Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or anything worth suing for. I own my characters (I think), and that's mostly it. There's also violence, plot, and more!
From shadowy darkness, a shimmering light
Repaying with kindness a healer in flight
Through peril and weakness, young soldier in white
Recover your boldness, discover true sight
Approach with wariness the mystic and bright
Uncover the madness wrought by ancient might
A mistaken blindness to forge and unite
Turn chagrin to gladness, O star of the night
"A prophecy is like a poem about something that will happen at a later time. The tricky part is trying to get the future you bear foreknowledge of to flow and rhyme."-Vivi
Chagrin Chapter 1
From Shadowy Darkness
Tess was having a horrible time trying to understand what had happened. She had stumbled upon a disgruntled pack of territorial Houndour as she traveled along the shore. Trapped between the ocean and the nearby cliffs, Tess had sprinted down the beach until she saw what she a way out. A cave entrance was discretely set into the nearby cliffside, and hopefully easy to miss. Tess had scrambled inside the cave to escape her pursuers.
The cave had turned out to be a long curved tunnel sloping gently downward into darkness. In the distance, a curve in the tunnel could barely be seen. Curious, Tess had lit the area around her with a flash of light. With the intent to lay low until her pursuers were long gone, she slowly pressed forward into the earthy depths. The howls faded in the distance until she could only hear her own heart pounding in her chest. Nervously she had gripped the straps of her pack tighter and pressed on. Time seemed to stretch on forever as the tunnel stretched onward. Tess's Flash had begun to peter out, and she had considerer turning back, but an odd scraping sound that came from ahead had interrupted her thoughts. Straining her eyes as the darkness closed in, Tess had called out, "Hello? Is anyone here?" Her inquiry had been met with more scraping, which echoed harshly off the cold, damp walls as she crept closer. Then she had seen a glint of metal, felt a sharp burst of pain, and then nothingness.
What had happened? Unsure of the answer, Tess considered her situation. Her body felt heavy, She tried rolling over, but her head appeared to be held fast by something. When she tried opening her eyes, she instantly regretted it. The pain of the movement caused her to gasp in shock, and it took several moments for her mind to clear. Her face burned, her eyes stung fiercely, and her head felt like it was being squeezed.
Panic swept over Tess as the severity of the situation set in. Something was wrong, and she had to get away. She couldn't let this be the end, not after waiting so long to be free. She began squirming violently, trying to work her way out from whatever was holding her. Without warning the pressure on her skull pulsated as a voice said, "You're alive! Amazing! I wasn't sure if you would make it, considering what happened". The voice spoke with a mixture of concern and delight, and echoed with a slightly bell-like tone. The words rang loudly in Tess's mind, drowning out her muddled thoughts. She responded, or at least tried to. Before the words "What happened?" had begun to form on her lips, the voice responded to her unasked question. "You were attacked, and you fainted from your injury. I tried to help you as best as I could. I used some berries from your bag on the wounds, so it should heal with time. However, you need to rest in order to recover".
Tess tried to understand what had been said. She was hurt, but recovering now thanks to whoever this was. Slowly and gently, Tess touched her face and felt a silken fabric. The cloth was soft yet firm with occasional cold sticky patches from the berries, and in some places warm and damp with her own blood. She shuddered at the thought of how bad the wounds might be under the cloth. She gave the fabric a tug, but it refused to budge. "You mustn't do that!" the voice cried out in alarm. "If you take me off your wounds will be exposed, and could get badly infected. You could even die!" The cloth around her head tightened, causing Tess to cry out at the blinding pain.
Fighting through the pain, Tess focused on what the voice had said. The voice spoke as if it were the cloth that was covering the wounds on her head. Why was it going through all this trouble for a complete stranger? Tess pondered the question for a moment, then the voice spoke once more. "I must apologize," the cloth said hesitantly, "for I have harmed you greatly without provocation, and must atone for my actions".
"What could you have possibly done?" Tess replied, managing to speak for the first time in this strange conversation. This was just a strip of fabric after all, not some fearsome monster. "You misunderstand, little psychic one," The voice said earnestly, "I am the one who struck you. I lashed out in fear with my blade, and it is my blade that has left you disfigured". The voice seemed to teeter on the verge of tears, but it continued. "I have tried to undo the damage, but I fear it is too late. What I have done is unforgivable. You will bear the scars of my foolishness the rest of your life". The voice finally broke off, leaving behind it a heavy silence.
Tess was stunned and outraged. Then she felt the despair and remorse of the voice, the cloth, the blade. Tess bit her lip thoughtfully. Though it went against all reason, she felt a sense of trust for the bloody sword that had harmed and helped her. So she calmly asked, "What is your name?". "I don't have one..." the voice replied. Tess leapt at the opportunity to lighten the mood. "In that case, I'm calling you Rusty! Any objections Rusty?" Tess asked. The cloth shifted uneasily, and the voice muttered, "Anything but Rusty, please". "How about a name that describes you, like Sharp or Notch, maybe Shimmer, Glint, or Glimmer!" Tess would have loved to change her name if she ever had the chance, but that might be too much to ask for. Tess had a knack for naming, just like her father way back when. "Whatever you wish to call me, I will accept." the voice concluded with a sigh of resignation. "Shimmer it is then! Though I still think Rusty sounds much better". Tess said with a half-hearted smile, which quickly became a wince of pain from the motion. "Speaking of names, mine is Tess!" She managed to sound almost cheerful, but the strain was incredible.
"Now that we have that little issue out of the way," Tess paused and cleared her throat. "Shimmer, I forgive you. You have hurt me, but you did so out of fear and self defense. You have gone to great lengths to help me recover, even using yourself as a bandage to cover my wounds. Thank you for your help! But now, I must beg of you, please help me further. I have traveled far, but I suspect that I have much further to go. I cannot see with my eyes wrapped in bandages, but I don't dare uncover them until they are healed. Yet if I wait to heal, my family might suffer for my actions. Would you please help and guide me Shimmer?" Tess waited anxiously for Shimmer's response. Finally Shimmer said, "It would be an honor to serve such a humble soul." Tess frowned slightly, saying, "You're not serving me. I just need you to be my eyes for a while, that's it." The sword replied, "Then let me be your guide, and lead you on your journey".
Tess slowly rose to her feet. "So, what's around me right now?" she asked as she dusted herself off. "I wish I could tell you, but it's too dark too see" Shimmer replied. "Oh," Tess said, "I forgot about that. Close your eyes for a few seconds". Tess focused on a point ahead of her, compressing as much energy as she could into that spot until it burst. This released a flash of heat, which soon faded to a mild glow of warmth. "You can open your eyes now" she told Shimmer, who after a moment's pause gasped in astonishment. "What do you see now?" she asked. "Y-you have so much b-blood on you! Are you sure you're alright to walk?" Shimmer's voice fumbled over the words as Tess tilted her head side to side testily. "I should be fine, but I need my bag first. Do you see it?".
As it turned out, the bag had been within arm's reach. Tess took the bag, sat down, and began rummaging through it. From inside the bag she pulled two segments of soft cloth and two smallish round berries. "What's all that for?" Shimmer asked. "You'll see soon" Tess replied as with the first piece of cloth she slowly wrapped one of the berries, leaving no surface visible. She then crushed the berry within the cloth, kneading it steadily until the cloth was soaked. After gently wringing the cloth out, Tess pulled a pinch of fine powder from a pouch in the bag and sprinkled it on the cloth.
Pausing for a moment, Tess said, "Shimmer, I need you to let go of my head now." "But what if-" before Tess interrupted by saying, "You can't stay wrapped around my head forever. Not only is that bad for the wound, but it makes moving around difficult too. So please, let go". Shimmer sighed and the wrappings came free of her head. Tess began quickly and carefully wrapping the medicine laden bandage around her head. She wrapped the second cloth around the first, then tied it off with a knot. "And done! Not bad, right?" Tess smiled with satisfaction at her handiwork. "What about the other berry? Did you end up not needing it?" Shimmer asked in bemusement. "Actually it's a snack. want some?" Tess asked. Shimmer declined, so Tess took a bite, and began repacking her bag, carefully placing each item so that she would remember where they were in case she needed to grab something in a hurry. Eventually she rose to her feet and held out her hand, saying, "Okay Shimmer, lead the way!" Shimmer's cloth wrapped around her hand, and she held on tight to it. By the light of Tess's Flash, Shimmer began to lead them toward the exit.
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