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Team Valiant Arc 7 Chapter 6: The Brothers
Tasked by King Calyrex to search for the missing Shifu Brothers, Luke, Volcan and Katsumoto visit the location of the monastery where they were headmasters.
Surprise! I finished another chapter. This one didn't need much editing.
Preview:
The monastery, sitting where the ground of the hill leveled out, was a grand thing, nearly as vast as King Calyrex's palace. The architecture was less ornate, likely due to more focus on practicality than on aesthetics. But though the walls were intact, the holy place itself was in tatters. Its front gate had been smashed open, from the outside. The smaller structures inside the walls had been burned down, and the main body of the monastery - the temple, was similarly burnt but still stood. Outside of the temple sat a shrine, bearing the disembodied legs of what had likely been a Legendary Pokémon, but the upper half was in so many pieces around it, it could not even be identified...
“What in the hell happened here…?” Luke whispered, finally breaking the silence that had fallen upon the three of them as they gazed at the ruined monastery. “There’s no way Calhoun could have caused this kind of destruction on his own. Powerful as he is, he wouldn’t be able to do THIS much damage without some kind of assistance… Could he?”
"I beg to differ – he has before…" Volcan said in a distant voice. Luke turned to look at him, seeing the intense stare on Volcan’s face as he took in the scene around him, his eyes glazed over in a way Luke recognized all too well. He was having a flashback… It had been some time since he'd had one, but Luke remembered the signs all too well as the Blaziken's post-traumatic stress resurfaced.
“Oh no…” Luke muttered, quickly walking in front of him and grasping at Volcan’s shoulders in his paws. “Hey. Volcan c'mon, don’t start spacing out on me.” He said sternly, lightly patting Volcan’s cheek to snap him out of his trance.
He felt Volcan’s hand grasp his shoulder gently, and the Blaziken lowered his gaze to meet his. "It's okay, love," he said, breathing steadily. "I'm still here."
Luke heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s a relief.” He muttered softly. “Was afraid I was going to have to do that whole ‘true love’s kiss’ thing to snap you back into reality.” He added, allowing a small joke to try and lighten the mood.
Volcan smiled lightly, but the memories were coming back still, and he could express little joviality in the moment. "It's just like back then," he said lowly, "just like the night it all happened. He destroyed the Arceus shrine by his own hand… I know he shattered the statue at the shrine. Don't know about the statue in the town." He turned his head slowly, taking in the scene. "And burned the rest."
“Volcan…” Luke whispered softly, once more growing worried that he might slip back into a panic attack. Out of instinct, he pulled Volcan down to his level and embraced him tightly, patting his back a few times and rocking him from side to side to try and ease those memories out of his psyche. “It’s okay, love… it’s all in the past. Focus on the here and now.”
"I know," he said, hugging Luke tightly. "I'll never forget that night. You know this… And this place brings all back in a flash of fire." He tightened his embrace, calling upon his love for Luke to give him strength.
“If you’d rather wait here, Katsu and I can see if we can dig up some clues.” Luke offered, tightening his embrace on Volcan as well, still rocking him slowly in his arms.
Volcan held the hug for another moment before reluctantly pulling away. His eyes were closed, but he was taking slow, steady breaths even as he shook his head. He gave his answer when he opened his eyes. "I'll be okay," he promised. "Besides… We'll need all eyes if we're to find any clues here."
Both Luke and Katsu looked at Volcan with concern, but it was Luke that slowly nodded and gently released Volcan. “Alright then.” He remarked. “But the second you start getting flashbacks again, you take a moment to calm yourself down, got it?” He added firmly. When he nodded back, Luke turned toward the monastery and rolled his head along his shoulders. “Let’s get searching. Katsu, check the center temple. Volcan, you go for the other buildings. I’ll use my Aura Sense to try and locate those Shifu brothers.” He commanded.
“Aye, understood.” Katsu returned with a nod, then he started trotting over toward the temple to begin his search for clues.
Volcan nodded to Luke, un-shouldering his pack as he moved to the smaller, pagoda-style structures, sifting through the rubble with care. Luke stepped forward himself, closing his eyes and tuning into his aura sense so he could scope out the area around the temple and monastery. He focused as hard as he could, expanding his sensory range to its absolute limit before he started searching for clues to the twins’ whereabouts.
There were traces of aura all around the temple. Luke could see a trail being made by the residual aura left in the grass, both inside and outside of the temple. Curious, he focused on the trail, following it to a location away from the monastery… but something was wrong. In his mind's eye, the aura seemed to be diminishing, but not from getting weaker. It was as though some sort of shroud had fallen over the trail as it moved deeper into a veil of shadow. A veil that made a chill was over him, finding it somehow familiar.
Then, he found a bulk aura, seemingly appearing out of the darkness. It was massive! He hadn't seen such power since Torolf and Romulus. But it was still, unmoving. The aura was calm, like the one it belonged to was meditating. But to his shock, he could also feel it… reaching out. Seemingly touching his aura senses, like it was trying to get him to see it. The sensation was followed immediately by a surge from the aura, as though its owner had only just realized someone was watching them. Then… it vanished. It had moved, quickly, disappearing from his radar, or… was it somehow masking itself? That didn't seem possible…
He shortened his range, and found the aura again. It was on the move… Coming fast, Coming closer… Coming to them.
Surprise! I finished another chapter. This one didn't need much editing.
Preview:
The monastery, sitting where the ground of the hill leveled out, was a grand thing, nearly as vast as King Calyrex's palace. The architecture was less ornate, likely due to more focus on practicality than on aesthetics. But though the walls were intact, the holy place itself was in tatters. Its front gate had been smashed open, from the outside. The smaller structures inside the walls had been burned down, and the main body of the monastery - the temple, was similarly burnt but still stood. Outside of the temple sat a shrine, bearing the disembodied legs of what had likely been a Legendary Pokémon, but the upper half was in so many pieces around it, it could not even be identified...
“What in the hell happened here…?” Luke whispered, finally breaking the silence that had fallen upon the three of them as they gazed at the ruined monastery. “There’s no way Calhoun could have caused this kind of destruction on his own. Powerful as he is, he wouldn’t be able to do THIS much damage without some kind of assistance… Could he?”
"I beg to differ – he has before…" Volcan said in a distant voice. Luke turned to look at him, seeing the intense stare on Volcan’s face as he took in the scene around him, his eyes glazed over in a way Luke recognized all too well. He was having a flashback… It had been some time since he'd had one, but Luke remembered the signs all too well as the Blaziken's post-traumatic stress resurfaced.
“Oh no…” Luke muttered, quickly walking in front of him and grasping at Volcan’s shoulders in his paws. “Hey. Volcan c'mon, don’t start spacing out on me.” He said sternly, lightly patting Volcan’s cheek to snap him out of his trance.
He felt Volcan’s hand grasp his shoulder gently, and the Blaziken lowered his gaze to meet his. "It's okay, love," he said, breathing steadily. "I'm still here."
Luke heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s a relief.” He muttered softly. “Was afraid I was going to have to do that whole ‘true love’s kiss’ thing to snap you back into reality.” He added, allowing a small joke to try and lighten the mood.
Volcan smiled lightly, but the memories were coming back still, and he could express little joviality in the moment. "It's just like back then," he said lowly, "just like the night it all happened. He destroyed the Arceus shrine by his own hand… I know he shattered the statue at the shrine. Don't know about the statue in the town." He turned his head slowly, taking in the scene. "And burned the rest."
“Volcan…” Luke whispered softly, once more growing worried that he might slip back into a panic attack. Out of instinct, he pulled Volcan down to his level and embraced him tightly, patting his back a few times and rocking him from side to side to try and ease those memories out of his psyche. “It’s okay, love… it’s all in the past. Focus on the here and now.”
"I know," he said, hugging Luke tightly. "I'll never forget that night. You know this… And this place brings all back in a flash of fire." He tightened his embrace, calling upon his love for Luke to give him strength.
“If you’d rather wait here, Katsu and I can see if we can dig up some clues.” Luke offered, tightening his embrace on Volcan as well, still rocking him slowly in his arms.
Volcan held the hug for another moment before reluctantly pulling away. His eyes were closed, but he was taking slow, steady breaths even as he shook his head. He gave his answer when he opened his eyes. "I'll be okay," he promised. "Besides… We'll need all eyes if we're to find any clues here."
Both Luke and Katsu looked at Volcan with concern, but it was Luke that slowly nodded and gently released Volcan. “Alright then.” He remarked. “But the second you start getting flashbacks again, you take a moment to calm yourself down, got it?” He added firmly. When he nodded back, Luke turned toward the monastery and rolled his head along his shoulders. “Let’s get searching. Katsu, check the center temple. Volcan, you go for the other buildings. I’ll use my Aura Sense to try and locate those Shifu brothers.” He commanded.
“Aye, understood.” Katsu returned with a nod, then he started trotting over toward the temple to begin his search for clues.
Volcan nodded to Luke, un-shouldering his pack as he moved to the smaller, pagoda-style structures, sifting through the rubble with care. Luke stepped forward himself, closing his eyes and tuning into his aura sense so he could scope out the area around the temple and monastery. He focused as hard as he could, expanding his sensory range to its absolute limit before he started searching for clues to the twins’ whereabouts.
There were traces of aura all around the temple. Luke could see a trail being made by the residual aura left in the grass, both inside and outside of the temple. Curious, he focused on the trail, following it to a location away from the monastery… but something was wrong. In his mind's eye, the aura seemed to be diminishing, but not from getting weaker. It was as though some sort of shroud had fallen over the trail as it moved deeper into a veil of shadow. A veil that made a chill was over him, finding it somehow familiar.
Then, he found a bulk aura, seemingly appearing out of the darkness. It was massive! He hadn't seen such power since Torolf and Romulus. But it was still, unmoving. The aura was calm, like the one it belonged to was meditating. But to his shock, he could also feel it… reaching out. Seemingly touching his aura senses, like it was trying to get him to see it. The sensation was followed immediately by a surge from the aura, as though its owner had only just realized someone was watching them. Then… it vanished. It had moved, quickly, disappearing from his radar, or… was it somehow masking itself? That didn't seem possible…
He shortened his range, and found the aura again. It was on the move… Coming fast, Coming closer… Coming to them.
Category Story / Pokemon
Species Pokemon
Size 50 x 50px
File Size 50.6 kB
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