Oh hi, this is the third chapter to The Show Must Go On.
Just to have a disclaimer, I do not own pokemon.
I do, however, own Arch, Atin, Harsune, and Latius.
Now for chapter three.
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Jasmine sat in her apartment, staring out the window at the sunrise. She was glad that she was able to get away from the police, but she had to change her name to Selena. Her appearance needed a little tinkering as well. Instead of the long, wavy black hair and emerald eyes she had before, she now had dark red hair and blue eyes. Changing your hair from such a dark color like black to red, even dark red, was difficult. It required a lot of hair dye, and her scalp itched because of all the chemicals. The eyes were easy, she just bought blue contacts.
She sighed, closing her eyes and thinking. She still mourned deeply over Nivek. That's what her Latios had told her his name was when she befriended him. She slowly opened her eyes and shook her head. She needed to stop thinking about him. Latius had died as well, and Jasmine shouldn't really worry about revenge. She tried to think of something else, but her mind was blank. She growled in frustration, and left the window to sit on her bed.
She held her chin in her hands and glared around at the apartment. It wasn't even much of an apartment; it was a bed and an uncomfortable wooden chair, with a light bulb hanging by a wire from the ceiling. More like a prison cell to her, only she could go outside. The only entertainment was an old book she had always had, which she kept under her bed. It was what her caretaker had given her as a birthday present. The only birthday present she had ever received. She didn't even know it was her birthday when she had gotten it. That's right, she had forgotten her own birthday. The only way she could remember her age was because it was told to her once, and every year, she would add to it.
So, jasmine had a really bad childhood. What made her 'evil'? She just wanted to know that she could do something big. The only big things she could think of were bad things though, and that was good enough for her. She was also big on finding pokemon that nobody knew about. Take Latius for example. She also knew about one other pokemon…a pokemon with golden feathers. Her caretaker had told her about it after stealing a curious golden feather from a pokemon that he didn't think should have it.
She slid the book out from under her bed and opened it, marveling the beautiful illustrations. She turned to the middle of the book, and took out the golden feather. It seemed to be ageless, it was always so perfect looking. Even after having serious scientific tests done to it and being wedged between Arceus and Giratina. She looked down. Arceus and Giratina, the pokemon of creation and the pokemon of death. Pretty much polar opposites. She tilted her head and looked at the feather. Nobody had ever seen Arceus or Giratina…let alone the golden feathered pokemon. What if she found all three?
She slid the book back under her bed and sat up, stretching her back. She would think about the three over a cup of coffee, then she would fantasize about Giratina and Arceus coming here and giving her a chance to capture them. If only that would happen.
Arch
Arch woke up to a long moan, and she wearily opened her eyes. Perfect! The sun was just starting to rise over the horizon, casting rays of light over the waves. Her white button up shirt and black vest were drenched, not to mention her black pants. She tried to hoist herself up, and nearly slipped into the water. The surface she was on was blue and slippery, and it took her a moment to register the fact that she was sitting on a wailord. She pondered how she could've ever ended up on one. She eventually resorted to asking it in a series of moans and wails. She was getting rusty in their language, but it replied after a moment.
"You were floating around in the water, and I thought you were dead for a moment. When I saw you were sleeping, I put you on my back. You seemed pretty important to just leave to drown." The wailord drawled. Arch patted the wailord. "You're pretty smart then." She complimented. The wailord moaned in response. The sun was slowly inching over the waves, making them glitter. She smiled, it was just how she remembered. Then she saw something, a golden sparkling beast, flapping it's large wings. She mistook it for Ho-Oh, then she saw the four feet, and the long, catlike tail. She rubbed her eyes, and when she removed her hands, the golden beast was no longer there.
"Did you see that?" She asked the wailord. It let out a long, songlike reply. It was obviously a no. Arch sighed in relief and sat back. Her mind was obviously playing tricks on her, it was probably just the light reflecting off the waves. She figured she had seen enough of the sunset, and she needed to get home before Atin totally freaked out and got to the point where he killed her when she got back.
Then it hit her.
"Ummm, how far away from here is Alto Mare by flight?" She asked the Wailord timidly. The Wailord slid forward a little, turning his body to one direction. "A few hours that way." He moaned. Arch sighed deeply, and turned into a Latias. Atin wasn't going to like this at all. "Thank you for your hospitality." She murmured before zooming off.
Atin
Atin growled in rage, clenching his fists before ripping Arch's sheets off the bed and tearing them apart. He hurdled the scraps of cloth across the room, and Latias narrowly dodged them. "Don't you think you're taking this a little too roughly?" She asked in a very small voice. Atin turned swiftly around and roared, his eyes burning with fury. "She's such an idiot! Leaving like that! She put herself in DANGER!" He cried out, suddenly bursting into tears and collapsing on the floor. Latias cringed and floated over to him, but quickly zoomed out of the room when he tried to use slash on her. Apparently he wanted to be left alone.
Atin closed his eyes tightly and curled up into a ball. He tried to stop crying, but he failed miserably. His breaths came in short, gasping sobs. Oh if only Arch wasn't so stupid! She probably was floating around, and had let her guard down. Then somebody saw her and captured her. He clenched his hands into fists, his nails digging into his skin.
Sure Atin seemed mellow and serious, with a pretty bleak personality, but he was actually insane. What he would give to not have breakdowns every time Arch disappeared! She did that a lot, and she was doing very important stuff, he knew. Just, when she left without saying goodbye and assuring him that she would be okay, he would fall apart. He sat up and wiped his eyes, gasping and struggling for a proper breath of air. His eyes were red and puffy, and they itched.
He grabbed his coat and walked outside, leaning against the walls for support. People eyed him curiously, and some tried to ask him what was wrong. He shoved them away carelessly and hobbled on, finally arriving at his destination, the beach, and collapsing on the sand. He sighed as the sun baked sand caressed his face.
He suddenly heard a feminine voice, it was silky and slightly lilting. He looked up hopefully, but all he saw was a girl with red hair and blue eyes. She kneeled down next to him, and she repeated her question. "Something wrong?" She asked, tilting her head. Atin sighed and closed his eyes before talking. "I can't find my friend Arch. She's a Latias and I really care about her." He mumbled. He cracked open an eye, and what he saw was sympathy and understanding.
"You're kinda lucky." The girl mumbled. "I lost my friend Latios, and I know he won't come back. At least Arch might come back." She sat back and sighed, looking at him. He looked back at her before replying. "I'm sorry." The girl smiled before patting him on the shoulder and getting up, brushing sand off her pants and walking away.
The instant she was out of sight, Atin heard a small voice. "Is she gone?" It asked, whispering. Atin sat up and looked around frantically, and he nearly squealed with glee when he saw two blue eyes staring at him from a hole in between a rock and the sand. The eyes blinked, and Atin remembered its question. He nodded frantically.
Harsune crept out from the hole and looked around cautiously before trotting over and leaping on him. He hugged her and then paused, tilting his head. "Wait…aren't you only out of hiding when a calamity is about to strike?" He asked, suddenly looking worried. Harsune shrugged and curled up in his lap. "I came out because I needed some fresh air, and I do that a lot you know." She said. Atin shrugged, and shoved her off his lap, making her yowl in annoyance. He quickly patted her on her head, knowing that she had a fiery temper, and that she burst into flames when she got angry.
Harsune was about as large as a mightyena, with golden feathers and large wings. She had a long, catlike tail, and a slender bodice. She resembled a large cat actually, despite the fact that she had a long neck and a pointed face, with sharp ears and a blue jewel in her forehead. She looked harmless and cute, but that was her normal form, where she couldn't be attacked, and she couldn't attack anything. Then there was her attack form…but that was a whole different story.
"I was flying over here, and I thought I saw Arch on top of a Wailord, if that helps your problem." She said, getting up and shaking sand from her feathers. "And I'm tired from the flight, be a doll and carry me around." Before Atin could object, she jumped on his back and hung onto his shoulders, making him grunt from her sudden movement. He staggered and stood up, starting to walk towards their apartment. Harsune wrapped her tail around his waist, and rested her head on top of his, beginning to purr loudly.
They arrived at Atin's house, and Atin slid through the door, laying Harsune down on the couch. She had now fallen asleep, and he didn't want to wake her. She fidgeted slightly before curling up and twitching her tail slightly. He sighed and sat down in the armchair, grabbing The Legend of Legendaries and flipping open to Celebi. He really just wanted to look at the pictures. They were painted really nicely, with no detail left out. He wondered how anyone could've ever had a vision such a rare pokemon so well etched into their minds.
Arch
Arch finally arrived at the beach of Alto Mare. She groaned and shot into the waters of the canal, her wings couldn't take anymore flying. She sped through the water, the sun was filtering through it, casting beams of light to the near bottom. Arch supposed that it was high noon, and that she had been flying for four straight hours. No wonder her wings felt like they would fall off. She swam under one of the bridges and poked her head above the surface of the water, pleased to see Atin's house.
She turned into a human and walked up to the door, hesitating before sliding through it. She stepped into the small family room and gasped when she saw Harsune curled up on the couch. Why was she here? Arch tilted her head before glancing around, and seeing Atin asleep in the armchair, with The Legend of Legendaries in his lap. Arch slunk over to him and removed the book carefully from his lap, looking at what page he was on. She smiled when she saw that it was on Arceus.
She put the book back on his lap and took a magazine from the side table, rolling it up before whacking him in the head with it. Atin nearly jumped out of his seat, but he nearly cried out in joy when he saw that it was her. Then he suddenly became angry, and sad at the same time, and he clung to her and started crying.
"W-why didn't you say t-that you weren't g-going to be back for a w-while?" He wept, "I –I thought s-something b-bad had happened t-to you!" Arch patted him comfortably and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, but you were a jackass, so I didn't think you deserved it." (Gawd Arch, talk about comforting.) Atin looked up at her and quirked an eyebrow. "That's why I tore your sheets into smithereens." He said.
Arch sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's why you don't get goodbye hugs, you bipolar little freak." Then she remembered Harsune. "Why's she here?" She asked, pointing to the little golden cat-thing. Atin shrugged. "She said she needed some fresh air, so she came over here. Apparently she doesn't only come out when some great calamity is about to strike." He explained. Then he cringed, remembering Arch's tendency to anger people and be unsympathetic. "Don't throw any of your sly remarks at her though, remember the bursting into flames thing, okay?" But it was already too late.
Arch walked over and slapped Harsune with a newspaper. "Get up, you fat yellow hairball." She shouted, startling Harsune. Atin cringed, and Harsune groggily stared up at her and smiled. "I'm not fat, I'm golden, and I don't have hair, I have feathers." She said simply before sliding from the couch and curling up on the rug near the fireplace. She flicked her tail, and a small ball of fire was thrown into the partially charred wood, making it come to life with golden flames.
Arch slumped down into the couch, brushing away some imaginary hair and holding her nose. "Wow Harsune, way to make the couch smell like piss." She said, rolling her eyes and scooting over. Atin face palmed, and Harsune shrugged. "You're probably just smelling yourself Archie." She threw back, making Arch glare. "Don't call be Archie, M'kay?" Arch snapped before looking at the TV and grabbing the remote. The TV flared into colorful pictures, and Arch started clicking through the channels, muttering things like boring, and stupid.
Harsune lifted her head and trotted over, staring curiously at the TV screen. She started batting at the pictures with her paws, and Arch started to snort with laughter. Harsune looked back at her and quirked an eyebrow before walking away and curling up again near the fire. Arch sighed and pressed deeper into the worn out fabric of the sofa. She glanced over at Atin, who was being awfully quiet. "You okay there?" She asked quietly. Atin glanced at her and nodded, but Arch was sure that there was something on his mind.
Jasmine
Jasmine stared in utter disbelief at the two golden feathers in her hand. They were exact matches. Jasmine had just been walking along, when she saw that guy who was depressed only moments before, with a golden pokemon clinging to his back. Of course, nobody else saw it, but Jasmine usually wore heat sensing sunglasses. This pokemon's bodily heat was off the charts, it was like underneath the little pokemon's golden feathers, there was molten magma. She had snagged one of the feathers from the golden pokemon and saw that it was an exact match to the one she had in her book. Luck was certainly starting to inch over to her side.
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Oh hai, I hope you liked this chapter.
If you want more, R&R
I'm sorry Arch had a dirty mouth, but that's just her personality.
Oh, and, why do people keep on saying GiratinaXArceus?
I mean, Goldeneye1 started saying it right at the first chapter.