- Chapter 3 -
A few miles from Littleroot, Slick's Pokemon sat around a fire ring by their master's tent. It was a Sunday afternoon, and the team was relaxing while Slick gave private training sessions in a forest clearing nearby. Today's session belonged to Aohane, Slick's Taillow.
"Aspears, anyone?" offered Rushing River, cross-legged at the forefront of the fire, trying to passing around a basket of plump Aspears. "C'mon. You gotta eat and put some muscle on those bones, boys!"
Next to the Marshtomp, Shanala rolled her eyes. "And what about me, Rush?" asked the Vulpix quietly, curling up by the fire's warmth, gazing up at him coolly. "Or am I a boy to you?" Insyte stared at Shanala, his fur bristling. For a moment, Spark-Tail was reminded of another Vulpix and Mudkip pair, old friends from a much older time...
/~~~ In the past ~~~\
A Pikachu and an Eevee cheerfully bounded down the road together towards the crossroads, leaving the town market behind them. Both wore Team Retriever neckerchiefs, their leather satchels packed and ready for a day of exploration.
Up ahead at the crossroads, a Mudkip and a Vulpix were waiting by the watering hole, both carrying explorer bags as well, though their neckerchiefs bore the logos of Team Storm. "Team Retrievers!" called the Vulpix, waving her forepaws to get their attention. "Over here!"
"Hiya there, Saffron!" exclaimed Leaf-Light as she arrived at the Watering Hole, with a panting Spark-Tail following right behind her. Grinning, the Eevee glanced Saffron up and down, then looked to the Mudkip. "And River too! What're you guys up to?"
Wagging his rudder-tail, River grinned at Leaf-Light and Spark-Tail, then filled them in. It was no secret that River and Saffron, the legendary duo, were preparing for their final exams at Wigglytuff's Guild. If they passed, they would graduate and earn First-Class Guild Approval status, an extremely prestigious honor amongst explorer teams.
"Anyway, we'll be moving back to Sharpedo Bluff, once we graduate," said Saffron with a sly grin. Wagging her tails in the cool breeze, she poked Leaf-Light with a paw. "I guess we'll be neighbors again, eh Leaf-Light? Just like old times. And now we can help each other out!"
Yes, just like old times. Except that this time, Saffron and River would be the stronger team...
\~~~ Back in the present ~~~/
Things were different now. Seven thousand years later, and a few seasons older, he still could not hope to comprehend what Team Storm had done for the world. Between Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, the world was much larger, deeper, and more complex than he had ever known under human rule.
He didn't like talking to the rest of Slick's Pokemon about his childhood memories. The stories sounded ridiculous when he told them, even in his own head. He'd looked up to River and his extraordinary feats, even though the Mudkip had been much younger than him. But Rush was a different story.
"Aw, come on, Shan, you know what I mean!" chuckled the Marshtomp, prodding the fox's flank and earning him a warning glance from her. "Everybody needs to eat, we've gotta keep our energy up. Chow up, team! You too, Lightning."
Spark-Tail said nothing- he disliked his own voice and avoided talking whenever possible. "Oh for christ's sake, put your shoulders down," said Insyte irritably, while Rush pushed the fruit basket over to Shanala, who turned her head away. "We're your teammates, we're not gonna rip out your heart in your sleep."
"Naw man, Lightning just needs to chill out," put in the Lombre, nodding at Spark-Tail. "See, man, he's gotten all filled up with the fightin', and all the eatin', and all the storytellin', and all that stuff, man. He just gotta chillax for a bit, y'know?"
The Vulpix sniffed at the Lombre rather disdainfully. "I think you're high again, Leroy," said Shanala, shaking her head and tails in disapproval. "Don't you ever think you ought to cut back? All that smoke can't be good for your lungs or your hat."
From Leroy's other side, Insyte snorted and pushed the untouched basket over to Spark-Tail. "Rush, you twit, you know none of us like Aspears," snorted the Umbreon, eyes gleaming and rings flashing. His voice dropped into a crude imitation of Rush. "'Okay, pucker up boys! Let's eat antifreeze! What's that? Your tongue's swollen? I can't hear you!'"
Ignoring the berries, Spark-Tail pushed the basket to Shanala, not looking up from the fire. Grinning at Insyte, Rush got up onto one knee and began cracking his knuckles. "Oh, you wanna play like that, eh?" replied the Marshtomp, raising his fists. "You and me, Insyte. I'll take you any day."
/~~~ In the past ~~~\
"My daddy thinks you'll be able to handle Level C jobs now, since you've evolved and all," giggled Leaf-Light as she and Spark-Tail sat in the shade, across from the Kecleon Market. "Mmhm. Say, did you hear about Saffron? Well, you'll never guess what happened last night..."
Blinking, the Pikachu looked up at her. "Saffron? You mean that pretty Vulpix who lives next door?" uttered young Spark-Tail. "I- um- I thought she didn't come home last night. Wasn't she at the beach or something...?"
"Heehee! Yes, of course she was at the beach again," replied the Eevee cheerfully, poking Spark-Tail with a paw. "But but, see... you remember that huge storm from two nights ago? Well, I guess a little fishy-fish washed up on the shore!"
"A... 'fishy-fish'?"
"Yeah!" said Leaf-Light excitedly. "So like, she was walking down the beach, and then she sees this cute Mudkip boy lying unconscious on the beach. Apparently his name was River. And he lost his memory or something. But like, that's not all... She said he said he used to be a human!"
"What's a human?" asked the Pikachu, confused, but wanting to hear more.
The Eevee blinked, then shrugged. "I dunno, but I bet it's something cool," giggled Leaf-Light, watching as a Wurmple and a Swellow haggled with one of the Kecleons. ""Anyway, Saffron and River took to each other really nicely. They even went into Wigglytuff's Guild together!" The Eevee grinned. "I heard they're called Team Storm."
"Y-you mean- she's an apprentice now?" blurted out Spark-Tail. Even though he was a full explorer on Ilun's team while Saffron was just an apprentice, the Pikachu was just a rookie, and the Guild had really good training. "Is Ilun still giving her money for explorations?"
"Oh well, you know how Daddy is," said the Eevee, grinning at the Pikachu. "He's gonna be funding Saffron's and River's education and the rest will come out of their earnings. Makes you glad that we get to keep the full rewards, hm?" Leaf-Light paused and glanced towards Kangaskhan Storage. "Anyway, we've got a few minutes before we meet Cory and Daddy at the crossroads, so let's go get supplies."
\~~~ Back in the present ~~~/
The air grew thick with tension as Rush and Insyte glared at each other from opposite sides of the fire. Then, as Shanala, Spark-Tail, and Leroy stared, both Umbreon and Marshtomp burst into laughter, dispelling the hostility as quickly as it had come.
"So, Lightning, got any more stories from the 'ancient past'?" snickered Insyte as he settled down by the fire, curling his lip at the Pikachu as Rush grabbed an Aspear from the basket. "Tell us about your friends from, uh, 'Treasure Town!' I need a good laugh."
Spark-Tail signed inwardly, wishing he'd never told anyone where he came from. On top of that, he particularly hated talking about how was he supposed to explain that a freak wormhole in time and space appeared out of nowhere and swallowed him up, then deposited him in the future? Even he didn't really believe what happened to himself. He certainly didn't want to believe it.
"Come on, let's hear some of your stories again!" called Insyte, slapping the ground with a paw and startling Spark-Tail out of his thoughts. "That last one about the big fat Wiggly who punched a hole in a wall, that was a really good one. Tell us more about that one place, 'Carvanha Cliff!'"
"Whoa whoa man, it's 'Sharpedo Bluff', not 'Carvanha Cliff', and his real name is 'Spark-Tail'," laughed Rush, giving Insyte a friendly punch in the flank and grinning at Spark-Tail with mirth. "Get it right, dude!"
"Oh yeah, right," chuckled Insyte, curling up by the fire and grinning at the Pikachu. "Yeah, talk about 'Sharpedo Bluff', Sparkle boy! Talk about the big cliff that looks EXACTLY like a shark!"
The Pikachu looked away and glared down at the grass, fuming silently. Insyte and Rush were the last two people in the world Spark-Tail wanted to talk to. Thinking about the cliff brought back too many painful memories; it reminded him of River, Saffron, and- most painfully of all- Leaf-Light.
He was on the verge of getting up and walking away when Shanala prodded him gently with a tail, beckoning him to stay. "I'd like to hear about Team Retrievers too," said the Vulpix quietly, giving the Pikachu an encouraging smile as she lay down beside the campfire, her eyes soft and warm.
Well, that was it, there was no fleeing now. Spark-Tail glanced around the fire, looking to Rush's and Insyte's grins, then glancing back to Shanala- and back again. "W-well, um... there was once a Linoone- named Ilun," began the Pikachu, staring at the ground, hard. "And, well- he was sort of the leader of Team Retrievers."
Insyte was already smirking. Sparktail wished he could wipe that snide grin right off the Umbreon's face. But then again, he knew it must be a pain to listen to him... "Ilun? That's a nice name," said Shanala, nodding to Spark-Tail, beckoning him to continue. "Was he a nice guy?"
"Y-yeah, he was pretty nice," said the Pikachu, growing annoyed with his own voice. No small wonder why Insyte and Rush made fun of him. "Anyway... uh... He had a wife and- well- and a daughter." Spark-Tail trailed off for a moment, then added quietly, "I was- well- friends with the daughter. They all lived at Sharpedo Bluff, see- and they... sort of... took me in."
"Oh, I'm sure they did," chortled Rush as Insyte snickered with laughter. "What, did you all live in the fin or something?"
Shanala gave Insyte and Rush a dark look, conveying something that Spark-Tail couldn't read. "Go on, Lightning," said the Vulpix without looking back at the Pikachu, voice trembling as she looked at the Umbreon. "Tell the rest of the story."
Spark-Tail hesitated. He didn't want to talk, and he really didn't want to think about the past, but... it seemed he had no choice. . "Well- there's a lot of caves in the cliff, so they had plenty of room for me," he said. "Umm, well- I never met Ilun's mate, but... her name was Laurel. And... the daughter was called... Leaf-Light."
/~~~ In the past ~~~\
At Sharpedo Bluff, in a spacious cavern within the stone shark's makeshift gills, where enclosing stone walls protected the inhabitants from the elements, six Pokemon sat in a huddle around a campfire, mourning the disappearance of their dear friends, River and Saffron.
As the warmth of the fire gently Leaf-Light huddled up close to her father and leader Ilun, who placed a comforting paw on the Eevee's shoulder. Beside the Pikachu sat Ilun's partner, Cory the Lucario; and between Cory and Leaf-Light sat the fire-tender, Vulcan the Quilava. They, too missed Team Storm with all their hearts.
It wasn't just that Ilun had been paying for Team Storm's training at Wiggyltuff's Guild, no. River and Saffron had an innocence like no other. Growing up in Sharpedo Bluff's mouth-cavern, Saffron had been like a sister to Leaf-Light, and Ilun had been the father that Saffron never had.
They didn't know River as well; Saffron found River on the night she moved out of Sharpedo Bluff. But River always seemed confident and hopeful. Spark-Tail really liked and admired that, though he was always too shy to talk to the Mudkip.
Cory thought vaguely that Ilun had never looked so sad, not since the day that Laurel passed away.
\~~~ Back in the present ~~~/
Spark-Tail trailed off as Insyte yawned loudly. "So you heard that she heard that someone heard that Riverboy said that he was a human?" snorted the Umbreon, sneering at the Pikachu from across the fire. "I swear, Sparkle boy, your stories have gotten stupider, if that's possible."
"Hey, watch the language," warned Rush sharply, swatting Insyte's flank. "There's a lady present." Next to Spark-Tail, Shanala rolled her eyes while Insyte shot the Marshtomp a poisonous glare, but said nothing. "Now Lightning, m'boy, when are you going to show up this 'Leaf-Light' friend of yours?"
Rush didn't believe in Leaf-Light. None of them believed Spark-Tail's stories, really, and he could tell, no matter how much Shanala tried. And the Pikachu had to admit to himself- reluctantly- that he wouldn't believe his own stories if he heard them.
And so, late that night, the Pikachu lay in his Poke Ball, clutching his volt charm and staring into its crackling depths, thinking about Leaf-Light and wondering what the coming days would bring.