Chapter 12: Queen Vapor...

Hades0918 · August 11

Lance's Point of View

Me and Homare have been following this mysterious Flareon for seven minutes in almost total silence, the only sounds being Flareon shushing me when I occasionally try to speak. Honestly, the longer we travel the less I trust this guy… I mean, yeah, sure, he's been keeping us safe, helping us avoid guards and Pokemon passing as we navigate throught the town. But we should have already had introductions as he takes us to his secret basement and explain who Vapor is and why we were being chased and then there would be some master plan made to get us out of this place safely.

Classic adventuring rules right there.

"We need to ditch this guy," I whisper at an almost inaudible volume to the Armarouge beside me. He glances at the Flareon before leaning in closer to me.

"He's our only chance at getting through here safely," my partner responds, his voice equally quiet to mine.

"If that's true then we're screwed," I state, glancing at the mystery guide before focusing on Homare again. "He's not trustworthy!"

"I agree but…" the Fire Warrior Pokemon let's out a quick low groan as he tries to think. "Look, he's our best shot. Besides, if he turns on us it would be an easy win for us. Two against one in an area with no guards, which was his choice? He would practically be begging to beat!"

I nod along, surprised that I agree with this. I never realized that Homare can actually have good ideas! I'm about to respond, but the Flareon cuts me off.

"I can hear you two and y'all are stupid," he growls without even looking back at us. Me and my compadre are both shocked by his response, but I quickly snap back.

"We're not stupid! We're actually pretty smart," I say with much attitude. I look over to see Homare shaking his head with disappointment as the Flame Pokemon laughs at me.

"Oh, I bet y'all are," he sarcastically says with a cruel smirk. "Because any smart person would follow a complete stranger into alley without realizing there is a high chance they're walking into an ambush."

I immediately come to a stop, Homare doing the same as we stare at this Flareon with a mix of fear and anger. "I knew I was right not trust you," I exclaim as I get my blades ready to attack. I look at my friend with a victorious smile, still finding a way to be arrogant in this situation. "But did you listen, Homare? NNOOOOO!!!"

The Armarouge just rolls his eyes as he puts his arms together, ready to form his cannon. "Shut up. You can rub it in after we beat him up."

"And will," I respond with a smirk as I face the Flareon again, who has turned to face us, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Calm down," the fox commands with a sigh. "I said there was a high chance of an ambush, not that there would be one. I have no intentions of hurting you two."

"Then why would you threaten to," I question, not leaving my fighting stance.

"Because I wanted to point out how reckless the two if you are being," he answers calmly, casually walking towards a wall to our right as if he isn't in danger right now. "Trust me, if I wanted to attack y'all I would have by now."

I don't respond, choosing to watch him closely as he taps the bricks on the wall in a specific order that I did not even try to memorize. The structure rumbles as the blocks begin to separate, revealing a secret passage. My jaw instantly drops as I watch this unexpected event happen. I'm sure Homare would be having the same reaction as me if he had a mouth to open.

"Welcome to my HQ," the Flareon tells us with a proud grin as he soaks in our reactions. "Come on in."

Switchin' over to my boi Homare!

I hesitantly follow Lance into the new hallway, jumping slightly as the wall slams back to normal immediately after I enter. I know this Flareon is our best bet but I don't feel all that safe… The fox seems to be in a much better mood now, though, humming a little tune as we walk deeper into the hidden location.

"So can I get your name now, or…" my partner trails off, leaving the question open for response.

"I guess you can," the Flame Pokemon answers with a shrug. "I'm Clasingla."

"Cool! I'm Lance," the Gallade states with a small wave.

"I'm Homare," I say quietly, still uncomfortable around this guy. I swear, we're walking right into a trap.

"Alright. So what brings y'all to Vaporia," the Fire type asks as we walk. Why is he suddenly interested…?

"Just passing though," I answer before Lance can. "We're on a mission and this place was a quick stop."

"Yeah, we need to stock up on food because SOMEBODY neglected what we needed yesterday," my companion adds, shooting me a brief glare.

"We're still thinking about that," I ask with a sad sigh.

"Yes," Lance answers shortly, his expression dead serious.

"Yeah, this was not a smart place to go to for a short restock," Clasingla tells us as we take a right. "You either come to stay and worship the Queen or you don't come at all."

"Well, I don't even know who Queen Vapor is," the Gallade says with confusion, his eyebrows furrowed as he thinks. "The only Queen I know is Queen Zoey the Gardevoir."

"That is the only Queen," the Flareon states, giving us a quick glance before continuing. "You see, Vapor conquered this small town and declared it the beginning of her kingdom. She has plans on expanding soon, destroying Queen Zoey and becoming the true Queen of Lacos. And I think she has a high chance of succeeding…"

"Why's that," I question, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"Because her best friend and right hand man is Calamary the Malamar," Clasingla answers with an expression of pure hatred. "They take anyone that goes against Vapor and hypnotize them into being an obedient servant. It's terrifying! That's why all of the Pokemon here always talk about her and worship her. They were brain washed to be that way. I almost became one of them but barely managed to escape…"

I feel my guard drop a bit as he tells us that. I still don't fully trust him, but I think he's being honest and genuine with us. That's definitely a good sign.

"Okay, so that is horrible and scary but this is still only one town and a single Malamar. That's not enough strength for a whole region take over," Lance says, sounding quite confident in his logic.

"You're not wrong," our guide tells him as we start to go down some stairs. "I thought the same thing. But Queen Vapor recently got two new Pokemon to help her that are giving her a whole lot of strength. One is a Charizard that is pure brawn and power and the other is a genius Ceruledge that has been creating stones that can increase the strength of a Pokemon. I genuinely believe that with those two's skills, Vapor may now have what it takes."

"Wow, we're actually looking for a Charizard," my partner states with excitement. But then he tilts his head in thought as he thinks about the rest. "But there's not a Ceruledge with him…"

I should probably say something right now. Admit that my sister is with Draco and that's why I've been so determined to catch up to him. Tell him that there is a very likely chance that these are the two Pokemon we're after. But as soon as I gain the courage to say something, Clasingla opens a door that reads to a room full of more Pokemon.

"These are the last remaining residents of Vaporia that haven't been brainwashed," the Flareon explains. "Welcome to our humble abode."

I'm stopping it there

I know it's short but I think it's a good stopping point

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I think that's all

Enjoy!