Darkness…. That's all she could see. It was like a black limbo, no sound, no scenery.
"Thunder…bolt!" she suddenly heard, followed by a slight pinch. Then silence again… Black limbo…
"Thunder…BOLT!" a rush of electricity hit her like a tidal wave. She shrieked in pain, regaining consciousness; she started coughing up water, and she felt strong, yet gentle hands brushing sand off of her shoulders. By the time she had the strength to move her arms around her aching midsection; she'd thrown up a puddle of seawater. She was on her knees on a beach, facing the ocean she'd just been fished out of. She suddenly realized how embarrassed she was; she'd just been dragged out of the water like a Magikarp and puked up water for what was at least five minutes straight. Not to mention that someone had been watching her the whole time. She groaned sadly, and then coughed as more water came up her throat.
"Hey, hey, take it easy, girl." A young male voice said, and she felt a hand pat her back. She turned to see two boys, the one touching her had bright, almost garish, blue hair done up in a somewhat cute cowlick; he had large roundish ears of the same color, with yellow markings; he wore a bright blue tunic that matched his hair-the sleeves had bright yellow cuffs, and the collar was black- along with black jeans, socks, and sneakers. He had a long black tail with a yellow four-point star on it. He was staring at her silent form with yellow eyes.
"Are you all right?" the boy asked. "Sorry I had to shock you there. You were really out cold though." She stayed silent, seeming very shy and timid. She shivered and the boy hugged her close.
"Aw, the poor girl's freezing cold…" He wrapped his long, thin tail around her and nuzzled her head. "I think her pilot light's gone down or something, Markus. She's not warming up."
Pilot light? She thought, still shivering in the boy's arms. She looked up at the other boy, who was apparently called Markus. He had blue hair, only slightly darker than the blue of the boy holding her. There was a black band around his head and black, flaps drooped from either side of it, covering his ears. His red eyes watched her intently as his friend cuddled her. He wore a blue jacket, but the top three buttons were undone, revealing the black shirt underneath; the sleeves each had a white oval that was positioned on the backs of his wrists. He also wore fingerless blue gloves and blue pants that came down just inches below his knees; a short blue tail poked out from the back of his pants He had black hiking boots that came up to his knees under his pant legs. He approached and looked her over.
"What's your name, girl?" he asked. She shuddered.
"M-Modukai…" she answered.'
"Modukai?" Markus repeated. "An odd name for a Torchic if you ask me. I'm Markus, by the way."
"And I'm Little Bolt!" The boy holding her giggled, hugging her shivering form a little tighter. "I'm kind of a hugger."
"A Torchic?" she whispered in disbelief. Markus chuckled.
"Uh, yeah; like, I'm a Riolu, and Bolt is a Shinx?" he teased. Modukai looked at her reflection in the ocean. Her matted hair was yellow as golden sunflowers, and a crown of three yellow-orange feathers adorned the top of her head. Her soaked shirt had fluffy orange feathers around the collar and the cuffs of the sleeves. Her pants were khakis with a slight fiery tint. Her shoes and socks, which Little Bolt had removed, both had Torchic footprints on the soles. All of her clothes, along with her body, were still soaked through, and she sneezed loudly.
"Maybe we should stop fooling and take Modukai to Treasure Town, Markus." Little Bolt called. Markus nodded as he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He picked up her shoes and socks and stuffed them into his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He then picked up Modukai and started running away from the beach.
"Hey! Wait up, dude!" Little Bolt cried as he grabbed his bag and started after his friend. Markus laughed; he was one of the fastest Riolu in the countryside, and even the fastest Rapidash he knew saw him as a challenge. And, of course, Little Bolt had to keep up with him. Modukai stared up at him, his ear covers and her crown feathers blown back by the wind. His red eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun and the look of excitement and slight pride on his face made him look that much more valiant. Modukai was utterly speechless.
Markus didn't stop until he entered a small village; Little Bolt finally caught up to him, panting.
"You okay, Li'l B?" Markus chuckled. Modukai couldn't help giggling at the exhausted Shinx. It was a simple village with small, single-floor houses and a dirt road. There were Baby Pokémon running about and older Pokémon peddling their wares at roadside booths. Quite a quaint little town actually. A breeze blew by, making Modukai shiver again. Markus cradled her in his arms, rubbing her shoulders to give her warmth. He looked around quickly as Little Bolt got to his feet.
"Hey, Markus, look!" the Shinx called. He pointed to a tall woman walking down the road, She wore a brown, slightly frilled shirt and pants of the same color with lots of pockets. Her work boots were brown, too, as was her hair. In her hair, she had a patch of dark brown hair, and she had pigtails of a lighter brown on either side of her head.
"Auntie Kangaskhan!" Little Bolt called out to her as he and Markus approached her. "Hey, Auntie Kangaskhan!"
"Yes?" the woman asked as she turned around; she wore an apron that matched the color of her pigtails. The was a large pouch in the apron and a little boy sat inside; he wore a blue one-piece outfit, and had dark brown hair; other than that, he looked very much like the woman carrying him. "Ah, Markus and Kolink. Good to see you!"
"Auntie, please;" Little Bolt whined. "no one calls me Kolink here, remember?"
"Oh, yes, sweetie, I do." She giggled. "And who's this you have with you?"
"She said her name is Modukai; and she seemed confused when we mentioned she was a Torchic. She hasn't said a word of any kind ever since. We found her unconscious in the ocean." The Kangaskhan placed a hand on Modukai's head.
"My gracious!" she cried. "The poor girl has a fever!"
"She does?" Markus asked, holding her close. She was still shivering and her body felt cold. "She feels like she's freezing to me." The Kangaskhan lifted Modukai from Markus's arms and cradled her.
"Come, children; we'll tend to her at my home." The boys followed her as she ran to one of the houses.
Modukai sat in an armchair in Auntie Kangaskhan's guest room; she would be there in just her underwear if not for a loose t-shirt and pajama pants Auntie had given her. Her clothes were being washed in another room, and Auntie was in the kitchen cooking a remedy for her.
"Why are we doing this?" Little Bolt asked. He was clinging to the top of the armchair and staring down at her intently.
"To build awkward tension…" Markus answered, staring with equal intent from her left side. She tried to avoid their eyes as they stared into her own.
"So, we're trying to make her feel awkward?"
"Yes. Yes, we are."
"Why? Isn't that a little mean?"
"Well, I bet you it makes her talk."
"How will this make her talk? She might get mad."
"Yeah, in which case, she'd tell us to back off. Until then, I'm not budging." He leaned on the arm of the chair, leaning in very close to her face. A slight blush colored her cheeks, and an idea flashed into her head. She rubbed her nose, feigning the start of a sneeze. Markus instinctively backed away. When she revealed she was faking, she and Little Bolt laughed.
"Oh sure." Markus chuckled sarcastically. "You can laugh, but you won't talk. And what are you laughing at, Li'l B?!" Little Bolt giggled.
"S-Sorry, Markus. At least she's got a sense of humor."
"Oh, a sense of humor." Markus chuckled, lifting Modukai out of the chair and sitting down, placing her in his lap. "How's this for a sense of humor?" His fingers darted for her sides, poking and pinching the soft skin through the cotton of the t-shirt. She squealed, immediately laughing and struggling.
"Maybe this'll help you warm up, Modukai." Markus chuckled, adding her stomach to the onslaught; he glanced up at Little Bolt, who seemed only slightly content with watching. "Kid, quit staring at her and help me! Before she kicks me in the head!" He quickly brought one hand up to grab her shin and stop her foot from connecting with his skull. Little Bolt came down from the chair and grabbed her ankles, wrapping his tail around them. He poked at her soles and scratched her toes with his dull nails. Modukai shrieked, trying to pry out of his long tail trap.
"And here I thought letting that Mime Jr. teach us Tickle was a waste of time." Markus chuckled, squeezing her ribs. She kicked and flailed, nearly hitting them both if not for their reflexes. Little Bolt gripped her ankles, raking his dull claws down her soles while Markus managed to work his fingers into her armpits.
"I think she's enjoying this." The Shinx at her feet giggled. The Riolu nodded.
"That or she's really determined not to talk to us." He snickered. One of his fingers circled her navel teasingly, drawing her focus to it, then his other hand would randomly attack somewhere else, mainly her hips and ribcage.
"Stop! Stop!" She begged, struggling against Markus. "I'll talk! I'll talk!"
"Is there an echo in here or what?" Markus teased, pulling his hands away and motioning Little Bolt off her feet.
"Children?" The three young Pokémon looked up to see Auntie Kangaskhan standing in the doorway. She carried a tray with a large bowl or berries and a bowl of red soup. She set the bowl on a table near the chair and smiled at them.
"Are you feeling any better, Modukai?" she asked.
"Yes, Auntie." The Torchic giggled, smacking Markus's hand when he poked her side out of the Kangaskhan's view.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that; you have a very pretty voice. I noticed your core temperature was somewhat low for a Torchic, so I made you this soup with a recipe my mother taught me. And boys, you can help yourselves to these berries and apples, leave some for Modukai though, all right?"
"Yes, Auntie Kangaskhan." The boys nodded obediently.
"Good; oh, and Modukai, I nearly forgot." The Kangaskhan reached into the pouch on her apron and pulled out her clothes, shoes and socks, neatly folded and the seawater washed out of them. "You can change in the next room; and no, you boys can't help her."
"Auntie!" Both boys pouted, blushing. Modukai laughed as she got up from Markus's lap and went to change. When she returned with her original clothes on, she noticed that the Shinx and Riolu were gone. She went cautiously over to the bowl of soup, expecting them to jump out from somewhere. The soup was still hot, surprisingly. She was a little wary as she picked up the spoon and tasted the soup, she gasped almost immediately upon it hitting her tongue.
"Roar!" the attack was launched from behind her by two users, scaring the daylights out of her. Instinctively, she spun and thrust out her hands, shouting almost incoherently.
"Will-O-Wisp!" Wisps of blue fire, abnormally large wisps at that, were launched at her attackers. They jumped out of the way, the bigger of the two embracing her and pinning her back against the table. She struggled, still scared out of her senses.
"Hey, hey!" a familiar voice was calling. "Chill out! It's just us! Don't make me have Bolt shock you again!" Hearing the familiar name gave her enough courage to look up and see Markus smiling guiltily at her. Bolt stood nearby with a similar expression.
"If it's any consolation," Markus mentioned. "Your body temperature is back to normal." Modukai shoved him, but sighed.
"Don't ever scare me like that again." She huffed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack…" Other than that, she sighed and went back to the soup; she poured a fair amount of it into two cups set on the table and ate the rest herself. She offered the cups of soup to the boys as a sign of forgiveness, and she watched them drink it, smiling warmly.
"Children?" Auntie Kangaskhan called as she entered the room again a few minutes later. She couldn't resist giggling at what she saw. Bolt had used Thunder Wave on Modukai to paralyze her while Markus tickled her socked feet. The boys' cheeks and eyes were red, and their eyes were watering.
"You knew how spicy that soup was, didn't you?!" Markus shouted over Modukai's shrieks and squeals. "Oh, but you can take it, since you're a Fire type!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Modukai cried, tears of laughter in her eyes. She just barely noticed the Kangaskhan enter the room. "Auntie Kangaskhan, help!" The woman chuckled as the boys looked up and her and stopped their attack. She approached them and smiled; Markus raked his nails up Modukai's soles one last time before Auntie Kangaskhan fed her a Cheri Berry, curing her paralysis. Modukai sat up, stretching. Markus made a false attempt to attack her armpits, making her squeal in fear.
"May I ask what happened, children?" Auntie Kangaskhan giggled.
"Modukai let us taste that soup you made for her!" Bolt cried, rubbing his still watery eyes.
"And it was really spicy!" Markus added. "My tongue is still burning!"
"Well, it's a special recipe meant for Fire types to help keep their core temperature up. It helps them generate fire within the flame sac."
"And it was very delicious, Auntie." Modukai smiled, giggling at the playfully sour looks the boys were giving her.
"Thank you, Modukai; I'm glad you enjoyed it. I came to let you children know that it's getting late, and I would like you to stay here for the night."
"Really, Auntie?" the boys asked happily. They hugged her gratefully, and Modukai joined as well, glad to have a roof over her head, especially when she noticed the rain outside. There was a feeling of emptiness in her head though. There had to be something she was doing before she washed up on that shore, but that beach was the last thing she could remember. She sighed, sitting on one of the guest beds.
"Modukai?" Auntie Kangaskhan called. When the Torchic looked up, she saw the Kangaskhan presenting her with a set of red pajamas, again saying she could change in the next room. She thanked her and went to change for the night.
When she returned, the boys were sound asleep, Little Bolt purring softly, and Markus gnawing on his pillow. She giggled, slipping into her bed and curling up. The rain on the roof and windows was sweet like a Chingling's chime, and she drifted to sleep.