Sands of Time, Winds of Change
We've been together a long time, Onix and I, and now the time has come for the two of us to evolve. The two of us met in the desert in our younger days and we were inseparable ever since. Somehow, unlike the rest of our species, we have evaded capture when the few brave trainers traverse the desert sands. It is a harsh life, but we are adapted to it and today we are setting off on our journey.
Onix is waiting for me as I crawl out of the sandy hole I have made for myself. My abode serves a double purpose; it keeps me warm during the coldest of winters and cool during the summer. Onix grunts a greeting and we are ready to leave.
It's a warm day, probably the month of June even though it feels like July. That's the best thing about living in a desert; humans are too apprehensive to set foot here. Onix is quiet; he's silent, strong, and sturdy, even though he could very easily tear you to pieces in two seconds. This is the biggest day of our lives and yet…I'm scared.
"Are you as scared as I am?" I ask in my own language. That's the best part about our friendship; we understand and complete one another. Onix nods his head.
"Yes, but evolution is just another part of life. I'll still be the same old Onix, just in a different body."
"I'll be the same old Geodude, just…different," I say in a faltering voice, not wanting to borrow the same phrase my friend used.
"Exactly," Onix replies as we continue on. The wind, the hot wind, blows some sand into our eyes, but that does not hinder us. With the rush of sand comes memories, and I am all too willing to drown myself in them.
"Don't stay out too late or the trainers will get you," Mother admonished as I eagerly left our family hole to play. I turned; unlike most Geodude, she was always nervous.
"I know, Mom, I know," I replied in a bored voice before turning back to the situation at hand. There wasn't very much to do when you were a young Geodude in the desert, so we had to rely on one another for entertainment. A bunch of Geodude thought it was amusing to randomly explode to frighten the older residents in our clan, but I only eyed them warily and didn't join them.
Until I met Onix, that is. He was like me, not caring to join in the raucous games of those in our area, and a bond instantly formed. We would spend our days admiring the barren beauty of our habitat, and sometimes talk about nothing at all. Onix had a domestic personality, so sometimes we would debate over whether or not we wanted to be caught by humans. I walked on the wild side, but I was more than willing to accept the presence of humans.
Time, like the sand we walked upon, began to change. I left the place known as home and made my humble abode in a sandy hole, while Onix turned into a wanderer. It was only now that my best friend had returned to find me. We were blood brothers, friends to the end…and we would evolve together.
"Where has your mind gone, Geodude?" Onix chides me. The sandstorm has now dissipated and we have resumed our trek across the barren desert. I shrug, if that is possible to do while hovering several inches above the ground.
"It's gone back to the past, my dear friend. Can we really have been so young then?" My tone is like that of a philosopher, but I can't help but think this way on the biggest day of my life.
"Yes, Geodude, we were that young at one point," Onix says; the sigh that escapes him has a slightly mournful ring to it. He turns his great head to the sky, looking like a mighty god about to face impossible dangers. "Evolving is just a part of life, the doorway to starting anew." If only I could be as confident as he is…
"I'm not so sure, evolving will be like…losing a piece of myself," I reply.
"Hey, we'll still have each other," Onix says with an attempted grin.
"You're right." As this conversation comes to a close, we stop for the night, Onix's solid body fending me from evil. I close my eyes, lean against my friend, and soon fall asleep.
It is now morning, and not as half as hot as yesterday. In the exact center of the desert, rock and ground Pokemon have evolved, and that is the task we are going to undertake today. "I can see our gateway to freedom now," Onix sighs happily, while I merely shiver. This is all so new, so scary, and I am reminded of the feeling I harbored when I first ventured into the outside world.
We stop and no sound reaches our ears, save for the wind. My heart rate is increasing and my palms, seemingly chiseled from rock, are beginning to sweat. Onix's expression is placid as he stares toward the sky, as if he expects to be taken up into heaven. "Onix, the silence is bothering me," I say, my voice almost a whisper. The wind picks up again; you can taste the raw heat on a day like this.
"Hush, my friend…it is time," Onix answers, closing his eyes and bidding me to hush. I do so as the wind whips around us in a violent motion, spinning faster and faster. I am not worried, for when you have your best friend with you, nothing else matters. There is a heat hotter than the desert rising within me as I watch my hands change; I feel an extra pair of arms extend from my body. My body feels foreign, but one thing is clear: I am evolving.
The wind stops blowing and I finally turn to my friend, now resembling a creature of metal. He growls at me, and I can't help but wonder if this is the same Onix I once knew and adored. "Onix…is that you?" I ask. Something about the way he is looking at me is wrong…very wrong.
"Don't ask questions like that!" Steelix snarls. "What right do you, a mere Graveler, have to provoke me? I don't know you, so get lost!" I pause, tears in my eyes. It's a simple twist of irony; I was the one so nervous about losing my personality, yet it was Steelix who lost all memory of me upon evolving. Steelix backs away with an offended snarl, leaving me all alone.
I stumble back in the direction of home, where the memories of our friendship will live on.