Love in the Time of Trepidation

Chapter 24: A Sword

Is there some irony that I never used this chapter title in the previous trilogy? Ah, well, it fits here. Bring on Chapter 24!

Chapter 24

A Sword

The dark flecks choked what little light was left in the air. Covering up the red sky, and only letting the light of the rift through, Akari was certain she could feel Giratina's presence getting closer. It was only that, a feeling, but somewhere in the depths of her memory, she could remember the same emotion of terror as that night, made flesh. They really were running out of time. Facing to Zisu, the woman and her Security Corps surrounding their tiny group, Akari knew had to do something to get them free. The only thing she could think of was Sneasler, outside the perimeter and waiting.

"End this farce, Captain Zisu! Akari has done nothing wrong!" Irida cried, coming to her feet in defiance of the woman. At her yell, the soldiers under Zisu's command took a step forward, their own Pokémon before them, nothing more than tools.

"Be whatever you think, I am under orders. No one interferes with the operation, and Akari is to be taken in for questioning," Zisu said. Her bushy hair bounced, her lips pursed. At Akari's side, Typhlosion hissed at her, prompting Infernape to beckon them forward. Both of their flames stood out in that darkened space, flickering and whispering on the wind. "I'm not a fan of this approach. However, the commander's orders are absolute."

"And you'll just follow them to the letter?" Akari asked. She took her own step forward, trying to assert dominance towards the woman at least a head or two taller than her. "Captain, Kamado is walking into a trap."

"The commander is doing what needs to be done," Zisu insisted. Another step was marched forward, closing the ranks around them. Echoing off the mountains, the cries of battle were louder than ever, a showcase that the Alphas placed around the mountain had not been quelled. "Did you not do the same, Akari? Or is the commander's suspicion right, and you had a hand in this rift?"

Akari glared, but Zisu did not relent or budge. The distorted howls reached all their ears, along with the white lightning that gave an ambience to the air of conflict. Akari took a breath; she couldn't allow herself to feed into the same thing as what Volo wanted. "In some way, you could say I had a hand, but it was never by intention."

"She admitted it, captain!" Zisu held a hand, staying those of her men.

"It was only by manipulation, the same kind that brought you here. It was Volo, and he knows all about Commander Kamado's paranoia of Pokémon and anything we in the Survey Corps couldn't explain," Akari tried to explain, but none of it was wiping the doubt on Zisu or her men's faces. "He wants us all here, fighting, drawing out what he-"

"Do you really think I can believe that, Akari?" Another step, and Akari and her comrades were starting feel hemmed in. A single attack, and they'd be taken down, but any other movement would only result in them being pushed back into the ring. If it all continued, they would be finished before they even got a chance to start. "You're telling me a mere merchant of the Ginkgo Guild could orchestrate events to get the commander to come here and investigate the source of the rift?"

"Don't you people get it yet?! Volo, himself, is at the rift!" Adaman shouted. For the briefest of moments, Zisu's face scrunched with worry. It didn't last long, disappearing before Akari had the chance to burn it into her memory.

"Even if he is, I don't expect the commander to lose. He is a most noble man, and his sword stands by his side, ready to cleave this rift in two, if that's what it takes. They will fight on."

"That's what we're trying to prevent, captain!" Irida yelled. It proved to have the opposite effect, all of the Corps moving in to detain them. Typhlosion, Leafeon and Glaceon snapped, but Adaman held his hand out, his eyes beginning to search the sky. Akari just found Sneasler, but she, too, was watching the sky, a surer sign than anything of what was coming. "If the commander clashes with Volo, he'll be getting just what he wants. You won't build a better Hisui this way! You'll just destroy it!"