APOLLO

            The place is certainly beautiful, Apollo Love thought as the chains that bound his wrists and ankles jingled. The sound echoed off of the marble hall as he and the three armored Sootopolis sailors approached the Glamour Empress’s throne. The castle that was made of carved marble that sparkled at times with all seven colors of the rainbow was the finest thing that Apollo had ever seen. It was in stark contrast to the rest of the Sootopolis Empire.

            During his time as a pirate, he had come across countless fishing villages on small islands that dotted the eastern sea. All were so very poor. Apollo remembered watching from the top of his metal ship with Ares and Hermes as the fishermen returned to their little villages from a hard day’s work catching fish.

            It had been his plan to learn as much about Sootopolis as was possible by infiltrating its people. That was easier said than done, he thought as he hung his head when the guards stopped at the base of the throne. It was empty, but the herald said Her Grace Myranda Glamour would appear shortly to bestow her judgment upon him. His thoughts trailed back to the oddities that he saw on those small villages.

            He had disguised himself as a fisherman once, and spent a whole two days on a small island under the governance of Pacifidlog. Every day, the fishermen would leave at the crack of dawn, and return as the sun set. Each village had a ship from Sootopolis’ navy lurking nearby. At the end of each day, Sootopolis Navy sailors would come to the islands, and take from the fishermen their days catch. Then, they would equally distribute the fish amongst all the villagers, whether they caught fish or not.

            The first village he had witnessed this phenomena was quite indifferent about their predicament. Apollo had taken to asking one of them what happened if someone caught more fish.

            “Doesn’t matter,” one villager happily had said. “What anyone catches or makes is to be shared with everybody. Our Queen is just, and she cares for all of us equally.”

            Apollo had observed long lines for daily rations of food. Some days, each villager would only get the head of a fish, and the other a tail. Most of the time, however, the soldiers of Sootopolis’ navy never lacked for nourishment. It seemed in nearly every village, there were but a handful of fishermen working to supply their whole towns with food.

            A few weeks ago, Apollo had witnessed the greatest tragedy. A group of fishermen on an island not far from Sootopolis had decided to stop fishing. They refused to go out in their boats. “Don’t matter how much fish we catch,” they were protesting the Sootopolis sailors who came to arrest them, “we don’t see no more fish than the simpletons who draw faces in the sand all day long. Why should I go catch any more if it doesn’t matter how my kids eat tonight?”

            That group of four fishermen had been charged with greed, and then all four were promptly beheaded.

            That very night, Apollo had sunk the ship of the executioners, and delivered their stores of food onto the beach for the villagers himself before disappearing under the sea.

            It’s not a crime to want to keep what you make, he thought. The real crime was stealing what little food was there and giving it to those who don’t pay for it. Equality, sure, that’s what it is. I call it equally shared misery.

            Almost the entire population of the Eastern Sootopolis Empire was poverty stricken, yet here Apollo was, bound in chains in Empress Glamour’s throne room. The castle was so lavish, it made his blood boil.

            And then the Empress Myranda Glamour entered through a waterfall behind the throne. She rode on the back of a Milotic in a crystal clear pool of cool water. The pool surround the throne itself, and its reflection shimmered in the water. The Empress ascended her throne, golden trident tapping each step on her way up. The gorgeous serpentine Pokémon gazed at Apollo with Sapphire eyes.

            “Here he is at last,” her voice was music in Apollo’s ears. It was no wonder she had found a way to cheat her small folk out of what they earned. “The dreaded pirate captain. You’ve created quite a nuisance in my kingdom I’ll have you know.”

            Apollo looked up at her. Rage filled him. Remember yourself, he thought quietly. Remember why you’re here. Remember Lily and Luna… “You’ve created quite an Empire,” he said, his voice grumbly. “I can’t imagine how you must have built this palace, when half of the people who live under your rule barely eat.”

            It worked. Apollo had been careful gathering his intelligence. Talking to everyone he could about Myranda Glamour; how she came to power, what her policies were… what got under her skin. The beautiful woman straightened her mouth and gripped her trident.

            “I’ve created equality; a place where none get rich by exploiting the people for whom I protect and provide with nourishment. No greedy Grumpigs live here to exploit the fruits of Sootopolis’ labor.”

            “Except for you,” Apollo grinned. Glamour’s eyes flashed at him angrily. The guard to his right punched him in the gut and Apollo crippled over. Why did you have to hit me so hard?

            “Where did you come from, Pirate?” All melody had fled from her voice. “What is your name? How is it that my great Navy has just now noticed what a nuisance you are to the peace and equality of this great kingdom?”

            “Lilycove,” Apollo lied. She has no idea who I am. The chains jingled again as he stood up. “Your men killed my family long ago, for the crime of catching many fish, and trading some for bread.”

            Glamour laughed. “Your whole family were criminals. Why would they seek to horde their own fish and not share it with their community? Greed I call it. It was good they rooted your treacherous family out.” She looked at the guards who had brought him in. “You did great service by capturing this man.” All three guards bowed deeply, taking a knee and crossing their right arm over their chest. “I’ll see to it that your ship, your captain, and all your families are well fed in the near future for serving your Kingdom well. Get the swine up.”

            Apollo was jerked to his feet, the chains jingling like a sweet song in his ears. “Take him down to the dungeons… I’ll have my brother see to his punishment. I’m sure you know of him? He’ll enjoy making sport of the debt you owe my kingdom.”

            The three guards bowed deeply again, then the one who had punched Apollo spoke. “Your Grace… I have begun learning how to cook aboard my ship… The crew’s Pokémon love my cooking.” He pulled out two round balls of colored bread, made up of mixed berries. “I would be honored if yours and Ahab’s Spirit Pokémon would accept them.”

            “How thoughtful of you,” Glamour smiled. The guard took a step before she pounded her trident on the marble floor. “No closer, toss it to Milotic. Throw it high, let her stretch her body.” The guard obeyed. Milotic leapt out of the shallow pool, its long serpentine body glistening all colors of the rainbow at once before catching the berry cake in her mouth. It gave an echoing cry of delight at the taste.

“Throw me the other,” the beautiful queen said watching Milotic earnestly chew the cake. “I’ll be sure to give this to Ahab when I see him next. Thank you all for the great service you do Sootopolis.”

With that, the guards bowed again. They were escorted then by a servant who led them down long marble hallways, and eventually down a long rocky stair into a cold, damp hall lined by torches. Small, cruel metal cages lined the walls; some were filled, and some seemed vacant until one noticed the skeletons within. The servant escorted Apollo and the guards as far down as the hall would go.

“Is this as far as it will go?” asked the guard to his left. The servant nodded in the dim torchlight.

The guard to Apollo’s right chuckled. “And there will be nobody around to hear him scream?”

“Yes, of course, this is where Ahab likes to keep his playthings.”

“Too bad for you,” said the guard to Apollo’s right again.

The servant had little time to utter anything other than a “what?” and a confused look as the guard who had given Milotic the berry cake pulled out his sword and slashed at the servant’s neck. The spray of blood was oddly pleasant in the cold dampness of the prison.

Apollo punched the guard who had his sword out.

 “What was that for?” Ares said.

“You know you didn’t have to punch me so hard back there, you fool. Get these things off of me,” Apollo said. Ares took off his metal helmet, and so did Hermes. There was a flash of light, and the third guard’s armor fell off, revealing Gallade. I knew keeping all the armor from those ships we sunk would come in handy. “How long do we have?” he asked Hermes as his man undid the chains with a key he had hidden.

“Until midnight,” said Ares, Apollo’s other guardsmen. “We shouldn’t have force fed that last Navy ship’s crew all that poison. We could have had a lethal dose for those two Pokémon. At most, it will knock them out for a few hours.”

“Good,” said Apollo walking over the dead body of the servant who had escorted them to the dungeons. “Brandon and Hector should already be looking for Luna elsewhere in this damned castle. We’ll start down here in the dungeons. Free every captive you can. I don’t care if they’re murderers… or worse. Any enemy of the Empire of Sootopolis is our friend today. Chaos and confusion are our companions.” He dipped his fingers in the blood that was pooling on the floor beside the servant’s twitching body, and drew a long line with the sticky blood as if it were paint underneath his eyes. “Let’s go get my sister.”