Beget: Illusion
Abandoned Ship
"So." Axel purred, brushing his shoulder against hers nonchalantly. "What exactly were you hoping to find here? What are you researching?" The girl next to him flushed, her cheeks coyly pink against the somewhat pallid white of her skin. It appeared she was under the weather.
"Oh, this and that," she tittered emptily. Axel wasn't fooled though; he could recognise the way her eyes kept sharp, olive green and flickering, keeping note of her surroundings. "My research is history based, primarily. A little… mythology, here and there, too."
"Interesting," Axel hummed, losing his fingers in the dark, thick stubble of his chin. "How did you get into that, then?"
"It was real nice of you to offer to help me track down the library," Her voice was dewey and sweet, and her eyes fluttered one too many times to have not been on purpose. She diverted quickly, but Axel didn't mind the softer, more personal turn to their conversation. "You really didn't have to though, I hate to pull you away from whatever it was you came here for."
"Whatever it is…" Axel smiled, pleasantly caught off guard. "Do you know who I am?"
"Should I?" She blinked at him, surprised. "Do you know who I am?"
"Touche." He stretched his arms up, before dropping one of them around her shoulder snugly, feeling the how stiffly she held her back. "Relax? What's there to be afraid of here, anyway? Are you nervous around me or something?"
"Keep dreaming," she sighed breathily, looking up at him between her lashes. Refraining from laughing to himself, he didn't doubt that he would. Nor did he doubt her words; she seemed very happy to rally back his advances and comfortable enough to keep pace with every quick line he could think of to throw her way. But the way her neck kept rigid in place gave him pause, and he wondered what it might be that kept her posture from mimicking her behaviour. "How long have you been out here? Have you spotted any libraries beforehand?"
"The crew and I sailed in yesterday morning," he replied conversationally, steering her along as they walked together. "Most of my research is based out in the water though, so I haven't really been in here much."
"Oh," she murmured, not bothering to hide her disappointment. He shifted uncomfortably, and her eyes shot straight back to him, suspicious. "Shall we look on the upper decks?"
"Uhhh, if you want." Axel looked away, "I have a good feeling about deeper down though."
"I thought you hadn't been in here much before?" She quipped, her eyebrow arching high.
"I haven't, girl." He rolled his eyes dismissively. She was too quick. "Like I said, a feeling. Trust my instincts on this one."
"Mm. Alright." Her lips quicker into a far too knowing smile, and she allowed him to push her along complicity.
"You never told me your name, by the way, lovely lady," Axel distracted, his grip on her shoulder implying a little more than before. She paused, as though considering something for a moment, before smiling fondly in a direction that wasn't toŵards him.
"Evelyn," she murmured sweetly.
Petalburg City
There was a little light filtering through the curtains, making it possible to see the outlines of the furniture that hadn't changed since her youth. They'd once left her room in a total inky blackness, back when she had been a child. May wasn't sure whether that had been because of the way the dark had bothered her as a child, and if her memory of it had exacerbated the sheer depth to the nothingness, or if maybe just the years had worn the curtains down a little, and now they let in more sun than they used to. She found herself missing the total blackness. It felt like it might be nice to plunge into nothingness for a while. Tightening her comforter around her, she curled her toes and hugged her knees a little tighter. It was somewhere around noon. Or maybe a little later - early afternoon, she guessed. Her morning at the police department had been exhausting, and once she'd gotten home she'd quickly waved away the concern and questions from her father and brother, and retreated to her space as fast as they'd allow. Her mother seemed similarly withdrawn. Dark circles under her eyes hadn't shifted since the incident with Team Aqua, and May had overheard Max and Norman discussing how easily startled and anxious she had become. She wasn't sure what they thought of her own behaviour though. She wasn't sure it had been all that different, anyway.
There was a lingering suspicion in her mind that she might have slept since blocking the daylight from her room, but May wasn't aware of it if she had. In fact, she didn't really have any concept of how long she'd been there. But that didn't matter so much, it was nice to have a moment to shut down and process the recent events.
There was a knock at the door that broke through her thoughts, and she finally knew for sure that she must have slept when her response came out as though she spoke through layers of clay, cloying her throat, the way it only did after a deep sleep. She was no longer sure it was early afternoon.
"Hey, yeah?" May shook her head a little in an attempt to clear it. As the door opened, a stream of warm yellowing light cracked her room in half, and the glinting light of a pair of glasses peered around the edge.
"Hey," Max greeted her gently, tiptoeing in and closing the door behind him. "You want to stay in the dark right now?"
"For now," May admitted stiffly. The stream of light left with the door clicking shut, and the two were left with only faint shadows and outlines of each other.
"That's cool." Max crept closer, before perching on the edge of her bed. "So, I'm guessing you don't wanna talk about the whole, filing reports thing?" The weight of the bed shifted under the new pressure, and May felt the springs under her back lift a little.
"Nah, not really." May pulled her knees away from her chest, and tilted herself to face him out of habit. "Kinda just stressful paperwork, with added bonus of Mom looking like she was about to pass out the whole time."
"She's never really dealt with that kinda pressure before, I guess," Max offered lamely. "I mean, she could always battle. But it was never with such high stakes. Yaknow?"
"She kept saying to the officers this morning," May's voice fell to a somber whisper, "that she was just… running on adrenaline, the whole time. That - that the most awful thing about it was just worrying that I was going to be hurt. That she was worried she couldn't protect me."
"Are you upset because you don't want her to put herself in danger when you can protect yourself," Max slowed his words, almost nervous to finish his question. "Or are you upset because maybe, that sounds kinda familiar to you."
"I don't know what you could mean." May felt the muscles in her back tighten for a moment.
"You and I both know that they're searching for Manaphy, for some reason." Max lowered his head a little, his voice barely above a whisper. "You ran back into that temple, knowing it was dangerous, knowing you might not come back out again. Because you… had someone to protect. And you didn't stop to think about what you might leave behind, you didn't think, you just..."
"Ran on adrenaline." May felt herself nod, without meaning to, but she hoped it would just be swallowed in the darkness. "Yeah. I'd probably do it again, too."
Max paused for a beat. "You're very similar to them both, you know. Mom and Dad. Every trait you have, you can find it in one of them too."
"DNA will do that." May rolled her eyes, but suppressed a smile. "So are you." She didn't need to see his face to know that would make him grin, awkwardly pleased.
"Are you going to do what I think you're going to do?" Max pressed, a little urgent, but still hushed and unsure.
"What do you think I'm going to do?" May sighed, swinging her legs around a little to sit on the edge of the bed, alongside Max. There was enough space between them that he had to reach out to find her hand and squeeze it. It was either an action of reassurance or a search for it, and May wasn't sure what to return.
"I think you're going to go looking for him," Max's voice cracked in the middle of his sentence. "And I think it's a bad idea."
"Why?" May hummed, noncommittally avoiding the confirmation she knew she'd have to give him eventually.
"Because if you find him, and then Aqua find you…" Max's voice trailed off. "Don't you think that if Manaphy can't be found right now, somewhere hidden in the ocean, then maybe that's the safest place for him?"
"It's my job to protect him." May's voice was uncharacteristically firm, and Max shrunk a little. "It's what… parents do. Right?"
"But maybe leaving him, maybe that is protecting him." Max shrugged his shoulders, knowing there was an increasingly limited chance in convincing her to stay. "Maybe they want you to lead the way to him, to…"
"What if they find him before I do?" May's voice quickly choked. "I can't… let that happen."
"No, I get it." Max stood, releasing her hand. "Just… don't be dumb about it, I guess. I can't stop you, but I wish you wouldn't."
"Thanks for caring." May offered him a sad smile, and Max didn't offer much in return. But as he slipped out of the door, he flicked the light switch, and the room was full of a synthetic white glare, letting reality seep back into vision.
Abandoned Ship
The waves were a little choppy, but sailing conditions had been good so far. The sail had been a little longer than he'd expected, getting right into the heart of Route 108. Something about crossing the seas of Hoenn, with that same old Wingull stretching her wings alongside the boat, was soothing and familiar to him.
"I must say, laddy, I was surprised ta see you around these parts again." The owner and driver of the boat was a kindly man, one who Paul had known longer than he cared to admit. "O' course, it's good ta see you! But I was under the impression you'd steer clear of my neck of the woods." The man laughed to himself, scratching the fibers of his skin under wiry white chin hair.
"Well, something came up." Paul kept his response measured and vague. "I'm looking into some research that I might find on this ship. Thank you for accomodating me, Mr Briney."
"Say no more," the old man laughed. "You always were one ta keep your business ta yourself. Why I remember when you were just a wee lad, and trainin' your Turtwig out in Slateport beach. I tried ta get you ta chat, but you were… let's call it politely disinterested." He let out a louder, heartier laugh.
"I don't like to waste time," Paul grunted by means of explanation.
"Oh I know, I know," Mr Briney shook his head from side to side, stifling a grin. The wind picked up a little, and pulled back some of Paul's hair. The sun was bright and it made him squint. "It's nice ta see you able to ask for help though, these days. Like I said, I sure was surprised ta see you a year or two back, and I'm surprised ta see you again now."
"You said if I needed transport again I could come to you," Paul grunted, not wishing to continue talking.
"And I meant it," Mr Briney assured him quickly. "I just remember a very angry wee ten year old telling me very forcefully you wouldn't need my help again after this."
"I wasn't angry," Paul corrected, stiffening in his seat.
"Oh, you were angry," Mr Briney laughed. "Perhaps not with me, laddy, but with someone." The boat shook a little against a particularly heavy wave. "I don't think you said one word as we sailed together, you just let me witter on. I was never really sure if you were listenin'."
"I was." Paul pursed his lips, looking down. "Your stories, and adventures, they interested me. You've seen a lot in your time."
"Thank ya, lad." Mr Briney brightened at that. "I'm glad to hear my rambling on held some kind of interest for ya. Isn't that right, Peeko, darling?" The wingull that flew alongside their boat resolutely let out a long, chipper crow. "Did I ever tell ya the tale about landin' a Relicanth? Now that was a big day!" Paul shook his head, looking to the man with a quiet, polite intrigue. "Ah wait, we can see the outline of the ship now, just up ahead. You see it?" Paul stood, stepping to stand by the man at the helm of the white, well cared for boat, and looked out into the distance. Sure enough, a faint outline of a shipwreck was growing larger and more defined at a rapid speed. "I can tell ya the tale when ya done with your research, lad. Me and Peeko can sit out and soak up some sun till ya finished."
"That's kind of you, thank you," Paul murmured, mostly to himself. The wind caught most of his words, but Mr Briney's pleasant, toothy grin told him he'd heard. Taking advantage of the last of his time, he grabbed his grey, worn rucksack from underneath the bench he'd previously been sat on, which skirted the edges of the lithe boat. Checking through for his usual supplies, he made sure he had his camera and notebook in the front pocket. Easy to access, ready to use.
"Looks like yer all set lad," Mr Briney began to slow the boat a little as the sea around them grew shallow. "I can't take ya out much further than this, the water gets too shallow this time o' day. But I'll come in closer when I can as the day goes by - and the sea shouldn't be too much higher than yer knees from here."
"That's fine," Paul nodded, before tucking his trouser legs into his thick boots. They were pretty water proof, as was the fabric of his pants. "I shouldn't take longer than a few hours once I find the libraries."
"Of course," Mr Briney pulled a few breaks, before taking a cooler out from a compartment near the driving controls. "Don't worry about us, the sea air is good for Peeko. She loves a change o' scenery, this girl, you're doin' us a favor."
"See you soon." Paul swung his legs over the edge of the ship, and plunged into the sea beneath them. As Mr Briney had predicted, it barely reached his knees. Beginning to wade towards the shipwreck, water had already begun to seep into his shoes and his trouser seams.
"Good thing ya taller than ya were back in the day, huh?" Mr Briney guffawed. "Take yer time, we'll be here!"
The Sea Mauville was a tragedy of years gone by. It had been a research ship, traveling every corner of Hoenn and studying everything from the biology of the different pokemon it found, to the history of the places it uncovered. When the ship crashed, during one of the worst storms ever to hit Hoenn's seas, no survivors were found, but incredulously, a set of libraries filled with years worth of work and study from a wide variety of academic discipline were found. Most books had been transferred to the Universities of Lilycove and Rustboro and their surrounding museums and libraries, but some were left in the libraries of the ships, copies made and originals preserved in the place they were found. Hoenn had always been sentimental of it's history.
The closer Paul came to this great dilapidated white structure, he could make out other, smaller boats in the distance. Some were empty, and some were filled with men fidgeting with expensive camera and audio equipment, preparing to film. Immediately, Paul felt exasperated. He had no time to engage in some documentary that wouldn't touch upon the truths the Sea Mauville held for him. In an attempt to avoid all human contact possible, he aimed for the other side of the ship to the smaller boats, hoping to find a separate entrance.
Petalburg City
Norman couldn't cook. It was an area in his life he sorely lacked skill and precision, and as much as he knew Max had fared for himself on many journeys, it seemed as though his son was without advice of how to assist him.
"What do you mean you don't know how to make food?" Norman hissed, his voice hushed and frantic. "You've been travelling since you were ten, and you don't know how to make food?"
"I know how to heat up stuff from a can, and how to take bread out of a packet to eat alongside it," Max told him dryly. "I'm guessing you didn't do much cooking in your travelling days?"
"I didn't need to - I had my bike! I was in the next town fast enough to not need to camp, from sixteen and up. And before then, I traveled with some friends who dealt with all… of that." His voice tailed off meekly, and he felt ashamed. He and Caroline had a system. A good system. While he could not cook, he could damn well show his appreciation for Caroline's ability to provide by cleaning every dish he came across after every meal. "Your mother is in no state to cook right now. She's taken everything quite hard."
"No, I know." Max paused, thinking. "I don't think we should ask May, either. She seemed pretty low when I spoke to her just now."
"Do you really think it would be wise to let her loose in the kitchen, either way?" Norman scoffed. "Either way, they had a rough time of it. It's our job to look after them. Do you have any suggestions?"
"Isn't that what you say to Mom when you don't know what to do and you want her to magically remove all of your problems?" Max rolled his eyes.
"One day," Norman told him briskly, "you'll understand. Anyway. I'm guessing that's a no, hm?"
"A really solid, unhelpful no," Max confirmed. "Although…"
"I guess we could…" Norman paused, arching an eyebrow. The same thought passed between them at the same time.
"It's for a good reason," Max reasoned lightly. "Neither of them are in a good place, and it's like a nice moral boost."
"Everyone needs a moral boost sometimes." Norman felt immediately swayed. "I don't know how. Do we have any menus?"
"We don't need them, everything is online," Max scoffed. "Honestly Dad, how do you not know how to order take out."
"Your mother…" Norman swallowed unsurely. "Do what you need to do."
"Ridiculous."
Abandoned Ship
Madison stood apprehensively by as Axel hummed, stretching his arms upward as he stared at the problem before them. They had searched the lower decks, had faced this issue, and so doubled back and searched the upper decks. This seemingly dead end was the only way to search deeper into the ship's ruins. Water lapped upwards, unsettlingly not still as it rippled by their feet, vast and dark and consuming. Madison hadn't even realised she was trembling until Axel patted her on the shoulder.
"Are you alright, Evelyn?" He murmured, his fingers unbearably warm around her shoulder.
"Hm?" Her eyes flicked up to his, wide and honest in their nerves. "Oh yes. I'm fine. I suppose we shall have to dive through this water, won't we?"
"Yeah, probably." Axel clicked his tongue. Submerging himself in the water was natural and easy for Axel, he'd spent his life growing up in the shores of Slateport where he would swim and soak up the sun and the sea for hours on end. It was strange to see someone so visibly repulsed at the thought of it. There was some thought of opportunity, some rare attempt to be heroic, some illformed plan of winning her over, and he let it run amok in his mind, almost giddy with excitement. "You can be honest, Evelyn. If you're nervous."
"I'm not nervous," her voice came out sharply, a tone he hadn't anticipated being possible from her. Watching her quietly, Axel spotted a slight tremor run through her fingers. Bravely, he took her hand with both of his, turning her to face him. Slowly, he separated her fingers, one by one, opening so they fanned out before him. Her skin was soft, but tight against the bones in her hand. Axel laced his fingers through hers, holding her eye contact carefully. They were a pretty shade of olive, a mix of woody browns and leafy greens.
"Okay," Axel said softly. "You're not nervous. I've got Pokemon that can get us through this water in a heartbeat. Do you have any water type pokemon?"
"No," Madison shifted awkwardly, a little taken back. She wasn't sure how to process the feeling of his palm pressed against hers, or the tight, safe grasp of his fingers pressing into her knuckles. She let out a long breath, and it shivered between them.
"Cool, you can share Gyarados with me," he offered plainly, smiling. "He's my oldest friend. Do you have a Pokemon like that? One that's been more than just a partner - they've seen your highs, and your lows, and they've helped cultivate you as a person?"
"Yeah." Her mind flickered to Ninetails, and to Braixen. There was nothing else on this earth she trusted so instinctively as she trusted them. "Why do you ask?"
"So you know you can trust Gyarados, so long as you trust me." Axel gave her a sly grin. "Trust me?"
"Absolutely not," Madison retorted primly. Somewhere in their conversation, she forgot to keep her guard and her act high. Her chin jutted upwards, defiant. He skimmed a finger across her cheekbones, feeling the powdery mask of her make up that sharpened and hardened her face. "Why are you touching me?"
"For the same reason you're gripping my hand so tight." Axel shrugged, and Madison looked at their clasped hands, aghast. Her subconscious was winning out. "Trust me, don't trust me, whatever will help you keep calm. Though of course, you're not nervous at all. But we're going to get you to that library, and we're gonna have to dive through to the lower levels to do that. Gyarados won't keep us underwater too long that we can't breathe, but it'd be good to take a deep breath before we go under, okay?"
"How do you know there's somewhere to come up other than here?" Madison asked, her voice a little quieter now.
"I'll send Gyarados to scout it out before we go anywhere," Axel offered, giving her a reassuring, winning sort of smile. "Maybe while he's gone you can tell me the story of why you're so apprehensive around water?"
"That sounds too much like letting my guard down," Madison joked, awkwardly laughing, though uncomfortable with how true it seemed to strike. Axel released her hand, backing away with his hands up in surrender, still grinning. It was a boyish, enticing grin, one that made Madison sure he was not always so soft and so gentle. His hand went to his jacket lining, and a pokeball quickly enlarged in his fingers.
"Gyarados," he called out, naturally and comfortably. "Come lend us a hand, would ya?" He tossed the red and white ball high, until it dissipated in a blinding flash that slowly took the form of the giant sea snake. He was well raised and cared for, and healthy. Madison logged it as one of the largest Gyarados she'd ever seen, with beautiful blue scales that shone in the reflection of the water. He let out a grumble, adjusting itself to the cramped ceiling of the ship hallway, but letting his tail dip down deep into the water. "Can you go see if there's any dry area further down we might be able to explore?"
"Thank you," Madison mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck unsurely. Gyarados let out a friendly grunt, and dove down swiftly, his tail flicking up behind him as he swam away. Rolling his shoulders back, Axel turned to her with a glimmer of something in his eyes she couldn't quite pin down.
"So, what university are you with?" He asked pleasantly, keeping his tone light and conversational.
"Uh, university?" Madison blanked.
"Well, you said you were studying, and researching, right?" Axel's lips curved up at each side, like he'd suspected something not quite being right for some time. "So I just figured…"
"Oh, sorry. I spaced out for a moment!" Laughing behind her fingers, Madison tried to regain some ground. "Uh, I'm with Lilycove University. They're trying to expand their history department further than just the history of art, yaknow?"
"You should have come to Slateport, we have all sorts of great resources," Axel told her brightly. "Well, the science departments are all fantastic, at least."
"Not great for the humanities, though," Madison teased. "Which I think is rather shortsighted."
"Well, the important crux of this conversation," Axel diverted, standing a little closer to her again, "is that if I were to be in Lilycove, and to stop by the University and ask for Evelyn from the History Department, I might be able to track you down?" Madison went quiet for a moment, smiling sweetly at him.
"Yeah." She lied with complete conviction, and he grinned that sweet, boyish grin. A gush of water became easy to hear, and they turned to watch Gyarados erupt from the surface together, stood side by side. Madison flinched from the spray of water, but Axel wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kept her steady.
"Gyarados, did you find anything?" Axel called up. The great water type swung his head in a nod, before lowering his neck down to allow them both to climb aboard. Madison was visibly apprehensive, but Axel swept behind her seamlessly, his arms securing around her waist as he lifted her up. Squeaking, she was about to protest, but he'd already settled her in place upon the back of his most trusted pokemon, and was gearing up to sit just behind her. "If you can, you should try and open your eyes under there," he told her gently, his voice a warm whisper in her ear. "Everything is more beautiful underwater."
She didn't respond. Instead, she bowed herself forward, fastening herself to the mass of Gyarados' neck, closing her eyes tight and trying to regulate her breathing. Axel smiled softly, despite himself, and rubbed a hand along her back reassuringly. He felt each section of her spine pressing through her shirt.
"Gyarados, let's make this quick," Axel requested softly. He leant his body over her, and held her in place. "Take a deep breath, Evelyn. Let's go!"
In moments, they were submerged. Madison took a breath so big she couldn't quite hold onto all of it, and some of it bubbled past her lips and away from her as they swept through the water. It was chillingly cold, and she could feel every mineral and salt in the water pricking at her skin. For every second she felt the cold water touch her skin, she felt it burning. She blankly wondered if this is what being submerged in acid felt like.
Take a deep breath, Evelyn
The words circled her mind dizzyingly, mockingly, endlessly. Her head felt light and swam with rouge, panicked noises she couldn't put into order to make words. Every muscle in her body was tense, rigid, ready to bolt at the earliest possibility.
When they broke the surface of the water once more, she let out a choked, hollow screech scrambling higher and higher, getting herself as far removed from the water as possible. She coughed and spluttered, despite no water being in her mouth or lungs, blindly pushing forwards to escape. The water spray from their arrival flew out into a new, long hall, and Axel didn't have the heart to remind her they'd need to go through the water once more to leave the ship safely. He watched her, baffled, as she rung out her hair wildly, her eyes wide and alive with pure adrenalin and fear. She pulled herself up so violently, so haphazardously, that it seemed likely that she would,
Fall.
"Evelyn!" He jumped to attention, jumping from Gyarados' back to follow her towards the water. His arms found her in the water, and he pulled her up quickly, trying to keep her still and calm for long enough to get her to the surface. She gripped at his shoulders and his neck like he was all she had, heaving weakly in his arms as he wrapped around her, murmuring soothing, sweet noises as he treaded water enough to keep them both afloat. "Evelyn. It's okay, you won't fall again."
"Air," she panted, slapping the water aggressively.
"Air," Axel agreed solidly, dragging her from the water towards the solid floor of the continuing corridor. Gyarados curled his tail around them instinctively, and pushed the flow of water so it would help shift them along to the broken floorboards. Axel hoisted her up first, so she could sit and push herself backwards, and he followed quickly after.
"Floor," Madison breathed, her fingers fumbling around her, appreciating the solid material underneath her and exploring it desperately. She lay flat on her back, her wet hair sticking to her neck, her clothes clinging to her every move, and her face feeling suspiciously liquid.
"Floor." Axel hovered over her, wringing out his shirt nearby. "Your face is quite the picture."
"You must think I'm pathetic," she suddenly murmured, pulling herself upright. "So weak, and scared, and nervous. This isn't who I am, you know."
"I believe you," Axel assured her, though not facing her. "It takes someone pretty sturdy to make their way out to an abandoned ship when they're terrified of water. I don't think you're weak." She sat upright, and looked at him carefully. He seemed sincere.
"Thank you." She said it without meaning to, but Madison found herself smiling anyway. Axel was a strangely calming presence.
"Come on. Let's keep looking." He turned to her, and Axel offered her a hand. "Your makeup has all run."
"I guessed." Rubbing pointlessly under her eyes for a moment, in an attempt to rub away the black lines she was sure were running down her cheeks, she struggled to stand without his help, but he grabbed her arms and pulled her upright anyway. "Let's go."
Twinleaf Town
Haphazardly, Dawn threw herself into her closet once more and rooted around, trying to find appropriate wear. She hadn't been to Hoenn for many years, but she remembered it was just as fickle in its weather as Sinnoh could be, but instead of bitingly cold winds and snowfall, it was blazing heat and tropical thunderstorms that took you off guard. Waterproof, but cool clothing.
"Are you sure about this?" Joanna hovered by the door uncertainly. "It doesn't seem the safest place to visit."
"It's not really a visit," Dawn reasoned boldly, pulling out a small raincoat that could fold into itself. Perfect for travel. "I just want to be available to my friend, if she needs help. Trust me, May would do the same for me."
"I don't doubt your friendship," Joanna assured her quickly, leaning against the doorframe. "I just wonder if she'd want you to plunge yourself into that kind of danger, too."
"If there's one thing I learnt during my travels, it's that anyone can help." Dawn gave her an unwavering smile. "Anyone can do anything at any moment that can make things easier for someone else. I just want to give her the option of relying on me."
"You're unstoppable sometimes, you know that?" Joanna coughed to hide a small, proud smile. "I always forget how much like him you are."
"Don't draw those kinds of comparisons to try and guilt me into staying Mom, that's just manipulative." Dawn laughed hollowly to try and project some kind of humour over her statement, but her intent rang a little too true. "I'm not going to get myself hurt or anything."
"I know." Joanna lied. That rang a little too true, too. "I trust you, though. If you really feel this is what you need to do."
"I do." Dawn pulled out her trusty pink linen shorts; moveable and breathable, but cute and wearable. "This is right."
"What pokemon will you take?" Joanna asked cautiously. "Do you want to borrow any of mine?"
"Nah, I'm good, but thanks." Dawn flashed her a big, confident smile. "Piplup, obviously. Lopunny and Mamoswine and Pachirisu, and maybe Quilava and Togekiss. Together I know we can handle whatever happens and whatever is thrown at us!"
"Alright." Joanna moved over to her small yellow pack, and checked what else she was taking. It was lighter than she expected when she lifted it, and found Dawn's water bottle and her collapsable travel gear, alongside her wallet and a light sweater. Piplup was snoozing next to it, dead to the world, but knowing Dawn would have him with her made Joanna feel just a little better. "You'll have your Pokemon with you, and you'll be with your friends." It was more of a statement to herself, but Dawn took heart in it.
"No need to worry, right Mom?" She smiled sweetly at her mother, taking a moment to touch her shoulder gently. They were the same height. Joanna wondered incoherently when that had happened.
She left her usual response unsaid, but it lingered between them anyway.
Abandoned Ship
Madison poured over one of the books carefully, sat cross legged on the floor as she delicately separated pages that had stuck together over time. In all this library, there was only one bookcase left, the rest removed and imported around Hoenn for further study. The only remaining texts were those left of the shipmen's diaries, left to keep the historical site in its authentic state. There were stories, some full of untamed, uncensored stories of life on the sea, there were some findings by the various academics who travelled on the liner, and there were some observations by the captain himself, studying the conditions they found and the places they travelled. Each page was full of new, exciting tales that felt so real and tangible she could almost hear his voice murmuring in her ear as she read. For all the variety in the studies they'd done, from biological to historical, from artistic to literary, from the land to the sea, they all seemed to focus towards their one aim, their last goal.
She came to the last few pages, the final chapter, and her heart came to sit in her throat.
Orbs. They kept coming back to these orbs that they'd seized from Mt Pyre, and the caverns containing the legendary pokemon that they had hunted for for many years - almost decades. The travesty that wrecked havoc upon Hoenn was at their hands, and there was no way to control it. Not once the orbs were lost to the souls of some of the ship's crew; those in charge of keeping them safe had been taken mad by them, transfixed by their beauty. And once they were lost, their chance at controlling these titans had been lost too. Groudon. Kyogre. The storm that shipwrecked them was the storm they had created.
Taking out her phone, she began to photograph passages cautiously, careful to have the focus right so that the writing was legible.
"What have you found?" Axel asked, looking up from another book he had been similarly transfixed by. He picked up a small pebble from under the bookcase and used it to weigh down the page he'd been on, so that he could approach her and read over her shoulder.
He was harmless, and kind, she reasoned.
"Come look," Madison murmured, showing him the last few pages. As he read through them, she summarized the previous chapters and the tale of how they had come to own these orbs. He looked up at her, eyes glittering and wide.
"Kyogre," he whispered, reverently. "In all my years studying water pokemon, Kyogre has always been just out of my reach. Would you mind if I took some photos as well? It's been my… lifelong dream. Just to see him, the once." There was a soft, but powerful will in his voice that made her heart beat a little harder than she wanted.
"Of course," Madison smiled serenely. "What is an academic if not someone who wants to further every field of knowledge possible?"
"I concur," Axel grinned, and she giggled. Madison couldn't remember ever feeling so at ease. "Nerds have to stick together. Or something."
"Or something!" Laughing, she bumped him with her shoulder, passing the book to him so gently, as though scared it might rip. It took moments of him beginning to skim the pages again, tracing the writing with his fingertip, before Madison jumped to life, enlarging a pokeball behind her back. "Look out!"
"What?" Axel ducked down, covering the text with his body. Madison tossed her Pokeball high, and Ninetales landed gracefully, swishing her beautiful cream coloured fur readily as she prepared for battle, before it pricked up, sensing the danger before it quite materialised.
A low groan, followed by a high screech, and Axel went white.
"Ninetales, use will-o-wisp," Madison instructed calmly. "Not to attack… just locate." Bristling in understanding, small purplish orbs that flickered with ethereal flames began to burn around Ninetales and slowly explore the room. They travelled uninterrupted for a time, exploring the corners and sides of the room cautiously, until one stopped. The others rushed to join it, forming a circle around the small pebble that Axel had used as a paperweight.
"What the hell is happening?" Axel hissed through clenched teeth.
Madison didn't waste any time. "Ninetales, burn it." The purple orbs surged inwards, searing whatever creature was contained within it. There was another screech, higher, and more piercing this time. Suddenly a shadowy figure appeared, lined by green, with a unreal, smokey form that seeped through the room. Wild, spiral eyes peered at them, leering at them warningly.
"What's… that?" Axel gaped, his fingers trembling around the book as he stood by her side.
"Spiritomb," Madison replied calmly. She glanced at his shaking hands. "You okay?"
"Not good with ghosts," he admitted weakly.
"Well, it's my turn to even the score," Madison told him fiercely. "Stay back, okay? Ninetales, get right in with your flamethrower!" Her trusty white fox leapt forward, letting loose a white hot stream of fire that Spiritomb seemed to absorb carelessly, though letting off another of its grumbling moans. It responded with a shadow ball, materialising faster than Madison expected, and it slammed right into the side of Ninetales without warning. "Ninetales!"
"It's so fast," Axel breathed, partly in admiration and partly in sheer trepidation. Ninetales let out a long, pained whine.
"It's okay girl, we've taken on bigger beasts than this," Madison reminded her friend quietly. "Come on. Let's think strategy." Spiritomb was approaching, swelling in the air before them and sending out a black beam of nothing, cutting through the air and aiming right for Ninetales. "Roll - dodge!" Ninetales kept low to the ground, spinning out of the way in the last moments. "Good girl. Strike back with confuse ray, let's try and mislead it." A blue light filled the room, focusing from Ninetale's eyes and leading straight to Spiritomb, who stopped, and wobbled a little in the air, losing form for a moment.
"It's working…" Axel commented quietly.
"Now, Ninetales, flamethrower again!" Madison turned to Axel unsurely. "Usually I'd use extrasensory, I'd make the most of the confusion and try and baffle it a little more. But Spiritomb… psychic type moves don't work, right?"
"I wouldn't know," Axel admitted honestly. "If it's anything other than water types, especially ghost types, I'm pretty unaware." Ninetales leapt forward aggressively, letting loose another great beam of fire from her jaw, doing a little more damage than just being absorbed by Spiritomb's less than solid form. Spiritomb jittered in the air, unsure, before letting loose a painfully bright white light and then surging towards Ninetales menacingly, dipping into the shadows they cast on the floor, approaching at a terrifying speed.
"Shit," Madison paused. "Fire a flamethrower straight up, fill the room with sunlight by getting rid of the roof!" Axel blinked, taken back. Soon a great torrent of fire filled the room with red light, and burned through the ceiling and then subsequent upper rooms of the ship. Ninetails kept at it, filling the room with beams of light until at last no roof was left at all. With no shadows, Spiritomb had nowhere to hide, and was forced to resurface, dizzied by the light. "That's good. It can't use shadow sneak anymore."
"It's not down yet though," Axel warned, and as he spoke Spiritomb began to charge up a second shadow ball, a little slower than it did the first time.
"Stay low," Madison growled. "Till the last moment. Watch." Ninetales dipped low again, her fur bristling as she felt the movement in the air. As the shadow ball released, Ninetales jumped, kicking off from the projectile and flying towards Spiritomb gracefully. It looked like a move they'd practiced for decades. "Close range, one last shot. Flamethrower!" Finally, one last blazing hot jet of fire was released right in the ghost type's face, and reduced it back into it's pebble, wailing and screeching with every particle of smoke that was sucked back into its resting place. Ninetales panted for a moment, looking back at her trainer with a wearied glare.
"Incredible," Axel commented quietly, still quite shaken from the presence of the pebble. "You're… powerful."
"Ninetales and I have been together a long time," Madison shrugged, kneeling so that her friend could approach her. "She's tough."
"Was she your first pokemon?" Axel asked politely, reaching across to pet the fiery quadruped. Ninetales jumped back from him, snarling.
"No, my first pokemon was a Fennekin, who's now my Braixen." Laughing a little, Madison rubbed Ninetales between the ears. "Sorry, she doesn't like people. Most of the time she's not really a fan of me, either."
"Sure," Axel blinked. "So I'm guessing your Braixen is something else, too." Madison's nose went a little pink.
"I guess." She tried to derail the conversation. "How are you? You were pretty shaken up for a while there. I don't think the colour is quite back in your face yet." Axel looked away, coughing for a second.
"Yeah, I'm good." He cast a suspicious glance at the pebble. "Can we get rid of that?" Madison laughed.
"I think if we disturb it, it'll just come back," she reasoned gently. Axel nodded, unable to argue. "If you're feeling uncomfortable feel free to head back." Glancing upwards, she smiled. "I can get out without going back through the water. My Fletchinder just evolved into a Talonflame, so he can fly us out."
"That's good," Axel gave her a pleased smile. "Glad you don't have to subject yourself to that again. And with your permission, I might… stop subjecting myself to this." He laughed unsurely. Taking a small camera out from his waterproof jacket, he snapped a few pictures of the last few pages of the book. He left the book on the top of the bookcase, shutting it gently with a quiet thud. "This should help my research a lot, you know. So thanks."
"No, thank you." Madison emphasised her words a little wistfully. "You're very kind to come all this way with me, and take so much time away from your studies."
"It was my complete, and total pleasure." He gave her one of those blisteringly wide grins that made her heart skip, where earlier in the day they had only irritated her. "I'll look you up sometime, Evelyn. Lilycove University?"
"I'll be there," Madison replied weakly, a little sad. He left the room by walking backwards, smiling nervously and waving awkwardly. She gave him a long last look, and a lingering smile.
The door shut behind him, and there was no more time to think.
"Court," she murmured into her phone, giddy. "Are you getting this? The pictures I sent? There's so much information on how we can control the titan, and how we can avoid losing control like they did. Honestly, taking Brandon's research has lead to such a fucking goldmine, we're getting so close."
The door swung open again. The dying romantic in her blushed for a moment, and Madison turned, expecting a last goodbye from Axel.
Instead, a man she'd never met before, young, with shadows under his eyes and lilac hair that fell over his ears, stood and shook with quiet fury.
"You," Paul accused. "This is all your fault."
"I gotta call you back, Court," Madison smiled, a touch of menace lacing her lips as they stretched. "I have some rodent issues to attend to."
Petalburg City
It was the smell of molten cheese and tomato that drew May from her isolation, as she prowled through the corridors and approached the kitchen with anticipation and excitement. Caroline beat her there, sniffing unsurely as they opened the door through together.
"We ordered out!" Max cheered triumphantly.
"Comfort food," Norman elaborated, grinning smugly. "We got your favourites!"
"Nothing gross like pineapple," Max assured them brightly.
"I like pineapple," Caroline mumbled, but smiled all the same. It wasn't long before they all huddled together, savouring hot, cheesy mouthfuls, nestled on the living room sofa, with Norman and Caroline sat upright with the children sat on the floor facing them, the box of pizza conveniently in the center. They wasted time together beautifully, filling time with silly jokes and nostalgic stories. Gentle touches between father and daughter, or mother and son, with sweet hand touches and fond glanced exchanged. Caroline would give May a knowing smile, and Max would lean into his sister, and Norman would ruffle his hair. Max and May would tell stories of their travels in turn, or occasionally of their times travelling together in tandem, swapping back and forth for sentences, and Norman would wrap his arm around his wife, kiss her on the forehead, and smile proudly at his wonderful family that finally seemed to all fit together.
"Pineapple is a sin on pizza," Max justified bravely. "It's a fruit. Fruit doesn't go on pizza. You don't see me chopping up a bunch of oran berries and sprinkling them on my ranch barbecue pizza, do you?"
"Hey Max, remember what else is a fruit?" Caroline retorted smugly, leaning into him and squeezing his cheeks. "Tomato." Max recoiled, reevaluating, and Norman laughed loudly, leaning back his head and relaxing completely. May smiled, looking amongst her family.
There was something missing.
"I have to leave in the morning," May interrupted. Everyone quieted, and looked to her silently. Norman opened his mouth, but then closed it. "There's something I need to do."
"May," Max cut her off, reaching across and holding her hand. "No, there isn't."
"They're looking for Manaphy," May voiced firmly, looking firmly at her lap. "Manaphy… I'm the only family he has. And you protect family, right? That's what…"
"That's what we am supposed to do, for you." Norman shook his head slowly, heavily. "May, your mother and I are supposed to protect you. You do not need to leave. Manaphy is a mythical being, rare and elusive and unattainable. Wherever he is, he will be safe."
"If I was somewhere you there, with no idea of if I was really safe or not, you would follow after me." May shrugged, still not meeting his eyes. "Because that's just what you do, isn't it. So please respect that… this is what I need to do, too."
"These people are dangerous, May," Caroline murmured sweetly, brushing some hair from her cheek. "You… might not be so lucky next time."
"Unless," Norman began to grow haughty, "you fancy yourself able to fight off an entire criminal organisation. That winning a Grand Festival qualifies you to be a guardian for a legendary pokemon, or something ridiculous like that." May's eyes flashed up to meet his, hurt.
"What will it take for you to consider me capable?" May asked weakly. "What would I have to do?"
"This isn't a question anymore, May." Norman stood, wiping the crumbs from his lap. "You're not leaving until this whole thing is resolved."
"I fought them off once," May reminded him quietly, getting to her feet as well. She locked eyes with him, scared they were brimming with tears and that he might constitute that as weakness. "And I can do it again."
"You're never going to find that out." Norman ground his teeth together. May didn't say another word, but turned on her heel and left the room, keeping her footfall brisk. It suddenly felt cold, like she'd had her head plunged into icy water and she was wide awake and trembling.
"I'm done trying to live up to your standards," she breathed, knowing he couldn't hear. "I'm done."
Norman was stuck somewhere between pride and fury as he watched her go.
Abandoned Ship
His head spun as he tried to sit upright, but it was a struggle. There had been fire. And shapes. And a Braixen. And her - she had stolen his father's research.
Slowly, as the pieces of the battle came together in his head, he suddenly felt weak and helpless. What time was it? He looked up, where the roof was strangely nonexistent, and saw stars. His first thought was of Mr Briney, and whether he was alright, but he was confident the old man would have waited patiently. The next was of Gastrodon, who when he looked up, he noticed was just as out of sorts as he was, weakly straining his neck towards his trainer. Paul scrambled across to him, checked him for serious injuries, and found only a few surface wounds and burns, but enough to knock him out. He pulled out some hyper potion and fixed him up carefully, testing the slimy flesh gently to be sure his pokemon would recover well. Finally, he checked himself for injuries. A few new burns along his hands, but nothing that would bother him in the long run. He stood unsurely, recalling Gastrodon, and began to search the room.
Finally, he came across a couple of books. One was on the bookcase, but on the top, placed there carefully and recently. The second was on the floor, trapped under a pebble on a page that had some entry about a temple west of Cianwood. He took them both, called out his Honchkrow, and flew out of the missing roof of the ship, hopeful Mr Briney had a first aid kit.
