PARAGON

  Hisui Incursion Arc [21]

  Chapter 73 : Beacon

  Hisui Region - Cobalt Coastlands

  Laventon exhaled and rested his hands on his knees, panting. He’d just spent the last ten minutes running back and forth across the beach, yelling as he did, but he received no familiar voices in response. The only other occupants of the beach were a few pods of Spheal and Sealeo, and Piplup and Prinplup, who stared at him curiously. They didn’t approach him, but he kept his distance all the same.

  Far out at sea, he could see the characteristic dark basalt of Firespit Island. Smoke billowed skyward even in the winter, the lava pools on the island never hardening due to the volcano’s unceasing activity. That was where Rei had caught his Growlithe.

  Due to the island’s positioning, Laventon could deduce he was in the northern Coastlands, and this beach was almost certainly Islespy Shore. The docility of the pokémon here also supported that theory, and as long as the sun remained in the sky, Laventon figured he’d probably be safe even without a pokémon partner. However, that would change once night fell and the ghost-types came out. Even the tranquil Islespy Shore would become a nesting ground for the many phantoms that haunted these sands and cliffs, said to be the bereaved souls of sailors whose ships had crashed against the rocks of Hisui’s eastern coast.

  Of course, those were just rumors. Gossip and hearsay concocted by old maids who’d never made it past a mile of where they were born. Such things had no effect on a man of science like Professor Laventon.

  Nevertheless, he picked himself up and resumed his search. Wherever the others were, they were probably safer than he was since they actually had pokémon, or some other way to protect themselves from wilds. But there were injured among them. Sabrina was concussed and Ash… Laventon could feel his saliva turn hot in his mouth as he recalled the grisly state he’d last seen the young man in. He swallowed, willing himself not to vomit, and he pressed ahead with a renewed vigor and urgency.

  But, as attentive as he was, he didn’t notice that pokémon slam down in front of him, cratering the sand and blocking out the sunlight in an instant with its towering body, until its shadow fell over him.

  From beneath its crimson brim, Decidueye sneered, and his talons curled into the wet sand.

  “D-Decidueye!” Laventon cried, recoiling. He stumbled back and fell onto his rear.

  Decidueye leaned over him, his entire form exuding threat. Laventon leaned away, and as he did, he saw the other wilds lopping away as fast as they could, seemingly eager to get far away from the fearsome Alpha Pokémon.

  Laventon looked up at Decidueye but it was impossible to abate his baleful visage. He’d been calm enough when Sabrina was around, but now that they were alone?

  “S-Sabrina!” Laventon screamed, inching away. “Sabrina!”

  Decidueye ignored his shouts and his eyes narrowed cruelly as he stepped closer to the Professor.

  Laventon closed his eyes. For the first time since he’d woken up, he prayed the others weren’t nearby. Rei, Akari, and Yura, at the very least. And even if Sabrina were close, what could she do in her current state to quell the monstrous bird’s fury?

  He hoped he was Decidueye’s only victim.

  Decidueye suddenly squawked and Laventon felt sand spray across his body. His hair stood on end and he shuddered as static electricity bristled over him.

  When he opened his eyes, he saw Decidueye had leapt back a considerable distance and appeared to be in a defensive stance. And standing right in front of Laventon, his cheeks sparking with electricity, was Pikachu.

  “Pikachu!” Laventon breathed.

  Across the beach, Decidueye hunkered down and shot forward, his wings opening to catch the wind.

  Pilachu growled as electricity laced across his body and he bounded toward Decidueye. His form became nothing more than a silhouette as electricity wreathed over him. The sand beneath him crystallized into glass as he ran, and just as the two were about to collide, he leapt into the air.

  Decidueye flipped over Pikachu, landing behind him, his massive frame not inhibiting his agility in the slightest. Before Pikachu could react, Decidueye’s leg shot out and cracked into his back. The mouse’s body bulleted away, but he too flipped over in the air and landed on his feet, before turning around to face Decidueye.

  Laventon wilted as he watched the two pokémon fight. His attention was caught between the ferocious battle unfolding right in front of him and the possibility that Pikachu’s presence meant Ash was nearby. However, despite his concern for Ash, his eyes remained glued on the battle. Laventon’s own safety wasn’t assured yet.

  Pikachu screeched and jumped into the air. A gigantic orb of electricity roiled into existence, tall enough to eclipse Decidueye’s entire body. With a shout, he cast it forward, and the crackling sphere ripped across the beach toward Decidueye.

  Decidueye snarled and brought a sharpened wing down upon the Electro Ball, cleaving it in two. The halves of the ruined attack whipped past him and detonated harmlessly on the beach, and Decidueye squawked in rage.

  But through the haze of the dissipating attack, Pikachu charged forward, his tail hardened into iron. Decidueye’s eyes widened as Pikachu swiveled in the air, dragging his tail in an uppercut up Decidueye’s chin. The monstrous bird’s head jerked back and spittle flew from his mouth. His eyes gleamed with hatred as he suddenly cast himself into the air with a single powerful flap of his wings, arcing across the beach and repositioning himself away from Pikachu.

  Once he landed, he wiped his face with his arm and glared at Pikachu. He raised his arm and bent it, then nocked a crimson arrow in his bow and leveled it straight at Pikachu.

  Then he met Laventon’s eyes, shifted his aim ever so slightly, and loosed the arrow.

  Laventon’s eyes widened and horror burned within his stomach as the arrow shot toward him, so fast it’d be impossible to dodge.

  Pikachu hissed and jumped to deflect it. The arrow shattered against his metallic tail, but it served its purpose. Decidueye blitzed forward and summoned a writhing mass of vines from within his leafy body. Before Pikachu could turn, the vines ensnared Pikachu and tightened around his tiny body. Decidueye cackled as he swung Pikachu through the air. Digging his heel into the sand, he let gravity multiply Pikachu’s velocity, then, with a callous simper, slammed Pikachu against the beach as hard as he could.

  As Decidueye’s vines slithered back into his body, Pikachu groaned and crawled away.

  Laventon sank to his knees. No… Pikachu!

  Decidueye shook his arm and a long, jade blade of tightly coiled verdancy spiraled into his hand, and he began stalking toward Pikachu.

  Pikachu glared up at Decidueye and staggered to his feet. The monstrous bird smirked as he raised his sword above his head, grasping it in both hands.

  Pikachu vanished, and the sky turned dark, thunderclouds rolling across its formerly pristine surface. Pikachu hovered in the air against the dark backdrop, and a blinding crack of lightning illuminated the darkness as a jagged bolt of lightning lashed down at Decidueye, electrocuting him on the spot. Decidueye screamed and twitched, but Pikachu was relentless, his cry echoing as he continued to pump electricity into the monstrous bird.

  Such power…! Laventon thought. And from such a small body!

  Once he finally let up, Pikachu dropped back onto the beach and snorted, showing a rare moment of pride that something had deigned to challenge him.

  His entire body smoking, Decidueye coughed and fell on one knee, breathing heavily. Pure hatred steamed from his eyes and it trembled in place. Pikachu glared back, electricity crackling across his fur, as if daring him to keep attacking.

  Suddenly, both pokémon’s heads whipped in the same direction, their aggression toward each other evaporating.

  Laventon followed their gazes up the beach, and he frowned at what he saw. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a familiar face.

  A sort of tortoise pokémon ambled toward them. It was a bright pink and its shell looked like a coiled snake. A haze of fog clung to its body and it stared at the sand between Pikachu and Decidueye with golden eyes, ignoring both of them. Pikachu and Decidueye both watched as it crept between them, seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that it was interrupting their battle.

  Laventon had never seen such a pokémon before, nor had he ever heard of a pokémon with its description. As it walked, it soon became clear that it was headed for him. Due to its sluggish gait, he didn’t feel particularly threatened by it, but he was still wary enough to treat the unknown with caution, and he was already on edge as it was.

  He glanced over at Pikachu for some backup but the mouse looked just as confused at him. Even Decidueye couldn’t help but stare blankly at the strange creature.

  Follow me.

  Laventon gasped and clutched his head. The pokémon stared up at him stoically. “Telepathy…isn’t it?” he breathed. “How…?”

  Follow me, the pokémon repeated, not removing its gaze from him.

  Laventon swallowed and stood up. “What… Who are you?”

  The fog around the pokemon thickened and its shell began to uncoil. Vapor billowed around its form, and when it cleared, its appearance had changed. It now appeared bipedal, though it had no legs to be seen; its torso stood tall atop a thick cloud and it rested its hands on its hips. The snake that had comprised its shell now wrapped around its neck and shoulders like a scarf. However, its piercing golden gaze remained trained on Laventon as it stared down at him, now hovering just above the ground.

  You used to know. You used to know, but then you forgot…Professor.

  Hisui Region - Diamond Settlement

  Rain pelted the wooden awning of the Diamond Settlement clinic’s outdoor patio area. Few people mingled amidst the muddy streets in this weather and though the incense continued to burn throughout the village, the pungent smell of rain and earth clung to the sweet aroma, turning it sickly.

  However, it was a welcome reprieve from the bitter nasal assault Ash experienced every second he remained confined inside.

  A week had passed since he’d awoken in the Diamond Settlement and none of their friends had been found. Pikachu also remained missing. And though he didn’t say so, Ash was sure Adaman had stopped sending out search parties. At least, they probably weren’t nearly as rigorous as before.

  His body was stiff and aching all the time, and according to the doctors, staying in the humid outside, especially during a rainstorm wasn’t helping the healing process go any faster. Luckily, Riley visited daily to apply a bath of Aura, and they were having a tremendous effect on his recovery. After just a week, most of his wounds had closed up, though he still sported an array of angry red gashes and cuts across his whole body beneath the bandages.

  He heard the wood of the patio creak behind him.

  “Nothing,” Riley’s voice came.

  Ash tilted his head, suppressing a wince as his injuries protested painfully. He nodded stiffly. He’d expected as much based on Riley’s gait, and it was an unrealistic miracle to begin with.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Though the Diamond Clan wasn’t sending out their own expeditions anymore, Riley and Rei had gone out almost everyday to search for their friends. But the searches, no matter how late or how far they went, yielded nothing.

  “Where’s Rei?” Ash asked, not having heard the younger boy behind him too.

  “Training. With Arezu. He’s been burying himself in training lately and luckily Arezu has been kind enough to accommodate him.”

  Made sense. It was easy to forget how young he was because of how capable he was as a trainer. And Laventon and Akari were like family to him. His only family. Even Growlithe was absent as a source of comfort for him.

  “What about you?” Riley asked.

  “Hm?”

  Riley walked closer to him, passing into his line of sight. “Do you think you’re up for some training?”

  Ash had to crack a smile, though he immediately regretted it, the scratches on his face burning. “I thought you were the one trying to keep me in bed.”

  “Well, I was. But your healing seems to be coming along nicely. If you think you can handle it, we could resume the training.”

  It was true that the many gashes across his body had healed to a point now where they were all basically just surface wounds. But it was in this in-between stage of recovery where Ash found his mobility hindered the most. As his body knit itself back together, he found he could not manage even the smallest movements without an unbearable stiffness.

  Ash’s eyes narrowed. “I have been thinking about it. Just yesterday, I tried turning on the electricity like I was before, and this happened.” He held out his arm to reveal a thin red line of blood staining the bandages.

  Riley leaned over to investigate. “It reopened, huh?”

  “If I’m just gonna make things worse, I was thinking I’d wait until I’m fully healed.”

  Riley smiled and leaned against the railing. “That’s rather out of character for you.”

  Ash’s expression tightened and he ignored Riley’s gaze. He sighed. “I wasn’t strong enough to beat him. I overpowered him once…then he overpowered me…and that was the end.” Ash suspected Riley had been waiting for him to open up about the fight with Volo and now seemed as good a time as any.

  “Miscalculations are to be expected. Even lethal ones can be forgiven. Such is the nature of warfare between Platebearers. But…” Riley eyed him. “You didn’t miscalculate, did you? Things played out exactly as you wanted them to.”

  “Not ‘exactly as I wanted them to,’” Ash grumbled. “It’s not like I wanted this to happen to me.”

  “Not exactly,” Riley corrected. “But you judged Volo to be too powerful an opponent and drew his attention to you intentionally. You even tried to sacrifice yourself to him before the battle began.”

  Ash leaned back and closed his eyes. “That was the only way to keep him from going after you guys. I…I felt his intentions…somehow. That tornado of darkness…he meant to kill you all with it. So I gave him an opening on me hoping he’d change targets. Luckily, he did.”

  Riley nodded. “The Plates are that valuable. By exposing yourself, you dangled an unignorable prize in front of his face. Of course, that fact that he took the bait is a problem in and of itself, to say the least. It means he somehow knows of a way to extract Plates from their Platebearers.”

  “Could it be a property of the Plate he has?” Ash asked.

  “Maybe. But I was thinking more along the lines that it was an ability he gained from the Paragon.”

  “That’s possible?”

  “Anything’s possible. Platebearers aren’t supposed to be able to claim Plates from other bearers, but that’s not a rule I imagine the Paragons are bound by. They’re different.”

  Ash nodded. “Makes sense.”

  Riley cleared his throat. “In any case, you should count yourself lucky you’re still alive. A play like that could have killed you and opened the rest of us to death all the same.”

  “But it worked.”

  “I suppose we can chalk that victory up to your instincts.” Riley crossed his arms. “Even through her injury, Sabrina seemed to know exactly what you were doing and plunged toward you to stop it. At least for her sake, I hope you don’t do anything like that again.”

  Ash grimaced. “Right.”

  “A frightful woman, that one.”

  Ash frowned and turned to him. “Sabrina?”

  “Of course. Was there another word you had in mind for someone who was able to zap us to the other side of Hisui with a thought?”

  Ash wrinkled his face. “I don’t know. Nice?”

  Riley grinned. “If we’re going that route then it’s not a stretch to say her actions were downright heroic.”

  “Exactly. Right after getting bashed into a rock, she was back on her feet facing down a Platebearer. More brave than frightful if you ask me.”

  Riley’s eyes narrowed. “What about…cute?”

  Ash gawked, the surprise nullifying the pain for the moment. “What?!”

  “You know? Beautiful? Attractive?” Riley said nonchalantly.

  Ash stared at Riley, deadpan. “You think Sabrina’s cute?”

  Riley put up his hands defensively. “Not me. I was just throwing that out there.”

  Ash cocked his head to the side. “What are you talking about?”

  Riley held his gaze for several seconds, then sighed. “Never mind. Let’s get back on topic. Wherever she is, I’m sure she’s just fine, especially if the others are still with her.”

  Ash breathed a sigh of relief and settled back into his seat. As his heart rate slowed, the dull pain across his body returned.

  Wait, relief? Why?

  “If Volo truly can extract Plates from other Platebearers, this changes things immensely. We’ll have to rethink our entire approach toward that man, and any other Platebearers we encounter in the future. If you were to lose your Plate here… Abject failure would be, quite frankly, an understatement. It would defeat the purpose of this journey altogether.”

  Right. It was easy to forget after everything that’d happened that they were here to retrieve Sir Aaron’s Plates. That was the reason they’d come to Hisui, even if it was accidental. And that was in service of the larger goal of uniting all the Plates. “Even if he can take my Plate, it obviously isn’t something he can do easily,” Ash said. “That’s why he attacked us first instead of just taking it immediately.”

  “Indeed. If such a thing is possible, it makes sense that it would necessitate greater focus and time. I’m sure it’s not something he can pull off in a hurry.” Riley stroked his chin. “What concerns me now is what his next move is. He failed at seizing your Plate and now you’re on the other side of Hisui. To him, I’m sure it’s like we just vanished into thin air.”

  “I’m sure he knows Sabrina was responsible,” Ash said. “He seemed to imply he could hear her telepathy. And he mentioned he was a ‘bad matchup’ for her. If he knows she’s a psychic, then I think he holds the Dark Plate.”

  “That aligns with the attack he used,” Riley agreed, nodding. “I suppose our cover story as Guardians was all for naught.” He stared out at the rain falling just beyond the cover of the awning. “Does that mean he’ll go after Sabrina first, to ensure we can’t escape again?”

  “He doesn’t have to,” Ash stated. “The ambush failed, but he knows what we want.”

  “King Aaron’s Plates?”

  “Beyond that.” Ash raised a finger westward. “We want to go home. All he has to do is wait for us at Spear Pillar. He knows we’ll need to cross the rift to return to our time. As long as it takes us, he knows we’ll have to cross him eventually.”

  Riley followed Ash’s finger and his eyes narrowed at the sight of Mount Coronet, looming in the shadowy distance. The rift at the peak flashed periodically, like lightning in a storm cloud. “I was thinking the same thing. He’s forcing us to confront him ourselves. There’s no telling what sort of traps he’ll have in store for us at the summit.” He rubbed his face and sighed. “What are the odds he bled out in the snow from your attack and we don’t even have to worry about him anymore?”

  Ash smiled grimly. “Pretty gruesome. But I doubt it. I wasn’t trying to murder him.”

  Riley shrugged. “Fair enough. Then battle it is.”

  “Looks like everything’s going down at Spear Pillar anyway, in the end.”

  Riley smirked. “Of course it is.”

  Ash grasped his chair’s armrest and started and stand, and Riley quickly offered a supporting hand.

  “Maybe I will take you up on that training offer,” Ash grunted. “I need to get stronger, and fast.”

  Riley smiled. “That’s the spirit.”

  The hooded coats provided to them by the Diamond Clan weren’t waterproof so Ash tried to ignore the fact that his bandages were going to get wet as they stepped out into the rain. Riley stayed close and assisted him where necessary, but luckily the streets were clear so Ash didn’t have to focus on much else besides putting one foot in front of the other. He let Riley lead the way to wherever he thought was best. Unlike Ash, he’d already explored all of the Diamond Settlement and its neighboring landmarks.

  After a while, it became clear that some of his wounds were bleeding beneath the bandages but Ash said nothing, continuing to follow after Riley as the rain pelted them. Ash took it as a good sign that his whole body ached as he moved; it probably would’ve been far more concerning if he couldn’t feel his injuries at all.

  Riley led them past the village proper to a small clearing lined by brown cliffs.

  “Just north of here is a place called Brava Arena,” Riley explained. “The Diamond Clan venerates a powerful Lilligant that lives there for its protection of their settlement.”

  “An Alpha Pokémon?” Ash asked.

  “No, they call it a ‘noble’ pokémon. Though they say its strength rivals that of the Alphas. They attribute their safety from Alpha Pokémon to Lilligant’s presence.”

  “Wish I could meet it…” Ash murmured.

  “It’s quite a long flight of steps up to the arena. Not something I think you could handle just yet.”

  Rei was waiting for them, his Grotle and Shellos both released. Sneasel looked like she was napping under one of the few trees in the clearing, and unlike the other two, sported no bruises or signs of battle.

  Rei jogged over to greet him, Grotle lumbering after him protectively. “Ash!” He eyed Ash with concern. “What’re you doing out here?”

  “Had to stretch my legs,” Ash said, tapping Rei’s fist gently with his own.

  “Where’s Arezu?” Riley asked, looking around.

  “We were training together all morning but she had stuff to do so we’ve just been going at it by ourselves for the past hour or so.”

  “I assume Sneasel didn’t partake?” Ash asked, eyeing the feline. Sneasel cracked an eye open at the mention of her name.

  “Nope.”

  Although Sneasel stuck to Rei like glue, she obeyed none of his direct commands. It seemed she was more comfortable with him because of his proximity to Akari, but their relationship extended no further.

  “So, Ash, did you have anything specific in mind for today’s training?” Riley asked, positioning himself across from Ash.

  “Actually, I did.” Ash stepped into a stable stance, the one he usually took as he began his training. He rolled his shoulders and flexed his fingers, pain sweeping over his muscles in a wave as he readied his body.

  “Wait, you’re actually out here to train?” Rei said. “Right now?!”

  Ash looked straight up and let the rain fall over his face. Pikachu was out there somewhere, but truthfully, Ash wasn’t that worried about him. Pikachu could survive on his own in the wild and even the Alpha Pokémon wouldn’t easily mess with him.

  But the others. If Riley’s theory was correct that the others were still in the Alabaster Icelands somewhere, then from their perspective, he, Rei, Riley, and Akari’s Sneasel would seem like they’d simply vanished into thin air. It’d be impossible for them to predict that they’d all been whisked over to the Crimson Mirelands.

  To that end, Ash had been thinking. Thinking of a way he could let them know, wherever they were, that he was safe.

  “Rei, let’s step back,” Riley said, feeling static begin to coalesce around Ash.

  Ash could already feel blood oozing out of his wounds as he summoned his power. Agony assaulted him, like fire coursing through his veins and burning his injured skin, but he grit his teeth and pressed on. A bolt of lightning snapped against the ground, catching the falling raindrops and flashing violently across the clearing.

  Ash had been waiting for a day like this, when it was raining and there were storm clouds already in the sky that could augment his power. It’ll hurt, but at least it’ll only be for a little while!

  Lightning gusted around Ash in an angry torrent, cracking against the thick air of the Mirelands and filling the air with the scent of ozone. As he raised his arms, the electricity responded accordingly, blazing above his head in a rabid crown of blinding chaos.

  Riley and Rei both shielded their eyes and fought to stay upright against the hurricane winds seething around Ash. Shellos had crept behind Grotle, not wanting to get fried accidentally, and Sneasel glared at Ash for interrupting her nap.

  Suddenly, a shaft of pure electricity billowed skyward, piercing the stormy heavens. Its blistering surface churned and bled sparks as a column of pure power illuminated the clearing and even the nearby Diamond Settlement in a brilliant light. As the lightning came into contact with the clouds above, it burned them away, stray bolts spasming outward as they hurled through the network of falling raindrops.

  Through the storm and even beyond, that singular column of electricity could be seen across all of Hisui.

  Hisui Region - Pearl Settlement

  The light from the beacon danced against the surface of their eyes as they stared at it from afar. Over the mountains and trees it crested and through the veil of gently falling snow it gleamed.

  “What is that…?” Yura murmured.

  “It looks like…lightning,” Akari said.

  Sabrina’s mouth hung open. It felt like someone had just clamped their hands around her heart and squeezed as hard as they could.

  Her legs were moving before her mind realized what she saw. She heard her friends call her name but she barely registered it as she tore through the Pearl Settlement, stumbling past confused villagers, some of whom had noticed the mysterious white line in the sky coming from the east.

  The tips of her fingers were cold and ungloved. Today was supposed to be another rest day. Yet her gauntlet whipped around her wrist in a crazed frenzy. Her temples throbbed in pain as she awoke the power she’d sworn not to use. Her vision went blurry but she plunged her hands into the snow to wake herself back up as she ran.

  Eventually, she found herself outside the village.

  Sabrina’s eyes sunk into a deep violet and her gauntlet groaned. Cracks flashed across her skin in an instant, crawling up her neck and face and purple embers peeled off her body in a gruesome flurry. It felt like her head was splitting in half.

  But that didn’t matter in the slightest.

  Her eyes flashed and a dark violet beam roared into the sky, pitch black against the white vista of the Icelands. As Sabrina urged more and more power into the beacon, it grew wider and wider, and heavier against Sabrina’s wounded mind. Blood ran down her face and dripped from her eyes and nose, yet she willed even more power toward the sky.

  This beam, like its twin, could be seen across all of Hisui.

  Next — Chapter 74 : The Platinum Clan