Ketchum Chronicles

Snow Cultist Scuffle

Ash

When I hit my head against the giant ice-ball we were in, I blacked out and had another dream. When can I have normal sleep?
This time, I woke upwalking next to the cultist, not the one from the plane, but from the train: Vaati, the self-called wind mage.
Vaati was wearing a dark purple cloak, with the same yellow constellations floating on some parts of it, but with none of the dark purple wind at the bottom. On hsi shoulder stood the purple wind monster, but shrunk to the size of Pikachu and his tentacles weren’t floating around in the air like it just didn’t care, but instead they were slack all over his shoulders. The weird molten cheese-colored eye was still there, but a lot less bloodshot.
I looked around me. This was definitely not the same base I escaped from earlier. The hallway had a lot less doors in it, the place was slightly taller and slightly wider, more like a proper hallway, like one in a mall. It also… smelled different. I’m not kidding. Even though this was a dream, I could smell the sea. Not an overwhelming scent, but a faint one that I picked up on.
So we’re somewhere close to the ocean. Or who knows? This might be a submarine. After all, submarine bases exist. Wait, from where? Somewhere…. My brain said. Not helpful, I told my brain. I dunnow responded my brain. Stupid brain.
I looked around more. The floor seemed to be made of some dark-grey tile that covered the entire floor. There were light blue lights that added a splash of color to the place that were placed slightly above the floor built into the wall, kind of like an emergency-in-case-of-smoke trail of lights you see in an airplane.
My dream vision kept going next to Vaati. He walked down a hallway, passing a few doors, then a left, left again and then into a door. Behind the door was a library, with tons of books on the shelves, most of which were dark with shiny highlights on the edges. He walked past candles, a few stands where books were, a whiteboard with some stuff that looked familiar, and finally stopped in front of a door.
He was about to knock, but before he did, he turned to the monster on his shoulder.
"If this is the last time I exist, then I want my last words to thank you for your invaluable services,"
The monster chirped a little, which I didn't think was possible, and the whole scene was pretty wholesome. But then I remembered this was the guy who kidnapped Bonnie and Aria.
He knocked on the door, once, twice, and then a voice came.
"Come in,"
He opened the door and entered a room. It wasn;t that large, but good enough for a bedroom. Though maybe it was smaller because of all of the things inside. Inside of the room bookshelves lined the walls, except for the left one, because that one had a small kitchen area, with a mini-fridge and a stove. On the right there was a bed with almost no mattress, with some shelves above that with weird telescopes and other word objects. In front of the bed were a few boxes, in front of that a closet. The main attraction was the big board and table at the end of the room. On the board was a push pin-and-string board with strings to literally connect the dots. I saw a few photographs here and there, but most of them were too blurry to make out properly. On the table were a few charts and books, a few bottles and a crystal. Hunched over the table sitting on a stool was my favourite suspicious neck-choking blanket-wearing mage, Chaster.
“Uh, sire?”
“I prefer not to hie as sirae. Sin implise royalty, which Ich despiaes. Bid me as… summoner,”
“Uh… summoner… I have come to tell you…” He suddenly bowed “I have failed. I have failed to capture the target. I was… foolish and arrogant. I have come to pay the price,”
“...”
This is probably the part where Chaster rushes forward and chokes him. Or he whips out some magic and turns him into a frog and steps on him. Or maybe he just takes his knife and makes cultist confetti.
“...”
“Are you okay summoner?”
“Thou art belike thinking why Ich haven lashede out and taken thy life for failure. But Ich finende that ain waste of loyalty. Why must I kill people who fail? That only discourages people from trying again. Besides, I hast studiede numerous tales and the hand ophe fate preventeth us from stopping the target hider early in the hero’s journey,”
“The what?”
“Not important. The point I’m trying to make here is that killing you would be a detriment not a benefit,”
“Are… are you serious?”
“What, do you WANT to perish horribly?”
“No-no sir- I mean summoner, it’s just that I was expecting to die horribly for my failure, but thank you for your mercy,”
“Hider isn’t mercy, it’s practicality.  It’s moe practical to keep good brothers around.  Besides, ich  hast another use for thee,”
“What is it?”
“You’ve seen them, right? In action?”
“Uh, the targets?”
“Yes.  Ich want thou to say to me all's you’ve founede out about 'em.  Say to me hwaet pokemon they hath.  What strategies they employ.  What sort of personality, traits, and most importantly, weaknesses they possess.  Thou see me brother, knowledge is power. I hast known ain quote from the east: When you know yourself and the enemy, you need not worry about the result of 100 battles. A wise quote indeed,”
“Well, when you put it like that,” Vaati said, rising and standing up. “I did take mental notes during my time with them,”
“Most excellent! Now let’s- do you feel it?”
“Feel something…? Well now that I know I’m going to live I do feel another one’s presence,”
Both Chaster and Vaati turned towards my dream vision.
“Well well Ash Ketchum, it’s very rude to spy on people!”
And then he chucked a fireball at my dream self, and I suddenly woke up.