Hey! I'm glad people like the story so far. I'm relieved, really.
So here's chapter two!
Chapter 2
Rainbow Island
Suicune paced back and forth. A calm sternness had settled on its face, but its actions proved otherwise. It would slow to a halt, only to continue on restlessly at a quicker pace than before. From afar, a tiger with a burnt gold fur coat watched with both amusement and concern. It sat beside a bed of leaves, where Marina slept. Though her crimson shirt was ripped and stained redder in places, the girl's breathing was even.
With slight hesitation, the tiger linked its mind with Suicune and spoke.
"Those wounds Deoxys inflicted were serious, but what you did...Was it a good idea?"
Suicune twitched its muzzle, giving it a sharp glance.
"She's the youngest, if my memory's right," the tiger added.
After a few seconds longer of lingering in its thoughts, Suicune made eye contact with its familiar.
"If I had not intervened, that horrid creature would have certainly murdered this innocent girl. It seems that its reason for attacking her was merely for her appearance. It was…unfair.
"For that reason, I had to save her."
"That was the reason for the both of you. Because she looks so much like—."
"Raikou."
Raikou silenced, turning away at Suicune's grave glare. It pretended to stare into the steep mountains in the distance. It nodded in apology. Then, it turned and fired back a serious look of its own.
"I get where you come from. But do you have any idea what you're getting her into? It could happen all over again…"
"I know that."
"Lord Ho-oh wasn't happy about hearing this, either."
"Yes," sighed Suicune, "But it is too late now. I had let my mercy get to me.
"As for the attacks... I do not think that Cilice has been targeted; Deoxys's movements are erratic. But it is difficult getting in contact with the woman. You know of her elusive personality."
"I know firsthand," Raikou responded almost irritably. It paused as Marina let out a soft murmur, her eyelids fluttering. However, she did not wake. "You think it's hard? I'm sure she avoids me for fun. It's not even because of instinct."
"Hm…But I do not blame Lord Ho-oh for becoming so cross." Suicune returned to the former topic. "It is forbidden for us to bless our powers onto a human. Circumstances did not matter back then, before..."
"Back then was back then. Heck, now humans call us 'Pokémon' instead of 'magical creatures', and I don't even know what Pokémon is supposed to mean. Times have changed, you know."
"Yes, yes, I know."
"It's best people don't get their hands on that kind of power, anyway. We should revoke it soon as she recovers."
"Agreed."
The little girl rolled onto her back, and the two beasts halted their conversation. Her relaxed face twisted as she yawned. She winced upon catching the light above her, and moved her head to the side. When she spotted the two mythical felines in front of her, her eyes grew wide.
Though her gaze reached Suicune first, she turned to Raikou and stared at it in surprise.
Wha...R-Raikou...?! Is that a Raikou?
The saber-tooth tiger's fur was a deep gold, and its curly mane of a bright yellow. Like Suicune, Raikou had a more dazzling appearance in reality. In return of the stare, the Raikou cocked its head, and both it and Suicune remained silent.
Marina shifted her eyes to look at her surroundings, which had changed dramatically since she had passed out. She could tell that she wasn't in or near her hometown of New Bark any longer. Instead, she found herself at the very center of a tranquil, grassy clearing. Two large mountains sat lazily a long ways off from her. Marina gasped in silent wonder as she saw thin strips of rainbows spewing out of them. It was like something out of a storybook.
Then, with another glance at the two legendary Pokémon, she turned her head to her left. A forest filled with wild Pokémon watched with anticipation and curiosity. Some flew in the air, few standing on the ground, but most sat in the branches of cherry blossom trees.
All of them shifted restlessly as they noticed Marina's stare, chattering to themselves. She wore a little smile. However, something odd about them caught Marina's eye. Clumsily she sat up, her fragile arms supporting her weight, and looked harder. The Pokémon she recognized had bizarre colors unlike she had ever seen. Taking in all the details of this fantastical place and its inhabitants, Marina could not help but let her mouth hang open.
Just where was she?
"Are you alright? I thought we might have lost you."
Marina blinked. The gentle voice seemed to speak directly into her mind rather than through her ears. She searched for the source, staring at the Suicune that stared back at her.
She suddenly remembered how the orange Pokémon had also spoken to her in such a manner. The possibility of Suicune being able to speak as well seemed so obvious that it almost excited her. She glanced between Suicune and Raikou and nodded slightly, too surprised to say or do anything. She felt like going home already, to tell her siblings about what had happened and take them back here. But if she was lost before, she was very certain that she would never be able to find her way now. The beautiful landscape and the peaceful atmosphere, however, easily convinced her to stick around and explore...or simply rest, for she was still greatly exhausted.
"Good. What is your name, young one?"
"Wha? Uh…I… um…"
The blue-haired girl only stared at Suicune, tongue-tied. Her amazement and spirits rose when the light blue Suicune seemed to utter a soft laugh, while Raikou seemed to grin behind its whiskers. At least, Marina thought it was grinning.
"Well, if you want, I shall give you a suitable name for now."
Confusion swirled in Marina's head and she put on a baffled look. Suitable? What was that word? She searched her thoughts, but found herself unable to figure out what it meant. Though she wanted to say yes anyway, she still could not get herself to speak.
She nodded instead.
Not noticing her puzzlement, the Aurora Pokémon looked at the rainbow above them, as if searching for an answer within it.
"I know Suicune, how about Aura? Now isn't that nice?" spoke a friendly, jocular voice coming from Raikou.
With a jolt, Suicune's red eyes darted toward its companion. Its expression must have been severe, as Raikou avoided the stare. It seemed to place more guilt upon itself the longer it took for Suicune to respond.
"Uh, sorry, I know that was mean," it apologized.
"…No. That is not necessary."
Raikou shifted its gaze back to Suicune, who nodded.
"Aura is a good name for now." Suicune turned to Marina, who naively took in the conversation without much understanding. "Young one," it addressed her, "As long as you reside here, your name will be..."
Suicune paused, and Marina's gaze turned to Raikou, who refused to look in their direction.
"Aura."
"A...Aura...?" But as Marina pronounced the name, the five-year-old began to ramble. "Wh-Where am I? What happened to that scary Pokémon? Um...How can you talk? Why are you different looking? In my picture books you were a different color. Are you really a Suicune?"
"Calm down."
Marina silenced at once, gawking at Suicune with her lips pressed together.
"We are," began Suicune, "on the uncharted Rainbow Island, a haven for Pokémon who wish to remain hidden and protected from humanity. The Pokémon who attacked you is known as Deoxys, a ruthless traitor. If I had not found you earlier, you would have…"
The beautiful Pokémon trailed off with a sort of resistant tone in its spoken thoughts.
"Yeah, we're the real things," Raikou chimed in to fill in the silence. "The legendary Suicune and Raikou, in the flesh."
Marina gave Suicune another puzzling look; she could only understand about half of the intricate words it had used. She was only a young girl, after all. But she grinned more at Raikou and hesitantly reached out her little hand to touch it, as though to make sure that it was there. It remained still even as she grabbed the whisker-like mask on its face. When she patted its head, it closed its eyes, and she smiled in wonder.
"But yes, I saved you," the Aurora Pokémon finished, causing her to turn her head back in its direction.
She thought for a few seconds. Her little body suddenly trembled as Deoxys's words rung in her mind. "I will save you this time." The girl knew the meaning of the word "save", but with had happened to her recently, she was beginning to doubt its true definition. Her voice shook.
"Save me...how?"
The two beasts stared at one another for a moment, as though debating how to answer.
"Don't sweat it. It's complicated," Raikou finally said.
"Yes. What's important is that I healed your wounds. If I did not, Aura, you would have died," Suicune concluded.
"...Died?" Marina widened her eyes.
"Yes...died."
"But now you're just fine. Follow me." Raikou turned around and began to walk away.
"...O-Okay."
Scrambling to stand, Marina did as she was told. Her ripped shirt flapped as she walked quickly to catch up, the skin below fair and smooth as if her fatal injury was never cast upon her. They approached a tiny stream. The girl knelt at the edge as she gazed in her reflection. Her mouth opened wide, finally noticing the pendant that hung around her neck. She grabbed it. A somewhat small, azure bell chimed brilliantly. The pure sound made her grin, and she grabbed it and rung it once more.
But she stopped and clasped her hand over her forehead. As she pulled her hand away, she could see a marking on it through her reflection. Marina bent over closer to the water, trying to make out what was imprinted in blue on her brow. She then quickly turned to Raikou.
"What's this?" she asked, clumsily pointing at it.
"Oh, that. That will go away in a few months."
"Really?"
Marina sat on the riverbank, barely processing all of this. Eventually she began to worry. Her thoughts wandered to her family; they must definitely be searching for her by now. She did not even have a chance to watch her older brother open presents or even eat some birthday cake. She wondered if there was some left; more importantly, she wondered if her sister was still waiting for her, hiding behind the picnic table in that fluffy pink dress of hers. Marina had told her to go back into the house so she didn't get dirty, but…
She turned to Suicune. "C-Can I go home soon?"
The beautiful light blue Pokémon seemed to smile at her again; although its muzzle remained unchanged, she had an odd gut feeling that it would be smiling if it could.
"It may not seem soon to you, but yes. When the marking on your forehead fades away, we will take you home. But we will all take good care of you, Aura."
Then, both the Suicune and Raikou turned to the hill just beyond them, and Marina followed their line of sight. A lion with a cinnamon-colored mane descended the hill. As it approached, it towered over both its partners with a definite fortitude. In its mouth was green and white ball, almost like a small Poké Ball in appearance.
That's an Entei, Marina thought. Suicune, Entei, and Raikou…
Was she sure she wasn't dreaming?
"Geez, what took you, Entei? You missed a lot."
Raikou sneered and moved out of its way as Entei approached Marina. She rushed to catch the Poké Ball it dropped into her hands.
"I dislike lectures I know of already," Entei stated in a calm tone. "It was also difficult to remove Aura's item from the shrine; I had to get help."
Raikou was about to reply, they both paused as they noticed a light.
The green ball had begun glowing brightly, forcing Marina to close her eyes. She shook her head as an odd sensation flowed tickled in her mind. Eventually she relaxed and looked at the ball with half-closed eyes, her mind going blank as feeling took over. It delivered peace to her heart, and she felt a presence near her. She could have sworn that she felt an unseen smooth hand brush her cheek, though it was merely the wind.
"Are... you...Maya?" A very faint voice desperately asked, different from the beasts.
The ball's aura continued to shine, and Marina did not move, even as Raikou and Entei shifted in unease and surprise.
The gentle voice continued. "Oh... No...you're not. But... It is nice...to meet you."
For some time, Marina only gazed at the sphere in her hand until its light faded away. A wave of dizzying exhaustion passed through her. She collapsed. Around her, she could hear the beasts chatting nervously.
"A-Aura," she could barely hear Suicune say.
"Is she okay? Was the power in it too great?"
"Then does–?" Raikou began, but Entei snarled to silence it promptly.
Everything went quiet as she drifted off against her will.
When she woke back up, innocence had returned to her eyes. She sat up with a start. The beasts were there as they had been, sitting around her. But she grew puzzled at the stares directed at her. Even though they clearly saw her up again, they waited for her to speak.
"What?" she asked. "I think I fell asleep."
The tense air among them relaxed. Suicune turned and walked away while Entei observed her with its piercing silver eyes.
"No, you did nothing wrong," it said with a keen caution. "Are you still tired?"
"I'm okay."
"Good. Let me explain. That Poké Ball in your grasp is called the Neo Ball."
"Neo...Ball?"
Marina looked at the smooth sphere in her hands. She waited in case the voice she heard would come back, but she could hear nothing. The previous feeling had faded away. A small sense of safety remained, however, as though the gentle presence was reminding her that it was still with her ever so slightly.
"Yes. Keep it with you at all times. It also is not a normal Poké Ball, it does not catch Pokémon, so do not use it for that purpose," Entei ordered. It glanced at Marina's pendant and at Suicune before continuing. "It contains your… guardian that will protect you from harm. Understand?"
"Funny how you love to give lectures about things, yet hate it when you hear it from someone else," Raikou pointed out. Ignoring the sneering tiger, Entei walked over to where Suicune was now sitting.
"Are you alright?" it asked, quiet so that the girl couldn't pick up on it.
"This…is complicated," Suicune responded with a subtle tilt of the head. "We will talk at length later."
"As you wish." Raising its head, Entei shifted back to the little girl and the tiger. "Let us show you around this island."
Suicune stood and waited for Marina and Raikou to walk over to them. The Pokémon in the surrounding forest watched the girl's every movement with incredible interest. Among them were two curious Pokémon that floated with psychic energy. The red Pokémon giggled with bubbling excitement, while her blue-colored brother's cooling gaze seemed very curious.
Marina glanced at the, staring back at the many species with wonder. She made a little wave at them as she walked and, smiling, she turned and ran to catch up with the three legendary beasts.
Dusk fell, followed by the cloak of night. Though it was dark, the uncharted island exchanged its lively elegance with a soft, serene mood. The stream gurgled playfully, reflecting the moonlight. Leaves seemed to give off its own multi-colored glow, while the cherry blossoms held its own bitter-sweet beauty.
Suicune stared into the gorgeous moon through the gap in the canopy. Though there was no wind, its mane and ribbons twirled and wavered slowly. It took no notice as Raikou walked into the clearing.
"Suicune, I'm here," Raikou informed. A moment passed with no response. "Hello?"
"Good," Suicune said, its eyes glassy and distant.
"...The moon always looks a little livelier when we're here." The golden tiger slowly walked closer from the forest, now empty as the other Pokémon had retreated to their nests to sleep. "This island never changes."
"I am here. What is the reason for calling us out at this hour?" Entei grunted, approaching them.
"Don't you remember?" Raikou asked.
"Yes, but at such a time like this..."
"The girl, 'Aura'...you know this sort of thing is a private matter."
"It's troublesome. Is that her real name?" Entei asked, sitting down.
"No," Suicune shook its head, "Her name is Marina."
"Then why?"
"We didn't know what to call her at the time; she was too shocked to speak," Raikou stated simply. It and Suicune settled on the soft grass as well, the trio facing each other.
Entei closed its eyes for a moment. "It's too late now to call her Marina. The other Pokémon, the psychic ones, have taken to the name Aura."
"What troubles me is why Deoxys is back," Suicune said. "It has been impossible to track down for long. But we should continue to be on the lookout in case it strikes again."
"I sense something ominous ahead. If not ominous, then it makes me unsettled. The girl is similar to Maya."
Suicune fidgeted as it heard the name, the blunt truth burdening its gaze.
"Forgive me if I brought unhappy memories, but it is true," Entei added.
"No, no. I could not help but think the same."
"But haven't you noticed?" Raikou asked. "She looks like Maya a little because of the ponytails, but we named her Aura and now she's got the Neo Ball. Quite ironic, right?"
The other two seemed a little amused.
"Though," Suicune said, "the fact that the Neo Ball reacted to her..."
Entei growled a little. "Aura—the real Aura—was able to contact Marina in some way. At last, we can say for certain that her soul is locked within the Neo Ball."
"But even I could not communicate with Aura."
"I know. We should contact Cilice about this... I guess I should do it."
"I doubt she'll listen to a fire Pokémon, Entei," Raikou said.
"Nor would she be fond of hearing out an electric Pokémon," Entei calmly retorted.
"Geez." Defeated, the tiger snickered. "So, Suicune, what should we do now?"
"I don't want Marina learning how to use her powers," stated Suicune, unfaltering.
They shared their companion's outlook, harvesting a profound sympathy in their agreement.
"That's the best way for her to return to humanity," admitted Raikou.
"It takes away much of the complications that would come if she did know," Entei agreed.
"Yes..." Suicune looked back up at the waning moon shining high above them. "It is best for her and us."
"...Suicune?"
They turned behind them. The little girl stood under one of the sleepy cherry blossom trees, holding her hands tightly.
"We will watch her for now to see if Aura tries to communicate again," Suicune whispered to its partners, "If not, then I will sever my connection with her and return her to her family. But, with certainty, she will spend her days on this island playing like a normal human child should."
Entei and Raikou nodded.
Suicune rose, reaching the girl at a placid pace. "What is the matter? Why are you not sleeping?"
Marina frowned. "I...I had a bad dream, Suicune."
"What about?"
"The scary Pokémon."
"...Deoxys?"
"It...I had a dream that it was chasing me again..." She held back her tears. "It wanted to make me die."
Gravely, Suicune stared down at her—at the Neo Ball clasped in Marina's little hands.
"...Suicune?"
"Yes?"
The girl rubbed the watery tears in her eyes. "I-I miss my Mama. I miss my sister. ...I miss my Daddy and my big brother," she said her voice trembling. "I can't sleep."
"...Marina. You cannot go back home yet."
Marina sniffed, nodding.
"But if it makes you feel better, you can pretend that I am also your parent as well. Do not worry; we will protect you from that horrible Pokémon."
Marina stared at Suicune, lips trembling. She walked over and hugged Suicune with her small arms. She trembled and cried for a short time. When she calmed, she backed away and looked up at the mythical beast.
"I will tell you a story then, and will not leave your side until you fall asleep. Is that fine?" Suicune softly asked.
"Okay... Suicune."
As the two left the clearing, the other two legendary beasts stared after them.
"Still the same..." Raikou commented.
Entei nodded. "It is not just Suicune. We will all do our best to protect her."
"Yeah," Raikou murmured with a rare, amiable softness in its eyes. "This time, that traitor Deoxys won't get its way again. For both Aura and Maya's sake."
