Pokémon: The Mysterious Region (book 1)

Chapter 30: To the Central Mountains

I stared off into the distance, feeling like something sacred had just been torn from me. I could see still see him, my sword piercing his stomach, as he choked up blood. How he fell into the jungle below.

"Liam," Luna said, kneeling beside me. "He's dead. You killed him. You did what needed to be done."

"It's not okay," I sounded empty. "It's not okay to kill another human being."

"Liam," she turned me so I could face her. Her eyes were devoid of emotion. "This is what you're going to have to live with from now on. Killing is a natural part of life. People die in tribal disputes all the time. He was your first human kill. He's not going to be your last."

I pushed her away, standing on shaky feet. "No. He will be the last. I won't kill anyone else!"

I still held onto the sword, blood dripping onto the stones. I felt an emotion build up inside of me as I prepared to hurl it away off the plateau, but Luna grabbed my wrist, standing. 

"Don't," her grip tightened. "That sword is important to the prophecy, I'm sure of it."

She glared at me, before releasing my wrist. She turned and began walking away as blood dripped from the wound in her left arm. It was then I realized that she had grabbed my wrist with her left hand.

She turned her head back to look at me. "You'll need that sword to defend yourself. You're not that good with a spear."

I stood there as I watched her help Xera to her feet and then freed the Pokemon and woke them up.

I don't know when I had sat down, or when Yanmega had put his head in my lap, but dusk was falling. Leavanny was busy binding Xera's right arm as Luna stoked a fire. Zoroark came out of the forest, pulling a Deerling behind her. The smell of cooking meat aroused my stomach, which I had just noticed was making noises. I felt starved, so I nudged Yanmega off of me and made my way over to the fire.

As I sat down, Luna glanced at me. "Finally decided to join us?"

I stayed silent for a few moments, before I looked at Xera. "I'm sorry. He was a part of your tribe and-"

She held up her left hand. "Stop. You only did what was necessary. I can't blame you for that."

Her face seemed to darken in the firelight. "I blame my tribe, the Elders. I don't know what they were thinking, trusting his word."

She looked at Luna. "I can feel it. Something has changed. Our tribe has never had a traitor like Eric in all our history."

Luna nodded. "Everything changed when Liam washed ashore. Actually, it was before he came. When the outsiders came, our tribal way of living changed. His coming into the Jungle Tribe only confirmed that things needed to change."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Luna turned the stick the meat was on, the fire crackling and popping. "The prophecy has to mean a change is coming. What will come of it I don't know."

She turned her body slightly and pointed towards the Central Mountains in the distant. "That's our destination. That's where the Forbidden Light resides, whatever it may be."

She went back to tending to the meat as I stared at my sheathed sword.

I glanced back up at both of them. "There's one condition on me coming with you."

Luna didn't look up. "And?"

"We don't kill anymore people," I was determined. I would not take no for an answer. "If a change is indeed coming to this island, it won't come by bloodshed. That's my one condition if you want me to go along with the prophecy."

"Idiot," Luna sighed. "You have no choice but to go with us if you want to live. You wouldn't last long by yourself."

"Try me," I held up the sword. "I survived the shipwreck, days on my own before I was rescued by the Jungle Tribe. I was weak and unprepared then. Now I've gotten stronger and know more on how to survive here."

"If I die," my hand gripped the sheath tightly as I stared determinedly at Luna. "I can't help you! And whatever is to come, it'll happen after I am dead!"

Xera chuckled. "You are amusing, outsider."

Luna glared at her, before looking at me. "Fine then. I will hold back and not kill. You happy?"

I nodded and looked at Xera. "You too."

Xera rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah. Fine. I won't kill anyone. Not like I was planning to anyway."

Luna handed me a chunk of cooked meat. "Eat up, both of you. Tomorrow we head out to the Central Mountains."

Yanmega buzzed beside me as Leavanny rested her arm on my right shoulder. Grovyle chewed a leaf in his mouth as he lay beside Xera, Dewpider in Xera's lap. Zoroark stared at the fire, the light dancing in her eyes.

Luna's eyes glowed. "Our journey begins now."

There's an epilogue to read, so this isn't goodbye yet. Toodles