Morning had come, and the sun cast a fantastic orange glow over the horizon. In the trees above, birds were singing their praises for life, and the bubbling stream was musical in its own right. I sat among the water, my gaze upon the flitting shapes beneath the surface, my reflection distorted by the ripples. My right paw was at the ready, hovering over the water in anticipation of my coming meal. All was normal, and quiet, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
A flash of orange and my paw descended, breaking the water's surface with barely a splash, and I felt my paw contact a fish and catapult it onto the shore, where it floundered. I leapt onto the shore and quickly killed it, examining my catch afterwards. A beautiful capture and a brisk morning breeze...two more little plusses to my early day.
My name is Syren. It's a name I'm actually rather fond of, although most of my friends call me by the monosyllabic version of 'Sy'. By most of my friends, I mean 'both'. I suppose one could call me the quiet type. It's not that I'm shy, quite the contrary to be honest, but I don't really bond well with people. I feel oppressed in prolonged company, and I have been away from family for most of my life. It's a quiet life, but it's peaceful as well.
I am a Buizel, a female to be precise, and have been residing at this stream for at least a year. The most company I get is from Aeris, or from passerby seeking a drink or a nightly stay. It's a nice place, with a fine view of the sunrise, some shade from a large tree, and plenty of fresh water with a healthy supply of fish.
Today had started like any other day, although radically more positive, so I was content to listen to nature's sounds and observe the rising sun while washing any dirt that accumulated overnight within my streamlined fur. It was at this time that I heard the ever-familiar calling of my name, accompanied by a rather upbeat humming.
I didn't even need to look up before the pale purple form of Aeris descended upon the stream, her gliding wings extending at the last few seconds to slow her fall and cause her to tumble gently on the grass beside me. Aeris grinned at me, her bat-like wings folding over her chest. I could already see the excitement in her eyes.
"Morning Sy!" she squealed. Looks like I wasn't the only one in a great mood today. I gave her a smile in return and waited for her to explain herself. Asking was pointless because she'd complain about being rushed; all while rattling on about whatever it was that had spiked her mood. "Guess what!"
That's a trick statement. No matter what, you can never, ever successfully guess what Aeris wants to tell you. I've tried many times, and either I'm a horrible guesser or she changes the answer. I paused for pseudo-thought. "Um...you got engaged to a Scolipede?"
Aeris blinked in surprise. "Who told?" she asked, giggling hysterically at my double-take. "Nope! Just kidding...good guess, though."
"I try," I answered pleasantly. Okay, so maybe I stretched the guesses into absurdity at time, but the more logical guesses, like finding treasure, were never right.
"I found treasure!" she squealed. Damn it. "Guess what it is!"
"Um..." I seriously paused to consider it. Aeris was more fond of shiny objects than anything else, so I could probably guess something silver and be close enough, but then again, she also enjoyed bland rocks that she believed were either ancient (like all rocks) or fossils. "I'm going to go with a silver candlestick."
Aeris giggled, covering her mouth with one pinchered claw. "Why a candlestick?" she asked, when she finally managed to speak again.
I shrugged. "Beats my other guess. What'd you find?"
"I found bland rocks!" Okay, fine, she didn't actually say that. But let's face it, that's what she showed me. It was a large rectangular stone of some kind, like a miniaturized tablet, and a purple color that was darker than the Gligar's normal hue. Not that this was saying much, considering the aforementioned scorpion-bat was covered in a thick layer of dust that made her appear pinkish-brown.
"This constitutes treasure to you now?" I asked. I'm not surprised at all, but you see what I mean about her being notoriously difficult to guess anything about?
"That's not the best part!" Aeris insisted, giddy with excitement. Even while seated, she was bouncing on her legs, eager to share something with me. I'm not surprised she's my best friend. Opposites attract, last I heard. "Guess where I found it!"
Anyone with less patience would have sighed, or face-palmed, or glared at her. Honestly, her guessing games are fun as hell to play, so that worked for me. "Let's see...in a pile of diamonds?" I asked. Okay, so they're fun when you try to think of the most ludicrous answer possible with the awareness that Aeris is completely unfazed by the dumb response.
"Nope!" Aeris giggled. I chuckled and took another bite from the fish I had left half-eaten. "In a Beedrill nest!" She squealed when I spat my mouthful out, choking a little and staring at her with genuine bewilderment.
"What?"
"Yup!" Aeris replied proudly. "They were buzzing around and trying to keep it from me, so I said their queen's been nesting with Caterpie!"
"And you're not dead," I mused, prodding her just to make sure. Aeris grinned widely. "So after you revealed your death wish, then what happened?"
"Then I turned around and spanked myself," Aeris said. It's amazing how she can say things like that without sounding like she was pulling my leg. Even worse is that I can honestly see her doing that. It's too stupid to make up.
"And?" I prompted.
Aeris giggled again. "They didn't like that." And the award for the most shocking revelation in history goes to...something that's not this.
I turned the flat stone over in my paws, examining it more closely. The fact it was a near-perfect rectangle seemed interesting, but I wouldn't consider it valuable. It was unlabeled and seemed rather non-descript in every sense of the word. What was something like this doing in a Beedrill nest, anyway? That is assuming Aeris wasn't exaggerating her story, but the Gligar was honest enough that I was able to dismiss those doubts.
"So how did you get away with this?" I asked, holding it out to her.
Aeris smiled and took the stone from me, clutching it close to her chest. She then launched into an epic tale where she took on four of the insects at once, maneuvering through their combined charge by ducking and weaving. As she spoke, she stood and re-enacted her moves, some more dramatic than others, all while gesturing wildly with her wings. It was a gripping tale to say the least, greatly aided by her flourishes, but when she finished with a casual "And then I escaped", I couldn't let that pass.
"Just like that, huh?" I chuckled. "I believe that's filed under 'anti-climax', where the story's buildup fails to deliver in the ending."
Aeris giggled, unperturbed by my critique. "Well, that's what happened! Ooh! And guess what!"
"You found a cure for Pokerus?"
"I've got a date!" Aeris squealed, her eyes shining with enthusiasm. She certainly doesn't give life a chance to catch up with her, does she? In one morning, she taunted a swarm of Beedrill, stole a bland rock from them, and got a date.
"That's very ambitious of you," I chuckled. "Any more bombshells you plan on dropping on me now?"
"Nope, we're good!" Aeris agreed, flopping herself down on the grass in a sitting position and promptly seizing the rest of my fish, eating what was left before I could stop her. Just another typical morning.
My attention quickly returned to Aeris' find and I picked it up again to study it. Really, it's that I have nothing better to focus on. Aeris herself was a handful, and her dusty body drove me crazy sometimes. She was constantly on the lookout for various treasures and valuables and never bothered to wash thoroughly after her escapades. I swear, if I had to go around my life covered in dust and dirt, I'd go crazy. Being a water-type did have its advantages though, where cleanliness was concern, but I digress. As I held the tablet up to the light, I noticed faded markings on one side of them, nearly impossible to notice if you weren't looking carefully. I ran my paw over the edges of the markings, frowning to myself.
"What is it?" Aeris asked eagerly, climbing onto my back and peering over my shoulder. I winced at her weight, and Aeris adjusted her position accordingly. It was no less uncomfortable, but at least it didn't hurt.
"I'm not sure," I said honestly. "It looks like writing or something is engraved in this, but I can't read it."
"Human writing or another language?" Aeris wondered. As if there's much difference between the two when you can't read.
"It says 'Gar. Gligar. Gli gli gar'," I answered sarcastically. "Really, what do you think?"
"Well," Aeris paused thoughtfully. "Two 'gli' before 'gar' means...to prepare for something, I think. Tone usually helps, though." I have to remember how incredibly oblivious to sarcasm Aeris can be.
"Never mind, I can't read it," I said, shaking my head. Aeris leaned forward and her eyes scanned the engraving, as if determined to find some hidden meaning in the style of lettering. "So what, should we go find Brio and ask him?"
"Sure!" Aeris chirped, leaping to her feet and plucking the stone from my paws. "I want to tell him about my day!"
I chuckled. Brio was sure to get a kick out of that story, and probably wouldn't mind our company. There was only one problem: Brio didn't live in the area. To my knowledge, he didn't even have a den of his own, and instead spent the majority his time in the city a quarter mile from here. Worse, he stayed inside a public building that probably didn't take too kindly to wild Pokémon coming in on a whim and disrupting the atmosphere.
That would be an obstacle to tackle later. If Brio was allowed in, there could very well be a window of opportunity for Aeris or me to go see him, even if we had to relocate after the meeting. I stretched and got to my feet, Aeris shifting her weight excitedly.
"Ready?" she asked brightly. At my nod, she giggled. "Then let's go!"
