Forest of Secrets; A Pokemon Fanfiction

Chapter 4, Part 7

Sparkle

The darkness here is so thick that I can almost feel it pressing against my skin. A singular ray of sunshine falls down from a small hole in the cave wall, illuminating only my face and the occasional patch of rock. It's heat is warm and especially welcome what with the cool column of rock my back is pressed up against. Sturdy vines hold me against the stalactite-stalagmite fusion, preventing any escape, or even the thought of getting away.
Standing on a small chunk of rock next to me, is the outline of some Pokemon I am unable to identify in this dark. I only know his name - Chancellor Peaseblossom - through the one sentence Montolio spoke to him after ushering me in. Though I can't see, I have the feeling that the Absol is still lingering in the room.
Peaseblossom stands stately from atop the boulder that makes him what I assume to be face-level with me. A slight smell wafts off of him, sickly Sweet and all the worse for how intense it is. If it was less overpowering, maybe I could stand it. Sadly, the scent only gets stronger as Peaseblossom seems to lean in closer. I can feel his breath on my shoulder.

"I will ask you only one more time, Sparkle of the Mansion. What were you doing so deep in the forest? So near the Hidden Woods? We cannot allow trainers here, nor their Pokemon." A sneer pervades his tone. I have to bite my tongue to keep from answering back in a similar manner. If only I hadn't told him where I was from, then he might not be so bitter. This Peaseblossom is striking me as the sort to call us under Joy's care "Tamed Ones" and dislike us extraordinarily.
"I wasn't here under Joy's orders," I say, "I didn't even mean to be here in the first place."
Peaseblossom sniffs indignantly. "Do not give me falsifications! Tell me what in specific brings you here. I do not care about your trainer, particularly if she is the sort to leave you injured and alone in the forest like you were. Tell me what disaster you were running from. If there is something out there that could threaten the safety of the Hidden Woods, I must know! I have my suspicions already, yet..." A shadow-shrouded limb tentatively presses against my cheek. The touch is gentle at first, with more and more pressure slowly applied. I try not to wince as my back horn grinds into the stone column, sending weak waves of mental pain running multicolored spots through my limited vision.
I do yelp when a small jolt of electricity pulses through my head from his touch. He pulls his hand away immediately. Somehow, I sense satisfaction.
"What the Giratina was that?" I squeak out. "I thought you were probably Grass type!"
"I am." Peaseblossom shifts over so that his face catches in a meager pool of light. "It is called Effect Spore, you know. The ability could have very well sent you to sleep, paralyzed you, or even badly poisoned you had I kept my hand on."
Some deranged part of me almost giggles when he reveals himself. "You're just a Vileplume!"
"And you," he starts callously, "have a skin problem, do you not? What a rare genetic mutation."
Heat rises to my cheeks a little at the comment. I fight a little to stay calm. This Chancellor is infuriating, but I have my own cause to plead. If I lash out at him, he is less likely to take me seriously in anything I say.
"Shiny is not a skin problem," I state levelly. Alright, even if I know I need to be calm and polite, I have really reached my limit today. Though being shiny isn't too sensitive a subject for me, stress multiplies little things out of proportion.
"What nice self confidence," Peaseblossom drawls disinterestedly. "Now, are you going to tell me anything?"
I pretend to consider it for a moment. Am I really going to do as this guy says? The guy who locked me in here in the first place, and is consistently threatening me in numerous subtle ways? Of course not. Not directly, anyway.
"I have a deal to offer," I tell him. Let's see how he takes this.
His stoic features accept an expression of amusement. "You are in no position to bargain with me. This is my domain, with my rules."
Forcing a laugh, I reply, "Hear me out! I will tell you everything you want to know if only you will let me see my brothers. Better yet, let them help me explain the situation to you! I promise you will get to learn everything you need to know."
"Let me see..." he ponders. "No. They are none of concern, and 'tis better if you just out any tell me what is going on."
Better for who? I wonder. This guy seems to be acting this way just to shake me up. What other reason could he have for denying me? He looks determined to force me to talk against my will.
Since pleading my cause is not going to work here, I decide that there is little other choice; I am determined not to be bullied into talking, so I must give Peaseblossom little other choice than letting me see Psycho and Dasher. I have to be as annoying and useless as possible.
"May Dialga speed on your death," I spit out, "Palkia have it happen in the worst possible place, and Giratina take your soul." This particular insult is one that Spark once used against Dasher when she was really ticked with him regarding repeated refusal to train. Most eloquent insult I have ever heard.
The Chancellor bristles, to my pleasure. "Was that a threat? I could keep you here for a very long time to punish you as such. 'Tis no small thing, to threaten me."
A small smirk works its way onto my face. "Threaten you? No, I'm just using the long way to say, 'go to the Distortion world'." It feels goo,d to tell him this. I am starting to understand why Dasher thinks it so fun to repeatedly insult people. Now if only Psycho and I weren't usually the target of the comebacks...
Certainly, Peaseblossom is really ticked by now. He may have withdrawn from the small bit of light, but that doesn't stop his outline from shaking in anger. A silence stretches for a few-minute span. When he does start to move again, I am almost afraid he is going to slap me.