulged to the point of exploding. Both of them spoke quietly into microphones mounted in their cufflinks simultaneously, then puffed up their chests and looked at Sarah expectantly.

“Guess this is me,” Sarah said with a giggle. “I’ll call you when I land?”

“That’s fine baby, just be careful out there. It would be pretty inconvenient if I had to fly all the way to Sinnoh to kick some ass.” Garrett nodded.

“I’ll be fine,” Sarah assured him, nodding her head at her escorts.

“Alright,” Garrett acquiesced, kissing her cheek.

“It was really cool meeting you guys,” Sarah said as she turned to them.

Dorian responded in kind, and he heard Shelton mutter something that sounded like ‘mah’, and after a farewell smile, Sarah Ball trotted off down the concourse followed closely by the twin mounds of muscle. A visible period of silence passed between Dorian, Shelton, and Garrett as all three of them tried to talk about what just happened without actually talking about it.

“Really?” Dorian managed.

“Yeah,” Garrett responded, laughing heartily.

“Oh my god,” Shelton moaned.

“Keep it in your pants,” Dorian snapped.

“You’re looking livelier than the last time I saw you buddy,” Garrett observed.

“I’m feeling better now. Got a plan now.”

“Ya’ll heading back to Pewter?”

“Yup.”

“I’ll tell you what then. Ya’ll jump on the bicycle and race me back. If you manage to beat me, I’ll buy you a beer. Sound good?”

“You’re on, asshole,” Dorian grinned.

Shelton rolled her eyes.

Dorian mounted the bike and it fired up with a throaty purr. As Garrett started his own and screeched out of the terminal, Shelton slid onto the bike behind Dorian.

“Can you at least try and make sure we get there in one piece?”

Dorian answered by gunning the engine and shooting them through the narrow corridor. Shelton gripped him tighter as they rocketed past the security station, skipping paying the hefty parking fee that was owed. The interstate that connected Cerulean and Pewter City ran right alongside the airport, and after swinging past a few cars along the right side, Dorian quickly caught up to Garrett.

The two of them fooled around at first, leisurely weaving through lanes of traffic and honking cars. After the fun of that wore off they sped up, trying to outmatch the other. Garrett’s bike was easily the victor, having far more power than Ronnie’s cruiser, but Garrett baited him by not going as fast as he could. As brilliant emerald fields opened up on either side of the interstate, Garrett pulled ahead, his laugh echoing between the speeding cars. As he turned back to give Dorian a quick glance, his mouth dropped open in silent terror.

Dorian didn’t know whether it was precognition or Garrett’s face, but he quickly shifted the motorcycle to the right and dropped it into fourth, narrowly missing an explosion of blue energy that enveloped the spot that he and Shelton had just been occupying. An earth shattering roar of anger split the world and momentarily deafened Dorian, making him loosen his handle on the bike. Shelton gripped him tighter and he quickly swiveled his head backwards.

There, astride a monstrous Salamence, sat Ethan Bernard. The man had lost his long brown locks since the last time Dorian had seen him, but the look he wore like a trophy was just the same; unbridled, unforgiving rage. Whatever command he screamed to his Salamence was lost in the howling wind and screeching of brakes all around, but with no Pokemon to help him, Dorian took it as a cue to accelerate. The Salamence was flying low and quickly at that, and soon enough Dorian had caught up to Garrett, though the Salamence was keeping pace no more than fifty feet behind them.

“It’s Ethan!” Shelton screeched.

“No shit!” Dorian yelled in return, barely missing a car that had swerved into his lane.

Garrett looked over and opened his mouth, only to be cut off as the car Dorian had just avoided exploded in a holocaust of dragon fire. Bits of twisted metal and melted glass rained down all around them, blending with the sound of screaming like a symphony of destruction. Dorian bent the throttle back as far as it could go, the engine of the motorcycle screaming in protest as it was put to the limit. Garrett kept place to his right, the sport bike weaving in and out of moving cars with a high-pitched whine. They were moving so quickly now that the road on either side faded to blurs of green and grey, their only focus the road ahead and the multitudes of car in their way.

“Get Vibrava out of my pocket!” Dorian ordered.

A quick flash later Vibrava materialized next to them, spiraling wildly as he fought for flight against the rushing wind. Seeing Dorian’s action, Garrett released his Ledian. The two Pokemon flew side by side for a moment before they both dropped back towards the Salamence without command. More explosions of light soon followed, casting unnatural shadows across the road. All three of them tried to yell commands, but the effort was useless as they couldn’t do that as well as focus on not crashing into the cars ahead.

Garrett glided closer to him and shouted as another explosion lit up the road, “What the fuck!?”

“He’s trying to kill us!” Dorian retorted, stealing a glance into the mirror.

The Salamence and their Pokemon we’re trading pot shots at one another, but the attacks seemed to have no effect on the dragon. What attacks did connect seemed to just annoy the Salamence, whereas every attack it threw back in return made their Pokemon retreat in defense. As Dorian watched, Vibrava flipped upside down as it flew, twisting around and breathing dragon fire against Ledian’s silver wind attack, transforming Ledian’s pale white energy rays into streaks of purple and crimson. The attack struck the Salamence square in the chest, eliciting a roar of pain. In return, the dragon Pokemon lashed out with another blue torrent of energy.

Dorian screamed in frustration as the attack enveloped his Vibrava and smashed him against a moving car. The vehicle slid sideways as Vibrava collided, sending it rolling into a ditch. Before Dorian could screech on the brakes however, the half blackened form of his dragon buzzed out of the mangle of metal, shooting high into the sky to gain altitude above the Salamence. Dorian cursed as he almost sideswiped another car, gunning the throttle and sending them hurtling down the road in excess of a hundred miles an hour.

He looked back again as the path ahead cleared in time to see Garrett’s Ledian rush the Salamence. In a display of utmost courage, the bug-type slid across the roof of a speeding car and struck the Salamence in the jaw. The Salamence responded by clamping it’s fangs onto the diminutive bug and throwing it backwards. Ethan caught Ledian as it tumbled and wrapped an arm around his neck. Dorian knew it was impossible that he heard it, but for some reason his mind registered a crunching sound as Ethan viciously twisted the Pokemon’s neck to the side, killing him. Ethan’s mouth opened in a soundless laugh and threw the Ledian into the road, sending it tumbling across the pavement.

As Dorian turned back to the road, time slowed. He registered Shelton’s hot breath on the back of his neck, the vibration of the bike beneath him, the sound waves of Garrett’s scream against his ears, but the motion of movement had almost been frozen. Dorian was aware of the car ahead of him spastically switching lanes, he felt his foot stomp the brake, he felt the impact as the bike crashed into the car, and he felt his body leave the bike and pass sideways over the bridge they had been traveling on.

“Dorian?” Shelton’s voice questioned softly, her voice sounding so far away as they were flung through the air.

Dorian tried to formulate some explanation for this pseudo purgatory of slowness they were in, but the thought vanished as his body was slammed into the river below. The impact of the water sent waves of pain against his skin, and the water he breathed in sent his stomach into convulsions. Every breath he took felt like someone was stomping on his chest. The pain was short-lived though as Vibrava lifted him from the water. Dorian was suddenly dropped to the ground beside Shelton who was likewise gasping for air.

“Get up! He’s coming!” Dorian yelled, rolling to his stomach.

Dorian stumbled as another wave of pain wracked his body, almost sending him back to the ground. Shelton was up a millisecond later and leaned against him. Dorian pulled Shiftry’s pokeball from his pocket and released him as Vibrava landed beside them. The realization of his mistake though was immediately apparent as the black and purple Spoink formed in front of them. For once, Dorian’s error proved to work in their favor; for just as Spoink looked up, a shadow fell across their group. She had just enough time to throw up a barrier of energy as the Salamence dropped downwards, bouncing it sideways and into the flower spotted field to their right. Ethan dismounted his Pokemon and glared at them with menace, forcing another roar of challenge from his dragon.

“Dorian?” Shelton asked, her voice quivering.

“You tell them what to do,” Dorian muttered, releasing Shiftry and Growlithe. “I’m done with this.”

Mirrored flashes of white light spread across the field as a flaming horse and an armored leviathan were released next to their master.

“RHYDON!” one Pokemon bellowed.

“RAPIDASH!” the other challenged.

Shelton responded in kind by releasing Machoke and Shuppet. As Dorian activated his Pokeflect and drew his dagger, Shelton forced Golduck’s pokeball into Machoke’s hands.

“Run home sweetie,” Shelton cooed. “No matter what you hear or see. I know you know the way home. Just get there and release Golduck, he’ll take care of you.”

“Choookkeee!” the fighting Pokemon moaned, tears forming in his eyes.

“None of that,” Shelton said, lightly pushing him backwards. “I need you to be brave for me sweetie. Go.”

Ethan’s voice sliced through both of them the moment the last words left Shelton’s lips. He was a hundred yards away, but the way the voice resonated inside their minds was like he was breathing into their ears.

“Give me the shard and I’ll let your Pokemon live,” Ethan spoke. “Your thieving wickedness has come to an end.”

“Go fuck yourself you fucking murderer,” Dorian yelled in return.

“So be it,” Ethan growled.

Shelton drew her steel baton and released Kecleon into the world. The Pokemon stood still for a moment and assessed the situation as Shelton activated her own pokeflect. When his eyes found Ethan Bernard however, the stillness broke. Kecleon’s body flared with energy and he began sprinting forward, quickly leaving the rest of them behind.

Every ounce of rage and excruciating sadness coalesced into a bubble in Dorian’s mind. He focused on it and stretched it tight against his consciousness, adding more and more hate until it finally popped, sending him forward after Kecleon. Shelton and their Pokemon followed close behind, sending Ethan and his Pokemon rushing forward as well. As the man he had vowed to kill drew closer, Dorian witnessed the impossible.

Ethan jumped into the air ahead of them, but it had not been a three foot leap for speed. This motion had taken Ethan over twenty feet up into the air. Surpassing reality and physics, Ethan began falling downwards towards them. Kecleon however was unimpressed by this human’s defiance of gravity and leapt upwards to meet him. The two collided in mid-air just as all hell broke loose on the ground.

Most of their Pokemon escaped unscathed from the Rapidash’s swirling ring of fire it launched, because Ethan’s Rhydon had stomped the ground right before it hit, triggering a micro earthquake and sending all of them crashing to the grass. The ground continued to buck wildly as Dorian fought to get back to his feet. Clenching his dagger, he looked up just as Ethan and Kecleon landed back on the ground.

“FIRE EVERYTHING!” Shelton screamed.

Balls of dark energy and streaks of flame shot forward at her command, bathing the small field in a whirlwind of pulsating colors. Shiftry and Growlithe blitzed past him as Dorian started running towards Ethan. He and Kecleon were spinning and jumping, rolling and punching. The normal type’s tongue lashed out and scored blow after blow as Ethan countered with his own lightning quick physical assault. Each wallop by Kecleon tore chunks of skin from Ethan’s arms, chest, and face. As Dorian stalked forward however, he saw that some kind of oily black smoke was rising from the wounds that Ethan received.

“Ethan!” Dorian shouted.

The man looked up, playing into Dorian’s intention. As soon as the man’s attention left Kecleon, the lizard Pokemon front flipped over his head while at the same time wrapping his tongue around Ethan’s neck. Kecleon jerked his tongue taut as he landed, sending Ethan spiraling across the field. Dorian started running again after Ethan, with Kecleon outstripping him after only a few steps. A yell from Shiftry turned his head to the right just in time to reflect a dragonbreath attack from the Salamence. Dorian’s Pokeflect absorbed the energy and sent it straight back, catching the dragon in the face and flipping it over.

“Try!” Shiftry called.

“Spoink!” the psychic type answered.

Dorian shot another look back just as Spoink conjured up another barrier. Shiftry streaked forward and leapt onto the top of the psychic field. With a shrill oink, Spoink threw the barrier upwards, launching Shiftry straight up into the air. Knowing Shiftry well enough to know what he was about to do, he shut his eyes tightly as he continued to run. Milliseconds later, a bright flash sent a red glow across his eyelids. Opening his eyes, Dorian saw that the flash attack had temporarily blinded everyone on the field, including Ethan. Dorian increased his speed as the man swung his arms wildly to counter the attacking Kecleon.

“Kecleon, move!” Dorian shouted.

The blinded normal type hopped sideways as commanded but he unintentionally leapt right into the path of Ethan’s swinging arms. Kecleon cried out and crumpled as Ethan struck him, sending him soaring back across the field. How Ethan was strong enough to do that eluded Dorian, so did the fact that all of his wounds from Kecleon weren’t visible anymore, but he didn’t care. Every bruise he had gained, every drop of blood he had lost, every hardship he had endured since that day was this man’s fault, and without a doubt he deserved to die. Gathering all of his hate to bear, Dorian tackled Ethan to the ground, driving his dagger deep into his stomach. Scarlet blood immediately wet Dorian’s chest as Ethan bellowed. Reacting quickly, Ethan shoved Dorian off of him, sending him rolling backwards to his feet.

“You dare,” Ethan accused as he rose to his feet. With a grunt, Ethan removed the dagger and flung it to the side. Black smoke billowed from the hole in Ethan’s stomach and clouded his face for a moment, making him look like a demon sent from hell. “You can’t hurt me, boy.”

“Fuck you,” Dorian retorted, sliding back into his fighting stance.

Ethan lurched forward and with his fists raised, and Dorian met him head-on. He didn’t know whether it was the adrenaline firing through his veins that made him quicker than usual, or the fact that Ethan seemed to telegraph his punches a year in advance, but Dorian managed to dodge every strike that was sent his way. Dorian got a few lucky licks in, catching Ethan in the stomach once and twice more in the face, but it barely seemed to faze the man. A bright flash of amber light caught them off guard, and the resulting explosion knocked both of them off their feet. As Dorian scrambled back up, he saw Growlithe sailing backwards, and the Rhydon laying face down in the middle of a newly formed crater.

Dorian’s left ear suddenly went deaf as a punch from Ethan missed his head and collided into the ground. Dorian swung his head around to see that his fist was embedded almost two feet below the grass. Ethan drew back his fist again but Dorian was able to catch him with a glancing blow to the chest, avoiding the blow and giving him a moment to roll away. He wasn’t quick enough however, as Ethan was able to land two strikes to his chest and one to his face.

The blows didn’t hurt him however. The first bounced harmlessly off his Pokeflect, the second one made his shield of energy flare neon green as the power cells in his bracelet were instantly depleted of half their energy. The third sent the bracelet beeping wildly as its energy was depleted and the sapphire shield collapsed around him. They both stopped; both not understanding why the shield had deflected the blows. Dorian twisted his head sideways as Ethan clenched his fist. The movement towards him that Ethan made next was so incredibly fast that Dorian fell backwards in shock. As the sounds of explosions and the roars of pain overloaded his ears, Dorian saw Ethan’s boot descending towards his face.

“SHIFTRY!” a voice yelled.

In one smooth motion, Shiftry jumped and rolled across Ethan’s back, hooking his wooden arm around Ethan’s elbow; carrying his weight sideways, Shiftry threw Ethan as hard as he could, launching him up and over the battlefield below.

“Thanks!” Dorian yelled.

“Shiftry shif!” Shiftry replied, booking it back down the field in pursuit of the falling Ethan.

Dorian followed suit, gazing at the carnage in front of him. The grass had been blackened in great expanses here and there, further accentuated by deep craters that dotted the field like enormous Drilbur holes. He saw Growlithe laying motionless on the ground beside Ethan’s Rhydon, while Kecleon was collapsed near the smoldering form of Ethan’s Rapidash, who was struggling and failing to get to its hooves. Salamence was engaged in battle with Shuppet, who had taken to the air to avoid the dragon’s torrents of purple fire.

“Go higher and use shadowball!” Shelton commanded to Shuppet as Dorian and Shiftry flew past.

Ethan smacked into the ground up ahead and immediately was back on his feet, and then was forced back to the grass as Shiftry tackled him. Ethan and the grass type rolled across the grass, each trying to gain leverage over the other. By the time Dorian arrived near the struggling duo, they were both standing, Ethan’s right arm wrapped around Shiftry’s neck. He tightened his grip until Shiftry stopped struggling and his eyes bulged from lack of oxygen.

“Stop!” Dorian shouted, raising his arms in surrender.

“Give it to me,” Ethan hissed, returning his Rhydon and Rapidash with his free hand.

Out of the corner of his eye Dorian saw Shuppet shoot to the north with the Salamence close behind. After a moment they both disappeared into the sky, with Shelton sprinting towards Ethan from behind. Dorian exaggeratedly rifled through the front pocket of his jeans as Shelton closed in, baton raised. Ethan stiffened as Dorian’s hand began rising out of his pocket, just as Shelton swung her metal rod towards him.

Before she struck however, three things happened at once. The first was the sound of whip cracking right by Dorian’s ear, the second was a dime sized hole appearing in the middle of Ethan’s forehead, and the third was the back of his head exploding outwards and showering Shelton’s face with gore. Ethan’s body collapsed to the ground with finality as Shiftry tore out of his grasp. He saw Shelton bend over and start dry heaving as she struggled to rake brain matter out of her hair. Through the ringing in his ears, Dorian heard two words.

“You fuck!” Garrett languished.

Dorian turned in time to see Garrett approaching them. In one arm he held a smoking gun, and cradled protectively in his other was the broken and lifeless form of his Ledian. Garrett’s screaming sobs became more stressed and vocal as he fired round after round of ammunition into Ethan’s body. The slide locked into position as the last bullet was fired and Garrett quickly loaded another clip before he suddenly sank to his knees. As Dorian stared at Garrett, he noticed people streaming down the hillside towards them, red and blue flashes of light behind them.

“Dorian!” Shelton yelled in panic.

He swung back around to see black smoke blowing from the bullet wounds all over Ethan’s body. The strangeness of the situation was all the more amplified as Shuppet suddenly dropped to the ground between them. The Pokemon twitched lightly as Ethan pulled himself to his feet. Shouting from multiple voices behind them barely registered in Dorian’s ears as the man stood upright, smiling broadly through blood coated teeth.

“You can’t kill me,” Ethan growled, taking a step forward.

Shelton reacted and jumped forward with her baton arm cocked back.

“MENCE!” a voice bellowed from above.

A shadow fell across their group as the Salamence dropped down and plucked Ethan from the ground, roaring so loudly that the ground vibrated beneath them. As the two winged away and the Cerulean police surrounded them, Dorian stood transfixed. Ethan’s smile was locked into his mind. Those teeth. That blood. Eternally stuck in that furious knowing glee. As the officers surrounded Shiftry at gunpoint and more locked handcuffs around Dorian’s wrist, the only thing that snapped him out of his daze was the sound of Garrett screaming as the officers tore Ledian from his grasp.

 

[diamondpearl876]

It took the police four days to find the crazy man’s hidey-hole.

For some reason, I found this opening hilarious. I don’t know if that was intentional, but… yeah.

Shelton knew they were dead wrong in their interpretations but it was probably for the best that they weren’t corrected.

“Breakfaaast,” Dorian sang as he entered the room, Shiftry following close behind.

Would have liked a bit more of a transition here, it was a bit jarring to go from serious to singing in that short amount of time.

“What did the Sharpedo say to the Krabby that wouldn’t share?”

“Oh dear lord, please no,” Shelton began. “I told you what would happen if you ever told one of those moronic jokes again.”

“Come on, I swear this one is good.”

“Fine. What did it say?”

“Don’t be shellfish!” Dorian cackled, doubling over in laughter.

Pokémon jokes… that’s quite clever.

The clouds darkened and lightened threateningly fast, the sky confused as to whether it had the energy to storm or not.

I particularly liked this bit of description. Nice.

Brown hair cascading down her frame, with the smile that all the photographer’s loved, was Sarah ****ing Ball.

When Shelton was looking at the poster, I actually thought, What if they totally meet her soon? Bam, they met her soon. I win.

The Salamence and their Pokemon we’re trading pot shots at one another, but the attacks seemed to have no effect on the dragon.

“we’re” should be “were”

The Salamence responded by clamping it’s fangs onto the diminutive bug and throwing it backwards.

“it’s” should be “its”. I point out these mistakes because mistakes like these are pretty jarring in an action scene.

I just finished reading and all I have to say is wow. I thought a friendly excursion of motorcycle riding would be just that—friendly. But Ethan showed up and ruined everything. All of the attacks and movements were beautifully and realistically described. I can’t really find anything to criticize. I feel sorry for Garrett mostly, and I’m glad Shiftry’s safe. I hope Ethan eventually gets what he deserves though.

Needless to say, I’m glad you’re back. Keep it up, pair.

 

[Knightfall]

Wow. I mean: wow. What a way to return to writing!

First off, while I hadn't read in a while, I do not recall Garrett at all. I do remember most of the characters before this, but his name does not register... Either way, I found it very odd for Dorian and Shelton to meet up with Sarah Ball. As Shelton said, they just saw her poster in the airport. I wasn't expecting her appearance, but hopefully we'll see more of her in the future.

Secondly, the entire chase scene. I mean, goodness. You really know how to convey emotions and adrenaline-fueled panic into writing. And once again, you display Ethan's heartless brutality by having him kill Ledian. That was good, my friend. Ethan truly deserves the Best Human Villain award.

You have no idea how much I enjoyed the fight scene. It's significant in my eyes, as it seems that this was the first time that Dorian and co fought Ethan on equal ground. Despite the fact that Ethan can't be harmed, Dorian's Pokemon managed to hold off Ethan's and do some great damage to them. The part where Garrett shoots Ethan is where the deal was sealed for me.
It gives Ethan a really, really creepy image, but also, it undermines his immortality a bit. Which seems to be a theme of the recent chapters. Showing us that Ethan is not as all powerful as we were lead to believe in slow increments.

Nice cliffhanger. Though, I'm not sure how the police could hold them for too long, as there were plenty of people who witnessed Ethan's attack and, might possibly, see that it was an act of self-defense. I'm sure it will be resolved in the next chapter.

No grammar or other errors I found. Just the fact that I have no idea who Garrett is. XD

Good job, Sidewinder! And, it's nice to see you back! It's been lonely here without our occasional update of Requiem.

Knightfall signing off... ;005;

 

[Shadow Lucario]

It took the police four days to find the crazy man’s hidey-hole.

Heh heh. Hidey-hole.

“Shut up,” Dorian replied, hastily gathering their trash.

Poor Dorian. That's all he can say lately.

“Don’t be shellfish!” Dorian cackled, doubling over in laughter.

I love this joke. It gets me every time!

Dorian explained, attempting to take his eyes off the celebrity but not quite being able to do so.

Yeah I know how this feels. People can't take their eyes off of me either.

Shelton activated her own pokeflect.

I noticed you capitalized Pokeflect a few lines before, but not here. Nothing really wrong, just pointing it out.

That chapter was filled with sadness, action, awesomeness, and holy crap that was good! The return to Kanto wasn't as peaceful as it seemed to start out. The pacing was nice, the characters was awesome, and that ending gave me so many feels. An amazing return to SPPf and an amazing chapter. Oh and to Knightfall, Garrett is the guy from the bar Dorian went to after Dorian's guardian died. I cannot remember his name for the life of me. DX Keep up the amazing work. Until next time.

 

[Sidewinder]

Thanks for the reviews guys. New job has been taking up a lot of my time so I apologize for the belated response to your lovely comments. BTW, I've finished the newest chapter and it should be up sometime tonight. Thanks for all your support!

Pokémon jokes… that’s quite clever.

Hah! Thanks! My friend told me that joke a few months back, but it instead of the Pokemon I listed, the convo was between a shark and an oyster. I laughed until I cried when he told it to me haha

When Shelton was looking at the poster, I actually thought, What if they totally meet her soon? Bam, they met her soon. I win.

Lol good call. Sarah Ball is actually exactly based on one of my wife's best friends. Evil scientist laugh and all

I just finished reading and all I have to say is wow. I thought a friendly excursion of motorcycle riding would be just that—friendly. But Ethan showed up and ruined everything. All of the attacks and movements were beautifully and realistically described. I can’t really find anything to criticize. I feel sorry for Garrett mostly, and I’m glad Shiftry’s safe. I hope Ethan eventually gets what he deserves though.

Coming from you that's quite a compliment. Thanks! He does tend to me quite the party killer doesn't he. Literally!

Thanks again

I do not recall Garrett at all. I do remember most of the characters before this, but his name does not register

As hl23 said below, Garrett is the trainer Dorian met while he was in Pewter after Ronnie died. He told Dorian a few stories about his abusive father and helped Dorian to slightly overcome his anguish and guilt about Ronnie's death. Hope that rings a bell lol

Secondly, the entire chase scene. I mean, goodness. You really know how to convey emotions and adrenaline-fueled panic into writing. And once again, you display Ethan's heartless brutality by having him kill Ledian. That was good, my friend. Ethan truly deserves the Best Human Villain award.

Thanks very much! I was honored to recieve it. Just to give you a little more insight into how my head works, when trying to write the chase sequence, I actually drove up and down the interstate in the early morning hours a few times. Went as fast as I could and weaved through lanes a little bit while listening to some fast-paced dubstep to try and get into that mindset. Guess it worked!

Nice cliffhanger. Though, I'm not sure how the police could hold them for too long, as there were plenty of people who witnessed Ethan's attack and, might possibly, see that it was an act of self-defense. I'm sure it will be resolved in the next chapter.

I can defintetely see the logic as to why they immedeately arrested them, but you're right, I don't see the police holding them for very long

Thanks for the review buddy

Heh heh. Hidey-hole.

I'm surprised that two of you liked that phrasing so much lol

I noticed you capitalized Pokeflect a few lines before, but not here. Nothing really wrong, just pointing it out.

Thanks! *fixes*

That chapter was filled with sadness, action, awesomeness, and holy crap that was good! The return to Kanto wasn't as peaceful as it seemed to start out. The pacing was nice, the characters was awesome, and that ending gave me so many feels. An amazing return to SPPf and an amazing chapter. Oh and to Knightfall, Garrett is the guy from the bar Dorian went to after Dorian's guardian died. I cannot remember his name for the life of me. DX Keep up the amazing work. Until next time.

Thanks for the kind words buddy, I really appreciate the support. You know all the stuff I was going through, and I felt bad that it took me so far from the forums, but your glowing review makes me think the chapter was worth the wait. Thanks!

Great update, great comeback. Thanks for responding.

No problem at all. Thanks for reading! I thrive on the opinions of new readers and I appreciate you taking the time to give me your thoughts

I have a fresher memory of the canon than you and even I blanked on that name until the Ledian came into the picture. To poorly summarize it, he was the guy who ended up helping Dorian overcome the sorrow of his loss by talking about how shitty his dead father was

Exactly. Thanks for clarifying that for knightfall, I appreciate it

or back into that bottle really)

That's where I think they're going to go too

Also I've been taking my time going through the recs you gave me so you'll hear about that soon

Recs?

Thanks for the review!

 

[Sidewinder]

Chapter 22​

“Mr. Dvakna?” the detective asked.

Dorian stared at the cigarette stuck between the crook of his fingers. The way the smoke undulated was fascinating. Sometimes in curvy lines, sometimes in small quick spirals. The dark color of the smoke matched the steel desk his arms were resting on down to the exact hue. It was almost mildly peaceful watching the cigarette burn itself out, as it made his mind blank and forgetful towards the situation that had landed in this place.

“Mr. Dvakna?” the detective asked again.

“What?” Dorian snapped as the man broke him from his trance.

“I asked if it was alright if I bring your sister and Mr. Cayden in. The police chief would like to have a word with all three of you before you leave.”

Dorian nodded and the man stalked off towards the door of the small windowless room. As the door clicked shut behind the man, Dorian thought back on the last sixteen hours. When the three of them had been arrested, there wasn’t any sort of reading of their rights or really any cordial behavior at all. The men had handcuffed them, shoved them into their cars, and plopped them into separate cells at the Cerulean City Jail. No matter how hard Dorian pleaded to passing officers, or even screamed at them, he wasn’t spoken to or even let out for a solid five hours. When he was eventually escorted out of his cell, he caught a glimpse of Shelton and Garrett in identical one’s right next to his.

Hour upon hour of questioning soon followed. At first Dorian thought that the police suspected him of wrongdoing, but it became quickly apparent that he wasn’t in trouble at all. According to the detective, he was there for his own protection. From traffic cameras and dozens of eye witnesses, the police knew that the man that had attacked them was Ethan Bernard, and since he had escaped capture once again, the police naturally assumed that he would still be in the area and after them. Something told Dorian though that they were wrong. He didn’t have any proof that Ethan was still nearby, but the longer time went on, the further away he felt.

The door opened again and a burly man with a thick handlebar mustache walked through, followed by two jittery looking officers with uniforms so crisp and ironed that they verged on unnatural. Shelton and Garrett followed next, his sister wearing a large orange shirt with the word ‘inmate’ stenciled on the shoulder. Her hair was wet so Dorian assumed that they had let her shower to get the bits of blood and gore from her hair. They had disposed of his shirt when he had been let out of his cell, partly to get him one not soaked through with blood, and partly so that they could analyze the blood for a record of Ethan’s DNA.

Dorian tried to catch Garrett’s eye as he passed, but he walked directly past him and leaned against the wall in the far corner of the room. Lighting a cigarette, Garrett stared at the floor. Shelton took a seat next to Dorian and quickly found his hand and gave it a squeeze.

“So, here’s what we got,” the police chief started. “I’m sorry that the three of you were put through this ordeal, especially you Mr. Cayden.”

Garrett continued to stare at the floor.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, Ethan Bernard is now on the federal watch list on every continent in the world, with the exception of Unova. Since we still have no idea as to his whereabouts, myself and the Pewter City Police will share employing a security detail with you until this situation has been resolved.”

“I don’t want it,” Garrett spoke, his voice low and monotone.

“Neither do we,” Dorian agreed.

“Why is that?” the chief questioned, his voice adopting a stern tone. “Is there some reason you don’t want protection from a murderous psychopath?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shelton asked.

“You know what that means,” he snapped.

“No, we don’t,” Dorian snarled. “And don’t talk to her like that.”

“What that means is that Mr.Cayden said that he put in excess of thirteen rounds of forty caliber ammunition into Ethan Bernard, yet when my officers arrived at the scene, he was not only unhurt, but standing on his own two feet. Something doesn’t add up here. No doubt the three of you were the victim of an unwanted attack, but you all seem like you’re hiding something.”

Before Dorian could open his mouth in protest, Garrett spoke.

“Am I under arrest?”

“Of course not,” the chief exclaimed, throwing up his hands in mock exasperation.

“Then I’m leaving, and I’m not having any security detail.”

“It’s for your own protection, son.”

“First off, I’m not your son. Secondly, go fuck yourself,” Garrett spat, flicking his cigarette to the floor.

“How dare you speak to him like that!” one of the younger officers roared.

“Jones, quiet,” the chief said, raising a hand. “It’s not an option Mr.Cayden. You’re free to leave whenever you’d like, you can pick up your Pokemon and your effects at the front desk.”

Garrett made a big show of slamming the door as hard as he could as he left.

The chief paused for a moment and tugged hard on his facial hair. “Do either of you object to having a detail outside your home?”

“Do we have a choice?” Shelton asked.

“Until Ethan Bernard is caught, no. Well, unless you want the blood of more people on your heads.”

That was a low blow. An officer had told Dorian that Ethan’s Salamence had caused the deaths of three people during their battle on the freeway. While it was in no way their fault, the words still cut deep. Dorian had declined to know the names of the people that had died when the officer had offered. Partially because it made it more real, but mainly because he knew that the guilt of having a name associated with the people would eat him alive.

“Then we would like to go,” Shelton said.

“Be my guest,” the chief said, gesturing towards the door.

They both got up and strode towards the door. A few tense minutes followed as they collected their Pokemon and belongings, the police chief and a gangly group of officers watching their every move. As they walked across the grimy tile towards the exit, Dorian ran a finger across the polished curve of Shiftry’s pokeball. They entered the early morning fog of Cerulean with closed eyes and empty hearts. Both of them were so exhausted that they could barely stand. Through the fog Dorian caught sight of a shadow rising high above the tree line.

“Did you see a guy walk out of here a minute ago?” Shelton asked a cadet standing guard outside the building.

“Guy with short blond hair?” the man suggested.

“Yeah,” Dorian answered.

“He released a Pidgeot when he walked outside and flew off in that direction,” the cadet said, motioning towards the west.

“Shit,” Dorian muttered.

“Yup.” Shelton agreed.

“These officers will drive you back to Pewter, at which time some officers from there will stay stationed outside your house. Is that acceptable?”

Dorian gave a curt nod as the officers from the interrogation room led them into the back of a sapphire car parked nearby. Dorian wanted to speak to Shelton so badly about what happened in the field and whether the police confiscated the shard or not. However, every time he tried to open his mouth she cut him off with a well timed glare. After the first few attempts Dorian stopped trying to talk and stared out the window as they drove home. The look she had given usually meant he was about to be maimed in some way, and thinking logically it probably wasn’t the best idea to have this sort of conversation in front of the cops.

Almost half an hour later they arrived at Ronnie’s house where a slate gray police car was already parked. They exited the vehicle and began walking towards the house as their police car rolled up to park beside the one situated at the end of the driveway. To Dorian’s immense surprise, he saw Vibrava lounging on the tin roof of the house. Startled, he turned to Shelton who simply smiled in return.

“How the hell did he get here?” Dorian asked.

“I sent him back here right before the police came down the hill,” Shelton explained.

“Why?”

“I sent him with the shard, idiot. The police know that Ethan is after them, and I wasn’t exactly keen on the idea of letting them have the one thing we can track him with.”

“That…was actually pretty smart,” Dorian admitted.

“You think so?” Shelton said, rolling her eyes and entering the house.

“Choooookkeeee!” Machoke moaned as he tackled-hugged Shelton.

Golduck inclined his head at Dorian as he entered close behind.

“Christ I missed you too!” Shelton said, shoving the muscular Pokemon off of her.

Dorian cracked open a beer and quickly downed it, following the action by grabbing another and plopping himself down on the sofa next to Golduck.

“Duduck, duckduck,” the Pokemon said, gesturing towards the coffee table.

Sitting on the small table was a postmarked box from Orre addressed to Dorian and Shelton, the words ‘Stool Samples’ printed in large print on every side. In the haze of yesterday’s battle he had forgotten all about the package they had sent themselves. Smacking his forehead dramatically, Dorian turned to Machoke.

“Hey man, do me a favor and close the blinds and the door.”

“No! Sit down!” Shelton ordered Machoke. “Until you get a hold of your strength, I don’t want you touching anything resembling home furnishings.”

Dorian went for his dagger to slit the box open, but when his hand reached the sheath he found it empty. Then he remembered that Ethan had thrown it after pulling it from his stomach where Dorian had stabbed him. Ronnie had given him that knife. His heart skipped a beat as a wave of self-disappointment enveloped him. He couldn’t believe that he had forgotten it. Clenching his teeth in anger, Dorian dropped the box back on the table.

“Check and make sure it’s all in there, I’ll be back in awhile.”

“Um, no. You’re not going anywhere until we talk about what happened.”

“Yeah I am,” Dorian challenged.

“No, you’re not.”

“Okay then,” Dorian said as he walked back out into the sunlight.

All four cops swiveled around in their seats to face him as he walked outside. Wasting no time, Dorian called up to Vibrava. “Oi!”

His dragon Pokemon awoke with a start and grinned broadly as he saw Dorian waving his arms below. Vibrava rolled off the edge of the warm roof and beat his wings quickly to hover at eye level with his master.

“I know we haven’t really tried it yet, but do you think you could fly me somewhere?”

“Bravvvaaa,” his Pokemon replied, enthusiastically bobbing his head.

Towards the end of the driveway, all four cops exited their vehicles and started walking towards him.

“Let’s go then,” Dorian said.

Vibrava flew around him in a wide arc and wrapped all four of its spindly legs around him; two hooking under his armpits and the other two around his thighs. Vibrava kicked up a thick cloud of dust as they rose above the house. Dorian tossed a salute to the officers below, to which they responded by jumping back into their cars and activating their sirens.

“Follow the south road towards Viridian, but when we get out of their sight, cross the woods and double back towards Cerulean.”

“Vibravvv,” the dragon acknowledged.

Dorian was no stranger to riding on flying Pokemon, but they had mostly been feathered birds, and he had always been on top. Riding beneath Vibrava was a little unnerving even though his Pokemon had an iron grip on him. After the first several minutes though, Dorian began to enjoy himself. Vibrava rose and fell with the updrafts, soaring so high that the road become no bigger than a pencil, and dropping so low that Dorian could almost touch the tops of the trees. The woods beneath them were mottled sparsely with waves of yellow and orange, signaling the arrival of fall.

Vibrava broke off his current heading and started northeast. In no time at all they were back to the battleground of the previous day. They landed where Dorian had stabbed Ethan, and he noticed that the grass around the spot had turned an ugly shade of brown. He found his dagger embedded in the ground a few inches from the moaning river. It took two hands to pry it loose, after which he washed it in the water and slid it back into his sheath.

As his hand left the dagger, Dorian found that his knees lost the strength to keep him erect and he collapsed to the ground. Vibrava padded up to him and ran his scaled head against Dorian’s shoulder. He felt his eyes begin to moisten but held back the tears. This wasn’t the right time for this. At the same time though, nothing was right anymore, not after what he saw Ethan Bernard do yesterday. Defeated, Dorian rested his head against Vibrava’s and let his mind wander.

*******​

Shelton was beyond infuriated as Dorian left the house, and it was doubled as she saw Vibrava fly him off towards Viridian. Her justified anger vanished however as she opened the package on the coffee table and beheld its contents. The diamonds they had stolen glittered in the fluorescent lights above. They knew in order to get them back here they wouldn’t have been able to carry them on their person. Dorian had had the bright idea to stuff a box full of straw and construction paper so they wouldn’t clink, and simply overnight the box two days before they left. The words ‘Stool Samples’ were sure to deter anyone from peeking inside, and just as they planned, here they were.

Closing the cardboard parcel, Shelton strode across the living room and deposited it into Ronnie’s floor safe. The steel safe was empty save for a single framed picture.

It was of the three of them together on the day she and Dorian had graduated high school. Dorian’s old Raticate was clinging to his leg, and Shelton’s Psyduck was staring blankly forward at the camera, looking like he had absolutely no idea what was going on. Ronnie was between them, his arms wrapped around both their shoulders in a tight embrace.

Shelton’s lip quivered.

She picked up the frame and set the box inside, gently laying the frame on top. The lock to the safe clicked lightly as she closed the door and walked back to the living room. Golduck cocked his head sideways as she approached. Before he could say something, she spoke first.

“Where’s Machoke?” she asked.

“Duck,” he responded with a shrug.

“Alright, well, I’m gonna go put some flowers on Ronnie’s grave, you wanna come along?”

“Duduck duck,” he replied, pointing to his head and squinting his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Golduck duduck gold,” he said, nodding his head.

“Take a nap or something, I’ll be back in a bit. I love you.”

“Duck duu.”

As mad as she was at Dorian for blatantly doing what the police chief told them not to do, he had gotten rid of the officers posted outside, allowing her to slip out the front door and walk towards town without an escort. Time passed quickly for her as she walked, as she was barely even paying attention to what she was doing. Shelton had always been a pro at ordering her thoughts into tight rows of easily accessible information. The attack from Ethan though had scrambled her mind into a swamp of disbelief and unadulterated shock.

Well, perhaps disbelief wasn’t the right word. She couldn’t argue with what she saw. She had seen Ethan jump twenty feet into the air, she had seen Dorian stab him, she had felt the gore hit her face as Garrett blew the madman’s head off. She knew without a doubt that it wasn’t possible, she just knew it. At the same time though it had happened, and now she was a believer. Ethan wasn’t a man at all. As much as she hated to admit it, the raw power he possessed, his apparent invulnerability, made her feel a twinge of jealousy. Shelton had always loved and respected strength; it was part of the reason she had trained in combat for so many years. That man though, that was something else entirely.

Before she realized it, she had arrived at the cemetery. In her arms were a dozen long stemmed roses she had purchased from outside the gas station. The short walk to Ronnie’s grave felt like it took more time to get to than the entire walk from the house, despite his plot only being about thirty yards from the entrance. Just as she knelt down to place the flowers on his grave, a voice whispered in her ear.

“Graveler.”

Shelton spun around in time for the Graveler to grasp both of her forearms in two hands, and yank her feet out from under her with the other two. Her back slammed into the ground as the Graveler jumped up and straddled her. Its face was a patchwork of black burns, and its eyes shone with a furious anger. As Shelton struggled against its grasp to try and reach her Pokeflect, she noticed that portions of its body had been blown off, which instantly made her realize who it was. The Graveler’s rough hands broke her skin and she screamed as blood began to roll down her arms.

”Grav, Graveler grav!” the Pokemon shouted.

The Graveler released the lower grip it had on her legs and placed one hand on her mouth and began squeezing her neck with the other. Tighter and tighter the Pokemon squeezed as muddy tears streamed out of its eyes. Just as her vision began to blur and her body began to shake, a shadow fell across them.

Something roared so loudly that the ground trembled around her. The weight of the Graveler was suddenly gone and she quickly sat upright. As stars danced across her eyes she saw a blue humanoid figure jump high into the air, the Graveler held in a tight embrace. As Machoke reached the apex of his jump and began to fall, he flipped the rock Pokemon upside down and slammed it headfirst into the ground. The Graveler bounced out of the newly formed crater and laid motionless face down in the grass.

“CHOKE!” Machoke bellowed again as he bounded forward.

Before Shelton could rise to her feet, Machoke flipped the unconscious Pokemon over and began viciously slamming his glowing right fist into the Pokemon’s body. Squirts of mud shot in long arcs as the Pokemon’s body began to shatter. Machoke relentlessly continued as Shelton approached. After a few more seconds however, the Graveler had been reduced to nothing more than a wheelbarrow load of gravel. As Shelton crept around the side of Machoke, she saw his thickly muscled arms twitching and his hands still balled into fists.

“Machoke?” she asked.

Machoke turned to face her and roared, baring his fangs and jumping to his feet. His face fell after a moment and his tensed muscles lost rigidity. He looked down at his mud covered hands and turned them over, as if they were foreign objects that had been grafted to his body. Tears welled in his eyes and he collapsed to the ground, shaking from head to toe. Shelton moved forward and wrapped her arms as far as she could around his thick frame.

“How did you get here, sweetie?” she asked, her voice quivering.

“Choke, Machoke, choke choke Machoke ma,” he managed.

“Sweetie I told Golduck that I would be right back, I wouldn’t ever leave you,” Shelton replied. “I would never leave you sweetheart.”

Machoke began to sob harder and in response she hugged him closer.

“Don’t cry sweetie. You saved me. I know you’re scared sweetheart but it’s okay, you did the right thing.”

“Machoke? Machoke ma, choke choke?”

“Of course I’m not mad at you sweetheart, I would have died if you hadn’t shown up.”

Shelton knelt down to the ground and sat cross-legged against Ronnie’s tombstone. She grabbed Machoke around the middle and pulled him backwards, sitting him down on the ground with his back on her chest. He continued to cry but it was much less frantic. She started singing his song and after awhile the crying stopped completely; and all they were left with was the rustling of the trees.

*******​

Twilight had fallen before Dorian decided to head back to Pewter. He had taken to absentmindedly stabbing the ground for a few hours before he felt the extreme urge to get hammered. Vibrava picked him up off the ground and they followed the freeway back home. Vibrava bellowed at a flock of Spearow as they flew, scattering them down to the trees below. Dorian chuckled and waved his hand through the rushing air. By the time they saw the lights of Pewter, Dorian was already through his fourth plan on how to escape a beating from Shelton for ditching her.

Vibrava slowly descended towards Ronnie’s house as to not alarm the officers stationed outside. As he waved thumbs up towards them, he noticed a Pokemon parked on the front lawn. The officers paid him no mind as he landed, and it was only as he felt his feet touch the ground that he recognized Garrett leaning against the breast of the Pidgeot.
The flying type screeched at him ferociously and flared its wings as he approached. That action elicited a snarl from Vibrava, to which the Pidgeot bent low to the ground and started digging its talons into the dirt. Dorian returned Vibrava in a flash of ruby light and spread his arms wide. The Pidgeot snorted and raised its head. Garrett pushed off of his bird and took a few steps towards him, his body swaying gently from side to side. From ten feet away Dorian could smell the liquor on his breath.

“Flying makes me feel better too,” Garrett slurred.

“That was my first time on my dragon,” Dorian responded.

“Geooo!” Garrett’s Pidgeot screeched, golden plumage glittering in the failing light.

“Oh grow up, I told you he’s fine,” Garrett replied, retrieving a great ball from his pocket and returning the bird.

“It doesn’t like me?”

“She, doesn’t like anyone but me,” Garrett laughed.

“You alright?” Dorian asked.

“What kind of question is that?”

“A pretty simple one?”

“Fuck you, Dorian.”

“Look man, I’m sorry, you know I didn’t want this to happen.”

Garrett’s voice faltered as he spoke, “I’m sorry, I know you didn’t, it’s still just lik-“

As the words left Garrett’s mouth he fell facedown into the grass. Dorian knelt next to him and saw that he was breathing steadily so there was probably no cause for worry.

“Christ.”

Dorian fingered through his belt clip and released Spoink. The purple and black Pokemon bobbed up and down and gave Dorian a grimace as she saw Garrett.

“Do me a favor and lift him up and help me put him in bed?”

“Spoink, spo oink oink!”

“Look, I still have no idea what you’re saying but I’m pretty sure you know what I mean. Will you just help me out?”

The Spoink rolled her eyes then glared at Garrett. A mauve glow enveloped his body as he was lifted off the ground. Dorian ascended the porch and left the door open as Spoink and Garrett’s floating form followed him inside. Dorian had Spoink deposit Garrett on Ronnie’s bed. After thanking her and shooing her from the room, Dorian yanked off Garrett’s boots and deposited them at the foot of the bed.

After closing the door and walking back to the kitchen, Dorian rifled through the cabinet above the oven. Jackpot. The amber colored liquor inside the jar glistened softly as Dorian opened it. The alcohol was fermented Victrebell nectar and it was aged almost twenty years. Dorian poured himself a generous helping and slammed it back. It tasted pretty much like burning plastic mixed with an oil well fire but he was able to keep it down.

He poured himself another glass and trudged past a sleeping Golduck up to Shelton’s room. A slice of light cut through the dark hallway as he reached the top of the stairs. He followed the trail and gingerly pushed open Shelton’s door. She was sitting in a chair facing her desk and smoking a cigarette. The shard they had gotten from Orre was lying on the desk in front of her, and she was so focused on it that she didn’t even notice when Dorian entered the room. Curious, Dorian slapped a hand against her door, causing her to spastically jump to her feet.

“The fuck was that?” she angrily asked.

“Just trying to make sure you don’t try to start making out with a rock,” Dorian offered.

“Shut up. What is that?” Shelton asked, pointing to his glass.

“Victrebell nectar.”

Shelton snatched it from his hand and took a swig. She made a grimace as she swallowed and started in on him again. “Are you gonna be around for awhile, or should I rent out your room?”

“I lost my knife. I had to get it back,” Dorian responded. “Garrett’s here, by the way.”

“Why? Where?”

“He was obliterated. I put him in Ronnie’s bed.”

“Alright. What’s the plan?”

“You tell me, sensei.”

“Still cool with talking to the director tomorrow?”

“Yup.”

“Then that’s the damn plan.”

“You wanna talk about what happened?”

“No.”

Noticing the open cuts on her arms and neck, Dorian took a step closer. “What happened to you?”

“One of the Graveler from that debacle followed us back. I was replacing Ronnie’s flowers when it attacked me.”

“Kecleon fuck it up?” Dorian asked.

“Nope, Machoke did,” she smiled.

“Haha, sure. For real though, what happened?”

“Machoke saved me. He seismic tossed the little shit then killed it.”

“Machoke?”

“Yup.”

“Shelton,” Dorian started. “I slammed the door once and he hid under your bed for two days. You can’t be serious.”

“That’s what happened. Apparently he got freaked out when I left the house without telling him and tried to track me down.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m okay,” Shelton admitted.

Dorian embraced her then, glaring hard at the shard lying on her desk. He took another swallow from his glass and shifted his footing slightly. Shelton put her forehead against his.

“Are we okay?” Dorian asked.

“We’re fine. You should go to bed.”

“Yeah well, you’re not the boss of me.”

“Yes I am,” Shelton declared.

Dorian hugged her again and polished off the rest of the liquor. Feeling somewhat disoriented and suddenly sleepy, Dorian walked out of the room and crossed the hallway into his. He fell onto his bed without taking his shoes off and pulled the comforter over him. He quickly fell asleep and did not dream.

 

[Knightfall]

A perfect chapter to describe the aftermath of the horrifying scenes in the last chapter.

To begin with, I had already guessed that the police didn't detain them for wrong-doing, but it was interesting. I liked the whole "detached" atmosphere about Dorian and the others while being interrogated. Dorian's observation of the detective's cigarette smoke was, in particular, a bit of description I enjoyed reading. Now that I remember who Garret is, I can connect with his character more (and I should have remembered, thanks hl23 for reminding me), and feel his loss and hopelessness even more now. Their argument with the police chief about the guards was interesting and I quite liked Garret's reaction.

Just hopping on a Pidgeot and flipping off the police. Just brilliant.

Anyways, I do have my qualms about the next scene. Mainly, when Shelton goes to Ronnie's grave. Now, I'm not sure what I think of the entire Graveler attack scene. It just seemed so ... random. Something about it just felt very, very forced. Seriously, this Graveler tracked her all the way to this cemetery just to get revenge? Even if it is a feral creature demanding vengeance, the odds of it finding her just seem too slim. Though, I have to admit, seeing the normally timid Machoke go all Incredible Hulk on that piece of rock was very, very, very fun to read and reread.

On the other hand, I loved how Dorian's scene with flying on Vibrava and going after his dagger. His shattered emotions and going into that trance-like state were excellent touches. I can't help but shudder at how well you have your characters react to the tremendous guilt, regret, and depression that seems to follow them everywhere they go.

So, overall, a somewhat relaxing chapter after everything that happened in the previous chapter. I quite enjoyed the character development, and the brief scenes with Garret were meant more to me now that I remember him. XD

Seriously, great chapter and I hope to see the next installment soon.

Knightfall signing off... ;005;

 

[diamondpearl876]

“Mr. Dvakna?” the detective asked.

Dorian stared at the cigarette stuck between the crook of his fingers. The way the smoke undulated was fascinating. Sometimes in curvy lines, sometimes in small quick spirals. The dark color of the smoke matched the steel desk his arms were resting on down to the exact hue. It was almost mildly peaceful watching the cigarette burn itself out, as it made his mind blank and forgetful towards the situation that had landed in this place.

“Mr. Dvakna?” the detective asked again.

A nice intro, but I’d do a few tweaks. I’d remove “the detective asked” at the beginning to give an air of mystery as to who is speaking. Dorian himself is not paying attention, after all, so I feel we should be in the dark, too. Also we could probably guess who’s speaking anyway, because not many people address Dorian this way.

I’d also turn “almost mildly peaceful” into just “mildly peaceful” as the “almost” seems redundant.

“Am I under arrest?”

“Of course not,” the chief exclaimed, throwing up his hands in mock exasperation.

“Then I’m leaving, and I’m not having any security detail.”

These police are rude! I’d beat them up.

“It’s not an option Mr.Cayden. You’re free to leave whenever you’d like, you can pick up your Pokemon and your effects at the front desk.”

Forgot space after “Mr.”

As they walked across the grimy tile towards the exit, Dorian ran a finger across the polished curve of Shiftry’s pokeball.

I’ve always wanted to ask this, but why don’t you use nicknames for pokémon?

Shelton knelt down to the ground and sat cross-legged against Ronnie’s tombstone. She grabbed Machoke around the middle and pulled him backwards, sitting him down on the ground with his back on her chest. He continued to cry but it was much less frantic. She started singing his song and after awhile the crying stopped completely; and all they were left with was the rustling of the trees.

They just can’t get a break, huh? Sweet scene, though. Poor Machoke.

“Victrebell nectar.”

Should be “Victreebel”

Anyway, a good wind down chapter with a few surprises. Garrett’s grieving as I expected he would after his Ledian got annihilated. (That part still sticks out at me.) Dorian’s acting as recklessly as usual, and Shelton’s just as angry at him as ever. I wonder if they’ll ever learn to get along properly? I have to say though that the Machoke/Graveler scene was my favorite. It seemed a bit sudden by the sweetness of it by the end made me not care.

 

[Sidewinder]

Well, I appreciate the reviews as always. Sorry it took me so long to get the next chapter out. I'm gonna reply to the reviews I have and bless you all with my marvelous brilliance (jk lol). But seriously, thanks to everyone who has kept reading, I really appreciate it.

Now that I remember who Garret is, I can connect with his character more (and I should have remembered, thanks hl23 for reminding me), and feel his loss and hopelessness even more now. Their argument with the police chief about the guards was interesting and I quite liked Garret's reaction.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Garrett is based completely off one of my best friends, and knowing him I thought his speech and reactions were completely true to life. It's funny, he reads as I post and it's kinda awkward portraying someone you know, especially when they're reading haha.

Anyways, I do have my qualms about the next scene. Mainly, when Shelton goes to Ronnie's grave. Now, I'm not sure what I think of the entire Graveler attack scene. It just seemed so ... random. Something about it just felt very, very forced. Seriously, this Graveler tracked her all the way to this cemetery just to get revenge? Even if it is a feral creature demanding vengeance, the odds of it finding her just seem too slim. Though, I have to admit, seeing the normally timid Machoke go all Incredible Hulk on that piece of rock was very, very, very fun to read and reread.

Hmm, that's too bad that it seemed too random. That scene was actually born way before the Requiem even had a real plot. I envisioned it way before I even started writing it so that's too bad that it didn't go over well. I agree with you that seeing Machoke hulk out like that was awesome (hell, I wrote it and I loved it haha). I'll make sure to work on my fluidity from now on. Thanks for bringing that up

On the other hand, I loved how Dorian's scene with flying on Vibrava and going after his dagger. His shattered emotions and going into that trance-like state were excellent touches. I can't help but shudder at how well you have your characters react to the tremendous guilt, regret, and depression that seems to follow them everywhere they go.

I'm glad that's what you thought because that's exactly what I was trying to convey. Dorian can be very callous and sarcastic, but I think that scene opened him up a little bit more, especially since that's the last blood family member he had. I'm really looking forward to seeing where I can take this with him

Thanks for the review!

Also we could probably guess who’s speaking anyway, because not many people address Dorian this way.

Nice, good advice. I'm gonna use that, thanks

I’ve always wanted to ask this, but why don’t you use nicknames for pokémon?

Good question. I was always the one when playing the games that never nicknamed my Pokemon. A lot of my friends did and they always asked the same question lol. I don't really have an answer, I've just always thought that the species named served each of them best.

I have to say though that the Machoke/Graveler scene was my favorite. It seemed a bit sudden by the sweetness of it by the end made me not care.

Glad it went over well for you. That portion at the end of the small battle stuck out for the real Shelton as well, so I'm glad you enjoyed.

Thanks for the review pair!

Chapter 23​

The cold wind chilled Ethan’s shaved head as Salamence landed near their temporary camp on the outskirts of Lavender Town. He hopped off the dragon and took a deep breath to calm his numbing sense of panicked fury. A twinge of pain suddenly shot down both of his arms. Startled, he took a step forward, only to be sent to his knees as an even stronger bolt of pain rocketed down his legs.

“Wha-“ he gasped.

Without warning, a gout of green flame blossomed on his chest. The fire quickly ate through his jacket and spread outward, enveloping his torso. Ethan tried to scream but the flakes in his chest began to vibrate, constricting his throat. His Salamence darted forward towards him as the fire spread to his legs and arms.

“MENCE!” the dragon roared, raking a massive paw across Ethan’s chest in an attempt to extinguish the flame.

Ethan’s arm snaked forward without his command and grabbed the dragon’s closest leg and yanked. The action sent the Salamence careening forward and into a bank of trees. The sound of pained moaning and splintering wood soon followed.

His panic quickly transitioning to fear, Ethan attempted to roll across the ground. He found however that the same force that moved his arm also had his entire frame in a tight grip. Unable to even twitch, Ethan watched his body blacken and wither away. As the flames reached his face, the pain reached the crescendo of its intensity and he blacked out.

*****​

The sound of the surf jolted Ethan into consciousness. It wasn’t by any means a threatening sound. On the contrary, it was one he usually enjoyed greatly. However, as he saw the tower reaching into the sky in front of him, he realized where he was and that sent a chill down his spine.

“Ethan,” the voices said, anger very evident in their tone.

He couldn’t speak, the weight of his error crashed down on him like an avalanche. His anger had blinded him and let him to disobey the voices. What had he been thinking?

“Yes Ethan, what were you thinking?” two of the voices queried.

“I was only trying to right the-,” his sentence was cut short by one of the voices.

“Has your mental acuity degraded to the point where you couldn’t tell the question was rhetorical?”

“I was-,” Ethan started.

“SILENCE!” the same voice roared.

Ethan felt his eyes begin to water but held back the urge to release tears. He elected instead to hold his hands behind his back and stare at the sand.

“Is this how you repay us for the gifts we’ve bestowed upon you?” they all asked in unison.

Ethan knew better than to answer, so he remained silent.

“You will go to Orre and retrieve the flake, and then you will go to Unova as we previously instructed. Is that in anyway unclear?”

“No,” Ethan moaned, his tears creating dark spots in the sand.

“I would advise against defying us again Ethan or you’ll suffer much more painfully next time.”

Ethan trembled involuntarily as the words hung in the air. Just as he was about to speak everything flashed white and his consciousness was whisked back to his burning body.

******​

The six kings floated in blackness. Their prison was not the island they conversed with Ethan on. Rather, it was a place they constructed for him so he could feel more at peace. Their shared memories of their tower and island were so precise that not a single feature was out of place.

Whenever they constructed it for him however, they were not able to see it. They floated in a void of blackness so dark and all encompassing that even they sometimes lost track of themselves. Over two thousand years had passed since they were introduced to this oblivion. They had tried countless times through the centuries to escape this hellish bleakness, and they had never been closer to achieving it than they were now.

“His mind is beginning to fracture,” one shrill voice observed.

“Yes,” another agreed. “He’s giving more and more into the rage. It’s clouding his decisions.”

“Perhaps we should consider putting the flakes in one not so erratic.”

“He wasn’t always that way,” a meek voice added.

“No, he wasn’t, but the problem remains.”

“We cannot simply put them in another person,” a raspy voice hissed. “That was our undoing for so many years. Ethan’s body is unique; all of you remember the hundreds that died after absorbing just one of the flakes.”

“We could reach out to The Wanderer, transferring a different mind into Ethan’s body would be within her capabilities.”

“Possibly, but who would we choose?”

“There’s always the thief,” a gruff voice suggested.

“Dorian?” another asked. “He’s just as reckless and unpredictable as Ethan.”

“Not Dorian,” the voice assured the accuser. “The female.”

“Shelton,” they said in unison.

******​

The first thing that Ethan noticed upon awakening was the feeling of the cold dew on his bare legs and torso. Droplets begrudgingly rolled down his limbs as he got to his feet.

Ethan had stashed a pack with a change of clothes and some other essentials at the mouth of a small cave nearby, and was on his way there when a growl from Salamence stopped him.

Ethan turned and saw that his dragon had a human and a Pokemon pinned beneath each of its massive forelegs. The boy’s brown hair was spiked in every direction and his bright orange shirt had been lightly torn across the chest by Salamence’s ivory claws. The trainer’s Ivysaur struggled harder as Ethan approached but quickly fell still as Salamence pushed down hard on its throat. The boy looked up as Ethan came to a stop, but averted his eyes when he saw that Ethan was pretty much stark naked.

“We weren’t going to bother you man,” the boy explained to the ground. “We were just cutting across the field and your Salamence jumped us. Could you tell it to let us go?”

“Why would I do that?” Ethan asked as he squatted down next to the boy.

“Look man,” the kid started. “Unless you want me to call the cops, tell your damn Salame-“

The boy’s voice caught in his throat and his mouth dropped open when he caught sight of Ethan’s face. The look of terror that came next gave Ethan a warm feeling in his stomach and brought a smile to his lips.

He grabbed the young trainer around the throat and pulled him up to eye level. “You know who I am?”

The boy nodded frightfully.

AS Ethan’s grip tightened and he began to choke the life from the boy, the trainer’s Ivysaur bellowed and lashed out at Ethan with a slender vine from its back. Ethan caught the pale green rope in his free hand and pulled it towards him, snapping it in half. Jets of blood and chlorophyll sprayed in all directions, eliciting a scream of pain from the immobilized grass type. In response to the vocalization, Salamence lifted the leg holding it in place and slammed it down into the Pokemon’s windpipe, cutting off the sound and crushing its throat.

“Hungry?” Ethan asked.

“Mence!” the dragon exclaimed, baring its fangs.

Ethan shrugged to the boy in his grasp and tossed him up into the air. Salamence’s head snaked forward and caught the trainer’s face in his mouth and shook him like a ragdoll. More splattering of blood soon followed and as Ethan resumed his walk towards the cave, he heard the distinctive crack of splintering bone.

Ethan gathered a change of clothes and stripped off the rest of his burned rags. A shallow pool further inside provided him a place to wash the layer of ash that covered his body. The darkness of the cave and dripping of water from the stalactites calmed him. He floated on his back near the center of the pool and organized his thoughts.

Obviously Orre was where he was required to go, but the distance presented a significant challenge. Sea travel was out because he would be exposing himself to people and because of the time it would take to complete such a trek. He could try and charter a private plane as he certainly had the money to do so, but there was the same risk of being seen by the crew, not to mention having to go through customs. It seemed as if the only option was to stow away aboard a larger plane heading to Orre.

After his body had been cleansed, Ethan rolled out of the pool and walked towards the mouth of the cave. His wind wandered towards Dorian and Shelton Dvakna on more than one occasion as he dried and clothed himself. Every time it happened though, he frantically pushed the thoughts from his mind. They would eventually be dealt with but he had his mission now, and could not afford to come up short again. The rage was ever present in his mind and heart and he knew if he dwelled on the thieves it would overcome his rational mind and force him off the path. The voices had warned him of the rage for years while they trained him, and it was only now that he was beginning to succumb to it.

Ethan returned Salamence as he was gulping down the last remains of the boy. After aligning himself with the now faintly visible stars, he began to run. Ethan quickly bypassed sixty miles per hour as he sprinted faster, appearing only as a dark blur as he raced through the woods towards Cerulean. His mind was focused only on the task at hand at first, but slowly his mind began to wander.

His thoughts were like slowly bubbling tar, rolling and fluid. Alakazam. It surprised Ethan how little he had thought of his partner since the Uxie had teleported him away. He knew Alakazam couldn’t possibly be dead, as he believed their mental connection was strong enough that he would notice its absence. Ethan had felt occasional tugs at his mind the last few days and correctly assumed that it was Alakazam trying to hone in on his location. Ethan didn’t have the advantage of long-range telepathy so he left the responsibility of organizing their reunion to Alakazam.

The thought of Alakazam returning was a pleasant thought, but it did strike a chord of apprehension within him. Ethan remembered his Pokemon’s threat of desertion if he ever tried to kill again. He would find out the moment they were reunited and there was nothing he could do about it. Alakazam was far too gifted as a psychic for Ethan to deter his probing. He knew that Alakazam loved him completely but at the same time he never made idle threats. Ethan knew he could deal with Alakazam’s anger but a life without him was something he had a hard time wrapping his head around.

The lights of Cerulean International came into view just as the night wrestled away the last remaining rays of the sun. Through the fencing that ringed the terminal he saw E-7 stenciled in black on the closest gate. Weary of being spotted by airport personnel milling about on the tarmac, Ethan slunk back into the trees. Kneeling down, he extracted a disposable cell phone from his pack and powered it up. A quick web search later and he found the number he was looking for. He took a breath as the phone began to ring.

“Oasis Air,” a slightly annoyed female voice said.

“Hello mam, I need your help,” Ethan said, trying his best to sound frantic. “My wife was meeting me at the airport for our trip to Phenac, but the clerk at gate E-7 says I’m at the wrong part of the airport. My wife said it left from this gate at eight, and she’s not the type to be wrong about this thing. Plus, I can’t get her on her cell phone.”

“Calm down sir,” the clerk groaned. “First off, the next flight to Phenac doesn’t depart until nine. Secondly, in this case your wife was wrong, as flights to Phenac only ever leave out of gate D-9.”

Ethan grinned. He profusely thanked the woman for her help and hung up. There was a sharp electronic hiss as he ground the phone into splinters and threw the device into the woods. Ethan rose to his feet and followed the concourse west and found that the gates followed alphabetical order. He arrived at the correct gate and centered himself in front of it. Within an hour, the lights flickered on inside the jet and he saw passengers start to shuffle into their seats.

The fence that Ethan was behind was about twelve feet tall and topped with another two feet of razor wire. He took a few steps back and leaped forward, easily clearing the fence with a few feet to spare on the other side. Crouching down low to keep himself hidden, he watched the jet begin to taxi down the runway. As the plane reached the end of the runway and began to turn around, Ethan reacted.

He jogged down the grassy slope and crossed the tarmac just as the engines began to whine. Sprinting diagonally underneath the plane, he reached the right side wheel mechanism right as the plane lurched forward. Snagging a metal rod from the frame he pulled himself up and into the wheel compartment. He pressed his back against the far wall to avoid being sucked out by the deafening wind below. After the ascension was complete and the wheel had folded back up, the lower flaps closed and he was left in darkness.

Sighing impatiently, he placed his pack beneath his head and closed his eyes

*****​

A sudden roar of scorching wind jolted Ethan awake. He rolled to the side as the metal flaps opened and the wheel began to descend. Reaching out, he grabbed a piece of the wheel housing in order to brace himself for the landing. The wheel gave an ear-splitting shriek as it touched down, which was quickly followed by vibration so violent that he nearly lost his footing. Grimacing as oily black rubber smoke filled his small alcove, Ethan bent down low to look towards the ground.

Within minutes the plane had slowed enough for him to drop out. He rolled to his feet and started sprinting away towards the rocky desert beyond. Beneath the purple dawn sky he increased his speed and looped around to the far side of Phenac, being directed by the vibrations inside his chest. The sun had not yet parted the morning clouds, which painted the usually dazzling white buildings an unflattering shade of grey.

The flakes began vibrating at a low even hum as he passed the hospital. Slowing to a walk as he came across the main entrance, Ethan entered. Keeping his eyes glued to the ground he pulled his hood as far forward as it could go. He followed the hallways, needing no map. The flake was somewhere inside this building. The flakes turned over inside his chest, longing for their brother. The waves of heat they expelled danced across his body in such a tingling way that it was borderline sexual.

He stopped when he got to a set of double doors labeled ‘morgue’. It was here. The sanitized smell of the hospital was doubly as potent in here, almost as if the walls had been washed with it. A young orderly sat leaned back in a chair with his back to Ethan. Thinking quickly, Ethan glided silently forward and carefully gave him a sharp rap to the back of his head with his fist.

The man grunted softly and fell backwards with the chair. Ethan caught them both and laid them quietly on the floor. To anyone who would come in after he left, it would look like the man accidentally fell backwards and knocked himself out. Smiling, Ethan flipped the lock and made his way past row upon row of polished silver tabletops.

As he reached a chest level morgue drawer along the wall the flakes fell quiet. Grasping the steel handle, he wrenched it down and pulled out the tray. Marco’s blackened body was a grotesque reminder of the power of the voices and the consequence of thievery. Ethan stifled a laugh as the light hit the mercenary’s face, which was frozen in a soundless scream. Ethan excitedly reached out and pressed his hand down lightly against Marco’s chest.

Ethan glimpsed a fleeting flash of green light before the flake burrowed into his flesh. As blood squirted and black smoke billowed, Ethan turned his hand over and saw that the laceration had already closed. As the flake stretched itself around his heart, Ethan’s vision blurred and his knees buckled. Steadying himself on the bank of drawers, Ethan clenched his fist as the world began to come back into focus.

The flakes in his chest vibrated contentedly as he grasped the slide to push Marco back in. A glint caught his eye. A drop of his blood had fallen onto Marco’s thigh, where it had mixed with the flaky ash of Marco’s body and turned a pleasant shade of black. Ethan rolled his finger across the droplet and pulled it up. Sliding the tray back in, Ethan wiped the blood across his tongue. He savored the metallic taste as the flakes began vibrating even harder. His life was finally back on track.

*****​

Thousands of miles away, the Mespirit and Azelf drifted down slowly through the light snow towards Lake Acuity below. They passed through the same entrance that Ethan had walked through days before, and they both angrily took note of his scent as they traveled deeper into the cavern. They found their brother’s body against the far wall, his jewel spattered with blood a few feet away. Without a sound they both settled down on either side of him and stared.

Uxie had always been the strongest of the three. So proud, so unarguably fierce. The thought of him being brought down by a human was sacrilege, and neither would have believed it if they hadn’t seen it through their shared connection. They had even seen that his inner light had been extinguished, an even more unimaginable feat. Azelf wrapped his sapphire tail around his brother’s jewel and pulled it close.

“West,” he said simply.

“Yes,” Mespirit replied.

In unison they bent low and kissed Uxie’s cheek. As they floated out of the cavern, dirt swirled behind them and great boulders began to crack and liquefy. As they floated into the pallid sky they turned west and rose higher, following the trail of their brother’s murderer.