Red light glowed on the walls of the cavern, and a cold, eerie mist rose from the damp ground. Anticipation hung as thick as the moisture beading everywhere—on the two deities slumbering in pools of bubbling red and blue, and on the two people hidden in the corner.
"We meet." The voice belonged to the Magma leader, Maxie. His face was lit with the eerie light of the burbling lava, and in his hands he held a small ball cupped in his palms, bright ruby in color, and glowing.
"Again." The other voice was Archie's, and he was holding another ball—round, glowing, sapphire-colored. "Why don't you just stop…messing with the balance of water and land?" He took a step back towards the red and blue pools, and a spark glowed in the blue orb.
"It's not as if you're not doing the same thing," Maxie sneered. "Archie, give up. Your efforts are futile. Don't you understand that what Hoenn needs is land? Populations are booming. Where do you expect them to put these people—and Pokemon?"
Archie took a step forwards. "And they'll all…die of thirst?" he suggested. "It's come down to this. We have control over the ultimate Legendary Pokemon—and if I have to awaken Kyogre to stop you and your plans, then I will." He held up the glass orb to his eye. A cold, icy flame burned inside of the orb.
"You'll never stop us, Archie," Maxie sneered. You're wrong." He took a step forwards, stepping out of the shadows, knocking the criminal leader's arm. There was a moment of silence as the orb dropped downwards, spinning, and shattered into a thousand glittering pieces. The flame seemed to rise upwards, and there was a stir in the pool of hissing, bubbling water. A dark shape began to glow with fine red lines, and a soft groan sounded, seeming to come from everywhere….
"You can try to stop me now." Maxie raised the red orb, and a spark of red light rose upwards. There was a groan, and a stirring in the pool of magma. "You would be a fool to challenge me now."
"It's too late to do anything else," Archie said coldly, as the two legendary Pokemon rose, their bodies glowing.
Meanwhile, in Fortree…
As a normal fourteen-year-old, I didn't watch the weather forecasts. All my mom did lately was mutter about the dry heat and how it was killing all of our plants. If you really wanted to know, I couldn't care any less. Don't all parents complain about that stuff every summer?
All in all, on one of the most important days of my life, I was stretched out across my comforter, staring up at the shadows the leaves cast across my ceiling. My best friend, Laila, was lying on the hardwood floor next to me, though I sort of suspected that she was asleep. Her arms and legs were spread out in a way that made her look like an oversized, blonde-haired asterisk.
I didn't have anything planned for today. I'm sort of boring, I have to admit—a fourteen-year-old with really only one friend, no Pokemon, and the most annoying kid sister on the planet. Unfortunately, Laurel actually has more friends than I do, and she was out at one of their houses with mom. So I, the misfit adolescent daughter, was at home, not really sleeping, and not even communicating with her bored best friend.
I let my eyes close, rolling myself into a nest of a lime-green cotton comforter and white down pillows. Something inside me felt really fidgety, sort of, drowsy with a certain stir inside my chest. "Laila," I muttered, more out of instinct than with the intention of the thirteen-year-old actually answering.
Laila sat up, shaking out her thin blonde hair like a Poochyena. "Yes, Julianne?" she questioned slowly, wrapping her arms around her knees like a belt. Unlike me, her hair was brushed, and her eyes widened. Her blue backpack was tossed next to my door, and I shivered, looking at the red-and-white orbs that spilled out of its main pocket.
Laila is a Pokemon trainer who, in my opinion, could have a couple of badges under her belt if her parents would let her out to travel farther than the Pokemon Mart. Laila hates being controlled—which I guess happens a lot to her—so I think she takes advantage of her freedom. Sarcastic, bubbly, fiery, without regret—that's Laila, all right. The independent free-spirit who could set you off at times, but at the same time totally attract you. A thirteen-year-old girl with a Pokemon team of five—and, above all, my best friend.
I closed my eyes and leaned back into the comforter. I didn't realize Laila was awake, and now I had to think of something to say to her. One thing about me—I'm a very awkward conversationalist. "Do you ever…" the gears in my mind started turning sluggishly, "think about… being one of those travelling Pokemon trainers?" I said this and half wanted to shove it back up my throat. For one thing, I know that Laila would go totally nuts if she had a shot at freedom like that, and I realized I might have pinned myself to one of those I-hate-my-parents complain-fests.
Laila did that weird half-snort that she does sometimes. "Like Ash Ketchum, or something?" she said, very sarcastically. Her lips twisted a little bit, and she reached for one of her Pokeballs, rolling it in the palm of her hand. "If my parents would let me, maybe." She brushed her pale bangs with the back of her hand. "What, you thinking about it, Downing?"
I winced at Laila's use of my last name. I don't really like being called anything except straight-up Julianne. Besides, I don't call her Felix. "No," I replied sleepily, pulling the covers around me again and closing my eyes. "Just… you know, thinking." More of the incredible warmth of the sunlight that dappled over my face. To be honest, the idea of being a Pokemon trainer never really crossed my mind more than once…
"Whatever, Downing," Laila murmured, twisting a lock of hair around her pinky finger and leaning heavily against my bed. We were silent for a lot longer, other than the mindless tapping of Laila's sneakers against the polished wood, and my long, deep, pseduo-sleeping breathing.
Laila and I were used to these lazy summer days, spent purely on napping. She was sprawled out across the hardwood again, this time I think actually asleep, the Pokeball rolling out of her hand.
I was sinking into another day of boredom, buried with the blankets covering me like a nest. I do this sometimes—zone out, I mean—and it drives my mom nuts. Basically, I close my eyes, listen to the sound of my own breathing, and shut down without actually falling asleep. I don't notice anything.
I definitely didn't notice the signs until it was almost too late. Actually, I didn't even notice. I didn't see the flickering of red light, or hear the loud noise of a coming apocalypse until Laila reached up, tugging on a chunk of my gingerbread-colored hair. "Julianne!" she hissed. I could hear her thumping around, and when I opened my eyes, her bag was strapped over her shoulder, eyes were wide open, legs tensed to run.
I pushed myself up. "Laila," I groaned. "What do you—"
Laila cut me off. "Julianne," she said dramatically, "run!" She yanked on my arm, pulling me upwards. I glanced around me sleepily. My friend had already disappeared out the door in a flash of golden hair and a bright-pink t-shirt. I glanced after her, looking at her shadow against the flickering crimson lights.
It was then that I knew. I didn't even have to look out the window at the burning branches. Fear clutched at my stomach as I realized that I smelled smoke. I glanced behind me, looking at the branches that were covered in flaming leaves. And then I realized that I might not have another second to spare. I took a deep breath, my head spinning, and ran out after Laila.
The door was left open, and I was hit with a blast of hot air as I stepped out, my eyes screwed up from the intense heat. Ashes and soot were floating down like some sort of rain, stinging my eyes. Although I wasn't thinking, thoughts of survival still ran through my head like water through a sieve. I grabbed the ladder and started down it, jumping the last few rungs and onto the ground.
The khaki-colored grass around me was being rapidly consumed by the fire, and I found myself dodging around them. Flaming branches littered the ground, and a loud crackling roared in my ears. I felt like a marshmallow dropped into a campfire, dodging around the flames.
The buildings I knew—the PokeCenter, the Gym, looked like silhouettes. I ran, hearing the distance shouts of other people around me, fleeing. I followed the stream of Fortree citizens, all headed towards the route to Lilycove.
Sweat streamed down my face and into my eyes. I kept thinking, thoughts running through my mind but never sticking. I kept looking around me, trying to keep my eyes focused ahead of me. I'd lost Laila some time after scrambling down the ladder and onto hard, dry ground, but I wondered if she'd made it.
Pokemon scrambled out of the trees, making this odd, wailing chorus that rang in my ears along with the hungry lapping of the flames. Dark shapes of winged Pokemon flitted overhead through the smoke, and I almost tripped over a Linoone running for cover, its long, sleek body weaving around patches of flames and fleeing citizens. I wondered if I would make it. The running people and Pokemon reminded me of everything I might be losing, which luckily wasn't much. I didn't have any Pokemon—I thanked my lucky stars that I hadn't left anything living inside of the house, not a pet, not a baby sister—so I wasn't worried about anything except getting myself out of the fire.
Still, that was a daunting enough task. I watched as small fires sprang up, with little patches of weeds bursting into flames. It was hot, but somehow I suppressed a shiver. I was just glad that I hadn't seen anyone I knew. Yet...
A/N: Hey everyone, it's Apolo
Just wanted to say that I'd appreciate all the reviews that I could get. Review help shape the story!! Thanks for reading…I just edited this chapter a little—and read on!!
