The Protector's Hidden Roots Part 7
Please read A New Power Arising before reading this or you will not understand what's going on.
As the crack of dawn arrived on our two new protectors, the sunlight slowly crept on them as Paldena had awoken first. She felt the warm blissful breeze flowing around her and the various sounds of bird type poke'mon. Paldena turned to her mate Kakado and shook him gently, he had awaken slowly to gaze upon the one he loves. They exchanged their looks and knew they still had feelings as the day they met, without a word to each other they had remembered what needed to be done to complete the mission Flame and Serene was assigned by the Elders.
"Kakado, how have you held up so far with Flame?" asked Paldena with a hint of worry.
"Nothing I can't handle really, its just like having a sharp pain then it dispersing after." replied a confident Kakado.
"Is that all I am to you?" A voice came from inside Kakado's head.
"Only at the times you try to regain control"
"Just as a warning, I won't be stuck in this pendent for much longer. I hope you know this well."
"I know when I have to go back, but now is not the time with my wife I can hardly see at all anymore. Thanks to you and Serene being able to use the power properly." replied Kakado as he had a mental conversation with Flame. During this time Paldena was just watching him, reading his thoughts and heard the conversation between them.
"Flame sounds a little different while being kept in there for so long, don't you think?" asked Paldena.
"He can stay in there longer for all I care, he gets the luxury of staying in the open world while I had been stuck as a mere spirit for so long."
Flame had been wondering around where he was. The "room" as he could only think of had a very dim lighting with a bed and nothing else to occupy his thoughts or actions. But anything that crossed Kakado's mind could be heard as loud as a siren to Flame. But as Flame's patience was drawing extremely thin, he had tried to keep in shape and run in the infinite space while Kakado was taking over his body.
"I have had it!" shouted an enraged Flame. "I don't think I can take it anymore unless some comes up soon!". As he set up for another run into the unlit part of the void he noticed something that had a quick shine in and out, so much as a twinkling star in the night sky. Flame had dashed to it without any hesitation and found a filing cabinet. The top section opened up and a dark energy appeared in front of Flame taking the shape of a folder marked "Hidden Memories". Flame had opened it to read it and as time slowly stopped to him, he had discovered what had happened to Kakado in the beginning.
The story goes as Kakado was a promising Ralts, learning well in school, learning the traditional studies of Gardevoir history, and training to learn new moves for self-defense. Only the elder of his time saw something gravely wrong when Kakado was sparring against dummies and other poke'mon kind. Nothing he used reflected what was supposedly taught. Anything he had learned he had manifested it into a stronger, darker move. Anything from a basic psychic wave attack to defensive moves all had darkness. As the years tolled on for the Elder, Kakado had finally became a Gardevoir. During a crisis in his time, there were also Protectors performing their duties, but little did they know what he was planning. On a stormy night, the air itself became despair and bitterness for Kakado as he was destined to become a Protector in his eyes but the Elder had denied it time and time again. Filling with rage he had tapped into his inner self to release an even more evil and sinister Gardevoir. What happened on the same night left nothing but shock and awe for everyone in the city. During a search and rescue party for a couple of missing Kirlia and Ralts was never found, the Protectors had given up for the raining night and was heading back home. Kakado had assinated both of the Protectors within an hour of a ruthless bloodshed, his dark entity had been unheard of during his time and had completely caught them off guard. The Elder had sensed a disturbance, calling upon other higher ranked officers they had destroyed the body of Kakado but they could not figure out a way to remove his dark spirit. They came up with a plan to lock away his power in an enchanted necklace and keep it hidden for the chosen few that could harness the power for a better good.
Flame had closed the file and placed it back with just a complete shock as he had discovered the truth about what the Elders had been hiding. Flame they walked back and had started to ponder what really was the big picture going on as he hung in the balance.
During the time as Flame had read the hidden past of Kakado. The outside world was changing for a turn of the worst proportion. The Hell Blazers and The Land of Snow had been in a bloodbath for hours. With the Hell Blazers winning the fight from the obvious elemental advantage, Land of Snow was getting beaten savagely and unjustifiably. Kakado and Paldena had stepped in, flying above watching the carnage. Paldena had called out to those fighting, none of them could even focus on the call. Kakado grew tired of this he stretched out his hands to the air and blotted out the sun for a few long and intense moments and shown the sunlight once again. The fighting has ceased as Paldena readied herself as purified light flew from her hands and reached the fallen poke'mon. Reviving them and restoring them to even better health than before. While the light had moved on to the next poke'mon and so on, any poke'mon who had still had evil intentions vanished and they stood there with blank expressions on their face, just confused about themselves at that moment. Then Paldena continued to move the light around back and fourth once finished she returned the light to her own being and she floated back down to Earth. When she had landed Kakado followed back down as well and then a light had engulfed her. Shortly after the light show she performed Serene had once appeared, she had a slight daze as she was recovering her balance and eye sight.
"Where am I?" Asked Serene.
"You have returned back to the normal world as Paldena needed to rest and regain her strength again" Replied Kakado.
"That explains a lot, I was wondering when I was going to be in my own body" As Serene inspected her body and clothing she had on.
"Glad that you are fine though-" Kakado was interrupted by Flame mentally.
"It is my time to come out now Kakado. I have been stuck in here long enough!" Flame said as the body of himself started to shape-shift. Kakado grabbing his head from the pain, slumped over fighting to stay in the real world. Moments of this struggle, a ominous aura vanished from Flame as he fell to the ground from exhaustion.
"Flame!" Shouted Serene as she rushed to her beloved mate's side.
"I'm fine, just need to sleep..." Replied Flame as he passed out. The other onlookers just stared at the incident, wondering of what's to come next.
"Hell Blazers, Land of Snow. You should have no quarrel with one another for as this battle had nothing to prove. If you still have any complaints about what to do from here on out. We will settle this like poke'mon, not savage animals. We are better than that and we all can agree on it. So I ask all of you, to take each others hand and hold it, symbolizing agreement and understanding, and to work together diplomatically for the better tomorrow of all and for those to come!" Serene spoke with great passion. Clapping was heard after she had delivered this speech, whistles and shouting as approval seemed to have been met.
"I hope that we don't have to come back unless it is for a friendly cause and a very warm visit. Please speak of this to everyone in the region and to spread peace across the land." finished Serene as she picked up Flame and teleported back to their home.
Days passed and it felt like weeks for Serene and the Elders as Flame was recovering from a rather odd incident. Serene had looked into the history of the pendents with Blizz's help.
"From what I read from your mind this is quite strange." Grumbled Blizz as she could not figure out the problem from all the text books of the history.
"I just don't get why I was fine after a couple of moments and Flame was just tired beyond all reason." a worried Serene commented.
"What I could do is look into his mind, maybe he stumbled upon something of use. Shall we Serene?" spoke Blizz.
"I don't think he would like that very much, but I don't have an option, so let's do it." Serene said sternly.
Blizz and Serene had teleported back into her bedroom to check up on Flame. His pendent had a different tint being mixed in the original color with a new found purple.
"Oh no..." mumble Blizz, with a terrorized expression.
"What?! What's wrong?!" shouted a scared Serene.
"I, I just need to speak with the older Elders" Blizz teleported after that.
Serene had thought to herself, pondering what could be wrong. She started to examine her love more closely and noticed an occasional twitch he gave off. Inside the pendent itself seemed like a whirlpool of two colors clashing amongst itself, purple and green fighting for the true dominance. Hours have passed as Serene stayed by Flame's side being anguished as her thoughts couldn't stop racing. Aero had teleported into the room next to Serene, with a saddened figure and expression on his face, Serene knew something troubling was about to happen.
"Serene...We have had something like this happen in the past, a long, long time ago. But before I can say any more. I must read into his mind." Aero explained. He had raised his palm above Flame's head, closed his eyes and began to see what happened to Flame as he was in the pendent. He also saw what Flame had discovered about his pendent and Aero immediately pulled his hand away, almost if he was shocked by electricity.
"Serene, he has found out about the pendent. Has Paldena mentioned anything to you about Kakado and or what he did?" asked Aero and he started to sweat along his forehead.
"I can't say that she did. Should I be worried?" Serene asked as she was holding Flame's hand and getting watery eyed. Aero had explained how the pendent came to be and what the message he gave Flame in the beginning was all about. Serene was in complete shock as she started to cry once Aero explained what is going to be happening to Flame.
"But, but I don't see how that can happen! He can't turn into a demon! He hasn't been using that necklace that much anyway." Serene spoke, pleading for an answer.
"If so, it's the time he spent in the pendent that is overtaking. Unless there is something we can figure out to reverse the spell I don't think there is much we can do for now." a sadden Aero said.
News around the city has been spreading about Flame. The residents have gathered around the Protector's house shortly after Serene was giving the message. Serene had heard people calling her name, she dried her tears and opened the door to see at least fifty-plus poke'mon standing outside to show their support for the Protectors. She could instantly see Kage, Sage, Lily, Elegon, Blizz, and all the other poke'mon.
"We are here with you as well my lady" Kage said as he bowed his head.
"We know he can pull through!" shouted Lily. Many other poke'mon also shouted their support and it just made Serene tear up, as she understood how many of the residents care for her and Flame.
Aero was still inspecting Flame as Serene was outside speaking with everyone else. Aero could not predict what would happen next as Flame was squirming around in his terrible nightmare, fighting for his soul.
"In all my years, I think this could be the most unsure of my choice in a protector in a long, long time..." Aero thought to himself.
"No..don..gi..up..on...me" spoke Flame as his fists clenched and his muscles tightened.
