Author's notes:

Okay, it's my bad for not having updated for such a long time (plus leaving off at a cliffhanger, to boot), and I won't blame many of my readers if they've given up on me. I assure you guys that this story is far from abandoned; it's just the matter of having more crucial things taking my time. This chapter has far more action than the previous ones, and it was a bit difficult to write even though it was quite fun.

The character Kouseikei and the gijinka (humanized) forms are my creations, but the Salamence species and Pokémon in general are all the property of Satoshi Tajiri.

…o0o…

Part II: Healing the Wings

Chapter VII: The Fury of the Dragon

The sharp but brief cry was enough to shake Palkia out of her slumber. Quickly snapping her eyes open, the Goddess of Space sat up in time to catch sight of the desert whirlwind that had kicked up near the entrance of their temporary dwelling. Almost immediately, she realized that she was alone...

'Kouseikei!'

Not stopping a moment to think, the Space Dragoness threw off the Mareep-wool blanket from her body and dashed out of the cave. Her mortal charge's sudden disappearance had caused her fight-or-flight instincts to activate at full force, and Palkia hadn't even bothered to put on her outer cloak to guard against the elements as she ran. Well, none of the elements would dare stand between her and Kouseikei now.

As she ran towards the whirlwind, Palkia closed her eyes and used her spatial sense to detect the structure of the swirling vortex. In her mind's eye, she saw what looked like a full-fledged Flygon at the heart of the maelstrom. And with the Flygon, struggling in the blinding melee of debris, was—

Palkia's twin war fans were out in an instant. Her ruby eyes flashed as she channeled her powers on to the fan she held in her right hand. With a cry of fury, she sent the crescent of purple energy careening towards the violent tornado.

"Let him go!"

...o0o...

'What fix have I gotten myself into this time?' Kouseikei berated himself as he thrashed against the Flygon's windy contraption. Finally, he managed to focus his will and concentration into summoning his weapon. The young Salamence was about to swipe at the Mystic Dragon with his halberd when a blast of purple-tinged light hit the tornado, disrupting the vortex and causing it to dissipate.

"Let him go!"

Although rather disorientated at being spun around, Kouseikei managed to cushion the impact of his landing by distributing his weight equally on his four limbs. Palkia's livid battle cry barely made it past the ringing in his ears, but there was no mistaking the ferocity in her expression as she sent wave after wave of what looked like Dragon Pulse at the Flygon. The Mystic Dragon hissed in anger, and in an act of defiance, it charged at her, cloaking itself once more in a shield of rotating desert debris. Kouseikei was on his feet at once, ready to help the goddess.

"Argh!"

Kouseikei felt the wind being knocked out of him as another Flygon appeared out of nowhere and slammed itself against his body. His weapon flew out of his hand and embedded itself blade-first on the parched earth. Kouseikei wrestled with the new Flygon until he discovered that they were rolling dangerously close to the edge of a rocky bluff. Before he could reorient himself, the young Salamence found himself falling down the barren outcrop while the Flygon harmlessly flew away, no doubt to assist its companion against Palkia.

'I won't let you lay a hand on her!' Kouseikei thought furiously, putting his own safety at the back of his mind as he desperately clawed at the cliff face for some handhold. To his dismay, he couldn't find one. Finally, just as he was within a few feet of plummeting to the foot of the desert crack, it occurred to him to summon his wings and use their claws to dig into the bare rock and arrest his fall. Although his tattered left wing was nowhere near as mobile as his healthy one, it did work. After gathering his breath for a few seconds, Kouseikei scaled the cliff as fast as his limbs could carry him. Once he had cleared the precipice, he retrieved his halberd and ran to where Palkia was still engaging the two Flygon.

Despite the danger of the situation and his own apprehension, Kouseikei couldn't help but notice how remarkable Palkia looked holding her own ground against the combined assault. He had never seen her fight before, and the sight of the normally gentle goddess in combat was deadly and beautiful at the same time.

His own war cry joining hers, Kouseikei sliced the blade of his halberd into the dry ground, sending out a barrage of razor-sharp rocks from below one of the Flygon in a Stone Edge attack. Noticing that he had joined her, Palkia adjusted her fighting style to synch with his. She concentrated on deflecting their opponents' attacks while Kouseikei whittled down their endurance with his own moves. An avian cry made them all temporarily look up as Maji, unwilling to be left out of the fight, soon added her own arsenal of attacks to aid her master. The valiant Swellow circled the battlefield, screaming defiance at the Flygon who assaulted her friends.

Finally, a combination of Aura Sphere and Flamethrower was too much for one of the Flygon. Unable to stay airborne for much longer, it lay exhausted on the ground, its wings flapping weakly. Palkia and Kouseikei were about to deal with the remaining Flygon in the same manner, but something made them simultaneously pause in their actions.

The still-aloft Flygon let out a distressed cry upon seeing its companion lying vulnerable on the ground. Abandoning its fight with the Salamence and the Goddess of Space, it flew to the other Mystic Dragon, nuzzling its snout against the weakened dragon's face. Shielding its friend's body with its own, the Flygon fixed a steady glance at its opponents before letting out another cry, this time soft and heart-wrenching.

Kouseikei and Palkia lowered their weapons at once. Maji also quieted down and alighted softly on her master's shoulder. It was only then that he noticed something. The two Mystic Dragons carried fresh battle marks that had nothing to do with their recent skirmish. Furthermore, the weakened dragon appeared to be a male, and the other Flygon was a female. Kouseikei looked at Palkia, who silently affirmed his observations. The two Flygon were not mere friends. They were mates.

Palkia put away her war fans and crouched close to the ground, cautiously approaching the two Mystic Dragons. Beside her, Kouseikei followed suit. Although he said nothing, the fact that the Flygon were mated to each other had stirred something in the young Salamence's heart.

One that, for some strange reason, had something to do with Palkia as well...

"I am sorry we got off on the wrong foot," she whispered, extending out a hand in an effort of reconciliation. "Maybe if we hear your end of the story, we will be able to sort things out."

…o0o…

Kouseikei touched the bare depression on the nest that the two Flygon had led them to. He could not see much in the dim light, but his fingers can at least feel the part of the soil where an egg should have been. In the moonlight, he made out certain tracks radiating from the nest... ones that were clearly not of a Flygon. Sitting on his shoulder, Maji chirruped curiously.

"Their nest was raided, all right," Kouseikei said to Palkia. "They must have attempted to fight whoever got their egg, but somehow they weren't successful... and now they're requesting our help."

"Would you think that the person over there would know where their egg got to, Kousei?" Palkia said in reply.

Puzzled, Kouseikei followed her line of vision. A little bit away was a small point of light from a single campfire. The two dragons looked at each other and shared the same conclusion: surely, there aren't too many living beings in the Desert of Lines that have the capacity to challenge the Flygon?

…o0o…

The cloaked figure stared greedily at the large egg he held in his hands. The oblate thing shone orange in the light of the fire. Its pesky parents were a menace, but now that he had given them a taste of what he could do, they wouldn't bother him again. A Trapinch not yet hatched from the egg would surely fetch a high price...

"Ahem, excuse me..."

The youth jumped at once at the sound of the foreign voice. Without even glancing at its source, he hurled a handful of the dry soil in its direction as he made his escape, hurriedly placing the Trapinch egg in a padded sack as he did so.

Kouseikei coughed as the Sand-Attack hit him, and he managed to clear his eyes of some of the debris before running after the cloaked youth.

"Wait!" the young Salamence called out. "Have you seen a Trapinch egg around here? Two Flygon have lost one."

"I know of no Trapinch egg!" the retreating figure snapped back, running as fast as he could. He let out a yelp when a Swellow utilizing Aerial Ace hit him on the head, followed by what looked like an Aura Sphere to the legs. He managed to shield his precious quarry as he rolled to the ground. Seeing the older man gaining on him, he decided to Dig into the ground, opening up a hole where neither Aerial Ace nor Aura Sphere could reach.

'You have to do better than that,' Kouseikei thought, planting a firm foot on the ground. At his gesture, Earthquake sent its deadly waves across the ground, also regurgitating the disgruntled youth from where he had sought to hide.

"You want a fight?" he snarled, taking out a kusarigama and beginning to twirl the weapon's chain for momentum. He narrowed his eyes at the man, trying to figure out his clan of birth. The boy noted that he possessed blood-red wings, although the left one was badly torn and most likely useless for flight. "I'll give you one!"

"Why so hot-headed, young one?" Kouseikei said, barely suppressing an amused smile as he continued to approach, not even bothering to draw his halberd.

"I said I know of no Trapinch egg!" the youth retorted, finally throwing the chain at the older man.

Kouseikei easily dodged the attack. Utilizing evasive maneuvers, he kept the youth hitting at thin air. When the cloaked figure started utilizing elemental moves along with his weapon, Kouseikei fought back similarly, pitting element against element to neutralize the attack. The Salamence could sear his opponent's face off with Fire Blast, he knew. But the youth's age, along with the fact that he had the Trapinch egg in his keeping, caused Kouseikei to hold back.

The cloaked youth, enraged at the other man's actions, decided that he had no time to continue playing the game. Letting out a yell, he ran towards the Salamence with his blade poised to kill, engulfing himself and his weapon in an orange glow as a prelude to Dragon Rush.

Kouseikei stared at the youth as though in a trance. For some reason he could not fathom, his heart had begun to beat faster, and sweat, cold sweat, was breaking out all over his skin. He found it difficult to move, or to think. What was the matter with him? It was only a young boy. He, an established Salamence, could easily dodge him. He could easily get out of way. Then why had has limbs turned to lead?

Get out of the way!

"Kousei!"

Palkia's voice cleared his mind. Seconds before the blade smote Kouseikei on the stomach, he leaped high into the air, somersaulting over the cloaked youth to escape the attack completely. Before the boy could regain his senses, Kouseikei had disarmed him by a quick twist of the arm. As his weapon clattered on the ground, he in turn was knocked down face-first. Now the other man could simply snap his neck in two if he dared...

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the boy screamed even before Kouseikei could make another move. He held the sack containing the Trapinch egg to the young Salamence, "Take it! Take it and let me go!"

Wordlessly, Kouseikei took the stolen egg carefully in his arms. The youth hurriedly gathered his weapon, readjusted the bindings of his cloak, and ran away into the night. He only stole one glance back, and he saw that several figures had joined the man he had just fought with. Two of them were Flygon, obviously happy to have their offspring returned to them. The other was a mysterious woman with a Swellow on her shoulder. She had long purple hair, with pale skin that shone like a pearl in the moonlight. A glance from her red-colored eyes made him feel uncomfortable, and he didn't want to find out why. He turned away swiftly, determined to get back to his clan's caravan as swiftly as he could.

…o0o…

Kouseikei was visibly exhausted by the time they had returned to their shelter. He was only too happy to oblige when Palkia encouraged him to lean against her as they walked, the combined warmth of their bodies a comfort to the Sky Dragon. He had lost his cloak when the Flygon carried him away in its desert tornado, and only the flow of adrenaline in his systems during the succeeding fights had enabled him to ignore the cold. Now that the night's adventure was over, the chill was becoming unbearable. He had not even realized that his wings were out the whole time until Palkia requested him to retract them so she could lay him down on his mat.

"What clan did he belong to?" the Salamence asked groggily as Palkia added dry wood to their makeshift hearth to fill the cave with warmth. He saw Maji flying back to her perch, and after flapping her wings a few times, she returned to sleep.

"I can't be sure," she answered. "But he looked like a member of the Garchomp line, most likely a Gabite." Kouseikei was too tired to protest when Palkia removed his tunic so she can tend to the cuts and bruises that he had acquired during the fight. She took a jar of ointment and proceeded to apply the salve into his wounds, staying careful to keep her movements gentle for his sake.

"Any idea why he's here, my Lady?"

"Unfortunately, I have no answer to that. But the important thing for now is that you're safe. You need to rest; that was a pretty big thing you had to go through."

Kouseikei did not contradict her about that; he did feel tired, immensely so. After she had finished tending to his injuries, she dressed him once again in his tunic before cocooning him in a warm Mareep-wool blanket. Only when he was fully comfortable did Palkia move on to other business, putting away the generous handful of knobby-looking roots that the Flygon have left for them.

"Tubers, aren't they?" he remarked.

Palkia nodded, smiling.

"They're precious as gold in a desert like this," she explained. "It's a good source of water, apart from being filling in themselves. At least we won't have to worry about food for now." After putting away the last root, she returned to Kouseikei's side, placing a soothing hand on his forehead. "Sleep yourself out, Kousei. You deserve it."

The young Salamence frowned, however.

"But my Lady... won't we further delay ourselves if I...?"

"I am not accepting any buts," Palkia said almost immediately. "If you push yourself too hard, you'll end up just like I had several days ago, more knocked out than a drunk Slowbro. I gave you my word that I will not use another portal again despite its convenience, so please listen to me now. Recuperate and recover your strength. We will continue our journey once you feel better."

Kouseikei sighed, but he bowed to her wishes. Palkia then went to her own cot, lying down to get her own share of rest.

"Lady Palkia..."

"Hmmm?"

He took in a deep breath before saying his next words.

"I'm sorry; I know I caused you anguish by placing myself in danger like that."

Palkia did not answer at once, but when she eventually did, her tone was kind.

"It was not your fault, my Constant Star."

…o0o…

Kouseikei did sleep himself out, and felt rested enough to continue with their journey the late afternoon of the next day. The next set of lines they had to walk on the desert floor took on the swan form of Cresselia, the Moon Goddess. After finishing that task, the mortal dragon began to wonder what the last figure would be.

He was about to ask Palkia about it over supper when she remarked, "You fight using the ways of Dragon's Fury."

The young Salamence was surprised by her bringing up the subject of his fighting style, but respectfully he told her that it was true. His clan had always favored the martial art they called Dragon's Fury, and as such Kouseikei had received extensive training in its forms.

"It's been a long while since I last saw it used," Palkia remarked softly. "Dragon's Fury is quite an obscure art these days. As far as I can see, only the Salamence still practice it."

"Our elders never elaborated too much on its history," Kouseikei answered apologetically. "But they did say it was quite ancient."

"Oh, it has ancient roots," she affirmed. "I recognized it the moment I saw your stances and footwork last night, especially when you were dueling with that Gabite boy. It's a vicious form."

"Some maneuvers were designed to kill, yes," he said quietly. "Is it true, my Lady, that it was outlawed for a time because of it?"

"Yes, Dragon's Fury was notorious back in its heyday." She seemed to be on the verge of elaborating on that before deciding against it. "I tried my hand at it a long time ago, but I chose not to progress because I prefer a combat form that does not rely too much on physical attacking strength."

"Even so, I think you do so well with what you have," Kouseikei told her. "You turn opponents' power against them, instead of relying overly on brute force. And I can see that you are very adept at synching your movements with that of your allies. Last night was really impressive."

Palkia chuckled before saying her thanks.

"If last night was any example, I'd say Dragon's Fury allied with Water-type fighting style is very effective, ne? You and I should practice together more often."

Kouseikei enthusiastically took up on the offer, and as he was drinking water from an earthen cup, Palkia spoke again.

"Oh, I'll have to correct myself. You and your kin are not the only ones who still use Dragon's Fury extensively. There is someone among the Legends who remains its regular practitioner. His is the form that we have to walk for the last stretch of this desert."

The young Salamence tilted his head to the side as he asked, "Who would that be, Lady Palkia?"

Palkia began to etch bright lines into the invisible fabric of space before him. When she had finished, Kouseikei's jaw dropped. The figure Palkia had drawn was none other than the serpentine dragon form of the Sky God Rayquaza, the patron of the Salamence.

…o0o…

Kouseikei could hardly wait to finish with the last figure in the desert, and Palkia had to smile at his childlike enthusiasm. However, she could not blame his excitement. She reckoned any Salamence would be proud to pay homage to his patron god. The Kingdra wouldn't have reacted differently with regards to their patron, the Goddess of Space.

The next afternoon, they silently followed the complex lines that wove inwards, the Sky God's figure forming a tight spiral with a circular piece of flat stone at the center of it all. Kouseikei reckoned that it was the cairn's location, but he could see nothing until they finished tracing the patterns of Rayquaza's body. Finally, at the last step, the mound of stones appeared. It did not shimmer into being as he thought it would, but rather, it just was. The cairn would only appear to those who had followed the instructions correctly, and now it recognized him in the blink of an eye. And once Kouseikei had placed the required stone on the shrine, the cairn disappeared, as though it was never there. Now there were only two cairns left... the one in the Forgotten Mountains, and the final one, in Jirachi's domain.

"I just remembered," Palkia said as she and Kousei strolled together in the dimming light. "When you first encountered me in that mountain spring... I flew in the form of a star. Did you see me then, Kousei?"

The mortal dragon smiled a little at the memory.

"Yes I did, my Lady," he answered. "You reminded me of the myth of the Star Maiden, which was my favorite bedtime story back when I was little."

"Star Maiden?" Palkia repeated, her curiosity sparked by the statement. "I would like to hear the story, if you don't mind."

Kouseikei replied that he would be more than happy to do so, and without a moment's ado, he related it to her.

"There was once a poor hunter who lived alone in the forest. One early morning, just as he was going through his routine of checking his traps, he saw seven stars descend from the heavens. He followed their course and saw them alight at the shore of a clear pool. The hunter hid in the bushes as the beings took off their dresses, each of which looked like a star, and laid them on the shores of the pool. They were all beautiful celestial women, and he wondered if he could have one of them for a wife. Therefore, when the maidens all dove in at the same time, he quickly seized the robe of one maiden and hid it in the sheath of his knife."

The young Salamence paused to observe Palkia's reaction, but she simply smiled at him and told him to continue.

"So it happened that after the maidens were done bathing, the youngest sister could not find her robe where she had left it. After a futile search in which all the sisters took part, they decided to leave her on earth, bidding her to return to the heavens only when she had found her robe again. The hunter waited until the other sisters had gone before he approached the weeping maiden, asking her why she was there all alone. After she relayed her sad story to him, he offered to take her to his home so she can have something to wear. Having no other choice, the star maiden went with him.

"In time, the maiden and the hunter were married, and they had one child, a baby son. One day, while the hunter was away, the baby began to cry incessantly. His mother did not know what to do, and none of her caresses could soothe him. Finally, she figured out that the baby kept pointing to a knife sheath hidden in the rafters. She took it down for her child, and looking inside it she discovered her star dress. Realizing that her husband had been keeping this secret from her all along, she put on the robe and flew back to the heavens."

"Thus leaving behind her grieving husband to care for their child without her," Palkia said, finishing the story for him.

"You know the myth, my Lady?" Kouseikei asked, astonished.

"Not in that form," she explained, patting his arm slightly. "The Kingdra have a similar legend, although for them the celestial maidens were swans and not stars. Oh, there's another difference..." She giggled a little before continuing. "The maidens had a brother, and when the hunter went to seek his wife out in the heavens, his brother-in-law subjected him to multiple ordeals before he can take her back."

That variation in the legend astounded Kouseikei, and he found himself staring at his feet in an attempt to hide his blush. Surely, he couldn't be thinking...

"Lord Dialga must be furious at me for what I have done to you, my Lady," he muttered.

"Oh, Dialga can be stubborn," she replied with a wave of her hand. "One can call him difficult, but his loyalty and penitence are real. We have gone through so much together, and as such he's quite protective of me... sometimes overly so."

'No doubt about that,' Kouseikei thought secretly, remembering how the God of Time came to Palkia's rescue when she was stranded in the mountain spring due to a wardrobe mishap.

"As the God of Time he possesses equal rank as I," Palkia added, "but he usually defers to my wishes not only because I'm older, but also... well, because I was the only one he can spar with."

They laughed together at the last statement, recognizing its lighthearted tone.

"And Kousei, one more thing," she said, her expression turning serious. She stopped walking, and Kouseikei stopped too, out of respect for her.

"What is it, my Lady?"

"When we activated the previous cairn before now, you told me I was beautiful. I hope you'll forgive me for taking so long to tell you this, but I'll have to admit it to you..." she said, struggling to maintain eye contact with him. "I think you are quite handsome, too. You bear an uncanny resemblance to my younger brother, albeit in a more ethnic and unadorned manner."

"Lady Palkia..." Kouseikei whispered breathlessly, hardly believing what he just heard. Was it really true that he was being compared so favorably to the God of Time by the Goddess of Space herself?

"Please don't think too badly of me for this," Palkia continued, looking down and twisting her purple sidelocks in her nervousness. "Originally, my eagerness to lead you to Jirachi stemmed from your physical similarity with my favorite sibling, but..." Her hands left her hair, and her red eyes met his ebony ones. "I have grown fond of you for reasons beyond your mere resemblance to Dialga. People in the Eagle's Nest have been asking me if you're my mate, and to be honest..." She cracked a small smile at him as she said her next words. "I would prefer to be linked with you, Kousei, than with anyone else."

Palkia's words echoed in Kouseikei's mind many times even after she had become silent. Although his stomach had started to feel funny again, a voice inside him was screaming triumphantly, "Yes! Yes!" in time with the equally elated rhythm of his heartbeat. He could not pretend to understand the entirety of his own reactions yet, but he was determined not to leave Palkia alone in her admission.

"Kiya," he said softly, his wide grin looking queerly mismatched with his tone. "Despite how I have acted in the Eagle's Nest, I would also have wanted to be with you. Even if we are not on this journey to the Wishmaker."

The Space Dragoness' ruby eyes twinkled, but she finally motioned that they should go into one of the nearby rocky outcrops so they could start a fire against the cold. Although they shared few words with each other that night, they felt considerably closer to each other than they had ever been.

…o0o…

Ashikase was only half-listening to the prattle of the young Gabite who sat near to him in the communal fire. The meat he was roasting over the flames was almost done, and he wouldn't want to eat anything burned tonight.

"For stealing a Trapinch egg and for making up such preposterous stories," Ashikase's grandfather admonished the young dragon. "You sure deserved the beating you got!"

"But I'm honest!" the Gabite insisted. "There was a man with wings, and a woman with purple hair and red eyes! They even had a Swellow with them!"

Ashikase nearly dropped the stick of meat into the fire. The old Garchomp rolled his eyes and ordered the Gabite out of his sight. Unseen by anyone, Ashikase retrieved the white ribbon from within his clothes. Its fragrance renewed his resolve, and he spoke to the tribe leader.

"With all due respect, Grandfather, I beg your permission to depart from the tribe early tomorrow morning. I must go my way."

…o0o…

Notes:

As my readers may have implied by now, the myth of the Star Maiden was based on certain real-life legends that include swan maidens, selkies, and tennyo. The instance of the Star Maiden having a brother was not my original conception, either; I derived that from a local variation of the myth we possess here in the Philippines.