Hello all, I'm new here to Smogon, but a seasoned veteran when it comes to the Pokemon world, and when it comes to writing. I've played the games, watched the shows, collected the cards, but one of my greatest passions that I have discovered within the Pokemon world are the stories we don't get to see or experience, the ones that are hidden within the fantastical pieces of lore and legend and history that Pokemon has established. I wasn't sure how to get involved with this community here, but I do know how to reach out to other writers, and that is by sharing works and bits of stories that show the depth and the wonder of the world that we all share.
The characters that I have depicted in my opening excerpts are my own original characters, some of which I have been working with and writing for for ten years. I have plenty of history and plenty of plots to share, so I might post some here every now and again. Thank you all for reading and thank you in advance to anyone who might share their own stories here in my humble thread. I raise my pen to you.
The characters that I have depicted in my opening excerpts are my own original characters, some of which I have been working with and writing for for ten years. I have plenty of history and plenty of plots to share, so I might post some here every now and again. Thank you all for reading and thank you in advance to anyone who might share their own stories here in my humble thread. I raise my pen to you.
Watching carefully to make sure that there wasn't going to be a need for them to step into the battle, Emiri remained with Azuran, Charizard, Salamence and Hantu out of the line of fire as Lynno relentlessly attacked the Mismagius that had threatened them so. His attacks were powerful, though a bit reckless as the waves of dark energy raced through the air, and then even that strange attack that Emiri had never seen before seemed to hold just a bit more power than he was capable of controlling. Emiri knew that Lynno meant well and would listen in battle when it came down to it, but even from the beginning he had always been a bit reckless, and less likely to listen since they didn't have a very friendly beginning together. But he was powerful, and confident, and could take a hit and keep on swinging, and his tenacity to prove himself went unmatched when it came to battles. She knew that he was doing this to protect them, though he might never admit to it, and Emiri watched the power of the attack that he had issued, that green energy streaming from each tip of his feathered wings as it struck the Mismagius like a rain of spikes being thrown by a Sandslash. The witch tried to fend off the attack the best that she could, and for a moment Charizard contemplated burning up her force field that she had put up, but Lynno's powerful attack managed to break through the darkness she had tried to protect herself with and had started to strike every part of her cloth form. The witch screamed as her cloth ripped and the green ribbons of energy struck through her very being, and with each strike she seemed to lose more and more of her power and strength as she started to fall throught the air. She screeched and screamed until nothing could be heard from her dark figure disappearing into the clouds beneath them, and Lynno looked down to his teammates as he moved swiftly through the air to join them, a stray spark moving over his feathers still.
"You sure you miss traveling with us," Lynno sneered, looking to Hantu whom had only just decided to rejon them on their travels, already privy to some of the worst things that had happened to them, but it seemed that things like this happened enough that they were hardened by them and almost expected to have their lives threatened. Emiri sat on Azuran's saddle, lightly trembling still at the assault on her mind that the Mismagius had caused, and while she wanted to praise Lynno for his power, and wonder how he had learned such a unique attack, she couldn't shake the sick feeling that still hung in her stomach, like the witch's energy was still looming over them.
"I don't think she's gone... What if Raphiel sent her...." Emiri uttered, hardly able to think clearly, or think of anything aside from the vivid memories that were starting to take her over. Her few Pokemon growled and snarled at just the mention of Raphiel, all except Hantu, not wanting to accept or think that this was his doing.
"Cronus would let us know if that evil came back," Azuran tried to reason, knowing the great psychic was keeping his thoughts open for such an instance, but Charizard was less than convinced, having not exactly seen eye to eye with the Mewtwo in the ballroom that night.
"He didn't find anything wrong with that invitation in the first place, what would make this any different to him," Charizard growled, but any other words were cut short as the clouds the witch had fallen into began to grow dark, and the winds around them began to pick up.
"I guess you were right," Salamence growled as he glanced to Emiri who was preparing for the worst, reaching into her bag and grabing her goggles to help her see in the increasing winds as she placed them over her eyes and made sure they were secure. The clouds continued to grow darker still, rumbling with a terrible force that threatened to consume them, but Emiri's few Pokemon held strong in the increasing winds to keep themselves aloft and together in their group.
"We have to find the witch," Charizard roared over the rushing wind around them as Emiri clung easily to Azuran's saddle, hanging on as the air around them began to shift and move in a circular pattern, beginning to create a sort of vortex. They seemed to be in the middle of everything, the force wanting to pull them in to the center of this shadow induced storm as the clouds circled and swirled around them in a violent and growing cyclone. Within the darkness and shadows, the witch's shrill cackle came over the wind, echoing around them, taunting them with her direction, and Charizard held a fire in the back of her throat ready to strike if she caught sight of the Mismagius. There was a flash of movement within the vortex around them, and she turned with a snarl as she released a torrent of fire into the dark clouds, but it did little to make the storm dissipate as the flames were consumed by the now gale force winds. It was turning into a real struggle to keep themselves in the air where they were, their wings were constantly being caught by winds in every direction that threatened to tear them apart, but it only became more aparent that that was what the witch intended as she shrieked again and revealed herself through the darkness. Her dark cloth body began to twist and stretch with the force of the winds that she had summoned, looming over them now as she leered down at them with her sickly yellow eyes. Charizard and Salamence both growled and snarled at her revealing herself then and opened their muzzles, releasing a combined torrent of fire that would have surely seared through anything caught in its wake, but the cloth that the Mismagius was covered in came up in a series of long tendrils that drove the flames into the swirling vortex, leaving her unharmed. She regarded them with her malicious tone then, glaring over all of them with her sharp eyes and the threat on their lives, and it seemed their anger and ferocity only spurred her on more to want to consume their souls. Emiri trembled atop Azuran as she clung to his saddle, her hands growing white at the grip she had on the holds, trying not to give in to the intoxicating darkness that surrounded the witch. She looked over her, Charizard, and Azuran, Emiri knew they harbored so much darkness and so much pain every day of their lives that it must be a calling card to a malevolent spirit like this, and she was beginning to think that Raphiel had nothing to do with this, and it was instead just a horrid spirit that was bent on keeping herself alive in this afterlife. Azuran snarled as the witch looked him over, daring her to make her next move that would pose any kind of threat to Emiri or Charizard, but instead the witch turned her focus on Lynno, disappearing in that instant and appearing right in front of him, causing the bird to waver in the air. Lynno caught himself on his wings, glaring and leering at the witch as she regarded him, but just as he was getting ready to attack with the dark energy that laced his wings, she caught him with the tendrils of her fabric and swung in the other direction towards his teammates that had roared at the sight of him being ensnared. Lynno watched in abject anger as the force of her swing caught under all of their wings, and one by one he heard their roars and Emiri's screams as they were thrust into the darkness, into the swirling form of the vortex around them.
"No, Emiri," he shouted, struggling now to rid himself of the hold the witch had on him, rivaling her strength with the strength of his wings and the speed that treatened to give way if he could just gain the right leverage, but the tendrils of fabric only began to constrict him more the more he moved and struggled, beginning to ensnare him entirely.
The force of the winds and the force of the dark energy that knocked them back was too great for any one of them to fight off and right themselves as Azuran, Charizard, Salamence and Hantu were forced into the swirling, consuming dark clouds that had trapped them. Emiri clung with all of her strength to Azuran's saddle, keeping her foot holds steady and her body close to his form so as not to create any drag between him and herself, but just hanging on wasn't enough. Lynno was in trouble, they couldn't just float and hope for the best, they needed to get out of this, and fast. When the tornado had struck over Mt. Moon, Emiri and her Pokemon spent ample time making sure that they would be able to survive such an instance again, and Emiri was determined to push through the struggle instead of letting it take her over. She was forcing away memories of Charizard's roar, watching her flame disappear in the midst of the dust and debris, and as much as those memories pained her, she didn't want a repeat of anything with Lynno's life on the line. Only a few seconds had passed before Emiri situated herself on Azuran's saddle, watching with her goggles to see the angle of his wings and the direction in which the vortex was moving, and through the only way she knew how without being able to speak over the roaring winds, she used the unspoken language that all of her Pokemon knew through the movement of their saddles. Azuran's enormous wings were struggling to gain any kind of ground because they were trying to go against the current of the winds, she watched his tail behind them and made sure that she could feel which direction the winds were going before pushing down on his saddle with her right leg and pulling both of her arms to the right, telling him to turn right into a verticle bank. Azuran understood immediately what it was Emiri wanted him to do, the training they had worked on in case of such conditions, and he gave out a guttural roar to try and communicate with Charizard, Salamence and maybe Hantu to get them on the same track. With a moment of struggle on his large wings, Azuran managed to bring his right wing out from a stray draft and turn himself in the other direction, catching an updraft as he now moved effortlessly with the moving, rising current of the wind. His keen hearing kept a lookout for any calls of distress, but at the sound of his roar, moments later he heard the sounds of a similar call and caught sight of Charizard and Salamence moving towards him through the winds. They understood the same tactic that Emiri had communicated to Azuran, and were following him in a sharp verticle bank along the current of the winds, using the natural momentum to propel themselves forward and upward. Hantu managed too to catch on to what it was they were trying to do, always a smart dragon that Emiri enjoyed training, and within moments the four of them were nearing the top of the vortex and would be able to spiral over the top edge to dive back down through the center and away from the vortex.
Within the vortex, listening to the roars and struggle of his teammates through the darkness, Lynno fought and struggled against the holds that the witch had on him, trying to get any kind of air in his wings or any kind of leverage to manuever away, but no matter how he fought or how he struggled, the witch held her grip firmly and relentlessly. Every movement he made caused him to become more tangled in her tendrils until he was only able to move his head as the dark cloth consumed him. He wasn't backing down though, he wasn't going to give in to her power over him, even as she muttered something about a curse, and began to chant in some language that the bird didn't understand. The witch chanted and chanted until she was shrieking the words over and over, her voice carrying over the winds that whirled around them, and Lynno could hear the sounds of his teammates moving through the vortex, his keen hearing catching the sound of their wings, but he feared it would be too late by the time they managed to escape for whatever this witch planned to do with him... He winced in pain as some horrific force took over his body, and everything went black as he squawked in anguish, his body consumed in darkness. He had no other thoughts in that moment except for accepting his end with the fight he put up, and the witch cackled and shrieked with her malevolent work completed for now.
With Azuran leading the charge, only moments had passed as Emiri and the rest of her Pokemon worked through the vortex, coming to the top of the storm, but no sooner did Azuran come spiraling out of the top of it, snapping out his wings to give himself the leverage to thrust downwards, the clouds dissipated immediately as though they had never been there, and they were left in the clear blue skies that they had been in just before. Charizard, Salamence, and Hantu were thrust into the air at the sudden disappearance of the forces they were working against, their momentum propelling them forward just a bit as they tried to right themselves to come back towards Azuran, but looking around there was nothing, not the witch, not darkness... Not even Lynno.
"Where is that witch, what happened," Charizard coughed and breathed, struggling now to keep herself aloft in her weakened state, having not intended to go through another tornado while she was trying to recover. Emiri began to panic, not even caring about finding the witch to end her, she couldn't see Lynno anywhere, didn't know what had happened to the bird while they had been trapped in the vortex. She lifted her goggles, trying to look for any sign of him in the air, but looking down far below them after working their way up through the vortex, she caught a spec of brown falling down towards the city beneath them, and she could swear that was Lynno's brown figure that she saw.
"There," Emiri called, situating her goggles again as she pushed down on Azuran's saddle, and within seconds the enormous fossil was rushing down through the air on one push of his wings, the angle allowing him to dive at an incredible speed despite his size as they raced to reach Lynno before he hit anything. They had been forced so far up away from him that he had been falling already for enough time to get close to the city beneath them, and would certainly hit the sky scrapers that were there on the ground if they didn't catch him in time. Charizard, Salamence, and Hantu thrust downwards and raced after Azuran in that moment, hoping for the best since they had found their teammate in the air. Emiri held herself close against Azuran's body, minimizing any drag for him so they would be able to reach Lynno before it was too late, but as they came closer, Emiri feared for the worst as she saw not the figure of a Pidgeot they were racing after, but a small unconscious Pidgey that was falling through the air.... Azuran shifted his angle just slightly as they came up on the unconscious figure, and Emiri was able to reach out and grab the Pidgey from the air, but just seconds later they were coming in very fast on the city below, the sky scrapers beginning to come into their air space. Emiri held the Pidgey close against her with one arm as she pulled up with all her force on Azuran's saddle, and the fossil threw out his wings to slow his speed, but they had gained so much downward momentum that his wings did little to increase his drag as they were still rushing down towards the city. Emiri panicked, but only slightly as she felt Azuran struggling beneath her, but she leaned in on his saddle and pushed him forward, leveling out on his wings as they narrowly missed the edge of a sky scraper. They came out into a tight left bank, but had to move into a right spiral to miss another building, coming in closer to the ground with every passing second as they tried to lose some of their momentum. Azuran roared as he leveled out again and threw out his wings just over the city streets, flapping vigorously to stop himself as he came to a slowed pace, finally able to gain control of himself. Stopping himself just above a set of buildings along the city street, Azuran made a heavy landing on the ground beneath him, coming down with a loud thud. He panted and heaved at the exertion he had just gone through, but looked up at the sound of wing beats following them down from the sky, Charizard leading Hantu and Salamence in the chase through the city skyline to keep up with him. Charizard had a less than graceful landing in her exhausted energy, coming down hard on the ground on her two legs, but that didn't stop her from stumbling and rushing forward to meet Azuran whom she had worried so much for.
"Azuran, are you alright," Charizard breathed, coughing a bit as she came up to him while Salamence and Hantu came to land behind her.
"Where's Emiri, and Lynno," the dragon questioned, trying to take stock of everything that had happened, and Azuran gave a heavy breath as he situated on the shoulders of his wings.
"Yes, I'm alright, we managed to make the landing," Azuran huffed as Emiri situated herself atop his shoulders.
"I'm right here Charizard, I'm alright," Emiri replied as Azuran leaned down to show her atop his shoulders, and with her free hand she lifted her goggles off of her eyes and sat them atop her head and her mess of wind blown tangled hair behind her. Charizard glanced around though as Salamence and Hantu came closer to join the group, drawing some stares at the large Pokemon that were there in the middle of the city, unable to see Lynno anywhere since they had made such an effort to dive down to get him.
"Where's Lynno," Salamence asked, coming up on the group, but Emiri's solemn look caused them to stop as Azuran leaned down further for her to dismount if she wanted, looking down to a small Pidgey that she held in her arms.
"Oh no... Not again....," Charizard breathed, having seen it enough before to not need to question if it was in fact Lynno that she was holding in her arms.
"No way... I thought that couldn't happen again," Hantu remarked, knowing what happened to Venusaur those years ago when they had fought against Lance, but he couldn't have fathomed that anything else would have been capable of that power.
"Emiri," came another voice from above, gaining the attention of her small group of Pokemon, and they saw Nimbus coming down towards them from the air with Flix close behind.
"Is everyone okay? There was a storm, and those black clouds, and I could hear shrieking and some terrible voices, what happened," the Raichu questioned in concern, having stayed away with Flix and the baby like Emiri had asked, but he worried so much about what had happened and if they had made it out alright.
"Almost everyone," Charizard commented, glancing down to the Pidgey in Emiri's arms.
"Why, what happened," Nimbus asked, though his words were cut short as he glanced to the Pidgey that Emiri was holding on to.
"Emiri... is that what happened to Rhydon...," Flix asked hesitantly, having been a part of the team then when Darkrai had attacked the rhino and caused him to revert back to his first stage as a Rhyhorn, and Emiri looked up to her Pokemon at Flix's question.
"I guess something similar... I just don't know how he's going to recover," Emiri spoke after a moment, moving then from Azuran's saddle as she put her feet on the ground, holding Lynno's small body in her arms carefully. It could go a number of ways, with all of the times that she had seen it done. When Venusaur had been changed by Lance and that blade, he'd had his energy drained and had to work to get his strength back in order to evolve. When Rhydon had been attacked by Darkrai, he had been thrust into such a powerful nightmare that it changed his reality, and it took the power of Cresselia to bring him out of that nightmare and back to reality. She'd even seen it with Marcellus' Pokemon, with Josette and Angelique, though the two Jynx were Smoochum again under different circumstances, but there were too many ways that this could go, and she didn't know what it would mean for Lynno.
"Where did that witch go, if we defeat her power, maybe Lynno will return to normal," Hantu questioned with a growl, wanting to get a piece of that Mismagius for himself now after the chaos she had caused, but there was no telling where the ghost had gone off to since there was no sign of her after the clouds had dissipated. Just then though, at the mention of the witch, Lynno's small figure began to move in Emiri's arms, there was a twitch of his wing first, and then Emiri could hear him muttering something, whispering before he began to grow erratic. He was gaining consciousness, but only just as he thrashed violently in Emiri's arms, scratching her with his small talons as he fluttered and fell from her arms the short way to the ground.
"No! Let me go," he squawked, struggling on the ground in an unknown force, surely the remnants of what he could remember before he had fallen unconscious.
"Lynno, Lynno" Emiri called then, trying to get his attention as she leaned down to his thrashing figure on the ground, not wanting him to hurt himself even more in his weakened state. The Pidgey struggled and fought, thrashing his wings and slashing with his claws, but Emiri reached out and held his wings against his body, trying to get him to come to through his state of shock.
"You can't do this," he squawked again, fighting against Emiri's hold, but she was afraid that he was going to hurt himself if he kept on.
"Lynno, you have to stop, the witch is gone," Emiri tried to get through to him, shaking him gently to try to get him to come to out of whatever consciousness he was living. He thrashed for just a moment more before he slowed to a stop in Emiri's hands, coughing and breathing heavily before he barely started to open his eyes.
"What? What's going on," he coughed again, and Emiri let him go gently as he stood on the ground, barely even a foot tall it seemed as he rustled his feathers. He blinked a bit before starting to look around through hazy eyes, a fog clouding in his mind and giving him trouble in trying to focus.
"Lynno, do you remember anything...," Emiri asked tentatively, wanting to ease him into the situation the best that she could, but knowing how Lynno was, this wasn't going to be an easy let down...
"That witch... She tried to put a curse on me..." he coughed, blinking again with his eyes to try and rid himself of the fog that was hazing through his mind, but he felt weak and groggy, and he couldn't understand why...
"A curse? So it can be broken, or it'll wear off, right," Salamence questioned, trying to find a solution to the problem already, but the small group looked at him with a glare as he had mentioned that out loud.
"Salamence," Azuran chided, knowing that this was going to be a difficult situation, but the dragon's words hadn't gone unnoticed as Lynno looked in his general direction.
"What do you mean it can be broken? What happened," the bird asked with aggression, wanting to know what they were all starting to tip toe around that no one was telling him.
"You sure you miss traveling with us," Lynno sneered, looking to Hantu whom had only just decided to rejon them on their travels, already privy to some of the worst things that had happened to them, but it seemed that things like this happened enough that they were hardened by them and almost expected to have their lives threatened. Emiri sat on Azuran's saddle, lightly trembling still at the assault on her mind that the Mismagius had caused, and while she wanted to praise Lynno for his power, and wonder how he had learned such a unique attack, she couldn't shake the sick feeling that still hung in her stomach, like the witch's energy was still looming over them.
"I don't think she's gone... What if Raphiel sent her...." Emiri uttered, hardly able to think clearly, or think of anything aside from the vivid memories that were starting to take her over. Her few Pokemon growled and snarled at just the mention of Raphiel, all except Hantu, not wanting to accept or think that this was his doing.
"Cronus would let us know if that evil came back," Azuran tried to reason, knowing the great psychic was keeping his thoughts open for such an instance, but Charizard was less than convinced, having not exactly seen eye to eye with the Mewtwo in the ballroom that night.
"He didn't find anything wrong with that invitation in the first place, what would make this any different to him," Charizard growled, but any other words were cut short as the clouds the witch had fallen into began to grow dark, and the winds around them began to pick up.
"I guess you were right," Salamence growled as he glanced to Emiri who was preparing for the worst, reaching into her bag and grabing her goggles to help her see in the increasing winds as she placed them over her eyes and made sure they were secure. The clouds continued to grow darker still, rumbling with a terrible force that threatened to consume them, but Emiri's few Pokemon held strong in the increasing winds to keep themselves aloft and together in their group.
"We have to find the witch," Charizard roared over the rushing wind around them as Emiri clung easily to Azuran's saddle, hanging on as the air around them began to shift and move in a circular pattern, beginning to create a sort of vortex. They seemed to be in the middle of everything, the force wanting to pull them in to the center of this shadow induced storm as the clouds circled and swirled around them in a violent and growing cyclone. Within the darkness and shadows, the witch's shrill cackle came over the wind, echoing around them, taunting them with her direction, and Charizard held a fire in the back of her throat ready to strike if she caught sight of the Mismagius. There was a flash of movement within the vortex around them, and she turned with a snarl as she released a torrent of fire into the dark clouds, but it did little to make the storm dissipate as the flames were consumed by the now gale force winds. It was turning into a real struggle to keep themselves in the air where they were, their wings were constantly being caught by winds in every direction that threatened to tear them apart, but it only became more aparent that that was what the witch intended as she shrieked again and revealed herself through the darkness. Her dark cloth body began to twist and stretch with the force of the winds that she had summoned, looming over them now as she leered down at them with her sickly yellow eyes. Charizard and Salamence both growled and snarled at her revealing herself then and opened their muzzles, releasing a combined torrent of fire that would have surely seared through anything caught in its wake, but the cloth that the Mismagius was covered in came up in a series of long tendrils that drove the flames into the swirling vortex, leaving her unharmed. She regarded them with her malicious tone then, glaring over all of them with her sharp eyes and the threat on their lives, and it seemed their anger and ferocity only spurred her on more to want to consume their souls. Emiri trembled atop Azuran as she clung to his saddle, her hands growing white at the grip she had on the holds, trying not to give in to the intoxicating darkness that surrounded the witch. She looked over her, Charizard, and Azuran, Emiri knew they harbored so much darkness and so much pain every day of their lives that it must be a calling card to a malevolent spirit like this, and she was beginning to think that Raphiel had nothing to do with this, and it was instead just a horrid spirit that was bent on keeping herself alive in this afterlife. Azuran snarled as the witch looked him over, daring her to make her next move that would pose any kind of threat to Emiri or Charizard, but instead the witch turned her focus on Lynno, disappearing in that instant and appearing right in front of him, causing the bird to waver in the air. Lynno caught himself on his wings, glaring and leering at the witch as she regarded him, but just as he was getting ready to attack with the dark energy that laced his wings, she caught him with the tendrils of her fabric and swung in the other direction towards his teammates that had roared at the sight of him being ensnared. Lynno watched in abject anger as the force of her swing caught under all of their wings, and one by one he heard their roars and Emiri's screams as they were thrust into the darkness, into the swirling form of the vortex around them.
"No, Emiri," he shouted, struggling now to rid himself of the hold the witch had on him, rivaling her strength with the strength of his wings and the speed that treatened to give way if he could just gain the right leverage, but the tendrils of fabric only began to constrict him more the more he moved and struggled, beginning to ensnare him entirely.
The force of the winds and the force of the dark energy that knocked them back was too great for any one of them to fight off and right themselves as Azuran, Charizard, Salamence and Hantu were forced into the swirling, consuming dark clouds that had trapped them. Emiri clung with all of her strength to Azuran's saddle, keeping her foot holds steady and her body close to his form so as not to create any drag between him and herself, but just hanging on wasn't enough. Lynno was in trouble, they couldn't just float and hope for the best, they needed to get out of this, and fast. When the tornado had struck over Mt. Moon, Emiri and her Pokemon spent ample time making sure that they would be able to survive such an instance again, and Emiri was determined to push through the struggle instead of letting it take her over. She was forcing away memories of Charizard's roar, watching her flame disappear in the midst of the dust and debris, and as much as those memories pained her, she didn't want a repeat of anything with Lynno's life on the line. Only a few seconds had passed before Emiri situated herself on Azuran's saddle, watching with her goggles to see the angle of his wings and the direction in which the vortex was moving, and through the only way she knew how without being able to speak over the roaring winds, she used the unspoken language that all of her Pokemon knew through the movement of their saddles. Azuran's enormous wings were struggling to gain any kind of ground because they were trying to go against the current of the winds, she watched his tail behind them and made sure that she could feel which direction the winds were going before pushing down on his saddle with her right leg and pulling both of her arms to the right, telling him to turn right into a verticle bank. Azuran understood immediately what it was Emiri wanted him to do, the training they had worked on in case of such conditions, and he gave out a guttural roar to try and communicate with Charizard, Salamence and maybe Hantu to get them on the same track. With a moment of struggle on his large wings, Azuran managed to bring his right wing out from a stray draft and turn himself in the other direction, catching an updraft as he now moved effortlessly with the moving, rising current of the wind. His keen hearing kept a lookout for any calls of distress, but at the sound of his roar, moments later he heard the sounds of a similar call and caught sight of Charizard and Salamence moving towards him through the winds. They understood the same tactic that Emiri had communicated to Azuran, and were following him in a sharp verticle bank along the current of the winds, using the natural momentum to propel themselves forward and upward. Hantu managed too to catch on to what it was they were trying to do, always a smart dragon that Emiri enjoyed training, and within moments the four of them were nearing the top of the vortex and would be able to spiral over the top edge to dive back down through the center and away from the vortex.
Within the vortex, listening to the roars and struggle of his teammates through the darkness, Lynno fought and struggled against the holds that the witch had on him, trying to get any kind of air in his wings or any kind of leverage to manuever away, but no matter how he fought or how he struggled, the witch held her grip firmly and relentlessly. Every movement he made caused him to become more tangled in her tendrils until he was only able to move his head as the dark cloth consumed him. He wasn't backing down though, he wasn't going to give in to her power over him, even as she muttered something about a curse, and began to chant in some language that the bird didn't understand. The witch chanted and chanted until she was shrieking the words over and over, her voice carrying over the winds that whirled around them, and Lynno could hear the sounds of his teammates moving through the vortex, his keen hearing catching the sound of their wings, but he feared it would be too late by the time they managed to escape for whatever this witch planned to do with him... He winced in pain as some horrific force took over his body, and everything went black as he squawked in anguish, his body consumed in darkness. He had no other thoughts in that moment except for accepting his end with the fight he put up, and the witch cackled and shrieked with her malevolent work completed for now.
With Azuran leading the charge, only moments had passed as Emiri and the rest of her Pokemon worked through the vortex, coming to the top of the storm, but no sooner did Azuran come spiraling out of the top of it, snapping out his wings to give himself the leverage to thrust downwards, the clouds dissipated immediately as though they had never been there, and they were left in the clear blue skies that they had been in just before. Charizard, Salamence, and Hantu were thrust into the air at the sudden disappearance of the forces they were working against, their momentum propelling them forward just a bit as they tried to right themselves to come back towards Azuran, but looking around there was nothing, not the witch, not darkness... Not even Lynno.
"Where is that witch, what happened," Charizard coughed and breathed, struggling now to keep herself aloft in her weakened state, having not intended to go through another tornado while she was trying to recover. Emiri began to panic, not even caring about finding the witch to end her, she couldn't see Lynno anywhere, didn't know what had happened to the bird while they had been trapped in the vortex. She lifted her goggles, trying to look for any sign of him in the air, but looking down far below them after working their way up through the vortex, she caught a spec of brown falling down towards the city beneath them, and she could swear that was Lynno's brown figure that she saw.
"There," Emiri called, situating her goggles again as she pushed down on Azuran's saddle, and within seconds the enormous fossil was rushing down through the air on one push of his wings, the angle allowing him to dive at an incredible speed despite his size as they raced to reach Lynno before he hit anything. They had been forced so far up away from him that he had been falling already for enough time to get close to the city beneath them, and would certainly hit the sky scrapers that were there on the ground if they didn't catch him in time. Charizard, Salamence, and Hantu thrust downwards and raced after Azuran in that moment, hoping for the best since they had found their teammate in the air. Emiri held herself close against Azuran's body, minimizing any drag for him so they would be able to reach Lynno before it was too late, but as they came closer, Emiri feared for the worst as she saw not the figure of a Pidgeot they were racing after, but a small unconscious Pidgey that was falling through the air.... Azuran shifted his angle just slightly as they came up on the unconscious figure, and Emiri was able to reach out and grab the Pidgey from the air, but just seconds later they were coming in very fast on the city below, the sky scrapers beginning to come into their air space. Emiri held the Pidgey close against her with one arm as she pulled up with all her force on Azuran's saddle, and the fossil threw out his wings to slow his speed, but they had gained so much downward momentum that his wings did little to increase his drag as they were still rushing down towards the city. Emiri panicked, but only slightly as she felt Azuran struggling beneath her, but she leaned in on his saddle and pushed him forward, leveling out on his wings as they narrowly missed the edge of a sky scraper. They came out into a tight left bank, but had to move into a right spiral to miss another building, coming in closer to the ground with every passing second as they tried to lose some of their momentum. Azuran roared as he leveled out again and threw out his wings just over the city streets, flapping vigorously to stop himself as he came to a slowed pace, finally able to gain control of himself. Stopping himself just above a set of buildings along the city street, Azuran made a heavy landing on the ground beneath him, coming down with a loud thud. He panted and heaved at the exertion he had just gone through, but looked up at the sound of wing beats following them down from the sky, Charizard leading Hantu and Salamence in the chase through the city skyline to keep up with him. Charizard had a less than graceful landing in her exhausted energy, coming down hard on the ground on her two legs, but that didn't stop her from stumbling and rushing forward to meet Azuran whom she had worried so much for.
"Azuran, are you alright," Charizard breathed, coughing a bit as she came up to him while Salamence and Hantu came to land behind her.
"Where's Emiri, and Lynno," the dragon questioned, trying to take stock of everything that had happened, and Azuran gave a heavy breath as he situated on the shoulders of his wings.
"Yes, I'm alright, we managed to make the landing," Azuran huffed as Emiri situated herself atop his shoulders.
"I'm right here Charizard, I'm alright," Emiri replied as Azuran leaned down to show her atop his shoulders, and with her free hand she lifted her goggles off of her eyes and sat them atop her head and her mess of wind blown tangled hair behind her. Charizard glanced around though as Salamence and Hantu came closer to join the group, drawing some stares at the large Pokemon that were there in the middle of the city, unable to see Lynno anywhere since they had made such an effort to dive down to get him.
"Where's Lynno," Salamence asked, coming up on the group, but Emiri's solemn look caused them to stop as Azuran leaned down further for her to dismount if she wanted, looking down to a small Pidgey that she held in her arms.
"Oh no... Not again....," Charizard breathed, having seen it enough before to not need to question if it was in fact Lynno that she was holding in her arms.
"No way... I thought that couldn't happen again," Hantu remarked, knowing what happened to Venusaur those years ago when they had fought against Lance, but he couldn't have fathomed that anything else would have been capable of that power.
"Emiri," came another voice from above, gaining the attention of her small group of Pokemon, and they saw Nimbus coming down towards them from the air with Flix close behind.
"Is everyone okay? There was a storm, and those black clouds, and I could hear shrieking and some terrible voices, what happened," the Raichu questioned in concern, having stayed away with Flix and the baby like Emiri had asked, but he worried so much about what had happened and if they had made it out alright.
"Almost everyone," Charizard commented, glancing down to the Pidgey in Emiri's arms.
"Why, what happened," Nimbus asked, though his words were cut short as he glanced to the Pidgey that Emiri was holding on to.
"Emiri... is that what happened to Rhydon...," Flix asked hesitantly, having been a part of the team then when Darkrai had attacked the rhino and caused him to revert back to his first stage as a Rhyhorn, and Emiri looked up to her Pokemon at Flix's question.
"I guess something similar... I just don't know how he's going to recover," Emiri spoke after a moment, moving then from Azuran's saddle as she put her feet on the ground, holding Lynno's small body in her arms carefully. It could go a number of ways, with all of the times that she had seen it done. When Venusaur had been changed by Lance and that blade, he'd had his energy drained and had to work to get his strength back in order to evolve. When Rhydon had been attacked by Darkrai, he had been thrust into such a powerful nightmare that it changed his reality, and it took the power of Cresselia to bring him out of that nightmare and back to reality. She'd even seen it with Marcellus' Pokemon, with Josette and Angelique, though the two Jynx were Smoochum again under different circumstances, but there were too many ways that this could go, and she didn't know what it would mean for Lynno.
"Where did that witch go, if we defeat her power, maybe Lynno will return to normal," Hantu questioned with a growl, wanting to get a piece of that Mismagius for himself now after the chaos she had caused, but there was no telling where the ghost had gone off to since there was no sign of her after the clouds had dissipated. Just then though, at the mention of the witch, Lynno's small figure began to move in Emiri's arms, there was a twitch of his wing first, and then Emiri could hear him muttering something, whispering before he began to grow erratic. He was gaining consciousness, but only just as he thrashed violently in Emiri's arms, scratching her with his small talons as he fluttered and fell from her arms the short way to the ground.
"No! Let me go," he squawked, struggling on the ground in an unknown force, surely the remnants of what he could remember before he had fallen unconscious.
"Lynno, Lynno" Emiri called then, trying to get his attention as she leaned down to his thrashing figure on the ground, not wanting him to hurt himself even more in his weakened state. The Pidgey struggled and fought, thrashing his wings and slashing with his claws, but Emiri reached out and held his wings against his body, trying to get him to come to through his state of shock.
"You can't do this," he squawked again, fighting against Emiri's hold, but she was afraid that he was going to hurt himself if he kept on.
"Lynno, you have to stop, the witch is gone," Emiri tried to get through to him, shaking him gently to try to get him to come to out of whatever consciousness he was living. He thrashed for just a moment more before he slowed to a stop in Emiri's hands, coughing and breathing heavily before he barely started to open his eyes.
"What? What's going on," he coughed again, and Emiri let him go gently as he stood on the ground, barely even a foot tall it seemed as he rustled his feathers. He blinked a bit before starting to look around through hazy eyes, a fog clouding in his mind and giving him trouble in trying to focus.
"Lynno, do you remember anything...," Emiri asked tentatively, wanting to ease him into the situation the best that she could, but knowing how Lynno was, this wasn't going to be an easy let down...
"That witch... She tried to put a curse on me..." he coughed, blinking again with his eyes to try and rid himself of the fog that was hazing through his mind, but he felt weak and groggy, and he couldn't understand why...
"A curse? So it can be broken, or it'll wear off, right," Salamence questioned, trying to find a solution to the problem already, but the small group looked at him with a glare as he had mentioned that out loud.
"Salamence," Azuran chided, knowing that this was going to be a difficult situation, but the dragon's words hadn't gone unnoticed as Lynno looked in his general direction.
"What do you mean it can be broken? What happened," the bird asked with aggression, wanting to know what they were all starting to tip toe around that no one was telling him.
Lounging now in the main lobby of the resort, a fine glass of wine in hand and a book for her indulgence, Demeter was winding down from a nice day out to get ready to go to bed for the night eventually. Loki in Thomas' guise was musing over a book he had selected as well, where as Calcifer had chosen to go back to their room for the evening, but that was neither here nor there since Demeter knew the ghost would do nothing out right to make any trouble. It was nice being in the quiet common space, other conversations were going on, faint laughter in the distance from perhaps a game of cards or two, and it was more relaxing than Demeter thought she would have for a while, but it was oh so quick to pass. Loki was first to notice that they were being approached, one of the hotel staff was moving towards them with a silver tray and a small box atop it, and an envelope neatly placed beside it. He looked up from his reading and glanced to Demeter who felt him beside her, and she too looked up finding the hotel concierge in front of her now.
"Ms. Montrell," he asked politely in a soft voice, only requesting to be corrected if he were mistaken about her identity. Demeter glanced to Loki beside her as she sat up straighter in her chair, setting down her glass of wine before clearing her throat.
"Yes," she replied, confirming herself as Vanessa Montrell, but she was hesitant now, and frankly unnerved about being approached here, she didn't have anything that she should be expecting.
"A small parcel has arrived for you," the concierge spoke then, holding the tray lower now for her to see, and there were no distinct markings or otherwise for her to draw any information from.
"From whom did you receive this," she asked then, keeping the conversation light as she folded her book closed, only wanting to know where the package might have come from.
"I'm sorry miss, there was no name given upon drop off, only that it was meant for a Miss Vanessa Montrell whom was staying here with us," he replied cautiously, only now hearing it outloud figuring out how odd and peculiar the interaction was, but Demeter only smiled as she stood from her chair, not making any notion that that was any kind of trouble.
"It might be from that new guy you met on the beach today Vanessa, he just might have forgotten to give his name," Loki spoke then in a casual tone, a small snicker to keep things light, and that seemed to set the concierge at ease as his shoulders dropped while Demeter took the small package and envelope in hand.
"Thank you so much," she smiled then, moving to meet Loki at a side table between the two chairs and the conceirge left with a nod taking the tray under arm.
"When was the last time you've been in contact for a mission report," Loki spoke then in a low voice, knowing for certain that this was no 'gift' to be taken lightly, and the notion that they had been found out in Alola was rather daunting.
"Not since we left base and moved to Johto. We knew that all of this was not going to go unnoticed, it was only a matter of time before they found us outside of our target zone," Demeter sighed, knowing that while she was one of the leading authorities in the Cipher organization, there were always authorities above her keeping tabs on everything that was going on. Even with her dedicated work and high standing reputation, she could never leave the watch of those above her, which was always daunting to her in her line of work.
"Well, we might as well see what they had to contact you about. The manner in which they did it though leaves room for concern," Loki mentioned, noting the fact that they sent a formal gift and envelope through the specific hotel that they chose to stay at. No official correspondence, no notation through the Cipher network, this all seemed very personal and very pointed, which was what Demeter had noticed too. She didn't say anything further before she moved to open the envelope first, unmarked but that made it all the more conspicuous.
Taking great care in making sure that they were not being watched, cased, or otherwise, Demeter and Loki kept their guard up now as they sat together in the hotel lobby, reading the letter that had been presented to them. Neither of them read it out loud, not wanting to draw any kind of attention to themselves, but they both finished at the same time and looked up to each other, concern growing in light of the circumstances that were outlined. They took one more glance around the lobby, Loki even going so far as stepping out of his illusion and combing through the crowd to make sure no one of interest or anyone familiar stood out. They were alone it seemed, but only just since one of their superiors or otherwise did manage to notate their location, and as Loki slipped back into Thomas' figure standing beside Demeter, they knew that they needed a much more private place to discuss what just transpired.
"Calcifer, find the nearest empty room with no surrounding occupants and let us in. No questions asked," Demeter mentioned for the ghost to hear as she and Loki started to move through the lobby. They kept things light, nodding here and there, Demeter bidding some of the hotel staff a good evening as she was turning in for the night, and making their way towards an elevator Demeter felt Calcifer there at the forefront of her thoughts, having not given any push back at the tone of her voice.
"Fourth floor, 456," the ghost spoke then, having not needed to expend much effort in finding such a space. It was easy work for him really, trial and error, phasing through walls and searching for the life essence of those around him until he found what he was looking for. Loki and Demeter took that information then and made their way to the fourth floor, Demeter holding the envelope and Loki the parcel that had arrived for them, and in moments they were met with the door to the room opening to reveal Calcifer on the other side, looking at them incredulously.
"What happened? Did pretty boy turn out to be some infiltrator or spy and you had to make a get away," he snickered, closing the door behind them as they stepped through. Thomas' figure disappeared as Loki stood in his full form, glaring down to the ghost at his ever present insolence.
"We've been contacted by Cipher, without use of the network," the Zoroark sneered, and in that moment the ghost understood the weight of the situation at hand, this was actually something pretty serious if they got found out being here and were contacted that way.
"You're sure there's no one around us? Have you checked for surveillance," Demeter questioned, turning in the room to check for herself, having spent enough time in the industry to recognize bugs or otherwise that might be in sight. Calcifer though focused for just a moment, he himself had been trained for locating and erradicating such devices through their line of work, and he didn't see any immediate threats around them that would cause any trouble.
"Nothing but the hotel cameras out in the hallway. We're good here," the ghost commented then, setting Demeter at ease only so much as she looked back down to the envelope that she had in her hands. She glanced over the words once more to really get the gist of what it was talking about, but her main focus now was on the package that had been sent with it.
"Agent #0303, that's what it said right? Isn't that Sinai," Loki commented then as he too glanced at the letter, having recalled the reference that the note made.
"Sinai? Isn't she assigned to someone else right now? What is going on," Calcifer returned, recognizing the name and knowing the Cipher registered Pokemon was in fact assigned with another administrator right now. However, as Demeter scanned over the note again, re-reading that insubordination will not be tolerated at this moment in time, she had to wonder if it were really true.
"I think she's assigned to us now because Barthlow is not longer in these ranks," Demeter commented, glancing to the box that Loki held. If it were in fact true, and Sinai wasn't just reassigned in general, then they were definitely in dire times and the status quo was about to change. Demeter knew there was only one way for them to find out though, and she held out her hand for Loki to give her the package they had received in kind. He handed it over, and he and Calcifer both stood in waiting as Demeter opened it, and they were in fact presented with a Pokeball just as she might have thought. There was the smallest bit of hesitation, but Demeter did open the device, and one of the agents that she was pretty familiar with because of her impressive track record appeared before her, Sinai the Mawile. The steel type looked around only for a moment before she found Demeter standing above her, and the Mawile placed both of her hand on her hips as she looked Demeter up and down.
"Well, I guess as far as being reassigned goes, things could be worse," she spoke then, not seeming to be too upset about her circumstances, but confirming already one bit of information.
"Sinai, I'm sure I don't need to tell you more than once that I require information on your circumstances and what has brought you here to our ranks," Demeter returned then, taking on an authoritative role in communicating with the new agent, fairly familiar with Sinai in mission reports and knowing that the Mawile didn't beat around the bush for anything. She looked up to Demeter with her gleaming gold eyes and a raised eyebrow though, but her arms went back to her sides as though in a sort of resignation to the authority before her.
"My assignment Barthlow didn't make the cut for what the superiors were looking for. They're starting to crack down on the recon mission operatives since they haven't seen any results. Barthlow was starting to make some questionable decisions, and his track record wasn't that great to begin with, so he got the ax," she went on, sparing no detail in regards to what it was Cipher was looking for now in being in shambles still and needing their resources to work more for them.
"You were reassigned. Does that mean that Barthlow was demoted, or removed," Loki questioned then, assuming his role as second in command, and the Mawile looked up to him in question, but when Demeter didn't make any move to correct him, the steel type glanced at him again.
"Decomissioned, gone, all his work removed from the system. They're not taking this lightly, it's really coming down to the wire now as to who's going to be the one to recover the asset. All others are lose ends that need to be cut because they can't spread themselves too thin now," Sinai confirmed, giving Demeter and Loki all the information they needed to know to make the conclusion that their time in Alola had effectively expired. They couldn't waste any time now, not when Cipher was looking to have a ground meeting with expected results. She was in the middle of infiltrating the Johto League to make sure she could get vital information if it came up, and being able to reach such make such high connections was certainly going to be her biggest asset to bring to the table.
"Well Sinai, it seems you're among our ranks now. Know that I will treat you with respect and autonomy so long as you follow orders and don't make mistakes. I'm sure you're familiar with Naveera, our highest ranking operative, she has served us well and I expect the same from you given your record," Demeter commented then, looking down to the Mawile in a curt greeting, knowing the Mawile had an idea of who it was now that she was dealing with, given Demeter's own performance record. They wouldn't assign an agent like Sinai to just anyone, she was well trained and definitely one of their better registered operatives. The steel type seemed to mull things over for just a moment, her secondary mouth leering and swaying on the back of her head, but she was familiar with Naveera and the good word the dragon had going for her, it was nothing to ignore that she had been assigned to Demeter and had been held by her for so long.
"Understood Admin Spade. Thank you for taking me into your ranks," the Mawile returned then, holding her head high in knowing that she was now with a much higher ranking administrative team, and she felt like this was going to be a good ride for her now that she wasn't going to be held back by anything. Now that it seemed her affairs were in order, Demeter had no time to waste. Interdimensional discovery aside, and thank goodness she still had that experimental Pokeball that the dimensional research lab had issued her, and she had a recovered Team Rocket asset, it was time to get back on her real mission in order to secure her spot from demotion or worse come the ground meeting.
"We leave now. Calcifer, make sure our room is secure, Loki and I will meet you there and we'll be in the Johto Region ready to pursue our next target," Demeter commented, knowing that her next target was the leader Pryce in Mahogany town in order to keep going through the Johto League. She had just two leaders left to face before she could really begin her insight infiltration, and she intended to accomplish just that to bring to the table.
"Ms. Montrell," he asked politely in a soft voice, only requesting to be corrected if he were mistaken about her identity. Demeter glanced to Loki beside her as she sat up straighter in her chair, setting down her glass of wine before clearing her throat.
"Yes," she replied, confirming herself as Vanessa Montrell, but she was hesitant now, and frankly unnerved about being approached here, she didn't have anything that she should be expecting.
"A small parcel has arrived for you," the concierge spoke then, holding the tray lower now for her to see, and there were no distinct markings or otherwise for her to draw any information from.
"From whom did you receive this," she asked then, keeping the conversation light as she folded her book closed, only wanting to know where the package might have come from.
"I'm sorry miss, there was no name given upon drop off, only that it was meant for a Miss Vanessa Montrell whom was staying here with us," he replied cautiously, only now hearing it outloud figuring out how odd and peculiar the interaction was, but Demeter only smiled as she stood from her chair, not making any notion that that was any kind of trouble.
"It might be from that new guy you met on the beach today Vanessa, he just might have forgotten to give his name," Loki spoke then in a casual tone, a small snicker to keep things light, and that seemed to set the concierge at ease as his shoulders dropped while Demeter took the small package and envelope in hand.
"Thank you so much," she smiled then, moving to meet Loki at a side table between the two chairs and the conceirge left with a nod taking the tray under arm.
"When was the last time you've been in contact for a mission report," Loki spoke then in a low voice, knowing for certain that this was no 'gift' to be taken lightly, and the notion that they had been found out in Alola was rather daunting.
"Not since we left base and moved to Johto. We knew that all of this was not going to go unnoticed, it was only a matter of time before they found us outside of our target zone," Demeter sighed, knowing that while she was one of the leading authorities in the Cipher organization, there were always authorities above her keeping tabs on everything that was going on. Even with her dedicated work and high standing reputation, she could never leave the watch of those above her, which was always daunting to her in her line of work.
"Well, we might as well see what they had to contact you about. The manner in which they did it though leaves room for concern," Loki mentioned, noting the fact that they sent a formal gift and envelope through the specific hotel that they chose to stay at. No official correspondence, no notation through the Cipher network, this all seemed very personal and very pointed, which was what Demeter had noticed too. She didn't say anything further before she moved to open the envelope first, unmarked but that made it all the more conspicuous.
Administrator Spade
This correspondance is to reach all assigned reconaissance mission personel sent to capture the asset. There have been no reports from either the public or from dispersed agents in regards to the asset. Resources are being spread too thin in this time of necessary rebuilding as expected results have not come to light. Take this time to gather any findings or leads you have surmised from your time out on the field. There will be a mandatory ground meeting at base 05, date to be determined, and reports will be expected to be presented.
We're certain that no mention needs to be made of your current location, but what is worth noting is the package contained. Insubordination will not be tolerated in this time of rebuilding. Become familiar with your new assigned affiliate, Agent #0303, and await further instruction.
This correspondance is to reach all assigned reconaissance mission personel sent to capture the asset. There have been no reports from either the public or from dispersed agents in regards to the asset. Resources are being spread too thin in this time of necessary rebuilding as expected results have not come to light. Take this time to gather any findings or leads you have surmised from your time out on the field. There will be a mandatory ground meeting at base 05, date to be determined, and reports will be expected to be presented.
We're certain that no mention needs to be made of your current location, but what is worth noting is the package contained. Insubordination will not be tolerated in this time of rebuilding. Become familiar with your new assigned affiliate, Agent #0303, and await further instruction.
Taking great care in making sure that they were not being watched, cased, or otherwise, Demeter and Loki kept their guard up now as they sat together in the hotel lobby, reading the letter that had been presented to them. Neither of them read it out loud, not wanting to draw any kind of attention to themselves, but they both finished at the same time and looked up to each other, concern growing in light of the circumstances that were outlined. They took one more glance around the lobby, Loki even going so far as stepping out of his illusion and combing through the crowd to make sure no one of interest or anyone familiar stood out. They were alone it seemed, but only just since one of their superiors or otherwise did manage to notate their location, and as Loki slipped back into Thomas' figure standing beside Demeter, they knew that they needed a much more private place to discuss what just transpired.
"Calcifer, find the nearest empty room with no surrounding occupants and let us in. No questions asked," Demeter mentioned for the ghost to hear as she and Loki started to move through the lobby. They kept things light, nodding here and there, Demeter bidding some of the hotel staff a good evening as she was turning in for the night, and making their way towards an elevator Demeter felt Calcifer there at the forefront of her thoughts, having not given any push back at the tone of her voice.
"Fourth floor, 456," the ghost spoke then, having not needed to expend much effort in finding such a space. It was easy work for him really, trial and error, phasing through walls and searching for the life essence of those around him until he found what he was looking for. Loki and Demeter took that information then and made their way to the fourth floor, Demeter holding the envelope and Loki the parcel that had arrived for them, and in moments they were met with the door to the room opening to reveal Calcifer on the other side, looking at them incredulously.
"What happened? Did pretty boy turn out to be some infiltrator or spy and you had to make a get away," he snickered, closing the door behind them as they stepped through. Thomas' figure disappeared as Loki stood in his full form, glaring down to the ghost at his ever present insolence.
"We've been contacted by Cipher, without use of the network," the Zoroark sneered, and in that moment the ghost understood the weight of the situation at hand, this was actually something pretty serious if they got found out being here and were contacted that way.
"You're sure there's no one around us? Have you checked for surveillance," Demeter questioned, turning in the room to check for herself, having spent enough time in the industry to recognize bugs or otherwise that might be in sight. Calcifer though focused for just a moment, he himself had been trained for locating and erradicating such devices through their line of work, and he didn't see any immediate threats around them that would cause any trouble.
"Nothing but the hotel cameras out in the hallway. We're good here," the ghost commented then, setting Demeter at ease only so much as she looked back down to the envelope that she had in her hands. She glanced over the words once more to really get the gist of what it was talking about, but her main focus now was on the package that had been sent with it.
"Agent #0303, that's what it said right? Isn't that Sinai," Loki commented then as he too glanced at the letter, having recalled the reference that the note made.
"Sinai? Isn't she assigned to someone else right now? What is going on," Calcifer returned, recognizing the name and knowing the Cipher registered Pokemon was in fact assigned with another administrator right now. However, as Demeter scanned over the note again, re-reading that insubordination will not be tolerated at this moment in time, she had to wonder if it were really true.
"I think she's assigned to us now because Barthlow is not longer in these ranks," Demeter commented, glancing to the box that Loki held. If it were in fact true, and Sinai wasn't just reassigned in general, then they were definitely in dire times and the status quo was about to change. Demeter knew there was only one way for them to find out though, and she held out her hand for Loki to give her the package they had received in kind. He handed it over, and he and Calcifer both stood in waiting as Demeter opened it, and they were in fact presented with a Pokeball just as she might have thought. There was the smallest bit of hesitation, but Demeter did open the device, and one of the agents that she was pretty familiar with because of her impressive track record appeared before her, Sinai the Mawile. The steel type looked around only for a moment before she found Demeter standing above her, and the Mawile placed both of her hand on her hips as she looked Demeter up and down.
"Well, I guess as far as being reassigned goes, things could be worse," she spoke then, not seeming to be too upset about her circumstances, but confirming already one bit of information.
"Sinai, I'm sure I don't need to tell you more than once that I require information on your circumstances and what has brought you here to our ranks," Demeter returned then, taking on an authoritative role in communicating with the new agent, fairly familiar with Sinai in mission reports and knowing that the Mawile didn't beat around the bush for anything. She looked up to Demeter with her gleaming gold eyes and a raised eyebrow though, but her arms went back to her sides as though in a sort of resignation to the authority before her.
"My assignment Barthlow didn't make the cut for what the superiors were looking for. They're starting to crack down on the recon mission operatives since they haven't seen any results. Barthlow was starting to make some questionable decisions, and his track record wasn't that great to begin with, so he got the ax," she went on, sparing no detail in regards to what it was Cipher was looking for now in being in shambles still and needing their resources to work more for them.
"You were reassigned. Does that mean that Barthlow was demoted, or removed," Loki questioned then, assuming his role as second in command, and the Mawile looked up to him in question, but when Demeter didn't make any move to correct him, the steel type glanced at him again.
"Decomissioned, gone, all his work removed from the system. They're not taking this lightly, it's really coming down to the wire now as to who's going to be the one to recover the asset. All others are lose ends that need to be cut because they can't spread themselves too thin now," Sinai confirmed, giving Demeter and Loki all the information they needed to know to make the conclusion that their time in Alola had effectively expired. They couldn't waste any time now, not when Cipher was looking to have a ground meeting with expected results. She was in the middle of infiltrating the Johto League to make sure she could get vital information if it came up, and being able to reach such make such high connections was certainly going to be her biggest asset to bring to the table.
"Well Sinai, it seems you're among our ranks now. Know that I will treat you with respect and autonomy so long as you follow orders and don't make mistakes. I'm sure you're familiar with Naveera, our highest ranking operative, she has served us well and I expect the same from you given your record," Demeter commented then, looking down to the Mawile in a curt greeting, knowing the Mawile had an idea of who it was now that she was dealing with, given Demeter's own performance record. They wouldn't assign an agent like Sinai to just anyone, she was well trained and definitely one of their better registered operatives. The steel type seemed to mull things over for just a moment, her secondary mouth leering and swaying on the back of her head, but she was familiar with Naveera and the good word the dragon had going for her, it was nothing to ignore that she had been assigned to Demeter and had been held by her for so long.
"Understood Admin Spade. Thank you for taking me into your ranks," the Mawile returned then, holding her head high in knowing that she was now with a much higher ranking administrative team, and she felt like this was going to be a good ride for her now that she wasn't going to be held back by anything. Now that it seemed her affairs were in order, Demeter had no time to waste. Interdimensional discovery aside, and thank goodness she still had that experimental Pokeball that the dimensional research lab had issued her, and she had a recovered Team Rocket asset, it was time to get back on her real mission in order to secure her spot from demotion or worse come the ground meeting.
"We leave now. Calcifer, make sure our room is secure, Loki and I will meet you there and we'll be in the Johto Region ready to pursue our next target," Demeter commented, knowing that her next target was the leader Pryce in Mahogany town in order to keep going through the Johto League. She had just two leaders left to face before she could really begin her insight infiltration, and she intended to accomplish just that to bring to the table.
The sun was high, waning into the late afternoon above the open ocean well beyond the Alolan islands that could not be seen on the horizon. For the better part of the day, in an attempt to do right by the villagers who had almost had their home marred by the raged beasts that came in such a fury of anger and power, Finn and his Pokemon set out on the water to at least spread word that everything was safe. Finn set out with his trusted partner Vitus, and kept Vitani close, with Osilvey and Hyse who were enjoying the water for the day. Archimedes and Pintel set out from the air and water respectively together, and Scarux made easy work, especially in his new form, of soaring through the skies, his keen senses keeping an eye out for any of the homes that might be out on the water, where Bade remained higher above them all to aid in their small mission for the day. They spanned out for miles from each other, going in different directions, Thaedra got in on the search as well with Verasi practicing her flying in the open skies, landing on the water serpent when she needed a rest from the heavy winds. Spreading out over the water, and with their own seafaring intuition plus Bade’s guidance from above, they did find a few of the villagers that Finn and his older Pokemon had grown familiar with over the years, able to give them word that Poni island was safe, and they could return when the tides gave way. Hours had gone by, and they were able to come back together in a group, swimming and flying or perched across the water, and for the time being Finn was enjoying being out on the open ocean again as he remained atop Vitus’ shell. The sun warmed him, and the sprays of the sea were soothing, and he had almost forgotten how peaceful it was for him to be out on the open water, as though he was able to forget about what had just occurred in his life, if only for a little bit, and become more himself again.
Having gone far out into the open ocean around the islands of Alola, miles and miles out to try and find as many of the villagers as they could, Finn and his Pokemon made easy work of moving back towards the mainlands, but weren’t in any kind of hurry. The pirate was enjoying the open water, and could tell that his Pokemon were too, especially Osilvey and Hyse who were splashing and swimming around and playing with each other. All of his water fairing Pokemon kept a close eye on the two younger swimmers, Archimedes in particular made it a point to follow them if they went too far. The frog followed as they dove down into the water, making sure that they weren’t going to get into any territory that would cause trouble from Sharpedo or other territorial species, but it seemed that their curiosity was piqued because they found something in the depths, the remnants of an old ship.
”How remarkable, a shipwreck is down here,” Archimedes commented, actually proceeding forward beneath the water, and Finn and his Pokemon looked at each other at the mention. It was common knowledge that there were shipwrecks in every corner of the globe, they weren’t as rare as some might think because of how many ships used to travel the oceans, and still do, but it was always riveting to find one in their travels, and of course Finn absolutely loved the history of it.
”Take us down,” Finn smiled eagerly, patting the side of Vitus’ shell. The turtle knew that to Finn he was his most trusted seafaring partner, they had long ago developed many forms of non verbal communication in order to make underwater travel possible between them, and still Finn felt that Vitus’ speed in the water went unmatched, which did make it easy for him to be able to come up for air when he needed. The turtle made sure that his cannons were tucked in and waited for Finn to brace himself, and as he began his descent, Finn drew in a hefty breath. The pirate had had many years of practice in being underwater, and was capable of holding his breath to complete tasks and otherwise for extended amounts of time, and so as Vitus descended beneath the surface of the water, Finn prepared himself and held fast against the turtle’s shell. Vitus picked up his speed as they both looked around to find Archimedes, and they found the frog in the near distance motioning for them to follow. Within seconds, they too found the sight that the frog had beheld, and it was in fact an entire shipwreck that Osilvey and Hyse were moving towards.
”I’ll be, she’s beautiful,” Finn commented, looking down towards the structure stuck among the rocks and coral of the ocean floor.
”Go in for a look Archimedes, what can you tell,” the pirate asked, keeping a bit above the wreck to make sure they had a clear way to the ocean’s surface, but Archimedes acquiesced as he moved downward to inspect the remnants of history. The frog was intelligent and well read already when Finn had met him years ago, and over the course of their travels Finn taught him what he knew and vice versa, so the Greninja was well versed in pirate history and the things that fascinated him. The Greninja followed closely behind Osilvey and Hyse to keep an eye on the two younger Pokemon, coming closer to the ship’s remains, and already he could tell that the vessel had a well worn history. He came to the tip of the remnants of the mast of the ship, inspecting it closely, and carefully touching the wood beneath the seaweed and moss that had taken over.
”Oak wood… Ships in the late 19th century were being built from iron and steel, this could easily date back two hundred years or more,” Archimedes began, already deeply fascinated with their find.
”It must have been incredibly well built, a strong vessel indeed. You can see the size of the gun deck, and how many ports in the hull there are for cannons… This had to have been a very feared force on the seas…,” Finn commented.
”Phineas… I feel something sinister around us… Something powerful,” came Bade’s voice in warning, she was lofting in the air above the space where Finn had gone under, eager of course in his ambitious actions, but as soon as Archimedes commented on the age of the vessel, she felt something stirring… She couldn’t place it though…
”We’re keeping a watchful eye. Archimedes, see if you can get to the starboard hull, find a name for this vessel,” the pirate asked, quickly dismissing Bade’s caution in wanting to find out more about the history of this ship. He was familiar with many historical pirates, their ships, the meaning of their ventures, and he wanted to know if he could identify this vessel. Hyse and Osilvey were swimming circles around the remnants of the mast while Archimedes moved downwards, and Finn watched in eager awe from above, trying to be sparse about the air he held. The frog searched for a moment or two, trying to find the right placement for a placard or carving that would indicate the name of the vessel, and he did find it through the moss and seaweed. He was careful in trying to brush through the foliage, making sure not to harm the state of the ship until he was able to make out two words.
”The Walrein,” Archimedes spoke then, repeating what he’d read. At that moment there was a shift in the water, a thick pulse emanated from the heart of the ship and outward, knocking Osilvey and Hyse through the water and pushing Archimedes back, and Finn had to brace himself against Vitus’ shell as the pulse rushed over them. Finn struggled to hold himself against Vitus’ shell, but he tapped a small sequence with his open hand on the turtle’s shell, and the water type knew it was time to head for the surface. Archimedes made quick work of rushing through the water to grab Osilvey and Hyse so the two young swimmers weren’t lost to the open water, but just as he too was heading for the surface of the water, he heard the wood of the ship creak and crack at something moving within, and he caught the sight of movement in the dark water. Finn came up from the water atop Vitus’ shell, gasping for a breath at the sudden exertion he had gone through, situating as Vitus crested in the water.
”The energy, it’s coming from the ship, there’s something down there,” Bade hissed as she appeared through the clouds, looking down at Finn and his Pokemon.
”The Walrein is the most infamous ship in history, Captain Flint was notorious with his reign, but no one ever knew what happened to him or his ship,” Finn coughed as Archimedes came up from the water, and Finn had to wonder if it was the spirit of Captain Flint that Bade was feeling.
”There’s something in the water, something is surfacing,” the frog heaved as he rushed forward with the two small water types who were both in a panic, and he only just managed to move forward before something crested out of the water, a large figure emerging through the sprays of sea water, revealing a very large Dhelmise before them. Thaedra and Scarus hissed at the figure while Vitus glowered at the emergence, but Finn looked on now in awe, knowing what Dhelmise were… Spirits of those lost at sea, forever bound to the vessel they died with…
”Ye be warned, you’ll not disturb The Walrein,” the ghost cried, and it’s anchor fell from it’s hold, ready to strike, but Finn stood quickly atop Vitus’ shell.
”We come with no ill will Captain Flint, we are but humble pirates ourselves,” Finn called out, trying to appease the spirit.
”How dare you speak that malevolent name! I’ll have you drowned, my fate will be yours,” the spirit bellowed, and it’s anchor lunged forward towards Finn and his Pokemon, enraged at the mention of Captain Flint’s name. Finn was confused, but understood the severity of the situation, leaping from Vitus’ back and into the water to try and dodge the attack of the massive anchor, swimming through the water towards Thaedra who hissed and roared again at the attack.
”Phineas, Archimedes, come to me,” the serpent hissed, knowing that her large figure would be able to withstand the force of the attacks, and that would leave Vitus free to do his work. Finn heaved himself through the water, stroking as fast as his arms could carry him, but it wasn’t fast enough as the anchor struck the water, and the force sent a powerful wave in either direction that caught him in its wake, thrusting him through the water. He maintained himself though, drawing in a breath as he was submerged, but Thaedra’s quick action allowed her to move effortlessly through the water and she caught Finn’s figure on her back while Archimedes moved forward to meet her. Vitani and Verasi also moved to Thaedra’s figure, all wanting to keep away from the line of fire now as Vitus squared up against the Dhelmise in the water. He bared his cannons and took aim, and fired with dark energy at the ghost, and the blows struck head on with a force that proved to be powerful as the Dhelmise recoiled back with a cry.
”I don’t understand, if not Captain Flint, who’s spirit has been tied to the vessel for two hundred years,” Archimedes spoke to Finn as he too had climbed onto Thaedra’s back, coming to find his captain in the midst of the battle. Finn had been trying to think too, the Dhelmise reacted so violently to just the mention of the famed captain, but why would that be?
”I’m not sure.. The history of The Walrein has always said that no one knew what happened to Flint and his ship, he marooned his entire crew in going mad to protect the riches he’d garnered, trying to find somewhere to hide it all that no one would ever find…,” Finn recalled, knowing the history well for one of the most infamous pirate captains to exist. The most exhilarating part of Flint’s story was the legend and lore that surrounded his reign, as it was said that he was capable of conquer distances unfathomable to sea travel, and no one ever knew how… Not even his crew…
Despite the blow that Vitus had dealt to the Dhelmise, the ghost type was far from willing to concede as it lunged forward with it’s seaweed tendrils, making quick work of swarming Vitus and wrapping the turtle in its tangled grip. The tendrils began to glow an eerie green, sapping Vitus’ life energy for its own. The turtle glowered again, struggling against the hold, trying to free himself, and struggling to remain conscious through his life energy being drained, but he took aim with one free cannon and let lose another bout of dark energy, and it struck the Dhelmise again in close proximity. The Dhelmise reeled at the force of the attack, and the seaweed tendrils that constricted Vitus trembled before letting his figure go, and the turtle fell and splashed into the water at being released. The anchor fell limp into the water, but the wheel remained lofting in the air, ragged and worn from its exertion in battle. Finn could have easily had Vitus finish the creature, sending it back into the depths of the sea back to its ship, but he wanted to know more about who it was, and what happened to the Walrein. He climbed his way up Thaedra’s back and onto her head, and motioned the serpent forward despite her animosity towards the hostile spirit. He could feel Bade there with him too, and her shadow loomed over them now as Finn moved forward still, but he wasn’t afraid.
”Spirit, hear me, I beg your pardon. I humbly request a parley,” Finn spoke out, apologizing to the Dhelmise. The ghost heaved a breath, turning to face Finn atop Thaedra’s head.
”A parley? What treachery do you wish, human,” the Dhelmise spoke then, and Finn could feel the animosity from the ghost, the way it spat the word ‘human’ at him.
”If knowledge is treachery, I’ll be properly hanged for my crimes. I wish to know of your fate to The Walrein,” Finn inquired. This seemed to catch the Dhelmise off guard, but it turned more to face Finn now.
”What does this knowledge mean to you,” it questioned then, though it’s tone was not hostile or aggressive now, instead it seemed to be at a sort of ease.
”In truth, I believe this to be a fated encounter. I myself am no more a whole being than you are… I know of your species, bound to the ships that you perished on, honoring a life at sea with your final breath. You used to be a living being, but now you struggle with the remnants of your mortality, just as I do…,” Finn spoke then, having never encountered a Dhelmise in his life, but ever since his own death, he now understood what it must be like to be harbored to a body that just didn’t feel quite right… The Dhelmise was silent for a moment, but seemed to take in Finn’s words, eyeing him with the compass that looked as though it were truly focused on him.
”How is it that you, a mere human, have come to understand mortality in such a way,” the ghost asked.
”I have died, I lost my mortality and was meant to cross over, but I was pulled away and placed back into my body by the ferrier of souls, Yveltal,” Finn answered, looking up to the sky above him, and the Dhelmise followed his gaze, finding Bade in the air above them. While all of this was taking place, Bade was searching in herself to find who this spirit used to be, and it wasn’t until she made eye contact with the Dhelmise that she found their soul, long lost to the world over two hundred years ago. She was young in her life cycle then… She hadn’t quite yet become prominent in her place in the world...
”I know your soul… Your fate was not supposed to end in you being bound to your ship…,” Bade commented solemnly… She couldn’t get to their soul in time to ferry it to the other side before it was too late…
”Aye… My fate is sealed… Has been for more than two centuries,” the ghost spoke then, though it was an acceptance of Bade’s apology, for now it was too late for her to change what had happened.
”Who are you to The Walrein,” Finn asked again, looking out to the ghost. There was silence for a few moments, save for the waves of the sea around them, but finally the Dhelmise began to speak, telling its story.
”My name was Groves, and in my life I was a Gallade. Flint was an unbalanced human who sought out power and fortune in every facet that he could and had built a fleet of ships in his infamy, but always wanted more. He had a Sableye amongst his crew, and when Flint encountered me, that wretched ghost imprisoned me on the ship, forever bound and hidden from the world. Flint demanded my power, my capabilities in teleporting in order to flee from pursuit and evade all eyes of those he targeted, thus building the legend that is still known of his reign,” the Dhelmise explained solemnly, and Finn could tell that these memories were still just as painful for it to recount, being able to recall them in vivid detail despite this being over two hundred years ago…
”Over time, Flint became unhinged, manic almost, and raved about protecting his treasure and the fortune he had built. He became distrusting, and eventually destroyed every ship of his fleet, and finally marooned the rest of his crew in a fear that they only sought to steal his riches. He vowed to hide his treasure, wanted to be the only one that knew where it was aside from his trusted Sableye, but kept me aboard for his travels. I was made blind to the rest of the ship’s sailing until a treacherous storm struck, and since there was no crew to man the ship, we were doomed. Flint was a coward then, abandoned ship in an attempt to salvage his own life… But I was still trapped there, forever imprisoned by that Sableye, and thus accepted my fate as the vessel succumbed to the power of the storm…,” the ghost finished, recounting his final moments in life before being bound to the ship for the rest of his existence, having to live with that pain, the imprisonment for centuries, never being able to be free again. Finn listened carefully to the ghost’s story, just as all of his Pokemon did, and he couldn’t believe the tale he had just been told. All of the legend and lore he had heard of the Walrein all made sense now, knowing that Flint was using teleportation to travel the lengths of the sea that he was, but Finn had no idea that the ship, and the reason for it’s capabilities had had such a tragic end…
”I cannot undo your fate… I apologize that I was not there to tend to your soul in death…,” Bade spoke first, being able to feel the Dhelmise’s pain.
”You’re generous in your words, I’d always heard tellings of the harbinger of death, but never imagined to be met with kindness,” the ghost admitted, glancing up to Bade above them.
”I cannot change your existence in the world, but would like to recompense for my absence those years ago. I can free you from your bonds to this vessel, you would be free from that prison,” the wyvern offered, hoping to make some amends for her mistake in the early parts of her life cycle.
”I would be eternally indebted to you,” the ghost remarked, unable to fathom what it would be like to be free for the first time in centuries.
”No debt to be paid,” Finn commented, earning the ghost’s attention.
”You’ve lived a life of servitude long enough. As a captain of my crew, I would never ask for a life debt for any mate” the pirate returned.
”Phineas is right, there is nothing we would ask of you,” Archimedes added, situated behind him on Thaedra’s back.
”Then I humbly request to become a part of your crew. I believe this to be a fated encounter as well,” Groves requested then, pulling in his anchor from the water below and turning fully towards Finn.
”Aye, we have an accord then,” the pirate agreed with a smile.
Having gone far out into the open ocean around the islands of Alola, miles and miles out to try and find as many of the villagers as they could, Finn and his Pokemon made easy work of moving back towards the mainlands, but weren’t in any kind of hurry. The pirate was enjoying the open water, and could tell that his Pokemon were too, especially Osilvey and Hyse who were splashing and swimming around and playing with each other. All of his water fairing Pokemon kept a close eye on the two younger swimmers, Archimedes in particular made it a point to follow them if they went too far. The frog followed as they dove down into the water, making sure that they weren’t going to get into any territory that would cause trouble from Sharpedo or other territorial species, but it seemed that their curiosity was piqued because they found something in the depths, the remnants of an old ship.
”How remarkable, a shipwreck is down here,” Archimedes commented, actually proceeding forward beneath the water, and Finn and his Pokemon looked at each other at the mention. It was common knowledge that there were shipwrecks in every corner of the globe, they weren’t as rare as some might think because of how many ships used to travel the oceans, and still do, but it was always riveting to find one in their travels, and of course Finn absolutely loved the history of it.
”Take us down,” Finn smiled eagerly, patting the side of Vitus’ shell. The turtle knew that to Finn he was his most trusted seafaring partner, they had long ago developed many forms of non verbal communication in order to make underwater travel possible between them, and still Finn felt that Vitus’ speed in the water went unmatched, which did make it easy for him to be able to come up for air when he needed. The turtle made sure that his cannons were tucked in and waited for Finn to brace himself, and as he began his descent, Finn drew in a hefty breath. The pirate had had many years of practice in being underwater, and was capable of holding his breath to complete tasks and otherwise for extended amounts of time, and so as Vitus descended beneath the surface of the water, Finn prepared himself and held fast against the turtle’s shell. Vitus picked up his speed as they both looked around to find Archimedes, and they found the frog in the near distance motioning for them to follow. Within seconds, they too found the sight that the frog had beheld, and it was in fact an entire shipwreck that Osilvey and Hyse were moving towards.
”I’ll be, she’s beautiful,” Finn commented, looking down towards the structure stuck among the rocks and coral of the ocean floor.
”Go in for a look Archimedes, what can you tell,” the pirate asked, keeping a bit above the wreck to make sure they had a clear way to the ocean’s surface, but Archimedes acquiesced as he moved downward to inspect the remnants of history. The frog was intelligent and well read already when Finn had met him years ago, and over the course of their travels Finn taught him what he knew and vice versa, so the Greninja was well versed in pirate history and the things that fascinated him. The Greninja followed closely behind Osilvey and Hyse to keep an eye on the two younger Pokemon, coming closer to the ship’s remains, and already he could tell that the vessel had a well worn history. He came to the tip of the remnants of the mast of the ship, inspecting it closely, and carefully touching the wood beneath the seaweed and moss that had taken over.
”Oak wood… Ships in the late 19th century were being built from iron and steel, this could easily date back two hundred years or more,” Archimedes began, already deeply fascinated with their find.
”It must have been incredibly well built, a strong vessel indeed. You can see the size of the gun deck, and how many ports in the hull there are for cannons… This had to have been a very feared force on the seas…,” Finn commented.
”Phineas… I feel something sinister around us… Something powerful,” came Bade’s voice in warning, she was lofting in the air above the space where Finn had gone under, eager of course in his ambitious actions, but as soon as Archimedes commented on the age of the vessel, she felt something stirring… She couldn’t place it though…
”We’re keeping a watchful eye. Archimedes, see if you can get to the starboard hull, find a name for this vessel,” the pirate asked, quickly dismissing Bade’s caution in wanting to find out more about the history of this ship. He was familiar with many historical pirates, their ships, the meaning of their ventures, and he wanted to know if he could identify this vessel. Hyse and Osilvey were swimming circles around the remnants of the mast while Archimedes moved downwards, and Finn watched in eager awe from above, trying to be sparse about the air he held. The frog searched for a moment or two, trying to find the right placement for a placard or carving that would indicate the name of the vessel, and he did find it through the moss and seaweed. He was careful in trying to brush through the foliage, making sure not to harm the state of the ship until he was able to make out two words.
”The Walrein,” Archimedes spoke then, repeating what he’d read. At that moment there was a shift in the water, a thick pulse emanated from the heart of the ship and outward, knocking Osilvey and Hyse through the water and pushing Archimedes back, and Finn had to brace himself against Vitus’ shell as the pulse rushed over them. Finn struggled to hold himself against Vitus’ shell, but he tapped a small sequence with his open hand on the turtle’s shell, and the water type knew it was time to head for the surface. Archimedes made quick work of rushing through the water to grab Osilvey and Hyse so the two young swimmers weren’t lost to the open water, but just as he too was heading for the surface of the water, he heard the wood of the ship creak and crack at something moving within, and he caught the sight of movement in the dark water. Finn came up from the water atop Vitus’ shell, gasping for a breath at the sudden exertion he had gone through, situating as Vitus crested in the water.
”The energy, it’s coming from the ship, there’s something down there,” Bade hissed as she appeared through the clouds, looking down at Finn and his Pokemon.
”The Walrein is the most infamous ship in history, Captain Flint was notorious with his reign, but no one ever knew what happened to him or his ship,” Finn coughed as Archimedes came up from the water, and Finn had to wonder if it was the spirit of Captain Flint that Bade was feeling.
”There’s something in the water, something is surfacing,” the frog heaved as he rushed forward with the two small water types who were both in a panic, and he only just managed to move forward before something crested out of the water, a large figure emerging through the sprays of sea water, revealing a very large Dhelmise before them. Thaedra and Scarus hissed at the figure while Vitus glowered at the emergence, but Finn looked on now in awe, knowing what Dhelmise were… Spirits of those lost at sea, forever bound to the vessel they died with…
”Ye be warned, you’ll not disturb The Walrein,” the ghost cried, and it’s anchor fell from it’s hold, ready to strike, but Finn stood quickly atop Vitus’ shell.
”We come with no ill will Captain Flint, we are but humble pirates ourselves,” Finn called out, trying to appease the spirit.
”How dare you speak that malevolent name! I’ll have you drowned, my fate will be yours,” the spirit bellowed, and it’s anchor lunged forward towards Finn and his Pokemon, enraged at the mention of Captain Flint’s name. Finn was confused, but understood the severity of the situation, leaping from Vitus’ back and into the water to try and dodge the attack of the massive anchor, swimming through the water towards Thaedra who hissed and roared again at the attack.
”Phineas, Archimedes, come to me,” the serpent hissed, knowing that her large figure would be able to withstand the force of the attacks, and that would leave Vitus free to do his work. Finn heaved himself through the water, stroking as fast as his arms could carry him, but it wasn’t fast enough as the anchor struck the water, and the force sent a powerful wave in either direction that caught him in its wake, thrusting him through the water. He maintained himself though, drawing in a breath as he was submerged, but Thaedra’s quick action allowed her to move effortlessly through the water and she caught Finn’s figure on her back while Archimedes moved forward to meet her. Vitani and Verasi also moved to Thaedra’s figure, all wanting to keep away from the line of fire now as Vitus squared up against the Dhelmise in the water. He bared his cannons and took aim, and fired with dark energy at the ghost, and the blows struck head on with a force that proved to be powerful as the Dhelmise recoiled back with a cry.
”I don’t understand, if not Captain Flint, who’s spirit has been tied to the vessel for two hundred years,” Archimedes spoke to Finn as he too had climbed onto Thaedra’s back, coming to find his captain in the midst of the battle. Finn had been trying to think too, the Dhelmise reacted so violently to just the mention of the famed captain, but why would that be?
”I’m not sure.. The history of The Walrein has always said that no one knew what happened to Flint and his ship, he marooned his entire crew in going mad to protect the riches he’d garnered, trying to find somewhere to hide it all that no one would ever find…,” Finn recalled, knowing the history well for one of the most infamous pirate captains to exist. The most exhilarating part of Flint’s story was the legend and lore that surrounded his reign, as it was said that he was capable of conquer distances unfathomable to sea travel, and no one ever knew how… Not even his crew…
Despite the blow that Vitus had dealt to the Dhelmise, the ghost type was far from willing to concede as it lunged forward with it’s seaweed tendrils, making quick work of swarming Vitus and wrapping the turtle in its tangled grip. The tendrils began to glow an eerie green, sapping Vitus’ life energy for its own. The turtle glowered again, struggling against the hold, trying to free himself, and struggling to remain conscious through his life energy being drained, but he took aim with one free cannon and let lose another bout of dark energy, and it struck the Dhelmise again in close proximity. The Dhelmise reeled at the force of the attack, and the seaweed tendrils that constricted Vitus trembled before letting his figure go, and the turtle fell and splashed into the water at being released. The anchor fell limp into the water, but the wheel remained lofting in the air, ragged and worn from its exertion in battle. Finn could have easily had Vitus finish the creature, sending it back into the depths of the sea back to its ship, but he wanted to know more about who it was, and what happened to the Walrein. He climbed his way up Thaedra’s back and onto her head, and motioned the serpent forward despite her animosity towards the hostile spirit. He could feel Bade there with him too, and her shadow loomed over them now as Finn moved forward still, but he wasn’t afraid.
”Spirit, hear me, I beg your pardon. I humbly request a parley,” Finn spoke out, apologizing to the Dhelmise. The ghost heaved a breath, turning to face Finn atop Thaedra’s head.
”A parley? What treachery do you wish, human,” the Dhelmise spoke then, and Finn could feel the animosity from the ghost, the way it spat the word ‘human’ at him.
”If knowledge is treachery, I’ll be properly hanged for my crimes. I wish to know of your fate to The Walrein,” Finn inquired. This seemed to catch the Dhelmise off guard, but it turned more to face Finn now.
”What does this knowledge mean to you,” it questioned then, though it’s tone was not hostile or aggressive now, instead it seemed to be at a sort of ease.
”In truth, I believe this to be a fated encounter. I myself am no more a whole being than you are… I know of your species, bound to the ships that you perished on, honoring a life at sea with your final breath. You used to be a living being, but now you struggle with the remnants of your mortality, just as I do…,” Finn spoke then, having never encountered a Dhelmise in his life, but ever since his own death, he now understood what it must be like to be harbored to a body that just didn’t feel quite right… The Dhelmise was silent for a moment, but seemed to take in Finn’s words, eyeing him with the compass that looked as though it were truly focused on him.
”How is it that you, a mere human, have come to understand mortality in such a way,” the ghost asked.
”I have died, I lost my mortality and was meant to cross over, but I was pulled away and placed back into my body by the ferrier of souls, Yveltal,” Finn answered, looking up to the sky above him, and the Dhelmise followed his gaze, finding Bade in the air above them. While all of this was taking place, Bade was searching in herself to find who this spirit used to be, and it wasn’t until she made eye contact with the Dhelmise that she found their soul, long lost to the world over two hundred years ago. She was young in her life cycle then… She hadn’t quite yet become prominent in her place in the world...
”I know your soul… Your fate was not supposed to end in you being bound to your ship…,” Bade commented solemnly… She couldn’t get to their soul in time to ferry it to the other side before it was too late…
”Aye… My fate is sealed… Has been for more than two centuries,” the ghost spoke then, though it was an acceptance of Bade’s apology, for now it was too late for her to change what had happened.
”Who are you to The Walrein,” Finn asked again, looking out to the ghost. There was silence for a few moments, save for the waves of the sea around them, but finally the Dhelmise began to speak, telling its story.
”My name was Groves, and in my life I was a Gallade. Flint was an unbalanced human who sought out power and fortune in every facet that he could and had built a fleet of ships in his infamy, but always wanted more. He had a Sableye amongst his crew, and when Flint encountered me, that wretched ghost imprisoned me on the ship, forever bound and hidden from the world. Flint demanded my power, my capabilities in teleporting in order to flee from pursuit and evade all eyes of those he targeted, thus building the legend that is still known of his reign,” the Dhelmise explained solemnly, and Finn could tell that these memories were still just as painful for it to recount, being able to recall them in vivid detail despite this being over two hundred years ago…
”Over time, Flint became unhinged, manic almost, and raved about protecting his treasure and the fortune he had built. He became distrusting, and eventually destroyed every ship of his fleet, and finally marooned the rest of his crew in a fear that they only sought to steal his riches. He vowed to hide his treasure, wanted to be the only one that knew where it was aside from his trusted Sableye, but kept me aboard for his travels. I was made blind to the rest of the ship’s sailing until a treacherous storm struck, and since there was no crew to man the ship, we were doomed. Flint was a coward then, abandoned ship in an attempt to salvage his own life… But I was still trapped there, forever imprisoned by that Sableye, and thus accepted my fate as the vessel succumbed to the power of the storm…,” the ghost finished, recounting his final moments in life before being bound to the ship for the rest of his existence, having to live with that pain, the imprisonment for centuries, never being able to be free again. Finn listened carefully to the ghost’s story, just as all of his Pokemon did, and he couldn’t believe the tale he had just been told. All of the legend and lore he had heard of the Walrein all made sense now, knowing that Flint was using teleportation to travel the lengths of the sea that he was, but Finn had no idea that the ship, and the reason for it’s capabilities had had such a tragic end…
”I cannot undo your fate… I apologize that I was not there to tend to your soul in death…,” Bade spoke first, being able to feel the Dhelmise’s pain.
”You’re generous in your words, I’d always heard tellings of the harbinger of death, but never imagined to be met with kindness,” the ghost admitted, glancing up to Bade above them.
”I cannot change your existence in the world, but would like to recompense for my absence those years ago. I can free you from your bonds to this vessel, you would be free from that prison,” the wyvern offered, hoping to make some amends for her mistake in the early parts of her life cycle.
”I would be eternally indebted to you,” the ghost remarked, unable to fathom what it would be like to be free for the first time in centuries.
”No debt to be paid,” Finn commented, earning the ghost’s attention.
”You’ve lived a life of servitude long enough. As a captain of my crew, I would never ask for a life debt for any mate” the pirate returned.
”Phineas is right, there is nothing we would ask of you,” Archimedes added, situated behind him on Thaedra’s back.
”Then I humbly request to become a part of your crew. I believe this to be a fated encounter as well,” Groves requested then, pulling in his anchor from the water below and turning fully towards Finn.
”Aye, we have an accord then,” the pirate agreed with a smile.