A shadow falls over us all, soon the rain will pour down unto the ground…
Where from doesn't matter, for life and death are forever intertwined in the end…
Life follows death, and death follows life… as it always has…
= Chapter 40, The Flare to War =
(Multi PoV)
"Haah… haaaah… heeeh… heh… haaah…" Sylvester gasped as he stared before him. "Yessss…"
The boulder before him had a nearly perfectly clean and symmetrically circular hole in it, the hole being large enough that he could have slithered through it without having to duck. But that was not all, behind it, another boulder 'also' had a hole in it, also symmetrical, and behind it several trees had been ripped to shreds, the remains of splinters and pieces of leaves all that was left behind littering the ground.
A result of his training.
"Hehehe… heheheheeeh… yes… I remember this feeling." He whispered to himself. "So much power… power that only the 'league' could give me, only my 'trainer' could give me."
Truly, nothing was more devastating, more terrifying, then the power of a Serperior using its ultimate ability and power under the effects of an item which only enhanced it. True, a Choice Specs would have made it stronger, but the power of a life orb could never be denied.
"Little Braixen… when we meet again, I will 'obliterate you'!" He laughed maniacally. "Oh… when we meet again… you will BEG me… to give you a merciful death… nobody… nobody… makes a fool of Sylvester the Serperior!"
He grinned with intimidating glee as he stared at the damage he had done, his eyes with a dangerous purple glow to them. While his body looked normal from the outside, ever so faintly visible to the naked eye were his veins that were glowing tiny streaks of purple as well. He avoided being in the den while he trained, as he knew the side effects of using the Life Orb, as he and his trainer discovered while training, as all Pokémon and Trainers discover while training.
The Life Orb gave power, specifically allowing a Pokémon to exceed their limits by twenty percent, enabling them to deal more damage than they would otherwise do. This damage scaled considerably depending on the Pokémon and what abilities it had or used. A Contrary Pokemon like him using a move which boosted its power output 'also' received that boost. This item was key to all competitive battlers, nearly every trainer and team used it, but use was strictly prohibited outside of official league battles, not because it was illegal but because it was extremely harmful to the Pokemon using it.
While the damage output is rewarding, the damage it does to a Pokemon over time is nearly impossible to repair. Psychological damage was the most notable and most common, Pokemon were known to become more violent exposed to the life orb over long term usage. A Pokemon's body also suffers physically, as being forced to do more damage than it normally can-do causes muscles to strain and burst, heart rates to skyrocket and a host of other issues. These however can be mitigated with limited use of the orb over short periods, and regular visits to a Pokemon Center as well as a healthy diet with plenty of rest in between each match involving the use of a Life Orb. At best a Pokemon would only be using the Life Orb for a single battle, thirty minutes at 'most', and then they would be treated, and any potential side effects negated.
He however, had been using this Life Orb to train for days on end, with no rest say for food and sleep, never taking it off, never letting it out of his sight for fear that another Pack Member might take it from him without knowing it's powers or the risks involved with it.
He knew the risks… His heart was pounding hard, every second trying to force more blood to pump than it normally did.
He knew all of this. His eyes were slowly losing their clarity, after a certain distance his vision was becoming hazier.
He knew what would happen… His muscles were sending stings of constant pain, every second he struggled to sleep whenever he rested.
He knew all about the side effects… He could feel his mind slowly degrading, his desire to take revenge for the loss, his need to be superior, the humiliation of 'losing' overriding his intelligence.
"Doesn't matter… I only need to use it for a few more days, a week at most…" He muttered with a grin. "We're moving out soon… Flare isn't initiating a full-fledged Pack War, just a small excursion with Flare and a small selection of his Pack's strongest warriors."
He was eager to join, eager to go to war, eager to meet that Braixen once again in battle. She was no match for him, she had no Eviolite and as such could only take so much punishment. If he could nearly take her down without an Eviolite, he would crush her with this Life Orb. And then…
"Hehehe… and then… I'm going to make her 'mine'…" He said as he laughed slightly, his laughter growing louder and more frequently the longer he thought about it. "I'm going to take her… I'm going to make her BEG for death… and then when she's broken… and she's nothing but a PUDDLE of her former self… I'll whisper how she could never have hoped to fight me… and then when she's lost her mind… I'll throw her to the wild ones… and let 'them' have her however they wish… hehahahahhaaa-HAHAHAHAAAHAA GHAA HAAHAAAAAA!"
He cackled maniacally, insanely, his menacing laughter unheard by only himself and his mind, and one solitary Meganium watching from the safety of the tree line, worried as she watched her beloved Serperior losing himself the longer he kept that Life Orb wrapped around his neck.
She had cautioned him, warned him, begged him… but still the idiot did as he pleased, and now that he was under its influence, she could not stop him with her voice or actions. All she could do was watch, and hope that when the Pack Leader finally marched and battle was joined, he would meet this Braxien and finally win, and perhaps then he would take it off… and go back to the Serperior she loved.
The one that cared about her wellbeing, cared about their future together, would have traveled to the ends of the world, over pits of molten lava, pass in clouds of poison and through fields of fire just to follow her. A Serperior who loved her deeply, in his own silly and twisted way, and would have fought Giratina without hesitation if she were in danger.
"Why Sylvester… why is it so important for you to win?" Helena whispered sadly.
She looked sadly as her beloved Serperior was changing before her, becoming someone, something, that did not care about her, did not love her. Turning away to go work on some new medicinal mixtures that might help ease the pain his body was going through, help his heart bear through the worst of it, help his eyes feel slightly better, she glanced back at Sylvester with a hopeless expression. Then she walked away, leaving the Serperior alone to his slowly decreasing levels of sanity.
She prayed to the lord Arceus, that when this was over, some part of the Serperior she loved would still be there, and perhaps the one she loved as Sylvester could be recovered.
"Please Sylvester… whatever you're becoming… just please… don't go away completely from me… I… I actually 'do' want to have an egg with you… eventually."
(Multi PoV Pack David)
He sat inside of Xerneas' chamber resting against her body as she lay down, pretending to be asleep but was instead just simply meditating and gathering her thoughts. They were preparing for the possibility of an upcoming war, and he knew that his pack would be tested. Many of his pack members were worried, the knowledge that Pack Flare, the mightiest pack known to the packs in their area, the most numerous of all the packs was coming to fight them because of a grudge and hatred due to their leader's past decisions in a past life had spread.
Some were afraid, others determined, and others still simply waited for the inevitable battle to begin.
Karen was busying herself with preparing for the battle by training the pack's members, doubling their efforts so that they would be ready for the worst when it arrived. Lucy attacked her duties as First Prime Mate by getting the members of the pack to double their efforts in harvesting. Lancelot redoubled his training efforts. Terrance started patrolling the water access route with his wife Serene. Sophia… walked around and made sure their chambers were clean and tidy.
His Furfrou had the best intentions, she just chose to go about things differently.
He had made his declarations, he'd made his speeches, told the pack that he wasn't going to abandon them or leave them, that he would face their fate with them, and would do all he could to protect them. Now all he could do was wait, wait and wait for the battle to be joined and when it did…
"Will I be ready?" He asked Xerneas.
"Are we ever truly ready for anything my master?" She asked him wisely, her eyes still closed.
"To think last year, I was nothing more than a simple song writer… living in a cabin on the outskirts of a nearby down. I had no knowledge of Pokemon Packs, no knowledge that they were a thing, no experience leading Pokemon, never knew that I'd had another life… and here I am now." He told her.
There was silence as she processed that information, before she responded, "Do you regret your decisions and actions that have led you to this moment?" She asked him. "Do you wish to return to the innocent days of before? Would you sacrifice all that has happened if you could go back and make other choices?"
He looked at her and smiled sadly, shaking his head. "No, I wouldn't."
"Good… because your decisions affect the lives of all around you… more lives are bound to you than just those in our pact my master." She said politely. "Yara and Nera just to name a few, the other lives of this pack's members, even those of your rival and her team… and so many more than you know."
"I know, I know that now… which is 'why' I can't hesitate or feel regret for my actions now. Too many lives are depending on me now… I'm just glad Serena will be there to help us when the time comes."
A few days ago, he'd contacted Serena to ask for her assistance, and she said without hesitation that she would assist. She just had to take care of a few things first, and more importantly she was looking into 'something important'. What this was she didn't elaborate, but she said that it was important, so important that she was even asking Professor Sycamore to assist her in discovering this 'something important'.
"And to think you were afraid of being seen by her." She chided him.
He nodded as he slowly got up to stretch and return to his personal chambers. "Thank you for letting me be here Xerneas, resting here and relaxing with you calms me up greatly."
"My chambers are yours master… only you may enter them freely." She said warmly. "Now don't think you're going to leave without giving me what I desire now."
"Alright." He chuckled as he turned around and lifted her head with his hands, and she cooed as she kissed his lips once more.
"Kyuuu…" She hummed warmly as he kissed her.
Xerneas was not one to admit her feelings openly, but after making love to him in her grove she had taken a bit more delight in admitting that she cared for David deeply. Deeply enough that she desired just a 'little' bit of time from him now every day, just a bit to be with him was enough to keep her happy.
After giving Xerneas her requested kiss of affection he left to return to his chamber and was promptly followed by Natalia the pregnant Ninetales. She had been allowed to sit outside of Xerneas chamber when he entered, but not allowed inside of it as she was just a normal pack member.
"How are you feeling Natalia?"
"Oh, I'm fine pack leader!" She instantly replied happily.
They continued onward, exiting the lake chamber where near the lake Karen was doing her training routine with the pack members, toughening them up as she called it. Down one corridor and then another they turned toward his chamber and were promptly joined by Lucy his wife.
"Hello David." She said.
"Hi Lucy, how are we doing on food rations?"
"We've amassed a stockpile in case we need to take shelter or if Flare burns up our harvesting sites."
"And any word from Pack Delica?"
"None yet, and before you ask, no, Pack Logan hasn't arrived with their emissary yet."
He sighed at that, as he was hoping that his alliance with Pack Delica would inspire Logan to 'also' join in their alliance and cooperate with them both for mutual benefit. However, the Mightyena in charge of Pack Logan, Logan, wasn't keen on working 'with' another pack, especially one that it has griped with and fought against in the past, specifically his and Delica's. Delica's past pack leaders had fought against Logan's pack, and Logan had fought against Scar and other past pack leaders. This had caused massive rifts between the three packs, with Delica and his own being the friendlier pairing.
With Pack Flare invading them now all but inevitable, he needed as many allies as possible to ensure they survived.
"I hope he responds 'soon'; we don't have much time…"
"Logan has always been difficult to work with from what I know… so if he doesn't respond, well it was expected." Lucy said in agreement.
They continued walking to their chamber and once they arrived, they found Sophia putting the finishing touches to their sleeping arrangements. She had prepared the new sleeping bedding with a blanket Serena had sent them, new pillows arranged, and even planted some new 'welcome' mats for David to plant his feet on to take off his shoes and socks.
As they entered, she wagged her tail and jumped up to lick his face affectionately.
"Mon Cheri, welcome back~!" She barked happily. "How are we doing today?"
"As well as could be expected Sophia." He said as he took off his shoes and socks before sitting on the bed. "How are you doing Sophia?"
"You know me, I stay here for whenever you come back!" She yipped warmly as she cuddled up next to him, with Lucy going on his other side and Natalia choosing to lay on Sophia's other side.
There was silence for a bit as David just lay down and thought to himself, while Lucy licked his cheek affectionately and Sophia sighed in content as he scratched her fur.
"Pack leader, I know it is not my position to ask… but can we really defeat Flare?" Natalia asked nervously.
That question has been haunting him all day, but he had no definitive answer at this time. "I'm not sure… it depends." He replied. "If Flare attacks us with their full force, between our strength and Delica's strength we may hold out, but Flare still has numbers and strength on their side. If Logan agrees and joins us, then there is a definite chance we can survive."
"And if they do not attack us in force?"
"Then it depends on if Delica honors our alliance, Flare attacking us with just a group of his pack and not the whole changes things drastically. She only agreed if 'Pack Flare' attacks us, but if Flare alone with a small group of powerful members attacks, she may just choose to keep her warriors where they are since it isn't a 'pack threat' and she might not want to risk weakening sections of her territory to help us."
He looked over at Natalia and she looked worried but nodded in acceptance.
"Are you worried about your offspring?"
"Yes, Pack Leader, if Scar returns… he'll kill my son… and if my newborn I'm carrying is also a son…" She muttered fearfully. "I don't want to lose them… I've never been so happy under a Pack Leader as I am with you. And… I just don't want it to end with you…"
He smiled sadly as he rubbed her head gently, at the same time a new Pokemon entered the room, Karen his Braixen, looking exhausted as she waltzed over and flopped onto his chest.
"Karen, what are you doing here, this isn't your chamber!" Lucy demanded as Karen smirked back.
"Starter's privilege, I get to sleep with my master after spending eight hours grinding out our pack's members experience in combat and training them for battle!" She hollered.
"Listen here you little, I'm the Prime Mate, and I say you can't just…"
"It's alright Lucy, let her stay here just tonight, she has been working tirelessly to train our pack members." David interrupted, using his other hand to scratch Karen's ear, electing a 'Kyuu' of affection.
Karen nodded in approval as she leaned against him and snuggled into his chest, looking up into his face with a smile of affection.
"Well, I know this is going to be a mood killer, but as Prime Mate we need to make new preparations for the upcoming fight with Flare, if they do attack, we're going to need some kind of warning ahead of time for if and when they enter our territory." Lucy said bitterly. "We need to assign some members watch duty along the border of Pack Flare's territory."
"Sending Pokemon close to Route 10's border is going to be difficult; they won't get much time to let us know if and when Pack Flare arrives. It's at least a two- or three-day journey to the border, and that's if they don't run, we'd get at most half a day's forewarning to prepare fully." He spoke. "If we had a flying type Pokemon in the pack… it would be faster…"
"We don't have flying types in our pack sadly… the only flyer we know belongs to Serena." Sophia barked.
"Which means for the best chances we'll need to ask Serena again for her help
All of his team nodded in agreement.
"So that's what we'll do… I'll contact Serena tomorrow to ask if we can borrow her Altaria for the purpose of keeping an eye out for Pack Flare. Since he's trained, he can handle himself if needed in a fight, so he can protect himself much better against wild Pokemon." He declared, looking down at the girls around him. "I'll do everything I can to ensure our pack has the best chances of getting through and surviving."
"Don't worry master… we'll be ready when the time comes…" Karen said determinately.
"We'll be ready to fight my love, all of our pack will be ready when the moment arrives." Lucy said proudly.
"I… can't fight… but if you need me, I'll help however I can!" Sophia barked.
"To protect my pups, I'll do what I must… even in my condition, I won't let this new life I have be taken from me!" Natalia said with a determined nod.
He nodded as he looked up at the ceiling, and thought about Scar, about Flare… and what the future might hold for him and his family. Terrance and Serene, Lancelot and Lunara, Lucy and their son Sycamore, Sophia and Karen… and even Xerneas. Everyone was depending on his decisions, his actions… he couldn't make any mistakes.
No… he 'wouldn't' make any mistakes.
'Flare… I'm sorry for what happened to your trainer, but I could not have known what would happen in the aftermath of Lysandre's mad scheme. Scar… no matter what I will 'not' let you take back your pack, these Pokemon depend on me, want me too much to let you simply take it back.'
"We'll be ready…"
(Serena's PoV)
She stared at the pages of a book in the Lumiose City Central Library Archives, reading up the legends and myths of the legendary Pokemon of Kalos. Professor Sycamore had pulled some strings and now she had access to the archives of the Professor's research and findings. When asked why she was researching it, she was doing it to learn more about Xerneas and all the information Kalos had on that Pokemon. She also pulled up a few of the restricted archives regarding what Team Flare had on the Legendary Pokemon they'd found and learned about it in their brief time they had it.
"Xerneas the life giver… the beautiful deer of rainbow lights, with eyes marked by an 'X' and who's body when seen from an angle appears in the shape of an 'X'." She muttered. "According to myth, the great life giver is said to constantly give life to the world through its powers as it roams, when it uses its powers blah blah blah…"
She already knew that as she yawned in boredom, heck she was more an expert than any other trainer out there considering she actually 'knew' of Xerneas' location and potential.
"It is said blah blah blah, whoever is engulfed by this Pokemon's powers will be granted eternal life… nothing about a pact, I guess that means a pact is a one-time deal for life."
She took a sip of coffee before turning the pages, yawning in boredom again before closing the book to pull up a new record file.
She was looking up any information of the partner Pokemon to Xerneas, Yveltal. If Xerneas the Life Pokemon wasn't a myth and truly existed, then Yveltal the Destruction Pokemon also existed somewhere. Where it was, she didn't know, but she knew that Wherever Xerneas was discovered, life was found abundant and plentiful, a result of it turning into a tree after expending the last of its life-giving power and pouring it into the world, so the legends say.
"They found it somewhere full of life… which means… if I'm to locate Yveltal, I'd need to go somewhere that is practically… a desert to locate Yveltal. Yveltal would 'drain' all life around it before transforming into… something to slumber." She whispered.
She pulled up the information the archives had of Yveltal, but it wasn't very much. Unlike Xerneas, not much was known about Yveltal, after all why would anyone want to learn more about the Bird of Destruction and ender of Life itself, when you could learn about Xerneas the bringer of Life known for dazzlingly beautiful colors and for being such a benevolent creature?"
But she wanted to know more about Yveltal, she needed to find it.
"If I can find you… I can match him… my rival…" She muttered. "My rival… I never thought I would see him again… alive."
Her rival being alive had been the biggest bomb shell dropped on her, all of those emotions bottled up, self-doubt, insecurity, hating the world around her, furry at Lysandre and so many more. When she found him again, she just couldn't believe it, and so wanted to reject it, deny it, 'destroy' it for a brief moment. But Xerneas made her see the truth, and when she finally accepted it, she embraced it with joy and relief.
Her childhood friend was alive and back in her life, her rival had returned, and now she knew she could grow stronger. He was always her benchmark for becoming stronger, despite having an early advantage she always seemed behind him by a step, a battle, no matter how far or how fast she ran he just seemed to be just that little bit further ahead of her.
But now he had an advantage, he could and would live forever, be young forever… and she wanted to match him with a power similar to his.
For that… she would need…
"Yveltal…" She muttered as she closed the files and looked at a map. "The Lumiose Badlands… if you're anywhere, you'll be there."
The badlands were a massive desert in Kalos, almost lifeless with exception to the ground, rock, and otherwise 'desert' thriving Pokemon. Very little plantlife could be found if any, travel was strictly monitored and only advised if one travelled along the monitored and marked Route 13. The Kalos Power Plant was located there, and while some of it had been explored by trainers and people, the Badlands were still a mostly unexplored location.
"I don't know how long David will be able to go before he needs help, but I need to hurry and find Yveltal. It will take me a while, but if I use the local Pokemon to help me narrow down my search in the Badlands, I can find Yveltal's resting place." She said as she pulled up another file. "But would Yveltal accept my request, grant my request? Would the Destruction Pokemon form a pact with me and grant me immortality as well…"
She thought about that, immortality, living forever just like David.
She knew what would happen if she walked down that road with no turn arounds, no take backs, no fork besides 'death' itself.
David would live forever, but he could never see his old friends, see his family… his mother would forever believe that her son died a hero's death. Sycamore would forever be haunted by the knowledge that he'd sent a young trainer down the path that ended in death. The world would never know what happened to him, because if they did… she didn't want to think about it. If she followed through on her path, what would happen to her… how long before she would have to… 'disappear' like David, just so nobody would learn the truth and wouldn't have to live with that knowledge for the rest of 'their' lives.
David would live forever, his friends, family and even those members of his pack would not…
And not just him, but his team as well… if she followed through on her plan what of her team, her Pokemon friends. Would 'they' want to choose to join her, become immortal and… watch as everyone else grew old, died, while they lived forever?
"I don't know… but I'll cross that bridge when I'm ready." She muttered as she looked at a map of the Badlands. "When I'm ready… I'll be ready… and when the time comes, my team will decide what they wish to do…"
"We'll all be ready when the time comes!"
.
.
.
.
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=Author's Notes=
I'm so sorry for how long it has taken me to write a new chapter, I finally have some free time and the only excuse I can offer now was 'lack of motivation'. I'm currently in the middle of a time period where I have no income now that my job ended.
This lack of motivation stems from trying to grow my twitch channel where I stream pokemon battles, upload youtube vids, and then finally the number of stories I'm trying to keep track of and balance writing motivation efforts.
Just so people know, I'm currently writing a story for 'Arceus Book' a story that has been my longest running story, and has gone many months without an update…
Second XCOM Viper, a sequel to a story I finished, and I left on a cliff hanger… but need to update soon now that I have time…
Heart of Gazelle and Humanity, a Zootopia story that I wrote and has received a lot of attention but now sits waiting for another update, and I'm trying my hardest to give attention to it and all of my other stories evenly.
AND FINALLY… my latest, Young Master of the Dragonmaids, a yugioh story I got an idea to write after learning about yugioh cards and not having played it for a long time (as in the early gx era) wanted to write a story in that area with my own OC for the main protag.
If I had a very stable source of regular income, I could probably write more casually and frequently… and some people have said I should open a P… A… T… R… E… O… N… for my stories, and I'm thinking about it… but I still feel that if I do that, I will feel like it would be holding my stories hostage, and I love to write stories for you to read and enjoy.
Even if a few people say they are horrible or suck… yes even you people are welcome to your opinions…
What do you guys think… should I open that thing up?
Until then, I've got another story to write for… apologies if the chapter seems shorter than normal, but this story is reaching its conclusion soon…