Heart of Darkness 1: Around And Back Again For the First Time
"Tsukaki….Tsukaki…"
"…" He wasn't for certain whose voice it was, but he most definitely heard a voice calling out to him. He wanted to open his eyes; desperate to see the light that capped the backs of his lids. But despite his struggling, all Tsukaki could do was float…or fall..or .whatever it was he was doing.
"Tsukaki…"
"…" He gasped, yet the movement of his mouth only allotted the escaping of air and nothing more. And then, his vision flickered to life for a brief moment; the bangs of Tsukaki's raven black hair billowed across his face wildly. His goldenrod eyes shrank as he noticed his body hurtling down towards the grass-and-tree littered terra-firma below the high clouds. At first, he was too busy panicking. To be falling from his height and at his rate, he couldn't help but feel the urge to lose his stomachs. When Tsukaki's vision focused ahead of him, versus the bone-crushing ground, he realized what was calling him…or rather, who. And how could he have missed the boy who was falling in front of him? Was he really that blind? Or that scared? The boy had eyes that were a deep shade of sapphire, and his raven hair, though much like Tsukaki's, was longer and flowed wildly. The boy reached his hands out towards Tsukaki, his eyes squinting down sadly.
"The tower of life, Tsukaki…"
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"Uha..?" Tsukaki slowly opened his eyes, yet the world around him remained blurry and dark. This was typical, however, seeing as he was extremely near-sighted. Even so, he knew where he was. He sighed, his body sprawled upside-down over the edge of his bed. It had all been a dream. The same dream he had been having every night now for the past six years. "The Tower…of Life?" He breathed silently, "Not that dream again…"
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The room was dark, with the exception of a few lit torches on the granite walls. The Latias floated over the very middle of the room, the light flickering against her white and white body. Behind her, the format of a Mew with bushy white eyebrows and an equally bushy mustache floated with his paws behind his back. He sported a serious gaze in his sapphire eyes—just as serious as the gaze of the Celebi beside him. The Latias closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh, worry laced in the jewel of goldenrod eyes she possessed.
"Alright, Tomoe, it's time." The Mew stated. Both he and the Celebi closed their eyes. At first, it seemed as though nothing happened. Then, their bodies suddenly became outlined in a very bright light, a crackling heat turning the air around them slightly stagnant. The Latias turned her head back to them as the light shot down from them onto the floor; it spread and wiggled along the stone terra-firma, racing in shape and form until it became a winged glyph with the insignia of a leaf in the middle. The Latias looked down below her, feeling the heat of light playing against her.
"So if I find him...All I have to do is bring him to the Tower of Life?" She asked quietly.
"Well, that's the hope…" The Mew stated.
"Either way, you only have one shot at this." The Celebi spoke up, "King Teotan and I have ripped a hole in space and time for you—but its only going to work once. You'll even have to find your own return trip back. Do you still want to do this?"
"I have to do this…for him." She said as the glyph started to glow all around her.
"Good luck..Tomoe." King Teotan mouthed as Tomoe vanished in a sharp flash of light.
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Tsukaki walked down the flight of stairs leading from his bedroom towards the foyer. He gave a yawn, still slightly sleeping as he rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses. He was dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt and pair of jeans, a quick dress for the start of a lazy day. Tsukaki turned the corner into the dining room. His intent, as usual, was to be quick and silent, enough to grab his breakfast and avoid an early-morning conversation with his mother.
"Good morning, Tsukaki!"
"Ughn!" Tsukaki took a step back, taken by the cheery voice that greeted him. It wasn't his mother's, but it was equally annoying. The girl sitting at the dining room table slowly turned around, half a slice of toast sticking out of her mouth. Her long blue hair was kept in a ponytail, and she was wearing a red and white short-sleeved shirt with a hood and a pair of blue jeans.
Tsukaki groaned again, "What're you doing here, Melony?"
"Don't be like that, Tsukaki." The girl smiled behind her breakfast, possibly irritating him more, "Afterall, I have something from Gramps for you."
"Is that your excuse for today?" Tsukaki pulled back a table chair to sit in. He really wouldn't have cared whether she came or not, if it wasn't for the fact that she showed up at his house every freaking day. Kind of like that mooching sister-in-law that comes over just for the sake of raiding the fridge. Melony frowned and pushed a parcel that was on the table towards Tsukaki. He blushed slightly—guess she was telling the truth.
"Uhm…what is it?" Tsukaki fumbled with the packaging tape with his fingernails.
"Not sure," Melony wolfed down her orange juice in one gulp, "Gramps said to give it straight to you."
Tsukaki sighed a heavy sigh out of a possible greater annoyance as he freed the box from the tape finally. Upon opening it, the sheen of a sparkling object caught the glare of his glasses.
"Hmm...?" He blinked and pulled the bell-shaped trinket into the palm of his hand and—just for a brief moment—he could've sworn he felt it vibrate. Accompanied with the bell was a tatty piece of folded parchment and a photo. Upon looking at the photograph, Tsukaki's eyes trembled slightly.
Within the picture was a small boy with raven black hair and goldenrod eyes hidden behind a pair of half-moon glasses, sitting atop the shoulders of a large lab-coated man. The man's black hair fell over his face slightly and his vision was supported by the same kind of glasses as the child.
"It's a photo of you and your father?" Melony leaned over the table to look.
"Yeah…" Tsukaki said hushed.
"Hmm…how long has it been since—"
"He's not dead!" Tsukaki snapped automatically, then apologetically fell silent again.
"Sorry…" Melony said. Tsukaki sighed and took up the parchment. Upon unfolding it, he realized it was a news article clipping with the headline:
"World Renown Professor Gone Missing"
His father. The article poured on about how Professor Ibara had mysteriously vanished while working on an ancient study. And how the only trace of him that was left was the Crystal Bell that Tsukaki now held in his hand.
"Tsukaki, dear." A soft voice snapped Tsukaki out of his reading daze. He turned around to see his mother. Haruna Ibara was like that small breath of sunshine at the end of the tunnel. Her kind face always ladled the look of a mother's worry and support for her child. Her brown hair was kept in a bun and her apron was still on from making breakfast. She smiled and set a plate of eggs and ham in front of her eleven-year-old son. "Melony tells me you're going to register to be a Poke'mon trainer today, so I want you to eat a goo—"
"Psssschh!!" Tsukaki almost spat his food out. He then glared at Melony, who looked to the side, sweatdropping. She knew damn well Tsukaki didn't even like Poke'mon.
"Tsukaki...I think it's a good idea…"
"No," Tsukaki said flatly.
"But honey...you can't stay cooped up in the house with no friends." His mom pleaded.
"I have the moocher,"
"You don't even talk to me that—wait, moocher?!" Melony fumed, and probably would've socked him one if his mother wasn't there.
"Please, Tsu…" Haruna looked him dead in the eyes, and he fell sucker to the softness. He sighed, but then—as his eyes scrolled across the newspaper clipping—another idea came to mind. If he became a Poke'mon trainer, he could travel…
"….Okay, fine."
Both Melony and Haruna beamed at him and he sighed once more.
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Tsukaki and Melony walked down the sidewalk towards the vast white structure in the distance that was Professor Rowan's laboratory. The wind blew across the tree tops, causing the stray leaves to blow off and litter the suburban housetops. Twinleaf town seldom ever had anything going on aside from the daily routine hustle and bustle. It was a quiet, relaxing town where one could take in the mix of human-to-Poke'mon life.
"So…"
Melony rolled her eyes; she knew this was coming. In all the years she had known him, no one knew Tsukaki better.
"What made you want to tell my mom that?"
"Because we both feel you need to get out more—it'll make you feel better." She answered. Tsukaki pre-occupied his own vision with a flock of starling-like Poke'mon, Starly, that flew overhead.
"But I'm fine…"
"Tsukaki," Melony stopped to look at him. He knew that, like his mom, there was no fooling them in the changes he had undergone in the past few years. Ever since he lost his father, his life had gone into a downwards spiral of distancing himself from everyone, hardly even managing a passing greeting. His friends seemed to fade away and, on the days that he did go to school, he never stayed for the full lesson. The once cheery boy Melony knew seemed to be long gone. "I just want you to be happy…"
"I feel like a million Aipoms."
"But you act like a million Cubones." Melony muttered.
"Outta the way!"
THUD! Tsukaki and Melony were suddenly sent sprawling onto the ground. A trail of dust passed between them, only to double back their way. "Hey-ey! Sorry about that, Mels!" The once running entity spoke hurriedly. Tsukaki looked up, and the blond-haired kid smiled down to him excitedly. He jogged in place, making the stripes of his shirt blur a little. "And a howdy to you too, Tsu!"
"Yusuke…" Tsukaki dusted himself off. Yusuke beamed at the two of them yet again.
"You two gonna sign up to be Poke'mon Trainers too?" He asked.
"Yup, we sure are." Melony smiled. Tsukaki just rolled his eyes.
"That's great then—We can all go together!" And with that, he grasped them by the wrists and pulled them hurriedly down the sidewalk.
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The sliding glass doors to the vast cool-tiled lobby of Professor Rowan's lab slid open, allowing the three kids to waltz inside.
"Hey, Gramps—we're here." Melony called as she walked forward. Yusuke walked behind her, cupping his hands over his mouth.
"Hey, Professor Rowan—where'd yall get at?"
Tsukaki shook his head and fumbled his hand into his pocket. Once his fingers clasped around his father's bell, it vibrated slightly once more. "Father…"
"If you're looking for Professor Rowan, he's out for the day." The three kids turned to the side. A man with short brown hair and a lab coat came walking towards them from the opposing side of the lobby. In his arms was one of the starling Poke'mon, much like the ones that flew overhead earlier. It flapped its wings before crooning, it's brown, white, and black feathers puffing out. "I'm Professor Rowan's Aide, Nanba. You must be the new trainers he was expecting."
"Yeah, that's us," Melony walked over to stroke the crooning Starly's head.
"Then follow me, right this way." Nanba set Starly in Melony's arms (which didn't flap on account that it was still enjoying the head strokes) and lead them down the hall into a room atop a small flight of stairs. The light flitted into the lab room through the open windows, resting warmly on the desks and bookshelves. In the middle of the room was a tall, cylindrical platform, of which three indentions were engraved on the surface to hold three Poke'balls. Nanba walked over to the platform and held out his hand.
"It's customary that all beginning trainers in the Sinnoh region to choose one of three standard starter Poke'mon. These Poke'mon will be your life partners, so make sure you choose carefully." He preached.
"I'll choose first!" Yusuke piped up almost immediately and ran up to the platform before the other two could say a word. He had obviously thought about this, for he snatched up the Poke'ball that was marked with a leaf sticker. "This is Turtwig, right? I want this one!"
"Yikes, gonna let us have a say?" Melony asked, but Yusuke had already pressed the button on the red and white ball.
"Turtwig, I choose you!" Upon being tossed, the Poke'ball erupted in a burst of light, revealing the green snapping turtle-like shaped Poke'mon. It spun the leaf on the top of its head once before gazing up at its new trainer.
"Turtwig-Turtwig!" It piped up lively and jumped around Yusuke in wild kick-like jumps. Yusuke smiled, obviously pleased in picking a Poke'mon that acted just like him. Melony shook her head. Since Tsukaki didn't seem too eager to go next, it fell on her to dawn the second of the three choices.
"Here—"
"No thanks," Tsukaki repulsed the idea of holding Starly, so Melony had to hand it over to Nanba. She then walked over and took up the Poke'ball marked with a flame sticker. It seemed that she too had made her choice beforehand. She let the Poke'ball drop out of her hand.
"Chimchar, come on out!" She exclaimed. Just like before, the Poke'ball flashed with a bright light, this time revealing a simian Poke'mon with orange and tan fur, and a brightly cackling flame for a tail. She reached down and yawned as she scratched her red-colored rump beneath the flare.
"Aww! It's even cuter in person!" Melony squealed and grappled the Chimchar. Chimchar yawned and hugged her new trainer in response.
Now, it was Tsukaki's turn. And, being the kind of person he was, he grabbed the Poke'ball with the water drop sticker and walked off. "Alright, I'm done."
"Tsukaki, aren't you even going to release your Poke'mon?" Everyone turned his way, and Tsukaki could feel their hot eyes on his back. He sighed and let the Poke'ball burst open in his hand. The flash of light dropped to his feet, revealing a blue penguin-chick Poke'mon. It hopped on its toes for a moment before looking up at Tsukaki.
"Pip..?"
"Yeah, real cute." Tsukaki said indifferently. At this, Piplup frowned and folded its wings, turning its back to him, which was all fine by Tsukaki. Melony gave a worried look.
"Aren't you going to at least try and make friends?"
His first response was a "no". But since it would seem that this was the partner he was forced to be with till he found his father, he could at least get acquainted. Tsukaki turned and knelt down, poking Piplup with his finger. "Hullo, my name is Tsuka—"
CRUNCH!
"Dah!" Tsukaki drew his throbbing finger back, for Piplup had clamped its beak down on it sharply. Raising its tail defiantly, the penguin Poke'mon made a mad-dash towards the desk by the window.
"Gah! Oh-no, stop that Piplup!" Nanba exclaimed and made a dive for the runaway. But Piplup jumped over the lunging human, bouncing onto the desk and out the window.
"It escaped outside!"
"Turtwig-Tur!" Yusuke and Turtwig turned-tail and ran off out the room with Melony and Chimchar following behind, obviously to pursue the AWOL penguin. Tsukaki let out a sigh.
"Terriffic.." And with that, he jumped on top of the desk and left the same way Piplup did.
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"Pip, pip, pip!" Piplup chimed with each step across the grass. It had already ventured out deep into the forest just outside of the suburban quarters of Twinleaf Town, and gaining more distance by the second. Its tail was still lifted up in disrespect of its would-be trainer. As far as Piplup was concerned, it wasn't going back. Piplup hop-scotched through the shrubbery until it ran along the side of the vast, sparkling lake.
"H-hey…!"
"Pipu?" Pilplup turned around, then squawked. Tsukaki panted as he came running up behind Piplup from out of the bushes. How in the hell did he catch up so fast? Piplup forced some gusto into its step and kicked up a mild dust cloud, pulling away.
"Aww, come on…! Are you really this ma—ahhhhh?!" Tsukaki tried to turn the corner of the lake bank along with Piplup. But Piplu's webbed feet were better suited to grip the wet grass, unlike the traction of Tsukaki's shoes, and he tipped over the side.
SPLASH!
"Pip?" Piplup skidded to a halt. It turned, but all it could see was the wet grass where its pursuer once stood.
Tsukaki, for some reason, couldn't bring himself to struggle back up to the surface. Instead, he just drifted lower and lower into the dark depths of the lake.
"Tsukaki…I'm waiting for you…"
Tsukaki made a slight movement, precious air bubbles escaping his mouth. His ears became attuned to a voice…no…his own voice that seemed to be calling to him from an external direction.
"Tsukaki…the Tower of Life…" At this, the bell in Tsukaki's pocket began to vibrate wildly, the outline of which glowed bright enough to be seen outside of his clothes. "I'll meet you…at the Tower of Life…"
"Who are you…?" He thought. His eyes slowly opened, more air draining from his mouth. He felt the Crystal Bell wiggling lively in his pocket. The moment he reached to retrieve it, it shot away out before him into the dark deep. "N-no…my father's bell! How did it fall out so fast?!" He brought his hand up slowly through the water's tension. And then, it happened; the very moment Tsukaki's fingertips reached out, a wild wind whipped and pooled around his body. He gasped, his outstretched hand shaking and unable to be pulled back. The more the wind spun, the more air spilled from his lungs, squeezing his chest. Was he going to drown? Tsukaki struggled to try and move, yet his unresponsive body merely sank down deeper and deeper. This was it. He started to let his body go limp and his eyes closed halfway.
"…?" And then, his outstretched hand pressed against something smooth. It pushed up against his palm, staying close. Tsukaki slowly reopened his eyes fully. His hand, by the looks of it, was pressed up against an egg. The ovular Poke'mon egg was blue in color, branded around the middle with a black line. He blinked; from the egg, he could feel a warmth; a warmth that seemed to be billowing from the inside out.
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"Tsukaki! Tsukaki!" Melony called as she pushed though the shrubs, Yusuke, Chimchar, and Turtwig flowing in suit. They called the name of their friend over and over again, trailing the woods around Twinleaf own.
"You don't think they went this far, do you?" Melony asked.
"Who knows—that Piplup sure seemed fired up. Could have Tsukaki chasing it all over the countryside." Yusuke responded. Turtwig and Chimchar stayed close on his feet, scanning the scene from behind lest their targets show up.
"Pip! Pip-Pi!" There was a rustle from the bushes and Piplup came tumbling out. It rolled all the way into Turtwig, who crashed into Yusuke, who tripped over Chimchar with a thud to the ground.
"Pi…"
"Ugnn…"
"Turtwig…"
"Char…"
The four groaned, eyes swirling.
"Piplup?!" Melony whirled around, "But where's Tsukaki?"
"Piplup! Pip-Pip-Pip!" Piplup frantically flapped its wings, squawking. It eventually came to the point where it dropped on its feet and tried to pull Melony along with it to the lake front.
"W-wait, wait, Piplup, where are you—"
SSHHHAAAAAAA!!
The distance suddenly erupted with a column of water soaring high over the tree tops for a brief second before disappearing into the air.
"What the heck was that?" Melony asked.
"Dunno—wanna check it out?" Yusuke asked as he stood up.
"Yeah—Tsukaki might be there."
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"Uggnnn…." Tsukaki groaned. He felt as though he had been flung out of some cannon into a brick wall. And now, he laid face-down on the grass, dripping wet. He could feel his arm wrapped around something warm and ovular. Was that the egg…?
"Uhm…" Tsukaki perked up to the sound of a voice. She sounded close—very close. "…grrr…hey…" Did he just hear a growl? He opened his eyes, but it was no good; without his glasses, the world was nothing but a blurry mess. He prodded around with his free hand; maybe they fell somewhere nearby. His hand passed along the cold grass, wet puddles, his bell—thank heavens—and then eventually something very soft and warm…
"Hey! Where the hell are you grabbing, you perve?!"
PAAH!
"Dah!" Tsukaki rolled over, the impact of a sharp thud against his cheek ringing painfully to him. His fingertips brushed his glasses along the ground and he quickly fumbled them onto his face, raising to his knees. The girl before him trembled irritably as her drenched brown hair flailed over her face. He looked back at her, tilting his head slightly, until their eyes suddenly met.
"…"
"…"
They stared at each other in total silence, the goldenrod of their eyes pooling warmly into each other's.
"Tsukaki!"
"Hey, Ibara!"
Tsukaki snapped out of his daze and managed to turn his gaze to the build of bushes behind him. They gave a rustle before Melony, Yusuke, and the three Poke'mon came tumbling out. Tsukaki watched them clamber over to him with worry, but he turned his gaze back towards the girl before him. Or rather, the girl that was before him. Just as strangely as she had appeared, she had vanished, as though into thin air!
"Tsukaki…?"
"Yes?"
"I asked if you were fine." Melony frowned.
"Hmm…" Tsukaki looked down at the egg that was ladled in his arms against his tummy, "I'm fine."
"Well what's all the commotion here?" A deep, russet voice parted the vegetation. The kids and Poke'mon averted their gazes to the shrubs and underbrush to the side. Professor Rowen gave a grunt as he came out of the plants. His brown coat was marred with leaves and twigs, as was his white hair and beard. The weather-hardened Professor turned his sharp eyes on the young trainers inquisitively.
"Hiya, Gramps!" Melony smiled.
"I thought that was your boice, Mels." Professor Rowan gave a hard smile.
"Piplup! Piplup!" Piplup ran to Professor Rowan's side, jumping up and down. The old man picked it up and tilted his head.
"Shouldn't you be with your trainer?"
"U-uh…?" Tsukaki blinked. He didn't know what to do; he just watched as the egg in his lap wiggled and shook more wildly by the second. He dare not move it, lest something like the drowning he almost took earlier happened again. The egg jumped up and down violently; whatever was inside was kicking furiously to break through its birth prison. There was a crack from the side as a black-furred paw forced through. Then another paw, followed by its feet. One final push and the egg shell shattered, revealing a blue and black canine Poke'mon. She shook her hang-low ears before looking up at Tsukaki with her jeweled-ruby eyes.
"…Oro?"
"Uhm…?" Tsukaki blinked.
"Riolu!" the Poke'mon smiled gleefully, her tail wagging. She turned to him and snuggled her face against his chest.
"Riolu? Out here?" Professor Rowan blinked.
"Where'd you get that from, Tsukaki?" Melony asked.
"I dunno, but you can have her." But as soon as Tsukaki raised the canine Poke'mon away from him, she began to howl at the top of her lungs. Tsukaki sighed and tried to pass her off to Yusuke, but she only howled louder. So much so, that everyone had to cover their ears.
"Professor! Help!"
"Try holding her closer."
"What?"
"Just hold her closer!"
Against his better wishes, Tsukaki cradled Riolu in his arms, hugging her close to his stomach. Riolu gave a slight hiccup before beaming up at him again, cuddling her body closer.
"Wow—she's got one heck of a mouth, I tell ya." Yusuke rubbed his throbbing ears and Turtwig mimicked.
"How long do I have to put up with this…?" Tsukaki gave a slightly irritated look.
"Indefinitely,"
"What?!" Tsukaki gawked at the old scholar. Rowan twisted his beard with his fingers out of habit.
"You were the first person that Poke'mon has ever seen. So, naturally, she's going to see you as her mother…er, father, or something like that."
"Great…" Tsukaki sighed as Riolu curled up in a tight blue ball of fur in his lap. He then looked at Piplup, who seemed to be eyeing the two enviously. His guard was already down, so it wouldn't matter if the traitor bird that ran away joined him too. He motioned to Piplup to come over, and it would have done so excitedly had Rowan not picked it up off its feet.
"Pipu?"
"Since Riolu's just a baby, she'll need someone to raise her." Professor Rowan stated, "And because she already sees you as someone close to her, I feel you and her would be perfect partners."
"Looks like you're stuck with her, Tsukaki." Melony smiled as she took Chimchar into her arms.
"Yeah, luck you, right?" Yusuke winked with Turtwig imitating.
Tsukaki looked down at Riolu. She looked so peaceful as she slept; so cute; and so annoying. He groaned, knowing that fate had undoubtedly thrust the two together.
"Hmmm…"
"That's interesting, don't you think?"
The two figures stayed perfectly still in the trees, even though their slightly loud outfits made them fairly easy to spot. The girl on the right let her pair of binoculars fall form her eyes, brushing the bangs of her black hair away. Her dark brown cloak draped open, revealing her black shirt with a triceratops insignia across the chest, and black mini skirt to accompany her gloves and boots. The girl next to her wore an outfit very closely identical, except for the fact that she only wore one glove and had shorts instead of a skirt. She kept her blonde hair tied back into a high ponytail.
"So I guess that fluctuation of power didn't come form Mesprit after all."
The blond woman said.
"You know, Dhali, I think we may have stumbled onto another Tower Poke'mon." The black-haired woman stated.
"We'll see…in due time…."
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In due time is right. What exactly is a Tower Poke'mon, and what significance will they play in Tsukaki's life? Watch a whole new world unfold in the next "Poke'mon Eternia: Heart of Darkness"!