The Representative of Hope (PG/PG 13)

[Scytherwolf]

Wow, you seem to be writing these chapters fast! (Or at least, faster than me. xD) Glad you have so much inspiration!

I liked this chapter. It was kind of scary how the village wanted to keep them from leaving, and I'm glad that they found a pokemon who was willing to help them and show them a place where they could sneak through to the other village.
I liked how Lucy was telling them about the angry pokemon who were yelling...it gives a bit of foreshadowing. I wonder why the group didn't think about it that way though (that they might be planning to attack)? I do wonder how this will all turn out once those pokemon reach them...

You’ll have probably noticed that the walls aren’t particularly well-built. A part of them collapsed on they own and it’s now guarded.

Their

“We’ll wait until she comes find us at nightfall.

I think it should be 'comes to find us.'

and mum wouldn’t want her to wander at the streets too late at night.

I don't think 'at' needs to be there...but it could be replaced with 'in.'

I noticed that it took the celestial body more time than usually

Usual

There were a lot of grownups in the house and all of them were yelling and gesturing so, I ran away

Don't need that comma. xD

I'm looking forward to the next one, and seeing how they get out of this problem!

[Golden_Ray]

Yeah, I don't know what's happening to me! XD I start typing and find myself almost finishing the chapter in one sitting. And to think that I didn't feel like writing because I thought I didn't have any inspiration! They probably didn't want to believe they would launch an attack or at least launch an attack so soon after they had agreed to. Or it just didn't cross their mind for some reason.

Chapter 41
Lucy and Dan's bravery

Panicked, I started shaking my friends into wakefulness and alerting them to the danger we were currently in. What Lucy had witnessed the previous day was a war meeting between her villagers. Hanavir had decided to attack and Tamavir wasn’t going to stand there and look!

“Oh no!” Dan exclaimed, horrified.

The two armies seemed in complete disorder as they furiously proceeded with fists striking the air and fearsome growls echoing from both sides. Suddenly, both sides stopped and a female Pokemon stepped forward from Hanavir’s ranks.

“So, you finally decided to come out and fight you dishonest cowards!”

It didn’t take me long to realize that the Lucario who had stepped forward was Dan and Lucy’s mother. She probably had a high place in the village’s hierarchy or she was simply their spokesperson.

Another Pokemon at the front of Tamavir’s ranks was about to reply hadn’t he been shoved away by another male. It was none other than the Lucario father.

“You dare come out and speak!” he called back to her outraged. “Since when did you become so important to speak for an entire village?”

“Since the day you and your fellow-villagers decided to let us die!” she spoke of the Pokemon of Tamavir so contemptuously I could almost imagine her wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“You should better say since the day you were so unable to lower your royal heads a little bit and abide by the law!”

I glimpsed at Dan, worriedly. I could clearly see his hurt expression. That was not only a fight between the two villages but also a fight between his own parents.

Soon, more Pokemon stepped forward to take part in the argument and it wasn’t long before I couldn’t tell who cursed who. Fists shot up once more and it was obvious that the rage of both sides would soon be unleashed.

Dan’s face was the very definition of pain as he stared at the yelling individuals. With his fists clenched tightly and his teeth gritted, he managed to speak with a hoarse and trembling voice. “We should better find shelter. We can’t do anything anymore. I shouldn’t have slept in... You didn’t have to see that, Lucy… Lucy?” his expression swiftly changed to one of utter terror. “Lucy?!” he shouted out, unable to control his voice.

We frantically looked around for the young Riolu but she was nowhere to be seen. We were about to really start panicking when fierce battle cries made us freeze. And then we saw her.

Lucy had run all the way to the midst of the two advancing armies with her hands outstretched, in an attempt to stop them. Dan scowled angrily and darted towards his sister, reaching her when the two armies were merely a few meters away from each other. But he didn’t take her out of the way. Instead, he stood beside her with his arms stretched out too, facing towards the opposite side.

Seeing the two kids standing right in the middle of the battlefield, the Pokemon had to stop. The two adult Lucarios spoke up again, recognizing their children.

“Lucy, get away from there right now!” the female ordered her furiously.

“We have a lot of talking to do back home, young man!” Dan’s father was heard from Tamavir’s army, as infuriated as their mother.

“Do you honestly believe there are many chances you’ll return home after that?” Dan yelled back at him. It was clear that just the thought of what his words meant was paining the young Lucario but it was the truth.

His words seemed to take aback both parents as they were unable to say another word. However, an extremely grim-faced Blastoise from Tamavir’s ranks addressed them.

“Jess, Thomas, this is a very important matter. If you can’t take your kids away, then we’ll have to pass over them.”

“Then you’ll have to pass over us too!”

We had quickly made our decision. All four of us were standing around the two siblings, staring sternly towards the villagers.

Silence fell over both sides. The vast majority of the Pokemon had no idea we had actually arrived at the area while the rest would never think they would see us interfering with the battle. What all of them knew for sure, though, was that they couldn’t kill us by any means. Some of them possibly were so insolent and blinded by hatred that would crush two kids with no second thought; but killing six kids one of which was the Representative was beyond anything they would ever dare to do. Even if someone felt like doing that, they’d have to face the rage of the others.

“Representative, please step away and let us continue. This is none of your business.” A Pokemon from Hanavir pleaded politely even though the shock and irritation were visible in his voice.

“None of my business?” I asked sarcastically. “Oh, yes, it is my business. It’s my business as much as it’s yours and as much as it’s to someone living far away in the desert. It’s something happening in my country and that automatically makes it my business.” I replied and did my best to hide my surprise because I never expected I would be able to talk like that to someone. I was probably pretty enraged after realizing just how far these two villages were willing to go.

“Now,” Rien started, “if you want us to step away we gladly will, you just have to turn around, return to your villages and make peace first.”

“They’re trying to violate the law by wanting to share the lake for free!” someone from Tamavir’s side shouted.

“Since when did you actually start to follow the tyrant’s laws so eagerly? Ain’t they supposed to be unfair?” Feather said ironically.

The Pokemon of Hanavir took that as a sign that we were supporting them and prepared to point that out. Delilah had predicted that, though, and made sure to stop them before they started.

“Not like you’re any better!” she spat at them. “Look at what both of you have done!” she continued pointing at Dan and Lucy. “You separated Pokemon from their loved ones just because you can’t do something about your arrogance. The country is about to fall apart and instead of reacting, all you can do is fight with each other and make things worse for everyone.”

“But the law…” a Pokemon tried to protest but I interrupted.

“The law, the law!” I replied, annoyed. “You seem to like this particular law a lot. I’m wondering if you also like all these laws concerning how quickly you’re supposed to pay your taxes. What we’re supposed to be doing is trying to change these laws. And if we fight together, we might actually make it! If I ever have enough power over laws, I promise that this particular one will disappear.”

I wasn’t exactly surprised when some of them laughed ironically but it still hurt. Most Pokemon genuinely respected and supported me but I doubted they believed as strongly that I would actually survive. I had visibly become much more respectable after my first success in Forenham and slowly everyone started to believe that I wasn’t easy to kill but, there probably weren’t many who thought I would make it to the very end. I could possibly reach far, but not to the end.

Someone from Tamavir tried to express everyone’s thoughts politely. “But, what if you never get to change it?”

“If I die in the process, you’re free to start quarreling once more. As long as I’m alive, though, I forbid you from continuing this madness. You are free to join me when the time to fight the tyrant comes or stay neutral but you cannot fight against each other.” I replied as solemnly as I could, in an attempt to show them I really meant what I was saying. “In the meantime, both of you will use the lake free of charge.”

The two armies stood there undecided for a minute but soon, all of the Pokemon turned around and returned to their homes. I could only think of three reasons they did that. They thought I was going to die soon so they could wait for some more, they believed I would actually change the law or, deep down, they knew this whole situation was unreasonable and were happy it ended. I strongly hoped it was the last one because it was the only choice sure to be able to prevent something like that from happening again.

Dan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to us, smiling. “Thank you! We couldn’t have made it without you!”

“What you did was really brave.” Delilah solemnly told them. “It’s yourselves you must thank. We would have never thought of doing something like that to stop them.”

Dan was about to reply but Lucy was tugging his hand, showing something to him. Their parents were approaching them from opposite sides. They both had a nervous and slightly embarrassed look on their faces. We moved aside so that they could pass. Their kids stared at them silently, not knowing what to expect.

The male Lucario spoke first. “What you did was very dangerous.” He looked at the two children sternly but he seemed unable to show anger. “You shouldn’t have interfered. You could have gotten yourselves killed.”

“Someone had to do it, papa!” was Lucy’s reply.

“Don’t you ever do something so reckless again.” The female told them but she too couldn’t sound as angry as she’d like to. Their parents were probably even a bit proud. Their children had managed to oppose two outraged armies without thinking twice about it.

“We won’t if you don’t start fighting again.” Dan promised earnestly.

“Mama, papa, will all of us live together now that the silly argument is over?” Lucy questioned joyously, expecting a positive answer.

The two adult Lucario looked at each other, seeming awkward. They had just exchanged some harsh words and I could imagine they still felt a slight hatred for each other’s village. However, now that the rush of battle wasn’t upon them and they had a chance to understand how their children felt, they seemed a lot less hostile towards one another.

“Yes, let’s go back to Tamavir.” The father suggested, still staring at the female with an unreadable expression.

The other pursed her lips at the mention of the village’s name but she didn’t protest. It was obvious that none of them felt like arguing again. They could as well discuss the matter later.

She laid her hand on Lucy’s back and pushed the now elated Riolu towards Tamavir, with the male walking beside them. Nothing could betray they were quarreling for a long time right now.

Dan didn’t follow them and they didn’t question him. He wanted to show us the dam over which the two villages were fighting.

Once we reached River Clarion, a multitude of thoughts filled my mind. First of all, I understood why the river had gotten itself that name. The rapid river made a loud sound similar to the call to battle as it rushed by in tremendous speeds.

My second thought was that the dam didn’t seem like something pretty valuable. It looked pretty worn as if the Pokemon had stopped taking care of it and the drawings of Gyardos had slightly faded. It wasn’t pretty big or imposing and I had to wonder how it managed to stand against the constant beatings of the powerful river.

My last thought was mostly a quick remindment of the story behind the dam and the river.

We sat on a log lying down next to the river; probably one of the victims of River Clarion’s unstoppable power. Dan decided to speak about the dam and I listened patiently even though I knew most of the things he said.

“A long time ago, plenty of Gyrados used to live in the river. It was only normal of course since there aren’t many Pokemon who could survive in such a rapid river. When other Pokemon came to inhabit the area, they asked the Gyarados whether they could build a dam in the river. Although known for their violent personalities and short temper -this area always seems to gather that sort of Pokemon for some reason!- they allowed them to do whatever they wanted as long as they had some rights over the dam. That’s how it got the name Gyarados’ Dam.

“When Jicicle the first took over though, the Gyarados couldn’t stand living in an enslaved country and left Aesler to the tyrant’s satisfaction since he probably didn’t want to deal with such fierce Pokemon. As such the dam was renamed Nasenvir Dam. I think that means “dam of the sister villages”. Yeah, Hanavir and Tamavir had so close a relationship as two siblings.

“That’s the story of the dam. Since the Gyarados left, maintenance of their dam isn’t so easy. You see these large water Pokemon could easily ignore the force of the river and work normally on the dam. Now, it’s an almost impossible task to fix damages close to the water’s surface and far from the banks. That’s why the dam isn’t at it’s best right now. The Gyarados were the ones who took full care of it and, as the centuries passed, its condition became worse and worse.”

“But, what will happen if the dam breaks down?” Rien asked.

“River Clarion will over flood.” Dan replied sadly. “That’s not what concerns us, though. The flood won’t be dangerous for the villages probably. What worries us is the fact that we’ll lose the lake and our water supply system. I guess we’ll have to leave when that happens.” He paused and stared at the dam thoughtfully. “That’s not going to happen very soon, though. Although old and worn, the dam seems to have a few more years of life.”

We sat there in silence for a few moments since no one had anything to say. Dan spoke again after a minute. “So, where are you going to go, now?”

His question caught me by surprise. I hadn’t thought about that until now.

“I mean,” he continued, “you made your return known to everyone by stopping a battle.” He winked. “You can’t want anything more after that! “The Resistance” will make sure to spread the news of your new deed everywhere! If things hadn’t gone that way, I’d recommend you visit Hanavir but, I’m not sure how hospitable its inhabitants will be after the incident. Same goes for Tamavir.”

“I think I’ve got an idea!” Feather exclaimed after a moment of thought. “We’re right next to the Luminous Forest, right? Why don’t we pay a visit to my and Delilah’s village?” he suggested with a smile. “I’d like to see my foster parents and I’m sure you could say high to a few acquaintances too, Delilah!”

“Sure! I miss my village so much, after all! Let’s just hope that my parent isn’t there, though…” she added, nervously. It probably wasn’t easy for her to say that. Advisor Rai was her father and I was sure she missed him and yet, for the safety of all of us, she had to hope to never see him again.

“It’s decided then!” Rien declared. “I’d like to see your village again, too! It will bring back memories!”

Rien had met with Delilah and Feather a month before I did and had stayed with them in their village. That’s where they had become friends and decided to leave the forest in search for me. When we met, they already were far enough from their village so I never got a chance to see it. I’d really like to see the place from where a huge help in my journey -my friends- had come. After all, I probably wouldn't have gone so far without their support.

Gone so far…

That’s when it struck me. I had journeyed across the entire country and was now returning to the very beginning! It was a feat that had taken us about half a year but we had made it! We had made it and I was still alive and accomplishing more than I ever thought I could!

“Yes, back to the Luminous Forest!” I exclaimed happily.

With an extremely happy mood upon every one of us, we discussed about our return and eating a good meal before that in the village as well as promising to meet with Dan again one day.

~*~

Advisor Rai was once more heading to the throne room. This time he was unable to show any sort of emotion. He couldn’t feel scared or angered; that exhausted he was. All the day he had to deal with reports about which Pokemon went to prison, how many taxes were collected, which places were currently checked by soldiers, fake Representatives… The list went on and on.

Continued in the next post...

[Golden_Ray]

He looked outside of a window at the breaking dawn. What the heck could the tyrant want in such an hour? The Luxray sure didn’t need anyone to tell him that it certainly wasn’t good but tiredness wouldn’t let him worry about that.

One of the guards went to announce his arrival. Rai entered the room with a sigh and eyelids that could hardly stay open. The high-ceilinged room, already grim-looking by the lack of sunlight seemed like a monster’s lair with the tyrant’s odd purple eyes gleaming at the far end.

The Luxray bowed as best as he could and kept his sight on the ground until the Fearow addressed him. The flying type didn’t speak, though. Instead, he threw a pack of yellowish papers in front of Rai.

The electric type quickly read the first page’s headline: “The Representative makes her appearance again! The young Jolteon puts an end to a feud, announcing that she hasn’t given up yet.” The subheading read.

He lifted his eyes to the Fearow, expecting one of his usual anger outbursts. He was shocked to see that his expression didn’t betray anger at all. He was his normal, cold self and Rai could even say that he seemed excessively calm and collected that day.

“She’s back.” He simply stated, the fact that the Jolteon had ruined a part of his plans not bothering him at all.

“What do you want me to do?” Advisor Rai questioned, not knowing what else to say.

“Dispatch five units of the royal guard and send them to block the Luminous Forest Peninsula and send a sixth one compiled solely of water types to patrol the Great Gulf.”

“But, Your Majesty, don’t you think this is a very risky move?” Rai protested. “You can’t dispatch the royal guard; it’s too dangerous for you!”

“Calm down, Rai. I’m not dispatching the entire guard, just a part of it. Besides, this fort here is pretty strong. If anyone dares to attack, it’ll last long enough for the royal guard to return and suppress the rebellion. Also, if you do that with utmost secrecy, I doubt that anyone will even suspect the royal guard is missing.”

Rai’s uncertainty was probably very apparent in his eyes since the tyrant continued with comforting words.

“Can’t you see it, Rai? She’s no longer playing safe. If she was, she wouldn’t have gone where we expected her to go and she wouldn’t have jumped right in the middle of a battlefield. She’s merely a pest and yet she has eluded us for all these months while we made moves that would keep us safe. Keep us safe! What is there we’re afraid of, Rai? Even if the entire city suddenly attacked the fortress, I could unleash upon them the entire army. No amount of Pokemon would be able to survive attacks coming from soldiers trained to kill instantly. No other has such skill in battling in this country.”

The Luxray bent his head. He didn’t want to admit that his words were true because he still was pretty concerned about this sudden change of plans.

“Rai,” the Fearow started once more, still sounding perfectly calm, “I understand now that this kid can’t be caught easily. I don’t know how she always manages to escape but I can see that no conventional ways work on her. I tried to eliminate her, I tried to capture her with cunning, I tried to send her away, I tried to let other Pokemon with no connection to me get her… Nothing worked. She always had an ally or luck by her side. She needs special treatment it seems and the royal guard is the only thing I haven’t tried yet. You know that only the best of the best can ever become royal guards. They are meant to be able to catch a kid, no matter how special that kid is.”

“But, what if she’s not headed to the Luminous Forest Peninsula, Your Highness?” the advisor asked.

“The thought of her homeland must be pulling her there. We’ll have to risk it.” The Fearow calmly replied. The Luxray looked dumbfounded. Never in his life had he seen his master so cool. He spoke with a peculiar confidence, the confidence of the person who can see a positive outcome in a crisis, a person who watches the world collapse and is claiming that everything is part of a bigger plan.

There was nothing else Rai could do than bow and assure the tyrant that he would carry out his orders. As he was leaving the room, the Fearow’s voice stopped him.

“Oh and, Rai, find that Gallade called Silver and send him to me. I want to exchange a few words with him.”

[Scytherwolf]

you just have to turn around, return at your villages and make peace first.”

To

I’m wondering if you like as much all these laws concerning how quickly you’re supposed to pay your taxes.

Kinda confusing ^^;

What we’re supposed to be doing is change these laws.

Changing? Trying to change?

They thought I was going to do die soon so they could wait for some more

Doesn't need to be there. xD

and the drawings of Gyardos’ had slightly faded.

Gyarados

The Gyarados were the ones who took full care of it and, as the centuries passed, it’s condition became worse and worse

Its ^^


Wow, that's awesome that you're having so much inspiration! (I hope I can as well soon...) I'm glad that big fight was able to be stopped (for now, at least). I'm glad that Jolty and her friends helped stopped it-I thought it was just going to be Lucy and Dan at first and it didn't seem like that would be enough. I thought the part about the gyarados leaving was interesting-I wonder how many pokemon managed to leave Aesler before the tyrant took over.

Two parts I really liked:

That’s when it struck me. I had journeyed across the entire country and was now returning to the very beginning! It was a feat that had taken us about half a year but we had made it! We had made it and I was still alive and accomplishing more than I ever thought I could!

I wasn’t exactly surprised when some of them laughed ironically but it still hurt. Most Pokemon genuinely respected and supported me but I doubted they believed as strongly that I would actually survive. I had visibly become much more respectable after my first success in Forenham and slowly everyone started to believe that I wasn’t easy to kill but, there probably weren’t many who thought I would make it to the very end. I could possibly reach far, but not to the end.

I liked how both of these showed her thoughts, and I loved the way they were described. It makes me wonder how many pokemon actually still believe she can do it.

I also liked the bit at the end with Rai and the Tyrant. Odd how he seemed so calm, but I sure hope the group will be able to avoid those trained soldiers...something tells me they won't be nearly as easy to stop as everything else if they're really as strong as the Tyrant claims they are. Though at the same time, I know I'll feel sorry for them if they fail, since it's not entirely their fault (at least as far as I know at this point). Keep up the good work!

[Golden_Ray]

I hope you'll get inspired too, Scythe! I really want to know what's going to happen now that Snowcrystal has found a clue! As for me, it seems that my inspiration is sort of over (for now at least because I have a feeling it will return soon). ^^; It lasted for two-and-a-half chapters, though, and that isn't halfway bad!

An update of the map: Aesler

Chapter 42
Memories and small secrets

I took a deep breath from both my nose and mouth letting the familiar smell fill my lungs. Even though we had already been inside the forest for a day, every now and then I felt a need to smell the homely fragrance of the Luminous Forest Peninsula.

Although my home was up in the mountains situated right in the middle of the forest, the smell of the woodland reached it in the misty peaks of my mountains and smelling it again reminded me of my village. It felt really good to be back in the place I grew up in after all that travelling. And it felt good to see the first new place I ever saw for a second time, to see the countless light patches on the forest floor which had impressed me so much when I first saw them.

The Luminous Forest wasn’t named like that for no reason. It was covered in bright green foliage which wasn't very thick but was thick enough not to let the sun rays pass freely, filling the ground with countless oddly shaped patches, making it look like a yellow and green mosaic.

Everything inside this huge forest seemed bright and happy. It looked like such a peaceful place it was hard even for me to imagine that I had once felt so horribly while crossing it. Could it possibly be some months ago when I had first set foot here with my eyes red from crying? Was it inside this forest that I had single-mindedly rejected my friends’ offer for help, overcome by insecurity and believing that life was unfair for throwing such a burden on my shoulders? And did I really run for three days by Rien, Delilah and Feather's side in order to escape from the Advisor and his soldiers?

It seemed so. I was truly amazed by how many things had changed since then. After I met with my friends, I didn’t cry once from homesickness and the negative thoughts I used to make in the first days of my journey had dramatically decreased. I even started to feel happy during our voyage with the Lapras pack where I forgot my worries for a bit and enjoyed the sun and the sea, seeing the rest of the world for the very first time and setting my sight on my goals, determined to do my best to go as far as I could.

“What are you thinking?” Rien asked me, probably noticing I was lost in my thoughts.

“The beginning.” I replied. “You know, when we met here.”

“Not very pleasant, right?” he teased me. “You weren’t in the best of moods, you need to admit it.”

“No, I wasn’t!” I smiled with his comment. “And maybe I would still be in a bad mood hadn’t you showed up. Good company really benefitted me you know.” I told them sincerely.

They smiled. “It’s nice to know we were of some help!” said Delilah. “It’s the least we could do in exchange for this terrific adventure you offered us! I always wanted a tour around the country!”

“That wasn’t exactly a tour.” Feather pointed out, grinning. “I suppose we did learn more than what we would have learned if we had hired a tour guide... and if tour guides still existed that is.”

We continued our way, joking and sharing our memories from the past. I just realized how differently each of us had perceived the events of the days we had spent together in the forest.

Delilah clearly remembered how angry she was during that period, mainly because of her father’s actions. She was already fed up with his constant departures for Sorvenvar and she hated hearing everyone talk about his actions. They were mostly bad ones, that’s why. She had long decided to leave her home and my appearance gave her a reason to. She was the one who had the idea to find me and she was the one who persuaded Feather to follow her since they were friends from their early childhood. The truth is, though, that she didn’t quite believe her plan would be a success. Not to mention that she never thought she would be able to leave her own home. Something happened with her father, though, -she was unwilling to tell us- and she ran away with Feather and the newly arrived Rien, not thinking twice about abandoning her life in the village and her father.

Feather, on the other hand, wasn’t so glad to leave his house. Even though the elderly couple that took care of him had raised him in such a way that he was pretty much independent and was able to live without them, he felt guilty for leaving them. After his parents’ deaths when he was merely an infant, the two elders had gladly accepted to take care of him. Old as they were, though, they couldn’t do for him what most parents do for their kids while they were afraid they would die before the Pidgeotto was old enough to fend for himself. As such, they started teaching him how to survive pretty early on. Soon, the young Feather could hunt for himself, travel far from the village on his own, effectively protect himself, clean the house and so on.

What was troubling him was the thought that his foster-parents wouldn’t be able to take care of themselves when he was away. Who would be there to do housework when they were sick or simply exhausted? Wouldn’t they be heart-broken when they found out their beloved kid had left them all alone? But then, he really wanted to live this so-promising adventure with the Representative while his friendship with Delilah made him feel oblidged to follow her and help as much as he could. In the end, his loyalty to his friend won and he left a quick note to his foster-parents, explaining what had made him to leave.

Rien didn’t speak much –or I should better say at all- about his previous life. He simply mentioned that he also couldn’t stand life back at his home and decided to leave. Not knowing where he was supposed to go, he ended up in Feather and Delilah’s village, Serevir, and met with the two Pokemon. They quickly became very close friends and Delilah shared her idea of going away on an adventure when the first rumors about a new Representative reached her ears. The homeless Rien had nothing to keep him there so he easily agreed. He had nothing to lose after all. The only two Pokmeon he had met after abandoning his home would leave so, why would he want to stay back and be alone?

That plan was probably just a childish dream back then as they admitted they didn’t honestly believe there was a chance they would meet me and I made sure to point that out quite profoundly in our first meeting but, where would I be now without this “silly, insane dream” of theirs?

As for me, I had a different story to tell which, though, had a lot of similarities with my friends’ stories. Like Feather, I was raised in a manner which would allow me to be an independent person as fast as possible. My parents made sure to find me an elemental stone as soon as I was three or four years old and strong enough to withstand the change. I was taught how to fight in order to protect myself and they even risked to bring me banned books in order to get the best education possible and understand how the world worked. I was raised to be a fair ruler and someone who could lead and inspire. Although I was particularly privileged in comparison to other kids in Aesler, I didn’t exactly relish my life in my village, pretty much like Delilah and Rien. Even though I adored my family and I perfectly understood how much I was offered since I was born, I lacked a very important part of childhood in my village, Hillvir: being carefree.

I couldn’t get out and play with the other kids, I couldn’t follow my parents in a walk around the village, I couldn’t go to any trips, I couldn’t do anything all kids enjoy to do because I had to stay hidden inside my home. I solely went out for a small excursion to the forest every now and then and I always had to wear something which would cover my mark. Once or twice a year, I was allowed to see the rest of the village and my parents claimed I was a niece of theirs who had barely escaped from a predator and had a terrible scar which she always kept hidden. I had no friends or acquaintances. Only a few selected friends of my parents knew of my existence and they were the only ones that ever visited us. I think that even my parents hated being unable to go out and enjoy a walk with their daughter and, maybe that’s why they decided to have another child… Not that I felt bad for that decision. I was deeply grateful for the company my sister kept me. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know how I would have been able to withstand the loneliness.

This way of life made me dream of one day becoming strong and brave enough to get out in the world without having to hide. That’s why I swallowed all knowledge I was given willingly, trying to become worthy of my mark as fast as I could in order to be free. However, wisdom and strength wasn’t something that could be obtained easily and it definitely wasn’t something twelve-year-olds were supposed to have aplenty and, as such, I wasn’t truly ready to become a ruler when the grave news of Forenham’s condition arrived in Hillvir.

If I said that I had never dreamed of being successful in my mission or that I had never felt anxious for the moment I would be able to travel, I would be a big liar. Like every kid, I liked to imagine myself being a hero. However, as I started growing up, I had to face the reality and I knew that I wasn’t ready. I constantly asked myself: “Could I get out of my home and never return, right now?” The answer was always no and that’s why I was desperate when my parents asked me to decide whether I wanted to wait until I was stronger or go to Forenham.

I was in a terrible dilemma. My logic told me to stay safe because a twelve-year old would never be able to survive out there but another unreasonable voice which was still affected by the dreams I had as a kid kept repeating “This is what you always wanted.”

Stressed out as I was back then, I had come to believe that the unreasonable voice was correct. I did want that, didn’t I? I thought that I was lying to myself by saying that it was better if I waited patiently to grow up, Forenham or no Forenham, and that I was too cowardly to follow my dreams and stay true to my cause. After all, I was raised to strongly believe that my duty was the most important part of my life.

These thoughts combined with all the pressure I felt from having to decide quickly and the news about the starving Forenham made me give a positive reply. Yes, I would go to stand by Forenham’s side and encourage its Pokemon to stay strong. The former-capital was the country’s only beacon of hope and it shouldn’t stop helping the country to have faith in its independence. And, even if Forenham fell, I’d have to quickly take its place in keeping everyone’s hopes up before they could become too desperate to rebel.

I soon realized that I had chosen a path of no return. My parents started to carefully spread rumors about a Representative. We waited for a week or so to make sure that most of the Pokemon knew about me before I was allowed to depart. That was when panic overtook. I started wondering what I had done as there was a strange, horrible realization that my end was closing in. For some reason, I was determined that I was going to die soon after I left my village. This thought brought another one with it. If I died right after my appearance had been announced and if Forenham lost, then I would have actually done more harm than good. The Pokemon would end up much more desperate than if Forenham had simply fallen.

And that was when desperation came to stand next to panic and torture me. These two feelings were the only things I could remember from this one week. That and maybe the failed attempts of my entire family to cheer me up. My parents tried to be strong and give me a good example while my sister did her best to paint pictures of the glorious future of mine.

I couldn’t help but try to look like a strong, resolute person as thanks for all they did for me. I don’t know if I succeeded. I only know that I broke down when the time to say goodbye came. I couldn’t stop tears from flowing no matter what and no other member of the family could either. I made sure to leave as quickly as possible so as not to make it any harder but I sort of regretted doing so now. I wish I could have been brave enough not to be so overcome by grief and properly tell them how grateful I was to them and how much they meant to me.

After that day I travelled alone. I remember I proceeded slowly and I had plenty of sudden tearful outbursts in the beginning. I though managed to finally accept my fate and started to recover from these emotional breakdowns even though sorrow overshadowed all other feelings for most of the time.

I was in such a horrible mood when I first met my friends. They didn’t seem to care much, though. All they cared for was to help me and I thanked them for that more than they could imagine. After I finally realized I wasn’t alone, all these dreadful feelings and thoughts disappeared just like that. Since then, I made sure to rarely think of my home. It was strange that I was thinking about it now. However, it was even stranger that the sadness didn’t return along with the memories. It seemed like I had gotten over this completely now.

As we were talking about our pasts, Delilah suddenly let out a happy cry. “I remember this place!” she announced and trotted joyfully towards a tree. “This is where the village starts, right Feather?”

“Yeah!” he exclaimed and flew towards her. “It’s incredible how I can still recognize the environment after all this time we were gone! Come on guys, follow us!”

The two Pokemon rushed forward and Rien and I stuck with them. Soon, we saw a few houses passing by as our friends led us to their own homes. Not long after they had first announced we had arrived in the village, Feather stopped flying outside of a house made from light brown wood. It seemed like the general wooden building that could be found in the vast majority of the villages in Aesler. Simple square windows, a sloped roof and a door that wasn’t particularly sturdy indicating that nothing of value could be found inside the house and as such there was no reason for security.

From the tree that came out from a hole in the roof, though, I understood that this home belonged to flying types. These Pokemon had no problem to live in a house on the ground as long as they could use a tree to rest on and watch over the place. We were probably outside Feather’s home.

The Pidgeotto solemnly approached the door, took a deep breath and knocked with his beak thrice. He nervously waited as the door opened and an elderly Staraptor with a cane showed himself. The Pokemon’s colors had faded greatly taking a more grayish tone and his eyes, instead of the usual keenness of this specie, had a tired but very kind expression.

The elder gasped in shock upon seeing Feather but he quickly put down his cane in order to embrace him. “Feather!” he exclaimed with a voice which wasn’t even close as weak as the rest of his body seemed. “Thank Rayquaza your safe! We were so worried when you left!”

“You shouldn’t have! I’m fine!” Feather smiled and hugged his foster-parent too. “I missed you! Where is Anni? Is she alright?”

As if replying to his question, a Swellow appeared. Her feathers had too lost their shine but the kindness was apparent in her eyes just like the Staraptor’s. “What’s going on Crest? Who’s at the do-” she left her sentence unfinished as she dashed as fast as her old legs could carry her and took Feather in her own embrace. “My boy! You returned! Don’t you ever leave us like that again!”

“I’m sorry Anni! But I’m alright. See? I brought my friends too!”

The two flying types turned to face us. We bent our heads respectfully as a greeting. The elders stared back solemnly and imitated our move. “Representative.” Anni began. “It’s an honor to have you here. Although deeply saddened by Feather’s departure, we knew that he had chosen an honest path. We’re proud that our kid made friends like the three of you. We’ve heard of your numerous deeds and all we can say is that he couldn’t have made a better choice.”

“Thank you.” I replied. “You’ve raised him wonderfully.”

“Come in, young ones. I’m sure you’ll be hungry!” the Staraptor smiled and opened the door wide for us to pass.

We went inside the house and found ourselves in the kitchen which contained only the most necessary things. A table, some chairs and a kitchen bench. We sat down and the Swellow placed a bowl full of fruits on the table.

“This is all we have I’m afraid.” She told us, seeming ashamed that she couldn’t offer something more. “We rarely have visitors you see.”

“You don’t have to apologize!” Rien told them with a smile. “Fruits are great!” he grabbed one quickly and wolfed it down. I hadn’t realized it but I really was starving. We were so absorbed in finding the village that we had forgotten to eat.

Everyone laughed and we soon started discussing. The two elders wished to learn about our story. Feather didn’t speak much. He mostly enjoyed being back home.

Once we finished with our narration, the Staraptor nodded his head solemnly and patted Feather on the back. “I see what you went through…” he then glanced at the Swellow who nodded ever so slightly. “After hearing all this, I suppose that there’s no reason to hide it anymore.”

“What do you mean, Crest?” Feather questioned the male, understanding that these words were meant for him.

Crest sighed and started. “Feather, Anni and I knew your parents. They were distant relatives of ours. We didn’t have the closest of relationships but it seems that they trusted us. We’ve told you that they died in the hands of the tyrant’s soldiers and it is true but we never said why. You see, they asked us not to tell you to keep you safe but that didn’t work. You chose their path anyway.”

“What are you talking about?” Feather asked once more, seeming nervous from being kept a secret.

“Feather, both of your parents were Representatives.” Anni said softly yet proudly.

“Um, I don’t think that’s possible. Jolty is the first one after three centuries.” Rien noted.

“No, she isn’t.” Crest smiled kindly. “She is the first one to survive and make her presence known throughout the country, I give that to her but, she’s not the first one born. Your parents are the proof of that and I’m willing to bet that there were more before them too.

Continued in next post

[Golden_Ray]

“However, your parents had stayed hidden and that’s why nobody found out about them. Until the day they were discovered of course. Someone happened to accidentally find their hideout and left to inform the tyrant as fast as they could. You had already been born when that happened and your parents rushed here to deliver you to us. They knew that once they had been discovered survival wouldn’t be easy and they tried to at least ensure your safety.

“And they were right. A few weeks later, we were informed of their deaths. They were executed in secret of course since the tyrant didn’t want to let the Pokemon learn that the Representatives continued to exist. Nobody ever found out about their true identities. Even we didn’t know that before they came to us. We were only sending an occasional letter to each other every now and then for the past years. We didn’t even know what they looked like until they arrived with a tiny Pidgey in their embrace.

“Your mother was an Altaria and your father a Pidgeot, Feather. Fine Pokemon, both of them, they’d be the Representatives of the Dragon and Flying type respectively. She had her mark on her forehead and your father’s was hidden below his left wing. They were already been chased down when they managed to evade their pursuers and come to the village. We couldn’t believe in our eyes back then but we promised to take care of you. They knew we had no kids and that we really wanted to have one.”

A complete silence had fallen over the room after the Staraptor finished talking. The news had deeply shocked me. Throughout my entire life I heard of how I was the first Representative and now I find out that I actually was not. Thousands of questions filled my mind. If Feather’s parents were Representatives who had remained hidden, then that meant they had spent their entire life in solitude like me. But, if that was the case, then how did they meet with each other? Were they hiding their marks with clothes each time they left the house just like I did? And if they were Representatives, then why didn’t they show themselves to the country? Were they afraid they wouldn’t make it? Did they think the time wasn’t right, yet? If there were others before of them, why didn’t they show up?

As if she could read my mind, the Swellow replied to my questions. “That’s all we know about them, I’m afraid. As my husband told you, we weren’t close enough to know plenty of details about their lives. We can’t tell you why they were hiding or how they had survived for all these years. They really seemed to love you, though, Feather. They asked us not to speak to you about them because they were afraid you would want to do what they hadn’t done and take the role of a Representative. But… I can see there was nothing that could prevent you from taking part in everyone’s attempt to free the country. As they say, like father like son.”

Feather who was listening dumbfounded for all this time opened and closed his mouth several times before he managed to speak. “W-wow...” He uttered at last. “That was completely unexpected.”

“You must be proud for your parents.” Crest said to the Pidgeotto with a smile. “They were Representatives but they achieved something even bigger: they brought up a son who stands loyal to another Representative, honoring their name.”

“Thanks...” Was all Feather could say, still dumbstruck.

“So, for how long are you planning to stay?” Anni asked to take our minds away from the confusing subject for a minute.

We looked at each other. We really weren’t planning to stay for long. In fact, we had decided not to spend more than a day in the village. That was both because we were afraid we wouldn’t want to leave again and because we wanted to continue with our journey… or at least with whatever we were about to do now that our journey was complete.

The Swellow didn’t have to read our thoughts to understand what the look meant. “It’s okay. You can leave as soon as you wish; we’re not going to keep you. You have things to do at your end. Just stay long enough for me to prepare a bag of supplies for you.”

“That’s not necessary!” I told her. “The forest is more than full of berries and fruits of all kinds. We’re definitely not going to get hungry while here.”

“I know, but I want to offer all the help I can.”

When she returned, she handed us a neat basket full of fruits and vegetables which could last us for a few days. We thanked both of the elders as Feather hugged both of them tightly once more, promising to visit them again once he had the chance.

The four of us continued walking around the village while Delilah and Feather shared stories from their childhood in Serevir. I wasn’t listening anymore, though. The questions inside my head where too many for me to ignore them. So, if I wasn’t the only Representative of these three centuries, then did that mean that if I died before freeing the country there would be more to come? Or was I the last one ever? And then, if I really wasn’t the first one, did I actually have another choice? Had I begun this journey with the false belief that I was the only one who could do it? It seemed like the answer to this last question was yes. Saving my country wasn’t the only option and yet that’s how I used to perceive it.

The realization created an odd feeling inside me. For all these years I felt the pressure of my inheritance, the Golen, weigh my heart. I believed that, if I failed, I would automatically doom the entire country. Was I wrong? It seemed like not everything depended on me. But then, why didn’t all the previous Representatives do something? Was it possible that they were all killed before they could make their presence known? As far as I knew, no. Was I ignoring something else that could actually answer to that question? I didn’t think so or, at least, I didn’t have enough intelligence on the matter at that time.

In the end, was I –even though I definitely wasn’t the only Representative born- the only one that could beat the tyrant? Was I blessed with so much good luck that I had managed to survive while other adults before me failed? All of the questions and the answers I gave kept leading back to where I had started: doubt. I couldn’t solve this mystery but I couldn’t stop thinking about it either.

The day passed like that. We quickly visited Delilah's home where a note reading the Advisor was not in his home stood. We didn't pass from the main square since we were afraid someone would see us and tell Rai once he returned. We had already left the village and camped in the forest when I was finally too exhausted to keep thinking. We were sitting around a small campfire as Rien was telling his own stories. We had annoyed him enough to finally make him speak some more about his childhood and he had finally decided to talk. After a while, he no longer seemed unwilling to do so and he was instead chattering unstoppably about it even though we still lacked a good amount of information as where was his home, who were his parents and the likes.

“…So I had ventured far away from my house without realizing it.” He was saying with an excited smile. “And then, I heard a nasty snarl. As you can understand, I was scared to death since there were a lot of rumors about a monster roaming the deepest parts of the Swamps.”

“Wait, the Swamps?” I asked him, raising my head from my paws. I was about to fall asleep when that word piqued my interest. Rien had never mentioned that he lived in a swamp. I also didn’t know of many swamps in Aesler. While there was a big variety of terrains in the country, swamps was definitely not one you would easily find.

For some reason Rien seemed to completely lose his calm by my question. “Wh-what? Swamps?” he stammered, blushing all over his face. “D-did I say Swamps?”

“Yes you did. I’m pretty sure about that.” Feather said suspiciously.

“Umm… That’s not what I meant. I meant… I-I meant…” Rien seemed to be out of words and he started to nervously tug a blade of grass.

“What’s up, Rien? What’s so bad about living in a swamp?” Delilah questioned him worriedly. “Come on, we’ve already told everything about our lives. You’re refusing to speak about your home for all these months. You can’t possibly think we’ll mock you or something! We’re your friends and we don’t care if you don’t come from some luxurious place. Who does after all? We’re all villagers.”

“Fine! But you asked for it!” Rien burst out but he wasn’t looking at us. “I’m from the Murky Swamps. Happy now?”

Silence fell. Rien was the only one who was moving as he kept tugging the grass blades.

So that’s why he wasn’t speaking about his homeland. The Murky Swamps were supposed to be a bad place. Why that was I wasn’t sure. It probably was another of the many prejudices that started to appear after the Jicicles took over. If I wasn’t mistaken, though, they were supposed to be inhabited by criminals and vicious Pokemon and all sorts of wrongdoers. The reason that particular place should be filled with villains was never explained but I knew that the fear for those who lived there was one which was deeply fixed in the hearts of all of the inhabitants of Aesler. I couldn’t deny it since the news had shocked me even though I couldn’t tell why. It didn’t make any difference after all. It still was Rien standing in front of us and not an outlaw. Why did I react like that?

Keeping my voice as steady and careless as possible I spoke. “Is that all?”

Rien stopped trying to outroot the grass around him and looked at me surprised.

“You’re not scared or disgusted?” he asked, seeming to be completely taken aback by my indifference.

“Of course we’re not, silly!” Delilah smiled once she got over her shock.

“I highly doubt you’re going to turn into a bad Pokemon this instant if you haven’t done so since now.” Said Feather. “The Rien we know is a kind Buizel although he can sometimes be untactful. We would be pretty shallow if we changed our minds just because of that piece of information.”

“So, you’re not going to tell me to leave your group?” Rien questioned, still unbelieving.

“We might consider doing so if you don’t stop being such an idiot!” I told him strictly. “You’re insulting us if you think we’ll abandon a friend like that!”

Rien’s eyes widened from happiness and he rushed to hug each of us, seeming deeply touched. “Thank you, guys! Oh, it’s such a load of my back! I really wanted to tell you because I hated keeping secrets from you but I was afraid you wouldn’t want me as a friend if I did so!”

I blinked, feeling a bit awkward about this sudden outburst of gratitude. I didn’t think it was that great of a deal. Besides, he should be grateful to himself since he was the one who managed to make us see the truth behind the prejudice. Ashamedly, I realized that I might not have been that open-minded had I not known him for so long.

“I left my home because life was starting to get quite hard at the Swamps. My family is very big and, considering the beliefs about us, it wasn’t easy to find a good job. Then again, it’s hard for every Pokemon in Aesler to find a good job nowadays. Most of my older brothers had already gone to find a job so I decided to leave too. They told me I was way too young but I wouldn’t listen. In the end, they couldn’t really say no since all help was welcome.

“I thus came to the Luminous Forest to see what I could do. I knew that no one would take a kid as a worker but I hoped I would be accepted as someone’s apprentice. After all, I knew how to read and write which definitely is a great pro not many would say no to. Well, I didn’t quite manage to do that since I met Feather and Delilah and decided that finding you, Jolty, was what I was going to do. Not exactly profitable but I have to admit I totaly forgot about my family’s problem.” He blushed. “So, now you know. That’s the story of my life. I was just thinking that we’re quite close to the Swamps and it would be nice if I could go visit my family.”

“Then maybe we should head there?” Feather suggested. I didn’t think any of us was totally free from the fear towards the swamps but I was sure none of us would deprive Rien of his wish to see his family.

“Really?” the Buizel asked, eyes agleam. “But, what about you, Jolty? Don’t you want to see your family too?’

“Well, I guess we could go to the swamps and return. They’re closer to Serevir after all. We could return and go to the mountains afterwards.”

“Thank you, Jolty!” he exclaimed joyfully. “So, let’s go to sleep and leave in the morning!”

Note: Biggest chapter I've ever written. Cheers!

[Scytherwolf]

I hope you'll get inspired too, Scythe! I really want to know what's going to happen now that Snowcrystal has found a clue! As for me, it seems that my inspiration is sort of over (for now at least because I have a feeling it will return soon). ^^; It lasted for two-and-a-half chapters, though, and that isn't halfway bad!

Thanks! I'm going to try writing again soon, though I've been having trouble lately. >.<


Didn't find many typos, only a few:

Even though the elderly couple that took care of him had raised him in such a way that he was pretty much independent throughout his entire life, he felt really bad for leaving them.

This sentence kind of sounded weird to me the way it was worded...

The Pidgeotto solemnly approached the door, took a deep breath and knowcked with his beak thrice.

Knocked

“I know but I want to offer all the help I can.”

Should have a comma after 'know.'


Wow, I was surprised to learn that there were other representatives...I wonder how many are still out there. It'll be interesting to know why they weren't known about for so long, too.
I really liked hearing about Jolty's past, and also her thoughts when she found out that she wasn't the only representative were interesting too. I like how she was questioning how she started her journey.
I also wondered why Rien was so hesitant to mention the swamps...I wonder what that place is like...

Hope you get inspiration soon and good luck with the next chapter!

[Golden_Ray]

Wow, I was surprised to learn that there were other representatives...I wonder how many are still out there. It'll be interesting to know why they weren't known about for so long, too.
I really liked hearing about Jolty's past, and also her thoughts when she found out that she wasn't the only representative were interesting too. I like how she was questioning how she started her journey.
I also wondered why Rien was so hesitant to mention the swamps...I wonder what that place is like...

Hope you get inspiration soon and good luck with the next chapter!

It'll take some time for more information about the Representatives to be known since there'll be a lot of things going on in the following chapters. There'll definitely be some insight in the matter later on, though. Thanks! I hope I get inspired again soon!

An update of the map: Aesler

Chapter 43
The Murky Swamps

We were in a very gloomy environment. The colors reigning over everything else in the Swamps were brown and grey while the thick mist that never cleared helped in making all things look even duller. By getting in there, I had no trouble understanding why they had such a bad reputation.

Thanks for Rien, our trip was a safe one since he seemed to know exactly where to go even though I failed to understand how he managed to find his way since everything looked the same to me. However, he was somehow able to tell us where we should watch our step and advised us to follow his steps as precisely as we could –something that would have been an almost impossible task with all that mist, hadn’t Rien taken with him one of the lamps that laid at the entrance for those who might want to venture inside the swamps.

As far as I knew, most swamps were not exactly as scary as they were described. They usually were home to plenty of Pokemon and were covered in vegetation. They simply were another green place you might even like if you weren’t bothered by excessive humidity and mud. These certain swamps, though, seemed to be exactly as scary as the Pokemon claimed. Trees without leaves jutted out from the muddy ground here and there, with branches seeming like ugly hands reaching out to grab you. In many places, I found myself fearing I had fallen in quicksand even though Rien constantly assured me that he knew very well where quicksands were situated inside the swamps. In the end, I couldn’t help but expect some thief to jump out from the mist and attack us.

And, from what Rien said, the prejudice about their inhabitants wasn’t totally false. The Murky Swamps were indeed a favorite hiding place for criminals but that didn’t mean all of their inhabitants were criminals themselves. Other places in Aesler served like hideouts for outlaws and they too sometimes didn’t have the best of reputations. It was just that the Swamps had the worst one for no particular reason. He indicated that during the years he lived there, he hadn’t met a single wrongdoer, only heard about them.

That didn’t exactly make me relax but I had to admit Rien seemed pretty confident. He really looked like he knew what he was doing and I trusted him blindly. After all, I could see this trip as a way to win over my fears and the beliefs that had been fixed inside me without my consent.

It was a matter of few hours to reach Rien’s village. The Buizel had managed to guide us safely to his home which was located in what one could call a clearing. There were none of the creepy trees there and the ground felt much more solid and safe to walk on. The houses were wooden and covered in moss while they had the repulsive smell of rotten wood. Right when I started to wonder how Rien had managed to live here for so long, I realized that this environment probably didn’t bother him at all. He was a water Pokemon and as such it was in his nature to feel comfortable with everything associated with water and that included both the humidity and its effects on wood. It probably was like living in a river with just a darker and gloomier appearance.

Excitedly, he led us towards his home, as he waved to other inhabitants of the swamp who happened to be walking outside. For some reason, they weren’t surprised to see Rien even though he was gone for a long time. We understood why once we entered his house. At first, I thought that he lived in a pretty big place but I soon saw it wasn’t big at all. When he simply opened the door and walked in, not being polite enough to knock, I had to admit that the house was incredibly small for those who lived inside it.

Rien’s family was simply huge. I counted at least ten siblings, his two parents and four grandparents, a few uncles and aunts and the children of those uncles and aunts which were almost as many as Rien’s brothers and sisters.

As we stared jaw dropped at this unusual sight, a chorus of delighted cries and warm welcome-backs could be heard. Rien was surrounded by this humongous family which's members competed in who would hug the Buizel first. My friend received a lot of hair-rufflings and light punches by his older siblings and cousins while the younger ones were dancing around him or jumping on his embrace, all these when the adults tried to approache him to kiss and hug the young Pokemon.

I couldn’t help but smile. This was exactly the way families should be. In Aesler, it wasn’t easy to have close relationships with relatives unless they all lived in the same village or city with you. If your relatives where in some faraway place, there weren’t many chances you could meet them since travelling there would mean leaving your job not to mention that it wasn’t advised to leave cities since there were a lot of outlaws at large in the countryside.

However, Rien was lucky enough to have his entire family close to him. Then again, I wasn’t sure how lucky he was. I supposed it could get pretty annoying to have all these Pokemon watching over you not to mention the conflicts with all of these kids. Also, the size of his family was probably one of the reasons they were poor. Right then, though, the Buizel seemed delighted to see all of his relatives again. I noticed that not all of them were Buizel or Floatzel. The children on the other hand were a different story. Not even a single one was a Pokemon of a different specie. They had ended up just like Rien and I couldn’t imagine how the adults managed to control them since Buizel and Floatzel where pretty energetic Pokemon.

“I don’t know if I must feel jealous or sorry about Rien.” Feather commented. “It must be nice to be loved by so many Pokemon but I think I prefer my relationship with my foster parents. They were never particularly expressive but there was a lot of respect and personal space for me.”

“I agree but Rien seems happy.” Delilah noted. “I guess different things apply for different personalities. Then again, it might just be a matter of getting used to a way of life.”

Once all of the family members had finished welcoming Rien, their attention turned to us. Several of the younger children came to greet us with gleeful cries while there were a lot of surprised comments from the adults. With the raucous that was caused, I couldn’t make up what they were saying but that was when Rien’s parents stepped to the front and managed to make everyone fall silent.

“Welcome to our humble abode, Representative, and thank you for bringing our son back. We greatly missed him!” said Rien’s mother who was a Buizel. She seemed to have decided not to evolve or maybe she didn’t manage to. I didn’t know and it wasn’t the sort of thing one would ask a stranger unless they wanted to be impolite.

Her words of gratitude echoed as the others expressed their feelings. That was when Rien spoke. “Mum, dad, everyone, these are my good friends as I’m sure you know and no introductions are needed. I’m glad to see you all again but I’m afraid we can’t stay for long. Jolty has to see her own family too and we need to continue with our journey after that.”

“Of course, son, we understand.” Rien’s father told him. He was a Quagsire and he stood out oddly with his blue skin in that sea of orange fur. “Please, seat yourselves.”

That was when I noticed we were actually in a living room. I was so absorbed in examining the family that I didn’t pay attention to my surroundings. The living room looked more like a store selling chairs than a room. All kinds of sofas, armchairs and stools were placed around the room surprisingly leaving enough room for the Pokemon to pass and stand. Other than that, there were also a few tables and a couple of cupboards inside the room.

“You’re leaving again brother?” a little girl asked Rien as an older brother informed him that three of his siblings had left the Murky Swamps while at the same time a cousin was saying what a pity it was they couldn’t be here as well to see their brother return.

Careful not to hit one of the younglings who played around us a bit carelessly, I sat on a couch I was offered with my three other friends. A hot beverage was given to each of us and, by the way it smelled, I guessed it tasted good. Somehow, the grown ups managed to make the children behave and sit patiently to listen to our narration of our journey’s events.

The family listened without interrupting and we would have finished our story rather quickly hadn’t the bell rang. Inside came a Hippowdon who raised his eyebrows upon seeing us but didn’t comment.

“Hello Nora, Mitch, everyone.” He nodded to Rien’s parents and then to the rest of the family. “I just wanted to inform you that I got news about that Marshtomp rampaging the southern parts of the Swamps. You’re advised not to approach these parts for a few days.”

“Thank you, Slash.” An aunt thanked him and the Hippowdon left with another nod of his head.

“Slash makes sure to inform the residents of the village about the criminals who live here so as we can avoid them.” Rien explained to us. “Thanks to him, we always know where to go in order to not meet any trouble.”

“That means that you’ll have to be careful which route you’re taking, Rien.” A sister of his instructed him. “You could have stumbled upon him on your way here.”

I gulped. Where we once more lucky to have avoided an outlaw?

“Oh, come on, you know that Swampert!” Rien replied. “He never does anything but scare everyone!”

“Your sister is right, Rien.” One of the two grandfathers said. “You have some very important friends here. You must take care of them as best as you can!”

“Okay… Guys, we’ll have to cross the Murky Swamps and circle around them in order to get back to Luminous Forest. I hope you don’t mind walking a bit more?”

“I’d rather walk than face a Swampert.” Delilah pointed out and I wholeheartedly agreed.

We finished telling our story and stayed some more with Rien’s family before we departed. To my dismay the family told me that there were some Pokemon who, hoping to get the hefty reward, killed young Jolteon and painted the Golen on them in a desperate attempt to fool the tyrant. I shuddered at the thought of how many lives of Pokemon of my kind were lost because of me. It was just like that story with fake Representatives but the other way round. Now, these Jolteon didn’t want to become Representatives but were used as ones.Of course, the fraud was always been revealed and the Pokemon were executed. That left a deep feeling of guilt inside me. Realizing that my mood had changed, my friends proposed we should leave. It took some time for the Buizel to hug each and every one of his relatives but we eventually left the village and crossed the Swamps.

I gladly breathed the clear air outside of the swamp. I hadn’t realized how nice it was not to feel wet all the time and have the sun freely warm your fur instead of being constantly immersed in that mist. It proved that there was nothing to be afraid of in Rien’s homeland but I still couldn’t say I was fond of the swamps although my recent sadness due to the news about executions could have affected my opinion. I was no longer afraid of their inhabitants, though.

“Fresh air is nice, huh?” Rien commented with a smile, noticing my delight. “Do you see why I didn’t think twice before leaving my home? It’s not like I was unhappy there but it was too much for me sometimes. I wanted to feel what it’s like to be completely free. Everybody needs a little bit of privacy. I still can’t help miss my family and I’m sure I’ll return to them again one day and I hope I’ll also manage to bring them out of this place when I do. That was my intention after all.”

“Who knows, maybe you’re actually really working towards helping your family.” Said Delilah. “Maybe after all this is over…”

“Yeah, maybe then…”

We advanced parallel to the outer trees of the swamp so as to not wander too far and cross extra distance. There were occasional patches of trees here and there but the ground was mostly free of trees or bushes. We were in such a patch of trees when it happened.

It’s strange sometimes how simple it is for certain things to happen. I knew there was no way we could have realized what awaited us just by the smell and there was definitely no chance we would have guessed what lied ahead. One thing I learned that day, though, was that in the great outdoors you’ll either travel without meeting anyone because of the size and number of hiding places or you’ll have a lot of unexpected encounters for the same reason; you could never know where someone would be waiting for you.

As such, we were totally unprepared for the Forretress’ assault. The bug was withdrawn in his shell and was spinning madly. Before I could protect myself, I was slammed by the Pokemon’s steel spikes with incredible force due to the Rapid Spin attack.

I was knocked on the ground with my breath cut and so were my friends. I tried to stand up again and defend but the Forretress knew well what he was supposed to do. No sooner than I had managed to balance myself, he slammed his entire body on the ground. That caused violent tremors which made me fall down again and inflicted great damage since I had a type disadvantage.

My friends were in no better state. Even Feather had been hit by the attack because he hadn’t managed to take off after been knocked down by the Rapid Spin. Something throbbed in my chest and I realized that there was a big cut there caused by the Pokemon’s spikes. To my horror, I found out that I was one step before fainting and that was only after two hits!

Despite our critical state, Delilah tried to stop the Forretress' repeated attacks by using her electricity unstoppably. It wasn’t going to do much damage but it would at least make the bug-and-steel type pause for a second and allow us to escape. Because escape was the only option.

However, the Forretress did not even notice he was being attacked. Instead, he let out a peculiar and loud whistle that sounded like a signal. Fear clasped my heart tightly. There were more here and they were waiting to catch us!

That was when panic took over and we simply fled to save our lives. I could feel my chest pounding so much it hurt but I couldn’t tell if it was my heart or my wound which caused the pain. Probably both.

We had fallen on some sort of ambush. I didn’t know how they had predicted from where we were going to pass or if it even was just a coincidence but I knew we had stumbled upon soldiers and they were no ordinary ones.

My friends and I headed instinctively towards the Swamps. I doubted that the soldiers would be scared to enter them but none of us could think clearly then. Our instincts just screamed we should head to someplace familiar, somewhere where there were Pokemon we knew.

“Oh, hey! What happened?” came a gruff voice. Slash the Hippowdon had suddenly appeared from inside the swamps. “Was there an earthquake?”

My almost crazed from fear self barely managed to see the possibility of using the Hippowdon’s help. Going against the voice of logic which ordered me to keep running, I stopped to talk to Slash who in the meantime had realized what was going on, probably because he saw our pursuers hot on our tracks.

“Quicksand!” I shouted, not caring whether Slash would understand and started running again.

“No, this is the south! The Swampert might be here!” he yelled to me but I had already rushed to my friends’ side, making the Hippowdon follow us.

“I came to check if you were alright!” he shouted to us as we advanced inside the Murky Swamps, not paying attention to our surroundings. We could as well have been trapped below the mud. “It’s dangerous, don’t proceed any further! Your parents came along too! Rush back to them and I’ll slow the soldiers down!”

That statement made us all stop. “No, Slash do as Jolty said and guide them to a quicksand!” Rien ordered him, understanding that if Slash stayed, he would get killed.

“That’s what I’m planning to do!” The Hippowdon replied. “There’s a quicksand right over there but they won’t follow me that easily. They’ll prefer to catch you. As such, I’ll try to concentrate their attention on me by bringing the Swampert out. Yes, the Swampert is actually enraged right now and has already ravaged a part of the swamps! That’s why I came after you! I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t encounter him!”

Slash was about to make a maddened Swampert turn against him so that he could lead him to the soldiers and try to make them venture in quicksand!

“How are you planning to make them stick in the mud without them realizing it?” Delilah questioned and Slash remained silent.

“I don’t know.” He said at last. “I might lure them there by getting in myself.”

He was actually planning to sacrifice himself if needed!

I tried to change his mind but I wasn’t able to make my shocked response. The soldiers had entered the Swamps and were coming towards us.

At first, I could only be impressed by the aura of power these Pokemoon emitted. They seemed to be the elite of the soldiers and I could barely guess how trained they were. They seemed to have reached the highest level of strength.

Secondly, I watched Slash’s plan fall into pieces by a single attack launched by an Abomasnow. The ice type saw the strong Pokemon who could possibly attempt to upset their plans and decided to take him out with the powerful attack of Sheer Cold. The Hippowdon collapsed, enclosed in a thick layer of ice and we were once more alone.

The next thing that crossed my mind was simply a “Why?”. I wondered "why?" when I heard a soldier questioning whether they should get rid of the Hippowdon now or do it after I was caught. I then remembered that if we were beaten that day, all four of us would end up dead. Immediately, I was reminded of others who had died before. Plenty of those participating in the battle of Forenham, Rod and some of his Mightyena, the impoverished Pokemon of Sorvenvar and those who are being executed there, the entire city of Chimevar after that fateful battle, the poor Jolteon used as a fake me and countless of other nameless Pokemon who were killed because of their beliefs or because they were driven to thievery and those who died of starvation or thirst and from illnesses. I felt like half of these deaths had happened because of me.

Continued in next post...

[Golden_Ray]

Scattered images filled my mind. A Salamence accepting his death sentence just because he had tried to persuade the citizens of Sorevenvar to follow me, the Mightyena pack fighting against that guild of thieves who were after the reward placed on me, Forenhamians who gladly entered the battle without caring what would become of them as long as I was safe inside the city, Chimevarians deciding to make this reckless choice because my appearance meant they had to resist and now those Jolteon dying in my place… and it wasn’t just deaths I could think about.

Julie fighting with her best friend to defend me, Lina endangering to be caught by soldiers only to take me out of Litvar safely, Mel and the orphans putting their lives on the line, feeling it was their duty to resist because I appeared, Flare almost getting killed to escort me to my destination, Ben and his team making a newspaper which’s cause is to support me, Bentor and his union of artistic children who altered my wanted posters, Falynne having to scare off the slavers who would want to catch me for the reward, Slash willing to give his life to protect me, my parents always checking left and right to see if anybody had followed them and making sure nobody found out about me, my sister asking if she could tell she had some imaginary sister who was awesome because it was a pity she had such a great sister like me and was unable to shout it out loud, my friends always standing right by my side, never questioning me, ever loyal to me and were now about to get killed because of me… And what had I done to be worth so many lives? Nothing, or at least nothing to make me so important.

“Run! Back to Rien’s parents!” I yelled to my friends and pretended to follow them.

The three of them obeyed instantly and fled, thinking I was right behind them but I wasn’t moving. Even that single moment I actually thought of following them to save my life, I failed to oblige to my instincts because I was already surrounded by the group of soldiers. I was what they wanted more. As I had guessed, they didn’t try to get my friends. All they wanted was to make sure I had no chance to escape. These thoughts which screamed that all was about me were right. It was all about me and, if the soldiers managed to catch me, they would leave everyone else alone. I felt relieved knowing that my friends were probably so intent on escaping and so panicked that it would take them a lot of time to realize I wasn’t following them. Good, they were safe.

The muscled hands of a Poliwrath lifted me easily from the ground. “Shall we finish her off right here and now?” he asked, preparing his other hand to punch. He would gladly beat me to death I could see.

“No, you dimwit!” told him a Jynx. “The tyrant would rather execute her in front of everyone else. That would make a really big fuss, right?” she laughed morbidly.

“I agree! Let’s just make sure she has no way of causing any trouble. She must be quite a little demon for surviving so long!” Said a Sedinja. Since he wasn’t planning to rid me of my agony, he used his False Swipe attack repeatedly until I was covered in so many gashes I was on the verge of fainting but wasn’t going to. They wanted me to suffer throughout the journey to Sorvenvar. So be it. I couldn’t feel anything at the moment. Both my body and senses were numbed so I couldn’t feel the pain or be devastated that I was one step before my death. My decision seemed to have immersed me into a realm without feelings.

“Okay, bring the chains and sent a message to the other units. Mission accomplished!”

I no longer paid attention to who spoke or what they said. I only watched passively not showing any sort of emotion.

“Are you sure you didn’t faint her? She seems dead.”

“How big of an idiot can you be? False Swipe can’t make anyone faint!”

“Well, there’s no point in arguing whether she’s awake or not. She’s pretty much as good as dead!”

They laughed and I felt something cold curl around my legs and neck. Chains probably.

“Do you think he’ll pay us for that?”

“Of course he will! And it’s going to be an even bigger amount than the one on the posters!”

“Definitely! Besides, do you remember what that Silver was awarded? More than he deserved!”

“Well, never mind that! He’s where he deserves to be now! Nowhere!”

They laughed once more and we started walking in a fast pace. I don’t know how I managed to keep up with them with all these wounds and I don’t remember how long it took us to reach the capital. I can’t recall what the looks on the Pokemons’ faces were as the soldiers -the royal guard as I found out- walked triumphantly through the streets of Sorvenvar. What I do remember is that understanding of what I had gotten myself into came only after I was thrown into a cage in the dungeons of the castle and the door banged behind me with one sentence echoing in my head:

“You’ll be executed at tomorrow’s dawn.”

Note: Right after writing the part about Rien's family, I left for a small trip in order to attend a cousin's marriage. During the times I visited her home, there always were relatives paying a visit too. I once was in the house with twelve other people. It was noisy... and tons of fun! My cousin also told me of how she preferred being lost in the crowd than living somewhere where everyone knows you and everything you do. Needless to say, I was surprised to pretty much see the scene taking life in front of my eyes!

[Scytherwolf]

Haha, that's funny! (About Rien's family) Coincidences like that are weird!

I really liked this chapter though...it seemed really well thought out and a lot of things surprised me. I was expecting Slash to at least have a chance at his plan but he didn't even get to start it. I wonder what happened to him...I was also surprised that Jolty was captured but I'm glad that her friends got away.
I also liked her thoughts and how that led to her deciding to sacrifice herself for the safety of her friends. I wonder why she wasn't shown to the tyrant first though, or were they saving that for the morning?

I hope you get inspiration again soon because I really want to know what happens! XD

Also...

They wanted me to suffer throughout the journey to Sorvenvar. So be it. I couldn’t feel anything at the moment. Both my body and senses were numbed so I couldn’t feel the pain or be devastated that I was one step before my death. My decision seemed to have immersed me into a realm without feelings.

I really like how this was described, as well as other parts in the chapter. Great job with it!

[Golden_Ray]

Glad you thought it was well-thought out! I was worried about the opposite. Yeah, you're right about the tyrant. They left the meating for later on (besides, there wasn't enough space for that in the chapter xD). Well, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the next chapter to see what happens to Jolty because this one concentrates on a different character.

It took me much more time than I expected to finish this up and it also turned out a whole lot bigger than I thought it would be. Hope you'll enjoy it!

Chapter 44
A soldier's change of heart

A reddish-brown, fox Pokemon was trotting happily in a dirt path which would lead her back to her village. Six orange tails swished following her movements and fur of the same color bumped on her forehead, coming from a curly fluff atop her head. The girl’s legs were a darker brown color something that made her look like she was wearing socks and her belly was cream-colored.

She had just finished a game of hide-and-seek near the lake and it was time she returned to her home to eat. The lake was half-an-hour’s walk from her home, inside the big evergreen forest but her parents would let her go alone now that she was old enough. Of course, they always told her to stay only for a couple of hours and then get back. What with all these soldiers who roamed the village as if they owned the place.

The soldiers seemed to have decided to stay in Hillvir forever judging by the way they acted. They probably believed that, since one Representative was born there, there would be more to come. Little did they know that the young Vulpix was actually the sister of that Representative. The girl was instructed to never speak of that matter, though, and she knew well enough how important it was for her to keep her mouth shut.

She had started humming a song when she heard a shout of pain. She stopped dead on her tracks, wondering what she was supposed to do. After a small pause, she turned around and headed towards some bushes. Someone might have been hurt.

~*~

An Arcanine was walking inside the soldier camp right outside the village of Hillvir. He was a big, orange Pokemon with cream-colored fur covering his head, his mane, his tail and the fur jutting out from parts of his legs. Black stripes could be seen on his back and legs and a blood-red ribbon with a peculiar sign was tied around his left leg. These ribbons were given to all soldiers-in-training, the army’s newest recruits.

When he was accepted in the tyrant’s army, he was overcome by pride. There wasn’t a more honorable occupation in the entire Aesler. Only the best of the best managed to make it to the highest ranks and that was what he aimed for: a promotion. He couldn’t forget the happy faces of his family when he got paid for the first time. He could only imagine how they would feel when he actually brought home the salary of a true soldier instead of an in-training one.

However, military life was far from perfect. His trainers were good but also very strict. He had to exercise himself during most hours of the day and he never heard a word of encouragement, only mocks and insults. They were part of the training too. That’s how they would become tough and strong.

The trainers weren’t the Arcanine’s biggest problem, though. He knew that it was necessary to go through all that in order to become a good soldier and he was deeply satisfied to see himself getting stronger every day. His problem was the other soldiers.

He failed to understand most of them at best, he despised a lot of them at worst. There were a lot of Pokemon who seemed to think very highly of themselves just because they were in the army. Others not only boasted about their position but also scorned those of lower ranks. Some of them would do anything to rise in power and that meant they would gladly step onto another comrade in order to do so and would use all of their slyness to earn their officers’ praise.

The Arcanine understood the feeling of pride and he too was overwhelmed by the thought of the pros of a high position in the army but, he would never think of using all means possible in order to achieve that. He actually hated those who were egoistic enough to think only of themselves.

Moreover, he was feeling even more troubled since he had been sent to that inspection at Hillvir. His trainers said that he should see how inspections are done since every soldier had to be part of one at least once throughout his career. However, the inspection wasn’t exactly what he expected it to be.

The soldiers seemed to have settled in this village and were living off of the villagers work. From the discussions between actual members of the army, he understood that the soldiers raided homes and stockrooms and took as much food as they wanted while he had heard some of them boast about beating up the villagers who happen to accuse them of being unfair. He wanted to believe that they simply did that to make the rest believe they were so rough no one could oppose them.

He himself wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. His officers told him to pass from every path and even make surprise visits to random homes in order to make sure that nobody did something against the law. In case he noticed a violation, he should punish the wrongdoer immediately.

He, though, was confused as to what exactly was considered against the law, not to mention that most of the village’s population was old and he didn’t think it was right to pick up a fight with someone clearly weaker than you. He fully understood that order should be preserved and that it was the duty of a soldier to do so but, he just couldn’t deal with all these conflicting feelings inside him and do what he was told.

“Hey, Flashy-Flasky!”

The Arcanine rolled his eyes and wrinkled his nose in disgust. It was that idiot again. He continued walking, trying to keep his composure.

“What, you’re not talking to me now?” A monkey-like Pokemon jumped in front of him, cutting his way. He was white-colored and had ridiculously long arms. Red fur stood on his forehead and right below that fur a same colored nose could be seen.

“Leave me alone, Stripeclaw!” the Arcanine said and turned around to go.

“What’s up Flasky, feeling blue today?” The Vigoroth cut the fire type’s way again and gave him what supposedly was a friendly push.

“My name’s not Flask!” he said through barred teeth. He didn’t know how he managed to stop himself from ripping the stupid Vigoroth apart. The Arcanine’s name was going to be Flash but, when his parents -right after he was born- signed him in to be a part of the army, they made a mistake and wrote Flask instead of Flash since they both didn’t know how to write well.

As such, although the Arcanine insisted on being called Flash since the very first day he started his training, everyone referred to him as Flask saying that it was the name signed on an official document and that mattered more than what he wanted to be called.

The fact that he was deeply annoyed by the name Flask didn’t go unnoticed by the bullies of the army and Stripeclaw held a special place among these rascals. Yes, he was one of the Pokemon Flash despised. Just because he would become a true soldier earlier than the other apprentices, he thought that he had the right to rub that in the face of all the other recruits while he played crude pranks on whoever he disliked. And Flash certainly was one of his favorite victims.

“Oh, yes it is! Your dumb parents wrote it at some stupid paper, right?”

Flash was about to turn and attack the Vigoroth but the voice of a Lieutenant restrained the Arcanine.

“Good day, apprentices.”

The two Pokemon turned around immediately and saluted smartly, Stripeclaw making his salute an excessively smart one.

“Lt. Baraldin, sir! What an honor to see you here today! Hope you’re having a brilliant day!”

As Stripeclaw started to flatter the Lieutenant as usually, Flash found his chance to escape, thus not hearing the Lieutenant who told Stripeclaw that he wanted to talk to the Arcanine.

The fire type left the camp to take a walk in the woods. Why did he have to be so unlucky as to be sent to the inspection with that Vigoroth? The normal type never allowed him a moment of peace during his training. He was forced to hide from him whenever possible; it was starting to get really tiring.

The fire type kicked a stick moodily and he immediately let out a cry of pain. He had accidentally set off one of the traps the soldiers had put up to protect the camp. A pair of metallic teeth closed painfully on his hind leg, bringing him down. He had forgotten the rule that said to always follow some path when leaving the camp because the forest was full of traps.

He looked at his leg and, to his utter terror, he realized that the metallic teeth were dipped in poison. If someone didn’t come to rescue him soon, he would get killed by it! He tried to shout but he was far from the tents. Only some occasional patrols passed from that spot but it could be too late when one would find him.

The bushes in front of his rustled and, surprised, he saw a very young Vulpix coming out.

“You’re hurt!” the girl exclaimed and rushed to his leg. “How can I open it?”

“There’s some sort of mechanism inside the teeth. Your leg is small so it must be able to pass through the teeth.” he replied through clenched teeth.

The Vulpix carefully put her leg inside the teeth and started to move her leg back and forth. “I think I found it!”

The grip opened with a twang and the Arcanine was released. However, he collapsed on the ground immediately. The poison had already numbed his leg and he couldn’t use it.

“I can’t walk!” Flash said agonizingly, trying to muffle his groans.

“I’ll help you!” the Vulpix said and tried to lift his hind leg.

Flash couldn’t help but smile at the youngling’s offer. There was no way she would be able to lift something which was pretty much as big as herself. However, the smile disappeared when the fox-like Pokemon actually succeeded in laying the leg on her back. The Arcanine hastily stood up to help the little one. She was a tough little girl!

“Come, I’ll take you home! There must be some sort of herb which can help you there.”

“Is your home far from here?”

“I’ve already crossed half way there. We can make it!” the Vulpix huffed and gritted her teeth bravely.

“Will your parents want me in their home?” Flash asked, knowing that soldiers weren’t particularly popular among the other Pokemon.

“No, we’ll sneak in.” The Vulpix had already started panting so the Arcanine decided not to tire her out more by asking questions.

By the time they had reached the small wooden house which was quite far from the rest of the houses, the poison had spread to Flash’s thigh and tail.

“I know you’re in pain but you must rush up the stairs immediately after we enter the house, okay?” the Vulpix instructed him and the Arcanine nodded.

The girl took a deep breath, opened the door wide for the bigger fire type to pass and said: “Hi mum! Hi dad!”

Without waiting for a response, she rushed to the kitchen where her parents were as the Arcanine did his best to climb the wooden stairs without being heard. The kitchen was almost right next to the stairs so the Vulpix made sure to close the door before the Arcanine started to move upstairs.

“Welcome back, Roxie! You’re late, we were worried!” her mother, a Flareon, told her as she released some flames in order to light up the woods inside the oven. “Your food got cold so I’ll have to heat it up again.”

“No, don’t bother. I have something really important to do so I won’t eat yet.”

“And what’s that important matter?” her father who was reading “The Resistance” asked her. He was a Ninetails and he seemed pretty absorbed in his reading. Roxie guessed that he was probably searching for anything concerning her sister, Jolty.

“I promised my friends not to tell anyone.” The Vulpix said trying to look solemn.

“Don’t take too long, though, Roxie. You need to eat too!” her mother told her with a smile.

“Okay! Um… mum, do we have any cures for poisoning?” she asked as innocently as possible.

“Why would you want cures for poison? You’re not doing any experiments with your friends, are you?” her father questioned her worriedly, lifting his gaze from the newspaper.

“No, no it’s just that… it’s Par! Being a Gulpin and with his entire family being poison types there are no herbs or berries which can cure poison since none of them can be harmed by it. So, he hasn’t seen any cures in his life and he was curious to see one and I promised him I would show him.” She replied quickly, happy that she had found a good excuse.

“Alright, take these herbs but make sure you bring them back. It’s not that easy to go searching for them not to mention buy them.” The Flareon said and opened a cupboard right next to the oven. One could easily wonder how three fire types managed to live in a house made entirely of wood without burning anything.

“I’ll be careful!” Roxie promised and then bit her tongue. She knew she wasn’t going to return them and her family would have to find more but, it was an emergency. She took the small purse with the herbs and turned to go.

Her father was once more reading the newspaper intently.

Roxie stopped and turned to him worriedly. “Something the matter, dad?”

“Your sister helped stopping a battle between Tamavir and Hanavir.”

“But that’s amazing, dad!” the young Pokemon exclaimed, happy as always to learn of her sister’s deeds.

“I hope it is, Roxie… I hope it is.” He replied enigmatically, making the Vulpix wonder if he was able to see a bad outcome from Jolty’s action.

Roxie left the kitchen and took a look at the stairs. Yes, Flash had succeeded in climbing upstairs. She went to the second floor too and found the Arcanine lying on the floor, panting.

“Come on, I’ll take you to the attic.” She told him and started helping him stand up again. She led him right below a trap-door in the ceiling. “Okay, this is going to be a bit hard in your condition so you should better eat the herbs first.”

Flash started munching the herbs he was offered. They were bitter and hard to swallow but he knew it was necessary to eat them. Once he was finished, he had already started to feel a bit better so, when Roxie pulled a string and the trap-door opened, he managed to jump high enough for his front feet to grab the floor of the attic. With some pulling, he soon found himself inside the small room, tired but safe.

The Vulpix landed right next to him effortlessly.

“How did you manage to jump that high?” Flash asked her. The distance would be a piece of cake for him hadn’t he been injured but the Vulpix was way too small for such a feat.

“I put a stool below the door. I’d like to have done the same for you but you’re so big it would have broken.” She explained and motioned towards an old couch. The Arcanine understood that she was offering him a seat.

He crawled there and lied on the dusty couch. He looked around the room. The attic seemed to serve as a place for old things to be kept. It was common for the Pokemon of Aesler not to throw anything away since they could use old furniture to replace broken one until they managed to gather enough money to buy a new piece.

“This is my favorite place in the entire house!” Roxie said and sat down in front of the couch. “You won’t believe what one can find in here. I once discovered grandpa’s toys inside the old clock! It’s a pity grandpa died a long time ago. He would have liked to see his old toys...”

“How old are you, kid?” Flash was reminded to ask her. The mention of toys made him remember that he had a child in front of him, regardless of the fact that she had reacted like an adult when it came to helping him.

“I’m eight!” she said proudly.

“Eight?!” the Arcanine said dumbfounded. “I wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t for your looks.” The Vulpix had addressed the matter very maturely and had pretty much done everything on her own. It was hard for him to accept that she was so young.

“Thanks!” Roxie smiled. “Hey, I forgot to ask what your name is.”

“I’m Flash. What’s yours?”

“My name is Roxanne but everyone calls me Roxie since I’m young and all...”

“I’ll call you Roxanne if you don’t mind. I don’t think that the term young should apply to you.” he smiled weakly as he felt a surge of pain coming from his leg.

Continued in next post...

[Golden_Ray]

“How is your wound? We forgot all about it.” Roxie asked upon seeing him in pain and went to examine his leg.

The Arcanine’s ankle was covered in blood and there were several holes created by the metallic teeth. It looked like the teeth would have reached as far as his bones hadn’t the Vulpix released him fast enough.

The poison had numbed his leg but now that the numbness had started going away, he would have to deal with the pain. “The army has really studied how to make effective traps…” Flash muttered.

“I’m afraid I can’t bring you any more herbs for that…” Roxie said sadly. “They’ll start becoming suspicious.”

“It’s okay. I’ve been trained to handle worse situations.” Flash smiled.

“We can at least bandage it, though.” Roxie said and left to search for a piece of cloth.

Flash started examining the place once more in order to take his mind away from the pain. His gaze fell on a picture standing on a small table right next to the couch. He took it to examine it closely.

The glass was broken and the photo inside seemed to be from several years ago. It was Roxie’s family. There was a Flareon and a Ninetails smiling –her parents he understood- and he could see a much, much younger Roxie laughing. However, next to the Vulpix stood a Jolteon with an amused smile. Even though the electric type was a lot younger than the pictures in the poster, what appeared like a small black smudge in this picture confirmed Flash’s thoughts.

“I think this will make a good-” Roxie started but left her sentence unfinished once she saw Flash staring at the old photo jaw-dropped. Her eyes went from Flash’s face to the photograph and back to the Arcanine’s face.

“You are the Representative’s sister?!” Flash managed to utter in an almost strident voice.

“Are you going to kill me, now?” Roxie asked without fear in her voice as she took the picture from Flash and put it back to its place. She stared at the Arcanine accusingly.

“No.” he finally admitted. “You saved my life. I owe you but…” he paused. Roxie waited. “In the entire country, only a few Pokemon would even think of saving a soldier. You especially have every right not to offer your help to any of us and yet you did. Don’t you know that if it was anyone else you would have been slain right here and right now?”

“I thought that you weren’t brainwashed enough to do that.” she joked, pointing at the red ribbon with her muzzle. Although she hadn't shown fear, she now seemed relieved to hear his reply.

Flash smiled. “Trust me, even new recruits can be ruthless…”

“You didn’t seem bad to me.” She lifted her shoulders and gently placed the cloth on his wound. “I’m not very good at this so I’m sorry if I don’t bandage it correctly.” she said and slowly started to work.

“Thank you.” Flash told her solemnly, words that came straight from his heart. “You risk a lot for just a soldier…”

“You might be a soldier but what matters is what kind of Pokemon you are. And you can’t have done anything bad!” Roxie defended him as she tried to tie a knot with the cloth.

“Today I realized I might have actually done plenty of bad things without knowing it.” He motioned to his bandaged leg. “These traps for example. The other day I helped set up one. Do you know what it does? If you step on the trigger, metallic strings start binding you until you suffocate. This one doesn’t even have a mechanism to stop it. It’s close to the main entrance that’s why. I had no idea what it meant to be caught into one of these traps until it happened to me.”

Roxie remained silent, seeming shocked.

“I’m sorry I told you that, Roxanne, I just want you to see what we’re doing at the army. I’m really starting to doubt what they teach us there you see. Because they told us that the Representative is dangerous but here I am saved by her sister. I used to not be able to decide whether the soldiers were as noble as our officers claimed them to be. Tell me, Roxanne, is it true that they use their power to oppress the Pokemon?”

The kid gritted her teeth. “Yes…” the Vulpix replied sadly and bent her head as if she was ashamed in the soldiers’ place. She knew that she was probably crushing Flash’s opinion of the world.

“I see…” he said and his eyes seemed to stare at nowhere for a minute. He then took the picture of the family once more, looked at it and turned it around. The names of the family members as well as a date were written on the back. The photograph was from seven years ago. One of the four names –and a really long one it seemed- was covered in black ink and another name was written above it with childish letters.

“Your sister didn’t like her name.” he said and it was more of a statement than a question.

“Yeah, it was sort of awkward to pronounce… Long too.” Roxie said, happy for the change of subject. “You see, our parents wanted to call her something meaningful and used words from Aesler’s ancient language. Of course that couldn’t be her everyday name so they went for a common nickname for electric types. My sister, though, doesn’t even want to remember she has another name.” she smiled fondly at the memory.

“I fully understand her.” Flash chortled. “I have the same problem too. I’m forced to hear my real name all the time though while your sister can use whichever she prefers! So, how is it to have the Representative as a sister?”

“Well, you wouldn’t believe the things I learned by studying with her. Our parents tried to teach her as many things as possible so they even searched for banned books-” she froze, wondering if she had made a mistake to mention that her parents had done something against the law but Flash told her to continue with a snort. Of course he wasn’t going to report them.

“Well, they brought all sorts of books and told every single story they knew about the Representatives to help her to understand the world around her and learn how she was supposed to act as a Representative. I think that Jolty couldn’t stand the stress sometimes but she quickly forgot about it. She’s a great sister to have! We always played together and she told amazing stories. That’s probably because of all these legends she was bombarded with everyday, though! Of course, there were some downsides. We couldn’t go out and play together because she had to stay hidden and I couldn’t speak about her to no one which was sad because there were a lot of things I wanted to tell about her since she was always so kind and strong. I miss her now that she’s left but it’s okay! I get to hear from her from the newspaper!”

Flash smiled. Little Roxanne seemed to really love and admire her sister.

“So, how come you became a soldier?” Roxie asked, a bit reluctantly since she didn’t want to remind Flash of their previous discussion.

“I didn’t exactly choose it. My parents desperately needed some money so they registered me to the army from the day I was born. The army gave them some money every month so that they could raise me properly. They wanted to make sure that their future soldiers weren’t weak from hunger like most Pokemon in Aesler. As such, my family lived off of this money ‘til I became a young adult. So, here I am now, an in-training soldier.”

“You have a lot in common with my sister.” Roxie noticed. “You both have a name you don’t like and you both didn’t exactly choose what you were going to do when you grew up.”

“Yeah… How strange. A soldier and the Representative having things in common!”

Roxie’s mother was heard calling her.

“Oops! I’m late for lunch! I’ll have to go for now. I’ll see if I manage to bring you something to eat. And an Oran Berry wouldn’t be a bad idea.” She added, glimpsing at his leg.

~*~

The next day, Flash was doing a lot better. The Vulpix had sneaked into the kitchen at night and brought him two Oran Berries which helped in speeding up the healing of the wound. As such, the Arcanine was able to stand on his foot even though that still pained him and said that he wanted to return to the camp, ignoring Roxie’s pleads.

As they approached the camp, Roxie spoke: “You’ll come visit me during your stay here, right?”

“Of course I will! As I said, I owe you my life. I couldn’t just forget about you.” Flash smiled and patted Roxie’s head.

“And you'll come play with me and my friends, okay? I want to see their faces when I present you to them! They’ll be so shocked-”

Flash put a paw on Roxie’s mouth and dragged her inside the bushes, a solemn look upon his face.

“What-” the girl started but Flash cut her again.

“Shh! Somebody’s coming!” he smelled the air and a look of desperation settled on his face. “Oh no, not him!” he said from between his teeth.

“Flasky! Is that you I’m smelling? And what’s that? Do you have some lady with you?” Stripeclaw’s voice was heard coming from quite close in the forest.

“Stay here no matter what!” he instructed Roxanne and jumped above the bushes.

From behind the pine trees appeared the Vigoroth who was carelessly slashing the foliage with his claws in order to pass. He stopped once he saw Flash.

“So here you are! Where were you yesterday? You didn’t sleep in the camp that’s for sure. I had filled your bed with needles and all I see this morning is Victor pulling out needles and cursing. His fault if he wanted to sleep in your bed of course but it wasn’t as fun as it would have been if it was you in his place.”

Flash started growling but didn’t speak.

“Well, you didn’t say where you were last night. I smelled a female before but I can now see it’s only some kid. Was she lost in the forest and you took her back home?” he said sarcastically, making his voice babyish.

“None of your business!” Flash barked.

“I’m wondering what’s so important about that kid. Let’s see who she is.” Stripeclaw was about to make a step forward but Flash was quicker. With a roar he jumped towards him and found himself flailing on the ground.

He had stepped on the metallic string trap.

Stripeclaw jumped backwards, startled. He looked around him panicked. “Heh… You were caught in a trap. Idiot! It’s your fault and I have nothing to do with that…” he laughed nervously and backtracked some more. “It’s a pity for you. Lt.Baraldin was thinking of promoting you and making you a soldier…” he took another look at his surroundings terrified and fled immediately in case someone would pop up and accuse him of killing Flash.

Roxie jumped out of the bushes and rushed to Flash’s side, tears running from her eyes. “Flash! Flash are you okay?”

The Arcanine tried to smile but he only managed to grimace in pain. “It’s okay, Roxanne! Don’t be sad. At least I repaid you now. Just don’t come close to the camp ever again, right?” his voice grew hoarser and hoarser as the metallic string grew tighter and tighter around his neck.

Roxie shook her head and started to desperately attack the string trying to burn it with her fire or cut it with her teeth.

“There’s nothing you can do, my friend.” Flash told her kindly. “I set up this trap; it’s only fair that I get to taste what it feels like to be caught in it. Don’t cry Roxanne! Didn’t you hear what the Vigoroth said? They were going to promote me to a soldier. At least I’ll be spared this dishonorable life now.” He winced but he didn’t let a single cry escape his throat. Or he was unable to. He smiled faintly to the now weeping Vulpix. “Best of luck to your sister. I hope she succeeds in her mission because if she doesn’t, more Pokemon will be doomed to become soldiers. Go now, Roxanne. I don’t want you to see me die. I don’t want you to remember me like that!”

Roxie nudged the Arcanine’s head and hugged his huge neck. Without managing to utter a last word of goodbye, the young fire type ran away, crying.

Flash smiled one last time, understanding all that the Vulpix wished to say but couldn’t. “Goodbye to you too, Roxanne! You’ll become great one day.”

[Scytherwolf]

Wow, even if it wasn't about Jolty, this was a very interesting chapter. I really liked Flash...I was sad to read about him dying (or almost dying) at the end. But at least, like he said, he won't be forced to harm innocent pokemon any more this way.. ;-;

A pair of metallic teeth closed painful on his hind leg, bringing him down

Painfully

The distance would be a piece of cake for him hadn’t he being injured

Been

“I’m not very good at this so I’m sorry if I don’t bandage it correctly.” she said and slowly started to waork.

Work

I had filled your bed with needless

Needles

He winced but he didn’t leave a single cry escape his throat.

Let


Hm...I wonder what Jolty's real name is...and I'm glad to finally get to learn about her sister. I also like that you had a chapter based around one of the soldiers-to show that some of them do have morals. I bet there are a lot more like Flash, who are probably either too scared or don't know enough to do anything about it. That trap he set up sounded scary. I was really surprised by the ending, where Flash got stuck in his own trap. I really wonder how the rest of the soldiers will react to that..

Great chapter, even if it was sad... *waits eagerly for the next one*

[Golden_Ray]

Originally Posted by Scytherwolf

Wow, even if it wasn't about Jolty, this was a very interesting chapter. I really liked Flash...I was sad to read about him dying (or almost dying) at the end. But at least, like he said, he won't be forced to harm innocent pokemon any more this way.. ;-;

Painfully

Been

Work

Needles

Let


Hm...I wonder what Jolty's real name is...and I'm glad to finally get to learn about her sister. I also like that you had a chapter based around one of the soldiers-to show that some of them do have morals. I bet there are a lot more like Flash, who are probably either too scared or don't know enough to do anything about it. That trap he set up sounded scary. I was really surprised by the ending, where Flash got stuck in his own trap. I really wonder how the rest of the soldiers will react to that..

Great chapter, even if it was sad... *waits eagerly for the next one*

Thanks! There certainly are some good soldiers like Flash as there also are some bad ones like Stripeclaw and that's what I pretty much wanted to show in that chapter while giving some information about Jolty's sister too of course! The irony was intended at the end and, well, the other soldiers won't really care much. There might be a few who feel sad about Flash but they'll get over it since things like that are meant to happen when you're a soldier. =(

So, back to finding out what's going on with Jolty.

Chapter 45
Make the best out of it

I was lying on the floor sobbing uncontrollably for what seemed like ages. I had no idea how much time I had passed in my cell and I didn’t care. Once I realized what was going to happen to me, I completely lost my composure and started weeping, hoping I could somehow make time turn back.

Only when I heard my name be called shyly I managed to stop crying, mostly due to the shock.

“Representative? Is that you?” said a voice seeming to come from quite close.

“Y-Yes? Who is it?” I mumbled, raising my head from my paws which were soaked from tears.

“I’m on the cell right next to yours. So it really is you… You were caught in the end, huh?” he added sadly.

I felt new tears filling my eyes but I managed to hold them. The realization that someone could hear me cry while knowing who I was made me feel ashamed. “Yeah… I failed.”

“Don’t say that! All the things you’ve done till now are amazing! I had always wanted to meet you, you know. Of course, I wish I would have never managed to even take a glimpse of you instead of having you here but…”

There was silence. I didn’t know what to say or if I was even supposed to say something. I felt too tired to talk but I also felt relieved that I wasn’t completely alone that last day of my life.

“So, when are they going to execute you?” he asked.

“Tomorrow right after dawn.”

“You’re lucky you’ll get to see the dawn before you die…” he said melancholically. “They’ll execute me this night. I’ve been imprisoned here for a long time but since there were a lot of Pokemon who broke the laws lately, my execution was postponed. I tried to get back the jewelry my family had to exchange for a pathetic amount of money. The jewelry belonged to us for centuries; their value was certainly much higher than what we were given so I tried to take them back. My crime wasn’t considered as severe as treason so those who defied the tyrant were always executed first but it’s my turn now. They used to always execute Pokemon at dawn some time ago so that they could admire the glory of the world for one last time. There are so many Pokemon to be executed now that they can no longer program all of the executions for the sunrise. I suppose that they decided to allow you that privilege as recognition of your worthiness.” I could hear a smile in his voice, a bitter one but still a smile.

“How did you manage to stand this for so long?” I asked him, this time failing to keep the tears from escaping my eyes. I felt pretty weak when I thought of how calmly he seemed to face his condition and how easily I was broken by it. I looked around me. The cell was so cold. It only had a wood stuck on the wall which served like a bed and a very slim, iron-barred window which was high enough for pretty much any Pokemon to be able to peek through. The rest was only rock and the unbreakable wooden door with the tiny barred window.

“When I went to retrieve the jewelry, I knew that I was possibly going to be caught and I accepted it so, it wasn’t such a big surprise when I was arrested. Right now, there’s nothing I can do about my condition; nothing except trying to make the best out of it. As such, I’m doing my best to at least die with dignity and try to enjoy the time that’s been left for me, even if it’s hard to enjoy life inside a cell. All I do is think back to the years past and try to recall every nice moment and sometimes even the bad ones. It helped me realize that, although I didn’t live for a long time, I lived a happy and full life even though there were a lot of tough times. It could have been much worse. I must feel lucky for the happiness I got to experience until now.”

I once more admired that Pokemon’s courage. I couldn’t even dream of reminiscing the past; that would inevitably lead to me weeping again as I would remember all the things I would lose.

Our conversation didn’t continue as I heard the door of my cell open and a soldier appeared. “His Majesty wishes to talk to you.”

Surprised, I stood up and followed him. Did the tyrant want to have fun with me before he would finally get rid of me forever? Although I had a much bigger problem in hand, my curiosity took over and I stopped feeling depressed and weak, these feelings turning into a readiness to face the Fearow bravely.

I tried to see who was in the cell right next to mine but the soldier guided me to the opposite side so I didn’t get the chance. I followed him through the dungeons of Sorvenvar’s castle and inside the corridors of the higher floors. I recognized a few things from my previous visit as the soldier kept going higher and higher up. At last, I found myself at the battlements of the castle, the tyrant waiting for me with his eyes looking over Sorvenvar.

The soldier bowed, pushed me forward and closed the door behind him. I wondered how come he wasn’t worried I would try to escape but then I understood that there was no way I could have done that. Behind me stood the last floor of the castle. I could even jump on the tiled roof from where I was but I would certainly slip down. It was too steep. A wide walkway -on which I stood on- surrounded the building’s last floor and towers were situated on the corners. The gardens of the castle extended down below and the sturdy walls could clearly be seen from up there. The city of Sorvenvar spread out almost as far as the eye could see but the barren wasteland was also quite clearly standing on the horizon. Soldiers were patrolling the battlements and the rest of the castle was stacked full of guards. There was nothing I could do.

I approached the tyrant who in the meantime had turned to look at me. I had to admit I was shocked to see the extraordinary purple color of his eyes. It looked completely unnatural. He had a cool expression on his face but every single characteristic of his seemed to shout out the words cruel and violent. With what I had to admit was a majestic stance, he approached me and looked straight into my eyes. I was a bit intimidated but I returned the glance courageously. The afternoon sun reflected into his cold stare. That was when I realized that I barely had half a day of life. The sky was cloudless and it looked like the weather would be good for many days to come. It was an average spring day. Warm and happy. It looked like the weather didn’t care about my mood or else it would have been misty and rainy.

“We meet at last.” Said the tyrant with his cold voice. “The kid who eluded me for all these months.”

I remained silent. There was nothing I had to tell to that Pokemon. A new feeling arose within me; hatred. The Fearow represented all of the misfortunes of my country.

“Come. Let’s walk around a bit. I have some questions to ask you.” he told me as if we were two old friends who met after a very long time. I had no choice but to follow him. “First of all, I’d like to know what compelled you to defy me. You, a kid, proved bolder than many adults, bolder than so many Pokemon with true potential, Pokemon who I would actually consider dangerous. Why?”

“Someone had to do it.” I replied calmly, realizing that there wasn’t an inkling of fear inside me. My anger towards that Pokemon had won over every other sentiment.

“And what made you think that you were that someone? Is it that mark of yours?” sarcasm was apparent in his voice now.

I easily reached the conclusion that the aim of this meeting was my spirit to be broken. Pity because it had already been shattered a few hours ago. I had to admit that it was wise of him to try. He made sure that I wouldn’t get a single chance to escape him again. He had decided not to play with me at all.

“At first maybe yes but, I recently found out that my mark doesn’t make me that special. In fact, it could have been anyone in my place. It just happened that, I don’t know, fate chose that path for me.”

“Fate!” He snorted. “There’s no such thing as fate. Only fools believe in it.”

“I hope you are right because I don’t like to think that someone else decides for me.” I said.

The tyrant looked at me. “You are quite fearless to be able to discuss with me like that. Even the bravest of my soldiers quaver when they talk to me.” He stopped in the middle of the walkway and turned to look at Sorvenvar once more. “Do you know what you fight for, Representative?” he questioned and I was surprised that he used the term “Representative”. However, I could see that he didn’t mean it in a reverent way like everyone else but as another way to call me. He probably didn’t want to use my first name.

That was an easy one, or so I thought. “For the freedom of these Pokemon.” I replied and stood next to him, staring at the capital as well. “I fight because it’s not right for them to die of starvation and they don’t deserve a life of poverty. They shouldn’t be afraid of expressing their thoughts and the fear of death shouldn’t linger at every step. They’re oppressed and miserable and that’s wrong.”

“So, you think that you’ll be able to undo all that?” he asked and caught me unprepared. “I’m not delusional, Representative. I’m fully aware of the state the country’s in.” My disgust for the tyrant grew. He knew perfectly well that what he did was horrific and he was okay with that. “Things wouldn’t be that bad if everyone abided by the rules, though. Now, tell me Representative, you accuse me of a wide array of crimes and I accept your accusations but, what makes you think you’d do better than me?”

He had managed to strike a sensitive spot. Indeed, that was one of my biggest problems and insecurities. Supposing I beat the tyrant, I would still haven’t completed my mission. I’d have to rule Aesler for the years to come and the thought that maybe I would be a much worse leader than the tyrant tortured me. His methods were sure cruel but he, at least, knew what he was doing. But what about me? Did I have what it takes to rule an entire country? I was merely a kid, how could I possibly be smart and strong enough to bring order and peace back to Aesler?

I gritted my teeth and lowered my head. My silence showed the Fearow that he had found my weakness.

“I see. You know who and what you really are, I give that to you. As I knew you would eventually return to your family, I also know that you would fail, would you have taken matters in your paws. I had a feeling that this story was about to be over, Representative. When reports coming from citizens informed us of your location, I could see through the entire course of your journey that you would make a circle, that you would return from where you had come from in the end, even if that wasn’t your intention. I could see a pattern that would only lead you to the southern Aesler eventually. The irony is, these Pokemon who were so willing to betray you were paid much less than what they deserved considering that they pretty much allowed me to keep track of you when you disappeared for long periods or when your newspaper tried to conceal what your true place of activity was.”

What he said shocked me. I had no idea that there were Pokemon who were betraying me all along. Of course, I shouldn’t have been shocked. Who wouldn’t like even a small reward? I wasn’t as careful as I could have been either. How come I never accepted that there would be plenty of Pokemon who wouldn’t care about who I was and give me away? As the tyrant started telling me of all the reports he was receiving, I felt something like an emptiness in my heart.

“It was known that you were heading to Forenham and I still can’t understand how you managed to escape my soldiers without a scratch. After that, I wasn’t sure where you could possibly go. I, though, received information that you were sighted in Litvar and again, those imbeciles who were supposed to patrol the city didn’t realize that you were there. Afterwards, no sightings were reported until you were discovered roaming my castle.” He threw me a deadly glare at this part. “After that, a very long time passed since we heard of you again. You probably stayed away from cities and villages. However, I couldn’t believe that you were simply dead. Someone would have found or heard something about your death, that’s for sure.

“Right when I had started wondering where you could possibly be, a group of slavers claimed to have seen you in a forest close to the Sandstorm Desert. I quickly assumed that you had crossed the scarcely inhabited central Aesler and reached the far end of the country. I thought that you couldn’t have ventured in the Desert since the Pokemon there are hostile towards everything related to the country and as such, I guessed that you would go south in order to see the only part of Aesler you hadn’t visited yet.

That’s when I decided to send a very capable soldier to take care of you. Since you seemed to always evade death, I decided to use other means to eliminate you. Now, if that idiot hadn’t assured me that he had sent you far away, I might have caught you much earlier. How you escaped him and managed to reach your destination safely is beyond me. When you made sure to let everyone know exactly where you were and seeing just how close you were to your homeland, I was certain that my guess was right: you would make a full circle. I thus decided to send the best of the best to catch you and succeeded.”

I listened to the tyrant’s retelling of my story. It wasn’t completely accurate but he had predicted my moves terrifyingly right. I was once more convinced that I was pretty lucky throughout my journey. Had I stayed more in one place, soldiers would have arrived before I departed and would have caught me. Not that it mattered now but it could have been of critical importance if I was still free. The thought of Pokemon waiting to see me just so that they could tell the tyrant later left a bitter feeling inside me and the Fearow noticed that.

“The world is not exactly as you expected it to be, is that right, Representative? Look around you, kid. What do you see? I see a city full of beggars and thieves, full of Pokemon deprived of the strength to fight and without even the most basic knowledge of things. I might be the cause of that but that’s the only way to effectively rule a country. If one’s too kind with one’s subordinates, they soon ask for more than what they deserve. If you beat me, Representative, is to rule this mess what you really want? For three hundred years, these Pokemon learned to put their own needs above everything else, they learned that everything is allowed as long as you do it in order to survive. They won’t suddenly transform into angels when you take the lead, Representative. They still won’t be able to tell right from wrong, they won’t be able to help Aesler move forward and if you don’t become severe, you’ll find yourself unable to control them. I’m pretty sure you can understand that because you grew up among them. Do you want a country full of Pokemon with prejudices who were bottling up rage for three whole centuries?”

I stared at Sorvenvar at which he was pointing with his wing. My eyes examined the capital which stood in the middle of a wasteland. The sun had lowered some more and had turned red starting to dye the entire world in a crimson color. The combination of the red of the sun and the yellow of the sandstone houses was beautiful. Sorvenvar wasn’t clean and the buildings were poor and unimpressive but, even with all of these negatives, the sight still mesmerized me. With the right colors and the right lighting, even this worn out from the ages city could turn into something worth seeing.

‘With the right color and the right lighting…’ Maybe Aesler was just like Sorvenvar. Maybe the country was in a really bad state right now but, what if all that it needed were certain touches and it would turn beautiful again? I had crossed the entire country and if there was one thing I learned, that was that it hid many treasures. Small or big pieces of art from the glorious age of the Representatives, a wide variety of gorgeous landscapes and, above all, Pokemon worth more than a million gemstones.


Continued in next post...

[Golden_Ray]

Sure, there were bad things in Aesler too but, how could I hate these bad things? How could I turn my back to the Golen and not even try to rule my homeland, to give it a chance to return to it’s former glory?

I took another look at Sorvenvar. I couldn’t see many details but I knew that somewhere in the streets, someone would have to crawl to their house with what little they had managed to collect through the day. Someplace else, a Pokemon would take advantage of the condition of another Pokemon and would attempt to humiliate and deceive them. It was possible that a lot of ill or just weak ones were dying at the moment and maybe some Pokmeon was tortured inside a dark dungeon. There would be fights over the pettiest things the next day and there would be a couple of families who would have to bid farewell to a member who would leave to find a better fortune somewhere far away. It was a sad thing to imagine but it was true.

However, even if this place was inhabited by idiots, by criminals, by wrecked Pokemon, I couldn’t help but deeply love it. I had grown with the fear that someone would see me and betray me to the tyrant, I had felt disgusted at the actions of many Pokemon throughout my journey but the feeling of hatred could not be found inside me. I couldn’t feel what I felt when I saw the tyrant. Because deep down I knew that all these Pokemon could very well be a member of my family or a neighbor. They were who they were and it was impossible to hate them just for that. After all, I knew that all I needed was a secret remedy comprised of something simple; just like the sunset was comprised of a simple yet most precious thing: sunlight.

A tiny smile bloomed in my face. Through the wretch most of the Pokemon were, I could see friendly smiles or feelings of true concern, I could see faith and hope to a better and brighter future, I could see love support and loyalty, I could see bravery and kindness. So what if some of them were bad? What if the world wasn’t as perfect as I’d have liked it to be? It used to be a nice place three hundred years ago or so they said. There had to be a way to turn it into that place once more.

I looked at the Fearow straight into the eyes, a peaceful and soft glance. His brows lifted. He certainly didn’t expect that. He wanted to break me and he would have succeeded hadn’t he made a mistake: he reminded me what I was fighting for. “It’s okay. I want to rule this wreck of a country. I want to help them and there’s no better way to do that than to become their leader. Even if I fail, I’m positive that I’ll do much better than you because I’ll do my best to be just. I don’t care if they don’t appreciate justice. I’ll try and hope for the best. And do you know something? I’ll do better than you because I’m smarter than you. There are tons of other ways to rule except for cruelty. I’m not saying that these ways are necessarily kindness and justice. I’m just saying that you can win battles before they even start. And you can earn the respect of others without making them fear you. If you turn the world against you, don’t expect to last long, Tyrant. Someone will someday decide to stand up to you and, if even a single person does, many more will follow.

“I’m not deluded as you are not deluded either. I can see that the world is bad even if you think that all I see is beautiful roses. However, I know that it’s not necessary for the bad things to rule over the good ones and I believe that there certainly are ways to keep evilness at bay and let kindness flourish. I might be useless and not fit to rule but, for better or for worse, I was thrown into this thing and there’s nothing else to do except for making the best out of it. That’s what I intend to do, Tyrant!”

A look of pure rage had settled into the Fearow’s eyes. “I’d really like to see if you’ll be so brave tomorrow when a sharp blade will hang above your head.” He hissed. “I’ll make sure to hang your cut head outside of the main gate so that everyone can see what happens to insolent pests like you. Take her back to her cell!”

A soldier appeared immediately and started dragging me from my chains. I threw a last fierce glance at the Fearow and followed the soldier. Anger was burning inside me and there was no sign it would stop. The broken, devastated Jolty of the previous hours seemed to have burned by these very flames of anger; the anger of someone who has just taken enough.

I was about to be thrown into my prison once more when the door of the nearby cell opened. That was when it hit me. It was the time the last friend I would ever meet would be executed!

To my utter shock, I saw a kid as young as me being pulled by a soldier. He was a Cyndaquil, thin and frail after all this time in prison. Black circles under his eyes indicated that he wasn’t sleeping well for quite some time and he also seemed sick. He smiled when he saw me, a kind but awfully weak smile.

“That’s it for me, Representative.” He told me. His voice was very hoarse instead of the childish voice one would expect, no wonder I had mistaken him for an adult when we spoke. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I thought he was a grown up. I would have never expected a kid to show such bravery and wisdom when death lingered so close. “It was nice getting to talk to you.” the soldier tugged the chain viciously, almost making the Cyndaquil collapse.

Tears gathered in my eyes as I saw the young fire type being carried to his demise. “Yeah, that’s what’ll happen to you tomorrow. In now!” the soldier told me and pushed me inside the cell, locking the door behind him.

I was unable to sleep that night because of the many thoughts circling my mind. I had decided to follow the advice of the courageous kid. At first, I recalled all the events of my life. That made me cry at first but I started feeling better soon. These last few months of my journey were painful and stressful sometimes but they were worth the effort. ‘Actually,’ I thought, ‘maybe they were worth this death sentence…’

Indeed, I had met plenty of friends, I had learned what resolve and bravery meant and I had learned and seen more things than most Pokemon my age would ever imagine. There were Pokemon who spent their entire lives waiting for even a small adventure while I was given a really big one, maybe bigger than what I could handle. In a way, I was really lucky regardless of how everything would end.

My mind went back to the Cyndaquil. He was a kid like me and yet he was strong beyond recognition. Perhaps I could be strong like him too. I had to try for his sake, I had to become like him. He had said that, when in such a desperate situation, one must make the best out of it.

With the memory of the last friend I would get in my life, a new flame burned inside my chest. It was different than the flame of hatred which had burned earlier. This one didn’t hurt like the fire of anger, it instead empowered me. It sent warmth to every part of my body and cleared my mind from any thoughts that could make me forget my resolve. Because, in the night that had passed, the recollection of my journey showed me something I hadn’t noticed before. When the door opened wide and the soldier took my chains in his hands to lead me to the execution square, I felt no fear within my heart.

I knew exactly what my last action should be.