Tied with Life

Part 1

It was an ordinary day in Mystery Valley. There were big white clouds in the bright blue sky. A green dragon-like creature called Draro flew through the sky. "Dra!" it said as it drifted happily through the air. In the nearby forest, an orange fox-like creature called Lalenee and a lavender deer-like creature called Kettera peeked out from behind the bushes, trees, and tall grass. But this day was not going to be as it seemed…something special was awaiting the three friends who were busy near all these things.

Tied with Life!

"Hey, Popo! How's it going?" called Nana as she ran up to Popo, who was trying to dig a hole nearby. This was a place that had been left alone for years, and digging a hole was just about the hardest thing to do here.

"Nana, this is impossible…the dirt's hardened…I thought you were going to help!" said Popo as he stopped for a moment to rest.

Nana thought about this. She had promised to help him, but there was something more important to her now. "Aw, come on, don't worry about digging the hole," she said. "We can do that later." She grabbed Popo by the hand and started to run in the other direction. Popo was so surprised by this that he dropped his shovel.

Where is she taking me? he thought as Nana took him up a ladder, to the top of a tree. At the top of the tree, there was a big wooden box-like thing. Their Pikachu, Shocky, was waiting for them there. She was happy to see them.

"Look, Popo! Look!" cried Nana.

"Pika!" cried Shocky.

"I didn't even get to catch my breath…" said Popo, a little annoyed at them.

Just then, a Draro landed near them. It was light green with dark green scales on its head, back, and tail. It had a pale yellow chest and a small white horn on its forehead, and big green and pale yellow wings on its back. It was a little bigger than Popo and Nana, and it stood there for a moment, smiling at them. "It's a Draro!" said Nana.

"Wow!" said Popo.

Soon the Draro left and the three of them got down from the tree. They walked around the valley a little. "Nana," said Popo, "I know you're curious about this place, but do you have to get so excited about every single thing we see?"

"But there are so many interesting creatures here!" said Nana.

"We should be careful, shouldn't we?" said Popo. "We don't know this place very well. Aren't there any unfriendly creatures here?"

"Oh, not at all!" said Nana. "They are all friendly! I've met them!" She looked as if this were some kind of achievement she'd made.

"W-what about that one?" Popo said in an uneasy voice.

Nana looked over, and she looked frightened too. "I…I don't know that one," she said.

Near them was a very suspicious-looking creature. It had dark red fur and sharp teeth and claws. It had angry-looking purple eyes with yellow pupils. It had very long uniquely shaped ears and a spike on its neck. It looked at them with an evil look. "I am Darlien," it said, "and I will never let you discover the secret!"

"What secret?" called Nana, but her voice was drowned out by Darlien's loud growling.

"Pika!" Shocky jumped in front of Popo and Nana, looking angry. Sparks came from her cheeks. She looked back at them. "Pika Pika!" she said. I'll protect you! She jumped up and hit Darlien with a thunderbolt. But he seemed to take it like it was nothing.

Just then, Magiel ran up nearby. He looked straight at Nana, and his DeepHeart Magic burned like a fire within him. "That's her!" he said to himself, "She's the one!"

When he looked over and saw Darlien, he nearly jumped up in shock. "You!" he cried, "Don't you dare hurt them!" He growled and jumped on Darlien.

"Magiel?!" said Darlien. "I thought I would never see you again!"

"So we meet again…" Magiel smiled and his eyes flashed, "now, if you'll kindly leave, I will start my mission." A light blue glow came from his hands. He controlled it like a beam and used it to send Darlien far away.

Popo, Nana, and Shocky were frozen in amazement. Magiel walked up to them. He looked so friendly and happy all of a sudden that they felt calm again. "There you are, my friend," he said, looking at Nana, "I've been looking for you. Now, what is your name?"

"Me?" Nana said, confused, "Why…? My name is Nana. Who are you?"

"It is nice to meet you, Nana," said Magiel, "I am Magiel. And who are your friends?"

"I'm Popo," said Popo, "and this is Shocky."

"Pika." said Shocky.

"The same to you," Magiel said politely.

Magiel was a wolf-like creature. He was light grey with white on his face, chest, and paws, and yellow eyes. He looked much friendlier than Darlien. "Now, Nana," he said calmly, "there is a reason I have come to you. A very important one."

He closed his eyes and then the blue glow came from his hands again. "Do you see the blue glow? That is my DeepHeart Magic. And that type of magic-it's the secret."

"DeepHeart Magic?" said Nana.

"That's right," said Magiel, "Not only do I have it, but so do the three of you-and everyone else."

Popo, Nana, and Shocky looked confused. They had never heard of DeepHeart Magic. Only Magiel and a few unknown creatures knew about it. "I will explain, then," said Magiel, "DeepHeart Magic is a magic that every creature in this land has. They are born with it and it disappears when they die. But the reason no one knows about it is because only I can use it at any time. I have the power to 'activate' other creatures' DeepHeart Magic. It's a special magic that seems to have a life of its own. It senses when magical things are about to happen and helps out when its owner is in danger."

"So this magic is a good thing?" said Popo.

"Well, you do have to be careful," said Magiel, "It can't be used forever. And if you use it too much, it may disappear or leave you. And when that happens…no one knows. But legend has it that without DeepHeart Magic, everyone would be like robots. They wouldn't have feelings or form friendships. But no one knows if that's true."

Then, Magiel made a beam of blue glow drift across the sky a little. The beam began to circle around Nana, and then it disappeared. A second later, "Nana! What's happened to you?!" Popo exclaimed.

Nana jumped up when she noticed there was a glowing heart shape on her. "Where did that come from?" she said, sounding worried.

"It's okay," said Magiel, "it's just your DeepHeart Magic."

"Mine?" said Nana. "Oh. But what did you do?"

"I activated it," said Magiel, "and yours is different from mine because I have a different type of it. The heart shape will only show up when your DeepHeart Magic senses something, or in times of danger. Or when you use this." Magiel shot a blue beam at his hand, and it made a very small square-shaped machine. He handed it to Nana. "You must use this to attack," he said, "It's very magical and special. But be careful not to break it. Now, I will lead you to a place where you will learn to use it. Follow me."

So they went to a building on the other side of the valley. "This is an old abandoned house," said Magiel, "The wild creatures here love to play in it and practice their skills in its yard." Then he threw a blue beam into the sky, and Draro flew to him. Magiel created something like a target with his magic, and handed it to Draro, who nodded and flew back a little.

"Okay," said Magiel, "just try to hit what Draro's holding with that machine."

Nana held the machine out in front of her, and it shot out a dark blue beam. She tried a few times, but couldn't seem to aim right. "I can't seem to do it!" she said.

"There's nothing to it. See?" said Magiel. He held it in front of him and hit the target.

Why doesn't he have any trouble? thought Nana as she tried again. Eventually, she learned to aim perfectly.

"Well," said Magiel, "I think I'll leave you three for a little while and see how you do without me." Then he walked off. But he didn't know that this was a big mistake.

Nana walked up to a tree. "I think I'll practice on that apple," she said. "I wonder if I could try to get it down? That would be good practice." She tried to use the machine to put a beam around the apple, but all it did…was burn the apple. Popo, Nana, and Shocky stared at it for a second. "Oops…" said Nana.

She tried practicing on many other things. Eventually Popo started to wonder if anyone else could try to use the machine. When Nana ran out of things to practice on, Popo decided to try. But when he went near the machine, he felt a strange force. He should have been warned, but he kept trying anyway. As soon as he touched the machine, he knew he had made a mistake. It glowed blue when he picked it up. Then there was a very unusual sound from the machine, and Popo fell over. "Popo!" Nana cried in terror, and she quickly ran up to him. Shocky ran up too.

They tried to wake him up, but it was no use. "Oh, Shocky, what's happened to him?" said Nana. "Please, go find Magiel!"

Shocky left and came back with Magiel. "Oh, my," said Magiel, looking at the burned landscape, "you certainly overdid it."

"But that's not the problem," said Nana, pointing to Popo, "Look!"

Magiel's eyes widened. "Oh, dear," he said, "I knew this would happen." He walked up to Popo and revived him with a blue glow. "He was all right. The magical machine does not accept those whose DeepHeart Magic is not activated. Please be more careful, all right?"

"I will." said Popo.

To be continued…