//------------------------------// // We're finally getting somewhere (Day 6) // Story: A New World, A New Conflict // by Evowizard25 //------------------------------// Sev had never before come to hate a place as much as he did the land of dreams. Sure, he had plenty of good ones. He had conquered the world several times over right here. However, this was also the only place his father still lingered. He was not ready for the pain. He never was. That and the annoying blue legendary who kept pestering him about change. It was tempting, but he was too far gone. ‘Though…I do believe she has helped, even if but a little.’ Right now though, he didn’t want to see her. He didn’t want to see anyone. Maybe not ever again. He was haunted by his failure as a brother. ‘I want her back. I want her back. I WANT HER BACK!’ Commander Sev had been curled up in a ball for what felt like eternity. His face was awash in tears and the dreamscape was filled with his cries of agony. He was a disgrace to the visage of a leader, to everything. ‘I lose everything close to me. My best friend, my love, my soldiers, my sister. Why do I care in the first place when it just leads to pain?’ “So, this is what my son does when faced with hardship?” A harsh, condescending voice resounded around him. “I would say that this was pathetic, but that goes without saying.” Sev hissed in anger. “Father, I grow tired of your games. I am in no mood to hear your words of contempt.” “Words of contempt?” His father, Commander Viper, slithered in front of him. He shook his head. “No, my son. I speak only the truth. You let her slip through your coils, that is the truth. Why? Well, that’s obvious. You’re a failure. You can’t keep your head in the game. And now, when you should be planning the annihilation of your enemy, you choose to sulk and cry. When did I raise a crybaby?” “I AM NOT A CRYBABY!” Sev shouted in retaliation. “I care for my sister. I actually have feelings, unlike you father. You hurt everyone around you. You made them miserable. You killed countless thousands. I will not be called such trivial insults by a monster.” Viper’s tail quickly curled around Sev’s throat. He was lifted off the ground as his father stared him in the eyes. “A monster? Is that what you think I am? The definition of ‘monster’ is subjective, is it not? Oh yes, it is very subjective. Is the predator a ‘monster’ for simply filling its’ belly or feeding its young with the scraps of its prey? Are those who fight for their beliefs monsters, simply because others refuse them? No, I am an angel. I am the chosen one, my naïve son. It was my duty to protect pokemon and if that meant I had to wipe clean humanities presence, then that was my destiny. You? You don’t have a destiny. You are unworthy of having one.” “I create my own destiny,” Sev gasped for air. “I am a warrior of truth and justice. I am the angel, whereas you father are the daemon.” Viper’s grip tightened. “Daemon? Perhaps I am, but I was right. I am always right, for everyone else is wrong. They cannot see the world like me. They cannot feel the way I do. I am a machine. A machine with only one purpose: revenge. If my revenge gets me branded a daemon and cast to the fiery pits of hell, then I welcome it. I would welcome the flames, for they could not hurt me. I will conquer them and become the new lord of the underworld. I will cleanse it of taint and return the world above, for I am not finished. I will never be finished.” “You’re dead,” Sev croaked out. “You’re as finished as anyone can be.” Viper laughed. “My stupid boy, you just don’t get it. Never had, never will. Alas, that is the son I raised, to my utmost shame.” “Oh just shut up and leave already,” Sev rolled his eyes. “I…” He was cut off when Viper’s grip nearly crushed his windpipe. “Such false bravado,” Viper glared at his son. “Just because this is your dream, that doesn’t mean you have any power of me. I will make this extremely painful for you, lest you heed my words carefully.” Sev was thrown several feet into the air and bounced along the ground for several more. “True bravado isn’t something you can toss around. It is firm, strong. A brave pokemon is only brave when he can stand up for himself. You cannot stand. You skulk, you hide, you are a coward!” Sev didn’t say anything, other than to whimper and coil into himself in a desperate attempt to protect himself. “See,” Viper shook his head as he slithered over to his son. “This is what I’m talking about. You cower and cry while the enemy schemes unopposed. You are literally handing them victory on a silver platter.” He slashed his son, leaving a horrid gash in his skin, but Sev did not move. “You are a loser of the highest order. You lose, you lose, and again you lose. You never gain, Sev. You never could gain. This frivolities such as love and compassion. Weakness! It holds you back. Did I not teach you that? Did I not drill that into your thick skull? Yes I did, but you’re too stupid to remember…..Speak to me when I’m talking to you.” Viper pierced Sev’s tail with his fangs, shaking him about like a dog. Sev cried out in pain as he was thrashed about, before finally falling to the ground in a bloody heap. “I…” Sev coughed up blood. “Am not stupid, nor shall I ever forget anything. I endure and I thrive, despite your failed teachings.” He smirked. “You lost, father.” “Lost,” Viper eyed him curiously. “I didn’t lose. I was merely set back. I had many tricks up my scales, my pitiful son. Many tricks that you were not privileged to see. I may show them to you one day, but not today. Today there shall be only pa….” He was cut off when a magical, blue bolt shattered his visage. “Took you long enough,” Sev coughed up blood…only to find himself whole and fine once again. Luna snorted as she walked over to him. “Is gratitude so hard to muster?” “Yes.” Luna rolled her eyes. “Sometimes, I wonder why I even try with you.” “Because I’m sexy,” Sev smirked, showing off his form. Luna just stared at him for a moment. “Yeah…no.” Sev shrugged. “Worth a shot.” Luna rolled her eyes and set down next to him. “Your dreams are getting worse. That abomination took much more energy than before the kill.” She frowned. “It’s almost as if it were alive somehow.” She shook her head. “That isn’t important. What is important is your missing sister.” Sev’s eyes widened. “How…You read my memories!” Luna nodded. “It is a trick of the trade. One can’t justly guide someone through their dreams without knowing why they dream as they do, or what they truly are. Be assured that whatever I find will stay between us.” Sev snorted. “It better….” He drooped his head. “It better.” Luna unfurled a wing and put it over him. “The loss of a sister is a hard thing to bear. I should know. I was without my own sister for a thousand years because of my own actions…It was terrible. I only had evil spirits to talk to.” “Well, my sister wasn’t taken by spirits!” Sev hissed in anger. ‘How dare she compare herself to me now.’ “She was taken by slavers! SLAVERS!” He lashed out his tail in righteous fury. “That is not the same thing, unless the slavers are spirits. That’s impossible! I haven’t even sliced them up! It isn’t fair! WHY MUST THEY BE UNDEAD? WHY?!!” “Sev,” Luna sighed. “The slavers aren’t undead. They’re very much alive.” “And how would you know?” “I’ve seen a few of their dreams,” Luna sighed. “However, it would seem that politics got in the way of justice, since they were within the grounds of another nation, such as Zebrika. I cannot take any actions, save sending you supplies…or giving you some information.” “Alright, then tell me.” Sev glared at her. “Tell me where she is.” “I cannot.” “BUT YOU JUST….” Sev roared in anger. “Stop confusing me. One minute you say one thing, then another. You can’t do this, but you can do that. Just do something, preferably one in my favor.” “I cannot tell you where she is, Sev.” Luna stroked his spine with her wing in order to calm him. “There is something interfering with the dreamscape of this nation. Something sinister. I am lucky that I still can talk to you.” “What is this thing that messes with my sister’s return?” Sev inquired. “Where does it lay? How much can it bleed?” “I do not know. I do however know a few spots it could be…Such as with the Hyena Dogs.” “Those cretens,” Sev laughed. “This will be over quickly.” “Dogs are crafty creatures,” Luna snorted. “Far craftier then they have a right to be. How they actually manage to keep a nation together is beyond me, but times have changed….That aside, I am certain your sister lies within their tunnels. Where she is, is beyond my sight. I was only able to peer into the dreams of those on the borders and they knew next to nothing, other than this.” “Yes, that is extremely helpful.” Sev rolled his eyes. “Please, tell me more ‘useful’ facts.” “It is not wise to scoff at your master,” Luna clucked her tongue in disappointment. “Especially when your own problems are far too serious. I have told you what I know…and perhaps I have guided your friend Gard’s thoughts on this matter.” “You have?” Luna nodded. “It would seem that whatever is blocking my entry into the dreamscape is reminiscent of my own ‘darker’ powers. I was able to contact Gard and help him acquire some information. By now, he’ll have a much better understanding of the enemy. Once you awaken, go to him. He’ll know where she is.” Before she could say another word, Sev hugged her. Tears fell from his eyes. “Thank you.” Luna returned the hug. “You don’t need to thank me, but I welcome it all the same…In the future, it would be best to work on you father’s appearances. They concern me greatly.” Sev pulled back to look her in the eyes. “I will.” __________________________________________________________________________ “What were you thinking?” Vapora wiped another patch of disinfected cloth over a small cut. To his credit, Char didn’t flinch from the pain. He did flinch from her words however, which were far more deadly. The Lord General Inquisitor wasn’t wearing his shirt at the moment, so his rather built body was on display to her. Naturally, he was blushing up a storm. Vapora found it adorable, but she was still angry at him. “Do you honestly think you can keep gallivanting off like that?” She chided. The two of them were currently outside the city in one of the PLA’s army tents. The Vaporeon was wearing a white, nurse’s uniform with the PLA insignia on her shoulder. While wild pokemon were usually naked, the PLA had actually grown accustomed to wearing clothes. It felt more natural than without them. “It is my duty,” Char answered. “I am to throw myself into the meat grinder when the Lord’s mission is at hand. I am his holy weapon, to be used and discarded when needed.” “No,” Vapora snarled. She put a little too much pressure on his bruised chest, causing him to grunt in pain. She was used to Char’s behavior, but he had spent the better part of the previous day fighting non-stop. ‘He doesn’t even see me that often.’ “No meat grinders. I’m sick and tired of hearing about that kind of stuff. You’re your own mon, you hear me.” “I’m a mon of the lord. I am an extension of his will. I have no other purpose than to serve him.”\ “Well, serve yourself for once,” Vapora sighed, a blush creeping up her features. Running her paws over his muscular body was making her rather hot. ‘Don’t try anything…yet.’ “Or…you know, serve me for a bit.” Char’s face lit up in a heated blush that rivaled her own. “I…” He put a hand over a paw. “I am unworthy of that privilege. You know that.” Vapora growled. “I know that you think you’re unworthy. That’s the problem. You deserve some happiness.” “I don’t deserve an angel,” Char growled back, but not at her. “I am his lord’s weapon, Vapora. A weapon is not meant to court an angel. You’re pure, I’m drenched in the blood of hundreds. You were meant for greater mon, not someone like me.” “You’re not just a weapon,” Vapora nuzzled his cheek softly. “You’re more than that, at least to me.” Char pulled back. “I am. Please listen to me and get on with your life. My death is assured when the lord wishes. That could be any day now…I do not wish to have to wonder ‘Is this the day he dies?’ Every moment from here on out. I want you to smile, be happy. I’m a butcher, you’re a healer. We’re not meant….” “Stop,” Vapora poked him harshly in his broken ribs, or once broken. Pokemon were fast healers. That and some of the local herbs and potions worked wonders. Sev had ordered his troops to procure more of it. The king thought it a good idea as well, so some of the shamans were teaching the PLA nurses and doctors how to make it. In exchange, they shared more modern methods of healing. “Just stop talking. I’ve heard enough of your excuses. You’re a good mon and everyone else can see it, except you. So you know what, Char? I’m ending it right now.” “Ending wha….” Char’s eyes widened as Vapora put her lips to his. After a couple of seconds, he leaned into it. She pulled back as they both gasped for air. “You’re taking me out after this whole thing is over and we’re just going to see how ‘pure’ I really am.” “Yes, ma’am.” __________________________________________________________________________________ King Trot was in a bad mood. Oh yes, getting his army mobilized with angry nobles neighing into his ears was bad enough. Okay, that was the worst part, but finding out that a certain member of the pokemon was actually killing prisoners. ‘What the hay is his problem?’ So, the young king stomped through the halls of his own castle and into the dungeons. Gard had insisted that he ‘interrogate’ the slavers down there. Trot had an inkling as to why. ‘No one would hear their screams.’ Finally entering the main dungeons and inside a large chamber, the king saw Gard. The Gardevoir was holding a hand to the slaver boss, tapping a finger in impatience. She was tired up to a chair. The same for ten others, all of whom were unconscious. “You’re late.” Trotankhamun had to fight the fear and wrongness that Gard always emitted. Every instinct he possessed told him to ‘run, for Celestia’s sake, run’, but he didn’t pay that any mind. “How did…” “I know you were coming?” Gard huffed. “Do you already doubt my powers? I sensed your thoughts as well as subordinates from all the way down here. Child’s play. Of course, that isn’t why you came. No, you want to know what I’ve gathered.” “Among other things,” Trot glared at the pokemon. “Yes,” Gard pulled his hand away from the mare’s head. “To answer your question, I do know where Lia is. You can thank Princess Luna for aiding me. Dark magic is…tricky to bypass.” “That’s good to hear,” Trot was thankful to hear that Lia was found at last. She seemed like a good girl and Sev was being hard to handle in his current state. “But I wanted to talk about our prisoners….Where are the others? We had seventeen.” “It’s eleven now,” Gard answered like it really didn’t matter. “What happened?” Trot gritted his teeth, preparing to draw his sword if Gard tried something. “I grew agitated,” Gard sighed and paced around the prisoners. His gaze never left them. “Again, dark magic is tricky to navigate. It actually negates psychic moves. It’s like dealing with a dark type, but times that by ten. That with the pressure that Sev was pouring down on me, coupled with my own frustration the loss of my student…I had to release some it constructively. I assure you, it was quick and painless. Just a twist of the neck, body, and such. No pain. No screams.” He rubbed his forehead. “By Arceus, I hate screaming. It all sounds the same after the first hundred. I am very thankful I learned how to shut off the ability to speak.” “You killed them? Just to relieve some stress?” Trot gaped at the general. “What were you thinking? There has got to be…” “Some other way?” Gard shook his head. “No, killing is the only way that I can release my anger. It soothes me. It keeps the pain away…The agony. The memories.” “What are you talking about?” “I’m a monster, King Trotankhamun.” Gard stopped pacing and slowly turned to the young king. His arms folded behind his back. “I’m a monster of the highest caliber. I do not know why Arceus brought me here and…I do not deserve it. I am not worthy. I deserve death. The world would be better off for it, but I am a coward in that regard.” He chuckled sadly. “I wish for it sometimes. It’s tempting, but then I feel Ag’s lips on my own…Listen to Sev’s inane rants, or teach Lia a new trick. I live for them, never for myself. You may be asking why I am this way. The easy answer was my mother. She was…tortured by human poachers and driven mad by the loss of her mate and my father. I never knew him, since this before I hatched….She loved to torture humans, make them feel such agony and she would make me watch. Not out of spite, but out of a twisted love. She thought she was helping me by showing me how to make others suffer. She forced hundreds, thousands of different techniques into my head…I still remember them all. She wanted to make me feel safe, but I feel such anger. I have to kill. She forced me too, but…I can’t hate her for it. No, she meant well. She was always kind and oh so doting. To a fault, if I had to say. She never let me out of her sight.” Gard sighed. “I need to kill, my king, but I will not kill the innocent. I assure you of that.” Trotankhamun was silent for a moment, mulling over his compatriots words. ‘He has a point and he hasn’t done anything to hurt anyone.’ “Fine. As long as you keep to your word, I’ll keep my silence, but please refrain from killing prisoners.” “No promises,” Gard sent him a demented grin, before tilting his head to the prisoners. “But I wouldn’t call them prisoners. More like, new allies.” Trot narrowed his eyes. “What did you do?” “Must you keep asking me that same question?” Gard sighed. “Of course, everyone ask me that at one point. I merely tweaked their minds, removed some memories, and gave them a new sense of nationalism. I did this all the time back home. Team Rocket or those silly little crimelords never knew we had sleeper agents within their ranks, ready to strike whenever I gave the order. They made for excellent suicide bombers.” Trot glared at the Gardevoir, gripping his sword. “No! None of that! Keeping them prisoners is one thing, but doing that? Dispicable.” Gard shook his head. “No, none of that. Instead, I gave them a new lease in life. You see,” he tapped the leader’s head. “She wanted to be a vet, before she got herself caught up in this business. The stallion on the far right wanted to be a photographer. Why not give them a new life? That is what I wish to do….Though a few of them were too far gone in that ‘sick’ culture. So, they now will make good additions to the PLA.” Before the king could speak, Gard walked out of the room. “Commander Sev is coming. We’ll continue this conversation later.” “Yes we will,” Trot answered. “The PLA is going to have to go through some changes soon. Major changes.” “And I welcome them,” Gard laughed. It was a hollow, sick sound. “To a point, my dear king. To a point.”