Chapter 1: A Cursed Death
The summer sun beat down through the trees, with only the faintest trace of a breeze offering barely any respite. Even though the sun was beginning to set, the atmosphere was still hot and humid. Such was the summer in Hoenn.
Walking through the outskirts of a forest, a young man looked around. Sighing deeply, he checked his PokeNav. Surrounding the man were six, disgruntled looking Pokemon. One of them in particular, a female Pikachu, was beginning to look irate.
"Are we there yet?!" The Pikachu had her trainer by his ear, her words ringing painfully. The young man chuckled.
"You seem to be in an extra bad mood today. What did I do this time?" The Pikachu's grip tightened, causing the man to yelp. As usual, she wasn't giving him any breaks.
"I'm mad because A, we're clearly lost..."
"Hey, I'm working on that-... Ow!" He yelped again as the Pikachu exerted even more pressure to his ear.
"...and B, you've been gawking like a lecherous old man at every girl we've come across since Fortree!"
"Now to be fair..." Another Pokémon climbed onto the trainer's other shoulder, a spirited young male Minun. "The boobs on that one Ace Trainer were fantastic! And Zenea is a healthy young man, what do you expect?"
Zenea, the convicted pervert in question, nodded his head in agreement.
"But to be fair, the legs on that one Lass back a while ago were heavenly..."
"Nora! You're making it worse!" The female Pikachu puffed out her red cheeks, small angry sparks indicating her irritation. The little Minun known as 'Nora', grinned evilly in response.
"Ah, what's this? Is wittle Aria getting jealous?" The female Pikachu, known as 'Aria', had a faint blush erupt across her face.
"N-no!" She didn't have a more convincing defence and turned away, pouting.
"Let's call it a truce there guys." Zenea was checking his PokeNav once more, but it was acting odd. The screen was glitching and the reception kept dropping out. Sighing again, he put the device back in his pocket.
"It looks like we're not reaching Lilycove today. We'll have to set-up camp here." Aria audibly groaned.
"Again?! I'm so tired of sleeping outdoors. And we've got to put up with that creepy mountain in the background." She indicated the looming Mt. Pyre, well known for its haunted legends and stories.
"Oh no Master... Do we have to stay here?" A shy, female Plusle peeked out from around his leg, staring fearfully at the mountain. "You know those scary kinds of things terrify me..."
Since leaving Fortree, this little Plusle, known as Faye, had been adamant she wouldn't step one foot near the creepy mountain. Now that she was standing about a mile away from its base, Zenea could see how freaked out she was by it. Picking her up, he nuzzled her gently.
"Don't worry, you've got a team of good friends to protect you. And me too. And don't forget, you're plenty strong yourself! Who was the one who took down that terrifying Zangoose not too long ago?" Faye giggled happily as he tickled under her chin, ecstatic from the praise. If it hadn't been for Faye, he'd probably be back at the Fortree Pokémon Centre with some serious injuries. It hadn't been a friendly Zangoose. It had kept calling him really offensive names...
"Be careful, Aria might get jealous again." An exhausted, female Ninetales came up from behind him, a female Meowstic riding her head. Not far behind them was a female Absol, the newest member of his team, who he had caught a few days before. Their names were Fira, Talli and Yami respectively. Yami had been shy at first, but quickly warmed up to the group. Zenea suspected that she had been alone for a long time, and was glad to finally have the company. Fira and Talli were troublemakers, however...
"I'm not jealous! And how are you even tired Talli, you've done sweet nothing all damn day!"
"Hey, I'm the face of this team, it's hard looking this beautiful all the time!"
"Is that so? You might want to do something about your bed hair." Fira chuckled as she started collecting wood for a campfire. Talli jumped off her head, arranging stones and the wood together. As mischievous as the two were, they were a good team, co-operating effortlessly.
"Hey, today I'm going for the scruffy yet sexy look."
"I'm not going to lie, I'm not sure how well that's working out for you."
"I'm doing better than a certain scruffy mutt who looks like she dragged all nine of her tails through every bush on the way here." Talli shot back, a sly grin curling on her face. Fira looked back at her, an equally sly grin shining back in response.
"You know, you're just the right size for a nice barbecued snack. A quick flamethrower and I can dine on sweet pussy tonight."
"Inappropriate wording! Shameless, both of you!" Aria screeched at the pair, covering Faye's ears as though to protect her innocent brain. Zenea and Nora both cackled madly on the forest floor, earning a wrathful glare from the enraged, and slightly flushed Pikachu.
"It's not funny!"
"But it is though!" Nora wiped his eyes, clearing away the wetness from laughing too hard. Faye looked at him reproachfully.
"You're such a pervert Nora... Why can't you be more of a gentleman, like..." She looked at Zenea before shaking her head. "Actually no, we need to get you a better role-model".
"Did my own Pokémon just say something that hurtful to me?! Oh the gods above, what ever did I do to deserve this!" Zenea feigned hurt emotions, standing up and striking a dramatic pose. Nora followed suit, standing on his shoulder.
"We're destined to be shunned by the ones we care about, two handsome and respectable healthy young men such as we. Woe, lest we forever be trapped in the throes of these inane banshees who naught but toy with our fragile hearts." Zenea gave his electric buddy a thumbs up.
"That was pretty poetic Nora, looks like someone's been hitting the books!"
"The men here are morons, I can tell you that much." Faye sighed. Nora once again struck a dramatic pose.
"Ah, to be called a moron by the one witless wonder who does nothing more than daydream about the unusual image of a Tangela's butthole.
"CAN WE PLEASE FORGET THE TANGELA INCIDENT EVER HAPPENED... PLEASE?!"
It was now Fira and Talli's turn to laugh maniacally, remembering the incident a few months before where the unfortunate Plusle had faced off against a Tangela who misjudged a vine constriction attack. The two Pokémon had become so badly tangled the match had to be called off as the two trainers worked for literally hours trying to untangle the unfortunate pair, with Faye spending the better part of that time constricted to the other Pokémon's anus. To the Tangela's defence, he had been apologising non-stop the whole time.
"That poor creature, he was so embarrassed." Talli giggled. "I do think he was rather attracted to you Faye."
"I'll bet that was because her butt was in his face the whole time. It looked like some sort of bizarre mating ritual from where I stood." Fira was howling with laughter. Faye pouted, scurrying up to Zenea's shoulder and kicking Nora to the ground.
"What was that for?!"
"I don't know! I needed to punch something." Faye growled. Zenea stroked the top of her head, earning a smile from the over-teased Pokémon. Leaning down, he whispered into her ear.
"The whole time you were tied up, Nora was really worried. He thought you were going to suffocate or something. He likes to tease, but he really does care for you." A radiant grin burst forth from the little Pokémon, blushing madly. It wasn't at all lost on Zenea that Faye had a bit of a thing for the harmless flirt, even though Nora occasionally took it too far.
The usually quiet Yami had been hiding in the background, trying to hide her silent giggles as she watched the spectacle. Sneaking up behind her, Nora suddenly jumped on her head.
"You're cute when you act like this, y'know that Yami?" The dark-type Pokémon looked up at him in surprise, the sudden cross-eyed look causing her to look even more adorable. Faye's happy smile was instantly replaced with jealous rage as she began slowly climbing down Zenea's leg, planning to sneak up on the so-called 'harmless flirt'. Zenea himself was face palming, for his attempts at fixing Nora's mess somehow turned into a bigger mess.
"What do you mean...? Nobody's ever called me cute before..."
"And it's round one in the fight for Nora's affections, with newcomer Yami suddenly taking the lead. What are your thoughts on the situation Fira?" Talli began a sports-esque commentary as Yami suddenly looked embarrassed, if a little happy.
"Well Talli, we know that Yami-yami is a sweet, kind and gentle creature, despite what her Pokédex entry says about her-..."
"Wait, what does my Pokédex entry say about me?!" Yami jumped in, suddenly sounding very worried.
"...and we all know she's got that certain charm about her that speaks of a shy young maiden who likes cuddles under a starlit sky, much like tonight now that the sun's gone. I think her chances are quite high actually!"
"But with Faye on the home turf, who's known the naughty Minun since Mauville, she has the experience and memories to use to her advantage. Plus it helps she may or may not be a closet pervert, something that Nora seems to enjoy in a girl." Talli rattled off like a machine-gun, whilst Nora grinned, holding his head embarrassed.
"What can I say, I like all kinds of girls."
"Aww... And there was me thinking I was your one and only special girl." Yami feigned a rejected line, mimicking Nora's act from earlier. Jumping up behind him, the jealousy-fuelled Plusle caught Nora in a headlock.
"How many hearts are you gonna play with before you settle down, you womanising jerk?!" Her rage was on fire. Nora was tapping her arm, looking at Zenea for help.
"I'd love to buddy, but I've gone a whole week without being electrocuted by anyone. I'm hoping to keep the streak going a little longer." Zenea grinned at Nora's semi-betrayed expression as the trainer got the campfire going, finally flopping down next to the flames Fira had ignited, cracking open a beer.
"Our Master everyone, about as useful as a sack of wet, drunken Pidgeys." Aria grinned slyly at the trainer as he happily sipped at his beverage.
"Still doesn't stop you from having a strange crush on him, huh?" Nora had escaped Faye's headlock and was currently using Aria as a shield between Faye and himself.
"I don't wanna hear that from the pervert looking up Vulpix porn on the PokéNav!"
"So that's why my search history was looking so weird." Zenea giggled. He had been confused about it, but had suspected the little electric Pokémon had been up to something.
"W-what?! I didn't do that!" Nora looked fearfully at Fira. "You've gotta believe me!"
The fire Pokémon who had once been a Vulpix up until a few months ago had looked surprised for a split second. She put her paw to her face, feigning bashfulness.
"I may not be a Vulpix anymore, but please..." She looked up at him with an evil smile. "Be gentle..."
"And the nine-tailed fox steps into the fray, abandoning her fellow commentator for a chance at the game of love. It was a great partnership whilst it lasted. The road is a lonely one now, but I'll cheer on! For love is something worth fighting for!" Talli acted a pseudo-sorrowful monologue as the chaos unfolded further.
"Ah, there's no need to be a drama queen. I'm getting involved due to mating season being around the corner." The flirtatious Fira circled the now terrified looking Nora, who was quickly beginning to realise how screwed he was.
Whilst the gang laughed and teased each other, two shadows were watching them from the trees. They peered down to the group below, observing them curiously.
"Are humans and their Pokémon partners always this amusing?"
"I don't know. I haven't spent any time with them." As the firelight illuminated the two silhouettes, a small, light green fairy Pokémon and another, yellow Pokémon with a star-shaped head could be faintly seen.
"Celebi, what do you think?"
"I don't know, I don't know..." The mystical Pokémon Celebi looked worried. "But I sense that something might go wrong soon."
"What do you mean?"
Celebi turned to face the other mystical Pokémon, Jirachi, with a frightened look on its face.
"I can smell blood."
Back down at the camp, Zenea was highly amused watching the spectacle his Pokémon were showing. There wasn't a TV in the world that could beat the comedy his friends were displaying to him right now.
As he continued to sip his beer, he heard a sudden rustle in the trees behind him. It sounded like an animal.
"What was t-..." He didn't get to finish his sentence. His mind was too preoccupied with the sight of a girl staggering towards them, blood dripping from several serious looking injuries. If he had the spare brain power to process it, he would've noticed her clothing looked like a sexier version of the Hex Maniacs he'd seen on his travels. More skin showing whilst keeping with the dark colours. Her hair was jet-black with a single streak of electric blue coming from her bangs, tied down in a low-style ponytail. But his focus was less on her appearance and more about getting off his ass and catching her before she fell to the ground.
"Guys! Get my first aid kit. Nora, grab my PokéNav and call for help!"
His Pokémon had been in just as much shock as he had been, but immediately rushed to his orders.
"What the hell happened to you?" Zenea whispered as he held the bleeding girl in his arms. The girl looked delirious and a small grin appeared on her face. The blood on her teeth gave her an eerily toothless appearance.
"...wild Pokémon... out of... control... you feel... warm..." She lurched as pain appeared to lance through her body.
"H-hey, you gotta relax. Try not to talk..." As much as he wanted to reassure her, her injuries were really severe. He wasn't sure if she was going to make it.
"...my... na...*cough* name..."
"H-hey...!"
"...C-charlotte..." Charlotte as she seemed to be called, was reaching a hand towards his face. Blood dripped down his cheek as she touched him gently.
"...please don't... please don't forget... me..."
He watched as the hand dropped back to her side, her eyes rolling back and her breathing ceased.
"Nononono, don't do this to me! Come on Charlotte, stay with me!" Laying her down flat in the ground, he began performing CPR, furiously pumping her chest with his intertwined hands.
"Nora, PokéNav?"
"It keeps glitching, I can't do anything with it!"
"Okay, change of plan..." Quickly grabbing her wrist, he shut his eyes and concentrated, but he couldn't feel any kind of pulse. Returning to the CPR, he looked back at the frightened Minun.
"Now... I'm going to stop for a few seconds... In that time... I need you to give her a short charge. Just a little... stronger than what you normally do... to me. Got it?" Nora nodded, the fear being replaced by a sudden determination.
"Okay, three, two, one, go!" Jumping back from Charlotte's lifeless form, Nora jumped onto her, releasing a quick burst of electricity. Her body lurched again as the charge raced through her system. Zenea was praying it would give her heart the quick start she needed as a makeshift defibrillator. Nora jumped off the girl and Zenea grabbed her wrist once again.
After an agonising few seconds of concentrating, trying to ignore his own pulse echoing in his brain, he felt it. It was faint, but he could feel a heartbeat.
Rushing up to her face, he put his ear to her mouth and watched her chest. Slowly but surely, he could feel her breath on his face, and could see her chest rising and falling.
Somehow, they had miraculously saved her. Turning to face Nora, who still wasn't sure if his shock had worked, Zenea smiled.
"Good job buddy. Now the girls can't ever call you useless anymore." Nora looked ecstatic, tears forming around the corner of his eyes.
"It's great she's alive, but she still needs treatment!" Fira threw the first aid bag towards Zenea, who unzipped it and started pulling out disinfectant and bandages.
"I'm on it. Nora, keep trying with the PokéNav. It figures when we need it most it starts funking out on us. Anyone with opposable thumbs, help me with bandages. Everyone else, keep that fire burning hot with as much wood and flame as possible!"
Up in the trees, the two legendary Pokémon watched, shocked at what had happened.
"So that's what you meant by smelling blood..." Jirachi whispered. Celebi's eyes were wide. The way that human trainer had saved the girl was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
"Jirachi, is there anything we can do to help? That girl might not make it a second time if her injuries get the better of her again..."
"I can do something, but..." He turned to face the frightened Celebi. "We'd have to reveal ourselves..."
Looking back at the camp, watching how hard the trainer and the Pokémon were working to save the girl, Celebi's expression softened.
"I think... We can trust him."
Back on the ground, Zenea was freaking out. Charlotte's bleeding had stopped, but her pulse was still dangerously weak. He was worried they would still lose her.
"Anything from the 'Nav?"
"Nothing!" Nora sounded close to a mental breakdown as he mashed the buttons on the touchscreen. Faye was standing behind him, her face distraught.
"Come on wireless technology, co-operate with me here."
"It's the mountain." Yami said, looking over towards Mt. Pyre fearfully. "I've heard other trainers walking past my old home complaining about technology not working very well near that place."
"Great, ghosts are haunting my phone, fantastic."
Zenea had been looking at Charlotte's face as he had been bandaging her wounds, looking for any flicker of consciousness. Unlikely with the amount of damage she had sustained, but he was praying hard. Looking down for a split second, he tightened the knot on the bandage he'd been working on before looking up again, only to have the second near-heart stopping shock of the evening.
"Yo!" The star-shaped head of the legendary Pokémon, Jirachi was grinning at him. To his side stood the time-travelling fairy, Celebi. It bowed gently in front of his, speaking shyly.
"Hello. We've come to give you a helping hand."
Mouth gaping open, his brain wasn't prepared for this. Zenea looked at both mystical Pokémon utterly dumbfounded. The rest of the Pokémon wore similar expressions.
"B-but... why?"
Jirachi laughed. It sounded kind of cute.
"We saw you save this girl, like a champ. And we just happened to be around, watching from the trees."
"But her injuries, they won't allow her to make it to the nearest medical centre. She wouldn't survive the trip." Celebi said sadly, looking at Charlotte's battered form.
"So here's the thing hero. I'm going to grant you a single wish." The star Pokémon had turned serious, its determination showing in its eyes. "Will you save her?"
"Wait, why do you need to ask?!" Zenea didn't understand why the wish granting Pokémon couldn't just heal the girl itself.
"It's... complicated." Jirachi looked away. In his place, Celebi spoke up.
"There is a complex magic at work that's preventing him from freely using wishes. But for whatever reason, he can still grant the wish of a human."
Looking at the suddenly downcast star Pokémon, Zenea nodded in understanding. Complicated explanations could wait, Charlotte needed every second right now.
"In that case. Jirachi, will you please save my friend? Will you please... save Charlotte?"
The star Pokémon's smile had returned. Standing over the injured girl, the Pokémon held out his small arms and said...
"You wish shall be granted!"
A brilliant light erupted around them, enveloping Charlotte's body. The blood began to vanish, as well as the injuries all over her. Celebi looked at the girl, smiling fervently. Until suddenly it looked up towards the sky, then rapidly back to Charlotte. The yellow light was now tinged with an eerie, haunted green.
"Jirachi!"
"I know, but I can't stop!"
The green light had enveloped Zenea. Suddenly, his whole body was wracked with pain, as though he was being attacked by some invisible creature.
"ARRRRGGGHHHHHH." He screamed to the heavens as unimaginable pain seared through his system. His Pokémon looked at him, terrified.
"What's happening to him?!"
"Master!"
"Zenea!" Aria raced towards him, but was stopped by Celebi.
"Stay back, this magic could harm you too!"
"But-...!"
And suddenly, the light faded. Charlotte's injuries had completely vanished, and she was resting peacefully. Zenea too, had apparently fallen unconscious, with no visible sign of injury.
"Wha-..." Aria looked at him, scared. She turned to the two mystical Pokémon, her rage getting the better of her. "WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?!"
The two looked at each other, before quickly looking to the sky. Unknown to the rest of the group, the healed Charlotte cracked open an eye blearily, just in time to see an albino creature looking down towards them before suddenly flying away.
"...Mortissa..."
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