Sinners: Arc 2

A/N: I would apologize for the delay if I was sorry for it. Health problems (though not the swine flu, rofl) have led to postponements and also quite a few horrible nights of feverish delirium. Sometimes shit just happens.



In this chapter, secrets are revealed, trust is tested, and the mutating effects of corruption are revealed to not be limited to Pokemon. Messiness ensues.



Hope you enjoy! The next chapter, Cataclysm, will be of EPIC LENGTH, possibly breaking my old record. O_O



Word count: ~13500



*****



Chapter 28: Corrupted







"You must be mistaken. Maybe you were half-asleep and just imagined that you saw it."



[I assure you, I was fully alert. Do you really think I'd be able to sleep so easily next to an unfamiliar pack? In this place?]



Flannery glanced towards the sleeping boy and Pokemon, making sure that they were truly asleep before replying. "No. But even if you really did see it, that doesn't mean that they're...like us. Gardevoir are known to be very affectionate with their trainers. Heck, most of them go through a little crush stage when they're young, and that girl is younger than any Gardevoir I've ever encountered. It's not that farfetched for her to still have a little of that in her, especially after all they've gone through together."



[I don't think that this is a mere child's crush. There was a....tenderness to it, more tender than I can express through words. There was no awkwardness, no hesitation. He did not pull away or chastise her for it. And they embraced before going back to their watch with that same tenderness.]



"Well, they are the 'Embrace Pokemon', so what do you expect? Maybe you're right, and it did happen, but he's also a teenage boy who's found himself with a very feminine and very human-like Pokemon...one who clings to him emotionally and physically. Even the most hard-line Jirachian boys might get a little turned on by that."



[After an hour of talking with them, hearing what they went through and how much they need each other...I don't think it could possibly be purely physical. And that story they told us...the human prince marrying and mating with a Gardevoir princess, whose roles they're echoing in the present...it would only make sense that their relationship would 'echo' as well. Look at them, Flannery. You don't need to be psychic to see that they're in love. They may even have already mated.]



She looked and indeed saw what Blaziken meant. Slash and Gardevoir had been at least five feet apart when they'd gone to sleep, but now they were within arm's reach of each other. They inched closer to each other every time they stirred or shifted in their sleep, subconsciously seeking each other's touch. It was something Flannery had experienced with her own mate...a sort of instinctual magnetism that brought them together when neither of them were focusing on doing something else.



"Well, I don't see a mating mark on her..."



[That might not mean anything. Maybe they haven't actually mated yet, or the mark might be under her clothing, or perhaps Gardevoir mating bonds don't leave a visible sign. Even if it does, human males might not be able to mark Pokemon females. There's too much about interspecies breeding that we don't know.]



"Well regardless...I see it now. I knew they were keeping things from us during their story, and I know that they were communicating telepathically a lot more than they let on...if they are mates, or intendeds, I can see why they'd hide certain parts of their tale. Damn, though, what are the odds of us meeting another human/Pokemon couple? And out here, of all places? It's almost unbelievable..."



[It's not very likely,] Blaziken agreed. [The question is what we're going to do about it.]



"Nothing," Flannery answered immediately. "We could be wrong, after all...and if we're right, why should we tell them that we know? They'd know that, as a Gym Leader, I'm obligated to report sexual abuse of Pokemon to the Pokemon League, and there's no way I could assure them that I wouldn't do so...not without telling them our little secret. Do you trust them enough to tell them that?"



[No. Not yet, anyway. I'm willing to join these strangers on this demon-slaying quest of theirs, but not to reveal our relationship to them. If we are wrong about them, you'd be put in danger, and we'd have to either kill them to ensure our secret remains safe or live the rest of our lives on the run. We cannot reveal ourselves to them unless we're sure that they would keep it to themselves, and at the moment we're not even sure that they are mates.]



"Whether they are or not isn't important. There's too much at stake here to risk destabilizing things even further over a suspected romantic involvement. We should keep quiet about this, at least for now. I doubt they'll discover our own relationship so long as we restrict the bond-talk and behave normally. But maybe...if we think that we can truly trust them..." Flannery smiled, barely visible in the dark, "maybe we can consider telling them about us. It might be nice to have someone to talk to about it. Can you imagine how difficult it must be for them to hide such a secret at their age? Without the advantages we had?"



Blaziken snorted. [I don't think having the eyes of an entire town on us was an advantage, but you're right, at least we had privacy and the strength to protect ourselves if someone found out. Their lives will not be easy.]



Flannery reached out and moved the blanket aside, peeking into the night. The darkness was absolute. She reached out and felt chunks of ash brush her skin like invisible cobwebs. There was a tortured scream from a few miles away and she withdrew her hand back into the cave as though the night were a red-hot stove.



"I don't think any of our lives will be easy, Blaze. Not anymore."



-------------------



Morning came six hours later, though the morning sunlight was significantly slower in its arrival. While the group had planned to set out early, they had not anticipated the lingering darkness, and decided to wait an extra hour before attempting to brave the pass. Meager breakfasts were laid out, souring water was passed around, and human and Pokemon alike shivered in the morning's unnaturally icy chill.



With the threat of corrupted Pokemon gone for the day---or at least diminished---Flannery removed the blanket over the cave mouth and gathered handfuls of the dead grass that lay buried under the layer of ash. It would burn quick, and it would burn low, but neither team had prepared for this biting cold, and they were desperate. Still, after five minutes of constantly piling grass onto the guttering spark of a fire, they gave up and huddled around Magcargo and Torkoal instead. The warmth they could exude without harming their non-fireproof friends was minimal, but it was better than the pitiful attempted campfire, at least. Slash had offered his sterno, but Flannery believed that it was better to save the canned fire for later. Just in case.



The volcanic ashfall was worse today. The ash had been like sand near the Fallarbor camp, and like pebbles only a dozen miles back, but now it was thick, stony, and sharp, and there were occasional loud thumps as small rocks fell from the sky and plopped into the dirt. Slash winced as one landed only a few feet from the cave entrance; though small, one of those striking an unprotected head could be fatal.



"Lapilli," Flannery explained. "Small volcanic rocks that fall during an eruption."



"It's already erupting?" Slash asked, trying to catch a glimpse of the volcano over the shadow-covered mountaintops. "Shouldn't it be a lot worse?"



"Technically Chimney is almost always erupting. An eruption doesn't necessarily mean a bunch of explosions and lava, just that a volcano is leaking pressure. If you mean a "big eruption"...well, the pressure's been building up since the last major eruption two hundred years ago, but the rapid increase in the past week is unlikely to be natural. It's almost surely due to the veil. When it erupts for real...trust me, you'll know."



Blaziken spoke up, feeling the need to clarify. [If the pressure doesn't go away on its own, the crater and the vents won't be able to shunt it fast enough. Either the top will blow, and you'll get lava and rockfall everywhere...pretty much the kind of eruption you see in movies...or the mountainside itself will give way, and all that pressure will be released in a huge explosion that will blast away anything in its path.]



"I can understand you now," Slash said, "though after that, I wish I hadn't. The mountain range should protect us from the worst of it, right?"



[Yes, but the collapse of the ash column would very likely kill us on its own. And the rockfall from a topside blast would stretch for miles. Gardevoir, can you strengthen your shields to block the lapilli?]



I can, Psymakio replied, continuing to speak audibly for Flannery's sake, but keeping so many shields that strong would drain me quickly. We'd be better off if I just make them block ash and strengthen them when I sense rocks falling. The barriers won't be enough if the volcano starts tossing boulders, but I can handle these little rocks just fine. It'll be easy to detect them once I power back up.



Slash frowned as a brief rain of stones fell outside the cave. "We should be safer from corrupted Pokemon during the day, so go ahead and do that. Graveler might be able to withstand that, but that could be very dangerous for the rest of us."



I've already started powering up.



"That's my girl."



The Gym Leader and her Kaishakunin exchanged a glance, but said nothing. Now that it had been noticed, there was no way to be unaware of it. Every move that Slash and Gardevoir made was subconsciously telling. The behavior of the other Pokemon was telling, as well; as the cold lessened somewhat, they began to move into a loose circle around Gardevoir, the typical formation of a pack defending its alpha female. Other than groups made up of Pokemon related by blood, or those with actively breeding couples in their ranks, most trainer-led groups didn't have alphas or any hierarchy beyond the trainer being in charge.



Perhaps they merely behaved that way since Gardevoir had adopted the week-old Cacnea now shivering in her lap, but if that was the case, the males would be more likely to defend the child, not an unbred female who was more than capable of defending herself. Knowing it was a risk, but fairly confident that Slash wouldn't be experienced enough to deduce her intentions, Flannery spoke up. "Can I ask you a trainer-related question?"



"Sure."



"Are you breeding any of your Pokemon?"



Gardevoir's cheeks colored rapidly, and Slash had to mentally compose himself for a moment before replying. Since she was the only female in their group, Flannery's question was clearly understood, and the thought of anyone else touching his mate made his hackles rise. "No, I'm not. Why do you ask?"



She hadn't missed his brief flare of jealousy, and the reaction pleased her. "Just curious. I've developed a few new fire techniques during my tenure as Gym Leader, and I'm hopeful that they can be passed down by inheritance." This was not a lie. "They can be taught, I'm sure of that, but they're so difficult to master that passing it down to their offspring might be more simple."



"I see." Slash relaxed slightly, sending an assuring pulse to Gardevoir. He didn't dare look her in the eye yet for fear of giving something away, unaware that he already had. "I've never bred any Pokemon...the whole breeding compatibility and technique inheritance things always seemed way too complicated to me...and considering my plans with the Shadow, I doubt I'll have time for it, anyway."



"I understand. I breed some of Lavaridge's stock, but I didn't have time to try to pass down my special techniques." Flannery smiled, another idea occurring to her. "But hey, maybe when this is over, I can try to teach your Growlithe some of them. You wouldn't be my apprentice, since I only specialize in Fire-types, but if we're going to be traveling together anyway, I may as well teach you what I can. Gotta reduce the power gap between us."



Growlithe, who had been looking at her Pokemon in awe ever since he'd seen them, barked happily at that idea. Though he was Slash's oldest Pokemon (except perhaps for Graveler; their kind were known to live as long as Torkoal, possibly even longer, and nobody had thought of asking him his age), he was also aware that he was the weakest in terms of fighting ability. The nine years he'd been with Slash had been as a pet rather than a fighting companion, and it showed in battle, even if none of his companions were blunt enough to mention it. If there was a way for him to become stronger and rival his fellow packmates, he would take it.



Seeing Growlithe's excitement, Slash nodded at Flannery. "I'm okay with that. We need to get a lot tougher, all of us. I still can't believe that all of us together couldn't beat that Skarmory, but Blaziken took it out in one kick."



[I caught it by surprise. I was lucky.] Blaziken looked at Growlithe and smiled. [However, it was due to my training with Flannery that I was able to increase my flame aura enough to melt its armor. If you study under us, little one, you can learn to do the same. Flannery's grandfather had an Arcanine, you know, and it was far stronger at its peak than I am right now.]



[I don't suppose...do you have a Fire Stone?] Growlithe asked, his tail thumping against the ground in his excitement. [When it comes to fighting, I'm way behind my friends. Evolving would bring me up to their level, I'm sure of it.]



"I don't have one with me," Flannery replied, "though I have several of them back in Lavaridge. But you might not want to evolve yet, anyway. There are some techniques that can be learned much more easily in your current form. Pokemon that evolve by elemental stones tend to have difficulty learning new techniques. Their core energy changes greatly upon evolution, and while it's much stronger, it's also so different that the Pokemon has to re-adjust to it. Techniques learned before evolution carry over well enough, but it can take months for them to adapt to their new energy and begin learning new abilities. In any case, I can't get my hands on a Fire Stone until I return to Lavaridge. Assuming that it hasn't been destroyed by then."



It's light enough to see out there, Psymakio pointed out. And I've finished unsealing my power. Perhaps we should be off.



"Good idea. Let's pack up and get moving. I doubt we'll make it to Fallarbor before nightfall, but we need to make as much progress as we can while there's light out. And we'll need to find another cave or something before nightfall, too."



The group gathered their increasingly limited supplies and bundled up as best as they could for the cold. Flannery withdrew the less speedy members of the group, Torkoal and Magcargo, into their Pokeballs, though she left the sensors active so they could release themselves if necessary. Slash considered withdrawing Cacnea---he had handled being held in stasis mode rather well---but decided that it'd be better to have him out and with the team, so he could get acclimated to their new traveling companions. He hoisted the little cactus onto Growlithe's back and nodded to Flannery.



"Slash, your team should stick behind me and Blaziken, so we can respond to any threats first. Gardevoir, keep your senses open for falling rocks and corrupted Pokemon. We should be okay during the day, but some of them might not be nocturnal. And if you can spare the energy, can you put shields around me and Blaziken? Breathing in this ash isn't easy."



Shielding nine isn't much harder than shielding seven, unless we start getting rained on by rockfall. Will Torkoal and Magcargo need shields if they come out?



"No, their kind are native to this region, so they can handle it. Are we forgetting anything?"



As if in reply, a huge blast of thunder ripped through the sky. Despite its incredible volume, there was an eerie flatness to it, as though the air itself was half-dead and stale. Manectric felt his fur standing up as he stepped out of the cave and into the ash-filled wastes. [My static field is a little unstable. I think I better suppress it if I don't want to start drawing lightning bolts. A strike of lightning is a couple orders of magnitude higher than anything a Pokemon could throw at me, and I doubt I could shrug it off even with my abilities."



"And it wouldn't be good for us to be a few feet away from a strike," Slash agreed. "Do what you need to do."



The rest of Slash's pack stepped outside the cave, followed shortly by Flannery and Blaziken. The wind had died, leaving the pass in almost absolute silence. The only sounds they could make out were their own crunching footsteps and the occasional grumble of thunder. Psymakio extended her psychic senses as far as she could and put shields around everyone's faces, giving them a degree of protection from the abrasive ash that scratched their skin and tore at their lungs.



They were cold and dirty and tired and miserable, but they were together. And that would have to be enough.



As the sickly yellow sunlight began fighting off the shadows, the group continued west.



---------------



The streets of Mauville were empty with the exception of one old man looking to the north.



Lavaridge had been evacuated. The massive damage caused by falling ash and rock had been too much for the people to bear. When a blast of pyroclastic material had missed the town by only a few miles, leaving a swath of hilly terrain scorched and dead, they had taken what they could carry and fled to Mauville. Their leader, Flannery's apprentice, had done a good job in bringing them here safely, but it was clear to Watson that the much younger man was in over his head. Unfair as it may have been, he wasn't Flannery, and that was enough to give the people doubts.



Watson was worried. When Slash and Psymakio had left for Fallarbor more than a week prior, the distant volcano had seemed merely dangerous. Now it was downright terrifying. The deluge of ashfall had spread all the way to Mauville, even now settling on his skin, dusting the streets in powder, and causing electrical shorts all over the city. Anyone who tried to fly more than a few hundred feet up came crashing to earth, coughing up blood and rapidly losing consciousness from gas poisoning. With communications down, there was no way to know just how far the devastation went. While he was fairly certain that Mauville would be safe from the more deadly effects of an eruption, he was not letting his guard down. His knowledge of geology and volcanoes was forty years old, barely remembered and likely out of date. He would act with caution.



A few days ago, just before the communications went out, Slash's parents had contacted Mauville, trying to get in touch with their son. They had tried to call his Pokenav but had received no response, becoming very worried as the volcanic activity became nation-wide news. He hadn't known what to tell them. There was far too much to explain over the phone, and in any case he wasn't sure what Slash would want them to know. Still, the old man felt responsible for their current predicament, and thus assured them that he had faith in their son and guaranteed that he would return safely. He now desperately hoped that he wouldn't become a liar.



Or worse, a murderer.



He had sent those kids to the north with his secondhand information of dragons and massacres. He had let them set off to cross the deadly desert and go into the shadow of an active volcano that was getting ready to reshape the landscape of Hoenn with its awakening. He had no way of knowing if they'd even survived the desert; the only news of them that he had was a strange late-night billing from the Lavaridge Pokemart that came in a week ago. For poison medication. That the pack had suffered a medical emergency on their first night in the desert did not inspire confidence.



Still, despite his worries, Watson thought they were alive. He was part of their group now, partaking in their destiny even if he wasn't governed by it, and he suspected that he would sense something if one of them died. Why he thought that, he didn't know, but it felt right.



He looked to the east and smiled, his worries fading the slightest bit. The sunrise this morning was fabulously beautiful, more colorful than he'd ever seen it. Not since his wedding day had he seen such a awe-inspiring sight. The radiant colors seemed to clash against the darkened sky of the northwest, brilliant pink and gold pushing against the lifeless gray, as though waging war against the darkness and promising victory.



Watson wasn't much for believing in fate, even after his experiences with Slash and Psymakio, but he allowed himself to hope that this was a sign. Hoping was all he could do for them now. Wiping gritty ash from his brow, the old man went back to work. Maybe he couldn't help those kids, but he still had two town's worth of people counting on him to get them through yet another disaster.



----------------------



The weary group continued trudging west, thankfully avoiding any encounters with corrupted Pokemon. They spotted a few hiding in caves and underneath hanging cliffs, but their eyes (sometimes far more than two of them) were closed, and none of them appeared to be moving. None so much as glanced up when they passed, not even with Psymakio's powers fully active. They weren't dead, but they didn't appear to be sleeping, either. Rather they appeared to be in some sort of unholy meditation, gathering strength from the infected air and focusing on keeping their mutations from killing them.



There were more of them now, according to Flannery. They spotted one or two every hour, and they kept their distance, unsure if their trance would break if they perceived any danger to themselves. Even with their combined strength, the group had no desire to test themselves against these beasts.



Walking through the pass was becoming steadily more difficult. The nearer they drew to Fallarbor (and thus closer to Chimney, which was only a little more than thirty miles south), the higher and harsher the drifts of ash became. Huge boulders and drifts of gravel intruded into the pass at points, clear signs of the earthquakes that rattled the mountains almost constantly, and they had to detour around each rockfall. At one point the entire pass was blocked off by fallen debris, too gravelly and loose to climb, and they spent the better part of an hour digging a way through.



The corpses were still present, though now they were not restricted to the water. Broken and half-eaten bodies of Pokemon lay along the cliffsides, along with the rotting remains of several corrupted Pokemon who had succumbed to their own mutations. Slash argued that they should bury them, but after giving a hasty interment to half a dozen of the poor creatures, Flannery convinced him that he would better serve them by reaching Fallarbor faster and dispelling the veil. He hadn't argued, but Psymakio felt his dismay at leaving the bodies by the side of the road, and she couldn't help but share some of his frustration. A normal Pokemon killing for food was something she could accept, but the idea of corrupted abominations fueling themselves on the last traces of untainted life in the area was...infuriating.



A little after noon, they found another corpse.



"It's human," Flannery announced, motioning for the others to draw closer. The body, clearly a few days dead and covered in gruesome burns, was wearing an Aqua uniform. The Pokeballs on his belt were missing. "These wounds aren't from fire. They were caused by an energy attack. Maybe a Hyper Beam."



Crawdaunt was scuttling around the piles of rock surrounding the corpse when he grimaced and knelt down behind a fallen boulder. [There's another one over here. Half his head is missing, probably from a corrupted Pokemon. There's a torn-up stretcher next to him, too. I think he might have been trying to get the burnt guy out of Fallarbor.]



"It would take two people to carry a stretcher, so one Aqua is unaccounted for. I wonder what happened to him. One of our groups should have passed him if he survived."



There was a sudden clinking of falling rocks a few yards behind them, and all the Pokemon jumped into defensive position, Slash picking up Cacnea and stepping in front of Gardevoir. Graveler and Blaziken, the closest ones to the sound, carefully advanced towards a large and bulging pile of gravel that was now trembling faintly. Before they could reach it, a blood-streaked human hand pushed its way out of the rubble, fingers broken and twisted. The sudden movement caused more of the gravel to roll away, revealing the gaunt, bleeding face of a man, breathing laboredly and clearly in great pain. Flannery rushed to help him, but Blaziken grabbed her arm and stopped her.



[Something is wrong, Flannery. After a few days of being injured and buried, he should be dead from dehydration or his wounds. Graveler, help me get him out. And stay alert.]



[Got it.]



The two Pokemon hesitantly approached the rubble and grabbed the man's arms, pulling him free. There was an Aqua uniform on him, too, but it was in tatters. The group gasped in shock and horror as they saw the reason why. The man's ribs had snapped off of his sternum and were jutting out from his chest on both sides, tearing through his skin and locking together as solid plates of bone. The ribs in front appeared to be forming some sort of living armor, covering his abdomen, chest, and the sides of his neck; the ribs in back had twisted backwards and appeared to be forming bare, skeletal wings. Black spidery lines branched out from the bloody holes in his flesh.



"Jirachi's grace," Flannery whispered. "He's corrupted. Or at least partially. I knew that humans could be corrupted, but I didn't think they...transformed, too." She exhaled harshly, appeared to be fighting the urge to throw up, and clung tightly to Blaziken's arm. The broken man looked up at her, his eyes bloodshot and filled with terrible awareness. That he had not yet succumbed to madness was somehow far worse than coming across a fully corrupted and mindless human. He opened his mouth and tried to speak, but all that came out were strained gasps. Crawdaunt, the only member of the group not stunned into immobility, clattered forward and brought his claw to the Aqua's face, letting out a trickle of water. He drank eagerly, groaning in pain as he swallowed. When he finished, Crawdaunt pulled back his claw and helped the man onto his back, the winglike bones propping his upper body off of the ground.



[Can you speak?] Crawdaunt asked, somehow instinctively sure that the man would understand his speech even if he'd never seen another Crawdaunt in his life. [What happened to you?]



"I...it...it hurts," the Aqua croaked, his voice strained and broken. He tried to sit up but couldn't, falling back down and pressing the splay of bones into the dirt and ash. "It hurts so bad. My insides. My skin itches. Can't scratch the lines off. I tried. Then my...they came out. I can feel them growing. I thought about cutting them off, but...I didn't dare. I was...too scared." He was crying now. Slash handed Cacnea to Graveler and knelt by the man's side, taking his hand, the fact that he was an Aqua completely forgotten. Despite the haggard face and weary eyes, the man couldn't be more than twenty years old. "It hurts. It feels like knives. I'm scared."



"It's okay to be scared. Don't worry. It'll be over soon, I swear it." Slash squeezed the man's hand and examined the lines on his chest. They were several inches long, many crossing over his heart, and they were far more branching and intricate than those on his hands. The knowledge that this was what he himself could end up becoming made him cold. "How long ago did the marks appear?"



"First day...first day we got to Fallarbor. They just itched at first. They got bigger every night. Thought it was a rash until one of Rick's Pokemon got them too, and it went...rabid. We had to kill it before it could hurt any of us. Oh fuck, do I have rabies? Is that what this is?"



"No, it's not rabies. When did your ribs start to...to..."



"Few days ago. We weren't supposed to leave, but Johnny was hurt so bad, and Archie didn't think he had a chance. So me and Rick, we disobeyed orders...we left with him on a stretcher. Wanted to carry him to the other camp, where the Fallarbor guys are. But...a monster came, and it attacked us. I thought it was rabid, too. Killed Rick. Knocked Johnny onto the ground, didn't see what happened to him after that. And it did something to me...it touched me...touched my heart...and then the lines started growing so fast I could actually see them moving. The monster left, but they kept growing, and then my...my bones started to stick out...it hurts so bad, please, it's still happening, I just want it to stop...please, I beg you, I don't want to feel this anymore, I can't stand it anymore, it's just so fucking bad..."



"Stop," Slash said, his eyes watery. "Stop. That's enough."



"Kill me, please. I'd rather be dead than...than this. I keep thinking about...what happened to Rick's Pokemon. What it started to become after the lines got to its heart. I don't want to see what happens at the end, please..."



Flannery managed to look at the Aqua again, though her hand was still tightly gripping Blaziken's arm. "Is there anything we can do for him? Any way to stop it?"



Slash looked down at the man's terrified and tear-filled eyes, hesitated, and then nodded. "Yeah, there's a way. Gardie? I need your help."



Gardevoir only stared at the man, unable to respond. One thought ran through her head over and over, blocking out all other thought---that this was Slash's ultimate fate, and possibly the fate of any of them should the lines appear on their skin. To find themselves mutated, twisted mockeries of their former selves, their minds breaking as their bodies distorted, damned to rage against the world even after death. She was lost in her terror until Slash reached out and clasped her hand. She drew away from his grip with a startled jump, as though his hand could infect her with the corruption lines, and then she started to cry.



"Psymakio, I know it's scary, but he needs your help. Please. If not for him, then for me."



She struggled to compose herself for a moment, forcing herself to look at the man, and then slowly reached out and took her mate's hand once more. What can I do?



"He needs to be asleep, but there's no way for him to fall asleep on his own when he's in this much pain. I need you to use Hypnosis on him. Can you do that?"



Unsure of what her master was planning, she nodded, disgusted at herself for being pleased that she wouldn't have to touch the Aqua to put him under. Yes.



Slash smiled down at the man, but the smile was trembly and forced. "What's your name?"



"Ted. My friends call me Teddy." Now he was smiling too, genuinely in spite of the agony that twisted his lips. "They always called me Teddy because they knew it pissed me off. Made me sound like a...can you really fix me? Stop them from growing and maybe even...put them back inside?"



Gardevoir shivered as an unpalatable rush of emotion surged from her mate. It was a mixture of fear, sorrow, and...something else. Something unreadable. He hesitated at the question, eyes downcast, but he didn't allow his smile to fade, even if it hurt to keep it on his face. "Yes, Ted, I promise that it won't hurt anymore. Just lay back and let my Pokemon put you to sleep. It'll all be over soon."



Ted leaned back against his spider-cage wings and closed his eyes, still smiling even as tears continued to drip down his face. Did he know what Slash was intending to do? Did his nearness to death give him some sort of second sight? None present knew, but the man was still smiling when Gardevoir fired a pulse of Hypnosis and sent him into sleep.



Now what, master?



"Now I need you to...finish it. Do what has to be done.."



What...what are you...you're not asking me to...



Her eyes widened as the realization struck, and Slash looked away, unable to meet her gaze. He supposed that it was cruel to ask this of her, knowing how much death she'd already experienced in her life, knowing how torn up she had been after killing those thugs outside of Mauville, but nobody could end the poor Aqua's life as quickly and painlessly as she could. "I'm sorry, but...it needs to be fast. And certain. And it shouldn't damage him any more than necessary. None of us can do that for him, but you can. You can...set him free."



Gardevoir stared at him, scarcely believing his words. You want me to...to kill him? I can't believe that you would suggest that! Surely none of you agree with him, do you?



Flannery and the other Pokemon made no reply. They had known that there was no cure from the beginning, and they had known what had to be done. Gardevoir looked from one face to the next, heart sinking as each and every one of them evaded her glances. It was the only answer that she needed.



No. I...I can't. It's not right!



"Psymakio," Slash said in a quiet voice, "there is no way to stop the corruption. Not that we're aware of, anyway, and if there was a way to reverse it, I'm sure that Quiero would have told us. Even if we could stop the mutation, he's already so...so far with it...he couldn't survive with these," Slash pointed at the thick ridges of bone on Ted's chest. "It's probably even worse inside of him. The mutations of corruption are not compatible with life for very long. All we can do is...end his pain."



End his pain, she repeated bitterly. You mean kill him. Put him to sleep and murder him. After lying to his face about being able to cure it.



"Slash didn't lie," Flannery pointed out. "He promised that he would end his suffering. This is the only way to do it. This man asked for death, because his pain is unbearable and the final result will be something none of us want to contemplate, especially not him. He's only half corrupted now, but his mind is already starting to break from the pain, and his body is falling apart. Do you want him to lose the sentience he has left? You heard him, he'd rather die than become a monster. It's what he wants."



Gardevoir fell to the ground and sat with her legs in her arms, staring at the sleeping Aqua's eerily peaceful face and continuing to cry quietly. Just because he wants it doesn't mean it's right.



Slash walked over and sat next to her, reaching over and turning her face to meet his. The sight of her in tears was heartbreaking, and he hated himself for being the cause of it. He had made his mate cry far too many times. "Psymakio, I'm terribly sorry to ask this of you. If any of us could make it quick for him, I'd ask them. But zapping him or frying him or crushing him or cutting his throat is nowhere near as...humane...as wiping his mind."



Humane, she laughed bitterly. What kind of world is it that lets killing someone be humane?



"The only world we've got," Flannery answered. "Whether we like it or not."



I just wish that there was another way. Do nothing and allow a sentient being to become an abomination...or kill him, despite being unarmed and half dead. He's barely older than you, master. He probably joined up for the same reasons as...other syndicate members who wrongly thought there was honor in it. It's not fair.



"None of this is. Not for anyone."



Seeing that Gardevoir was wavering, Blaziken spoke up. [If nothing else, think about your pack. If this man survives his wounds long enough for the corruption to be completed, he may come after us. He'll have our scent and know our direction. Your entire pack will be in danger...your friends, your child, and your trainer.]



Gardevoir lowered her head at that realization, staring at the mangled body below her. They were right. They all were. As much as she hated it, they were right. To save this young man's soul, and to protect her loved ones, she had no choice. Perhaps one day she would eradicate the souls of corrupted humans and Pokemon without hesitation, sure in the knowledge that she was freeing them instead of simply killing them. Perhaps one day it would be easy. But not today. Just like her mate, she was still young, afraid, and the thought of delivering death left her cold.



...how...how should I do it?



"The best way would be to blank his mind. It'll be over almost instantly."



That ability...I don't exactly have pleasant memories attached to it. I'm still not happy about what I did back then.



Slash, aware of Flannery and Blaziken's presence but not caring, pulled Gardevoir against his side and rubbed her back, trying to soothe the sadness and fear he felt in her heart. "I know. But you saved my life, Gardie, and you'll be saving his now. You don't have to lose any sleep over it."



I know. But I will anyway. It's just not easy to forget.



"Then I'll be there to comfort you when you doubt yourself, just as you comfort me. I swear it."



Gardevoir nodded, reluctantly slipping out of Slash's grasp. She stood up and looked down at Ted, who was whimpering in pain even in the heavy Hypnosis-induced sleep. The sight was terrible, and any doubt about ending his pain was washed away as she saw the tears still streaming from the closed eyes of the young man. No matter what this man had done as an Aqua, he did not deserve this kind of suffering. No one did. She would not wish corruption on the predators who killed her family.



She focused on Ted's mind, initially having a little trouble due to the Dark-like energies of corruption. Eventually she managed to lock on to his brain activity and sync it to her own.



"What are you doing?" Flannery asked her, stepping back as bright blue energy swirled around the girl's body and the shields temporarily flickered. "I'm not familiar with such a technique."



I'm going to erase his neural activity. Instant brain death. The moment I do it, he'll be beyond pain...and death of his body will be all but immediate.



"Why didn't you use it on Kiako?"



It is not an easy technique to use. I was only a Ralts when we encountered Kiako, so such power was far beyond my abilities. When I was a Kirlia, and we were mugged outside of Mauville, I was only able to do it because Slash's life was in immediate danger...I tried accessing the power afterwards, but I couldn't touch it. Now that I'm fully evolved and a lot stronger than I was back then, I believe I can do it at will. Still, it's not easy, and its usefulness is limited...it only takes a little bit of psychic awareness to be able to block it off completely, and it doesn't work on Dark-types or corrupted Pokemon. If this poor man didn't want me to do it, even in sleep, I wouldn't be able to do so. She paused, feeling his life in her mental grip, and sighed warily. I guess that's proof that this is what he wants after all.



Her aura intensified, cutting through the ash and temporarily surrounding the group with clean, clear air. When the whirlwind of energy stabilized, she closed her eyes and held her open hands over the body, palms down. For a brief moment she thought that Ted's mind was aware and looking back at her. Maybe even thanking her, though she thought that might just be her conscience trying to ease her doubts.



May your pain end, Psymakio whispered, and then there was a blinding blue flash of light, so bright that everyone flinched and clapped their hands to their eyes. When they were able to see again, Ted was no longer breathing, and the corruption lines had ceased growing. Gardevoir sighed in exhaustion and dispelled her aura, taking a few wobbly steps before tripping over her feet. Slash caught her just before she fell into the ash.



"Are you alright?"



Yes, master. Just a little...drained.



As the ash began falling again in the absence of her aura, Gardevoir put the shields back up around her friends, and pulled herself back to her feet, though Slash kept supporting her with his arm. "If you can't hold the shields, tell us. We'll tolerate the ash if we have to."



No, I'll be alright. Thank you for catching me...and worrying about me...and helping me bring that man peace. It's funny...maybe it was just my conscience feeling guilty and trying to lie to me, but at the end, I thought I sensed his mind...fully aware of what I was doing...and thanking me.



"I think you sensed correctly."



The group was silent for a long moment, shivering in the cold air and staring at the still body on the ground. Finally, Flannery spoke up. "We'll bury this one. After what he went through, it's the least we can do."



[We'll bury the others too, ] Manectric added. [Maybe they were Aquas, but they were trying to help a fellow packmate when this happened. That's gotta count for something.]



Everyone agreed. With Graveler's help, it only took a few minutes to dig out a grave deep enough to keep away all but the most determined scavengers and fill it back up. Nobody said a word during this. After all, despite his undeserved suffering, Ted had still been an Aqua...a criminal. For all they knew, he might have been a thief or a vandal or a murderer. But they didn't know, not for sure, and so they buried him as they would bury a normal man, and that felt right. Justice is not always so black and white. Gardevoir understood that now.



-----------



As Graveler and Crawdaunt finished filling in the grave, Flannery and Blaziken finished a silent conversation over their bond. Though they had agreed to remain silent about it just the night before, the pair now agreed that they could trust Slash and Psymakio enough to reveal themselves. Any doubts had been washed away during the ordeal they'd just been through. Trying times bring people closer together, and the combined packs had been through more trials in the past day than most people went through in a lifetime.



"Psymakio," Flannery said cheerfully, startling the pair from their somber stillness. "It's a nice name. When did you give it to her, Slash, before or after?"



Slash and Gardevoir froze, suddenly very aware of how close they were standing to each other. Gardevoir started to move away, but Slash mentally whispered for her to stop, knowing that overreacting was as bad as admitting it. He responded to Flannery as soon as he could regain control of his voice, and with as much nonchalance as he could muster. "Before or after what?"



"Mm, if I had to guess, I'd guess that it was after you fell in love with her. Am I right?"



Now the panic set in as all of Slash's Pokemon stared at Flannery, stunned, unsure if they should act casually or pounce on her before she had a chance to do anything with her knowledge. The couple was still frozen in place, trying to think back to when they'd used her given name and trying to think of a response. What could they say to that one?



Flannery smiled pleasantly. "Relax. It's alright. Your secret is safe with us, I assure you."



"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Slash asked breathlessly, finally finding his words, feeling bitter and betrayed. How long had she known? Did the Pokemon League know before they even set off for the desert? Were there hunters after them right now? "It's not funny. Especially not after burying someone."



[You don't have to deny it. I saw you two last night. We know.] Unlike Flannery, who was smiling happily at the pair, Blaziken was standing calmly and making no sudden moves. He knew how he would react if confronted like this, and he had no desire to antagonize Slash or his Pokemon. He also had to be ready to protect his mate if they attacked. [Flannery is...okay with it. As am I. You have nothing to fear from us.]



"Somehow I don't believe that," Slash spat, cursing himself for letting his guard down the previous night. How did neither of them sense that they were being watched? One hand dropped to his knife as he backed away with Gardevoir still holding onto his arm, the other Pokemon forming a defensive ring around them. "A Jirachian Gym Leader being okay with that sort of thing, yeah, sure. What do you want? To bring us in? To kill us? Whatever you're planning, drop the act and do it. But we won't go down quietly."



Flannery rolled her eyes and laughed. "Slash, if I really wanted to kill you, I could have done it already. And if I wanted to do it without implicating myself, I could have just...not rescued you from that Skarmory. Do you really think you'd still be alive now if I had any desire to harm you?"



Slash's grip on his knife relaxed somewhat, but he did not remove his hand from it. Psymakio was trying to prog Flannery's mind to see if she was telling the truth, but there was some sort of barrier barring her access. Whatever it was, it wasn't precisely psychic in nature. It was too strong for her to break through.



What is that? she asked Flannery. This...construct in your mind. Even the most highly trained human psychics shouldn't be able to block me from progging them.



"It's a communication bond. Since I'm a Gym Leader and have to fight all sorts of Pokemon, including psychics, we've had to train ourselves to resist it being detected...although a sufficiently strong Psychic-type could probably breech it if they wanted to. I'll stop focusing on resisting for a moment...do you recognize it?"



It's a...mating bond! Gardevoir gasped, shocked at seeing the familiar connection in another mind. It was clearly not the same as her own; the link she had with Slash was a psychic creation, a mixture of mating and trainer bonds, capable of sharing everything from simple thoughts to deepest emotion to tinkering with each other's minds. Flannery's mating bond was simpler, allowing only basic "telepathic" communication, but it was by no means weaker.



From what Quiero told us, it might be possible for humans to mate with each other...but that's not what you did, is it?



"No," Flannery agreed. "The answer should be fairly obvious now."



Now Slash's fingers dropped from the grip of his knife, falling loosely at his side. His adrenaline-fueled protective instincts had faded into bewilderment. "You're saying that you...and him...you're..."



[Just like you,] Blaziken said, allowing his guard to drop the slightest bit. [Flannery and I have been mates for more than two years now. It's been difficult hiding it, since we're in the public eye, but we've managed. We learned to hide our bond from psychic types, and I put my mating mark on her somewhere that nobody could see unless she's undressed...we've never been discovered by anyone.]



"Not even by your friends?"



Mating mark?



Flannery smiled, choosing to answer Gardevoir's question first. "We don't know much about how different Pokemon mate...the intricacies of it aren't exactly widely discussed...but we know that every specie mates differently. Blaziken leave visible marks on their mates, usually on their neck or shoulder, to show others that they belong to someone else. I suppose Gardevoir and Gallade don't do that?"



I don't think so. My mother didn't have a mark, anyway. Do both mates mark each other?



"Yes. Since I'm a human, I couldn't mark him, but---"



[She didn't need to. I already belong to her, even in the eyes of the public.]



"---but even if I could, it wouldn't be a good idea, since he couldn't exactly hide it. It seems Gardevoir mark their mates with a psychic connection instead, and it's far stronger than what we have."



It's not stronger, Psymakio explained. Ours is just...deeper. It lets us do a lot more than talking, like sharing emotion. I'm sure that you two are connected in other ways that we don't have.



"I see." Flannery noticed Slash was still looking at her and her mate warily. "Do you still distrust us? Must I kiss him before you believe me?"



"It's not that I don't trust you. It's just a little difficult to believe. A Gym Leader not only accepting of our relationship, but in her own as well? The Pokemon League doesn't usually favor trainers with...sympathies such as yours."



"They don't know about my sympathies. I don't exactly advocate it in public. I'm sure you know what the consequences would be if I did. I'd lose my position as Gym Leader...something I could tolerate. And then I'd lose my trainer certification, meaning that me having any Pokemon would be illegal, including Blaziken...but we could deal with that by going on the run, as hard as that would be. The real reason I haven't announced my feelings is that doing so would destroy my family's legacy forever." Flannery sighed and looked south, the direction of Lavaridge. "I am selfish enough to abandon my position as Gym Leader for love. And as much as I love my town, I would abandon it as well, if it meant living in peace with Blaziken. But I cannot intentionally destroy the memory of my father and the rest of my bloodline. The day may come when it happens anyway, but...I'll do my best to prevent that. They deserve better than that after all they did for Lavaridge."



The earth beneath their feet briefly trembled as a small tremor struck, sending drifts of gravel rolling and settling the soil of the Aquas' grave. Psymakio and Graveler flinched as they felt the pulse of power surge past them. Perhaps we should talk about this while we're on the move. And it's getting darker...we need to find shelter before the corrupted Pokemon start coming out.



"Alright." Flannery picked up her backpack and swung it onto her shoulders once more. "Slash? Do you believe me when I say that I won't cause any harm to you or Psymakio? Or any of you?"



"Yes. But I still have a few more questions. About yourself and the mating."



"Fine with me. Let's go."



The group continued west, leaving behind the unmarked grave of the Aquas behind them.



----------------------



"You're the first we've ever told about us."



Darkness had fallen, although it was only five in the afternoon according to Slash's Pokenav. They'd managed to find another cave, this one far deeper than the previous night's lodging. Again they blocked off the entrance with blankets and set up their fireless camp in the back of the tunnel, hoping to remain undetected. The other Pokemon had fallen asleep around the warmth of Magcargo and Torkoal, exhausted from the constant travel. Slash's Pokemon were still injured from their encounter with the Skarmory, and with very little medicine to go around, they needed all the rest they could get if they hoped to recover before they reached Fallarbor.



Slash and Psymakio huddled together, shivering under a shared blanket. Flannery and Blaziken sat side by side, enjoying each other's touch after a long week of guarded abstinence, but Psymakio noticed that neither appeared to feel the cold. Perhaps that was an attribute of their mating bond, but she didn't ask. She and Slash had more important questions than whether or not the young woman was immune to temperature.



"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about me and Blaziken before, Slash, but the danger is too great to share with anyone except for the most trustworthy friends. We weren't sure that we could trust you, even after we found out about you two. After today, though..." Flannery sighed and snuggled against her mate, surprised at how good it felt to be open with someone. "If we're going to dedicate our lives to the same cause, abandoning our only hope for a normal life, we may as well go all the way."



I can understand that, Psymakio replied. Have you ever met another couple like us before?



"Yes, although we didn't tell them about ourselves. They made the mistake of telling someone that they thought they could trust. Eventually that person informed the police about it. The Pokemon, a Sceptile, was put down because they feared she'd never recover from the "abuse". The human, a guy about your age, was thrown in jail. He didn't last long there."



Slash shivered at the thought. "That could have been our fate, if Watson hadn't been such a nice guy. Aren't Gym Leaders obligated to report any...crimes...to the League? Couldn't you or Watson get in deep shit if someone found out that you'd been covering for us?"



"Yes, but...I would never do that, not unless there truly was abuse going on. I can't speak for Watson's motivations, but even before falling in love with Blaziken, I would not have outed anyone."



"But you're a Jirachian," Slash stated, pointing at her necklace. "Is that just a front?"



"No, I really am a follower of Jirachi. I don't go for the church talk, though. People can misinterpret the teachings of Jirachism and put their own bias into it. I'm a private believer, studying the teachings at home."



"But it's those holy books that condemn what we are, and suggest just what to do with us. The people at the churches are just teaching what the books tell them to."



Flannery shook her head and smiled at him. "Slash, those writings are centuries old. They might even date back to the Second Kingdom, or perhaps during the period before unification. In any case, things have changed since then. Society has grown up, even if there is still a lot of barbarism left to abolish. The teachings of Jirachism shouldn't tell you how to live or act or believe...they should teach you how to understand yourself. And the fact that the stories are so old should be taken into account when studying them."



[Even the hard-liners don't follow some of the teachings,] Blaziken added. [According to the Third Book, Pokemon that reproduce in ways other than live birth or eggs aren't supposed to be eaten, befriended, or associated with...they're "unnatural"...but do you see many Jirachians calling for bans on training Exeggutor and Magneton? It's only because of people's prejudice against interspecies breeding that the ban on our mating has been deemed an abomination when so many other rules have been ignored.]



"I'd guess that the only reason people are culling Absol instead of Weezing is because there was a bad experience with Dark-types some time in the past. Their natural prejudice gives the anti-Dark teachings priority. I don't follow the church's teachings because I want to steer clear of all that crap. I know that Jirachism can seem pretty brutal and monstrous if you choose to focus on those parts of it. Certainly its history is dark enough. But at its core, Jirachism isn't supposed to be about laws regarding who you can fall in love with and racial purity; it's supposed to be about having faith that if you're a good person, and believe that someone is up there looking out for you, sometimes your wishes can come true."



"I guess I can understand that," Slash admitted. "I'm still a little surprised that you stuck with it even after mating with Blaziken, though."



"Actually, I didn't convert to Jirachism until after I'd mated."



"After? Why?"



"After my father died, I didn't think I'd ever be happy again. People kept telling me that things would get better...that I'd get over it and live a normal life...but no matter how hard I tried, I just...couldn't forget. I just trained all day and cried all night, wishing on the stars that it'd stop hurting. Nothing magical or dramatic happened to make me suddenly believe, but it was around that time that Blaziken became my Kaishakunin. I started crying less and less and started laughing more and more, and eventually I realized that I'd...fallen in love with him. When I discovered that he felt the same way for me, it occurred to me that my wish had come true after all."



Flannery took Blaziken's hand and kissed her mate with such gentle tenderness that Slash's doubts vanished at the sight of it. "Maybe Jirachi himself is just a myth," she admitted, "even if the Greater One from your vision sounds a lot like him. But my faith isn't so much in an entity as it is in hope. And even with the world's cruelty and the Shadow's wrath...as long as I'm with him, I have hope."



She grinned and hugged Blaziken tightly, the large Pokemon pulling her into his embrace. Slash and Gardevoir watched, a little embarrassed at being spectators, but mostly they were touched at the sight of two souls who were as much in love as they were.



"I'm glad we met you guys," Slash said, smiling. "What are the odds that we'd meet another couple like us, out here of all places? That'd we'd meet another Gym Leader who's as open-minded as Watson?"



[We were amazed at that, as well,] Blaziken replied. [Perhaps our meeting wasn't by chance.]



"Maybe not. Hey, are there any other Leaders who might be...sympathetic to us?"



"Not that I know of. I do know that Norman, the Gym Leader of Petalburg, is a very fundamentalist Jirachian, though. He's someone we'll have to be very careful around, should we cross paths with him. Wallace himself is more moderate...he instituted the changes allowing Dark-types to be used in League matches, after all...but I doubt he'd support humans and Pokemon mating."



Who's Wallace? Psymakio asked. The League Champion?



"Yeah. He doesn't exactly have a high approval rating after making those changes, but nobody can beat him, so it doesn't really matter what they think. He's not going anywhere. So what about you two? How long have you been mated?"



Not long. Only for a week and a half. Not long before we left for the desert.



"New mates, huh? I remember what that's like." Flannery grinned and squeezed Blaziken's arm. The normally stoic Pokemon actually appeared to be a little embarrassed. "Pokemon couples have an urge to keep getting it on until the female gets pregnant. For couples with humans involved, that doesn't happen, so the instinct can take a while to diminish. It can be pretty fun," she laughed, flashing a thumbs-up at Psymakio. "You just have to learn to control it so you don't play grab-ass in dangerous situations."



We...um...we learned our lesson about that, Psymakio replied, blushing brightly. Slash nodded in solemn agreement. Besides, this place isn't exactly good for...playing around. We thought ash would be like snow, not tiny little annoying rocks everywhere.



"Yeah, nothing says turn-off like volcanic ash and not bathing for a week." Flannery yawned and leaned back against Blaziken. "Maybe we should turn in early so we can get some badly-needed sleep. And hey, maybe it is pretty sucky here, but there's one good thing about this place...since we're so far from civilization, and know about each other's mating, we can at least cuddle up with our mates tonight."



But as the group settled down for their desperately needed sleep, they quickly discovered that no romance would be happening tonight; they did not cuddle together so much as cling to their mates, trying to ease each other's trembling. The corrupted Pokemon had awakened, and the night was filled a cacophony of guttural roars, along with the frightened cries of the last few untainted Pokemon still in the pass. Every so often there was a flurry of crashing as two corrupted Pokemon fought amongst themselves, and around midnight Growlithe and Manectric heard what sounded like one monster killing and eating another. Not necessarily in that order.



Nobody got much sleep that night, and when they woke up in the morning, aching and fatigued, they found the ash stained with blood only a few yards from the cave entrance.



-------------------



They were aware of Fallarbor long before they could actually see it.



The heavy ashfall obscured vision and deadened sound, but a few hours after the group set off, they began to notice bright flashes in the direction of Fallarbor, followed by loud bursts of something too abrupt to be thunder. More Aqua corpses were scattered across the path, many of them with the same terrible burns as the body they'd found earlier. Others had huge bites taken out of them or missing limbs. None of these men appeared to have been evacuating the wounded when they died; it looked as though they had simply panicked and fled. Some died while literally crawling away from the city, their arms and legs shredded by ash and rock. Only a few bodies had corruption lines, and none of those had been in the process of mutating at the time of their death.



As the group drew nearer to the city, the number of corrupted Pokemon hiding in the shadows began to decrease. Strange, considering that Fallarbor was the nexus of the veil. Slash suspected that the fighting in the city must have been scaring them off, but the thought of something strong enough to do such a thing was enough to give him chills.



Every so often the sky was lit up by huge blasts of white-hot energy, tearing through the air a hundred feet above them, cracking the sky with sonic booms and leaving cindery ash falling in their wakes. Hyper Beams, according to Flannery, and more powerful than any normal Pokemon could ever hope to wield. The beams came from the west. They could only hope that it was Rayquaza firing them off and not their unidentified enemy, because they had no chance of matching such incredible power in battle. No chance at all.



One of the tremendous beams flew by much lower than the others had been, startling human and Pokemon alike as the sonic boom exploded overhead. Slash jumped with such force that a tumble of empty boxes and water bottles fell from his half-zipped backpack. When the group had recovered its wits, Psymakio and Blaziken knelt down to help Slash pick up the mess. As they were dropping things back into the pack, Blaziken suddenly jumped up and leapt to Flannery's side, something clenched in his fist. Slash watched, confused, as the fire Pokemon handed the object to Flannery, who held it up to the scant sunlight and frowned as she examined it. After a long moment, she turned her hand so that Slash could see, and his heart skipped a beat as he realized what she was holding.



"Slash," Flannery said in a dangerously low voice, her eyes gleaming with barely concealed anger, "a normal trainer might think that this is the Cascade Badge from the Kanto water-type Gym. But any Gym Leader would notice the lack of authenticity marks on it...and the little communicator built into the back of it."



Psymakio, recognizing the badge and noticing Blaziken tensing his legs as though preparing to leap at them, slowly stood and returned to her master's side. This was not good, not good at all.



"And while I've never seen this kind of badge up-close before, its construction is remarkably similar to a badge that I have seen before...the insignia worn by members of Team Magma. Which would make this a badge of Team Aqua, wouldn't it?"



"Yes," Slash said quickly, "but I can explain."



[You'd better explain fast,] Blaziken growled, fire raging around his fist and ankles. [Because right now what I see is a threat to my mate.]



"Before we left for the desert, Archie came looking for me. He heard about Kiako killing the Aquas in Slateport, along with my battle with Maxie and helping the trainers of Mauville eradicate the Magmas. He wanted me to join them, as what he called a Rogue Aqua...one who didn't stay with the main team, but rather lived a relatively normal life unless called upon, or doing undercover missions."



"Did you accept his offer?"



"Yes, I did, but---"



Blaziken lunged at Slash before he could hear anymore, unconcerned about his reasons and only seeing a threat to Flannery. Psymakio's psychic aura exploded around her, but it was Crawdaunt who intercepted him, blocking a powerful kick with one water-shrouded claw. Blaziken leapt back, his leg feeling like it had been stabbed with a hundred needles; Crawdaunt skidded back through the ash from the force of the impact, his claw aching terribly. The two Pokemon stared each other down, fire and water swirling around their hands and claws.



"Wait a second, Blaze! I want to hear his explanation first!"



[He lied to us, Flannery! We told him everything about ourselves, even our relationship, and he's still been keeping secrets! His very existence puts you in danger!]



"I'm not a danger to either of you!" Slash shouted, holding his empty hands up. "Let me finish!"



[It makes sense now. I thought you were awfully sympathetic to that Aqua freak...and having a Pokemon like that,] he gestured at Crawdaunt, [I'm disgusted that I didn't see it earlier...that I fell for it and trusted you...I will correct my mistake before you have any chance to put Flannery in harm's way.]



[You can try,] Crawdaunt hissed, clacking his pincers together. [But I won't make it easy!]



Psymakio nodded, gathering her energy into her hands. I don't want to hurt you, but I won't let you lay a hand my master!



"Stand down, both of you! You're not helping!"



Gardevoir looked at Slash uncertainly, her instincts for protection and obedience battling for attention. Seeing the seriousness in her trainer's expression, and realizing that he was just barely succeeding in suppressing his own rage, she reluctantly dispelled her energy and returned to his side...though she kept her powers just under the surface, ready to pull them up if Blaziken so much as looked at Slash the wrong way. Crawdaunt, however, did not drop the shield of water around his body, knowing that using it was the only way he could match Blaziken in a clash. Slash, knowing that the lobster's aggression was too riled to easily talk down, did not bother repeating his command. Instead he turned to Blaziken, keeping his hands raised and away from his knife even though his dark heart screamed at him to grab it.



"I'm sorry that I didn't mention it before, but we weren't sure we could trust you with that information back then. I did join Team Aqua, but not with the intention to follow their orders. My intention is to destroy them from the inside."



Blaziken scoffed. [How can I believe you, Slash? How do I know that this isn't just a desperate attempt to save your own life after we discovered your deception?]



Slash wouldn't lie to you! Psymakio yelled angrily. He may have kept it from you, but he didn't lie! We also didn't tell you about our mating, so does it really seem that unbelievable?



[That's only because revealing your mating would be a death sentence!]



"And you think being discovered as an Aqua isn't?" Slash asked. "We wouldn't be outright executed for it, but I'd be thrown in jail and separated from Psymakio and my friends forever, and that's worse than death for someone's mate, as you damn well know. Do you think I'd risk that fate by telling someone I wasn't one hundred percent sure I could trust? If it had came up after you told us about your mating, I would have said something, but...it didn't."



Blaziken didn't reply, but his flames lessened the slightest bit. He supposed he could believe that; he had no doubts over Slash's love for Gardevoir, and he knew that the Aquas were no more in favor of interspecies relationships than anyone else. Still...



[Do you expect me to believe that you think yourself capable of destroying Team Aqua? One trainer, with one month's experience, destroying a criminal organization of thousands? Not even you are that arrogant, Slash.]



"Of course I don't think I could do it alone. My plan is to use them for my own needs first...to use them for intelligence, for resources, for getting close to places I might not be able to reach otherwise. I'll use them to hunt Kiako, giving them the information I have and taking the information they have. I'll set them against this unknown monster in Fallarbor, if I can, and raise the death toll as high as possible. And then, when the organization is weak and fractured, I will call in all of my allies...Watson, Silver, and you, if you'd like, along with any apprentices and League agents we can get...and we will destroy them together."



Flannery's face was contemplative as she motioned for Blaziken to stand down. She didn't think Slash was lying about his intentions, but it was a little chilling to hear a sixteen year old boy talk about the systematic use and destruction of over two thousand people, regardless of who they were. "Why do you hate them so, Slash? Why are you so dedicated to their destruction?"



"I've heard about what they've done in the past, I know what they're doing in the present, and I have an idea of what they're planning to do in the future. They're criminals, monsters. They are responsible, directly or indirectly, for the veil descending on Hoenn. And if they had their way, they would devastate the world almost as thoroughly as the Shadow would." His expression turned cold. "I will do whatever it takes to stop them."



[And yet you showed mercy to that half-corrupted man back there,] Blaziken pointed out. [Why is that?]



Slash's anger faltered the slightest bit. "What was happening to him...was something far worse than death. No living thing deserves to have that happen to them. Not even an Aqua. Not even Kiako."



Another Hyper Beam flew overhead, shining through the cloying ash. Flannery and Blaziken looked at each other, clearly speaking through their mating bond. Crawdaunt didn't drop his guard, still wary of the fire Pokemon's speed and ferocity. At last, the pair looked back at Slash and nodded.



"All right," Flannery announced, "we believe you. But if you have any other secrets, let us know right now. No more holding back. We've told you everything about ourselves, and if you can trust us with the knowledge of your mating, you can trust us with anything."



"There's only one other thing I left out of our story, not counting the mating. Let's start moving again, though. We're not far, but I don't want to be out here when the light begins to fade."



Slash quickly recounted the tale of the Dark Core, keeping his voice low for the part about Cacnea's mother so the child wouldn't overhear, and revealed his reduced lifespan. Blaziken's eyes widened as he mentioned the "blanking" of the Cacturne's soul---such power was almost unimaginable, especially in the hands of a human.



[You can kill any Dark-type Pokemon?] The fire Pokemon asked, disbelieving. [Just by thinking about it?]



"Yes, but...I must refrain from using that power. Not only does it badly hurt Psymakio, but we think it might be accelerating my corruption. The marks first appeared after I used it to blank the Cacturne, and they grow noticeably when I draw on the Core's power."



[Have you tried it on corrupted Pokemon?]



"I tried to do it to the Skarmory, but it didn't work. Corrupted Pokemon aren't Dark-types, even if their powers are somewhat similar in nature. In any case, I have decided that I will only use it if Psymakio's life is in danger. The risks are simply too great otherwise. Besides, I have other lower-level Dark abilities that I can use that don't hurt her, like progging them...there's no need to desire any more power than that."



But he desired it nonetheless.



-----------------



After a few more hours of mostly uneventful traveling, as the dim daylight began to fade, the mountain pass opened up until the canyon walls were no longer visible in the murky ash. The path dipped down towards a large valley, and within that valley were the battered ruins of Fallarbor Town.



The buildings on the outskirts of the city were mostly intact, although none appeared to be in good condition; nearly every window was shattered, and the charred scars of fire damage were present on several of the larger structures. Outside of the city limits was a huge camp of hundreds of tents and makeshift structures, with Aquas and numerous Pokemon milling about.



"Look at that," Slash marveled, looking through Flannery's binoculars before passing them on to Psymakio. "It's as big as the survivor camp. Maybe bigger. Half of Team Aqua must be down there."



Gardevoir took a brief glance at the camp and passed the binoculars back to Flannery, then closed her eyes and concentrated. I sense five...no, around six hundred human mental signatures, and at least five hundred non-Dark Pokemon. There are more, but they're deeper in the city, so I can't read them as well.



"Do you sense Rayquaza or the other dragon?"



Blue light briefly flickering over her body as she sharpened her focus. I sense one enormous presence a mile or two away from here. It's...in pain...so I suppose that it must be Rayquaza. I think it is, anyway. It's too hard to read from this distance.



"Where's the other dragon, then?" Flannery asked, scanning the camp. "Is it a Dark-type, or is it just...gone? And if it's gone, why is Rayquaza bothering with the Aquas?"



A better question is, if he's fighting the Aquas, why are they still alive? Wiping them out would be child's play for a being of Rayquaza's power. They're nothing compared to a Great One like him.



"Maybe he's still wounded from having his heart stolen, whatever that means. Or...hey, I see Archie down there. He doesn't look happy, and his arm is bandaged up. Looks like he's been through hell."



The wind shifted and Manectric sat up, wrinkling his nose. [I smell blood. Lots of blood, both human and Pokemon. This entire city stinks of it. I don't know why the Aquas are still alive, but I don't think they're faring too well against him.]



A loud roar echoed through the pass, a scream of deep agony and defiant rage, followed by another flurry of Hyper Beams so powerful that Gardevoir snapped out of her progging trance with a surprised cry. Even though it's weakened, its strength is still beyond anything I've ever felt. Slash, what are we going to do?



The trainer opened up his dark progging and cast his powers out, trying to feel his way through the enormous pressure of the veil. The webbing became visible to him, the strands as thick as his wrists. The ends of the tendrils were clinging to everything...rock, sky, even themselves...but their lengths stretched into the ashy haze of Fallarbor, converging on some unseen but immensely corrupted power source. The nexus of the veil.



"All the answers are in the city, not here," Slash said, closing off his dark sight before he grew nauseous. "Flannery, Blaziken, I want you two to stay here and out of sight. I'll go make contact with Archie and find out what's going on. We'll meet up with you at midnight. Go back east and hug the northern cliffside until you find a cave and wait there for our return."



Flannery didn't like the idea of Slash going into Fallarbor alone, but she knew that sneaking through the Aqua camp by herself was impossible, especially in the daylight. She would have to rely on the young man's plan and hope that his loyalties truly lay with them and not the Aquas. "Alright. But be careful, Slash. Don't make a move against the source of this catastrophe without us."



"I won't, I promise. Can you take Cacnea with you? I should be able to get by the guards without any problems, but...we don't know how bad the situation in town is."



[We'll watch out for him.] Blaziken knelt down and plucked the child off Growlithe's back, cradling him in his arms. Cacnea started to cry out, but Gardevoir leaned over and kissed the child's face, whispering assurances into his mind until he began to settle down. Once he was no longer wriggling in Blaziken's grasp, he and Flannery wished them luck and began heading for the northern cliffs to find a hiding spot. Slash's pack waited until they were out of sight before starting toward the ruined city, determined to find a way to stop the looming cataclysm before it was too late.



----------------



To be continued.