Loomian Legacy Veils of Shadow

Silver Linings

"EMBIT!!!" Was the only word that came out of Thane's lips as his partner Loomian crashed into a tree trunk. Without a second hesitation, he raced to Embit's downed silver form. On the sidelines, Thane's friends gasped out while wearing expressions of shock and worry. Who was this guy? He came out of nowhere, had an apparent and unpleasant history with Thane, and had completely destroyed his team without losing a single Loomian of his own. In the shadows, Whispup watched with sadness. Metronette and the danger it posed was momentarily forgotten.

As Thane checked up on his partner, Yuto had walked up to him. He had recalled Ventacean, but even without a Loomian, he had a commanding presence. "Is that really the best you can do?" He mocked. Thane tried his best to ignore him. Tears would be welling in his eyes if he had them. Yuto scoffed. "What did those fools see in you." He crossed his arms smugly. "Even if you do manage to collect all eight medals and make it to the Roria League, you won't make it past the first round. If it's not me destroying you again, it will be some other trainer."

Thane finally snapped. With a gasp, he scooped Embit into his arms and raced off without even looking at his rival. He had to get his team to a Trainer Station. "Thane!" He heard the cries of his friends from behind him, but he didn't look back or slow his pace. He couldn't. He just couldn't.

Yuto watched with a smug smirk as Thane's friends raced after him. Pathetic, all of them. He thought. Then, he turned in the opposite direction and walked away. He never realized that his old Loomian, Whipup was glaring daggers into him. Once he was out of sight, Whispup followed his oblivious traveling party.

"Who was that guy?" Lucas asked as the group sat at a table at the Trainer Station located on the resort. His team was being tended to after that brutal beatdown, and his friends had questions. Thane let out a breath and ran a hand through his silver hair. "Uh, that was Yuto. I met him back in Heiwa Village, and I never thought that I'd see him after that." "Okay..." Mabel started. "But that doesn't explain why he seemed to hate your guts. Did you do something to him?"

Thane let out another breath as his mind flashed to the day he met Yuto. His mind flashed across the various scenes like a movie montage. Yuto mistreating Whispup, saving Whispup, Akio disowning his oldest adoptive son, the fight with Wendolen. "It's kind of a long story." He warned. "We have time." Jake invited as he leaned back in his seat. Thane nodded and opened his mouth. The story quickly spilled out.

By the time he was finished recounting the events, his friends were stunned into silence. Lucy had an angry expression written on her face, and her twin had his mouth agape. Mabel leaned back, "Oh, man." Jake narrowed his eyes. "You never mentioned this." Thane held his hands up in defense. "Hey, I didn't think that I would ever run into the guy again."

"Where's Whispup?" Lucy suddenly demanded. The abruptness of it caught Thane off guard. "He's, uh, he stayed back in Heiwa Village with Akio and Hayato," Thane explained, stumbling over his words. Lucy clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "How can someone?" Her train of thought was cut off. "It's just so, so..." She trailed off again before standing up suddenly. "I'll be back." She declared as she walked away.

Thane turned in his seat and watched her silver form go. "She okay?" He asked Lucas as he turned back around. The boy sighed. "Lucy has a real soft spot for Loomians. She can't stand people like Yuto." He paused for a second. "If we run into him again, she's going to try something." He warned. Thane hummed, acknowledging the warning. "Thanks, Lucas, but I don't think we'll run into him again." We couldn't. Thane reasoned to himself. Collecting the stones slowed their progress. He was sure they wouldn't meet Yuto again until the league.

Soon enough, the nurse called Thane forward with the news that his team was healed up. She presented him with a tray where Embit's silver form and three capture discs rested on. Thane thanked the woman, and the group made their way back to their rental. By this point, training had slipped their minds, at least for Thane.