Chapter 2: Water Games

10:43 p.m. Friday May 13th, 2049

A single flickering flame was cast out before the group, penetrating the surrounding darkness and exposing what couldn't be seen before. The spark was emitted by the glistening Magnemite that silently floated at Professor Durham's side. The blackness of the forest around them was suffocating, seemingly taking your breath from your throat and whisking away into the hellish depths among the trees. This was not the kind of darkness that they remembered. The darkness they recalled from the days of Rustboro City was accompanied by some sort of blinking traffic lights or honking of traffic backed up by said lights. Utter silence greeted them with every step, giving them the feeling that they were living some sort of silent film displayed on a large screen somewhere in the center of Rustboro. These forests were once flocked with Hoot-hoot, which would have given them at least some sense of security that they were not alone here.

The frizzed head of Professor Durham cast a long shadow over the group, allowing them to only see him and not each other. Not as though they would like to see each other. They preferred the coolness of the dark, for looking at one another's sunburned, blistered bodies would only bring more pain to their own. They were grateful when the sun had sunk over the tops of the trees, which shielded them from its deadly rays. Being away from it for so long, these people had forgotten the pain it could cause upon pasty white skin such as their own. Rubbing their arms incessantly, the group of twenty-six marched onward in the direction that the Professor indicated.

Since their return to the surface, Professor Durham became the self-appointed leader of the pack, telling them that he was best suited for the job due to his "experience". Charlie Weindrich was just glad that somebody was taking charge. The situation would have been a lot worse if each person had been too frightened to come forth and lead the group to safety. Charlie's thoughts on the matter were interrupted however, for the Professor turned to speak to the followers.

"I think we should stop here for the night, set up camp, maybe find something to eat," Professor Durham said, with a tone of authority leaking into the words. A few murmurs could be heard within the crowd until a bellow erupted from the center. "Are you crazy? We don't even know where we are, I say we get in as much walking now before we have to brave the daylight again!" A chubby man was saying, making his way through the crowd toward the front. His head reached to Charlie's nose, indicating that he was very short, but by the tone of his voice and look on his pig-face, he seemed to think that he was ten feet tall and large enough to boss the others around. By his side, matching his every stride was a large Gastrodon. Earlier that day, under the scorch of the sun, the man's shellos had fallen on its face, unable to continue in the heat. A large blue sphere had erupted around it, Charlie recalled, and the shellos had then evolved into the somewhat-repulsive form of Gastrodon, which the man had been so proud of. In a way, the two resembled each other greatly; both were oozing out of their shells, actually in the man's case, it was his clothes.

"Look, Mr. Kramer, the others are exhausted, we all are for that matter, and I just think it would be good to rest before we venture further," the Professor responded, coming forth with his Magnemite following. These words were met in another series of murmurs, this time agreeing with Professor Durham. The blobbish form of Mr. Kramer fell back, absorbed by the crowd.

"Alright, let's set up camp, I want you five to search the forest for food, berries, nuts, anything, just don't go in too far or you will never find your way back." Professor Durham ordered, pointing to the group of five at the front. "You ten go collect firewood, anything that can be used for kindling, preferably small twigs, get enough to last the night," he continued, swinging around to point in Charlie's direction. "I need you two to go get some water from the stream down that way," he said, getting down on one knee to be eye-level with two kids who looked around the age of six. Beside them stood a short, blonde-headed beauty, to whom they began yanking in the direction of the stream. "And finally, the remaining folks with set up a place to sleep and prepare the food that we have left from the bunker!" He said in one finally burst of his voice, leaning to catch his breath from that mouthful of words.

"C'mon out Mudkip," Charlie whispered as he stepped deeper into the forest away from the comforting light of the Magnemite. He then tossed a pokeball into the vast darkness that lay before him and a shower of red light rained down from it until the small Mudkip appeared, yawning as though it had just been awakened from a nap. "Okay, Mudkip, we need to gather firewood, so you gotta help me, okay?" he asked, although he already knew that the pokemon would help him regardless of the situation. The young man could barely see the mudfish pokemon, so he got the feeling that he was speaking to the pure darkness around him. This all ended however as a warm glow surrounded him and Mudkip, lighting the surrounding trees as well. A short girl, looking to be about fifteen, (like Charlie) approached, her long blonde locks shimmering in the light emitted by the small sphere atop her companion Spoink's head. The pink orb that lay between the little pig's head glowed as bright as the Professor's Magnemite, allowing her to easily maneuver through the tangle of the forest's vines and underbrush. "Hey Charlie, umm how's it going?" she asked as the two approached, unscathed by the twigs and branches jutting out, as to hinder them.

"Tiffany, I'm so glad to see you, I haven't had a chance to talk to you since-," he cut off, gazing upon her beauty marked by severe sunburn. Her soft, freckled skin shouldn't have been scrutinized by the sun, it wasn't fair to Charlie, who had spent most days in the bunker admiring her from afar. Actually, they had grown close as friends, seeing as they were the only two of their age, and had bonded over those last two years, spending most of their time together. "Ooh, you got hit pretty bad didn't you?" he asked, lifting her chin upward with his fingers, as to get a better view of her scorched neck. She brushed his hair back, and commented on his own case of burnt skin. Her soft touch sent a shiver down Charlie's spine, as it always did.

"I thought you were supposed to be with those kids getting water," Charlie said, suddenly remembering the task at hand.

"Yeah, but I had to sneak over and see my best friend!" She squealed joyously, leaping onto the young man and squeezing him in a tight embrace. "While I am here, I might as well help ya out," she said over her shoulder as she apprehended her Spoink from munching on a fistful of leaves. She held it close to her chest and uttered the words, "Use psybeam on that branch!" A beam of purple light shot from the sphere between its ears, temporarily blocking out the light it was previously emitting. Through the darkness, Charlie heard a rattling crash, indicating that the Spoink had succeeded in knocking down the tree's limb.

"Okay Mudkip, your turn, use mudslap!" the boy shouted to his pokemon, which instantly rose into the air and collided with the nearest branch, while emitting a shower of rock-hard mud upon it. Like the previous one, this limb also fell to the ground, but in a more silent fashion.

"That should be enough," Charlie thought out loud as he gazed around at the limb-scattered ground. "Okay, Medicham, come on out!" he continued, throwing yet another pokeball into the air. Like the other, a flash of red light transformed into the large form of Medicham. "Use focus punch on the limbs and chop them into logs!" On command, it dove toward the fallen branches with amazing speed and began throwing a series of fists at them. Within minutes, they were carved into perfect cylinders, easy to carry. "Okay, now use psychic and carry them to camp, which is, umm, that way I think," he then pointed in some random direction. The Medicham focused its eyes on the logs and they rose into the air, a purple haze surrounded them.

"No actually, it's that way." Tiffany corrected him, thrusting her finger the opposite way.

Charlie, embarrassed, corrected his pokemon, which then started off in the direction it had been commanded, its eyes never left the cracked surfaces of the logs. They were in the process of fighting their way back through the bramble when they heard a bloodcurdling scream echo from behind them. The Medicham instantly dropped the logs with a clatter, obviously perturbed by the noise. Charlie glanced in that direction then within notice sped off toward the scream, which came again, this time louder. His pokemon ran at his heels, ready to aid him if anything should go wrong. He looked back to see that Tiffany was only a few strides behind him, her Spoink squirming and wriggling within her grasp. Seeing as the light from the Spoink was behind him, Charlie stumbled, trying to catch his balance, but knew that he would soon trip again. The cry came again and again, answered by the call of others from the camp who were obviously racing toward it as well. Through the gloom of the trees, Charlie could just make out the silhouette of a man running full speed toward the river which lay just beyond a series of hills which appeared in a clearing up ahead. By now, Charlie and Tiffany were cavorting their way through the clearing, dancing to the side to avoid a clump of trees in the center. The two had just breasted the largest hill when the steep side of the ravine came into view, just below which was the raging river. It curved round the rugged bend and then disappeared from view into the darkness beyond. As they reached the sheer drop-off edge of the ravine, they joined a group of about five adults that had just arrived and were currently gaping in horror at what they saw in the river.

"Oh my god!" came the shrill shriek of a long-legged lady kneeling beside them, trying to reach down into the river, which lay at least twelve feet below.

Charlie leaned over the side and squinted down into the black waters. He was shocked to see a child clutching a rock, which was protruding through the water, trying to avoid being dragged away into the depths of the river. In between

In between sobs he would sputter an undistinguishable cry to the forming crowd above him.

"Oh my gosh, this is all my fault!" Tiffany whined, turning to Charlie with tears forming in her eyes. "I left them here alone to come see you!" Those tears had now spilled over her eyelids and began to leak down her face at an alarming rate. "I've got to help him!" Tiffany continued, kicking off her tattered sneakers and taking another look down at the water.

"Come on, don't be crazy, you can't go in there, you'll be killed! Please, just let them handle it!" Charlie pleaded with her. He would be crushed if he lost her. Those last few words were unheard however, for she had just took a running start off the edge of the ravine. Charlie watched as she disappeared into the darkness.

Her body struck the water hard, knocking the breath out of her. The chill of the water momentarily paralyzed her limbs, but she soon regained control of her body and kicked toward the screaming child. The river churned and spit foam into her face, seemingly attempting to stop her from reaching him. At the moment, it was winning. Despite how hard she slammed her fists against the water in an attempt to stay toward the surface, the current was too strong and Tiffany was dragged into the chilled depths.

"TIFFANY!" the scream erupted from Charlie's throat as he watched in helpless horror at his best friend being dragged below by the undertow. All was silent after this outburst, excluding the continuous wail of the shaken child and the slosh of the river against the sheer edge of the ravine. A small trickle of tears sprang from Charlie's eyes, which seemed diminutive next to this immense body of water. Though his vision was blurred, Charlie witnessed an eruption of red light through the foamy black waters, which could only mean one thing.

A thick tusk protruded through the surface, which was followed by the body of a sleek Walrein. As it rose out of the water, the unmistakable shape of a shivering girl clutched its neck, sputtering for air and to wipe the tangled mess of hair from her eyes. The walrus pokemon rocketed easily against the current toward the equally shivering boy still screaming his head off on the rock. When they had drawn near enough, Tiffany latched her hands around the child and pulled him onto the safety of the Walrein's back.

"Now Walrein, use surf!" Tiffany cried, her lips a deep purple shade, which looked impressive next to her bright red cheeks. A colossal wave burst from beneath them, sending the trio scrambling madly through the air before smashing with a thud against the craggy, rock-strewn ground.

Instantly, a thundering applause broke out among the crowd, which now housed the entire group of twenty-six. A couple cheers were audible and every eye was on the hero: Tiffany. Drenched in both water and tears, she pushed herself up from the ground and grabbed Charlie in a familiar hug. Even now, with Tiffany soaked in bone-chilling water, Charlie still felt the warm prickle of her touch down his well-worn spine.

A brawny man separated from the cheering bunch and made his way over to the two who were still hugging.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he screamed at her, rage pouring into every word. "You could have been killed, you are so stupid sometimes!" the man's face had grown to resembled a large, blood red tomato.

"But Daddy-," Tiffany coughed, detaching herself from Charlie. "Daddy, I had to!" She followed her father off into the woods, the sounds of their fight echoing after them. The remaining twenty-four stood in shocked silence, scuffing their feet on the ground, or chewing their fingernails to the nub. Nobody knew what to do or say after that incident.

"Well, shall we get back to camp?" Professor Durham asked, taking charge as usual. But unlike before, he was not answered by a few murmurs, for everyone just slunk off after him, too tired and embarrassed to respond.

Charlie however, just stood in utter silence, and watched them all leave. There he stood for hours, just staring at the gurgling river, wondering how anybody could have so much hatred for someone who did something that everybody else was too afraid to do. He just didn't understand.