Into the inferno 14-15
Modestmouse got me going again. Passed on some of the fight scenes coz they bore me now.Enjoy. Chapter 14Cooldown period.*That thing that fucks you over in every boss battle. "Alex..." Haley's eyes narrowed sharply on Alex as he patted his waist idly, secretly biting his lip under the myriad of stares thrown at him by the surrounding Pokémon. Every pair of staring, piercing eyes screaming "I know what you did!" at the top of their metaphysical lungs like a million helium-stoned Jigglypuff. "Why are they staring at us?" Her tone carried a little accusation, but subtly. "Not sure." He lied, but held his demeanour strong. They all knew what he did. Haley eventually decided she was having none of it. "We had sex." The collective proximity of everyone around her recoiled with her sharp words, like they bit at their heels as her head, and ruby eyes stared and issued challenge to anyone unfortunate enough to be in her sights. "Do we have a problem with this?" "(No...)" "(Nuh...)" "(It's fine.)" "(Nnnn...)" Haley's grin returned to her face, content with her answer as she swept the others once more. "Anyone else wish to stake claim to my mate?" Alex's cleared his throat, his unease grew tenfold with every nervous glance he caught from his other Pokémon, as fleeting as they were for fear of Haley's "wrath". There was no challenge, and Haley turned back to him with a strangely triumphant grin. "Did you have to... announce it like that?" Alex shrugged meekly, just keeping his voice between him and Haley at a low level. "I did." Haley took a few steps towards him, and sat just at his feet, tails brushing a faint nimbus of dust from the baked soil. "They know we are mates, and I stake claim to you, so they know who you belong to." "Who I belong to?" Alex crossed his arms with a curious look at Haley, inviting her to evaluate. "You know what I mean." Haley grunted with a vulpine shrug. "But they will not come after you." "Why would they?" Alex asked. He still hadn't shared the details with Haley of how he ended up lying on his back incapacitated in the forest and incredibly horny. "They feel it too." Haley sighed, her head hanging briefly with a pitying murmur. "They feel what I feel: the lust-" She lifted her head again, eyes gleaming sharply just for an instant. "-For you. I can smell it. Their arousal, strong and thick, like a musk. They want you, but they won't come for you now." She cocked her head momentarily, and gave Alex a quick sniff. "Is there a reason you're smelling my dick?" He asked
somewhat casually, like it was a regular thing. "You feel it too." She withdrew, shaking her head quickly to rid herself of the scent. Alex smiled a bit as her long, furry mane raised a bit with her shaking, then fell back into uniform position, sleek and glossy as ever. "You feel the lust too." "I'm only human." Alex shrugged. "I'm sixteen, I'm always horny to some extent." "Even right now?" "I wasn't inviting you, Haley." Alex added quickly after Haley gave him a curious and intent stare somewhere rather private. Seeing Haley's head droop a little, he added: "Well, unless you really want to... well, not like, every time you- it's..." Alex facepalmed, sighing deeply and collecting himself. "We can't just do it like Bunnearys every time we get a horny twitch." "Being mates is all about keeping one another happy." Alex raised an eyebrow, masking his shock behind what she was suggesting. "It's my duty to attend to anything you need and keep you happy, so whenever you want to, you tell me, yes Halas?" "You do-" Alex paused as Haley's words caught up with him. "I'm sorry?" "I said: it's my duty-" "No, the last part." Alex sat down on the ground, crossing his legs in front of Haley. "What did you call me?" "Halas." Haley stretched the "Hal" part heavily, dragging the "a". "It is my name for you." "What, like a pet name?" Alex grinned a bit at the thought. Haley giving him a pet name. Lol... "Our relationship is stronger than others with you." She explained as she lay her head on Alex's lap, murring a little as he placed his hand on her neck, disregarding the underlying meaning of the primitive action. "The policemen called you "Mr Black", others closer to you say "Alex", but I am closer so I have Halas, it is my name and my name alone for you, and only I may use it." "Oh... cool." Alex answered dumbly, unsure of the whole idea. "Does that mean I should give you a special name?" "Only when you feel you must." Haley placed a paw on Alex's chest and pushed him gently, and he fell onto his back, allowing her to climb onto him and lay on his stomach. "When the time comes, a name will come to you. In a time of great sincerity. For now, I am Haley, and you are Alex." "I still don't understand." Alex shrugged apologetically. "You will when the time comes." Haley gave him a short lick on the cheek. "Don't fret over it." "Okay..." His mind was frazzled now. Alex had never actually had a girlfriend, and the extent of his knowledge of girls only went as far as movies and television. This seemed remarkably similar to one of those situations where a girl gets a guy something as a gift, then says she doesn't want
anything back. The guys gets her a gift, she might be annoyed about it since she didn't want one. He doesn't get her a gift, she feels upset and unloved. Girls are so confusing. He decided for the hundredth time in his life. He set his attention on his other Pokémon to preoccupy his attention. Razier was lying beside a bush and chewing a particularly long blade of grass with a frustrated looking expression screwing her face up. Razor sharp fangs were clearly not made for chewing and biting grass, being flimsy and bendy. Lassa, his Blaziken, lay back against a tree, legs crossed with one standing high over the other and staring at her own claw boredly, picking her claws with her other hand. Beina, the Espeon was lying facing away from Alex near a tree, shuffling around uncomfortably. Sattic was the name he gave to his Luxray, who he only now realised wasn't a member of the hunting party who set off to "thank" him. The closest to Alex, she lay facing him with one eye open and on him. She didn't look away as Alex met her gaze, in fact she seemed rather pleased to be noticed, her tail wagging a little. And watching all of them: Cynthia of course. She stood against a tree and was the furthest away. Her head hung glumly and her arms and legs were crossed, like she was trying to keep to herself wholly and wallowing in her own guilt, no doubt. Haley seemed to notice this, taking a seat at Alex's side now and watching Cynthia. "Is there a reason she is acting so?" "I'll tell you later." Alex shrugged, speaking as quietly as possible so that perhaps Haley would forget to ask him and he could get away without sharing the tale. "Whatever." Haley sighed and lay down beside Alex, face-to-face with Sattic. "Sattic, is it?" "(Ah. She sees me.)" Sattic nodded a little. "(Haley, was it?)" "(You know my name well enough.)" "(I do.)" Sattic nodded as Alex sat beside Haley, having nothing else to do. Sattic watched him as he crossed his legs, then turned her attention back to Haley. "(I can't help but wonder if it was just because you made the first move, or if you have something special.)" Haley recoiled with an irritated grunt. "(I'm sorry?)" "(You're with Alex.)" Sattic pointed out with a respective nod to Alex. "(I'm just interested in whether he would have fallen for one of us should you have not taken claim to him.)" A slight growl slipped between Haley's teeth, alarming Alex at her seemingly unprovoked hostility. "Haley, what's wrong?" He placed a hand on her back and stroked her quickly to settle her. "(If you have something to say, say it!)" She growled, almost taking a step forward if it weren't for Alex's hand holding her down. "(I'm saying, I've known him for a while.)" Sattic countered sharply, baring her own fangs, but rather as a
warning for Haley to keep back. "(He's a nice guy- we both know that, but he's still a boy, and boys do stupid things.)" "(Like?)" Haley pressed between her gritted teeth. "(Like grow attached to horny, overstimulated Pokémon in need of daily sex.)" She retorted calmly. Alex saw Haley's move just in time and managed to grab her tightly just as she pounced at Sattic. "Haley!" "(You bitch!)" Haley barked, grabbing the clearing's attention as she writhed in Alex's arms and struggled to break free. "(Take that back you bitch!)" "(I'm sorry if I offended you.)" Haley's wriggling stopped immediately with that apology. It was so sincere it shocked her to the core. "(What?)" "(I wasn't directing that personally at you.)" Sattic explained as Alex gingerly released his hold on Haley, testing if she would go wild again. "(We both want the best for him, and if you are just hot and horny, do us all a favour and break it off right now or else you'll hurt him.)" "(No.)" Haley shook her head, much more settled now as Alex took his arms back and let her sit unrestrained, but still watching her confusedly. "(I love him. I do- I genuinely love Alex, and I'm not going to break it off.)" "(Good.)" Sattic raised a small grin, nodding to Haley. Haley caught it with a forgiving nod in return, clearing the air of any hostility, much to Alex's relief. That was a gesture even he understood. "(But I needed to be sure if you were right for him.)" "(I am.)" Haley's stern gaze didn't shake. "(We are right for each other. We love, and that is the special bond between us. What we choose to do with our relationship is our business alone.)" "(You're bonding with him)" Sattic explained with a sigh. "(He's really becoming attached to you, spiritually, mentally- and physically.)" "(And this is a problem- how?)" Haley only felt a little awkward with Alex behind her, but she knew he couldn't understand so she could say what she wanted while all he could do was listen to their tone curiously. "(Do you honestly think it's a good thing for him to be lusting after you with all of us around?)" Before Haley could rebut: "(Don't act like he isn't, Haley. He's a boy, boys are like this. They lust whenever they can. They don't always act on it, but they still lust, and all of us can smell it.)" Haley's argument was not a good one, and it was already being argued by the subtle scent she could smell on Alex. It was true, he had been in a constant state of some arousal at least ever since they mated a couple of hours ago, however minimal, and everybody appeared a little stirred by it. "(I know.)" Haley sighed, conceding finally- something she really did not like doing, but if it was upsetting everyone else, she felt obliged to admit. "(But what would you have me do?)" She returned to the offensive.
"(I won't break it off. I won't.)" "(Of course not.)" Sattic agreed quickly. "(I wouldn't have you do anything, save realise what effect you two are having on the others. I simply impart knowledge; it is up to you to decide what to do with that knowledge.)" Haley finally realised something in that. Something that had been bothering her the whole conversation. "(The effect I'm having on "the others"?)" She cocked her head, eyes narrowing on Sattic. "(And what about you?)" "(Not me.)" She went quiet, head drooping and eyes falling closed. "(You don't smell him?)" "(I do.)" She said softly, nodding a little. "(But it doesn't...)" She drawled off into incomprehensible muttering. She shifted about a little, seeming to shrink as she pulled her legs in and huddled up a bit, then went silent. "(Doesn't what?)" Haley pressed, suddenly confused. "(Please...)" Sattic's voice shook a bit, dropping low and hoarse. "(Enough...)" "(What are you talking about?)" Haley's head flicked bewilderedly and her eyes refocused on Sattic. Clearly she wasn't seeing something here... "Whoah!" Alex leapt out of his sitting position and towards Sattic as her head dropped, hiding her eyes as she shook more violently. "Sattic... settle girl..." He crooned, falling to one knee beside Sattic and wrapping his arms around her neck. He bent down to her level and let his head hover next to hers as he stroked her, holding her fur in his grip to comfort her. "It's okay... you're here, in a forest, with me- Alex." Sattic's shaking didn't stop, and tears began streaming off her face as the rest of the Pokémon's stares turned to horror. "RAAAAAAAY!" She screamed, bucking suddenly and loosing a discharge into Alex. He shouted as the zap hit him, but held tight, clinging to her and swinging one leg over her back and pinning her down by straddling her back "Sattic, It's Alex." He whispered calmly, despite Sattic's bucking and writhing under him and her painful screaming. "It's not real- you're with me. You're safe. They're gone and they're never coming back..." He leaned forwards and wrapped both arms around her neck as her shaking eased a bit. "You're with me, you're safe... it's not real... they aren't here, it's a flashback, what you're feeling isn't real..." "(Wha-what is this...?)" Haley demanded shakily as she observed the whole thing, suddenly feeling sick at the translation of Sattic's screams. "It's okay..." Alex continued to stroke her with one hand as his other trailed down Sattic's back behind him. The sole thing touching the ears was Sattic's quiet whimpering, still trembling and shaking. Everyone else's silence seemed to set solid on Alex's next move. He slid his hand slowly over Sattic's rump, and under her tail. "It's Alex." He whispered as he did, stroking her neck slowly as his finger
touched against her nethers, brushing softly. "Remember...? Alex..." Sattic stopped shaking, much to the surprise of everyone else. "Are you better?" He asked quietly, still stroking her most private of places with such tender care, one would swear he were caressing a baby. The sexuality of the act was wholly lost in the sudden calm descending upon the area. "Lux." She sniffed, nodding as she tried to clench her eyes and cease her crying. Alex nodded slowly and removed his finger, returning it to Sattic's back and stroking her. "We're back in the forest now?" He asked quietly. "Luxray." She nodded stiffly, opening one eye a fraction to be sure that this place was real. "Alex... what was that?" "I know I took only the strongest..." He sighed, still attending to the scared Pokémon pinned under him. "But even the strongest have weaknesses." He lifted one hand, catching the attention of the others around. "Please- give us some time alone. I have to explain something and it's rather personal." The other Pokémon shared quick glances of concern, then collectively nodded. Alex waited for them all to head away into the bush, then turned to Haley. "Haley, can you use hypnosis?" "I can give it a shot." She shrugged. "Great. Can you put Sattic to sleep?" Haley nodded sharply and walked around to the front of Sattic as Alex continued to stroke her .He rolled off her sideways, and rolled her onto her side next to him as he wrapped his arms around her. They lay together, almost like they were spooning. "Sattic, remember as you sleep. It's Alex... okay?" Sattic nodded weakly with a low grunt. "Go, Haley." Sattic pried her eyes open as Haley lay in front of her, eyes alight with azure. Haley's tails behind her lit up with a similar light, and they began swaying slowly, like in a gentle breeze, back and forth mesmerizingly like a metronome. "Nine- nine nine nine nine nine- ninenine nine
nine ninenine nine nine." Alex shook his head sharply, snapping himself out of whatever was holding him briefly. Haley's words just seemed to hang everywhere, echoing from every direction, commanding the attention. Whoah... that was hypnotizing. He realised as he felt Sattic fall against him with a dying mewl, tumbling into sleep at his side. "All right." Alex sighed, digging into his memories. "I need to know what you said to her so I can explain this best." Haley ceased up a little, freezing on the spot. How much was she going to tell him? "We were talking about... arousal through smell." "Arousal..." Alex's head fell behind Sattic's momentarily. Haley lay down in front of the two. "That might have done it." He petted Sattic, right from shoulder to tail in one long stroke. "You see, Sattic is... damaged." Alex shook his head slowly and sadly, almost tearing up himself. "I remember it was a Friday when I attended to her after she was raped. I was almost unable to do anything- the sight of her froze my blood." "That bad?" Haley gasped. "That bad." Alex nodded. "Rough didn't even cover what they did to her. They used... objects on her. They fucked her with those objects... like sick, twisted toys." Haley barely worked up the will to ask. "Objects?" she gulped, psychic voice so quiet Alex almost didn't hear her. "If you want me to tell you, I will." Haley managed a stiff nod, but a very little one. "Knives." Haley cringed as a shudder shook through her and up her spine, a horrid, sick image burned into her mind by that. "A baseball bat, fists, a Rydon used its horn, an electric prod, a sharpened stake. There were so many of them there weren't enough holes... they cut wounds in her, and they fucked her in the wo-" "Stop-" Haley shook sharply, biting her lip. "Enough-" "To this day, I can't understand why..." He bit his lip as his hand froze on her back momentarily. "I spent sixteen hours on her." Alex petted her side a little more, somewhat warm that she was still with him. "She was so badly damaged, I swore she had died on at least six occasions- only for her to move again after a few minutes of painful silence. But I saved her..." He grinned a little, fingers
running through her soft, lush fur. His lips barely moved- cold and still with his next whisper: "But I saved her..." He smiled a little as the thought warmed him. "But ever since her reproductive system has been mutilated. She's incapable of feeling arousal, and that's what gets her started on her flashbacks." "That's what she was doing?" Haley's mouth fell open. "She was... reliving that moment?" To think that those were the noises of a Pokémon being raped with... those things, it grew a numb chill all over Haley's body. The image of Sattic's spasming and screaming was something forever burned into her mind, like a scar. It scarred her. "She is a strange one." Alex sighed. "She's actually a powerful psychic. She gets visions more powerful than any psychic Pokémon I've ever seen, and sometimes she gets taken hold of by her flashbacks and needs somebody to convince her they're not real. That's why I touched her like I did, it helps her distinguish between her vision and what's real. Otherwise, if nothing reminds her of that one day, she's perfectly fine. Maybe there's something on her mind that's taking her back." Haley nodded, guilt washing over her. "I'm sorry... that I made that happen..." "Don't blame yourself." Alex said quietly "She's unstable today. Any of us could have set her off, it just happened to be you unfortunately." He sighed, stroking Sattic's back a bit slower with longer strokes. "Sometimes I think it was a bad idea bringing any of the girls with us... I should have just left it at you and i..." Haley could feel Alex's pain at that comment. He went silent and closed his eyes, and she just felt the need to say something. "I-" And she stopped. The others had done little, in reality. A few helped in that encounter with the legion, but other than that they had been of little use so far. Razier had returned to her ball after getting scared in the crypts, Sattic was breaking down in Alex's arms, they just weren't being productive. "They aren't helping." "Yeah... I know." His vacant stare moved to a skimpy bush nearby, a piece of nothing to occupy his vision as he thought. No movements- no distractions. His mind took hold of that patch of forest and made it his own landscape to plot his thoughts undisturbed. "I thought..." He sighed, brushing aside his lies finally in his confusion. He couldn't lie to himself. "I wanted some friends." "So you brought them with you?" "It was selfish of me." He admitted after having left that for so long. "There would be little difference if I had left them. Sure, they helped with the legion guys- but short of that, where would I be without them? Same position as I am right now." He lied. If it weren't for them, he would still be a virgin, and Haley would still be horny. "And they're horny..." Haley nodded slowly. At first it was
just an idle reaction as she thought, but she soon grew to understand, nodding a little quicker. "If you think so." "I do."* It was well past midday that Merlin returned. Nobody was really too worried, and between all eight of them- not two shits were given about his whereabouts. Alex was sitting against a tree at the time, surrounded. Haley curled up on his lap, Sattic on one side of him, now awake, and Razier on the other close to his leg- the others were about their idle business, whatever it was. "So- Razier..." "Absol?" "How are you?" Alex made small talk in the stillness, just doing what he could to give the clearing a spark of life. "Absol-Absol." Razier shrugged and patted his knee with one paw. Alex sighed and banged his head against the tree behind him. "Right... cannot understand Pokémon... only Haley." "Absol-Absol." "Razier says: "No shit."" "Thank you, Haley for that-" Cynthia moved. Normally the move would be insignificant, but seeing as she had been perfectly still for over an hour this drew Alex's attention. Her arms unfolded and she tilted her head back a bit, like she was sniffing the air. "Gardevoir. Gard-Gardevoir..." Sattic took heed and visually swept the immediate area, eyes aglow with a golden light as her x-ray vision penetrated layers of bush and shrubbery around them. "Luxray..." She murmured, slapping her tail gently on Haley's rump and drawing her attention. "Ninetails?" Haley asked as she followed her stare, but could see nothing past all the foliage surrounding them. "Luxray-Lux..." Sattic observed, standing up hastily. "Luxray-Luxray! Lux Luxray Lux!" "Merlin is coming..." Haley relayed to Alex as she climbed to her feet quickly. "He's in a rush, grab your things!" "Everybody in! We're moving!" Alex pulled himself to his feet and scrabbled for the pokéballs on the ground beside him. He systematically picked them up and returned the corresponding occupant as they gathered around him, confused and looking all around with murmurs. Cynthia placed his pack before his feet just before Alex returned her, having brought it over to him from where it lay by her tree. "There." Alex thrust the balls into his pack and hoisted it onto his back by one shoulder, just as Merlin exploded through the bush just to the east. "Everybody up!" He paused awkwardly as he noticed Alex, Haley and Derrick in Smeargle form were the only ones in the clearing. "What's wrong?" Alex asked calmly as he walked to meet Merlin. "You try steal another car and got seen for once?" Merlin's expression of shock tightened a little, fixing his stare on Alex who backed away quickly. "It's not funny." "It's- kinda funny." Alex chuckled a little at Merlin's fury,
totally undaunted by this point. "To think- I thought it would be me who stuffed something up." "You did. Remember?" Alex's blank stare urged Merlin to go on. "In art class? You killed that dumb kid? You burned down an apartment building? You al-" "Okay, okay, enough with the bitching- we have places to go!" "This way." Merlin dashed for the opposite side of the clearing, and the others followed close behind. "Where's the car?" Alex called as he caught up, holding the strap of his pack in one hand as it bounced against him. "They're already looking for it- we need another one." "Ooh. Two hijacks in one day. New record." They ran for five minutes, straight through the centre of the park. Alex couldn't help but smile a little as they passed a patch of burned grass and singed soil where he and Haley had... done their thing just that morning. They emerged at the edge of a dead-end street, a couple of houses on the opposite side from them and little-to-no activity all around. It was perfect. "How about that one?" Alex pointed as he walked towards a sedan opposite them. "What, with all these houses around? What do you propose, smash a window and set the alarm off? Everyone on the street will hear." "Merlin Merlin Merlin..." Alex sighed as he proceeded dauntlessly towards the vehicle. "You have so little faith in me." He stopped at the side of the vehicle and scratched a little stubble on his chin, pondering his options. "Got it." He unfolded his arms and placed one hand gently against the driver window, palm flat. Merlin peeked over his shoulder with a face that was curiosity mixed with a little concern. One eyebrow raised as he watched the window around Alex's hand tinge a little orange, distorting the captured sunlight shining through. The smooth seamlessness of the pane squashed and shrivelled in a sickly mess of hues as it melted under the applied heat, liquefying and oozing around Alex's hand as he heated it. He removed his hand and observed it for a moment, curious of the sheen of glass covering his skin and seeping down his wrist. He reached through the hole melted through and pulled the lock. "Voila." He took the exterior handle and swung the door out towards him for Merlin with a flourish, flicking the molten glass from his fingers and palm as he did. "Ah, there is a brain behind this pretty face." Haley flashed Alex a smug grin as she leapt into the doorway held open for her. She climbed into the back as Alex followed after her, scrambling in her wake with Merlin close behind. "Excellent application of your powers." Merlin conceded and took his position in the driver's seat. It was an old enough car, simple enough for him to hotwire. He wasted no time and set to work as Alex and Haley made themselves comfortable in the back. "Pretty face?" Alex ruffled the fur on her head with
a content grunt. "Not the worst." Haley evalutated, not looking up. She gripped his trousers in her claws in a rhythm, clenching and unclenching as he played with her fur. "Aaw, you're sweet." Alex looked up as the engine rumbled to life, stirring the vehicle to life. Merlin released a breathy murmur of triumph and pulled his door shut. Alex wrapped his arms around Haley's neck as they took off promptly, before the vehicle's owner decided to emerge from heir house at an inconvenient time. He noticed his absence of a seat-belt once more. Sure, it was illegal, but legal meant little to him nowadays. Strangely enough - of all the things he had done - it was the mention of "seatbelt" that made Alex think. "Merlin?" "Yes?" "Will I ever go back?" Merlin glimpsed over his shoulder. That glimpse lasted a little longer than he had planned as he studied Alex's eyes. There was something else there... something else in his expression. He was serious... more serious than he had seen him before. "Go back?" "Will I ever live normally again? I mean, stealing cars... I've killed people... burnt places down... will I ever life a normal life now?" "No." Merlin answered sharply as he pulled up at a traffic light. ""It won't be normal- then again you never did have it normal, did you?" "No." He paused. "Sometimes I wish I did." "It will be better." Merlin abandoned the steering wheel in the vehicle's idle state to lean over his seat a little and face Alex with a smile. "You'll make it better. Everything. You'll make the world a better place, I promise." "You really think so?" "Of course." Haley lifted herself a little to lick at his chin a few times. "I have no doubt you will make the world a better place." "It's your destiny." Merlin's grin softened a little as he watched Haley lick Alex's face, pulling a little grin out of him however hard he tried to maintain a serious expression. "From birth you were destined to bring peace- I know. It's all in your fate." "A fate mind you, that nobody has bothered to mention to me." He added with a subtle accusation in undertone. Merlin twisted back into his seat and dropped back as the congestion began to flow again, fortunately for him allowing him to ignore Alex. "It'll be alright." Haley assured him as she settled back into his lap. "I hope so, Haley." He whispered so quietly that Haley could barely even hear him, stroking her chin and lulling her into sleep in his lap. "I hope so..." Chapter 15Inheritance*They key to the door.The soil of the nation.The tongs of the forge.The sound of creation. Time flew past. Neither Alex nor Haley recorded just how long it was- they had Merlin driving to wherever it was they needed to go. The two rested in the back as comfortably as they could- splayed over the back seat. Alex lay on his back dozing, arm hanging awkwardly over the edge of the seat and hand resting on the floor. Haley lay on top, snuggled in close and lying on Alex's stomach as she slept. Merlin took a moment every fifteen or so to check them in his mirror in case of any more crazy dreams on Alex's part. He knew what Alex was- what he was capable of, and he had to be careful. "Almost there, Alex..." He whispered to himself as he set his eyes back on the road ahead. "Very soon... then you will know everything..." His eyes showed no sign of fatigue. They remained as focussed and wide as they always did, but flickered all across the tarmac with his thoughts bouncing left right and centre. "(You're seriously breaking into a museum?)" Merlin took a quick glance to the passenger seat where Derrick sat. He had thought he was asleep- clearly not so. "We are." Merlin stressed the "we" in that sentence. Derrick grumbled in irritation and fell back against the back of his seat. "You know we need it." "(I do not see why all the customs.)" "Eiyvanaa's a stubborn one. I doubt she would emerge, even with her son's presence, without the customs." "(All right, all right. So what's you plan? You can't just break into the place and rip the thing out of its case.)" "I could..." Merlin reminded his partner darkly, "but it would draw unwanted attention. No- I have a much better idea... you see, I know a guy..."* "Haley..." "Mmm?" Haley grinned teasingly. "Haley, if your tongue moves any lower I'm going to smack you." Alex waited calmly for Haley's response. He made no attempt to move- the back seat was surprisingly comfortable. Even Haley curled up on his stomach was a welcome weight- soft and fluffy. "It's okay. I like it rough." "Haley!" He laughed and slapped her side. "Not with Merlin around..." Merlin shot a brief glance eat the mention of his name, but went back to his driving. They were getting close anyway. "Merlin cannot hear anything I say." Haley returned Merlin's glance with a grin. "I could say anything I want. I could chat you up using the dirtiest words known to both Pokémon and mankind and he wouldn't suspect a thing... and we know some filthy, filthy words." "Arceus. Haley, what happened to you?" Alex laughed and ruffled her fur. "I had a good sleep." Haley sat upright on Alex's waist and threw her head sideways, billowing her mane out. "I'm not sure why, but I just feel better." "Have a good sleep
you two?" Merlin asked over his seat. "Yep." Alex yawned and sat upright, pushing Haley into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her neck and stroked along her mane, provoking a content murr as she nuzzled his hand. "'Bout you?" "Not for me, Alex." Merlin shook his head. Alex now realised that the vehicle was idle. Merlin was slumped tiredly in his seat, but was definitely wide awake. In the seat next to him, Alex caught glimpses of Derrick's paintbrush tail flicking idly around the edge of it. He used the seat behind him for balance and shuffled into an upright position, staring out the side windows and scanning his new environment. "I'm starting to become excited about going to sleep." He decided with sudden glee, brightening up and lifting himself out of his usual morning slump. "Just so I can wake up again and be somewhere interesting- like here." "Yes." Merlin agreed with a nod. "Celestic town is an odd little place. See all the buildings out there?" "Yeah." Alex nodded as he took in a row of houses outside his window. "Nothing modern. No big, glass skyscrapers, no huge metal buildings-" "Wood and brick." Alex observed. Every building in sight seemed so out of place in today's world. "I've seen them before, though. We came here on a history trip once." "Hah- you would have to stay a long time to truly appreciate the history that this place holds." Merlin unbuckled and stepped out of the car onto the tarmac- the tarmac seemed to be the most advanced structure in sight. Merlin yawned and stretched high, balling his fists over his head and arching his back to loosen himself. When he recomposed, he bore a sparkling grin on his lips. "Celestic town preserves the old way of life. Some call it trapped in the past- in all honesty it is, but it's trapped in a good past. An age, unfortunately, long passed elsewhere." "The architecture's pretty shitty." Alex remarked as he exited the vehicle, solely to kill the mood. Merlin frowned. "So much wood..." Haley remarked in a daze as she followed, seemingly hypnotized by the scene. "It's nice to see somebody can appreciate it." Merlin flashed Haley a smile over his shoulder. Alex frowned now and directed Haley a slightly annoyed look. He stuck out his tongue, and followed it with a quiet murmur of: "kiss-ass." "Ooo- yes... I bet it would burn real pretty..." Her eyes glinted with a dangerous sparkle; Alex laughed and ruffled her fur. Merlin grumbled briefly, but was determined not to let it ruin his day; he locked the car as Derrick threw his door shut. "So... a museum, huh?" Alex began as he followed after Merlin and derrick in a seemingly random direction. "That's right." "Any hidden, ancient crypts to dive into?" Alex asked. "You know- raiders of the lost ark or something. Giant underground
temple full of Sevipers and Ariados? Fiendish traps and devilish devices to kill us in creative ways?" "Huh. The closest thing to a fiendish trap you'll find is in the real estate market." Merlin mentioned. "No. No hidden tombs or mummies or booby-traps or serpents or arachnids." "Ancient relics?" "Of course. What do you think we're going to museum for?" "Idunno." Alex shrugged. "I can't think of a smart-ass answer." "I'll give you a clue: Ancient relics." "Hey!" Alex snapped. "I'm the smart-ass. Shut your face." Celestic town was definitely an old place. Even the traffic and pedestrians seemed locked in a time warp in which old cars and dated outfits couldn't escape, and the influence of modern fashion couldn't get in. Alex felt remarkably out of place in jeans and t-shirt. The townspeople were dressed in large and colourful outfits, and they all dragged packs of Pokémon behind them everywhere they went. They stopped on corners and chatted idly, indulging in current affairs and having a laugh about something or another. Small quaint stores lined the main street and cars trundled past at a relaxed, civil speed. Pedestrians crossed the road without a worry, and any incoming motorist would stop to let them pass. Alex shook his head slowly as he waded through the crowds behind Merlin and Derrick. "It's so..." He didn't know how to explain it. "Idyllic?" Merlin suggested as Alex rushed a few steps ahead to his side. "Peaceful and quiet..." Alex countered Merlin's answer with his own. "A little too quiet..." He let his eyes drift from person-to-person as they flustered about. Most of these people he examined were people of the female variety... even a pretty Lucario or two who took his fancy. Haley turned her head quickly, and caught Alex staring at a well-endowed female Lucario dressed in a lacy vestment. "That's hardly fair." Haley remarked as Alex jerked his head away and blushed - he had forgotten Haley for a second. "Everyone gets breasts but me. How can I seduce you without?" Alex stifled a chuckle - but he knew Haley had caught him staring. "You don't need them." He assured her; petting her head. "You have the touch of an angel." Haley smiled and rubbed against his hand. "Now that was a remarkable save." She purred. "Very smooth...." Haley stopped short with a yelp as a woman rushed past. Her hand held the hem of her dress up at the front and she charged ahead very quickly. At first it seemed out of place in the quiet small-town commerce, but a quick look around revealed that the entire street was waking up. Men rushed along the street to groups of others, spoke something excitedly, then charged off again. A quick glance about was shared in the group before they too charged off after the first man
to wherever he was heading. Ladies flocked about points in the street and clucked energetically, before they too rushed off in the same direction of the men. In seconds the entire street - once a gently meandering stream - was a rush of movement in one direction, like a flood exploding downriver, or rapids surging and foaming down rocks. "What's this?" Haley shook her head briefly - closing her eyes and opening them. It happened so quickly it took a moment for her to realise what was going on. "Something's ahead." Merlin stood on his toes to look over the flood of people and Pokémon, following their migratory movement as they funnelled into a street a hundred metres north. "Why do I get the feeling they're all rushing to the Celestic museum of ancient wonders?" Alex wondered out-loud. "Something always has to happen..." "If nothing happened, the chapter would be terribly short." Merlin reminded Alex tiresomely. "Don't you know anything?" "Burn. Feed. Mate. Repeat." Alex smirked. "That's all I need to know." Haley chuckled a little as she heard this. "So let's set something on fire, get some food and see where that leads us." Alex smiled wider. The idea was suddenly much more appealing. "I like how you think." "Not in public, you two." Merlin nudged Alex as he spoke disapprovingly. Merlin increased his gait before Alex could respond, and sped up in the direction of the people-flood. The crowd seemed to have converged just around the corner ahead. Upon rounding the corner, the street ahead became invisible. The pavement was completely covered in people, all calling and shouting in confused madness at the structure up ahead. "The museum...?" Alex asked as he came to a stop and stared up at it. "The museum." Merlin nodded. Rising up from the centre of the sea of humans and Pokémon, a mighty structure sat atop a lush green hill. Around the bottom a yellow police-tape rope separated the grounds and the hill, and kept the civilians at bay. The museum was a block. Quite literally. It was shaped like a giant block, set with the occasional pillar and column. At the top, a stubby, hallowed bell-tower stuck from the front centre of the place. The crowd all roared separately. Each individual cried and hollered differently at different times - though there were two words which occasionally rose up at the same time. The first was "Galactic". The second was "Team". "So... team Galactic, huh?" Merlin grunted as he stared hard at the building. His lips twitched upwards at the edges as a low growl escaped his throat. "Let us handle this." "What?" Alex tore his gaze from the building as shock struck his face. "You?" "Team Galactic and I have a history." Merlin took a menacing step forwards as his fists clenched. "Let Derrick and I handle
this one." "Are you sure?" "This is personal." Merlin raised his hand and snapped his fingers. On cue, Derrick nodded, and stepped forwards. Standing on one toe, he made a quick twirl. He seemed to spin so fast all shape and colour was lost. When he stopped again, he was significantly taller. And yellower. "Kazam!" He bellowed as he punched the air. "Alakazam!" "Meet me back at the car in two hours." Merlin instructed as he knelt behind Derrick and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Teleport!" "Wait! I-" Phwoom. "- don't have money..." Alex's shoulders fell. "... for food... crap." "It'll be okay." Haley hushed him as she skulked around his leg, wrapping a tail around it as she rubbed past it. "We'll find you something to burn, and then I think I have something for you to eat..." "Really?" Alex straightened up and raised an eyebrow. "Is that a sexual suggestion, or are we being literal? Coz I'm literally hungry..." Haley blushed a little. "Um..." "You were... referring to oral sex... weren't you?" Alex stared hard at her. "Um... yeeeeeeaaaaaah... I was actually..." She smiled nervously. "Please?" "In what kind of crazy world do girls beg guys for sex?" He shook his head quickly. "No - don't tell me. This might be a dream, and I don't want to wake up..." Haley's smile eased again, and she nodded with a relieved exhalation. "Let's get us a little privacy, then? Shall we?"* "Do you see them, Derrick?" Merlin asked. his words were mostly carried away by the wind roaring past, but Derrick nodded. They stood side-by-side and stared out over the great crowd converging at the foot of the museum. The museum upon which they stood. "(I see them.)" Derrick replied. He took another step to the edge, where a shadowy, blurry viel separated them and the crowd, hiding them from sight. Like a light screen, but constructed of wavering tendrils of darkness. Like the flowing night trapped within glass. "It's laughable how oblivious they are." Merlin strode to his side also, revelling in a moment of mirth with a shallow smile. "They all die soon... and they know nothing. They won't even realise how special these last moments are." "(Won't they?)" Derrick curiously glanced up at Merlin. "(I thought your life flashes before your eyes as you die?)" "It doesn't." Merlin shook his head grimly. "Their last moments will be like any others. Then, oblivion will be upon them suddenly - like the strike of a Seviper. One moment they will live, one moment they will be dead." Merlin reached one gnarled hand into the pocket of his coat. When it returned, his fingers were curled around the trigger of a small handgun. He tossed
the weapon onto the roof beside him as if it were nothing more than a pebble. "This is team Galactic we're dealing with." He said, explaining his actions. "They aren't like cultist thugs. Those idiots' Pokémon are ameture at best - but Team Galactic understands the value of well-trained Pokémon. Guns aren't going to be much use against any half-decent Pokémon." "(So what's your plan?)" Derrick asked. Inside - he knew the answer, but he had been waiting for Merlin to say it for so long now, and he held his breath in anticipation. Merlin stepped away from the edge. The crowd was of no importance to him now. He faced the emergency roof exit door in the side of the belltower and placed his hands in his pockets. "My plan is to show these fools our true power." Merlin smirked a little, chuckling quietly. "I think it's time we introduce the world to Darkrai."* "Bring that over here G11!" A loud voice called across the bustle and chaos. Silver uniforms rushed about everywhere, like the inside of an ant nest. Boxes hauled left and right, glass exhibition cases cracked open and emptied, tablets and wall hangings removed and boxed - it was all being packed away. In the centre of the mess and directing it, a blue-haired woman stood atop two stackd boxes. She shouted orders across all the noise and pointed forcefully. With every second that passed she had to yell a little louder over the increasing volume. "G23 and G22! Get on the main entrance and get those Pokémon out! I don't want any cops within thirty metres of that door! G31! Join sigma squad and keep heat on the hostages!" "Ma'am!" "Yes ma'am!" "Affirmative!" The uniforms saluted briefly, then hurried to their allocated tasks. The woman sighed breathlessly, and collapsed onto a smaller crate behind her. "Sweet Arceus, this is insane..." She wiped her brow with one hand and snapped beads of sweat away. She glanced warily up again. Surely there was some idiot doing something wrong. Sure enough, she spotted a grunt carrying a small crate towards a pile in one corner. It wasn't the grunt or the crate which caught her attention, but rather a small red star painted on the side. She shot out of her seat and leapt off her crate. "Whoa! Whoa!" She stormed towards the grunt as he turned to her, looking afraid. "What did I tell you!?" The woman barked. She grabbed the crate from his arms and yanked it away from him. "Red star...?" She pointed to the symbol, staring hard at the man. "I said "bring the red star crate to me!". Idiot!" She struck him across the face with a mutter, and paced quickly back to her crate in the centre. Grunts were so incompetent. She placed the small crate atop the larger crate, then climbed onto the larger and took her seat again. "You better show up, Merlin..." She growled as she observed
the crowd of workers. Everything was slowly deteriorating. Every second, the police were coming closer and closer to a way in. She had to get out before that happened. She looked back to the workers once more, mulling over anything she could say to make it sound like she was still controlling things. In reality - she was stalling. She was keeping them convinced they were doing something until - Boom. The movement ceased as a massive explosion rocked the museum, and every gaze swung upwards. A filthy glowing smog of dust wafted from the roof. Around the dust, rocks and debris tumbled to the floor below, landing on a crowd of hapless grunts who were unlucky enough to be standing below. "The hell?" Was the first of many cries as the system collapsed in the confusion. The entire building was thrown into immediate chaos as the grunts dropped their cargo and grabbed hold of their pokéballs. "The Police! Kill the hostages!" Another cried as he threw out a Magmar. But it had started. The confusion, the madness, the chaos - it just paused for a moment. Every grunt slowed to a stop, and they turned back to the streaming cloud of dust with confused murmurs. Nobody knew why - but their eyes were drawn to it somehow. Something just... brought them back to it. They watched on, paralyzed by something unexplainable, and silent. The cloud of dust - which had previously glowed with the filtering sunlight - was growing dark. Something dark was growing within the cloud, and blotting the sun. "What is that?" One call echoed endlessly - it's source being the only one daring enough to make a noise as the dark haze descended from the ceiling. It just didn't move like a cloud should. It didn't fan out and spread randomly. It moved on its own. It moved towards the centre of the museum. The smoke at the front seemed to roll away and retreat, and something black emerged from within the shroud. Midnight black and barely distinguishable from the surrounding smog as it descended towards the woman in the centre. Within the smoke, two red orbs grew into existence, and shone through perplexingly. It stepped forwards, and left its cloak of smoke to reveal itself to the world. The smoked seemed to converge and condense behind it, forming a billowing robe which clung to the thing's infernal shoulders. All was in awe as it lifted its mighty arms, stretching them wide and streaming unholy black energy through them, flexing and testing its power. "Aaaaaaaah..." The chord was a melodious drone, deep from the thing's throat. It's twisted face broke into a smirk as it beheld the terrified crowd around it. "Mortals..." Up above it - at the lip of the hole it had emerged from, a figure watched Darkrai announce his presence. He smiled faintly, and nodded. At the edge of the hole - was
Derrick. "(Have fun, Merlin.)" Derrick chuckled. He sat on the edge of the hole, and watched everything unfold. "M-Merlin...? The woman backed away a little. Her foot nearly stepped off the crate, but she caught herself with a gulp. It seemed to catch as a lump in her throat though, and she was left gagging for a moment. "I am no Merlin. Merlin is a façade..." The thing chuckled - low and cruel, spiked with twisted mirth. "Flamethrower!" The trance had been broken. Darkrai glided away effortlessly as a flash of fire spewed from the magmar. He growled and drew an arm back, forming a small sphere of black energy as he continued hovering across the crowd. "Insolence!" He roared, throwing the shadow ball forth. The accused trainer and Pokémon instinctively dived to the side, but they misjudged Darkrai's power. Their evades didn't throw them far enough away from the point of impact, and the explosion engulfed them. "You will all die!" Darkrai roared as he floated higher, charging a shadow ball in each hand. His flickering eyes swept across the ranks of Team Galactic grunts and Pokémon as they all lined up before him. In their eyes - he saw terror. They would fight, but they were afraid. They would never win if they were afraid.eight minutes later The woman beat her chest as she choked on smoke, collapsed to her hands and knees. Her hand felt in front of her as she crawled through the thick smog, desperately reaching for something to tell her where she was in the mess. Around her, smoke strangled the air. Fires fuelled the haze, feeding on the charring bodies of Team Galactic grunts and their Pokémon to throw up more and more ash and smoke. The entire place was blind - enclosed in smoke. She touched something. Her other hand immediately flew out and grabbed hold of the thing, gripping and feeling it. It was a leg. She coughed. "M-Merlin?" She lifted her head weakly, and opened her eyes a fraction. The smoke stung them, so she closed them again. "Yes." Merlin replied, breathing easily through the smoke. "I-I got you what you wanted!" She choked out between fits of coughing and spluttering. Her eyes stung, her limbs were heavy, her throat was hot and dry, and becoming more so with each strangled gasp for precious oxygen. "W-why?" "Because you are evil." Merlin said. He lifted his leg, and kicked it free of the woman's grip. He stepped over her, lifted his leg, and he stomped it down with all his strength. The woman's head split on impact. Her skull shattered under the colossal force and blood splattered everywhere. Even the concrete floor beneath her head cracked and smashed as Merlin's boot hit it, buckling his leather sole too. He left the mangled corpse and strode towards the box he had identified as his. A small wooden
thing with a red star on the side. He picked it up and glanced over his shoulder at the dead woman. "Into the inferno - you go." He said flatly. "Into the inferno - your friends go. Into the inferno - everyone will soon go." He strode towards the centre of the room where through the smoke, he saw Derrick in Alakazam form. "Because they are all evil."* "I could get used to thiiiiiiisssss..." Haley moaned. She arched her back right back and craned back her head and neck. "Oh... that's so goooooood..." For a moment, Alex removed his face from Haley's nethers. He licked his lips with a cheery grin and nodded in response. "This was a great idea. A little private time..." Private in a sense. If you could count "hidden on a bank underneath a traffic bridge" as private. Every time a car or truck passed overhead, the bridge rattled. Alex heard the noise - but Haley was a little preoccupied to notice. She had other things to focus on. Alex reached a hand into the water reaching his bare shoulders, and splashed a little onto Haley's backside. The droplets immediately fizzled into vapour on contact with her swollen vulva - soft engorged with heat. Her pussy dripped gradually into the river rising around her hindlegs and fizzed away. The running river reached only halfway up her legs, but that was still far up enough to excite the surface to a frothing bubbling. Though - Alex's naked body submerged to his shoulders probably did most of the heating. Haley shuffled her forelegs a little to freshen her grip further up the bank, where they gripped the drier soil. She allowed her eyes to drift shut again as Alex's scalding tongue pushed back into her folds to lap up her receding orgasm. "Ooooh... You're so gooood..." "- To me." Alex withdrew again - still grinning. "You're so good to me..." Haley smiled a little at him, picking up the tune. Avril Lavigne. "oh-oh, oh-ooooooh, you're so, good to me..." She sung back. "You make me so hot, you make me wanna drop, you're so ridiculous, I can barely stop. I can hardly breathe, you make me wanna scream -" "You're so fabulous." Alex cut in. "You're so good to meeee babeeeeeeey, babeeeeeeeey - you're so-" "- good to me." Both Haley and Alex spun around at the surprise voice. Alex's hands quickly covered his groin as heat flushed his face. Haley spun around with a blush to hide her dripping pussy. "Oh... hey Merlin..." Alex smirked nervously. "Um... ... ..." Merlin strode forwards with a chuckle. In his arms, he held a small wooden box, marked with a red star. "I got it." "Oh... yeah...?" Alex called over his shoulder as he pulled his clothes on
again. His body was hot enough that it naturally dried the moisture in a second, so replacing his clothes was no trouble. "What is it?" "I'll show you in the car. Come on." Merlin motioned to Alex, and began up the bank quickly. Alex clambered into his clothing even faster, then chased Merlin up the bank to road level. "What? Just tell me!" "You can see for yourself." Merlin called back as he walked to the car. He had left it unlocked, so he simply pulled open the driver's door and jumped in. Alex clambered through the back door behind him, and closed it after Haley too clambered through. "We're off to the airport for a helicopter. We're heading for Mt coronet. That's where Eiyvanaa is." "Give it to me!" Alex whined as Derrick hopped across Merlin's lap and onto the passenger seat. The one thing on his mind now, was the box. "All right, all right." Merlin groaned. He lifted the small box from his lap, and handed it through the front seats to Alex. " "Righteous." He smiled a little, and ran his fingers along the lid. It was an ornate box. About fourty centimetres long, twenty wide, and just under ten centimetres high. The wood was deep brown-red, highly polished and varnished. He flicked the buckles holding the thing's lid on, and eased it open carefully, knowing well it could break. Haley leaned over his shoulder as the excitement was too much to hold at bay. "What the -" Alex took the thing and lifted it in his fingers. "That is what we need to find your mother." Merlin told Alex as he pulled onto the road. "But... what?" Alex shook his head in disbelief. "How is this... what is this anyway? A recorder?" "It's a flute." Haley observed. "It is." Merlin nodded. "A flute. A pipe. This is what you need to find your mother." "But... a flute?" Alex shook his head slowly. He couldn't understand how that made any sense. But either way - it was definitely a mystical thing. It shone and shimmered in the run's rays - an almost clear, crystalline blue... blue like the sky... azure... It was an azure flute.* You've all made your guesses. You've all been wrong as far as I know - but now you have your answer. (if you're still confused, Google "azure flute Pokémon") Do you feel dumb? (lol)