As always, the chapter was delayed because I was playing games tehehehe

  PARAGON

  Hisui Incursion Arc [22]

  Chapter 74 : The Platinum Clan

  Hisui Region - Coronet Highlands

  Weeds and drab flowers grew from between cracks in the harsh gray rock of the mountains. The air ran thin yet held a thick fog that lay over the distant hills like a blanket. Each step sent rivers of gravel coursing down the steep mountainside. Waterfalls roared around them, yet could not be seen through the fog.

  Laventon panted as he pulled himself up the stony ridge. His throat was damp from the fog but thirst gnawed at him. He paused to suck in several breaths, leaning on his knee.

  Just beside him, the cliffside dropped off into a gorge where rivers rushed far below, and he tried to ignore how close he was to death if he took one wrong step.

  The air stubbornly refused to fill his lungs, so he pressed onward again.

  Like his master, Pikachu appeared to maintain a depthless amount of energy, and stayed ahead of Laventon the entire way, always sniffing something out or investigating something off in the distance. Every now and then he glanced back at Laventon, but the professor did not want the mouse to worry about him so he kept up a front of strength whenever he did.

  As expected, Decidueye kept to the skies above them. Laventon was surprised he hadn’t just flown off completely, but even he did not seem to want to incur their guide’s wrath. His silhouette circled them throughout the day and he only came down at nightfall, though he kept his distance from the rest.

  As for the strange pink pokémon, it hovered ahead of both of them, moving at a consistent speed, effortlessly gliding over the steep mountain path without a care. Unlike Pikachu, it never turned around, but whenever Laventon slowed, it did too, so it always stayed the same distance away from him.

  This was how it’d gone over the past week. After commanding them to follow it, the pokémon hadn’t said another word. So, wordlessly, Laventon and Pikachu followed the creature. It led them off the beach, through the muggy swamps of Hisui’s easterlands, and finally up into the rocky slopes of the Coronet Highlands.

  Somehow, whenever Laventon’s hunger or thirst was about to get the better of him, they’d happen upon a grove of berries or a freshwater stream. For the first few days, he chalked it up to luck, but it soon became clear that the pink pokémon was responsible. For the same reason, Laventon suspected, they did not encounter a single wild pokémon throughout their entire journey. It wasn’t just that none attacked them. Not a single one even appeared to them. It was as if their mere presence caused the land to turn utterly barren.

  Laventon coughed and his tongue hung out of his mouth. “Water…” he groaned.

  Pikachu stopped and looked back at him with worry, but there was nothing he could do, so his ears drooped.

  “Water…,” Laventon repeated. “H-Hello…? Please…” He waved his hand ahead.

  Far ahead, between the cliffs, the pink pokémon waited just before the fog.

  “Please, I need water!” Laventon called, speeding up to try and catch up. He could see black spots dancing at the edge of his vision; the climb up this mountain had not been kind to him, even without the danger of wild pokémon. After a week of travel, he was malnourished and dehydrated.

  The pokémon sped up in tune with Laventon and the gap between them didn’t close an inch. Laventon moaned in anguish and stopped. Pikachu offered a sympathetic squeak.

  He had no idea where this pokémon was even taking them. Initially, he’d thought their destination was close by, but their journey had now persisted through seven days and Laventon still had no idea how close they were. For all he knew, this pokémon was leading them all the way back to the Alabaster Icelands on a full cross-region excursion.

  That would be something Laventon could not survive. Maybe Rei and Akari could’ve managed with their young bodies, but Laventon, fit as he was, was a bit overweight and already had a body on the decline.

  If Pikachu and Decidueye hadn’t also reacted to that thing, I’d have long assumed I was just hallucinating. Honestly, Pikachu’s eagerness at following it was one of the only reasons Laventon had come this far. He wasn’t about to let the mouse leave him behind. But if he’d been alone from the start, he may have already abandoned this journey to search for the others in his own way. Is this journey at least bringing me closer to them? It seemed too good to be true.

  When Laventon glanced up again, he saw the pokémon staring daggers back at him, its golden eyes gleaming with impatience. A chill ran through him and he swallowed, straightening.

  Shaking his head, Laventon pressed onward. Finally their guide was starting to ignore even his requests for nourishment. But he’d come this far already. Whatever was waiting for him, he had no other choice but to see it to the end.

  Sweat and fog dripped down his face as he hiked through long mountain grass, gentle as hair. The wind swept over him, wrathful, but invigorating, at the very least.

  A mere ten minutes laters, the mysterious pokémon came to a stop between two cliffs which opened into a clearing. Finally, the gap between them began to close as Laventon caught up with the creature, who graciously hovered aside to allow him to pass it for the first time all week.

  The clearing was relatively flat—a rarity on Mount Coronet—with shallow, sloping hills, clear brooks, and round ponds decorating the landscape. The sun shined down from above, its light glinting off the scarlet leaves of the white-trunked trees that grew throughout. Small flowers of all shades speckled the short grass of the clearing and swayed in the slow breeze that drifted through like a whisper.

  “This place…” Laventon murmured, padding forward.

  Pikachu scampered to and fro, sniffing at flowers and the bases of trees.

  The pink pokémon turned to face Laventon and fixed its golden glare on him, but his attention was elsewhere.

  “I’ve been here before…” Laventon said, turning in place.

  When you came here before, you brought an unfamiliar host. We could not reveal ourselves to you then.

  Laventon whipped toward the pokémon. “‘We?’ Who?”

  The pokémon’s eyes began to shine, plunging into a bright lilac, not unlike the color of its body.

  In front of Laventon, in the center of the clearing, the air shimmered with the same pink light. As if an invisible veil had been cast over the clearing, the light swept aside to reveal a singular cottage, built of the same white wood of the clearing.

  And in front of the house stood a woman dressed in all black. A wide brimmed hat sat atop her head of platinum blonde hair, which was tied in an intricate bun, and a white rose rested in the band of her hat. She stared at Laventon with storm-gray eyes, eyes Laventon knew he’d seen before.

  “…Volo…?” he breathed.

  A radiant smile broke across the woman’s pristine face. “Professor Laventon!” She raised a silk-gloved hand and stepped toward him.

  Laventon frowned and took a wary step back. “You know who I am?”

  “Of course! Don’t tell me you don’t remember me!”

  Laventon stared at the woman blankly. “I don’t believe we’ve ever met.”

  The woman stopped and her expression cracked. She faltered and lowered her hand slowly. “You truly don’t remember?”

  Laventon shook his head, confusion awash on his face. The pokémon had said he’d forgotten about it as well when he’d first encountered it.

  The corners of the woman’s eyes drooped and she lowered her hand. “I see. So it’s true… I’m sorry, then.”

  “What’s true?” Laventon said more forcefully than he intended.

  She looked up at him sorrowfully and took a deep breath, then bowed elegantly. “First things first. My name is Cogita. Please, join me inside for tea. There is…much I have to tell you.”

  Inside Cogita’s cottage, the scent of wood and flowers was even stronger, and mixed together with the herbal tea she poured for him, it smelled like heaven. The corners of the cottage were dark but sunlight beamed through the windows, bathing them in a silent warmth. They sat at a wooden table, alone. The pink pokémon remained outside.

  “That is Enamorus,” Cogita explained, placing the teapot between them and sitting back down. “She was the guardian of this place… Even now, she continues to protect me.”

  “This place… What is ‘this place?’” Laventon asked, getting increasingly agitated at his ignorance. As Cogita settled in, Laventon wolfed down the tea and sweets she’d provided him. They were both extremely rich, bursting with flavor, and probably wasn’t the best for his stomach right now, but he was grateful for the food and drink in whatever form it came.

  Cogita held up a hand. “Please, allow me to start from the beginning.”

  Laventon motioned for her to continue, eager for any answers she could provide.

  “But where to start…” Cogita laughed gently. “I suppose it only makes sense to begin with who I am. As I said, I am Cogita. But I am also the leader of the Platinum Clan.” Her eyes wrinkled and she sighed. “Or rather, the former leader. Now, I’m nothing. The Platinum Clan no longer exists.”

  “Platinum Clan?” Laventon repeated. “Like the Diamond and Pearl Clans?”

  “Yes, exactly like them. Where the Diamond Clan once worshipped the dragon called Dialga, and the Pearl Clan once worshipped the dragon called Palkia, we of the Platinum Clan once worshipped a third dragon.” Cogita fixed him with a hopeful gaze. “Is the name Giratina familiar to you, Professor?”

  “I’ve heard of it. Various ruins across Hisui are inscribed with the name, though there are far fewer instances of it than Dialga or Palkia.”

  Cogita nodded. “Indeed, Giratina’s name is far more elusive, but my predecessors believed him to be Father Sinnoh all the same. At one point in time, this place was inundated with texts and murals describing Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina in great detail. However, all of that has now been lost.” Her brows tightened and she glanced away. “Because of Volo.”

  Laventon’s expression hardened and he tried to keep his breathing steady. So this woman was familiar with Volo’s true nature…

  “Volo was born here, and for so many years, he never showed even a drop of malice. To me, he was always a starry-eyed, innocent child with ambitions appropriate for any boy his age. He wanted to see the world, danger be damned. So when he became an adult, that’s exactly what he did. He and his friends left, and a few years later, he returned as the head of the Volo Company.” Cogita smiled wistfully. “So many things he’d seen and people he’d met… He could never find enough time in the day to fill my ears with tales of his grand adventures. And I loved them. For someone like me, who has barely ventured beyond the soil I was born on, his stories made me believe I too was caught up in the same great journey.”

  “But…?” Laventon said.

  Cogita nodded and sighed. “A young boy came to our village one day when Volo was overseas. He refused to tell us where he’d come from but he asked us for shelter, so we provided it to him. He must have stayed with us for several months. He befriended many of the townsfolk.”

  “The boy’s name?” Laventon asked.

  Cogita glanced up and Laventon winced. Her eyes shimmered, desperation clawing at those gray pupils. “I don’t remember,” she breathed. “I remember everything about him and the time he spent with us…except his name.”

  A chill ran through Laventon. His own memory was one thing, but Cogita appeared downright traumatized by her amnesia. She reminded him of the older folk at the Sanctuary who began to forget things in their old age. The pleading in their eyes for knowledge they knew they should have possessed, yet refused to avail itself to them. It was a look he knew well, one that gnawed at his heart as a physician since there was nothing he could do about it.

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  Cogita closed her eyes for several seconds, and when she opened them again, her expression was once again neutral. “Volo returned to us again, but this time, he’d brought a strange artifact with him. I’d thought nothing of it at the time since he always had things to show us, but in hindsight, that small golden gem must have been what changed him.”

  “Changed him how?”

  “It wasn’t immediately obvious, but at times, I’d catch him staring at it, and when he noticed me, he’d tuck it away in a hurry and looked at me like he believed I meant to steal it. When I suggested it wasn’t worth all that much, he snapped at me, though he swiftly apologizing. And I later heard that when a few of his men asked to hold it for a while, he fired them from his company on the spot.” She shook her head. “At the time, I didn’t believe such rumors. But now…”

  Lines appeared on Cogita’s statue-like face as she appeared to steel herself for the next part of the story. “The only one who seemed to be wary of Volo at the time was that young boy. He avoided Volo as much as he could, and he even began to sleep in different houses with different families every few days. I thought he was just being shy, or he was spending time with different friends, but it’s clear now he was trying to hide himself from Volo.” Cogita’s mouth became a line and her lip twitched. “One day, he came to me and told me he wanted to leave the village. That was when Volo changed.”

  Laventon suppressed a shudder. He’d experienced first-hand Volo’s psychopathic side and it was not something he wanted to ever face again.

  “Volo came to me and demanded to know where the boy was. He was forceful and he frightened me, so I didn’t tell him. And after seeing how he treated me, the other villagers did not volunteer the boy’s location either. But…it didn’t matter. That night, he put our village to the torch, trying to smoke the boy out. Enamorus did her best to protect me, but she could not shield the others from their fate. Volo…he…” Cogita’s voice trembled and she moved her hand away from her teacup, not wanting to spill it. “V-Volo, h-he…”

  “Please, Miss Cogita, don’t push yourself,” Laventon said gently. A seed of guilt turned in him at wanting to know the truth about Volo so badly. He hadn’t even considered how tragic retelling the story might be.

  “N-No,” Cogita said, carefully taking a sip of tea. “I must tell you.” She placed her cup back down and closed her eyes. “Volo…killed the boy…with his own hands. H-He looked like a demon as he did… So much blood… And it covered his clothes… I still see the fire raging behind him. But…what happened next…” Cogita frowned and blinked rapidly. “He collapsed to his knees and started bawling. His cries were the most haunting part of that night… He wailed like a scared child and he stared down at his bloodied hands in horror. I-I believe I saw him vomit. And then he withdrew that golden crystal from his pocket and smashed it with a look of pure hatred on his face. At that point, Enamorus was forcing me away from the flames, and that was the last I saw of him that night.” She shook her head sadly. “I wanted to save the children at least, but…” Cogita slumped in her chair, looking smaller than ever. “I could not save even one little girl… I sent her to her doom…”

  Laventon’s blood ran cold. “One little girl?”

  Cogita shook her head. “One of the children who’d received Enamorus’ protection… I sent her away through the flames since she’d actually befriended a pokémon. I clung to the foolish hope that that’d be enough to save her. But come morning, I did not—“

  “She’s alive,” Laventon blurted.

  Cogita’s eyes narrowed, confused. “That’s imposs—“

  “She’s alive!” Laventon breathed, slamming the table. “Her name is Yura, isn’t it?”

  Cogita clapped her hands over her mouth.

  “She’s alive!” Tears fell from Laventon’s eyes. “She made it all the way to the Sanctuary, her and her pokémon! S-She…!”

  Laventon had been here before. Several years ago, on the expedition to find Yura’s hometown. But back then, it’d been nothing more than a barren field. They’d returned to the Sanctuary and declared the expedition a failure.

  But it’s as Yura said… It’s exactly as she said! Her village had been here the whole time, hidden by Enamorus!

  Cogita sobbed into her hands and she shook her head in apparent disbelief. “Oh, Yura!” she cried.

  Laventon’s stomach felt both full and empty at the same time. As gratifying as it was to learn that the hometown she’d talked about for so long really did exist, it didn’t anymore. And Yura herself was lost to him. Was she alive?

  Cogita offered him a black handkerchief and he accepted it, blowing his nose. Cogita dabbed at the corners of her eyes, a ghostly smile on her lips.

  Laventon exhaled and recomposed himself. Looking at Cogita, he could not bring himself to tell her that he’d lost Yura. Plus, there was still more to the story. “So…how is this possible?”

  Cogita straightened. “You’re referring to…?”

  “This place. The Platinum Clan. You…” Laventon fixed her with a stare. “Why don’t I remember any of it?” He frowned. “But Yura does?”

  “I don’t know,” Cogita said, lowering her gaze. “After Volo left this place, Enamorus and I went into hiding, believing he’d intended to purge the Platinum Clan’s very existence from Hisui’s history. Enamorus toured Hisui, observing the Diamond and Pearl Clans from a distance while keeping herself cloaked, and that was how we learned everyone had forgotten our existence.”

  “But there must have been some physical evidence of the Platinum Settlement. Trade logs, maps, diaries, even through the fire… How could all of that have been erased?”

  Cogita shook her head. “I don’t know. And as for why Yura alone was spared, I couldn’t say either.” She sighed and traced her finger along the table absentmindedly. “I’d like to see her again…”

  Laventon tamped down his disappointment. So many answers he’d just gotten, yet so many questions still remained. He still didn’t know what the rift over Mount Coronet was. He didn't know who the boy was that Volo had exterminated the Platinum Clan for. And he didn’t know why Volo would’ve broken down into tears right after he killed him, with how casually he’d threatened to kill Yura. “One more question, if you don’t mind.”

  Cogita nodded. “Yes, of course.”

  “Who is Volo to you? You speak of him with such familiarity, and forgive me for saying so, but you look just like him.”

  Melancholy passed across Cogita’s face as she glanced away. “He’s my cousin.”

  Cousin… To think her own family would inflict such horror on her… Volo… Just what in the world happened to you?

  Suddenly, the house began to tremble and Laventon’s teacup jittered in place. He locked eyes with Cogita. “What’s that?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, getting up and moving to the door.

  When she pulled it open, Laventon shielded his eyes and stepped outside after her. Enamorus hovered in the air, her eyes trained on something in the far distance, speechless. Cogita frowned, her mouth agape.

  The moment he saw it, Laventon knew what it was.

  Over the mountains, blazing above the horizon like some grand tree out of a fantastical story, a column of hot white lightning burned, flashing through the wintry clouds.

  “What is that…?” Cogita breathed, flicking her gaze at Enamorus.

  “Ash…” Laventon muttered, a smile curling onto his face. “What are you doing all the way over there?” A foolish question, after he himself had woken up in the Cobalt Coastlands.

  Several moments later, another pillar roared to life in the north, this one, a pungent purple. White and dark light poured over the mountains, cutting through the fog, and almost as quickly as they’d come, the columns of light faded. Thunder rolled across the sky in a low groan.

  “What in the world was that?” Cogita said. “Professor, do you…?”

  Laventon couldn’t hear. All he could think about was Ash and Sabrina, who’d both sustained the worst injuries from Volo. They’d both just proved their survival.

  The others, wherever they were in Hisui, had surely seen the beacons like he had, and would find their way back together.

  That was exactly what Laventon intended to do.

  Hisui Region - Pearl Settlement

  Blood dripped off her face, staining the snow, as Sabrina buckled and collapsed to her knees. Bloody saliva oozed from her gritted teeth and she spasmed, falling into the snow.

  Violet cracks burned across her skin and her vision blurred. She could feel bile and blood roiling up from inside her, but like the rest of her power, she forced it down.

  An infernal howling ripped across the snowy valley, whipping up a blizzard with Sabrina in its eye. Sabrina screamed, sinking her hands into the snow, though the freezing cold wasn’t even an afterthought as a skull-splitting agony assaulted her.

  She could feel her consciousness beginning to falter. Her limiter blitzed around her wrist, spraying sparks and creaking from the strain. No! Through the pain, she tried to force her body to move, but even her fingers felt numb and she could not stop shaking. Her body seized uncontrollably as her power fought to escape her vessel.

  She hadn’t thought it through. She’d seen Ash’s lightning, and her body moved before she’d given it a thought. At least she had the instincts to move away from everyone else, but not the wherewithal to consider what would happen after using so much of her power with only one limiter active. Even in good health, it required a sound mind to control her power with one limiter removed, but she was also concussed right now.

  It felt like someone was bashing her head with a sack of bricks. No, not just her head. Her whole body. Agony coursed through her, violet flakes blistering off from her skin to reveal the surging mass of power within.

  I’m going to die.

  The thought came to her calmly.

  In such a foolish way.

  This was always how it was going to happen, wasn’t it?

  But at least…he’ll know…where…

  Sabrina’s eyes drooped closed.

  “MISS!”

  A shrill voice cut through the storm and tore Sabrina back to reality. A moment later, a warm weight embraced her from behind and wrapped its short arms around her.

  Sabrina wheezed and clawed her power back mentally, as if her life depended on it. As if her life depended on it, because it did.

  Slowly, she began to feel her power filter away, and with that minuscule lessening in pain, she forced even more of it back. The cracks in her body sealed, and finally the pain subsided. Her entire body felt numb and her head throbbed. She still couldn’t see, and she still had no command over her body.

  She pitched to the side, falling into the bloodstained snow. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Akari and Cranidos, their backs to her, facing down a host of men and their pokémon.

  “Bold of you, girl,” Gaeric chastised, his arms crossed over his bare chest. “Bold, but stupid. Idiotic. Moronic. Foolhard—“

  “Enough, Gaeric,” Irida sighed.

  Akari knelt on the floor before them and they stared down at her, Irida seated in a mottled wooden throne carved from the trunk of a great pine tree that towered over the Pearl Settlement’s main hall, Gaeric at her side. Fires roared in braziers at the edge of the room, warming the cobblestone floor.

  “Their presence alone threatened the lives of everyone here, but that stunt afterward was beyond the pale. And she dared to deploy her pokémon against us? My vote is for the death penalty. Throw them in Snowpoint, how about it?”

  “Shut it, Gaeric,” Irida said, this time more forcefully.

  Yura knelt at the side of the room, and she noticed Irida wasn’t telling him to go away like before.

  Irida clicked her tongue. “We’re tending to Sabrina now. In exchange, I want answers.”

  “I’m sorry, we don’t really know much about it ourselves,” Akari said. “She’s a psychic. An extremely powerful one. So powerful that she has to suppress her abilities at all times or else…that happens.”

  “And why did she feel the need to use said abilities if that was going to be the result?” Gaeric demanded. “What purpose could endangering—no, further endangering—the lives of everyone in the Pearl Clan possibly achieve?”

  “It was a signal!” Akari said, exasperated. “Our friend is alive in the east! He created that other beacon, so Sabrina responded with—“

  “The east?” Gaeric snorted. “That’s impossible! You say Volo attacked you in the Icelands. A week is not nearly enough time to reach the Mirelands from here! Surely that lightning was just some nonsense concocted by the fools in the Diamond Clan. Think it through, girl. There is not even a ghost of a chance that your friends are in the Crimson Mirelands right now.”

  “It was teleportation! With Sabrina’s power, she could do it! I’m telling you—!”

  “Nonsense and lies!” Gaelic leaned over to Irida. “Leader. Let us be rid of these witches, they clearly—“

  Irida put up a hand. Her blue eyes studied Akari stoically. “Gaeric is being dramatic as always, but he has a point. My priority is the Pearl Clan, always. Anything that threatens our safety will be dealt with. How can you assure me that your being here will not invite danger upon my people? If Volo is after you as you say, you’ve just turned the entire Pearl Settlement into a target.”

  Akari’s head sank. “I…We… It won’t happen again…”

  Yura gritted her teeth and stood up, stomping over to Akari’s side. “It’s impossible to say that! That guy…Volo! He’s so powerful only Miss and Ash and Mister Riley can beat him! We need to make sure they all get back together! Or the hole in the sky will never go away! And the Alpha Pokémon will just keep coming!”

  Gaeric’s eyes narrowed. “Then why would you throw up a beacon and let him know exactly where you are?”

  “He won’t be after Sabrina,” Akari said. “He wants Ash.” She stood and clenched her fists. “Thank you for your hospitality. But if we’re not allowed to stay, we won’t. Now that we know where our friend is, we’ll just go to him now, no matter how long it takes.” She spun on her heel and started toward the door. “C’mon, Yura.”

  Yura watched as she crossed the hall and glanced back at Irida.

  The woman’s eyes narrowed and she grinned. “Wait.”

  Akari turned and glared at the Pearl Clan’s leader.

  “I never said you three had to go anywhere. I won’t get any of the answers I want if you leave.” Irida stood from her throne. “You’ve got a bit of fire in you. Both of you.”

  Akari frowned. “That was…a test?”

  Irida scowled. “No, that wasn’t a test. That was just Gaeric being Gaeric. Ignore everything he said.”

  Gaeric smiled. “Sorry, ladies. Honestly, I just wanted to see what you’d say.” He slammed his fists together. “Volo, that rat! To think he’d attack children, and so mercilessly too! I’d like to see him try us!”

  Irida kicked him as she walked by.

  “But a human psychic, huh?” he said, unperturbed. “I must know more about this.” Gaeric glanced at Irida. “They’re invited to the New Year’s Festival, yes, Leader?”

  Irida brightened and pumped her fists excitedly. “Finally, you say something useful! Yes, of course! The New Year’s Festival is in a week! You guys will be staying for it, right?”

  Akari blushed and looked away. “It’s up to Sabrina. I really don’t want to go anywhere before she’s healed up.”

  Gaeric smirked and turned his nose up. “Ha! So that was a bluff earlier, then?”

  “New Year’s Festival…” Yura murmured. The Sanctuary held something similar every year but Yura had never attended. Too bright. Too loud. Too warm. But this year, she hoped she’d be able to go with her new friends.

  “Oh!” Akari suddenly jolted up. “I just remembered!”

  Irida and Gaeric glanced at her curiously.

  “The others… They wanted to meet someone up here in the north! Someone from overseas! Do you know where this person might be right now?”

  I think they said his name was…Sir Aaron? Yura thought, recalling a couple of the conversations she’d overheard.

  “Gaeric?” Irida said.

  The man nodded. “Yes, he should still be here in the north. I think a couple of my men spoke with him just a few weeks ago. He’s set up a camp near the hot springs.”

  “What’s his name?” Yura said, surging forward, determined.

  Gaeric narrowed his eyes in thought. “His name is Raphael. He came from…Hoenn, I think he said.”

  Next — Chapter 75 : Winter Festival