SOLOMON

            The sounds of the fighting at the tower were dying down. When the sand settled, Solomon locked eyes with Starfall. The fool had been knocked off of his Salamence, and his eyes seethed with rage. His blue dragon shook off the sand, flapped its red wings once and roared.

            “Good shot, Sceptile,” he told his Spirit Pokémon. The large green lizard nodded once. It matched Starfall’s Salamence gaze for gaze, unflinching, possibly smiling.

            Luckily, as soon as Starfall had taken flight at the beginning of the battle, Solomon had kept an eye on him. He tracked his enemy. He had gotten there just in time for Sceptile to launch a Solarbeam at the Dragon before it devoured the boy.

            Solomon himself stood in front of the boy, sword ready. He felt strong in his new armor. His arms as well as Sceptile’s glinted bright in the hot desert sun. The silver plated armor that Registeel had given him and his Spirit Pokémon fit perfectly. He could feel a power emanating from the rainbow jewel on his breastplate, and there was no doubt Sceptile felt the same of the shining emerald colored jewel in its own.

            He turned his head and looked down at the boy he had set the trap to secure. Carson Brightflame was scared, barely younger than his own sister, Caitlyn. The Torchic in his hands looked up at Solomon wide-eyed and in awe.

            “You’re safe now,” he said. He gestured to two of his men. “Take him to the tower, see that he is treated well and made comfortable.”

            Carson nodded his head without a word. In the bright sun, it almost seemed to Solomon that the boy and his Pokémon gave off a slight, orange glow. Solomon’s men escorted him away swiftly from the scene.

            Solomon turned back to Starfall. He was surrounded by Forrest and Sand men. Swords, spears, and arrows were pointed at him and his terrible Spirit Pokémon. The last of Starfall’s loyal armies were being defeated at this very moment, and Solomon knew that he knew.

            “Miguel Starfall,” he called to him. “Your short reign of the Mt. Chimney Kingdom has come to an end.”

            Starfall spat on the sand as Solomon approached him. “This is only a setback. I will be restored to what was promised to me.”

            So he is working for somebody else. Solomon’s suspicions were confirmed. “Look around you. You walked blindly into my trap. You’ve been defeated, and now, we’ll give the Brightflames their Kingdom back.”

            Starfall just smiled. Solomon stopped walking towards him.

            “Take him away, we’ll question him later.”

            When one of Solomon’s men moved to put a hand on Starfall, the traitor King ducked and stabbed him with a knife. No sooner had the man crumpled to the sand then Salamence had let roar another river of flame, sending the men who had surrounded them scattering.

            Sceptile braced itself, and Solomon raised his sword in a defensive stance.

            “You’ve defeated my army, yes. But the storm is still coming, and I will not be your captive in the meantime.” Starfall slapped Salamence on the neck and the Pokémon lunged at Solomon.

            Sceptile leapt to meet the dragon in midair. The green lizard slashed at Salamence with the blade that protruded from Sceptile’s armored forearm. Both Pokémon were knocked sideways. The blue dragon recoiled and shot a burst of blue flame at Sceptile, but Solomon’s Pokémon inhaled and glowed with the light of the sun, and sent out a green burst of energy to meet the fire in midair.

            Sceptile’s blast seemed to be fading as Salamence’s flames grew wilder and seemed to engulf the entire area in a smoky blue fire.

            Solomon only saw the blade at the last second. He caught Starfall’s sword with his right arm, a high pitched ring ensued. Solomon spun away and raised his sword again defensively. He looked at his arm, not a dent was made in the armor.

            Starfall moved on the offensive. Solomon parried every blow. Starfall was a good swordsman, not great. It wasn’t long before Solomon saw an opening, and punched his enemy with an armored fist. Starfall fell to the sand. The smoke was getting worse, and Solomon knew Salamence and Sceptile were exchanging blows as they spoke.

            “Who gives you your orders?” he asked, his sword pointed at Starfall’s throat.

            Starfall just laughed. “You’ll know soon enough.”

            A higher pitched roar broke Solomon’s concentration. He turned and saw that Salamence had Sceptile pinned to the ground, its mouth open, ready to launch a fatal blast of blue flame and end Sceptile’s life.

            “It looks like I have the upper hand now,” Starfall rasped. “There are advantages to having the most ferocious Spirit Pokémon around.”

            Solomon trembled. It was true, he was at Starfall’s mercy. One blast would end Sceptile, and then himself.

            Starfall continued, “I only have to stall long enough for Salamence to gain the advantage. Your time is up, tree-man.”

            Solomon’s life flashed before his eyes. His father, once strong and wise, now sick and dying. His memory of his mother, loving and caring. Susan, his sister, beautiful and clever and her newborn son that he would never get to see. And sweet, willful Caitlyn… and then Sceptile, from the time it was but a young Treecko. Experiences of play and training passed in his memory. I have to save Sceptile…

            Just before the kill order escaped Starfall’s mouth, there was a glow that pierced through the smoke of Salamence’s flame that still burned even on the sand.

            Solomon felt a rush as rainbow light swirled around him. His heart skipped a beat and he was flying through time and space again, as he had with Registeel. When he opened his eyes, he was staring up at Salamence.

            Time passed in slow motion as a blue ball of flame appeared in the Dragon’s dark jaws… too slow. Solomon turned and swiped up with an armored hand. The dragon went flying, and Solomon rose, blue fire still burning on the sand around him.

            He turned his head and looked at where he was standing seconds before. He saw Starfall cowering in fear.

            What has happened? And then he knew. He looked down at his breastplate, at the jewels on his chest. One on his left side was a rainbow color, and the other side, the emerald colored one. He felt a strange power flowing through him. He could hear Sceptile’s thoughts in his head, or were they Solomon’s?

            Neither, he knew. He saw Starfall, backing away from him. He felt his bare feet dig into the sand. He felt his tail brushing the ground whenever he turned. He was fast and strong… and he was ready to punish his enemy.

            “What… what are you?” Starfall stammered.

            He stared at his enemy silently. He could hear Salamence circle around him to stand next to its Spirit Partner.

            “You know what I am, don’t you?” there was power in his voice. “You’ve heard the legends since you were a boy. I am a Hero. Now go and tell your master that I am here, and I will defeat her.”

            “You have no idea of the power the Empress wields,” Starfall hissed. He swung on the back of Salamence and the dragon took off into the distance.

            I knew it, he thought to himself. He watched Starfall fly off as a speck in the distance. Suddenly, he sensed something and moved to his right ever so slightly. An arrow tipped with blue flame had shot at him from the sky. That was a mistake.

            He dug his clawed feet into the sand and ran. The sand dunes passed by him in a blur. Starfall thought he was fast, but the Hero knew what fast was. In less than three seconds, he was running at a pace with the flying Starfall, who was only a hundred feet above him. He was flying south, no doubt to return to his master. Starfall wasn’t going to escape.

            More arrows shot at him, and each one he dodged easily. One he caught in his armored hand and threw back at the flying dragon. He heard a roar as the arrow found its mark and pierced the side of Salamence’s body.

            Starfall must have realized he couldn’t hope to defeat him, so the Dragon began to ascend, to escape, to get away.

            The Hero knew there was no escape for this weak man. He crouched down gathering strength. Out of instinct, he placed his long leafy tail in the sands, and released.

            The Hero shot like an arrow himself out of the ground, rising into the air. Again, time passed slowly as he eventually saw the look on Starfall’s face. He was terrified.

            He should be.

            The Hero slammed into Salamence’s body knocking the Pokémon from flight and they plummeted to the desert below.

            They hit the ground with a mighty crash. Sand flew everywhere. When it cleared, the Hero knew that it was over. Salamence twitched and squirmed. It was likely that most of its limbs were broken. One wing hung at an awkward angle.

            The Hero sliced Salamence’s neck open with the blade on his arm. He picked up Starfall by the throat and watched the life leave them as he and his Spirit Pokemon left the world together. When the wretched man’s eyes go dark, the Hero saw his reflection in them.

            He looked like Sceptile, but his eyes were rimmed with red patterns, and he had notches on his long ears. Something that looked like long leaves broke through the folds in his armor.

            He was the Hero he had seen in Registeel’s vision.

            He threw Starfall’s lifeless body in the sand, then turned back and saw the Mirage Tower in the distance. It must be a mile or two away now. It made no difference, it would take him but thirty seconds to make it back.

            The sand seemed to fly under his feet, or was it he who was flying? The sensation was surreal.

            When the tower began to rise up out of the sand, the Hero stopped. He touched the jewels on his breastplate, and then he was Solomon again.

            He turned and looked at his Spirit Pokémon. For a moment, they had been one. “The boy?” he asked Sceptile. He didn’t need confirmation, he already knew. Both he and the Pokémon could sense the hidden power within Carson Brightflame. It reminded them both of… themselves.

            They walked into the Mirage Tower to thunderous applause of Sand and Forrest soldiers alike. Yet it was the boy who had run up to him, the Torchic bouncing at his side. “Thank you,” Carson cried as he embraced him. They broke and locked eyes. “But… What happened to Starfall? Where is he?”

            Sceptile growled and Solomon smiled. “Where he belongs.”