Warning: This story will involve scenes of oral vore and graphic digestion. Although this particular chapter does not. If this is not your thing then stop reading now. You have been warned! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon is the property of Nintendo and Game Freak. Guardians of Alicrest: Chapter 4: A Chilling Revelation The frozen mountains of northern Alicrest were a harsh and unforgiving environment. Few Pokemon could survive the scarce food supply and frigid temperature of the region, but there were still some who called it home. Trudging through a harsh blizzard, a small squad of Pokemon pushed on, hoping to find theses few. They needed allies in their fight against the Vorlords and ice type Pokemon would be particularly useful against Draco's forces. The squad consisted of a Ninetales, Cinccino, and winter Sawsbuck. Their thick coats served not only to shield them from the blistering cold, but also to camouflage them from any potential threats. Unfortunately the blizzard was inhibiting their sight as well, hiding treacherous terrain or possible enemies, but still they pressed onward. Suddenly the Sawsbuck let out a cry of distress. The Ninetales swiftly turned around to find that the Sawsbuck was nowhere to be seen. He checked his sixth sense for any trace of the Sawsbuck, but couldn't sense him anywhere. Suddenly the Cincinno cried out as her form was dragged into the blizzard. The Ninetales bared his fangs and raised his tails. "Who's out there?!" he demanded "Show yourself!" A silhouette slowly came into view as it approached from the blizzard. The Ninetale's eyes went wide in shock "You?!" ****** The last few days had been a whirlwind of activity for Ava. Seeing as she had no combat experience whatsoever, she was receiving a crash course in self defense. Unfortunately progress was slow. On top of her lack of experience, being an Eevee put her a distinct disadvantage. She was simply too small and weak to inflict any real damage in melee and here options for ranged attacks were limited. Still they made the best of what they had. "Now Ava, I want you to focus your energy at the tip of your tail." Cedric instructed her. Ava closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to move as much energy into her tail as possible. "Now!" Cedric commanded. Ava spun around, flicking her tail through the air. A few sparks were emitted, but otherwise nothing else happened. "Aw!" Ava whined in disappointment. "Don't get discouraged. Concentrate and try again." Cedric encouraged her. Ava closed her eyes and concentrated again. "Now!" Cedric commanded again. Ava flicked her tail again, and this time several star-like projectiles shot from the tip and struck a tree a few feet away. "I did it!" Ava cheered happily. "Good job." Cedric complimented her "But you'll need to keep working on it until it becomes second nature to you." "Yes sir!" she said before attempting the Swift attack several more times. Each attempt was met with varying levels of success, showing her inexperience with the move. "I think that's enough for now. We should take a break and replenish your strength." Cedric suggested. "Sound good." Ava said with a smile. "Ming we're going to take a break. Care to join us?" Cedric asked. Ming was busy training as well, honing her skills on makeshift dummies they had constructed from logs. She glided around the training course with grace and beauty before delivering a kick to one of the logs that shattered it to tiny pieces. Due to her kindhearted nature, it was easy to forget that she was a deadly martial artist. "I could do with a break." she replied, wiping her brow with her arm. They all headed over to the food stores to get something to snack on. "Hey you three." Jarod greeted them with his usual cheer "Been working hard I see." "Yeah, I learned how to do a Swift attack." Ava beamed with pride. "Well that's great. Keep it up and you'll be a full fledged guardian in no time." Jarod was surprised by just how much Ava had changed in the past couple of days. It was hard to believe that this was the same timid young Eevee he had first met. He wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but it was nice to see her happy for a change. Jarod fetched them a couple of berries which they took graciously. While they were eating they noticed a small band of Pokemon rushing across camp. "Looks like there's some kind of commotion in the northern part of camp." Jarod observed. "We'd better check it out." Cedric said. They all headed north so see what all the ruckus was about. A Ninetales came hobbling into camp, panting in exhaustion. "Ixania! What happened to you?!" a Buizel asked with concern. "We were... ambushed." Ixania responded between breaths "The others... captured. I barely... escaped. Must see... Blaze." The group cleared the way for him to proceed. They followed behind him as he made his way to the meeting tree. Blaze and Rook were outside the tree, conversing with one another when they noticed the small crowd of Pokemon heading their way. "Ixania, what happened? Where are the others?" Blaze asked with a frowned. "We were ambushed." Ixania stated. "Ambushed? By who?" Blaze inquired. "Unfortunately the blizzard obscured my vision and I didn't get a good look at them. But whoever they are, they captured the others." Ixania explained. "Great, as if we didn't have enough problems." Blaze complained. "I'd like to request a rescue mission sir." Ixania asked. Blaze closed his eyes and pondered this for a few seconds. "Very well. I'll send a team with you to rescue the others. Or in the very least eliminate whatever threat lurks up there." Blaze responded "Ming, Cedric, are you two up for a rescue mission?" "Always." Cedric replied. "But what about Ava?" Ming asked. "I'm afraid this mission is too dangerous for her. The weather is harsh and our enemies are unknown." Blaze stated. "Thank you sir." Ixania said graciously. With the matter decided, the group of Pokemon began to disperse, most of them returning to their work on the base. Ming and Cedric followed Ixania, Ava tagging along side them. "I see you two have made a new friend in my absence." Ixania said, striking up some small talk. "Yes, we rescued her from Vorlord Nefarious." Ming replied. "You don't say. What's your name little one?" Ixania asked. "Ava." Ava replied. "So this is who you were referring to back there Ming." "Yes, she's been training with us." "Well I'm sure she'll make a fine guardian one day." They approached a line of freshly constructed dens. "I'm going to need a moment to recuperate before we head out. It's been a long journey and I need to replenish my strength. I'll meet you back here in an hour." Ixania explained before entering one of the dens. "We should prepare for the journey ourselves." Cedric suggested. "Agreed." Ming nodded. "But what am I going to do?" Ava asked a little forlorn. "You just keep on training while we're away." Ming instructed. "Yes, I expect you to have mastered Swift by the time we return." Cedric stated. "Okay." Ava said although she was still sad to see them go. She figured she could at least spend one final hour with them before they left. So she followed them around camp as they picked up a couple of supplies they would need for their journey. Afterward they decided to head to their den to take a breather as well, but on the way they were approached by Blaze. "Ming, Cedric, I'm glad I found you." he said "I've been thinking the matter over, and I've decided that Ava should accompany you after all." Despite the fact they they were happy to hear the new, they were skeptical about the sudden change in judgment. "Thank you, sir, but what about the weather and unknown enemy?" Cedric asked. "Her coat should be thick enough to protect her from the cold. As for the enemy, that's why I'm sending her with you. The greater your numbers, the greater your chances. Even as inexperienced as she is, there's strength in numbers." Blaze explained. "Very well sir, we'll take her." Cedric replied. "Good. Do your best out there, we're counting on you." Blaze said before leaving. "Well that was strange. It's not like Blaze to change his mind, but he must have his reasons." Cedric observed. "He probably just doesn't want to babysit Ava." Ming chuckled. They all relaxed for a little bit before heading back to Ixania's den. When he emerged, he looked a lot more rested and groomed than when he entered camp. "Ah, that was just what I needed. So are you two ready to go?" Ixania asked. "There's been a slight change in plans. Ava will be joining us after all." Cedric stated. "Oh really?" Ixania raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, Blaze's orders." Ming explained. "Well if it's an order from Blaze, I guess I can't refuse." Ixania feigned reluctance "Let's go, we have a long journey ahead of us." With that they all headed north. The journey started off simple enough. They had a great distance to travel, but forest was not too difficult to navigate and fortunately they did not encounter any issues along the way. By nightfall, the trees were beginning to thin out and the terrain was becoming more mountainous. This was Ava's first time leaving the forest, so the experience was completely new to her. They spent the night in a cave at the base of a large mountain. In the morning, they began their ascent up the mountain. As they climbed, the temperature gradually dropped. It wasn't long before a small layer of white powder covered the ground. Ava had never seen snow before. It was beautiful, but cold on her paws, making her shiver. Her coat did provide her a degree of protection, but that didn't stop her from feeling bitter cold of the mountain climate. They were fortunate that this time there was no blizzard to impede their progress. They continued climbing until about mid-day, when Ixania suddenly came to a stop. "Do you feel that?" he asked. "Feel what?" Cedric asked back, not sensing anything unusual. "It feels like the ground is shaking." Ava observed. "Now that you mention it, I feel it too." Ming agreed. The shaking started to increase in intensity. The tremors felt familiar somehow, like something was moving towards them. "Brace yourselves!" Cedric yelled just before three Garchomps burst from the ground around them. "An ambush. This must be what happened the others." Ming said. "Don't panic, we still outnumber them." Cedric encouraged. He started by launching a Shadow Ball at the Garchomp in front of him. Ming didn't hesitate to enter the fray. She leapt into the air and delivered two whirling kicks to the Garchomp closest to her. The Garchomp threw up his fins in defense, which blocked a majority of the damage, but caused him to stagger backwards. This left the final Garchomp to Ava. Despite their vast difference in size, Ava summoned all the courage she had. This is what she had been training for. The Garchomp jabbed one of his claws down at Ava, but she nimbly dodged to the side. Since her offense was limited, they had focused on her speed and agility instead. After all, an opponent can't defeat you if they can't hit you. She delivered two quick kicks to the Garchomp's fin, but it had predictably little effect. The Garchomp span around swinging his tail at her. She leapt into the air and performed a quick flip, flicking her tail through the air. Unfortunately, she still had not mastered the Swift attack and a few weak stars struck the Garchomp, only serving to annoy the ground dragon. That was okay, she didn't need to defeat her opponent, just keep him busy until Cedric and Ming defeated theirs. Cedric was beginning to make some headway on his Garchomp. His barrage of psychic attacks gave the Garchomp little room to counter attack. "We've got them on the ropes." He shouted with encouragement "Just a little mo..." Cedric suddenly cried out in pain as a dark blast struck him in the back, causing him to collapse forward. The Garchomp rushed forward to secure him. "Cedric!" Ming shouted, taking eyes off her opponent. That was all the opportunity the Garchomp needed to rush forward and trap Ming a fierce bear hug. She tried to struggle, but couldn't gain any leverage against the massive beast. Ava was also distracted by the shouts coming from behind her. She lost her footing evading an attack and fell to the ground. This gave the Garchomp a chance to grab her as well. With their prey in check, the Garchomps all turned towards Ixania. "Ixania! This was your doing?! How could you?!" Ming demanded. "I'm afraid that Ixania is long gone." he answered as black smoke encompassed him "You can call me by my real name, Akuma." The black smoke cleared, revealing Akuma's true form. His features were still fox-like, but very much different from Ixania's. For one, he stood on two legs, instead of four. His coat was black and a thick head of bushy red hair with black highlights ran down his back. His claws were far more prominent than Ixania's, obviously designed for combat. Cedric was still dazed from the blow he had received, but he recognized what lied before him. "A Zoroark." He uttered weakly. "Thank Arceus, if I had to spend one more second as that nauseating fox, I was going to hurl." Akuma complained. "What did you do with Ixania?!" Ming demanded. "Oh he took a little trip... down to my stomach." Akuma answered with a sly grin. Ming's eyes went wide with shock "So you're a Vorlord." "Not quite, but Ovorlord Oroburos has granted me the rare privilege of consuming my targets." Akuma corrected. "You won't get away with this! The Guardians will stop you!" Ming threatened. "Don't make me laugh!" Akuma retorted "You are not worthy to claim the mantle of the ancient protectors. You claim to be guardians, but in reality you're just a ragtag bunch of misfits rebelling against your fate. I've been infiltrating your little group for months and you fools haven't even noticed, despite some of the obvious give aways." "It was you." Cedric said, starting to recover from his daze "You were the one how ordered us to bring Ava." "So you finally get it. I do a pretty good impression of the angry chicken don't I?" Akuma chuckled. "But why? Why drag Ava into this?" Ming asked in confusion. "You fools don't know? Nefarious has a price on her head and I intend to collect. I don't know what he sees in that little Eevee, but I would be a fool to go against his wishes. You two on the other hand are open game and I think I deserve a little reward for all my hard work." Akuma licked his lips "But who to eat first? The Mienshoa is feisty; I like that in a meal, but I think I'm in the mood for a delectable psychic type." Akuma grinned as he approached Cedric. Ava could hardly believe this was happening. All of her training had amounted to nothing. She was still too weak to help anyone. And now she was going to lose the only two Pokemon that cared for her. She couldn't let this happen. She wouldn't let this happen. "No! No! Leave my family alone!" Ava yelled, a white light engulfing her as she began to struggle anew. The Garchomp that was restraining Ava, dropped her to shield his face. The others were forced to look away as the shining light grew ever brighter. In the middle of the light, Ava's silhouette began to change shape, growing taller and wider. The light finally faded away allowing the others to look upon Ava once again. Ava wasn't sure what had just happened, but she felt different somehow. The frigid mountain air no longer chilled her body, in fact it felt refreshing and the snow felt natural under her paws. She turned to face the Garchomp that had been holding her. New instincts flared to life as she opened her mouth, firing a beam pure frigid energy that froze the Garchomp solid. The other enemies just stood in stunned silence. Ming took advantage of the momentary distraction. She slipped from her Garchomp's grasp and drove her elbow back into his stomach. She followed up by whirling around and delivering a Force Palm that sent the Garchomp reeling. She turned her sights on the Garchomp holding Cedric, leaping into air and performing a diving kick on the Garchomp. He threw up a fin in defense, but this caused him to drop Cedric, who wasted no time in firing a Psybeam at his captor. Unable to defend, the Garchomp was hit with the full force of the blast, causing him to collapse. Enraged by how quickly things had turned against him, Akuma charged Ava. He no longer cared about the reward, or Nefarious's wrath, this little witch would pay for ruining his plan. He dashed in and slashed at her with his sharp claws. Ava tried to dodge, but was not yet used to her new size. She yipped in pain as the Akuma landed a glancing blow, drawing a small amount of blood from her flank. Akuma licked the blood from his claws, completely consumed by bloodlust. So much so that he forgot about the other two until he was struck in the back by a Shadow Ball. "That's for earlier!" Cedric said. Akuma turned on them with a crazed look in his eyes. He fired Dark Pulses from both his claws, which Cedric and Ming easily dodged. Ming made here way towards Akuma, throwing a punch at the shadow fox. However her punch was only met with a puff of black smoke. A roar from above drew her attention as Akuma dropped down on her. Ming tried to dodge, but wasn't quite fast enough, receiving a nasty slash to her shoulder. Akuma was about to follow up with another strike, when his feet were suddenly encased in ice, halting his advance. Akuma turned to see Ava huffing from the exertion of performing another Ice Beam. Akuma struggled for a little bit, trying to pry his legs from the ice, but eventually gave up and just began to cackle. "What's so funny?" Cedric asked in confusion. "This is a meaningless victory! You fools have no idea what you're up against! Ovorlord Oroburos will consume this world!" Akuma shouted fanatically. "We won't allow that to happen. And even if that does happen, you won't be around to see it." Ming said before delivering a roundhouse kick to his head. There was a sickening crack and Akuma's body went limp. The three of them all breathed a sigh of relief; It was over. "Ava, that was incredible." Ming said in awe. "I... I evolved." Ava stated in disbelief. She finally took a moment to fully admire her new form. Her long brown coat had been replaced with a short teal one. Her tail was much sleeker, taking on a diamond shape, while similar shaped tassels hung on both sides of her head. A Glaceon, she had evolved into a Glaceon. A sudden cringe from Ming drew Ava's attention. "Oh my gosh, Ming, are you okay?" Ava asked with concern. "I'll be fine, I've had worse." Ming replied "What about you, how's your wound?" Ava looked at the light scratch on her flank. It stung a little, but otherwise it wasn't very serious. "I'm okay." she replied. "We'd better head back to base. This whole mission was a setup." Cedric suggested "I'm sure Blaze will just love to hear about this." He added sarcastically. They all turned around and began to make the long trek home. Although Ava was happy that they were safe, she couldn't shake Akuma's words from her mind. "What did Akuma mean when he said we were not worthy to dawn the mantle of the ancient protectors?" She asked curiously. "You mean you've never heard the legends?" Ming asked in response. Ava shook her head. Cedric decided it was best to tell her the legend "Legend has it, that a long time ago, Alicrest was once guarded by four powerful Pokemon. They were known as the Guardians of Alicrest. It was the guardians' duty to maintain peace and order in Alicrest and under their watch, the land thrived. However, one day the guardians disappeared, causing darkness and chaos to descend upon the land. Many Pokemon had hoped that the guardians would return, but their prayers were never answered. Eventually the Vorlords took control of Alicrest and the guardians faded into legend. We named our group the Guardians of Alicrest because we believe it is now our duty to fulfill the role that the ancient protector's once did." "Wow, I never knew. What could have caused such powerful Pokemon disappear like that?" Ava asked. "I do not know." Cedric replied "But unfortunately we cannot rely on a legend for salvation. We must forge our own destinies."