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You: "Wait a minute, that's a stupid title."
Me: Uh, yeah, that's the point.
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Oh, wait, I forgot to tell you! Because I have officially written all of the parts, I have entered this into the Wattys for that Pokemon Watty thing. Death to all who oppose me!
Love, HaterOfTheYear
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Now that Eros and Sicily were back, and, through effective utilization of the break between chapters, managed to skip a whole scene where they went home, they now sat in the same beachy area as before, this time arriving much later than Chamberlain. Unfortunately, just because of his mannerisms, the Marowak was absolutely intimidating when he was angry; And, just having to had waited for an hour, we was less than satisfied with the performance of the two.
"What do you mean, 'rough night'?! I told you to be here at the same time!"
"I-I don't have an alarm clock...", whispered Eros.
"Then stay the heck awake all night and... And... Why do I even bother..." The Marowak sighed and started to sketch a massive circle in the sand, about the size of a volleyball court. "Alright. Now that that's settled, do either of you feel closer to one another?"
"I feel closer to Eros every day," cheered Sicily.
"Not really," replied Eros. "I mean, I don't think we could be any closer. We're practically family."
"Or really close friends," corrected Sicily, "like in all those movies. Like, REALLY close friends. Don't you agree?"
"No, I think family is close enough."
Chamberlain sighed and continued, "Well, that's beside the point. The point is, after a heavy analysis of your combat, as stated earlier, it is Eros who is lacking. Now that your bond was fortified through your venture, you two should be more than capable of fighting at your full capacity. That is why I will ask you, Eros, to step forwards and fight me."
"Okay!" Eros immediately stood up and transformed into a Sandshrew, preparing himself for combat. "I should have you know, though, that I know some pretty mean spells... Ho-HO!"
Sicily suddenly started to get nervous, as Chamberlain could notice, but he didn't bother to do anything about it. This initial decision was inconsequential, as Sicily started standing up suspiciously as he attempted to stare her down. Eros was already far into the circle before Sicily shouted out, "Uh, are you sure about this, Eros?"
Eros, not turning back, responded, "Why?"
"Oh, nothing." And yet, Sicily refused to sit down again.
Chamberlain still stared at her, but decided to talk to Eros. "Now, tell me, human: where do your powers lie?"
Eros stopped and though to himself before replying, "I guess from within me and all."
"All of it?" Chamberlain couldn't help but realize that Sicily was extremely uneasy.
"I guess not all of it..."
Chamberlain moved the Aegislash's body in front of him, like any other sword stance, and asked, "And tell me...?" But he never did finish that sentence, as he couldn't help but shout at Sicily, "What's wrong with you?"
Sicily frowned and answered, "Oh, nothing. It's just, you know..."
"I know what?"
"You aren't going full force on him, are you? Just wondering."
"Would that be a problem with you?"
"Well, not per se..."
Chamberlain gave Sicily a mean glare before returning his gaze to Eros. "No more distractions. Show me what you've got."
Eros smirked and stepped forwards, but not before he turned around to find that Sicily was standing right behind him. "Uh, can I help you?"
"Chamberlain, you can't be serious." Yep, she was ignoring him. "He can't fight you!"
Chamberlain suddenly looked pleased, although closer to shocked, and asked, "Why is that?"
"Because... He's just not strong enough! You can't go full force on him, because you just might kill him."
"Is that so? Look at yourself, Sicily." Everyone took a moment to look at the green dragon, whose forward-leaning posture overshadowed the tiny Sandshrew below. He looked rather uncomfortable, the tips of his ears being pressed down in the slightest, but he didn't find this weird at all. "Look at where you stand."
"So? Is it wrong for me to want to protect him?"
"There's something we haven't uncovered, isn't there?"
And so the three had to gather themselves in a circle once more, setting the atmosphere into one where they all felt more like talking. Sicily was somewhat grumpy while Eros, still a Sandshrew, was a tad confused. "Why are we in a circle again?"
"Yeah," continued Sicily, "we haven't learned anything all day. I mean, I know how to use a fork and read and all..."
Chamberlain smirked again and replied, "There's still something you're hiding."
Sicily crossed her arms and retorted, "Well, I'm not hiding anything."
After a bit more uncomfortable silence, Eros starts squirming in place, letting Chamberlain pick up on this and state, "Well, if you don't know anything wrong between you two..."
Eros shut his eyes and said, "Fine, fine. I'll be honest. Now, please don't hate me for this, Sicily, but..." Then, as if he had to force the words out, "I don't trust you anymore."
Sicily let out a dramatic gasp and said, "Aww, why? Is it something I did?"
"Well... I mean, every time you tried to kidnap me and when you just left me back at that Populi base, and when Xerxes said..." Then, after some unintelligible muttering, "I don't know how you think of me anymore." Eros couldn't exactly explain it, but he didn't trust her for all the times she betrayed him.
"Aw, Eros..." Sicily walked over to him and started to scratch his head, but he just pulled away and crossed his arms.
"And you don't think I can handle myself, either..."
"C'mon, I still think you're a great person. You're just... Well, you're not born to fight. That's all."
Chamberlain grinned rather smugly, stating, "And that's where your problem lies."
Sicily asked, "What do you mean?"
"You see..." As Chamberlain started to speak, his many limbs came together to sketch various Pokemon in the sand. "With a normal pairing between a trainer and a Pokemon, the Pokemon and the trainer meet one way or another and they get to learn each other. As they battle, or, like you, don't battle, they learn a bit more about combat every day, taking their experiences and using it not only to temper their relationship, but also to improve their capabilities in combat. They fight not only as a Pokemon and trainer, but as a team. As one.
"And so, as you could likely conclude, their power lies in not only their powers and strengths, but in their bonds as well." The vignette in the ground appeared to be a trainer and a bunch of Pokemon, all connected to one another by many lines. "Every time you fight together and learn something, your bonds between one another grow stronger, and together, you learn to fight; But, more importantly, you learn to work together and be friends.
"But, at the same time, that bond isn't invincible. I thought it was you who was responsible, Eros, but I was mistaken. There is nothing for you to do on your end."
"Sweet! <3"
"On the other hand, you have much to work on, Sicily."
"What? Me?" Sicily frowned.
"Yes, you. You see, there is a very weak connection between you two. You think that your master is weak and cannot fend for himself, leading you to take rather brash actions. You also doubt that he cares for you most of the time, something which is an outright lie. On the other hand, Eros doesn't trust you at all, period. Both of these, while forms of distrust between you two, are all a result of your behaviors, Sicily."
"I- y-you can't say that! He decided not to trust me! I-I mean, IF you don't, Eros..."
"Do not deny it. You have made him trust you very little."
"That's not true! Tell him, master!" But Eros remained silent. Sicily stared at him worriedly as to provoke his response, but he said nothing; Rather, all he did was stare down at the ground uncomfortably. "Master..."
Chamberlain proceeded, "You need to make amends, Sicily. He's still hurt that you betrayed him all those times."
"But... But how do I fix that?!"
"With time, Sicily. You see," as he walked over to the Sandshrew and started patting his head, "It can help to make grand acts and sacrifice yourself for a companion and all, but that's not what really forms trust between two partners. It takes time. Time which was set back by those actions you decided to take."
"Wow... But I already spent, like, two weeks practicing to act like a human with him! It was an uninteresting line or two, but it happened!"
"Two weeks is awfully small, Sicily." Chamberlain used his Aegislash's scarf to move Sicily's stubby arm over Eros' head, as to make it start scratching him. "Even so, it's not like you are starting from the beginning. He still does trust you, to some extent."
"So I just have to wait for him to trust me?"
"Not only that, Sicily, but you need to learn to trust him as well. I very much understand that you believe you trust him, but at the same time, you outright refused to let him fight me. You don't believe he can, Sicily, and that's a big reason why he can't. He doesn't even believe in himself half the time, thanks to you."
"I... I didn't know..."
"Well, now you do. You need to see just how capable he is. And then," with a gesture to the now sleeping Sandshrew sprawled about the ground, "you may trust him just as much as he trusts you."
"... I think I understand." Sicily looked down at Eros and contemplated what Chamberlain just said. "So I just wait."
"Give him time. Let him fight, and watch him. The sooner you see him succeed, which he will, the sooner you two can get stronger." Then, looking at Eros once more, "He isn't even curled up. He trusts you (even though he shouldn't...)."
Sicily nodded. "Alright. Maybe... Maybe I just have to let him fight."
Whelp, this looks like the end of the chapter-
"Wait! I want to go on an adventure too," stated the rather displeased Bidoofy. "Don't we get some screen time?" Fine. "Yay! Hey Manus, guess what?!" Bidoofy ran over to the drunken swordfighter, who was sleeping atop a fallen dummy.
"Zzz... What...? Laddy, whatch'er gettin me up fer?" Manus was decorated in more than a few (lewd) sketches across his face, marking him as a more than infamous drunkard. "Don'ya see I'm'a nappin, lassy...?" Manus rolled himself onto his back, dismounting the overturned wooden mannequin in the process.
"But Manus, I want to go on an adventure!"
"Listen 'ere, lad." Manus sat up, looking rather sad underneath his beard. "I don' got nothin I owe ye, ya hear!? I'm jus' a lon' figure who don' got a home no more. Whaddyou care?"
"I thought we all's could be a team, though. Y'know, 'cause Eros is supposed to be spending time with Sicily or something. I mean, I know this 'cause Sicily forgot to let me go 'till after some discussion they had, so don't think I was spyin' on them or nothing."
"Ah, is tha'so, m'lad? I think's interesting. Coun'me in. Bu'," as Manus started to enter an unintelligible drunken ramble, "I dun' wan Erosha' knowe'va done's'lannin, shyoulde 'wiet'outis, ari..." Then Manus proceeded to throw up and roll into his own stomach bile, passing out once more.
Bidoofy was disgusted with this, but at least he had one partner in his side. Of course, a drunken bastard probably wouldn't be the greatest partner, so he had to include somebody else in his expedition as well. He knew that Eros and Sicily were going to have to bond alone (probably), and Chamberlain was scary and probably hog all the attention, so those two were not options. The other humans here might be willing to help, but he didn't really know any of them and he didn't want to do it without Eros' permission. That left only Dusk to go with him on whatever adventure he wanted, but Dusk always seemed to be doing creepy stuff for Giratina...
None the less, the aegis of a god would not be amiss, so it wouldn't hurt to ask Dusk for help; And, for that reason, Bidoofy had located him inside one of the ghostly dorms, finding him to be performing a ritual of sorts and constructing a statue to the likeness of Giratina. Afraid but confident, Bidoofy approached the kneeling mummy and asked, "Uh, Dusk?"
Dusk halted a series of ominous haikus and tilted his head back, remaining silent as he did so. He didn't look pleased with this interruption, but he expected an answer anyway, based on the way he looked back at him.
Bidoofy worked up the confidence to speak again and said, "So, uh, Dusk, y'all interested in coming on an adventure with me?"
Dusk remained still for a few moments, but then lost his fearsome aura and stood up, giving off a feeling that was much more amicable than before. "Tell me, Bidoofy,
What you plan to do on this,
Say, 'fun adventure'?"
"Well, shucks, I don't know..."
"Oh? You do not know?
Then I have an idea, child.
We find Keldeo."
"Keldeo? Y'mean the one that's a sword unicorn?"
"Yes."
"B-but he's... Why do we need to find him?! That sounds more dangerous than two nights on the town hoar..."
"That would be true, friend,
But he hunts our master's head.
Giratina saves.
Too."
"Well, if you say so. Reckon that Giratina of your knows where he is?"
"... No."
"No?! Heck, you're as clueless as me, Dusk."
Pausing for a second, Dusk suddenly smiled and returned, "Don't be so hasty.
He's surely a fighter, no?
Head t'the battlefront."
"The battlefront? What battlefront?" Then, with a look of utmost dread, with a large hint of amusement, Bidoofy continued, "You don't mean Blackreach, do you? That place's a hell-hole! Anyways, I thought Keldeo ain't fightin' no more. 'Least, that's what I heard."
"Is that so, 'Doofy?
Then maybe he'd be neutral,
Fighting to end it?"
"Neutral? I mean, that'd make sense, if he's'a' been a good guy all this time, but are you sure he'd be there?"
"Knowing him, I say:
'Undoubtedly, Bidoofy.'
That is my response."
"Well... If you think so, Dusk. I guess we could head there. I don' wanna do no fightin', though, so would you mind that?"
"No."
"Alrighty, then. Well, I'll leave you to your, uh, prayers. See ya tomorrow."
And so Bidoofy left Dusk to his meditations, assembling the small team that would head out to fight Keldeo, in the name of honor and glory; And may their names not be forgotten, those of Bidoofy, Dusk and Manus, for they hath the heart to attempt at a suicidal-ass stunt: Attempting to slay Keldeo, and in the name of their master.