Trek of the Twins:
Johto Awaits
Chapter One: A Day at the Beach
The deep, luxurious blue of the summertime Johto skies spread itself languidly from horizon to horizon, marred by naught but a single light, wispy skirt of condensed vapor, hung up amidst the great cobalt expanse as though forgotten by the rest of its kind. Beneath this inverted sea was its mirror image, the true ocean, if nothing but a deeper, richer hue even as it threw itself up against the grand shoreline southwest of Olivine City, playfully licking at the golden sands that lay at the foot of the land. It was a rare day – so perfectly marvelous that no one could bear to waste time working indoors; shopkeepers throughout the city had either moved their business out onto sprawling verandas or closed up for the day, having decided that a slight monetary loss was nothing compared to the forfeiture of such a grand day at a Port City.
Those who lived in Olivine had followed the trend, most families making their way slowly towards the beach, where they would partake of the many delicious hot-dog and frigid snow-cone vendors that dotted the dunes in droves, devouring such an opportunity that the weather presented. As children frolicked in the surf, shouting their jubilance in cadence along with a flock of lazy Wingulls, hovering in on the sea-bound thermals, parents, grandparents, and the odd teen sprawled themselves out upon enormous beach towels for a luxurious, endless sunbath, oblivious to the raucous capers of their young ones.
Humans weren't the only ones to enjoy such a grand day, however; the odd Pokémon could be seen every now and again along the beach, though usually it would have been very near someone – likely its devoted, hard-working trainer, determinedly pursuing the Johto League Gym Badges… even though a day at the beach didn't offer much to such a goal. However, this wasn't the case for every Pokémon around.
« Yo, Mentali! » Cried the exuberant, tenor voice of a young Umbreon as he darted out from behind a Hot Dog stand. His small, fox-like jaws were locked triumphantly around a well-seasoned sausage, which was in turn attached to a long, sizzling string of similarly heavenly meat. Despite the fact that his mouth was stuffed, his voice rang out loud and clear – a sound that no human could perceive, formed somewhere in the complex convolutions of the small Eeveelution's brain – and full of that rich, hearty sound granted only by a devilish success. The midnight-black Pokémon would have been one with the shadow cast by a large, red-and-white umbrella shading the Hot Dog stand, if it weren't for the dimly pulsating rings of soft, dusty blue that stood out against his sleek fur. The Umbreon's ears twitched in mild annoyance when he realized that his twin brother was nowhere to be found…
« Aww, where'd ya go? » He whined in a long, warbling drawl, trotting out from the safety of the shadow with the sausages trailing behind him in the sand. As soon as his form emerged into the sunlight, he was rendered momentarily blind by the power of the blazing noontide sun, beating down upon him from the sky and bouncing back up into his eyes off of the sand as well. Narrowing his large, almond-like orbits in consternation, he scanned the dunes for a moment, determined to find that accursed twin of his… but before he could locate the shimmering, silvery-lavender fur that would give away the Espeon's location, there was a raucous clatter and a gruff, human-like shout from the Hot Dog stand. The Umbreon turned around sharply, just in time to make out the hundreds of stiff straw bristles at the end of a very sturdy wooden broomstick that connected with his rump an instant later, the force of the blow literally sweeping him off of his hind legs so that he cut a dainty little front-flip on the spot.
"Get outta here, you little thief!" The scruffy wielder of the stinging broom shouted hoarsely, raising the commoner's weapon above his head once more. The little Umbreon's eyes widened briefly and he turned on his heels, kicking up a soft spray of sparkling sand as he fled the angered vendor. Luckily, he'd gotten away with the sausage, which was surely worth the stinging rump – and the throbbing pride. The rich, spicy flavor was enough to make the young Dark-type wish that he were a human, if only so that he could obtain more food like it without such bothersome chagrin.
After securely placing several good meters of distance between himself and the angry vendor, the roguish ivory-furred Pokémon slowed his frantic gallop to a more relaxed trot. At the crest of a sparkling golden dune, he paused to catch his breath, throwing a sideways glance back at the row of vendors from which he'd obtained today's lunch. The little beast fought the compulsory urge to drop the sausage long enough to stick his little pink tongue out in a display of his maturity, but he knew that keeping up with food was Serious Business, especially if one were a wild Pokémon.
The reasons for such caution were numerous… but one presented itself rather abruptly as the Umbreon turned back around to scan the shore for his brother, only to find that the other end of his chain of sausage had been seized in the orange-colored jaws of a medium-sized black puppy.
« Hey! » the Umbreon cried indignantly, yanking on the sausage while taking a large step back. « Go getcher own, ya little twit! » The opposing Houndour merely growled back, playfully wagging its stub of a tail, and chomped down harder upon his piece of sausage, yanking several of them off the chain. Without a second thought, the smaller Dark-type turned and fled, its large paws digging through sand and sending chunks of the moist, glassy material flying.
[iThat little twit just took my food,[/i the Umbreon thought to himself, staring down in disbelief at his diminished chain of sausage. Now there wouldn't be enough for Mentali… considering that he himself was a voracious eater. His large, reflective eyes narrowed in annoyance and he leapt forward, sliding down the long dune gracefully. At the foot, he burst into a much more delicate run than exhibited by the infantile Houndour, his smaller paws flying across the sand.
The Houndour had stopped, oblivious to all else in the world, a few meters from the tide line. He plopped down on his haunches and dropped the sausage onto the ground, basking in the glorious feeling of self-praise. After all, he'd just stolen food right from under that weird Umbreon's nose! What wasn't to rejoice over? His stubby little tail smacked into the wet sand gleefully as he leaned his head back, eyes closed, ears flattened against his skull, as happily as if he was being petted.
« HIIIIYAAAAAAAAA! » the Umbreon cried, throwing himself at the younger Houndour in a full-bodied Tackle attack. The blissfully unaware pup was bowled right over onto his face, his rump stuck up in the air indignantly. « I dunno who you think you are to snatch [imy[/i food, but it ain't gonna happen, ya crazy. » As the Houndour floundered around helplessly, trying in vain to right himself, the Umbreon turned to reclaim his sausages – only to find that they were covered in strings of nasty, smelly [islobber.[/i
« Now that is GROSS! » He cried sanctimoniously, as though he were above such refuse. He turned away once more, picking up what was left – unspoiled – of the original sausage chain, and pranced away, leaving the Houndour to perfect its Flail technique in peace.
It occurred to him that, despite the fact that he had much to be happy of in the form of FOOD, he still had no clue where his twin brother was, and that was something to be sad about. As he prowled along the Olivine shoreline, eventually moving past the wider stretch of beach where most people stayed, the curvature of the sand brought him in view of the Olivine Lighthouse. Once a rather nice structure, recent storms and a bothersome fire had swept through Olivine, and unfortunately, the Lighthouse simply hadn't seen its fair share of repairs. The light was kept burning (or rather, the Ampharos kept sparkling), and the tower kept standing, seeing as incoming ships relied on it… but the structural appeal had simply faded. It had become a rather depressing place, if not only to look at, then also to be around. Not even the magnificence of a day like that day could brighten the disheartening air.
The Umbreon's navy blue rings gave a slight glow as he realized that this was doubtlessly the perfect place to find that weirdo Espeon, Mentali. This fact in mind, he set off towards the looming, blackened stone structure at speed, the chain of succulent sausages still swinging from his jaws. It was all he could do not to eat it – hopefully, Mentali wouldn't be too hungry, and would consent to letting him have it all!
As he continued towards the direction of the Lighthouse, his angle of perspective was shifted enough in climbing a dune that he realized that the Lighthouse was a lot farther off than he'd originally thought – all the way, in fact, on the other side of the city. His spirited gait slowed once more, his ears drooping and his vulpine tail lowering to drag in the sand. It was going to be a long walk…
While most of the western Johto population was relaxing outdoors in the beautiful weather, a certain Pokémon of silvery-lavender fur had elected to do otherwise. Its pert nose was buried deep into the crook of its thigh as it lay curled in a tight ball; its large ears were pressed back, with the twin splits of its long, narrow tail lightly touching the dainty crimson jewel set into its forehead. Its smallish body was tucked neatly into the dark, quiet corner of a neat, tidy room at the Pokémon center. The local Nurse Joy believed strongly in reserving a come-and-go room for "stray Pokémon," hence, the space was completely free, and the Espeon wasn't imposing upon anyone – at least, he certainly hoped that he wasn't.
The room was only a few meters square, one of many that the pink-haired woman had set aside for such use. There was a large bowl of water and an identical bin of crunchy Pokémon food along one wall; the other three were bare, with the exception of a plethora of variously sized-and-colored pillows… none of which were currently in use by the Espeon. After all, what if another Pokémon came in and wanted a pillow? Far be it from the young Espeon to go claiming everything for himself. That was the kind of thing his brother, Noctali, would pull. Besides the pillows and food containers, the only thing ornamenting the room was a tactfully drab, red curtain that kept the sun on the other side of the small window.
The silvery creature was on the very brink of truly falling asleep, when the peace of his nap was shattered into a million little pieces; the two-way door flap suddenly smacked inwards as another Pokémon came blazing into the room. The Espeon's eyes flew open groggily and he sat up, blinking in surprise. At first, he thought his brother had burst in upon him, what with the new arrival's sand-ridden coat of black fur, but in an instant, he realized that this wasn't the case. A Houndour, not an Umbreon, had come into the room, sand coating his face as though he'd been swimming in it. At the sight of the Espeon, the Houndour stopped dead in his tracks, staring as though perplexed at the silvery Pokémon.
« Um… hello, » the Espeon muttered quietly, his deep baritone voice lowered by his near-sleep state, as well as in a desire to not frighten the Pokémon; Houndour were known to be rather jumpy creatures. At his greeting, the Houndour dropped a partial chain of slobbery sausage upon the floor and nodded at it pointedly.
« Um, » the Espeon faltered. « Thanks, but… I don't partake of pre-digested meat products terribly often… »
The Houndour didn't seem to know what to make of this. He nodded to the meat once more, and when the Espeon merely slumped in consternation, assuming the Pokémon to be misfortunately incompetent, he chose to speak.
« You no want? » he quipped, tilting his head to the right in a cute display of curiosity. « You no hit me for it? »
« No, I don't – wait, hit you? Why would I [ihit[/i you for it? » the Espeon asked, fully uncurling himself to stand properly. « Wait, let us try this again. Hello. My name's Mentali and I don't want your food. What's your name? » Truth be told, he didn't exactly want the strange Hound's presence at all; he'd rather go back to sleep and while away the hours.
« I no have name, » the Houndour replied, dropping to his haunches and starting to pant. He offered no more on the matter.
« Ooooo…kay, » Mentali said, his eyes shifting from left to right in worry. Not only was the beast incompetent, it was a nameless stray. Who knew what kind of diseases it could be carrying? « Well… I was just preparing to leave, so… you enjoy your sausage… and um… nice day t'you. » He started to edge around the pudgy Dark Pokémon, but before he'd made even a step, the Houndour lunged. Mentali bristled, a hiss escaping his suddenly bared fangs. Instinctively, he unleashed a blast of Psychic energy at the attacker, the air shimmering as the pulse was released from the glowing gem upon his forehead. He'd reflexively poured everything he had into the blast, not thinking to hold back so he wouldn't hurt the creature – who, much to his surprise, moved right through the blast as though it were a balmy breeze, and slammed into him shoulder-first, throwing him against the wall.
« What in the name of Mew?! » Mentali cried indignantly as the other Pokémon pinned him down by his shoulders. Its chops hung open and its tongue lolled out, a dollop of spit falling upon Mentali's pristine fur.
« You nice! I thought you wanna play Tackle! » The Houndour replied innocently. Mentali's patience was quickly running thin. This incompetent, filthy, slobbering beast had now not only interrupted his slumber, but had also tackled him into the wall… and wanted to call it play? After he [islobbered[/i on him?!
« You must be kidding me, » Mentali hissed, grinding his teeth together. He twisted away from the overly playful Houndour, slinking along the wall as quickly as his petit form would carry him. « I'm no plaything, you incommodious little vagrant. Enjoy your food in peace – at least you'll have some of the latter, eh? » And with that, he bound through the two-way flap and out into the brightly-lit hallway. As he was leaving, he heard the Houndour say something rather peculiar, especially for an incompetent stray:
« I no like Eevee-lu…lutions, » it muttered under its breath, catching itself on the long word. « That make two meanies in a row. »
At this comment, Mentali turned to peer back at the little doorway – one of many that lined the long hallway in which he stood – and decided to give the little cretin a moment to explain that last comment. He poked his nose back through the flap, looking poignantly at the black-furred creature, who was simply staring right back.
« Two meanies? » He asked, tilting his head. « You met another one before me? What did he look like? Was he being chased by an angry mob? Was he alive? Did he hurt you? Oh my goodness if he - » and here he stopped himself before he could start recounting particularly embarrassing moments from their earlier childhood. He left the many questions hanging, belatedly hoping that he hadn't confused the incompetent stray into a stupor.
« Your words go fast, » the burdening beast spoke slowly. « My name Archie, what yours? »
…At which Mentali gawked for a moment, then snapped his jaw shut and exhaled very, very slowly. This was highly annoying; it looked as though he'd have to really pull out all the stops on this creature.
« Call me… Bob, or something, just… tell me, the Pokémon that was following you, what did - »
An enormous explosion rattled the foundations of the Pokémon center, causing Mentali to bristle and reflexively throw up a shiny golden Barrier of light; Archie the Houndour simply cocked his head and looked amused, his tongue lolling out curiously. Mentali rushed over to the curtained window and edged his nose beneath the cloth, pressing his face up against the glass. He half-expected to see Noctali flying through the air, victim of some horrible accident of his own doing… but the only sight that greeted him was a group of humans standing around and laughing at the capers of a bunch of Electrodes. The Pokémon were repetitively colliding into each other, building up energy until one would explode – which had just happened, and was about to happen again. As Mentali turned from the window, slumping in mystified wonder of such idiocy, another fulminating explosion sounded, the shockwaves thumping through the smallish Pokémon's narrow chest like some demonic heartbeat.
« You know what? Never mind, » Mentali said in defeat. Noctali was obviously out there screwing around with random innocents again, so he didn't have time to try and decipher an incompetent stray's gibberish. He nodded curtly and walked out resolutely, his tail dragging the floor.
The black Umbreon had made his way through the edge of the town, never more than a few leaps away from the edge of the sea, all the while with a chain of sausage hanging from his mouth. The temptation to stop and devour the luxurious meats had become so great, he found himself thinking of the many reasons that doing so could be harmful – from the fact that it was fattening, to the very likely chance that he could gag on a piece, fall down, roll into the sea, get chomped on by Cloysters, and washed away to the shores of Hoenn or someplace like that, where he would be attacked by the savage Ambipom natives, done up in degrading make-up, and idolized over some strange ritual, all to prepare him to be eaten.
One didn't screw around with the Fates, after all.
They were mean Pokémon.
As he pondered upon these farfetched ideas, his dainty paws carried him right beyond the path that would lead him to the lighthouse – where he was [ipositive[/i he'd find his emo-facing brother – and on towards the eastern fringes of town. His nose was low to the ground, his ears twitching at every new scent that passed him by. His worries over his brother had very much receded; after all, Mentali could take care of himself, especially with those shiny powers of his.
The Umbreon was just beginning to realize that he'd forgotten about something rather important regarding his trip [iaway from the beach,[/i when a pebble struck his skull. Irked, he craned his neck around, ears perked straight up, to find the source of this aggravation… but when he looked, there wasn't a soul in sight. One imperceptible eyebrow twitched in confusion, but he passed it off as some crazy thing of the Fates and went along his way… until another pebble struck him – this one much harder, on the rump. With a yelp, he leapt around and scanned the area behind him… nothing but the receding buildings at the edge of the city, and –
« Oh, the lighthouse! » He reminded himself angrily, scrunching his eyes up in self-mocking fury. [iWell, it's not like I got anything better to do,[/i he thought slowly. With a self-assuring nod, he trotted back towards the small dirt path that would lead him to the lighthouse. People usually took the larger, stoned walkway, but he, being a Pokémon, preferred the less beaten path. Some roguish bone within him simply demanded it.
As his small paws became dusty with the powdery white grit of the path, he noticed that it seemed to be getting darker. Casting a deep amber eye to the skies, he spotted an enormous bank of inky blackness spreading across the southern skies – down South towards Cyanwood Island. Unlike normal clouds, they didn't seem to fade towards the blue sky; rather, it was a harsh, jagged line of blackness.
He was coming upon the lighthouse itself, the huge building stretching high above him. Being as he and his brother had been in the Olivine area for a week or so now, the sheer size of the lighthouse was no longer so overpowering; hence, he didn't crane his head back in an effort to see the very top of the charred tower, like usual. Before he rounded the curved stone structure, his ears picked up the tiniest hint of sound on the sea breeze, a musical, lilting voice that both graced his ears and resounded gently throughout his mind.
«…and a storm shall cleave the virgin sky… sounding out the mortal cry… of Human, Pokémon, and I… »
The black-furred Pokémon narrowed his eyes as a sudden gust of wind whipped up the sand around him, momentarily clouding his vision completely. He pressed onwards, blinking sand from his eyes, and came upon the stretch of land before the lighthouse. A long point of rock, covered in golden sand and the scraggly excuse for grass that grew nowhere else, it would have made a dramatic cliff-like scene if it were more than ten feet above the water. However, the beauty of the small area wasn't what attracted the Umbreon's gaze – it was the strange Pokémon perched on the very brink of the rock face. As the Umbreon approached, he absently realized that he could see straight through the Pokémon, as though it was a projection upon the very air. It was enormous compared to the small Umbreon, with a large crest upon its head from which flowed a cloudy mane of violet hue, two glistening white ribbons framing this shifting embodiment of wind. The regal Pokémon turned its sight upon the Umbreon, locking its amber eyes with an ebony gaze that seemed to halt time itself.
« …you are called Noctali, » the Pokémon said, its dually-resonant voice a low, baritone rumble. There was no hint of questioning to its tones; it knew that the Umbreon called himself Noctali, even though they'd never met. Noctali was, for once, uncharacteristically speechless. His mind was blank, and he felt as though he were being pulled closer to the transparent Pokémon. A wave crashed up over the rocks, spray moving through the image of the hound, which seemed to shudder and break up with the water… but after a pensive moment, it resolved itself, its image coming back together, though still indubitably transparent. The great hound gave a wind-stirring sigh and turned to gaze back out upon the troubling sea.
With the next gust of wind, the Pokémon was gone, as though it had never stood there to begin with. Noctali blinked in surprise, feeling as though he'd just awoken from a dream where he'd been flying in the clouds, and was now back on the crummy ground where normal Pokémon had to stay. He stared out across the expansive waters, towards the proliferating blackness which was moving ever nearer. One final gust kicked up grains of sand around him and pressed his ears flat, before the winds calmed entirely.
As he turned away from the sea, confused by this receding feeling of previous rêverie, a strange thought pervaded his conscience, as though he hadn't meant to think it himself – [iI shall wait at Johto's end...[/i
Chapitre 1 – Fin ; Pour être continué.
Des mots de l'auteur :
Well, I sincerely hope that one or two of you have made it this far. I know it's kind of a dull start, but hopefully I've managed to snag a few of you who want to know what happens next. If not, oh well. I'll post it anyways!
From Chapitre 2:
"…the two went tumbling down the steep embankment, a furry blur of silver and black, as the entire world seemed to implode upon itself in fiery wrath…"