-Chapter 10
The blue flames fly by me. I feel the extremely hot heat touch my skin and I'm immediately sweating. If I didn't know better, I would think just the heat itself could melt my skin off my bones. For a moment I was scared that the flames would melt the pillar I'm leaning against, but it's still strong and sturdy so I just pray that I just don't get eaten by the flames. Even Dee is terrified enough from the blue flames to stop arguing with me and just waits for the flames to disappear. I'm a little surprised that she's not yelling at me or trying to throw me into the fire, but whatever I still hold onto her because I don't want someone to die for no reason, even if they're trying to kill me.
The flames continue for minutes and I'm wondering when it'll finally stop. I hear screams of agony and pain. When the flames finally die down I look from the side of the pillar and find several bodies burned to the bone and magma forming from the flames. I release Dee and she has a mortified look on her face as she looks around at the scorched scenery. Several others who have endured the attack start coming out of their hiding spots and scan the damaged area. Resistance members and the army alike are looking at the damage.
"Retreat!"I hear someone order. I see all of the surviving army members, including Dee run towards a helicopter. Before Dee enters the helicopter she shoots a look at me. I can't really explain what kind of look it is, it's something along the lines of disbelief and betrayal.
The army helicopter flies away, but I see the shadow of the Pokémon cast over me. I see the flames rain down from above and I dodge and roll to a safe spot behind another pillar. I know several of the Resistance members are dodging too and with the screams that erupt in the air, I know a lot of them are injured or dead.
"Lugia, we could use your help now," I say in my mind.
Without replying, the Lugia rises from the fog that surrounds the mountains. He soars high into the sky and lets out a powerful stream of water to counter the blue flames. Lugia was able to get rid of the majority of the flames, but the blue flames re-spawn when the wavy silhouette of a Pokémon continues to breathe out its intense fires.
The flames disappear after another powerful stream of water from Lugia. As I look for Lugia, I find his silhouette battle the wavy Pokémon in the air. The two are trading seemingly powerful attacks in the air. When I look more closely, I think I can see someone standing on top of the wavy Pokémon's head.
"Get to the helicopters!" I hear a Resistance member order. I find the survivors of the attack run for the edges of the area. A few helicopters rise from the fog and the Resistance members jump into the helicopters.
Instead of following the Resistance members, I stay stationary and watch. I did say that this will be the last thing I do for the Resistance, and it will be. I don't care if I get burned to death right now for not following the Resistance, they've put me through enough hell already so why not just let me burn it hell's flames then?
A bright shine shimmers at the edge of my vision. I quickly move to it and find an item that I wasn't expecting to be left behind. The Dark Stone. The Dark Stone in its mysterious glory was left behind. I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but something so valuable, you would think they would take care of it more. Especially with a guy like Lance. Maybe he brought it with him so it would activate, but who knows at this point?
"Come on Noxis!" I hear someone yell at me. When I turn back to find who called for me I find that it wasn't just a single person, but almost everyone who was in the helicopter with me calling to me; save for Grey because of his aloof personality, although he was there looking at me.
I simply shake my head and walk to the opposite edge. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but I just don't want to be a part of this war. I continue watching Lugia fight off the wavy Pokémon until finally the wavy Pokémon flies away. Lugia descends down towards me and I'm lifted into the air with his psychic powers. As Lugia puts me on his back I can see the light scorch marks, scratches, and blood on him.
"You okay Lugia?" I ask loudly.
Lugia starts flapping and flies high into the air. He nods lightly and says, "I will be fine, don't worry about me. Where would you like to go?"
"Just take me somewhere away from here," I say, hoping that I won't see the Resistance any time soon.
Night fell when Lugia flew me to the Unova region. I end up in Nimbasa City, which is a really festive city with colorful lights and nice city scenery that makes me feel like I'm more in my element. Luckily it was nighttime so not a lot of people were around to see Lugia drop me off and take off to live the rest of his life.
Lugia's parting words echoed inside my head, "Remember your mortality, Noxis. No one person can accomplish great feats by themselves. A hero does not accomplish their heroics by themselves."
Even though it's a shame that Lugia left, considering he's a legendary Pokémon that I have as a friend and all, I'm kind of glad he's gone off to live his life. It's one less person or Pokémon to worry about hurting or getting in danger. I do have to thank him though, he saved me quite a few and has been a great help. It's an honor really, just to be able to connect with such a legendary Pokémon.
I stay in Nimbasa City for a week. It has a great atmosphere and I even go on the Ferris wheel a couple of times at night just to see the amazing lights that flash throughout the city. However, I usually spend most of my time in my room at the Pokémon Center staring at the Dark Stone. I'm sure Lance and everyone else is freaking out about the Dark Stone being lost and possibly in the army's hands. But since I have it, they don't have to worry about the army. If I ever encounter Lance or Volkner or the group that was with me in the helicopter, I'll be sure to give it to them. Honestly, the Dark Stone has been nothing but trouble for the Resistance.
In my week in Nimbasa City, I've helped around a bit by offering my ranger status in taming runaway Pokémon or just getting Pokémon to calm down. I usually help the Nurse Joys of the Pokémon Centers by helping them clean or just work, but Unova Nurse Joys are so high tech that they don't need actual people to do most of their work. But somehow I was able to convince the Nurse Joy to let me help her with healing Pokémon to let me stay in the Pokémon Center for a lower price.
On days that I don't really do much, but wander around the city with Typhlosion, I tend to go to the sporting arenas or amusement park just for the hell of it. Sometimes, if the show sounds interesting enough, I go to the musical theatre. Nimbasa City is filled with tons of things to do and I'm really jealous of the technology here compared to Johto, specifically my hometown of Mahogany. As the days pass, however, I begin to notice the increase of security around the city. Not necessarily the army, but there are a lot more officers and authorities out and about.
One night, as I was coming home from helping a little girl get her Purrloin off of the roller coaster track I found a note lying on the ground near my door. I was expecting it to be a note from Nurse Joy saying that she needs more help or even a death threat or something, but instead I find this.
Dear Noxis,
Please meet me in the Pinwheel Forest tomorrow as the sun sets. I will be in the Rumination Field of the forest, I have something very important to ask you.
It's signed as a "New Friend" and has very neat, legible handwriting that could only be from a female. I fold the note up and put it in my pocket and I take a moment to think about the offer. I doubt that I'll be encountering a Resistance member because how in the hell would they know I'm here? And I don't think this can be a ploy from the army because they also wouldn't know I'm here too. I guess I'm safe if I go, but I can't be too sure. It takes me a few minutes to finally get to the conclusion of that I'll go to this meeting, but I'll arrive earlier and hide to see who the person is. After watching a few shows on the television, I fall asleep.
The usual nightmares attack my sleep and this time it's filled with the blue flames of that wavy Pokémon I saw at Mount Coronet. Even in my sleep I can feel the extremely hot flames that can burn the flesh off of my bones. If I were to get touched by those flames, I'd die instantly.
I wake up to the melodic chirps of Pidoves outside the window of my room. I make a slow start of the morning as I slowly get into the shower and wash myself clean of my nighttime collected grime and dirt. I still have time before I go to the Pinwheel Forest to meet up with this mystery person, but I don't have too much time because it'll take a while to get there by Honchkrow. And I really don't want to walk through that small desert just to get to the forest.
After gathering everything I need, since I'm pretty sure I'll be staying in Castelia City after the meeting, I say goodbye to the Nurse Joy after eating a very satisfying meal for lunch and move outside. A nice breeze floats by and I see nothing, but a clear sky with a beating sun above me. A couple of Nimbasa locals are wandering about. I'll admit that I'll miss the city since there are so many attractions and things to do, but Castelia is even bigger so it has a better atmosphere. Hell, the city even has a slums part to it, which I can fit right into. I call Typhlosion back into his Pokeball and take out Honchkrow's.
I unleash Honchkrow and she caws loudly. "To the Pinwheel Forest Honchkrow," I say as her talons wrap around my forearm. She lifts me into the air and we're already on our way.
As Honchkrow and I fly over the city and as we're overlooking the routes and roads, I can say that Unova is extremely symmetrical with a lot of bridges that connect cities together. It's pretty green with nice blue waters surrounding it. If I had the choice to live in any region except for Johto, I would live in Unova. The region just seems to fit me more than anywhere else. But it can't ever beat my home region of Johto.
In the far distance and I can see the skyscrapers of Castelia City. My body is over the blue waters and Honchkrow doesn't seem tired at all, which is good. We're getting close to the forest, but we still have a ways to go, so I enjoy the skyscrapers of Castelia. I can only imagine what it would look like when it's nighttime and all of those city lights will turn on. Something about bright lights surrounded by the abyss of darkness really attracts me like a bug to light. In the further distance I can see the Skyarrow Bridge which, I think, is the largest bridge in the Unova region. It's pretty cool, but it must be a pain to walk on though. Just looking at it and judging by its size, I know it can offer great exercise with a great deal of pain too.
Honchkrow and I get closer the forest and we fly close to the Skyarrow Bridge. The bridge has very fine details engraved in its light blue skin. The architecture is amazing and beautiful. The person who built this thing truly had a great image in their head and made it a reality.
After arriving at the end of the bridge, Honchkrow flies over a lustrous green forest that is filled with people and Pokémon. Honchkrow descends and I call her back into her Pokeball after she sets me down. There's a main pathway that leads straight through the forest, but there are several other pathways that lead into the depths of the forest. When I was in the air, I saw a small field of greenery that had no trees. I slowly make my way onto the path that I think leads to the Rumination Field.
I pull out Typhlosion's Pokeball and release him into the forest. "Come on Ty," I say as I walk into the forest.
Typhlosion and I wander around the forest a bit and take in the scent and scenery. The forest has a nice aroma of greenery, flowers, and berries. I know Typhlosion is enjoying by the way he's taking in deep breaths. Every once in a while I'll run into a patch of flowers that smell horrid. A few grass and bug Pokémon wander the forest as well, climbing on trees and scattering into bushes. Due to the presence of Typhlosion, a lot of the Pokémon are scared of his flames, but he doesn't mean any harm unless he's provoked. The forest seems like a sanctuary for the Pokémon. I'm pretty jealous. Sure I haven't really encountered any trouble lately, but to just be carefree and live a full life, I envy that kind of lifestyle.
Finally, Typhlosion and I find our way to the field of greenery that I saw when I was in the air. No one is in the area, but myself and Typhlosion. There's a pretty tall tree that can keep both myself and Typhlosion hidden. I move to the tree and I motion for Typhlosion to climb up first and I follow quickly after. We climb onto a rather thick branch that's strong enough to support us both, but any sudden strong movement can cause it to break.
I know I wanted to arrive early, but I think I arrived a little too early. I can still see the sun's rays touch the grass and trees. Here, in the Rumination Field, it's pretty isolated from the main road, so the person who called me here has to have a good reason. Though, I'm still wondering how they knew I was in Nimbasa City and in that specific room of the Pokémon center. Whatever the case, I hope the person comes soon.
Somehow I manage to take a small nap in the tree. I only wake up because Typhlosion nudges my arm. When I slowly open my eyes I find that the sun is setting and the sky is a pleasant orange. When I look onto the field I find someone that I didn't expect.
"Dee? She's the one that gave me the note?" I murmur as I hesitate to climb down the tree.
Dee isn't in her army uniform and her hair is down. She's wearing a long-sleeved, off the shoulder black shirt that hugs her slender body. Under her shirt is a thin white shirt that covers her breast that would be semi-exposed if the shirt weren't there. Dark jeans are held up by a black belt with black shoes at the feet. Dee's hair is long and a nice brown with purple highlights at the tips. Her hair is parted to the side and part of her left eye is covered by her hair. Clinging onto her shoulders is a rather large backpack that looks pretty heavy. She looks a lot better in this than she does in her army uniform. Seriously, she's really good looking in casual clothes. For some reason, my heart is pounding. I'm not nervous because she's here; really, I'm not sure why I'm nervous.
I slowly climb down the tree and when I land on the grass, Dee looks straight at my direction. I see a smile on her face and she walks towards me. "I'm glad you came Noxis," she says to me in a warm tone.
Strange… I never thought she'd be so friendly to me. Especially with how we met and all. "Why did you call me here? Better question, how did you know I was in Nimbasa City?" I ask.
"There were some people talking about a guy in ranger clothes helping around the city. So I went to Nimbasa City and saw you help a family by getting their Lillipups back. I talked to Nurse Joy and she said you were staying there so that's how I found you," Dee answers. My ranger clothes? I really need to find some new clothes. Dee continues, "and I called you here to tell you that I quit the army."
My eyes widen and I ask, "You what?"
"I quit the army," Dee repeats with a smile of relief and joy, "I asked the Sergeants and Captains about why we're fighting with the Resistance and they wouldn't tell me. I continued to ask them and they finally told me about what they plan to do with Pokémon. The bastards even have a legendary Pokémon at their disposal already! I left as soon as I could."
So she left as soon as she figured out what was going on. Smart of her, but wasn't it hasty? Is she sure the army isn't on her tail right now? "So why did you try to contact me?" I ask.
"I…I want to travel with you. I mean, you have survived most of your life being chased and you're always up and about throughout each region, so I thought traveling with you will be better than going back to my hometown," she replies with the same smile.
I lightly scoff and say, "I'm flattered that you want to travel with me, but you don't want to be mixed up in my kind of crowd or atmosphere. You'll be in more trouble than ever if you decide to go along with me."
Instead of being disheartened at my response, she retains that smile and says, "I'm not going to take no for an answer. I don't care that you have a hard life and I don't care that you might cause danger and harm towards me, I am going with you."
I sigh deeply as I stare straight into Dee's eyes. I can sense her passion and strong urge to follow me. Naturally, I would continue to deny, but Dee is a girl that is stubborn. Even when we were fighting I could tell she was stubborn and wouldn't take no for an answer. I reluctantly let out, "Fine, but I warned you. And your Liepard can come along too."
I feel a fur brush against my leg and initially I thought it was Typhlosion, but when I look it's Dee's Liepard. Honestly, I didn't know her Liepard was behind me at all, but it makes me look cooler.
Dee's smile becomes wider and she says, "Great. I can't wait to start our journey."
Dee and her Liepard walks away and I slowly follow. I shake my head and sigh deeply at the situation I was put in.
"What's gonna happen Ty? What's gonna happen?"
Author's Note: Hello everyone! I just wanted to quickly say thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, and supports this story. Honestly, it makes writing each word of each chapter more enjoyable. I also want to say that since Persona 4: Arena is coming out in the U.S. soon (Tuesday!) I'll be training/playing it a lot, so updates may vary; I also want to make Persona 4: Arena the fighting game that I'll be competitive at in tournaments, but of course I'll be playing it for all the fun and glory. Anyways, again, I want to say thanks to all of you that read and support. You guys are awesome! =]