CHAPTER 284 - WE SING OF RUST

"Good, you're here already," I said.

Maxwell, Lou, Richard, Ariel and Serena stood at attention over a non-descript part of the mountain. Beyond a few cracks in the rock which were more pronounced than anywhere else, being able to tell that there was a lost underground civilization right under our feet would have been impossible. The Lakhut people having been so mighty in the past made sense, now. First, you'd have to make your way through this awful route, and then you'd have to find the passage to their city to assault it. The only thing that had managed to bring them down was an internal conflict, which I had an inkling was caused by that Zoroark using the war with Solaceon as an opportunity to rebel and free himself. There was no mistaking it, however. Even with my empathy in the back of my mind, so subtle that I wasn't able to tell what any of my ACEs or Pokemon were currently feeling, I could see the embers of rage seeping through the fissure in the stone, like a constantly beating heart. While Angel picked me up and dropped me off his head, Lou spoke up.

"Maxwell was waiting here while the rest of us tracked you through the fog," she said.

Her voice was the same as usual, like I wasn't about to throw myself into another situation where my life was at risk. At this point, I was wondering if they privately cursed me for being so abnormal and risk-seeking, but if they did, I couldn't see it on their faces.

Maxwell ran a hand through his dark hair. "Let's talk strategy, Ms. Pastel. From what we understand, this is all for a Claydol. Do you want us by your side while you go look, or out of the way?"

I frowned. "This is an option now?"

"Oh, yes. We figured we wanted to know what your priorities were," Maxwell said. "Nothing like jumping into a fire to foster growth, though."

"The last time you went with that philosophy, my ankle was snapped in two," I said in a not-so-subtle jab at Ariel. The short woman didn't react, her face perfectly stoic. "Run me through these options, please."

"If we're with you, we attack Zoroark as soon as it rears its ugly head and strikes," Maxwell lazily drawled. "Kill it, probably, unless it has tricks to run. It's old, and it's shaken off the rust to be a lot stronger than it once was, but it won't be able to deal with five ACEs. If not, you fight it until it looks like you're going to die, and we go in and kill it. Both options lead to the same conclusion, but maybe you want to prance through the city and have a relaxing time instead of battling."

"Both options will have you completely safe," Richard added.

"Well, listen, how about this. You accompany me, and instead of killing Zoroark right away, we try to…" I trailed off, forcing myself to get the words out. "Reason with it?"

"This ain't a fairy tale," Maxwell said. "That fucker's going to try to kill us before you can open your mouth."

"I know that," I hissed. It wasn't like I wanted to catch him. I just wanted to try to appease him some and see if I could help deal with his pain. Ideally, get him to realize that there was more to life than stewing in his rage in the place that made him suffer so much. He was a Zoroark! He could transform into anything and go anywhere. See the damn world. "But you're ACE Trainers, and you say you should have no problem killing it, so you should have no problem buying time, right?"

"A flawed way of thinking," Ariel deadpanned. "Handling a powerful Pokemon with kid gloves is more difficult than going straight for the kill."

I sighed, clenching a fist. "Are you sure you can't try?"

"Yup," Maxwell shrugged.

"Then I'll go with option two."

They did not react, but I knew they thought less of me for this. All it did was give them more work, and such a risk right after what had happened in the Lost Tower wasn't something they liked. Why do they not just force me to do it their way, then? I asked myself. Was it because Cynthia wanted to push me to grow? To use trials by fire to match the growth she'd laid out for me? The ACEs hadn't failed during the entire raid on Backlot's mansion, so I was confident in their ability to keep me protected.

"An addendum, then," Lou said. "You'll have me with you. Just me, until more is needed."

So not her Pokemon quite yet, then. "Can your barriers hold against a ghost? Shedinja's Shadow Ball… did a number on you."

"I was caught off-guard, if you recall. They'll hold for a while, and then I'll Teleport you away should anything bad happen," Lou said. "But we aren't done yet. Do you think you could scan for Zoroark's location down there?"

My eyes unconsciously glanced at the cracked stone, and I gulped. "I don't think so. Honestly, the anger's so overwhelming I don't think I'll even be able to feel anything else. It's like— trying to discern a candlelight in the middle of an inferno."

"That is what we expected, but we found it would be better to ask," she nodded. "Well, whenever you're ready."

Ariel released her Dragonite, Richard a Pidgeot, Serena a Skarmory while Maxwell already had his huge Honchkrow out and about. Lou had no flier due to her having relied on Teleportation her entire life, so she'd have to hop on Princess with me for our rush to the castle.

"One last question. This… city, is it a domain?" I asked.

Maxwell shook his head. "Nah. Just a particularly fucking pissed Pokemon out for blood," he said. "Not everything's a domain, even though you might suspect it to be."

"Well… I'm ready, then, if no one has anything else to say," I muttered as I released Princess. "Baby, it's time."

I saw Maxwell roll his eyes at the pet name, but I paid him no mind. I knew his entire jerk persona was probably a coping mechanism anyway, and we were about to risk our lives, so I'd let it be even if it annoyed me some. Ariel's Dragonite held out a hand, and a burst of wind collapsed the floor, revealing a cavern that was too dark to reveal what was inside. Hatred gushed out of the hole like a leaking sieve, but I was stronger now. Beyond a mild headache and a weighty feeling on my chest that turned my breaths shallow, I could press on just fine. I hopped on Princess, and Lou did the same behind me, with Togekiss whispering a complaint about how heavy she was. My bodyguards all swooped down first while I recalled Tangrowth, and then it was our turn to get inside, though we lagged a bit behind because Lou had been putting a mental shield on me in case Claydol were aggressive. She hadn't bothered listening when I told her that I already had one, though, and it took until she delved into my mind that she was convinced.

The drop wasn't actually that high, which explained how Chase had actually survived with deep cuts instead of broken bones. It was more of a downward slope that grew steeper the closer you got to the exit. The city lay further, still, but from the skies, it was easy to see. Even today, strange rocks on the ceiling basked the city in their light to rid them of their need for sunlight. The buildings might have been a thousand years old, but they were still in relatively good condition, and I would not hesitate to call them beautiful. Louis or Cecilia would have loved nerding out about architectural design for these, I silently mused as we trailed through the air. Even Lou couldn't help but look down, though part of me wondered if she was just scanning for Zoroark instead of enjoying the sights. Already, my ACE Trainers had dispersed and somehow gone out of view.

It was difficult to tell from up here, but what made these buildings strange was the absence of uniformity, unlike the standardized bricks I was familiar with today. They were of different stones, each sporting a different shade, and they came together in a curious, disorganized, yet harmonious display, despite how contradicting that sounded. They were all different colors too, though I did notice a lack of purple at the city's edges. The further in we flew, the more purple was peppered onto some of the bricks, as if it had been synonymous with status. The streets were cobbled, beige stones and were crawling with Sigilyph who flew with none of the emotion Sig showed whenever Chase showed her off, as if she'd been an anomaly. They all kept to a predetermined path, floating along the streets to keep them safe even though everyone here had long passed away. Even from this high, it was easy to tell they all had a different color palette and arrangement.

"Feel anything emanating from the castle?" Lou asked. "That's where you're looking first, right?"

"It's emanating everywhere, like I said. Sorry, but it'll be hard to tell in any precise manner. The scale of this… I haven't seen anything like it since Mesprit."

And that manipulative heckler was probably having the time of their life, with the way they'd essentially described themselves as a spectator in my mind. Rejoice, Mesprit. You have front-row seats to the fucking slaughter, I thought, restraining a sigh. Beyond the city— at the center point between it and the castle— was a plaza with a checkered floor that looked like it would have fit some merchant stands perfectly, back when people actually lived here. At its center stood an enormous fountain made of stone and rusted metal, and the water there had long stopped flowing. The mural Chase had spoken about was visible, and I had Princess hover for a few seconds and lower her altitude so I could make sense of it all. Lou didn't seem to mind. Their job was, after all, to just protect me, not to force me into not doing anything dangerous. If they had, I was certain I would be far weaker than I was now, and they needed me strong.

And they never would have let me in here.

Stick figures that looked like people had been painted at the bottom— hundreds of them, all uniform and devoid of any detail. Below them, in a flurry of sprouting flame, was Zoroark, constantly burning with wispy white and red hair. On top of the depicted citizens were Sigilyph, and above those were Claydol and Baltoy. The being the closest to the top along with the king, however, was a being made of silver paint with the most amount of detail in the drawing. It had a golden hexagonal shape for a head, the same crown that adorned the king's own, and was radiating golden light from atop its platform with the king at its side.

"Do you know what Pokemon that is?" I asked. "There's Zoroark, Sigilyph, Claydol and Baltoy, but… I don't know what this is."

"I do not know either," she shrugged. "It is probably long dead, by now, and wasn't spotted by any of the early expeditions we sent into the city. Let's continue. We've wasted enough time."

"Right. Princess."

She continued on her way. The staircase leading up to the castle was made of rusting iron, and the steps were so long that they must have been redundant to climb, back in the day. What if you wanted an audience with the king? Did he just ask you to run a full marathon? While the city itself had been left relatively intact, only showing damage due to its age, the castle had been ravaged. Massive walls, once forged from sturdy iron, bore the scars of corrosion, their surfaces marred by the relentless advance of rust. The castle's silhouette was a twisted and skeletal remnant of its former grandeur and was adorned with ornate spires and turrets now eroded and misshapen. Where once there must have been a proud entrance now lay a gaping maw, the rusted gates long since fallen and rusting on the ground. This entire castle and its surroundings had been borne of metal. It was everywhere I looked, even though it was now rusted. The garden was now a twisted fusion of overgrown weeds and corroded steel. Amidst the remnants of ornate metalwork, shattered statues now served as pedestals for burgeoning grass and moss-covered sculptures. The king sure loved to make statues of himself… no, they were different. Each one, a different monarch, though it was hard to tell through the rust and, you know, the way their bodies had been eviscerated.

Princess landed me at the castle's entrance, which was thankfully still standing, and I immediately released my entire team. Their nerves were clearly on edge— after all, even they could feel Zoroark's rage. I moistened my lips, holding my hands toward Honey and clasping him tightly. Even he wasn't sure about the entire Zoroark plan.

"It's going to be okay," I smiled. "We owe it to ourselves to try, don't we? That's what second chances are about. Let's head inside."

We stepped inside of the broken castle as one. The air here had a certain stillness to it, and coated the back of my throat and sinuses with the taste and smell of rust— like licking coins, but worse. The inside was metal as well, though there were a lot of stones and faded wooden decorations interspersed in the walls. We walked across a faded red carpet with golden fringes across the grand entry hall and I couldn't help but notice the worn-down tapestries that clung to the walls that still held, depicting long-lost memories of what looked to be coronations, festivals or ancient wars. One of them had been torn to shreds beyond recognition, however. Broken furniture lay scattered across the entire foyer, along with shards of glass and rusted metal. Angel helped me up a collapsed pillar, and we came face-to-face with the empty throne room Chase had awakened Zoroark in. The hair on my arms stood on end, but no being made their presence known.

And it was not where we were going.

If Claydol and Baltoy were only afforded to the king, then it would make sense for them to be roaming the castle, and only the castle. I turned left, reaching a door that had obviously been kicked in. The jambs were bent, twisting and splintered, while the door itself bore many dents in the oxidized metal and lay flat against the ground. Honey whispered a small joke about him being able to use the kitchen we now found ourselves in if anyone was hungry, but I stayed silent, clenching my jaw as I treaded the room with careful steps after wiping the sweat off my forehead. I appreciated Honey, even if I hadn't answered. It wasn't like we needed to stay quiet, because I was certain Zoroark knew where we were. Is he waiting for us to go deeper within the castle to spring a trap? Or is he biding his time for something else? Catching Lou off-guard, maybe? Each one of my breaths felt heavy, and my heart pounded against my ribcage while I walked past a pair of collapsed hearths. There was a story, here. People had still been cooking, when it had all happened. Countless plates had been laid out across decaying counters— like a snapshot in history. Dried blood still remained on the floors, walls, countertops, plates— it had been a fucking massacre. And there are still skeletons in the city itself. These corpses had been… well, it looked like Zoroark hadn't left anything remaining. Not even bone.

"Let's keep going," I said.

Sweetheart had to be recalled and released to fit through the next door. It was some kind of garden, but this time inside of the castle, so a courtyard like the one they had in the UPAN building, but more grand. No grass remained here, only earth and a lake large enough to boat in, since there were small barges still attached to a broken-down stone quay. My heart caught in my throat when I saw… remains at the edge of the shore, not of a person, but of the exact Pokemon I'd been pining after for months. Before I could even realize what was happening, my legs were taking me forward, and I was sure I would have ran, if I'd been capable of it.

A part of their head had been shattered to bits, leaving only three remaining eyes that were now dark and empty instead of the vibrant pink I expected. I knelt at the side of the deceased Claydol, softly touching the side of their face. You really were made of clay, I thought with a tired sigh. Completely smooth to the touch, even after all those years. More shattered clay lay at their side, and their separated hands were lifeless on the ground. Claydol were larger than I expected them to be. It was hard to tell with half their body being broken and them lying sideways, but they were probably at around six and a half feet. I felt a hand clasp my shoulder from behind, warm enough to be Sunshine.

"Zoroark must have killed them while they were defending the people here," I muttered. "Shit… if they ran through all of the Claydol—"

Princess chirped, saying that the Sigilyph must have defended the city inhabitants, but a lot of them were still alive.

"Yes, but the Claydol here defended the king himself. The one man Zoroark hated more than anything," I said with a clenched fist. "What if he saw them as targets and just destroyed all of them?"

"Do you want to leave, then?" Lou said.

For a moment, I actually hesitated, staring at the still water of the lake which must have been the site of many gatherings and outdoor parties. Rage still roiled off every single inch of this place and a Zoroark was probably stalking us and waiting for an opportunity to strike. This was only one Claydol, one out of many, but I couldn't help but feel a tightening in my chest at the sight of something I'd wanted for so long having been so savagely destroyed. It was like the world was spitting on my face and mocking me.

"No. We keep looking," I declared, rising to my feet. "There might be no Claydol left, but I want to give it a try, at least. To say I did everything in my power to succeed so I can leave with fewer regrets if I don't find anything."

Lou silently nodded, and we kept going, though I had to call Sweetheart so she would stop wasting energy on moving water from the lake around with Surf. The meandering path along the lake took us to some kind of Keep, as Lou had said. A part of the castle that was often used to overlook the grounds and was defensive in nature. The tall spire of metal was more intact than the rest of the castle, though it was decaying like this entire place. Honestly, I was kind of scared one of these buildings was going to fall on our heads, but we had Lou and Princess for protection. The inside of the keep had stairs leading down or up.

"Up is just the top of the tower," I grunted. "Down might lead to an entire underground section of the castle. I think we go down."

My Pokemon agreed, though I had to recall Sweetheart so she wouldn't collapse the aging stairs. The door wouldn't budge, so Honey had to punch it to push past the rusted hinges.

"Are you kidding me— a crypt, again?" I scoffed.

Though this one wasn't at all like Mathilda's. There was a dampness to this place that I hadn't felt anywhere else in the city. At the entrance, the crypt's ceiling was partially collapsed, revealing jagged fissures in the stone— which was the main building material used here and not metal. Some graves were exposed, revealing skeletal remains that did not affect me after having seen the horrors at the Lost Tower. Hopefully Zoroark didn't have any bone reanimation tricks. Only humans had been laid to rest here, and there were inscriptions as to who they were in a language I couldn't read, and way different than the one that had been at the tip of my tongue in Celestic. From context, I could guess there were their names, and perhaps a little passage about their lives. I released Sweetheart again, and we began exploring the crypt. Sometimes, we had to carefully pick up debris and place it to the side, and the air grew dustier the further we went in. It was only five minutes in, that I came across another Claydol.

This one was intact— without even a scratch on their body, but it was not floating anymore, instead lying flat against the ground, and their eyes were again dark instead of pink. As I approached, I noticed Claydol was covered by a thick layer of dust that didn't bode well for any activity they might have had recently. What had even killed this one? I was certain they were dead and not dormant, with how there was no emotion emanating out of it when I tweaked with my empathy. From this close, I should have been able to feel something even with Zoroark skulking about.

"Shit," I sighed, passing a hand over the psychic's head. "Arceus fucking damn it. No luck. I don't think we'll find any more in the crypt." I paused, closing my eyes and biting my lip in frustration. I was so close. "You know, I'm starting to think the king didn't have that many Claydol in the first place. And we haven't even found a single Baltoy."

"Art often depicts more than reality," Lou offered. "Let us move— move…"

The ashen-haired ACE turned toward Claydol, her white eyes narrowing into slits.

"It's alive," she said. "The signal is faint, but it's alive."

I gasped in relief, feeling a weight lift off my chest. "How do you know?!"

"I am a psychic, and so is it. I can feel the subtleties your Togekiss would not be able to at a glance," Lou said. "Have her delve into its mind."

"But they're a Claydol, they have no mind—"

"Try," she pressed.

I motioned at Princess, whose eyes shone bright pink as she stared down the Claydol. It took around ten seconds for her to confirm what Lou had said, though it wasn't like I didn't trust Lou. The way Princess described how Claydol felt made her certain that they were alive, and that she could feel the artificial mind having been implanted inside of them at their creation. Faint, but present and active.

"Can we— can we jumpstart them or something? I have no idea how any of this works," I rambled. "We need to do something."

"I do not know enough about Claydol to know how they were built or function. You should capture it so we can leave," Lou shrugged.

"I can't catch them without their consent, Lou."

"Then release it if it doesn't want to join you. There is no dilemma here that isn't of your own creation."

"What good are morals if you walk them back at the first sign of inconvenience, Lou?" I said. "The moment you put a Pokemon in a ball, that's where the power imbalance starts. What if Claydol wakes up and feels pressured to talk one way because I could literally trap them for as long as their Pokeball is functional? What then?"

"Well, do something then, because the clock is ticking, Grace," she said.

"Okay. Okay. Princess, can you try to see if you can send a tiny psychic signal or something? Give us something to work with?"

I was flying by the seat of my pants here, but it wasn't like I had anything to go off of. Togekiss was so unused to tempering her psychic attacks that it took her a full minute to lower its strength enough not to collapse Claydol's mind. We had no idea how strong they were, and even if they were strong, they were in a weak state and at the verge of death. Claydol jolted, their arm rattling against the dusty floor.

"Everyone, give them some space! Lou, you still have that barrier around your brain, right?" I asked, just in case Claydol tried to squeeze her brain like a grape.

"Of course. I always do."

Dust burst off Claydol's skin and the psychic rose as their six eyes lit up pink, revealing black pupils that sat perfectly still at their center. A smooth voice, not too deep or too high, rang out of Claydol like they were a machine.

"System reboot initiated. Power restoration at optimal levels. Sensor calibration in progress. Analyzing temporal displacement... One thousand and eighteen years elapsed. Location: Royal Crypt. Assessing environmental parameters. Exterior damage detected. Structural integrity compromised."

"What the—"

"Memory banks accessed. Retrieving historical data. Records corrupted. Fragmented information available. Query: Events transpired during dormancy. Attempting data reconstruction. Attempt failed."

Claydol rose from the ground, floating upward with sluggish movements.

"External stimuli detected. Organic entities present. Analyzing for threat assessment—" Claydol's eyes flashed. "—threat level nine. Interaction protocol initiated. Greetings. I am Claydol 11, Guardian of the Vesuvius Memor family line and all of its descendants. How may I be of service?"

They weren't even speaking in my mind, but for all to hear. I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed by this and didn't even know where to begin now that a Claydol was really in front of me, but I had to say something— there was an explosion, deep within the castle, and the ceiling rattled, littering my shoulders and head in dust. Shit. Had Zoroark not actually been following us all this time? There must have been a reason for it, and he was coming.

"Grace," Lou spoke in a hushed tone.

"My name is Grace Pastel—"

"Acknowledged. Name has been assigned."

"I'd introduce the entire team, but we're running out of time. You said you had memory problems— but long story short, this entire city was destroyed by a Zoroark a long time ago, and I assume he hit you and thought you were dead, but you survived, somehow. Zoroark is coming, and I'm sorry you don't have enough time to think, but if you want, we can just leave before he gets here."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Query: Zoroark. Unrecognized."

"That ghost your kings kept trapped for who knows how long!" I pressed. "He's coming here to kill us!"

"Individual recognized as the Fiend. Please provide accurate data for accurate processing."

Legendaries, it was like being sassed by a computer. "Sorry— look, can we leave or not?" I asked. "Because if it comes to a fight, I'll want to see if I can communicate with—"

I never finished my sentence. He had been so silent while coming here, like the explosion from before had been a distraction and he'd been closer all along. Zoroark was a flash of red and white, three shadowy claws extending from his hand as he blurred through one of the crypt walls, phasing through Sweetheart and toward me. Honey reacted quicker than Lou did, bringing up a Protect around both me and her. Bright yellow eyes met mine as the ghost snarled, and the weight of centuries of torture bore down on my shoulders like a hammer striking a nail. Like something was continuously grinding me to dust, and even further, still, until nothing would remain but hatred. The ground below him burst into sharp spikes, but none of them struck true, and Zoroark slipped away and retreated back into a wall. This place was far too cramped for a battle, which was why I'd wanted to leave so quickly, and Lou was content to simply watch.

Fiend has breached containment. Activating containment procedure. Initiating security protocols. Citizens, please evacuate, Claydol said, this time in our heads.

"Princess, get us out of here!" I yelled. "Honey, Buddy, keep up a Protect. Put all of us in it."

I knew Jellicent would tire quickly, but we had to stall for time. Zoroark growled, his ghostly appearance turning into a human wearing a purple coat around plated armor. The same crown he'd been depicted wearing on the mural was also present, a golden hexagon that seemed to shine in the dim crypt. Claydol's pupils turned to lines at the sight of the ancient king, though nothing flickered in that gaze. He seemed to understand what a Protect was, at least, not bothering to waste energy attacking us while it was up. Behind me, Princess carved a hole, twenty feet across and ten feet high so we could all fit and run away to a more favorable location.

"Another gift," Zoroark said through a beast-like delighted cackle. "More flesh to gouge and savage, I see. I have yearned for more of thy kind to arrive, thou monstrous things. Thou shall long for the release of death when my reckoning is through with you, mere plaything."

"I don't want to hurt you, and I have nothing to do with the people who did hurt you," I said, loud and clear. "I won't claim to understand what they did—"

Zoroark raked claws against the floor, and three shadowy arcs taller than Sweetheart burst from his hand. He had not aimed for the Protect, instead having collapsed the ceiling above us until I could see nothing but rocks beyond the Protect. Clicking my tongue, I ordered Sweetheart to push them away using Stone Edge and not to attack quite yet. With a wave of her arm, she pushed the boulders and shattered stone out of the way, revealing Princess' escape route that led to a cliff at the side of the castle's keep.

"Okay, let's take steps backward— slowly. Buddy, you can let go. Save your energy for later," I said. "Claydol, are you coming?"

Affirmative. It is my duty to assist in the evacuation.

We started walking into the hole, though Zoroark followed us, keeping his distance. At least he knew that collapsing the tunnel wouldn't work this time.

"Okay, just stick close so you don't get hurt," I said, recalling the fact that they were damaged. "No need to fight."

Fighting the Fiend is not in my parameters. It is my duty to protect and assist in the evacuation, Claydol affirmed.

Right. They're kind of a robot, I quickly thought. No emotions, just parameters and logic. We reached the edge of the cliff, and there was no way I would ever make that jump without breaking every single bone in my body. The long staircase makes a lot more sense, now.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," I said, uncaring that Zoroark could hear. "I'm going to step on Princess and she'll fly me away. I'll recall you as soon as I can. Sounds like a plan?" After some nods, I turned to Claydol. "You can just float down, right? And Lou, you can Teleport down there?"

Affirmative.

"Correct."

I took a few deep breaths, not having realized I was already sweating bullets. Every time I stared into Zoroark's direction for too long, the sheer scale of his hatred became too much to bear. I quickly mounted Princess, knowing that every second Honey spent using Protect counted, and then, he put the Protect up as she dashed out of the hole while Claydol floated out with Jellicent.

The ghost's mouth turned human again, but his voice was still raw and beastly.

"Thou shalt suffer."

He moved like lightning— only slightly slower than Honey was with Radiant Leap, even. Zoroark broke against Sweetheart, hatred surging out of every inch of his ghostly skin as he hit her with an elbow faster than Electivire could react. I twisted my neck so much it hurt, desperate to see what was going on, but battle in such a tight environment was bound to confuse, and all I managed to glimpse was a burst of electricity and flames. I quickly unclipped my Pokeballs, recalling Angel first before he could burn, then Honey and finally Sunshine. Sweetheart's frame was clearly visible through the flames, but her attacks seemed to have no effect on Zoroark until she blow the entire tunnel apart with a Dark Pulse and collapsed it—

Shit! Shit, shit, shit, FUCK! "Closer!" Arceus fucking damn it! Lou had Teleported out, but the Pokeball's beam wouldn't go through rocks. Princess cried out, and the burst of speed nearly made me slip off her. I gripped her fur tightly not to fall off, but she swerved off when Zoroark jumped through the stone and into the air—

I slipped.

I was falling, tumbling through the air and everything had gone so fast I'd barely registered what had happened. My body was wrested upward by an invisible force, but that wasn't before Jellicent had already been right below me in hopes of slowing down my fall. Princess had caught me, thank the fucking Legendaries. My entire body already hurt like a damn bruise and we were just starting. In the distance, Zoroark crashed into the earth below without a single care for his well-being and instantly targeted Lou, who raised a hand and a barrier while she released her Lunatone and Solrock to assist her. He moved so quickly that I could barely see what was going on, which wasn't helped by the fact that I was upside down. He doesn't care what human he attacks as long as he gets a kill, I realized. At least it looked like Lou was holding.

"Gently…" I groaned as Princess placed me on her back. "Let's get Sweetheart back."

I wasn't actually worried about the rocks having collapsed on her, but what Zoroark could have done while she was freeing herself. In fact, it looked like she'd been blowing the place up but only collapsing tons and tons of stone onto her back instead. Princess slung away the stones and made them fall off the cliff while Claydol silently observed, their eyes forever calculating.

It was only when I caught a glimpse of the bottom of her feet that I managed to recall Sweetheart. Instantly, Princess swooped down on the ground, and I released my entire team before we even landed. Jellicent doused Angel and Honey in water before they could burn further and I finally managed to breathe while Zoroark was focused on Lou. A notable strength I'd caught on was that he could pass through anything and make different parts of his body tangible, but unlike other ghosts, he didn't disappear when doing so. The ground here was generally flat with nowhere to hide, save for a few boulders Princess had brought down and the side of the grand staircase. The city would be a death trap. This was no plaza… but it was the second best area to fight in so we'd be able to buy some time to talk, both to Zoroark and Claydol. The psychic seemed to hover behind me to assist in the 'evacuation' and was telling me to proceed to the city every thirty seconds or so like a broken record. Pokemon took their positions— Princess high in the sky, with Buddy slipping underground and waiting for an opportune moment to strike if the need ever arose, and to reach the team unoppposed by Zoroark to protect them. Angel and Sunshine on opposite sides so the grass type wouldn't just combust every time Turtonator flexed his flames and Honey in front of me, ready to be artillery if everything went to shit, but he was also to use Protect when needed.

The goal was not to fight, but to negotiate.

"Lou! I'm ready!" I yelled.

My ACE Trainer silently Teleported back behind me, taking her two Pokemon with her before recalling them. "I'll observe."

"We don't have to fight! We can just— talk, for a little bit. I know you were mistreated in the past, but that was entirely different people than those who exist now. I don't offer anything but potential freedom, where you won't have to toil in a place you hate—"

Zoroark snarled, though he did not bother saying anything but some half-formed words about violence and killing before his mouth turned to the king's again. Had he never learned to speak when not transformed?

"Look at thee, of flesh and blood, so easily rent asunder, yet thou speakest to me as an equal. Thy kind hath tortured me through generations. Faces come and go, yet one thing remains constant, thou pitiful creature. Always, thou dost subject me to torment. Regularly, thou committest murder in the most agonizing of ways to appease thy imaginary gods, and at the end of it, I remain standing."

The final word rippled across the field and made my knees buckle. Honey grabbed my arm, carefully kept me standing and pulled me closer as Zoroark began circling us, his eyes darting at each of my Pokemon. His golden eyes looked at them like mere obstacles to be pushed away to reach me or Lou, and not actual opponents, though he was sizing us up and figuring out how to best approach this, because we were no pushovers, still.

"You broke this civilization," I tried. "No one sharing their morals remains. What you went through is horrible, and I'm sorry—"

Zoroark grinned, instantly cutting in to rush toward Tangrowth at blinding speeds. Vines shot out of the grass type's body simultaneously, but Zoroark slipped through them until he coated them in darkness and caught him. Zoroark snarled, his entire body turning into an array of sharpened blades, and he tore through the vines like paper before we could douse Zoroark with spores as planned. I understood perfectly what the ACEs had meant now, when they said that handling a powerful Pokemon with kids glove was difficult. How was I supposed to slow Zoroark down enough to talk if this was how he fought?

"Buddy, Protect!" I called out.

Jellicent slithered out of the ground, and a thin transparent barrier appeared around Angel—

It had only been a distraction. Zoroark was back to his original form, though only a blade-like arm remained, jagged and malformed enough to make me feel uncomfortable. The sword dimmed purple, and Zoroark blurred in Sunshine's direction, tearing through his toughened scales with little resistance. I immediately recalled him, releasing him next to me again and groaned from being doused in ambient heat. More vines shot out of Angel, but they didn't even slow Zoroark down.

Blood seeped out of Sunshine's… everywhere, and I fumbled for a Hyper Potion while Princess swooped down with a Fairy Wind so concentrated it might as well have been a needle. Zoroark weaved away from the pink dust, leaving behind a small hole that would have gouged the ghost had he stuck around. That had not been a part of the plan, but she'd seen red after seeing Sunshine get torn through like this. His scales were scorching to the touch, but I still had to apply the potion, so I grit my teeth and bore with it, watching as he healed in front of my eyes and his breaths relaxed.

In the distance, Sweetheart roared as well, calling forth an avalanche of rocks from the cliff we'd just climbed as she called out for Honey to spring up a Protect to keep me safe. Jellicent snaked across the ground, pushing himself to his limit to catch up to Zoroark and boil, from the way his skin bubbled and turned to vapor.

This was a catastrophe.

"Stop!" I called out. "Everyone, stop."

There was hesitation, but they knew who led during battles, and it was me. Zoroark cackled, sending balls of shadows forth that distorted the world around them like a black hole. They homed in toward Angel, who Zoroark seemed to love targeting, and the grass type rose four walls around him just in time to protect himself from both the spheres and the Rock Slide. The Ancient Power wouldn't have held, had Sweetheart been still pushing the rocks with her will, but she'd stopped, and so we watched Zoroark look for another opening. Tyranitar took a few steps toward Angel, growling menacingly at our enemy. Sunshine heaved on the floor, pushing himself back to his feet. A single attack, and he'd nearly… died. This was real. Zoroark would have torn through his muscles and heart had I not recalled him.

"Please try," I told Zoroark. "We want to—"

"No," the ghost answered.

"Is this what you want? We have people to help you."

"And who was it, girl, that decided I needed help?"

Ah.

I understood, now.

There was just no getting through to him. No angle where we'd be able to see eye to eye. I would never be able to understand what he'd been through in his life, save for the hatred it had left over, just like he would never be able to understand that not all humans were the same people who had tortured him for centuries, because it was all he had ever known. I blinked, trying not to cry at the tragedy of it all. The waste.

Please proceed to the citadel and evacuate, Claydol sounded in my head.

"If we leave now," I whispered to Lou. "Will the League catch him? Can we just… leave him here?"

"No," Lou whispered back. "We cannot ignore the risk of him slipping out of the city and terrorizing the route. He has remembered what killing is like, and so it is a risk we cannot take."

My shoulders slumped in defeat. "I see."

There was only so much talking could do, in the end. I'd failed to save him from a worse fate, because we couldn't see eye to eye. I was an empath, but I'd failed to show him I could help. To show him that cooperation would be better than this.

After every thought, I expected Zoroark to cut in, but he wasn't. Why? It felt like he was biding his time, and I didn't like it. We could hurt him, but he could hurt back, and he wasn't giving it his all, it felt like. Angel finished gathering up spores and threw one of his bombs toward Zoroark as a last-ditch attempt, and the ghost type blurred with a sidestep. Despite it being a two-against-one, his claws extended, tipped with metal and shadow as he danced through an array of vines. This really wasn't a good place to showcase what we'd practiced on, I thought through grounded teeth.

I called out for Jellicent, who was here as always with a Protect in tow. Zoroark might have been a ghost, but it looked like he couldn't actually track Buddy under the ground. Zoroark slammed his entire body against the green barrier until it cracked— shit, even after all our training? Jellicent began transforming as an explosion of ghostly energy rattled the entire battlefield. Even with Honey's protection, I felt the need to hurl and continuous chills ran through my body. I— did hurl, kneeling against the floor and emptying my stomach. At the edge of my vision, Buddy turned into a shapeless liquid while Zoroark stabbed his claws into him. The ancient ghost didn't even bother with continuing, as if tearing through real flesh was more satisfying to him than Jellicent. I recalled Angel before he could dig into him, but it wasn't him he was after. Zoroark's hand turned to a Morning Star— spiked with rusted edges— and I recognized the Foul Play that formed around it immediately.

"Iron Defense!" I called out.

The move started, but it wasn't in time. Two quick jabs to the gut dealt Sweetheart so much pain she cried out loud enough to make my ears ring. She did not go down, though. Rage filled her eyes, though it felt like a drop in the ocean. She swept her tail as Zoroark circled around her and phased through it, preparing another attack to strike her back. Princess quickly formed a barrier, and though it shattered, it parried Zoroark's strike enough for him to graze her instead of wound her as the first two Foul Plays had. A glob of pitch black formed in Sweetheart's mouth, weaving itself into rings as Angel shot out more Knock Offs to grab onto Zoroark. The ghost dodged, somehow phasing through a Shadow Ball that Jellicent had sent like it had no effect and again, he was out before anything could substantially hurt him.

Sunshine yelled at my side, as I sent Angel back out again, asking me to see reason. To finally let all of my Pokemon loose and to attack or at least flee. Even Honey was itching to do something, with the way his tails lashed out and electricity coursed through his arms. To not just be on defense duty while Zoroark ran circles around us.

"One more try, and we can leave," I gasped. "I'm sorry, but one more. Buddy, to me!"

I didn't miss the two shades appearing to replace him, and I allowed Sunshine to go in because I felt like he would have anyway. More sluggishly than usual, he retracted into his shell and sped toward Sweetheart, who was actually losing to Zoroark. She could barely react to his strikes and he seemed so fucking efficient at phasing through things that he never got hit by anything other than dark type moves. Sunshine arrived with a roar, flames flickering from the edge of his shell. He turned in a smooth motion and slammed his tail against his shell, blowing everything behind him to smithereens. We had tested this, I knew, but it still felt odd seeing Sweetheart standing in the explosion with only an unpleased grunt while Zoroark keened and slid back with smoke and flames dancing at the edge of his body. He could not afford any respite, with the way Princess was hounding him with Fairy Winds that cut.

I turned to Buddy and pointed toward the castle. "Get back up there and grab a giant sphere of water from the lake while we buy time. You're going to freeze him, and we're going to coat the entire with in dark TE."

The water type instantly shot up with a burst of water, spraying me in the process, and I continued observing the fight. It made me uneasy, how Zoroark seemed to continuously speed up the more he battled. All of my Pokemon were getting beat! All of them, and he was fucking playing around. Doing more dodging instead of attacking in a way that made me feel sick when it should have been good, to buy more time and barely even going for me. The ancient ghost's arm turned to a mess of metal that had no coherent shape, and he pointed it upward at Princess—

"Dazzling Gleam!" I yelled.

They shot out like bullets, making the exact sound guns did in movies, but so much louder, and they were each coated in purple light that clung to them like moths to a flame. I bit my lip and covered my ears. The ringing from earlier still hadn't left, and this was just making things worse. Princess exploded in a burst of radiant light that made her look like this damned city's sun, and the first wave of the same bullets were torn to shreds. The second wave hit her barrier, and the third wave shattered it. The fairy type cried out, though thankfully there was no fourth wave, with the way Sweetheart managed to hit Zoroark with a Dark Pulse and Sunshine hurt him from the heat emanating from a Flamethrower. And I said I wouldn't hurt him, I sighed, biting my lip. If I could just get him… restrained, so we could converse beyond him saying he'd kill me, then we might have gotten somewhere.

"Claydol, would Zoroark… hold back for any reason? Like, does he enjoy drawing a fight out when he could win?" I muttered.

Negative. From the few fragments of memory that remain, he scythed through Lakhutians like wheat and did not draw out any battle. Further data retrieval ongoing for comprehensive understanding.

"You don't need to do that— you're okay," I anxiously said. "Lou? What do you think?"

"I think you are wasting your time and that you should run with your Claydol," she said. "Other than that, I have nothing to offer."

"I'm trying one last thing," I repeated.

"Yes. It might work, or it might not," Lou said. "I just think you're affording him too many chances when there is no need for any."

Princess' flight was unsteady, now and I called for her, knowing that if Zoroark focused on her, she would be critically wounded. "I don't even know if Claydol wants to come— do you want to come? If you stay here, you'll most likely die, but I won't force you to do anything."

My primary directive is to keep the Vesuvius Memor family safe. There are no more remaining descendants of this line. If you wish to take me, I could be your guardian. You or the other woman.

"Then we have a deal," I said.

Status updated. Grace Pastel designated as new Monarch.

This… was I forcing them to come with me? I shook the thought off as Princess landed next to me, her eyes clouded by insidious pain, and I ignored the sound of fighting to tend to her wounds.

"She has a metallic shard lodged inside of her," Lou instantly declared. "Do not use a potion."

My heart jumped in my throat. "Wh—what?"

"I can have my Ferrothorn get it out of her, if you wish—"

"Yes! Do it now, please," I sighed in relief. An explosion from Sunshine shook me to my core as Lou released her steel type. Princess' breaths were short and shallow, making me think it had pierced through her lung. "Will a Hyper Potion be enough? I— should I recall her?"

"It will be," Lou said. "Ferrothorn, do you feel metal inside of her? Pull it out gently."

The hulking piece of metal trilled, and Princes started shrieking. This wasn't a procedure that was meant to be done without anesthesia, and it showed. My heel bounced against the floor as I consciously shut down the numerous thoughts of revenge filling my head, the most prominent one being to loose the ACEs on Zoroark. He was tortured for centuries, killed in excruciating ways over and over. This was a fight of my doing. I did this. Togekiss gasped as the sharp piece of metal left her body and I finally applied the potion. Thank the Legendaries I'd spent money on these, because I knew a potion would not have been enough. Lou recalled her steel type soon enough, though I made sure to thank her.

I also cycled through my other Pokemon, recalling and releasing them next to me so I could continuously heal them and throw them back into the fight, though it wasn't working. They were already exhausted, having to fight for their lives even if Zoroark was holding back— again, not in strength per se, because his attacks were aiming to kill, but in their intensity. He was fighting like this was a leisurely stroll through a garden, not like he wanted to see me decapitated.

It was then, that Jellicent came back with enough water to flood this entire city— no, I was exaggerating, but it was so much it cast and enormous shadow over the entire battlefield. How deep had this lake been? Without a single word from me, his two Night Shades barrelled toward Zoroark, who finished them off with a simple Shadow Claw and seemingly didn't care for the explosion. A sphere of water split off and slammed against Zoroark, freezing over instantly.

"Sweetheart, use Dark Sandstorm like we trained!" I instantly reacted.

Her entire armor was nothing but cracks and flesh, and some parts of her plating even stabbed into her. Still, sand burst forth from her vents, each grain blacker than pitch and coating the entire ball of ice. Zoroark tried to phase through, but he couldn't. There was another explosion of ghostly energy, We had trapped him in a prison for his hubris, and all he could do now was listen. Eventually, so much sand surrounded the sphere that I couldn't even see through it.

I did not take a step forward. It would be too risky, if there was a trick afoot. Jellicent whispered in my ear that he found the castle to be suspiciously active, with the rust actively disappearing from every single metallic surface he'd seen. I nodded, but turned back to Zoroark.

"Listen to me, Zoroark— can you hear me?"

"Silence, thou powerless little wretch. The instant I escape this confinement, I shall rend thy throat asunder, feeble barrier be damned. No, I'll relish in it, savoring the methodical unraveling of thy being. I shall shatter every bone within thy meager frame, then I will peel away thy skin, ensuring thou linger in agony for as long as possible. A torment, much akin to the depths of thy kind enjoys so much."

I shivered, because when I looked into his eye, I knew he was telling the truth. I composed myself, trying not to appear weak, but he must have known, because he cackled in the ice, his voice carrying through solid.

"If you stay here, the League will be forced to take you in," I said. "You'll be trapped in a Pokeball forever instead of learning to work with people, Zoroark. You're not thinking long-term."

There was a crack as Zoroark tried punching his way out repeatedly, seemingly ignoring my words. Sweetheart provided more sand with immaculate focus, but I could tell she was straining. In a battle of endurance, Zoroark would eventually break out.

"So that's it, then?" I sighed.

He did not answer.

"I tried," I murmured, my eyes downcast. "I really did."

The punches stopped, and for a second, I felt hope.

Thou keep sending trainers after me, human. They lurk in the skies, waiting for the right moment to strike me down should I leave an opening. Do not pretend to care for my well-being.

I frowned. Had that been why he'd been holding back? Because he feared that he would be vulnerable if he went too wild?

"I'm sorry, I'm— I'm important to the League. That's what we call the people in charge of the surface, these days, but they won't kill or torture you, I promise."

For around thirty seconds, Zoroark stayed silent. The hatred did not even dim, but I dared to hope that he was considering my offer, at least. Why else would he leave Sweetheart and Buddy time to rest instead of punching his way out?

Warning issued. Significant issue identified. Detection of a dangerous signature back in the castle. Urgent response required. Advising immediate investigation and implementation of security measures— they stopped, and their eyes flashed— no, advising immediate evacuation if you desire to live.

Lou's eyes darted upward faster than mine.

"What—"

The smell of metal hit my nose first.

A cascade of liquid iron began to pour from the castle's towering spires, a mesmerizing flow that shimmered with a glow. It started as a gentle stream, like molten silk trickling down the stony facade, but soon gained momentum, a fluid spectacle that defied nature. It did not just crawl down the stairs and the castle, either. It crawled up the ceiling, all along the walls of the massive cave. It looked slow, from all the way down there, but I was pretty sure that was faster than Princess could fly.

Zoroark bellowed inside of the sphere, cackling like a madman. "HAHAHA! YES! WE SING OF RUST AND RESTORATION, THOU AND I, MY ANCIENT FOE! OF RUIN AND RENEWAL, AND RUIN ANEW! AN ENDLESS CYCLE OF DESTRUCTION AND REBIRTH!"

Shit. This was what he'd been baiting, wasn't it? And the fact that I didn't know what it was bothered me more than the fact that I was about to drown in iron. And the reason he'd waited so long to attack us was probably because he'd been doing whatever it was that had triggered this.

Lou clasped my shoulder so hard it hurt. "Recall your Pokemon, now! We're Teleporting out!"

That was when it actually sunk in for me. The fact that I'd never seen her panicking ever, even during the raid, sold me on the urgency of the situation, and I quickly followed her orders. I tapped a Pokeball on Claydol's head as I heard him whisper 'My King' in my head, and the device instantly dinged without any resistance. My body unconsciously flexed, readying myself for the Teleport as my ACE Trainers let themselves known in the sky and screamed words I could not discern.

Nothing happened.

"...Lou?"

She was already pale, but my ACE Trainer went as white as snow, like all the blood drained from her face.

"It's not working," she breathed. "I can't pull us out. The metal's interfering with— just get on your Togekiss, now!"

The iron leaked from the cliff, now, and we barely had enough time to take off. Princess strained, barely hovering straight. If we fell now, would she be able to keep me from dying? The ice ball collapsed from Zoroark's strikes in the distance as we took to the skies and joined the other ACEs. The ancient ghost couldn't phase through the liquid iron, and instead hoisted himself on the cracked sphere and jumped into the city, looking for refuge.

It had been the opposite, then. As Princess wavered and my heart pounded against my chest so hard it hurt, I realized my words had been flipped against me.

Zoroark had trapped us into a cage born out of my own hubris. Of my own belief that I could help him through words instead of running away instantly with Claydol. For not knowing when to give up. For not heeding my ACEs' warnings and thinking that I was special enough to get a ghost who had endured countless methods of torture through centuries to see the light and to try to get better. I was not special. I had lucked my way into powers, but that did not mean I would be able to actually understand what beings had gone through in their lives.

I was a fool who had tried to do good.

Being good did not always pay, despite me having decided to tread down that path. To give faith in individuals where there was none hope of them seeing the light again. To fight for a good cause until you'd exhausted every option, because the fate that would befall the people you were trying to save next would be far worse than the lifeline you were giving them. Because at the heart of Zoroark's rage was a child who had never grown up, and who was scared of the unknown beyond the city that had tormented him so long.

Oh well.

I had tried, and if we lived through this, I would keep trying, but sometimes, trying was not enough, and it would never be.

"Well, fuck," Maxwell said with a nervous grin. "What kind of monster are you going to have us fight, Ms. Pastel?"

"I'm sorry," I cried. "I'm so sorry, I thought—"

Ariel spoke from her Dragonite. "Leave the tears for later, when you are glad we're all out," she said, actually smiling. Was that how fucked we were? So fucked that Ariel felt the need to actually reassure me? The entire cave was coated in metal now, including the exit. Ariel had her Dragonite try a full-powered Fire Blast at the ceiling, and it didn't break through. All it did was heat the metal until it glowered red. They all tried this, for a while, but nothing worked. Nothing made the metal budge. Next, Serena tried to contact the outside through radio, but no signal would go through the cave. We were trapped here like rats.

"Look alive, my pretties," Maxwell said, eyeing the bottom of the staircase. "It's shown itself."

The towering beast just materialized from its pool of metal, standing fifteen feet in height and broad-shouldered. Its limbs resembled twisted, contorted masses of metallic sinew. Each movement was accompanied by the eerie creaking and groaning of its metallic frame, seemingly swapping between liquid and solid at a whim. The gears on its arms, instead of being worn and weathered after all these years, exhibited a bizarre perfection that was more unsettling to me than what the monster would have looked like with rust marring its body. They grinded and rotated with an unnatural precision and timing, emitting an eerie symphony of metallic sounds that resonated through the cave. It was when I witnessed the gear on its head, golden and bright as a star, that I recognized the Pokemon on the mural. It too, was continuously rotating even though half was buried in its head. A single black sphere hovered at its center, and my brain wanted to believe that was its eye.

The liquid metal coating the floor might have only been waist deep, but the Pokemon weaved it into a number of spikes larger than Lakhutia's buildings, and with a metallic chime, it sent them flying at us. Not only did we have to deal with this… force of nature, Zoroark was still hiding somewhere in the city and would actually fight us in full, now that his trap was complete. A three-way battle because I'd been too fucking stubborn to give up.

This was when I knew it.

We were going to die because of me.