Elix awoke to the peculiar sensation of water trickling down his face. Groggy, he propped himself up and looked up at the roof of the tent. Sure enough, a small stream of water was trickling down from the tent roof.
A leak? Elix thought to himself, still mostly asleep. He looked over to his left and saw Lucario curled up asleep on his sleeping bag. Which was weird, because Elix never woke up before Lucario. Lucario wakes up before sunrise sometimes. Elix sometimes wonders if he ever sleeps at all.
Elix slowly climbed out of his sleeping bag and stuck his head out the tent. It was still raining. How the hell is it still raining? Is the sky mad at me for taking that weird fire thing? What's the deal with that weird fire thing, anyway? Why did the lake give it to me anyway? Elix tended to do most of his thinking in the morning.
Elix put on his raincoat and took out the fire sphere before stepping outside. He looked back toward the lake and there were no trace of the islands, as if they were never there. For a brief second Elix wondered if he had dreamt the entire thing, and that the fire sphere is some bizarre hallucination of his. He rolled the ball around his palm, and sure enough it felt solid and real. The flame inside it flickered and swayed like a real flame. Elix looked back at the lake, then at the sphere again.
Okay, seriously, what is the deal with this thing? Elix asked himself, inspecting the sphere closely. He eventually decided that simply staring at it wasn't going to give him any answers, so he pocketed the sphere and sat down on the hill.
Master, you're awake? Lucario asked from behind him. He was evidently just as surprised that he woke up second as Elix was.
"Yeah, we got a leak in that tent," he said, gesturing towards the tent. "It's a piece of crap anyway, we need to get a new one."
Lucario sat down next to him and looked toward the lake. The islands are gone, he observed, frowning.
"Yeah, as if they were never there. You know what's up with that?"
There's most assuredly some supernatural force in the lake, as there's no way just water can generate that kind of Aura, Lucario replied, resting his head in his paws, deep in thought. I'm guessing the lake deity wanted us to have that strange sphere.
"Lake Deity?"
Yes. A Pokemon called Mesprit. There are three lakes in Sinnoh, and each has its own deity, Lucario explained.
"Okay, so this Mesprit wanted us to have this fire sphere. But why?" Elix was now both curious and worried. Curious because he actually really wanted to know what the story was with this thing. Worried because this little ball was obviously important, and he was obviously supposed to do something important with it, but he had no idea what.
That I do not know. I'm sure Dr. Isaac knows, Lucario suggested, standing up. I think I will go train for a while, he announced, stretching his arms and legs.
"Go right ahead. I'll take care of things around here," Elix said, also standing up. He wasn't looking forward to packing up everything in the rain, but at least the rain will help him stay awake.
Lucario walked off into the forest surrounding the lake, leaving Elix standing alone at the lake's edge. He gazed into the lake one last time before clapping his hands together. "Better get to work," he said to himself.
He was almost done when Lucario walked out of the forest. He paid the Aura Pokemon no mind at first, but then noticed his worried expression and how he was constantly looking around.
"What's up, Luc?" Elix asked, putting away the last of the cooking utensils into a small black bag.
I sense a powerful aura quickly getting closer. I can't locate where it is, though, Lucario replied.
"What's the big deal? I bet there are powerful auras all over the place."
True, but this one is heading directly toward us. It's moving rather fast, as well.
Lucario had a tendency to fret over things, especially if he thought they were dangerous. Elix was slightly worried about it too, but he didn't want Lucario to be on edge the entire trip back. "How far away do you think it is?" He asked.
I can't tell, but at the rate it is moving, it shouldn't reach us for another couple of hours.
"By then, we should be back in Jubilife City, if it doesn't go away sooner. We'll be fine, don't worry."
If you say so, Lucario resigned, visibly relaxing a little.
"I've finished packing everything up, so would you mind helping me carry some of this?" Elix asked, hefting his backpack and picking up a couple other bags.
Of course, Lucario replied, quickly picking up the other bags that remained.
The walk back to Jubilife was mostly uneventful, although every now and then Lucario's ear would twitch and he would scan the area. He was still concerned about the mystery aura, but at least he wasn't as rattled as before.
When they reached Jubilife, the sun was hanging in the middle of the sky, and the ground shimmered with midday heat. It had stopped raining when they were walking back, thank God.
"Let's drop our stuff out at our place, then swing by Ian's to have him take a look at this sphere," Elix suggested, shouldering his backpack.
Fine with me, Lucario agreed.
Upon reaching their house, however, Lucario suddenly stopped. "What's up?" Elix asked.
The powerful aura is very close now, Lucario said, the worry in his voice clear.
"That's it?" Elix asked, now more worried about his friend's mental state than this powerful aura he was sensing.
Lucario shook his head. No, what bugs me is that it's this close and I still can't identify it.
Elix knew that if there was one thing Lucario hated more than anything, it was the unknown. "Is it still headed straight for us?" He asked.
Yes, Lucario replied, his eyes now closed with concentration. Elix sighed, then thought for a moment.
"Well, it's obvious that it wants to see us, and there's no stopping it," Elix began. "Let's just head over to Ian's and we'll meet up with it when we meet up with it." Elix wished he could think of something better to say to calm Lucario down, but that was all he could think of.
Lucario picked up on Elix's concern and nodded his head in agreement. You are right. There is nothing we can do about it until we meet it. Lucario picked up his bags and walked into the house, Elix close behind him.
"Mom, I'm home!" Elix shouted, then quickly remembered his Mom wasn't here. She was off at some important work thing, and didn't tell him how long she was going to be gone. Elix didn't really mind, though. He was never that close to his mom, and he could take care of himself easily anyway. If anything went wrong, he always had Lucario. Also, he kinda liked living alone. It appealed to the independent part of his personality.
Elix wanted to talk to Isaac before he encountered this mystery aura, so he dropped everything in the entranceway. "Let's hurry," he said to Lucario.
Lucario was thinking the same thing. Right, he agreed.
Dr. Isaac lived a couple blocks away from Elix's house. It wasn't a long walk, but it was a tense one. Elix could tell from Lucario's body language that the mysterious aura was going to arrive any minute now.
They thankfully managed to arrive without encountering it. Elix rang the doorbell twice, and almost immediately the door swung open, revealing Dr. Ian Isaac.
"Hey hey! Elix, how's it going?" Ian asked, smiling widely. "Come in! Come in!"
Isaac was a tall, thin man in his early thirties. Elix had first met him when his dad invited over to dinner (they were apparently old friends) and they have remained close ever since.
"And here's Lucario! So, how did the trip go? Did you catch that red Gyarados? You didn't have any problems, right? Please, sit down!" Ian talked faster than anyone Elix knew. He was also smarter than anyone Elix knew. Elix suspected that it takes a brain that smart to keep up with a mouth that fast.
"We didn't even see a trace of him, but that's not why we're here," Elix began. He took out the fiery sphere, and held it up so Ian could see it. "What can you tell me about this?"
Ian's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh. Oh my, how did you get a hold of that? May I see it?"
Elix handed him the sphere. For a while Ian studied it closely then walked over to a bookshelf and rifled through it. He selected an old, worn book and opened it to a page marked with a bookmark. After reading the book for a few seconds, Ian closed it and walked back over to Elix.
"What you have here," Ian said, holding up the sphere, "is what is called a Fire Orb."
"A Fire Orb?" Elix asked, leaning forward.
"Yes. No one knows its true purpose, although there are many theories," Ian began. "Some say it is a vessel that contains massive amounts of power. Others say it is a key that unlocks a great treasure. Still others say it is a powerful weapon that unlocks the wielder's true power. Nobody knows for sure. It was lost some 1000 years ago." Ian said.
"Wow, I had no idea this thing was so special." Elix said. He noticed Lucario's ears perking with interest.
"Where did you find this?" Ian asked.
"Well, that's the crazy part."
Elix told Ian the story of how he and Lucario found the Fire Orb. Over the course of the story, he noticed Lucario was getting increasingly anxious. When he was finished, he felt Lucario nudge him in the ribs. He looked over and saw Lucario nod his head in the direction of the door.
"That's very interesting. I wonder if Mesprit is behind all of this," Ian wondered. Elix stood up along with Lucario.
"I'm really sorry, Ian, but we have to go. I hate to leave the conversation like this, but we have some important stuff to do before it gets any later."
"Oh no, it's fine. I understand. I do have one favor to ask, however. Do you mind if I keep the Fire Orb overnight? I would like to study it," Ian asked.
"Oh sure, it's fine. We'll be along early next morning to ask you about it. See ya!"
"Goodbye."
When they were outside, Lucario turned to Elix.
I'm very sorry about making you leave, but the powerful aura is close. Very close, Lucario said under his breath.
"No, it's okay. I understand," Elix said, glancing around him. "Let's hurry home."
When the two turned onto their street, Elix noticed Lucario stop cold. He turned around and noticed his fur was bristling, his teeth were showing, and his eyes were glowing.
It's here! It's here! Lucario warned. Panicked, Elix spun around to see what Lucario was looking at.
Out of the darkness at the end of the street strode a feline-like Pokemon with bright white fur. It had a black face with bright red eyes, and a sickle-lie growth on the side of its head. Around its neck hung a peculiar necklace.
The Pokemon stopped a couple yards away from them, and for a moment they simply stared at each other. Finally, the Pokemon spoke.
Are you Elix and Lucario? Absol asked, his red eyes glowing.
Ha-ha! I have discovered correct dialogue form! Now my fanfic should look less like a 12-year-old's diary entry! Yay!
Anyway this chapter is, like, long. Or at least it feels long. It felt long when I was typing it. Hopefully it didn't bore you.
I promise something will actually happen in the next chapter, by the way.