IMPROVED/RE-EDITED
Chapter 9: Legend of the silver wing
It seemed like forever that I was being dragged under the water, salty sea rushing into my ears and mouth as I was dragged further down by something. I thought it might have been Dark Lugia but the voice that talked to me…was soothing and female like. My head finally reached the surface of the sea; I swallowed in as much air as I could before I felt my feet touch the sandy bottom.
The waves swept me onto the beach…I lifted myself up with all the strength that I had left, my left thigh still injured and the pain was still causing me to limp. I spluttered sea water out of my mouth like the Nevada dam, how much water had I swallowed? Not to mention the water was full of oil, fuel and god knows what else…
What was it that dragged me under the water and then bought me back here? Last thing I saw was the Eisenhower going down with all hands thanks to that…XD-001 thing; as I turned round to see if I could see what it was that saved me…nothing…just the fires still burning on the horizon from the Eisenhower's leaked oil. I shed a little tear for the men of the Eisenhower, but I had already done so much crying and seen so many horrifying things on this hell hole that it didn't really surprise me, but it should've, one of the United States navy's most powerful ships had been sunk by a force of nature…and that force was doing everything it can to come after me…
I thought back to the now lost journals of my dad; I now know how my father met his fate and how the beast came to be created. It was hard to believe that the monster was once a benevolent type of Pokemon according to the deceased Admiral Lennox' stories, the beast he referred to had created so much suffering tonight.
The Admiral said this thing can't be stopped, and judging by tonight's events and what my dad described in his diaries, they were right. But he also said I have something that can stop XD-001…and I have no God Darn idea what it is! Damn it, as if I already wasn't frustrated enough I'm stuck on this island so even if I did know what it was it was a million miles out of my reach right now.
"DAMN IT!" I screamed "FOR GOD'S SAKE WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?"
'That's right' my brain told me 'What did you do to deserve this?'
'I…I don't know you tell me!' I replied to my thoughts.
'Give it in Nick; you're a weak pitiful human being. You have no chance…why don't you just give in now?'
'What…what do you mean?'
'See that knife you have?' my brain asked me, I looked down at my belt…to my surprise I saw my Gurkha blade still holstered by my side…this weapon seemed to stay with me no matter what happened to my guns, it was as if it had sworn to protect me 'You can end it now…your suffering, your fear, your feeling of uselessness…you can take it all away…'
As if some force controlled my right hand I unsheathed the blade from its pouch. I was in a trance…my right hand had a mind of its own as it held the knife to my heart:
'That's it…finish it…NOW!'
My right hand reared back ready to plough the knife through my heart…
'What are you DOING?' I heard a different voice say this time. What was it with all these voices? I could hear mine and my dark thoughts but now I could hear something else in my head, sounded like the voice that dragged me under the ocean earlier…
As if my left hand was now being controlled, it grabbed my right hand. My own two hands wrestled with each other for control of the knife…my right trying to stab me…and my left trying to save me. Unfortunately my right hand is the stronger of the two and the left started to yield…
I felt the cold sharp tip of the blade touch the skin of my chest…it started to penetrate my body, blood started to appear slightly from where the knife met my skin. That was when I finally woke up thanks to the pain.
I could finally start to feel my own thoughts come back to my head; I looked at what I was doing…in a last ditch attempt to regain control of my brain I screamed with all my might, I screamed and I screamed more until I finally had the power to throw my knife away…
The blade landed in the sand like a rock dropped from a plane…I fell over with complete exhaustion. Whatever it was fighting for control in my head, it completely sapped my strength, and I had to go to sleep right there in the sand…
I could feel something wet on my forehead, a sponge? It wiped away at my brow…
"Ugghh" I grunted in a groggy tone.
"I see you're finally awake, that is good."
"Who's there?" I asked, my eyes opened and I was blinded by light instantly.
"Don't worry, you're in good care."
"Your voice" I asked "so familiar…" my eyes finally adapted to the light and I saw:
"You! The village girl"
"Surprised?" she replied.
"You were…swept away…I thought you and your people were dead!"
"We have strong beings looking after all of us Nick…even you."
"Strong beings?" I asked "who are these strong beings you speak of?"
"Despite what you're going through Nick, you have many friends from your past looking after you."
"From my past?"
"You read your father's journals did you not?"
"Uh…yes…but how did you know?"
"Oh let's say a BIG bird told me."
"Big Bird?" I asked again and I tried to stand up. I instantly fell over in a heap…my leg was still injured from my last fight with Dark Lugia; I looked down at the wound and it had been bandaged…but the first aid applied to my leg wasn't enough to let me stand back up normally.
"Stay still!" the village girl said "you're still hurt."
"Crap" I muttered "It blooming hurts…"
"You need rest, come on I'll take you back to the village."
"But the village was destroyed; wasn't it?"
"We have more than one settlement on the island; thankfully this is one of the remaining shelters we still have that survived the storms."
"Yeah" I said "the weather has really been terrible after the tsunami."
"Yes, the storm has not changed for three days now…"
"THREE DAYS!?" I roared "you mean three days after the tsunami?"
"Yes" was the reply.
"Good god…I've completely lost track of time. This weather has been raging for three days straight?" I asked the girl.
"Yes and there has not once been a ray of sunlight. My people grow scared as my senile grandmother continues to rave on about curses; some of my village people actually believe her…"
Little does the village girl know that her grandmother has been right in some cases tonight, her referrals to me in the cursed stone and her referrals to 'the dark one' must be non other than XD-001. What other things has her grandmother been saying in my absence…I'm too scared to even think and I do not want to know either.
The girl led me back to another village but with all the same inhabitants from the village I had visited previously. Most of them seemed to be happy to see me, another group of people that seemed to recognise my importance. However I could not help but sense an aura of…hostility among some of the people.
Some villagers looked at me like a danger…they weren't furious at me…they seemed scared of me. But that was all forgotten quickly, I was taken into a hut (to my surprise it was made of brick!) and some village nurses and the girl tended to my wounded leg, but they did not have the proper medicine to heal it.
"You've lost a lot of blood, thankfully we've stopped the bleeding but you're going to feel weakened by the blood loss. A part of your thigh muscle has been torn slightly and unless you see a proper surgeon you're going to be in trouble..." a nurse told me.
"Do not worry Maria" the girl told Maria "I know how his wounds can be healed..."
"You can't mean…" the other Nurse said quickly as if she was holding a secret.
"Do not worry Christine, he can be trusted. He is the son of John…the legendary one will understand."
I tried to ask what she was talking about, but she quickly turned to me and opened her mouth hinting she was going to talk, strange thing about women is they seem to know when men are going to talk and when I even think it, and they open their mouths to stop me from talking…
"Oh I just remembered" she said giggling "I have some friends of yours!"
"Friends?"
The curtain door to the concrete shack opened to reveal some old friends…Lambton and Lana!
"Oh my god you guys!" I said with a smile like a kid at Christmas, and the brother and sister smiled at me as well.
Lana as usual grabbed me like I was her property but she actually jumped up on me. Her fine golden blonde hair reached my nose and to my surprise I could smell how clean it was. Unlike me I was drenched in blood, fuel, water, sweat, dirt, I stunk from head to toe and my facial hair had grown rapidly along with my hair and fingernails.
I ran my nose through her hair as I hugged her back with an almighty sniff, nice hairspray I thought. I placed Lana on the floor again and I went to grab Lambton's hand in a vice like shake.
"Nick" he said "I am so glad you're alive."
"Same for you as well lad" I replied "where's Gary?"
"There are Dark Pokemon rampaging all throughout the island, but that Dark creature has been pursuing us with relentless determination. We had to split up to escape it after you and Logan went missing, how is Logan anyway?"
"Logan…he got carried away. I don't know what happened to him, but US forces are looking for him."
"The military is here?" Lambton asked.
"Yes, I got into contact with a squad of soldiers and I was taken to an American aircraft carrier for protection, turns out I'm as important to them as I am to everyone else tonight."
"If you were rescued, why are you back on the island?" Lambton asked.
"That monster that's been chasing us all night…it destroyed the ship and it killed every single person on it."
"The Dark Lugia killed all those soldiers on that ship?" he asked shocked, I nodded in reply.
"My goodness" he said "how can we escape from this thing?"
"I don't know Lambton. I'm starting to question whether I'll even live through tonight…"
"Come on Nick" Lambton said putting his hand on my shoulder "That doesn't mean we can give up…"
"Why Lambton…why keep going on. That Lugia monster can create storms and sink a ship the size of a city, what chance do we have? Guns won't work against it and I pity any Pokemon who dares try to stand up to it.
"And what's more I now know the truth how my dad was killed…on this island. He had something which could stop Cipher, which could stop XD-001 but what his diaries referred to I have no idea. It seems that now my father is dead everyone thinks that I have the thing which can save the world…but I don't even know what it is everyone is talking about…"
In my frustrated speech, I keeled over. Loss of blood and my aching leg were weakening me further.
"Nick" the girl said "come, it's time we got your injuries healed."
"Why should I?" I asked "injuries or not I'm as good as dead…"
"Well if you wish to know some more things about your relevance to this madness then you'll follow me."
Ten minutes later we were walking down a secluded coast of the island. What the village girl said did not make me think twice, whatever mysteries could be revealed I want to know. But why we had to walk so far I don't know; the village girl led the way down the sand and Lambton and Lana gave me support as I hobbled along at an agonising pace.
"Why do we have to walk all the way out here? Can't you tell me now?"
"I think it's better if my friend told you herself." The girl replied.
"Your friend, who is that?" I asked her.
"Another one of your Dad's closest friends." Lambton said in my ear.
The reason Lambton replied for the girl is because she pulled out a flute…no some kind of Ocarina, could be straight out of a Zelda game, she started to play the instrument. The tune also sounded like something out of a Zelda game, but it was a song even Simon Cowell could approve of.
She kept her eyes closed as she played the song, her fingers running along the holes of the instrument professionally like a computer technician could do with a keyboard.
"What is she doing?" I asked Lambton.
"Prepare to see something truly spectacular Nick…" he said.
As the village girl continued playing her musical instrument, as if by magic fog surrounded the beach…not too thick mind you but thick enough to obstruct my vision for about thirty feet…you couldn't see the tree line anymore or the horizon on the sea. Apart from the music being played there was deafening silence.
"What's going on?" I asked Lambton…but he paid no attention to me…he just kept watching the girl play on her ocarina.
Then something else could be heard…a gentle but haunting noise…what it sounded like was hard to explain but it sounded like it was something singing back through the fog…it was singing the same notes as what the girl was playing! They both played music with each other for a few minutes…it was an incredible sound…but who or what was singing to the village girl's tunes?
Then the village girl stopped playing…and so did the thing that was singing with her but after an eternity of silence:
"Silveen…please come forth" the village girl said.
'Silveen?' I thought…sounded familiar…
Like Lambton had promised, I would indeed see something spectacular, as the girl finished playing the song a part of the fog cleared away and a patch of sea 15-20 feet away from the beach calmed right down, all around it the sea was raging but this particular spot remained still and calm. I stared into the water with increasing curiosity.
I was taken back as the calm spot suddenly exploded! I almost fell over but Lambton and Lana kept me upright. Then I looked into the sky…a massive waterspout erupted from the water and shot right into the clouds! Sprays of seawater rained down onto the beach from the sky. The waterspout suddenly dissipated and a spinning white blur continued to spin in the sky. This white blur looked familiar, I thought back to the tower when I was carried away by Dark Lugia, some white blur slammed into him and forced him to drop me.
Then the white blur opened up in the sky, it howled out some kind of roar but it wasn't a roar, it was singing. It sang the same song the girl played before this event happening before me. I kept staring wondering what the heck it was until the thing finally stopped spinning and floated in mid air.
The girl walked towards the creature as it slowly and elegantly descended down to Earth. The girl came face to face with the creature and petted the thing on the forehead; it gave off a small smile from being petted by the girl.
"It's good to see you…Silveen."
The creature then raised its head and looked towards me…even though it was some distance away from me…I looked into its powerful looking eyes and I missed several heartbeats. I instantly went into fright; I tore myself from Lambton and Lana's grip and fell over instantly thanks to my crippled leg. I stood up and tried to hop away, but the sand moved under my feet and I fell over again. As I sat back up I heard large thudding noises behind me up I turned around with dread…I saw this large beast right in front of me and staring down at me!
"Nick" it said without moving its lips "It is good to finally meet you again after all these years…"
My eyes never blinked, I looked into the eyes of…a Lugia? I tried to turn and run but my leg gave way again, I grunted in pain and agony as I held my leg. Suddenly I felt myself being lifted from the sand, the giant white hand of the Lugia scooped me up and put her face next to mine, it could see my desperation to get away.
"Why are you so frightened?" it asked "I won't harm you."
"You…you look like that…thing…XD-001!" I stuttered.
"Do not mistake me for that monstrosity" it replied with a serious tone but its next words were more gently "you have been harmed by evil…be healed."
The giant white fingers of the Lugia closed down on me until I was completely enveloped by its hand. Light filtered out through its hand completely covering me with light, I could feel my leg become better in an instant and I felt my body surge with strength again as if my lost blood was being replenished.
The Lugia opened its hand again…my leg had been healed completely and my arms and legs no longer felt heavy, I could lift them again without my muscles cramping.
"There, your body has been revitalised" The Lugia told me.
She placed me back on the ground gently; I not only felt like normal again, I felt better! I felt twice as strong and just as witty and quick.
"I…I feel great!" I said as I looked up at the Lugia "Err…thank you. I apologise for acting irrationally towards you, it's just..."
"I understand Nick" the Lugia replied "You've faced many dangers in the short time you've spent on this island and your fears are well placed and understood…"
"Wait!" I said "your voice sounds familiar to me now…"
"Yes, it was me that rescued you from the sinking ship and from Dark Lugia." It replied.
"You're the one that saved me? But what about the other people on the ship? They were all dragged down to their deaths by Shadow Lugia…why didn't you help THEM? The stories I was told about Lugias rescuing sailors, why did you leave all of them to perish?"
"I am sorry, the loss of human life you witnessed was indeed…terrible…but I had to get you out of there…before Dark Lugia got you first."
"But why Lugia?" I said "why am I so important that a useless guy like me must live and thousands of good soldiers had to die? Why am I so important?"
"You may think you're a waste of space Nicholas, but your heart and spirit are noble. Qualities like that should be commended…you really are just like your father…"
"You knew my father?" I asked, but then it clicked on in my head "wait a minute, you're name is Silveen right? The same Silveen that knew my Dad?"
"Good, I see you know of me from your father's journals…"
I envied this Lugia, she was old enough to remember what my father was like, and I wish I could have been twenty one back then when my Dad died. At least I could've remembered him better.
"You knew my father..." I remembered the last journal entry I read before the ship sank "He wanted me to tell you…he was sorry…he was sorry for betraying you and the villagers. Because of him he led Cipher right to this island to create…the evil things that are killing everyone…"
I then felt the giant white hand of the Lugia grasp my left shoulder; its elegant eyes looked straight into mine with great sympathy.
"Your father has NOTHING to be sorry for. He was a gentle spirit who was tricked by a deceptive evil force created by Greevil. After what he did for my villager friends, he has my trust forever. But I am sure you would like to know what the events on this island have to do with you am I correct?" I nodded frantically…I must know why I'm here, why I'm so important to Cipher, these people and the US Army.
"You read in your Father's journals" Silveen said "that your father had something that could stop Cipher that could stop XD-001…am I right?"
"Yes" I replied.
"Cipher has experimented on Pokemon for years, shutting down their hearts thus ridding their bodies of sentience, feelings and thoughts. But those are the regular Dark Pokemon, they can be cured of their evil state…but their ultimate weapon XD-001…Dark Lugia…was so sickly re-animated into a force of Darkness that his heart no longer has any hope of being re-opened by natural means…"
"So if Dark Lugia cannot be purified, why is it Cipher and XD-001 are after me? I read in my Dad's journals that he has something which can stop them but I don't know what it is."
"That is true Nicholas, Shadow Lugia and Cipher isn't after you because you know the location of the item which can stop them, they're after you because…you ARE the item which can stop them."
Those words rang in my ears like a grenade went off inside my brain. What bloody madness is this? I am the thing XD-001 and Greevil want? Why?
"I sense you doubt what I am telling you…" Silveen replied.
'How did it know that?' I thought 'Can this thing read my mind?'
"Yes I can" she replied, well I guess Admiral Lennox was right that Lugias are psychic.
"I'm the item of great interest to Cipher? But why…how?" I asked.
"Your father wrote about an item that I gave him when he was your age and I first met him right?"
"Yes" I replied, I thought back to the diaries but I couldn't remember exactly what Silveen was talking about.
"Well I'll recap for you" she said "When your Dad saved the villagers from starvation, I gave him a gift, a gift Lugias pass onto the kind and noble…the silver wing."
"The silver wing?" I asked.
"The silver wing is a piece of our skin which we shed only when we see fit and only when the moment is right. A flake of our skin is passed onto a kindred human spirit who has qualified for its possession, the flake hardens as it leaves our bodies and forms into a silver jewel…more valuable to you humans than Pearls.
"Even though the flake leaves our bodies, it retains a part of our life force, our spirit. Which ever human possesses a silver wing; their body and health are boosted beyond natural human limits. Their feelings and courage increase and their lifespan are increased sevenfold. Humans that possess this jewel can survive and live through certain things which would otherwise kill a normal human being long before and the silver wing has amazing healing properties which can cure even some advanced forms of cancer in a short amount of time.
"Only a few humans have ever being granted this gift, famous historical figures such as Alexander the Great; he was gifted a silver wing after rescuing a Lugia in a battle with a vicious Gyarados. Winston Churchill was another; in his early days in the British Army, a baby Lugia got stranded in the desert and was suffering from the heat. Despite his low supplies and the enemy chasing after him, he gave the baby water and nursed it's injuries with his small supply of medicine."
'Wow' is all I could think; these great historical figures had been granted the same gift and had achieved immortality in the history books. My Dad had achieved greatness too, creating great advances in Pokemon medicine is clearly a title you could hold with great pride.
"So my dad had a silver wing?" I asked "How is it he met his fate if he held an item which could make him…immortal nearly."
"Yes I suppose that is another mystery to you. To put it in simpler terms, the moment your father was murdered by Cipher, he passed the silver wing on...so Greevil could not find it, his journals said he hid it somewhere am I right?"
"Yes!" I said quickly, wanting to hear more "who did he pass it on to?"
"You Nicholas…"
I stood there confused and silent; I don't remember my Dad passing anything onto me.
"Me?" I said "I don't remember being given anything…"
"Silveen" the village girl said "mind if I continue?"
"Of course not" Silveen replied with a smile.
"You might not remember Nick, but I do. This is not the first time you've been on this island am I right?" she asked me.
"No, I don't remember but according to the diaries I was actually here when my father was…shot."
"Exactly, I was seven years old when your Dad came to our village looking for help. He was wounded from a bullet and he was carrying you in his arms. You had been drugged by Cipher guards to keep you quiet until your Dad rescued you and escaped from the facility on the island, that is why you do not remember anything, you were too young to remember anything and asleep the whole time.
"However in his bid to escape, your Dad had confronted a Cipher Arbok. The snake used a poison sting attack and your father was able to evade it but a barb struck you in the chest. Fearing for your life your Dad brought you to us for help. I watched it all happen inside of a tent where you were being treated, our nurses and your Dad tried hard to get the poison out of you…but your young body could not handle the venom and it spread rapidly.
"Knowing Cipher was after your Dad for the Silver wing, he had to hide it…and it was the only thing which could save your life from the poison…" the girl paused.
"Go on…" I said intrigued.
"Your Dad stitched the silver wing inside of you…"
"He did WHAT?!" I yelled.
"The Silver Wing" Silveen continued "like I said has great healing properties. Your Dad had to hide it from Cipher and he used it save your life Nicholas. He inserted the Silver Wing near your heart…where the properties of the Silver Wing could be at their most effective. It suppressed the venom and then destroyed it over a period of several days."
"That may be so" I said "but if my Dad put the silver wing inside my body…he must've known Cipher would eventually find me…wait a minute. That's why I was invited to this island, it was a set up. Greevil brought me here to get the silver wing…"
I started to clench my fist in anger…how could my Dad do something like this to me? He hid an item inside me in which a dangerous organisation like Cipher wanted…and they sent an army of Shadow Pokemon and armed soldiers to get me for it…
"I can't believe it, I'm just a part in a sick plan to retrieve the Silver Wing. Nobody looked up to me for being myself, they just looked up to me because I'm holding an item which they all want…"
"No Nick you are wrong…" Silveen said "you are Mankind's and Pokemonkind's last hope at defeating Dark Lugia and the Shadow Pokemon…"
"How is that?" I said "what the heck is some damn Jewel going to do against an army of killer Pokemon?"
"The silver wing does not just contain amazing powers" Silveen continued "it holds a part of the life force of a Lugia, a LIGHT Lugia…you hold the only item in the world that can cure Dark Lugia of his evil state…you CAN return him to normal…"
"WHY SHOULD I?!" I roared "that damn beast has been trying to kill me and he's killed thousands of people tonight, why should he deserve to be saved, he seems to enjoy killing enough."
"He's not a monster!" Silveen said getting face to face with me…for some reason I held my ground against this large Pokemon, but she seemed determined to help Dark Lugia for some reason "He was an innocent Lugia like me at one point, but he was captured and experimented on…he was forced into what he's become now and I know deep down…he's in there somewhere…pleading to be freed…pleading for you Nicholas…I plead you…"
"…You care for Dark Lugia don't you?" I asked "was he related to you in any way?"
"He is…was…my mate…then he was taken away from me…"
"Silveen…I'm so sorry" I said "please understand that your…mate has been trying to kill me all night…"
"Yes Nicholas…I understand your fears towards my mate. The Silver wing contains the life force of a light Lugia…if you were to place the Silver wing into the skin of Dark Lugia…the light force of the jewel can return him to his normal self again, the light force would destroy the darkness…opening his heart again. The silver wing can save him Nick and if you save Dark Lugia, you can save the world."
"You mean…I'm the only hope the world has against Dark Lugia?"
"I am afraid that is the case Nicholas"
"But why can't you or another Lugia just shed another piece of skin? I mean if another one of your kind can create a Silver wing then there won't be any need for me…"
"No Nicholas, it is not as simple as that." Silveen replied "We Lugias can only shed our skin to humans and only to humans deemed worthy of its possession. Throughout the course of human history, only three people have been given that honor. Alexander the Great, Winston Churchill and your father…"
God almighty, only three people in the course of history have ever been given a silver wing and that means only three Lugias throughout the whole course of history have shed their skin. I was Earth's last chance of survival against Dark Lugia and I am so important to world security that even the United States Army recognises my importance.
"I know it's a difficult burden to bear Nicholas, but the powers that control our destinies have bought us altogether."
"My Destiny?" I said "No…Destiny is just…a word to make fantasy stories sound exciting. The destinies of people are controlled by themselves, not others."
"That may be true, but I'm afraid Cipher has bought this upon you Nicholas, your dad had no choice but to hide the Silver Wing inside you as it was the only thing he could do to save you at the time."
"And now I have to repay the debt for my survival all those years ago…"
"No you have no debt to pay, you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"So what do I do now? Can't you fly us to safety off this island?" I asked Silveen.
"I wish I could, believe me…but Dark Lugia, he controls this island. Only he decides who leaves and who enters, and I fear he is constantly monitoring the island for me and for you. Escape is not an option at this moment in time…"
"So what the heck do I do?"
"There may be a time when you will have to confront Dark Lugia and defeat him."
"BEAT HIM? I'm just a human for goodness sake!"
"But you have the silver wing!"
"I'll probably be long dead before I get a chance to use it!"
"You won't die!" Silveen almost roared "You're too important to die, you have friends Nicholas, and we will protect you…no matter what Dark Lugia will not get his hands on you!"
Friends…one of them is already dead…and what good can Lambton and Lana do? They're just children.
"If you're going to protect me, where were you the first time I encountered XD-001? Logan was killed by him and Gary is missing, my Pokemon are gone and I have no weapons…"
"I was there with you at the tower" Silveen replied "Don't you remember when you were being carried away…"
"The white blur…that was you?" I asked.
"Yes." Silveen replied back.
"Oh dear…again I am…sorry, that's twice you've saved my skin Silveen. How can I ever repay you?"
"Help my mate and the world…please."
I guess that was it, my objective was clear…I had to confront Dark Lugia and beat him somehow and use the silver wing to return him back to a normal Lugia, how I was going to get the silver wing out of my body was just the start of my problems.
"Then I guess my mission is clear, I am the only person on Earth that can stop Dark Lugia. But how can I beat him? Guns won't harm him and I doubt there is any Pokemon on Earth powerful enough to face him."
"Take this…" the village girl said. She handed me her Ocarina "I will teach you the song I used to summon Silveen…"
"Yes Nicholas…whenever you are in serious danger and all other options have been exhausted…use the ocarina and I will come to your aid if I can."
Silveen then looked towards Lambton and Lana:
"Legendary twins…make sure he stays safe…" Silveen told them, the brother and sister nodded back.
I should've really thought more about what Silveen said to Lana and Lambton, but I kept staring at the Ocarina.
"How will you find me if do play the song?" I asked Silveen.
"Do not worry…the Silver Wing inside of you will lead me to you. Lugias can sense their presence for miles."
"Silveen…thank you for your help, I hope I can save your mate…but I can't make any promises you understand? If the fight becomes too life threatening I may have to run away."
"I understand Nicholas…all that I ask is that you try your best. But remember, as long as Dark Lugia remains…escape from this island is impossible…"
"I understand Silveen…thank you for everything…for saving my life…and for sharing your cherished memories of my Dad with me…as well as shedding light on some mysteries for me…I will try my best to help you all. I promise I will…"
I extended my hand out to Silveen in a handshake gesture…she looked confused by it at first.
"You shake it" I said "as a friendly gesture."
Silveen smiled and grabbed my hands with her thumb and index finger:
"Godspeed Nick."
Silveen let go of my hand; she spread her wings and in a backwards flip she dove back into ocean, the beach was again bombarded by sea spray from the almighty splash.
As I stood watching the water again, I felt motionless; still shocked by that…amazing encounter. I didn't think Pokemon were so intelligent to engage me in conversation like that…as I stood there still as a statue the village girl tapped my shoulder:
"Well Nick" she said…"I think it's time I taught you how to play that Ocarina if you're going to use it."
Twenty minutes later I found myself sitting on a rock by the ocean with the girl, holding the Ocarina with me, Lambton and Lana had returned to the village to get some much needed sleep. She held my fingers in place of where they should go to play the song right, my fingers were aching like hell, but I needed to learn this tune. My life could depend on it in the future.
"No put that finger there as you blow lightly into the Ocarina…remember gentle blowing creates the most powerful notes of the song…"
I had no clue what she meant by that but the time kept going on and on as I tried to learn the song. Eventually I managed to play it all the way through but not without pausing and starting again after I made a mistake.
"Christ" I said "I had no idea how much holding and playing this thing hurts your fingers as you play it!" I laughed a bit.
"Yes, the Ocarina is a difficult instrument to hold never mind play; but you'll get the hang of it."
"Can I ask you something?" I asked her.
"Sure" she said.
"I never caught your name…can you tell me what it is?"
"…Rose."
"Really?" I said surprised.
"Yeah!" she giggled "silly name I know." I laughed with her but I then summoned up the courage to say:
"I think it's a very nice name, perfect Girl's name really."
"You…think so?" she said nervously.
"Yeah…and can I ask you something else?"
"What's that Nick?" Rose said.
"How did you and your people survive the tidal wave? Was it…."
"Silveen." Rose replied back.
"I see, I thought as much. I'm glad you're alive Rose…I…if you hadn't given me that Gardevoir I might already be dead. That Pokemon really helped me get through most of tonight and it was a great help to Lambton and Lana too."
"I'm glad you're alive too Nick" Rose said shifting closer to me "I am sorry for the burden you have to carry…but the world and Silveen are relying on you to save Dark Lugia from his evil imprisonment. Are you really willing to do all of this for the world?"
"Well…Silveen rescued me twice tonight…and she saved you. Plus she knew my father well, so I guess my Dad would want me to help her, just like he helped you and the villagers of this island. I always did want to be a hero…but now I guess that's a dream I don't want to live through again."
"So you fight for your Father first and foremost?" Rose asked me.
"Yes…I guess so; I mean my father has done so much for so many people. Perhaps it is my turn to carry on his good name. Plus I do not want to live with myself knowing that I'm a coward…"
"It's only natural to be scared Nick" Rose said putting her hand on my shoulder "But I think it's very brave of you to say that and for your decision to help us is greatly appreciated…"
Before I knew it, Rose kept getting closer to me and closer until our noses were just inches away from each other. Before I knew it…we started kissing, nothing wild, just a first kiss…a nice gentle one that felt nice.
We unlocked lips for a moment and I looked into her eyes, they were sapphire blue…just like the blue skin of a Lugia, amazing eyes that you could pass off for jewels.
Half an hour later back at the village, I finally got a chance to shower. The shower in the village was just a shower made out of bamboo and canvas to hide you from outside eyes as you showered, the water was cold but it was good to get the dirt off. I walked out of the shower and into the bamboo hut it was in, I dried myself with a fur towel from some animal.
There was a mirror in the hut thankfully, I could look at myself for the first time in day and as I looked into it, my hair was all over. It had never grown that long before, and my facial hair was just inches away from becoming a full beard. My fingernails had reached half an inch off of my fingers and I guess you could say they were almost like claws.
Some villagers washed and steam dried my clothes, I fumbled my clothes back on my body and it felt so good, like putting on clothes just right after it had been ironed. I kept looking into the mirror…I recalled over the last couple of days and nights of the events that happened.
But tonight was the first time I felt…happy for a long time. I had rejoined with some friends and made a new one in a light Lugia and I tried to replay my kiss with Rose in my head. Tonight had been a happy night for once, I had been showered and I was soon going to be climbing into a proper bed, I looked forward to that very much…
"That boy is here." I heard a voice outside "You heard what the Shaman said, the Dark one is after him…the boy will lead the monster here and we will all be destroyed." The voice was a man's and he had another bloke talking with him:
"You're right, if this village is destroyed then we will have no food or water…our race will be wiped out!"
I listened into the conversation as I remained hidden in the shower hut:
"Don't worry men" I heard a familiar voice, I think it was the village Shaman "It is not us the Dark one is after…but if he finds out we're hiding the boy he will kill us all."
"Then why don't we just give the boy to the Dark one?"
"NO, that boy can save us all and the world, we can't give him up."
"But what then Shaman? Either way is a lose/lose situation."
"Maybe not…"
"What do you mean maybe not?"
"The Dark One is a god and all gods can be appeased by some means…"
"How will we appease the dark one?"
"A Sacrifice!"
"Who will we use as a sacrifice Shaman?"
"My Granddaughter no longer believes in the ancient ways of our elders, therefore she is no longer my flesh and blood, she is beautiful enough. And that little blonde haired girl, her golden hair will appease the beast easily…"
'Ye Gods!' I thought 'That senile lunatic is going to sacrifice Rose and Lana!'
I tried to sneak out of the hut to warn the girls and Lambton of the danger here…too late. From behind two arms grabbed my neck and my mouth got covered with a handkerchief…the drug that it was soaked in started to knock me out cold instantly.
"Forgive me son of John…" I heard a male voice "but you cannot be allowed to save the girls…their sacrifice is our only way of survival!"
…
…