"A Squirtle…? No, that's not right… Still, he possesses what I need. He'll do just fine. Yes... So long as that damned Bulbasaur doesn't interfere, things should proceed smoothly."
Oh Arceus...
My whole body feels like it's on fire...
". . . e up!"
Every bone, muscle and tendon feels like they're being ripped apart at the seams. Not to mention this splitting headache..."
". . ke up!"
I... I can't move, nor can I speak. All I can do is lie here and allow the searing agony to rise until it most certainly drives me into shock and consumes me.
How did I even get into this situation? Come on memory... Don't you dare fail me now!
"Hahh... Haaahhh..." A young Squirtle leaned against the rigid, stony wall of a monstrously sized, yet noticeably empty cave. He gave a dismayed sigh as he struggled to take in as much oxygen he possibly could, visibly struggling with every breath. "That... Ha... That should be good enough! Nngh..." He thought aloud. "I... I doubt they've followed me this far... They've surely given up chase by now." The small, blue turtle-esque Pokémon still wasn't entirely sure who 'they' were, or if he was even actually being chased. He simply did as he was told and ran. "I'll hole up here for tonight," he began, "and first thing tomorrow, I'll... Er... Keep walking aimlessly!" Despite his forced, optimistic tone, it was exceedingly clear that the poor Squirtle was quickly becoming disheartened. Today marked his first day away as a fugitive, away from the sheltered safety of Mineral City. "Ma... Pa... Cooper..." He began murmuring out to nobody in particular, quickly shaking his head to banish those memories to the deepest recesses of his mind so as to focus more on survival. "I-I can start a fire here for tonight." The now audibly distressed Squirtle spoke, staring out at the gloomy, dark, and most importantly, rainy landscape that awaited outside, bracing himself for just a moment before stepping out into the abyssal night.
Gathering firewood proved to be quite the simple task - even pathetically so. The aqua-hued turtle's cave of residence had been readily shielded from view by miles of heavily wooded forest. What's more is that thanks to a large influx of storms as of late, flammable plant material -namely twigs and leaves- were littered around just about everywhere.
"Wood is absolutely terrible at burning, which is why it's so great for fires! It lasts a really long time! Just... Be sure to have something a bit more flammable to get your fire's flame up a bit before throwing in a bunch of wood!"
This rather obvious word of advice echoed repeatedly through the lonely Squirtle's head again and again as he began creating a small circle of rocks to contain his fire. "Cooper..." The Squirtle murmured the name of the Wartortle he'd looked up to his entire life. His brother had held a wide assortment of survival advice, supposedly from his time spent with the "Pearl Resistance Guild" or whatever it was. The smaller of the two reptiles hardly paid attention to that kind of stuff. All he knew was that Cooper's work there meant that his time spent at home was rare as well as short lived, and had been that way ever since Polaris had seized control of virtually the entire world. From what he knew, secret resistance guilds were strategically situated throughout the world, working behind the scenes to undermine Polaris, and that was the job the Wartortle held. The teen-aged Squirtle felt tears welling up in his eyes as his last encounter with his brother replayed in his head.
"Polaris has taken mom and dad! You need to run. Run far away from here before they kill you along with everyone else in the city they deem unfit to assimilate!" Cooper warned
The younger Squirtle immediately interjected, "B-But, what about you?!"
"I've got years of fighting and survival experience under my shell! If anything, they'll take me and I'll be able to get some sweet inside info!"
"W-Will you come back for me?"
"If there's a way, I promise you that I'll find it, no matter what! But for now, I have to stay back here and do what I can to protect the city's citizens! For now, I want you to take this." The older turtle slipped a white teardrop pendant hanging on a cheap string off his own neck and onto the neck of his younger brother. "Walk due west for about three days. You should easily be able to reach Fort Qampys. One of my colleagues from the Pearl Guild resides there and she'll be more than happy to help you out so long as you show her that pendant. Got it?"
"But how will I know-" The Squirtle attempted to ask, though he was hastily cut off. "We don't have any more time to lollygag around here! If you don't leave right away, you may be pursued." Cooper's tone turned from optimistically objective to simply cold and serious. He shoved his younger brother with an almost excessive amount of force. "I'll be assisting as many as I can to escape. I want you to get the hell out of here as quickly as you possibly can." The Wartortle walked away, leaving not a moment for the younger turtle to offer a response.
With a trembling heart, a jittery body and wine-pigmented eyes blurry with tears, the depressed Squirtle obediently made his way out of the city. "Sun rises... In the east. Sets in the west..." He mumbled quietly as he stared up at the aforementioned star to get his bearings. It was early morning and the sun was just barely visible over the horizon, so the Squirtle eagerly followed it, confident that the guiding light of the sun's rays would lead him to his destination.
The water-type shook the memory from his head, much as he'd done before, staring down at the giant pile of semi-wet leaves he'd tossed into his small circle of many differently shaped and coloured stones and then to his absolutely massive mountain of sticks, as well as some berries he'd gathered that looked safe enough to eat, if he was remembering the bits and pieces of his brother's advice properly. This would be enough to get him through the night if all went well. He grabbed two of the driest and firmest twigs he could find and began striking them against each other back and forth as rapidly and coarsely as possible to create a spark. "Come on..." He rubbed the two together as fast as his short arms would let him "Cooome ooonnnn...!" A spark! "Yes!" Before long, the friction caused by the rubbing created a beautiful orange blaze, which took residence primarily on the wooden twig in his left claw. The reptilian Pokémon quickly chucked both sticks into his leaf pile. It wasn't long before a sizeable blaze was born, which took residence in the small, makeshift fire pit he'd created. The Squirtle was quite proud of himself. Survival wasn't so hard!
Every now and again, he'd toss a stick or two into the fire until they were literally tumbling out because of the giant pile of combustible material. The fire was absolutely massive at this point. "Eheheh... I may have gone a tad overboard. But hey! No way this thing's going out until I want it to!" The Squirtle smiled triumphantly and grabbed the roundest, most flavourful looking oran berry from his newly-found stash and skewered it on a spare twig, holding it precariously over the fire so as to cook it. The Squirtle wasn't even particularly fond of cooked berries; he preferred them raw. It was more likely than not that he was simply trying to find ways to justify the absolute massiveness fire to himself. It wasn't working. It was large, scary, and bright enough to keep even the soundest sleeper wide awake with its nearly blindingly bright light. Well, whatever. This was what shells were for, right?
The nonetheless proud Squirtle gulped down the juicy, charred blue berry in one swift bite. In any other situation, he'd happily snarf down the entire batch, but he had absolutely no idea what awaited him for the other two and a half days of his journey, and decided that it would be a much more prudent idea to hang onto the majority of his berry stash in case another opportunity to gather food never presented itself. Though for now, what this Squirtle needed more than anything was a good night's sleep to make the no-doubt tiring journey that lied ahead of him for the next day. To avoid the blinding light of the fire, the reptilian Pokémon hid his head away in his shell, his limbs following suit only moments later. Thankfully, the warmth of the blazing fire did quite an effective job at warding away the chill of the stormy, bleak night that awaited outside. It took mere moments for the orange flames' comforting heat to quell the Squirtle's worries long enough for him to fall asleep. The aqua turtle was quite the quiet sleeper, and left the white glow emanating from the pendant in his shell to be the only sign that the unmoving brown shield actually housed a living inhabitant.
"It's not gonna happen… It's just too delicate a procedure to perform without making contact."
The fire in the cave had died down quite significantly, letting the odd chilly breeze rush into the cave and send shivers down the turtle's spine.
"Hey, sleepyhead! It's time to get up!"
'How long had it been since I'd gone to sleep?' The Squirtle thought to himself as he awoke to the sound of a voice and the sight of… Something. His vision was kind of blurry. It was a striking green colour and had… Terrifying red eyes! The Squirtle popped out of his shell and sprung up to his feet.
It only took a moment to see that this Pokémon… Well, it certainly wasn't as intimidating as he'd initially assumed. It wasn't a Pokémon the sheltered turtle was familiar with though. Its hide was a beautiful greenish-colour, dotted with oddly shaped spots all over. It stood on four legs and carried something like a plant bulb on its back.
"You're not…!"
"I'm… I-I'm not what…?" the green Pokémon tilted his head, offering the other reptile a look of genuine concern.
"U-Uhh… Sorry about that outburst… I was being chased and I thought you were a pursuer…"
"Oh…" The crimson-eyed dinosaur-esque Pokémon responded. He looked quite hurt by the Squirtle's assumption. "I… I didn't realize that you were being chased. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" He looked like he was two seconds away from breaking down and crying.
"Hey, hey! I-It's alright! No need to cry! If anything, I'm glad to have come company! I was starting to get lonely on my own anyway!" Well, if anything, that seemed to calm the Bulbasaur down a little bit. "Can I… Get your name?" The blue reptile asked.
"Of course!" The Bulbasaur blared out with a heavy optimistic ring to his voice all of a sudden. "Sauron! Of the House of Saur! At your service!" He finished proudly.
"Right." He wondered if this Bulbasaur was bipolar or something. He just pulled a total 180 right there. "My name. It's Colben of House Asto. Erm… Pleased to meet you." As optimistic as Sauron sounded, Colben came off as equally awkward.
"So, where're ya' headed?" Sauron pried.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Nice try! Now that we're partners, I'm gonna make sure you get safely where you need to go!" Sauron offered triumphantly.
When did I agree to this, exactly?
"I'm supposed to head to Fort Qampys in the west…" the Squirtle admitted after a great deal of hesitation. He wasn't entirely sure if he could trust Sauron. That being said, the Bulbasaur seemed so enthusiastic, happy even. And Colben just didn't have it in him to turn him down and rain on his parade.
"Fort Qampys? It's your lucky day! I've got tons and tons of friends there! Let's get going!" Without another word, Sauron practically leapt out of the cave.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Colben just barely managed to grab the grass-type's hind legs and hold him back. "You don't know what's out there! It's unbelievably dangerous! It'll be much safer to stay here until sunrise and head out then…"
"Fiiiiiine…" Sauron gave a sigh of defeat, but quickly regained his composure. "You've got quite a nice campfire here, so let's waste away the night by telling bonfire stories!"
"But…" The Squirtle argued. "I was planning on 'wasting the night away' by sleeping…"
Sauron rolled his eyes. "What? You've been sleeping for long enough, lazy butt! Now come on! We're gonna tell stories 'til dawn!"
"A-Alright, I guess…" Colben let out an annoyed groan as he took a seat next to his slowly dying fire. Sauron took a seat uncomfortably close to him. "So, who're you running away from? Huh? Spill all the juicy details!"
Should've figured that by 'we're gonna tell stories' he meant 'I'm gonna tell him stories.' Whatever. Telling this to someone will be a huge weight lifted from my chest.
"Okay, listen closely because I only want to say this once," Colben began; answered only by a silent nod from the Bulbasaur who already seemed beyond eager to listen to every word he had to say. "I'm sure you've heard of what's going on, right? With Polaris?" The green dino looked beyond confused, though he dared not say a word for fear of interrupting the storyteller. "Fine, I'll start from the very beginning, then. At least, as close to the beginning as I remember. About seven-ish years ago, give or take, the strongest, smartest and stealthiest Pokémon the whole world over decided that they were too good for the rest of us. That they'd create a new world order that purposely exterminated the weak in order to allow the strong all the world's resources. They've come to call this new world order 'Polaris.' Polaris has launched hundreds of attacks on innocents over the years, burning down villages, terrorizing civilians and ruling with an iron fist and fear tactics. They've been raiding town after town, city after city, kidnapping anyone they deem worthwhile to assimilate to their cause and brutally eliminating the rest Then, they simply flee back to their headquarters… Wherever that is. However, there were Pokémon who quickly got sick of Polaris' antics. They banded together and formed secret resistance bases all over the world. From what I've heard, most members of the resistance are weak Pokémon that managed to escape Polaris' attacks someway or another. Though not strong, they are many. And what the resistance does is go around to places where Pokémon need help and, whether it be thanks to Polaris' meddling, or if their client just have a problem that needs solving, they help out! Then they see if they can bring said client over to the resistance to boost their numbers. The closest resistance base to here is the Pearl Guild… That's where my brother was operating."
The Squirtle shook his head. "Now, back to the story at hand. Just yesterday, Polaris decided to launch an attack on my home: Temenel City. It turns out that my parents had been allegiants for Polaris for quite a while, and they assisted in the destruction of the city and the genocide of its residents. My brother, Cooper basically had to carry me to the city limits and shove me out to get me to leave. All I remember past that is that I was being chased. I heard footsteps behind me, I'm sure of it. Though, I never looked back, I was too afraid of what I'd see hot on my heels. Then, I managed to find this cave! And I guess I lost whoever was pursuing me by hiding in here!" Colben finished with an oddly cheery tone to his voice. "Though, I suppose that from this day on, I'm a fugitive without direction… Whatever. It's better than death, I suppose… So, what's your story?"
The Bulbasaur seemed quite taken aback by the simple question. He thought for a few moments, as if he was considering whether or not what he was about to say was really worth saying. "Well, I'm a member of the Pearl Guild! I ran away from home because I knew my calling in life was to help out Pokémon in need! And that's why I'm here; to help you get where you need to go!"
"H-Help me?! How could the Pearl Guild have possibly known that I'd be in this situation?!" Colben inquired. He sounded… Conflicted, to say the least.
"Oh, come on! Here I thought the little brother of the legendary Cooper Asto would be a little bit smarter than that! I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet!" Sauron taunted.
"Hey! I don't need your help if you're going to treat me like a child!" Colben interjected.
"Fine, fine. I'll treat you like an adult… If you can figure out how I knew you were here. It should be pretty easy." The Bulbasaur spoke as if he was issuing the Squirtle a challenge, and he wasn't about to turn it down.
"Alright. But how am I supposed to figure it out just from scratch?" Colben asked, folding his arms and tilting his head and looking around the cave the two were sheltered by, as if some cave drawing would spell out the answer.
"Just walk through everything you know. I'm sure the answer will come to you if you're really a worthy successor to the Asto name!" The Saur chimed. His voice was nearly sickeningly upbeat.
"Okay…" Colben began. "I'll go from start to finish through the information I have and see if I can make myself worthy in your eyes!"
'Cooper works for the Pearl Guild. His work never fails to keep him busy, so he only has time to come home and visit me for about a week every four months, like clockwork. However, this time was different. He came home after only two months. I initially found it strange, though when I consider what happened during his visit, the two events seem to coincide almost too well to write off as a coincidence. As a result, I must conclude that Cooper knew about Temenel City's fate, and came back early so that he could prevent it. … … … No, that's not right. He didn't take any preventative measures, which means that he must've had a reason not to. Hmm… Something that would've stopped Cooper from taking preventative measures to stop the blaze that engulfed the city. I'll think about this differently. What were Cooper's priorities? Well, if I'm going to judge from his actions in response to the city going aflame, I must conclude that I was likely prioritized before anything else in his eyes. So… Cooper must've thought that preventing the fire would've put me in danger's way. Argh! That's not right either! He could've taken me out of the city beforehand to spare me if that was his only concern! Well, I've come this far on this train of thought. Let's at least see it through before throwing in the towel and staring over… So, the next question is 'why couldn't Cooper take me out of the city beforehand?' I'm not a very well known guy. In fact, very few other Pokémon know me because I stay inside most of the time. Therefore… Aha! Cooper couldn't simply bring me out of the city because our parents would grow suspicious! Ergo, it stands to reason that Cooper also knew about our parents' defect to Polaris as well! And if that's the case… Then I think I have all the information I need.'
"Sauron! I've got it!" Colben answered, his voice laced with tones of complete confidence.
"Alright. Lay it on me, kid."
"We'll see who's the kid after you hear what I've got to say!" Colben started, "Cooper must've found out about my parents' allegiance with Polaris prior to his visit. He knew I was in grave danger, which it why he opted to visit earlier than usual. He knew he couldn't try to prevent the attack, or my parents would've gotten suspicious. They already know that he's part of the Pearl Guild, which is why he couldn't take me and leave. They surely would've stopped him in his tracks. He knew fully well that he couldn't stop the attack, so he planned ahead. He let the arson go through without resistance so that he could save my life… And… And that's where you come in. If he was going to knowingly let the city be bombarded with flames, then he had to pay for his actions. He had to stay back and evacuate the city as best he could. So that he could repent for what his feigned ignorance caused. So, he sent you in advance, didn't he? He knew how this would all play out, so he sent you to come find me, and guide me, right?"
The Squirtle's eyes were filled to the brim with tears. He couldn't bear to think about the harsh reality of the deductions he'd made, and the conclusion they'd drawn him to. He didn't have the mental capacity to blink back the tears and gloat in how smart he was. That was fine. The Bulbasaur looked happy enough for the both of them. "Correct on every count! Well done, Colben! I want you to listen closely, because I think you're ready to know about your brother. He may seem all cold and serious, but you should see his face every time he leaves to visit you. He cracks the biggest smile. And the way he talks about you. About how lovable and independent you are. He never shuts up! That's why I need to formally say that it's truly an honour to meet you, Colben. Your brother and I are very close friends and allies. And as you've already figured out, I'm under his request to protect you at all costs! That's the real reason why I'm here. And why I'm going to get you to your destination no matter what!"
Tears were streaming down the blue Pokémon's cheeks. He couldn't hold them in any longer. It was as if someone had turned on a spigot behind his eyes. Up until this point, he'd tried to be strong and bottle everything in for Cooper, but he just couldn't do it anymore. "A-And that was his last wish-?!"
Sauron cut him off right there. "I know that you don't exactly get to see your big brother very often, but I see him just about every day of my life. He's one of the strongest, smartest Pokémon in the whole guild! If there's a way for him to evacuate the city and get out alive, I guarantee you that he's found it! That's a promise!" The Bulbasaur nuzzled against the younger Squirtle's cheek to wipe away some of those tears. "So, let's smile and hope for the best! We'll get through this together, okay?"
Colben wiped the rest of the tears from his stained cheeks with his arms. "O… Okay… L-Let's just… - H-Huh?!" The blue reptile stumbled backward a little bit. He could swear that the ground beneath him felt like it was rumbling. Slowly but surely, the low rumbling built its way up until it was a quite violent tremor. "I-Is this an earthquake?!" Colben blurted out, but received no answer. He scanned the immediate vicinity in a panic, but found Sauron to be standing still, perfectly unharmed. Though closer inspection would reveal his eyes to be wide as saucers, and he was stiff as a bored. This was the visage of a Pokémon who was completely petrified with fear. Further investigation yielded the sight of a rather loose looking stalactite, which was hanging precariously from the cave's ceiling and directly above Sauron. It looked fit to fall at any moment. "S-Sauron! You need to move!" Colben called out. The Bulbasaur was completely despondent. It seems that the earthquake was really terrorizing him, to the point where he didn't even seem aware of his surroundings. To the point where nothing he saw or felt mattered. His entire being was simply focused on this earthquake and staying perfectly still until it subsided, almost as though it were a trauma response. "Sauron! … Sauron!" Colben kept trying, but there was just no more time. The quaking of the Earth soon set the slab of mineral free and it went tumbling down, on a collision course for its poor, unsuspecting victim below. "SAURON!" Colben blacked out shortly. The last thing he could remember was a horrifyingly loud cracking noise. And then pure blackness.
(So it starts! I didn't want the exposition taking up more than one chapter, so please forgive how all-over-the-place this is. I promise this is the only time it'll happen. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave any compliments or criticisms you have. Anything is appreciated!)