Chapter 76: Axel's Stone
The evening had settled over Aethelburg like a velvet shroud, the crystal towers catching the last rays of sunlight and throwing them back as fractured rainbows across the floating bridges. The canals below shimmered with the reflected glow of a thousand lanterns, and the distant hum of the monorail threaded through the air like a half-remembered song.
Briv sat on the edge of the inn's rooftop terrace, his legs dangling over the side, Grotle's Pokéball warm in his palm. The city sprawled beneath him—endless and glittering and indifferent. He hadn't slept. He hadn't eaten. The anger from yesterday had settled into something denser, something that sat in his chest like a stone.
Footsteps behind him.
He didn't turn.
"You're brooding," Nicola said.
"I'm thinking."
"Same thing."
She sat beside him, her legs crossing at the ankle, her sharp brown eyes fixed on the horizon. She didn't touch him. She didn't try to comfort him. She just existed in his space, solid and unapologetic.
"Patricia's worried," she said.
"Patricia's always worried."
"Dariana hasn't eaten."
"Dariana can make her own choices."
Nicola was quiet for a moment.
"You're still angry."
"Yes."
"Good."
He turned.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true." She met his gaze. "Anger is fuel. You can let it burn you out, or you can use it to forge something stronger. Your choice."
She stood.
"Axel's downstairs. He wants to talk to all of us."
She walked away.
Briv stayed on the edge for a long moment.
Then he stood and followed.
---
The common room was quieter than usual.
Axel had claimed a corner table, his back to the wall, his sharp green eyes scanning the room with the habitual caution of someone who'd spent years watching his own back. Rotom hovered beside him, its orange body flickering with restless energy, its red eyes darting from face to face.
Patricia sat across from him, her hands wrapped around a cup of tea she hadn't touched. Dariana was beside her, hoodie still pulled tight, dark eyes fixed on the table. Nicola stood near the window, arms crossed. Samuel leaned against the bar, his dreadlocks tied back, his colorful clothing muted in the dim light.
Briv pulled up a chair.
"I'm here."
Axel nodded.
"Good. Because we have a problem."
---
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small leather pouch.
He opened it.
It was empty.
"I found this stone three weeks ago," Axel said. "In the ruins beneath the eastern district. It was buried under a collapsed wall, covered in dust and old inscriptions. I didn't know what it was. I still don't. But I knew it was important."
He set the pouch on the table.
"Two days ago, I lost it."
Nicola's eyes narrowed.
"Lost it how?"
"I was training Rotom in the western fields. I had the pouch in my jacket. When I got back to my room, it was gone."
"You're sure you didn't misplace it?"
"I'm sure."
"Could someone have taken it?"
Axel's jaw tightened.
"Possibly."
The word hung in the air.
Patricia spoke first.
"Why are you telling us?"
"Because I trust you."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"And because I need your help to find it."
---
Samuel pushed off from the bar.
"What's so important about this stone?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I know it's old. I know it's powerful. I know that when I held it, Rotom's energy spiked by forty percent."
Rotom buzzed in confirmation.
"And I know that whoever took it—if someone took it—will use it for something I don't want to imagine."
Briv leaned forward.
"What's our timeline?"
"Unknown."
"Who else knows about it?"
"You five. No one else."
"Then we have an advantage."
Axel nodded.
"That's what I'm counting on."
---
They split into teams.
Briv took the western fields with Patricia. Nicola and Dariana headed east toward the ruins. Samuel stayed with Axel to search the inn and the surrounding streets.
"Stay in contact," Axel said. "Rotom can relay messages."
Rotom flickered.
"Messages relayed. Messages relayed. I am the best messenger."
"Modest, too," Samuel muttered.
---
The western fields were dark.
Briv walked in silence, Grotle's Pokéball in one hand, Luxio's in the other. Patricia kept pace beside him, her Buneary perched on her shoulder, its large ears twitching at every sound.
"You're not talking to me," she said.
"There's nothing to say."
"There's plenty to say."
"Not now."
She stopped.
"Then when?"
He turned.
"When I'm not looking for a magical fucking stone that could destroy everything."
She flinched.
He kept walking.
---
They searched for an hour.
Grotle sniffed the ground, its heavy body moving methodically through the grass. Luxio's eyes glowed in the darkness, scanning for anything out of place. Buneary hopped from rock to rock, its ears swiveling, its nose twitching.
Nothing.
Briv's phone buzzed.
Nicola.
"Anything?"
"No. You?"
"Found something."
His heart jumped.
"What?"
"Not the stone. Tracks. Someone's been through the ruins recently. Fresh footprints. Boots. Size eleven."
"Axel?"
"Axel wears tens."
Briv's jaw tightened.
"Send me the location."
"Already did."
---
They met at the eastern ruins an hour later.
The ruins were old—older than Aethelburg itself, crumbling stone walls and shattered pillars half-swallowed by ivy and moss. The moonlight cast long shadows across the broken ground, and the air smelled of damp earth and old secrets.
Nicola stood at the entrance to a collapsed tunnel, her Magnemite hovering beside her, its single blue eye glowing softly.
"Footprints lead in," she said. "None come out."
Briv looked at the tunnel.
"Someone's still in there."
"Or something."
Dariana stepped forward.
Her face was pale.
"I can go."
Briv looked at her.
"No."
"I'm smaller. Faster. I can—"
"No."
She stared at him.
"I'm not useless."
"I didn't say you were."
"Then let me help."
He was quiet.
Then he nodded.
"Fine. But you don't go alone."
"I'll go with her," Nicola said.
Briv hesitated.
Then he nodded again.
---
They descended into the tunnel.
The darkness swallowed them.
Magnemite's glow cast pale blue light across the walls, revealing old carvings—symbols and runes that predated any known civilization. The air grew colder. Damp. The sound of their footsteps echoed strangely, like the tunnel was larger than it should have been.
Dariana walked in front, her hands brushing the walls, her eyes fixed on the darkness ahead.
Nicola followed, Magnemite hovering close.
"You okay?" Nicola asked.
"Fine."
"You don't have to be fine."
Dariana didn't respond.
---
The tunnel opened into a chamber.
It was circular, maybe thirty feet across, with a ceiling that disappeared into darkness. In the center was a pedestal—old stone, cracked and weathered.
On the pedestal was a stone.
It glowed faintly.
Blue-white.
Dariana stepped forward.
"Wait," Nicola said.
"I see it."
"Wait."
Dariana stopped.
The stone pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then it went still.
"It's an Ice Stone," Nicola whispered.
"How do you know?"
"I've seen one before. In a museum. They're rare. Extremely rare."
"What's it doing here?"
"I don't know."
---
Dariana's Eevee materialized beside her.
She hadn't called it.
It had released itself from its Pokéball.
"Eevee—"
The little Pokémon walked toward the pedestal.
Its fur stood on end.
Its eyes were fixed on the stone.
"Eevee, wait—"
It didn't stop.
It reached the pedestal.
It touched the stone.
---
The light was blinding.
Blue-white, cold and pure, erupting from the stone and swallowing Eevee whole. Dariana screamed. Nicola shielded her eyes. Magnemite's glow was nothing against the explosion of radiance.
The light pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then it faded.
And when Dariana opened her eyes, Eevee was gone.
In its place stood Glaceon.
---
The Fresh Snow Pokémon.
Elegant. Graceful. Its body was pale blue, its fur tipped with frost, its eyes a deep, intelligent blue. It moved with a dancer's precision, its steps silent on the stone floor.
It turned to look at Dariana.
It smiled.
Dariana fell to her knees.
"Eevee?"
Glaceon walked to her.
It pressed its cold nose against her cheek.
Dariana burst into tears.
---
Nicola stood frozen.
"The stone," she said. "It's an Ice Stone."
She looked at the pedestal.
The stone was dull now. Grey. Inert.
"What do you mean?" Dariana asked.
"It's used for evolution. Specifically, for Eevee. It allows them to evolve into Glaceon."
She paused.
"I've never seen one in person. I've only read about them."
Dariana stared at Glaceon.
"You evolved."
Glaceon nodded.
"You're beautiful."
Glaceon purred.
---
They climbed out of the tunnel.
Briv was waiting.
He saw Glaceon and stopped.
"What the hell?"
"Ice Stone," Nicola said. "The stone was an Ice Stone. Eevee touched it. Evolved."
Briv stared at Dariana.
She was holding Glaceon.
She was smiling.
For the first time in days, she was smiling.
He looked at the Pokémon.
"Ice Stone."
"Yes."
He looked at Dariana.
"You okay?"
She nodded.
"I'm okay."
He looked at Glaceon.
"Congratulations."
Glaceon bowed its head.
---
They returned to the inn.
Axel was waiting.
He saw Glaceon and his expression shifted.
"Ice Stone."
"Yes."
He sat down heavily.
"That's what I was afraid of."
"What do you mean?" Patricia asked.
"I didn't know what the stone was. I knew it was powerful. I knew it was old. But I didn't know what it could do."
He looked at Glaceon.
"Now I do."
He paused.
"And now I know why someone might want to steal it."
---
The room was silent.
Samuel spoke first.
"What do we do now?"
Axel stood.
"We find out who took it. And we get it back."
He looked at each of them.
"Before it's too late."
---
Briv stood at the window.
The city glittered beneath him.
Glaceon sat beside him, its cold body radiating quiet calm.
He looked at the Pokémon.
"You found it."
Glaceon nodded.
"You saved us."
Glaceon shook its head.
It looked at Dariana.
She was sitting with Patricia and Nicola, her face still streaked with tears, but her eyes bright.
Briv followed its gaze.
"No," he said. "You saved her."
Glaceon purred.
---
Patricia approached.
She stood beside him.
Neither spoke.
Then she said: "I'm sorry."
He didn't respond.
"I know that doesn't fix anything."
"It doesn't."
"I know."
Silence.
Then he said: "I'm not ready."
She nodded.
"I know."
She turned to go.
"Patricia."
She stopped.
He didn't turn.
"Thank you."
She closed her eyes.
Then she walked away.
---
The night deepened.
The city hummed.
And somewhere in the darkness, someone was watching.
Someone who knew about the stone.
Someone who wanted it back.
---
Revan Stormcloud stood on a rooftop across the street, his black coat blending with the shadows, his silver-grey eyes fixed on the inn's window.
He watched Briv.
He watched the light in the room.
And he smiled.
"Soon," he murmured.
He turned and vanished into the night.
---
Briv slept that night for the first time in two days.
He didn't dream.
But when he woke, he found Glaceon curled at his feet.
It had chosen him.
Or maybe it had chosen Dariana.
Either way, it was there.
And that was enough.
---
The morning came.
The League was twenty-nine days away.
And the hunt had just begun.
=====
The morning light carved through the inn's grimy windows, striping the common room floor in pale gold. Samuel sat alone at a corner table, his drum-calloused fingers wrapped around a mug of steaming tea. His dreadlocks hung loose around his face, and his normally warm eyes were fixed on some middle distance that only he could see.
Doduo stood beside him, both heads swiveling independently, scanning the room with the restless vigilance that never seemed to leave the two-headed Pokémon. Sudowoodo leaned against the wall, motionless and convincing as ever, its tree-like camouflage almost perfect against the wooden panels. Nosepass sat on the floor, a small blue boulder among the scattered chairs and boots.
Samuel hadn't slept.
None of them had.
---
The door opened.
Niklaus Eterngust walked in like winter entering a harvest festival. His black coat was immaculate, his dark hair swept back from a face that could have been carved from old marble. His eyes—cold, dark blue, and utterly without warmth—swept across the room and landed on Samuel.
He didn't smile.
He didn't frown.
He simply existed, the way a glacier exists, indifferent to the lives it crushes beneath its slow advance.
"Samuel Moodsway."
Samuel looked up.
"Niklaus."
"I heard you were here."
"Word travels."
"It does."
Niklaus stood in the doorway, unmoving. The morning light seemed to recoil from him, casting him in shadow even as everything else glowed.
"I have a proposition," he said.
Samuel set down his mug.
"I'm listening."
---
The eastern training grounds were empty this early.
The field was a perfect rectangle of packed earth, ringed by low stone walls and observation posts that had seen better decades. Frost still clung to the shaded corners, and the air was sharp with the promise of winter's approach.
Axel stood at the center, his arms crossed, his green eyes flat and unreadable. Rotom hovered beside him, its orange body crackling with anticipation.
"Three-on-three," Axel said. "No substitutions. No items. Standard League rules."
Samuel nodded.
Niklaus inclined his head fractionally.
"Begin."
---
Niklaus moved first.
"Shiftry."
The ball opened in a burst of dark light, and Shiftry materialized with a whisper of wind. The Wicked Pokémon stood tall and lean, its long white hair flowing behind it, its leaf-blade arms crossed, its eyes gleaming with ancient malice. It looked like something that had stepped out of a folktale—and not the kind with happy endings.
Samuel's jaw tightened.
"Sudowoodo."
Sudowoodo pushed off the wall and lumbered onto the field, its mimicry forgotten now that battle had arrived. It planted its green sphere-hands on its hips and stared down Shiftry with an expression that might have been courage or might have been constipation.
Axel's hand dropped.
"Begin."
---
Shiftry moved first.
"Fake Out."
The attack came without warning. Shiftry's hand shot forward in a blur, and Sudowoodo staggered backward, its arms flailing for balance. The hit wasn't powerful, but it was disorienting—and in those precious seconds, Shiftry was already moving.
"Leaf Blade."
Shiftry's arm hardened into a blade of green energy and slashed downward. Sudowoodo tried to dodge. It was too slow. The attack carved a line across its chest, and Sudowoodo grunted in pain.
Samuel didn't hesitate.
"Rock Slide."
Sudowoodo's eyes flashed. It raised its hands, and the ground erupted—stones and boulders tearing free from the earth and hurtling toward Shiftry. The Wicked Pokémon danced between them, its movements fluid, almost lazy.
One rock caught it.
Just one.
Shiftry staggered.
Samuel pressed the advantage.
"Low Kick."
Sudowoodo lunged forward, its leg sweeping low. The attack caught Shiftry across the knees, and the Pokémon toppled.
It didn't stay down.
Shiftry rolled, regained its feet, and lashed out with another Leaf Blade before Sudowoodo could recover. The attack connected with Sudowoodo's shoulder, and this time the Mimic Pokémon stumbled.
"Faint Attack."
Shiftry vanished.
Sudowoodo spun, searching.
It was too late.
Shiftry reappeared behind it, and the attack sent Sudowoodo flying. The Pokémon hit the ground hard, rolled twice, and came to rest against the stone wall.
It didn't move.
"Sudowoodo is unable to battle," Axel said. "Shiftry wins."
---
Samuel recalled Sudowoodo.
He whispered to the ball.
"You did good."
He clipped it to his belt and drew another.
"Doduo."
Doduo sprinted onto the field, its two heads already tracking Shiftry from different angles. The left head was focused and calm; the right head was twitching with barely contained aggression.
Shiftry watched them both.
"Begin."
---
Niklaus moved first.
"Leaf Blade."
Shiftry lunged.
Doduo split.
The left head dove left, the right dove right, and Shiftry's attack sliced through empty air. The two heads regrouped behind the Wicked Pokémon, and both beaks struck simultaneously.
Shiftry grunted.
"Double Hit."
Doduo struck again—left beak, right beak, left beak, right beak—a flurry of pecks that drove Shiftry backward. The Wicked Pokémon raised its arms to block, but Doduo was relentless.
Then Shiftry smiled.
"Extrasensory."
A wave of psychic energy exploded from Shiftry's body. Doduo was thrown backward, both heads crying out in pain. The Pokémon tumbled, scrambled to its feet, and shook itself.
It didn't fall.
"Fury Attack."
Doduo charged.
Shiftry dodged.
Doduo charged again.
Shiftry dodged again.
"Extrasensory."
Another wave.
Doduo couldn't dodge this time.
The attack caught it mid-stride and slammed it into the ground. The left head went limp. The right head struggled, tried to rise, and then collapsed.
"Doduo is unable to battle," Axel said. "Shiftry wins."
---
Samuel recalled Doduo.
He held the ball to his forehead for a moment.
Then he clipped it to his belt.
"Nosepass."
Nosepass lumbered onto the field like a small mountain deciding to relocate. Its red nose gleamed in the morning light, and its eyes—wide and unblinking—fixed on Shiftry with unnerving focus.
Shiftry tilted its head.
"Begin."
---
Niklaus moved first.
"Leaf Blade."
Shiftry lunged.
"Thunder Wave."
Nosepass's body crackled with electricity. The wave shot forward, catching Shiftry mid-lunge, and the Wicked Pokémon convulsed as paralysis locked its muscles.
Samuel didn't hesitate.
"Rock Slide."
The ground erupted again.
Shiftry couldn't dodge this time.
The stones struck home—one, two, three—and Shiftry crumpled. It tried to rise, its body spasming, and failed.
"Shiftry is unable to battle," Axel said. "Nosepass wins."
---
Niklaus recalled Shiftry.
He didn't whisper to the ball.
He didn't look at it.
He simply drew another.
"Scizor."
Scizor materialized in a flash of crimson, its metallic body gleaming, its pincer-claws snapping with anticipation. The Pincer Pokémon stood tall and proud, its red armor gleaming like freshly spilled blood, its yellow eyes fixed on Nosepass with predatory focus.
Nosepass didn't flinch.
"Begin."
---
Niklaus moved first.
"Bullet Punch."
Scizor vanished.
Nosepass couldn't track it.
The attack struck before Nosepass could react—a blur of steel and speed that sent the Rock-type sliding backward. Nosepass grunted. It didn't fall.
"Thunder Wave."
Electricity crackled.
Scizor dodged.
"Bullet Punch."
Another hit.
Another.
Another.
Nosepass was being pummeled—hammered by a storm of steel that never stopped, never slowed, never gave it a moment to breathe. It tried to counter, tried to find an opening, but Scizor was too fast.
"Rock Slide."
Nosepass raised its hands.
The stones erupted.
Scizor dodged them all.
"Bullet Punch."
The final hit sent Nosepass crashing into the wall. The Rock-type slumped, its eyes flickering, its body refusing to move.
"Nosepass is unable to battle," Axel said. "Scizor wins. Niklaus wins the match."
---
Silence.
Samuel stood at the edge of the field, his hands at his sides, his dreadlocks hanging limp around his face. He had lost. All three of his Pokémon had fallen, and he had lost.
Niklaus recalled Scizor.
He didn't gloat.
He didn't smile.
He simply walked toward Samuel, his footsteps measured, his dark eyes unreadable.
"You fought well," Niklaus said.
"Did I?"
"Your Nosepass is strong. Your Doduo is fast."
Samuel didn't respond.
"But you hesitate."
Samuel looked at him.
"What?"
"You hesitate. You wait for openings that never come. You react instead of acting. You defend instead of attacking."
Niklaus paused.
"That is why you lost."
Samuel's jaw tightened.
"Thanks for the advice."
"It wasn't advice."
Niklaus turned and walked away.
Samuel watched him go.
---
Axel approached.
"That was rough."
Samuel laughed—a hollow, bitter sound.
"Rough."
"You held your own."
"I lost three to one."
"You held your own."
Samuel looked at him.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?"
Axel didn't answer.
---
Samuel gathered his Pokémon.
He held each ball in turn—Sudowoodo, Doduo, Nosepass—and whispered to each of them. The words were private. The words were his. And the words were enough.
He walked back to the inn alone.
The city hummed around him.
And somewhere in the distance, he could hear the sound of drums.
---
The inn was quiet when he returned.
Briv was at the table, Glaceon curled at his feet. Patricia sat across from him, her Buneary in her lap. Nicola leaned against the wall, her Magnemite hovering nearby. Dariana sat by the window, her Glaceon—her Glaceon now—watching the street with calm, intelligent eyes.
Axel was in the corner, Rotom flickering beside him.
They all looked up when Samuel walked in.
He didn't say anything.
He just walked to a chair and sat down.
Briv spoke first.
"How bad?"
Samuel looked at him.
"Three to zero."
Nobody spoke.
Then Dariana said: "I'm sorry."
Samuel shook his head.
"Don't be."
He looked at his hands.
"He's good. Really good."
Briv leaned forward.
"Then we get better."
Samuel looked at him.
"We?"
Briv nodded.
"We."
---
The night deepened.
The city glittered.
And somewhere in the darkness, Niklaus Eterngust stood on a rooftop, his dark coat billowing in the wind, his cold eyes fixed on the inn's window.
He watched them.
All of them.
And he waited.
---
The League was twenty-eight days away.
And the hunt was no longer just for a stone.