Chapter 9 – Uncertain Future
Last time on "Flight of a Legend"…
A mysterious group calling themselves Team Flare attacked Volan and the gang in hopes of obtaining the shiny Froakie they had met with. By working together, the three humans and their Pokemon took down the members of Team Flare, only to find themselves biting off more than they can chew with Celosia, a higher-ranking member with a Drapion. But then, they found themselves aided by a spooky assistant…
-.-.-.-.-.
If the Gengar was creepy – and as a Pokemon with Ghost as its primary type, it sure as heck was – then its mistress was a hundred times more so.
She seemed about as old as Volan or Thrin, but looked much worse for wear. A long purple dress hid her hands and her feet from view, dragging freely through the dirt. Her hair was the same shade as her clothing, and took the shape of a wild, scraggly mane that looked as though it hadn't been brushed in many years. Her thin lips were stretched out in a sly smile, contrasting almost completely with her eyes – dark lavender orbs that held a hollow, haunted light in them, as if she had been possessed by something.
Almost as if to confirm this, her smile turned into a crooked grin, and her arm rose unsteadily with a jerky movement. "Is something the matter?" she rasped.
Volan, Thrin, and Trevor all shivered at the sound of her voice. None of them had any idea of who this girl was, but she looked as if she had crawled out of a ghost story.
"Don't you dare interfere, brat!" snarled Celosia, angry at what the Gengar had done to her Drapion. "If you attack, then I have no choice but to dispose of you as well!"
Slowly, with those same shaky movements, the girl spread her arms invitingly. Her hands poked out of her baggy sleeves, revealing inch-long nails painted the color of blood. "You can try," she challenged, unconcerned. "But I wouldn't advise it."
"Gengah gen!" agreed her Gengar, still holding onto its readied Shadow Ball.
The rage clouding Celosia's face temporarily cleared up, replaced with an amused smirk. "Oh, wouldn't you," she mocked, placing her hand next to her mouth in a haughty laugh. "I'm sorry, but I don't recall asking your opinion. Why don't you take it up with my Drapion?"
"Dorap!" the immense scorpion Pokemon growled.
"With pleasure," hissed the girl, her grin spreading. "Gengar, if you will…"
Laughing maliciously, the Ghost-and-Poison-type threw the Shadow Ball, a dark orb of pure destruction with an unstable white core. It slammed into Drapion, causing its long neck to tip backwards. Once it had recovered, Drapion swung its head back into position with startling quickness.
"Use Cross Poison!" Celosia yelled.
"Sucker Punch," the girl responded.
Both Pokemon charged forward, but Gengar was faster. It raised a fist and socked Drapion in the chin with an effective uppercut, sending its neck bending back once again. This time, Drapion toppled, its four legs slipping out from under it to bring it to the ground in a tremendous crash.
"Finish this with Thunderbolt," she smirked creepily.
Gengar's manic grin stretched further across its body in time with its Trainer's, and its body began to flash erratically. Shaking and jerking as if having a seizure, Gengar finally raised its arms and cackled triumphantly as it shot a sizzling lightning bolt straight at Drapion, felling it for good.
A strangled growl came from between Celosia's clenched teeth as she absorbed her Pokemon into its Poke Ball with a beam of red. "This isn't over, impudent twerps!" she snarled, entire body shaking with rage. "You've just reserved a spot for yourselves on Team Flare's Most Wanted, so we'll see who walks away victorious next time we meet!"
No more words were spoken as Celosia turned around and fled back the way she had come, followed hastily by her grunts. In mere seconds, Volan and the rest were left alone.
It was Thrin who broke the silence, falling to her knees with a huge sigh. "That was stressful," she muttered, distractedly patting Akuma on the head when he came down to rest beside her. "And here I thought our days of running into weirdly-dressed maniacs were over, huh Volan?"
"Tell me about it," he fully agreed with her.
He stuck out his hand, which his sister grabbed onto so that he could pull her up. Once she was back on her feet, Volan turned toward the next most important matter present. He only felt a minor buzz of fear when he noticed that her violet eyes were locked directly on him through the unkempt strands of hair that were falling over her face.
"Who are you?" he asked, suspicious.
Agonizingly slowly, the scary witch-like girl tilted her head to the side, maintaining her unnerving grin all the while. The way she did it made it seem like she was attempting to snap her own neck.
"A friend," was all she said. "I still haven't gotten my thank-you… you know, for saving your lives…?"
By now, her ever-present smirk was so wide and savage that Volan expected fangs to sprout from her gums. This in mind, he couldn't help but allow a shiver to travel down his back. There was something decidedly… wrong with this girl, and it wasn't just her shabby appearance or the way she acted like the villain of a supernatural horror film.
Nonetheless, he thanked her. It was the polite thing to do, after all. But he would deny it if anyone claimed that he stammered a little when he did.
When she replied, it was with a question that made his blood run cold – "Do you find it… odd that Team Flare only appears when you begin your journey, Volantes?"
Her words hit Volan to his core for two reasons. One, she had a good point – he hadn't thought about it until now, but it was decidedly odd that they had run into a previously-unknown group of criminals on their first day of traveling Kalos. An unlucky coincidence, he had thought, and nothing more.
And two… how did she know his name?
The low mechanical whirr of Trevor's Pokedex activating momentarily brought him out of his troubling thoughts as the scrawny orange-haired Trainer scanned the mystery girl's grinning ghost. "Gengar. Specter cryptenebris. A Ghost-and-Poison-type Shadow Pokemon. It absorbs body heat from its prey for use as energy. This causes the victim to feel as if the area is dropping in temperature, when no such drop actually occurs. It can only do this when in close proximity to its target, so it hides by assuming the same shape as its prey's shadow. Additionally, Gengar is known to move suddenly when hiding, evoking a fearful reaction for its own amusement. It was once human and seeks company among the living. Specimen's power level is fifty. Known moves: Sucker Punch, Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt. Ability: Levitate."
The device's cool voice got a reaction out of the girl, who at last looked away from Volan to face Trevor instead. She drew closer to him, as if she hadn't noticed him before and was fascinated. Once he was sure her attention was on him, he froze in place and paled, staring back at her warily.
"Interesting…" she murmured, violet eyes flicking about, absorbing every detail they could. "Are you Volantes' friend? Are you sure that is wise? Maybe it would be… better, for lack of a better word, if you were to turn tail and run away, to never see your friend again…"
"Wha…?" Trevor managed to speak, shaking his head in disbelief. "H-How do y-you know his… o-or m-my…"
Suddenly, the girl lunged, grabbing hold of Trevor's shoulders and slamming him into a nearby tree. A strangled gasp of fear and shock came from the boy's lungs when his back met hard bark and strands of purple hair suddenly filled his vision – hair and a pair of hollow, dead eyes locked in an eternal trance. He cringed at the sight, combined with the feeling of her claw-like nails digging into the skin under his shirt.
"Get back!" yelled Thrin. She reached forward to pull the girl off of him, only for Gengar to appear in front of her and block her progress.
"You have no idea what fate awaits you!" the girl hissed in Trevor's face. She pressed herself close to him and continued feverishly, "If you continue on the path you tread now, the only outcome for you is the fatal embrace of Death herself! Flee and don't look back, flee for your own good…!"
The Pokemon had had enough.
"Kroooow!"
"Veeeon!"
"Char!"
"Froakie!"
Sharp talons and dainty hands pulled at the girl's hair, yanking her away from Trevor as two pairs of wings buffeted her on either side. Froakie and Charmander used their hands and teeth to tug at the pile of fabric at her feet. Looking around wildly at her assailants, the girl waved her arms to chase Akuma and Edgar off and just as promptly freed herself from Charmander and Froakie.
Then, all of a sudden, she stilled. Calm again, she slowly glanced at each person present while her haunting grin manifested once more.
"Your Pokemon are loyal," she murmured. "That is good to see… but it does not matter how much you love one another. That will not save you from the devastation in your future."
"What are you talking about?" Volan asked, suddenly impatient. "And what does this have to do with me? Or Team Flare?"
"The Crisis!" she answered, whirling around to face him. Only now did an emotion surface from the haunted depths of her eyes – desperation. "I've seen it… it will come, and all will die! And now that I've met you, Volantes, and seen you for myself, I know that there is no turning back!"
That didn't clarify anything for Volan, other than that this girl was completely out of her mind. Her cryptic answer only left more questions in its wake.
"The world's demise has begun," she whispered now, backing away from the group with a trembling finger pointed at them. "But there are three… only three who can stop it, or three who will finish it…"
With one last look at each of them, the girl turned and ran, almost immediately disappearing into the bushes. Her Gengar rose above the ground and floated after her. Soon, they were gone entirely, leaving Volan, Thrin, and Trevor alone.
For the longest time, none of them spoke.
"Who was that?" Thrin asked at last.
"It's all too obvious that none of us can answer that," Volan replied. He noticed Trevor shaking and turned to him concernedly. "Trevor? Are you okay?"
He sucked in a trembling breath. "Y-Yeah. I-I'll be f-fine. J-Just… a l-little st-startled."
"Chaaar," his Charmander reassured him with a quiet cry, hugging his Trainer's leg.
"Well dat was somethin' else, I tell ya," Edgar said once he was comfortable on Volan's shoulder.
Volan, however, wasn't paying attention. He and Thrin were staring at each other, saying something without words in the way that they liked to think all siblings did. Neither of them knew who or what that mysterious girl was, aside from creepy. The words that had come from her mouth, sometimes calm and sometimes desperate, had made absolutely no sense to them. She had saved them from Team Flare, but was she truly an ally?
Certainly not one we can trust, Volan thought, shuddering.
"Come on," he insisted. "We're safe now, and we'd best get a move on. If we keep traveling, we can still make significant progress before it gets dark."
His proposal was met with nods all over, from Thrin and Trevor as well as the Pokemon. Froakie was still willing to come along with them until they could find a safe place for her. The shiny Water-type chose to stick close to Thrin this time, perhaps deciding to find comfort in the only other female in the group. She clambered into the Gurei girl's backpack and sat inside with her head sticking out, expression relaxing into one of contentment.
Before long, the group of three had found the main path again. Thrin and Trevor returned Akuma and Charmander to their Poke Balls for convenience's sake, but kept the spheres on their belts so that they could whip them out at a moment's notice.
The walk was silent for the most part – their minds were still on Team Flare and their odd rescuer. Strange as it may have been, but they owed their odd rescuer their lives. If they hadn't received assistance, truth be told, then they may not have walked out of that situation alive.
Unbeknownst to them, though, something else owed them its life in turn. That is why it clung to its tree and kept a watchful eye on them, continuing to do so until they passed it by. The green creature blinked, then disappeared on the spot, as completely as if it had never been there…
-.-.-.-.-.
Night had fallen on Santalune Forest, and Trevor still hadn't completely recovered from what he had been subjected to earlier that day. He sat there on the fallen log in front of the campfire, a mug of water clutched in both hands, eyes blank and body shivering with shock.
"You feeling better?" Thrin asked, sitting down beside him.
Trevor managed to nod in response to her question, but other than that, she didn't get much of a reaction from him.
And he wasn't the only one that was silent – Volan stared solemnly at the fire, the only source of light in the suffocating darkness that had overtaken the forest, unable to bring his thoughts away from the events that had transpired today. Their first day of their Kalos journey, and already they had encountered a gang of Pokemon thieves that were surely more dangerous than they seemed, and a mysterious girl that promised dire things to come in their future.
Was he overthinking this? Was Team Flare really that bad? Perhaps they weren't, and wouldn't end up achieving anything near the level of Team Plasma. Maybe the girl was just insane from being out in the woods for too long.
It would've been easy for anyone else to believe that, but Volan – no, he had seen too much in his lifetime for that to be true. His every instinct was telling him otherwise.
For now, however, it was best to keep his mind off of it. He couldn't spend too much time worrying. That would be unhealthy.
"Thanks for helping us with the fire, Trevor," he spoke up, hoping to turn the mood around. "Fire-types are a great asset for camping out, aren't they?"
Beside his master, Charmander puffed out his chest with pride. It was thanks to him that the humans and their Pokemon were able to enjoy a hot meal on this chilly night.
A snore came from where their bags were piled. Froakie had fallen asleep inside Thrin's backpack, after closing the zipper so that she was nestled safely within while still having enough air to breathe.
"Y-Yeah," agreed Trevor, patting the Lizard Pokemon on the head. "Charmander is a real friend. A-Although I'm sure I'd be happy with any of the other P-Pokemon as my Starter, this one is a-amazing."
His words brought a blush to Charmander's face, as fiery as the flame on his tail. Everyone laughed, though not unkindly, at the Fire-type's bashfulness.
The lighthearted mood did not last long, however. Trevor's face fell and he stared sadly into the fire. "S-Sorry I wasn't much help today," he apologized, quietly. "I-I felt frozen throughout the whole T-Team Flare thing… I d-didn't know a journey would b-be so dangerous."
Shaking his head, Volan responded, "I don't think stuff like this happens to everyone, Trevor. We were just unlucky enough to get caught up in it."
Even as he said it, the girl's words came back to him – Do you find it… odd that Team Flare only appears when you begin your journey, Volantes?
"And you weren't frozen the whole time," he continued, making an effort to force those words from his mind. "You helped us fight off the grunts, and you didn't even seem nervous about it."
A long, shuddering breath blew from Trevor's mouth as he exhaled. "Y-Yeah," he answered. "Yeah, I wasn't. I guess it was because it was m-my first real battle as a Trainer. But…"
"Don't worry," Thrin assured their nervous companion. She took off her vest and threw it over his back, then patted his thigh reassuringly. "We'll keep traveling and reach the Kalos League without any trouble whatsoever. And if we run into more of those Team Flare people, we'll give them the treatment we gave Team Plasma! Right, Volan?"
The Gurei boy simply had to grin at his sister's lighthearted attempts to cheer them up. He nodded in reply and reminded her, "First, though, we need to get our hands on some more Pokemon and train them up."
Sitting up straighter, Thrin nodded enthusiastically at the idea of training. Volan could understand her eagerness – it had been almost a full two years since they had put in hard, honest work into raising their Pokemon. Not that entering the odd tournament with their already fully-raised teams was bad, not by a long shot, but it was still exciting to be back on the road and practicing with new recruits.
"I've got some ideas about what to do with Akuma," Thrin told her brother. She raised her arm, and the large butterfly came flying over to perch on it so she could scratch him under the chin. "According to Trevor's Pokedex, he's at a high enough level to learn a bunch of powder moves. I also thought we'd try learning Struggle Bug as an offensive option."
"Viiiiiii," Akuma trilled happily at her touch.
Volan nodded again, smiling at how seriously Thrin was considering this. "And what about new Pokemon? Is there anything you want to catch in particular?"
"Well," she replied, looking upwards as she contemplated, "I'd want something to cover Akuma's weaknesses. So I think I'll keep an eye out for a Grass-type or a Water-type."
"Good idea," he digressed. "See, for me, I have to focus on countering a few select weaknesses, while at the same time trying to be as diverse as possible. That's going to be the challenge for raising a full Flying-type team."
"You need to be able to fight against Ice, Electric, and Rock," recited Trevor, "in addition to as many other things as you can. I can see the challenge… y-you must be a great Trainer to even c-consider this, Volan."
"Thanks," he smiled at the flattery. "What about you? Anything in mind for your future team?"
Trevor started a little, not having expected the question. "O-Oh, me? N-Not really. I figured I'd just c-catch anything I had the opportunity to."
"That doesn't sound like you," Thrin remarked. "Aren't you the one that studies for his exams two weeks in advance, memorizes the material word-for-word, and still tears his hair out in fear that he'll fail?"
Remembering that last 'History of Kalos' test they had taken at the end of the semester, Volan winced. Poor Trevor…
"N-Normally that's what I'd do," he replied, "b-but I thought about it and thought it'd be easier this way. It wouldn't be any fun to have six Pokemon in mind and spend all my time searching for them. I want to go with what fate has in store for me… i-if that makes any sense."
The Gurei siblings nodded as one. They finished the rest of their dinner relatively quickly, favoring the idea of filling their stomachs before they continued their conversation. Once the food was all done, Volan dug in his backpack and fished out three plump Sitrus berries, which were some of the most delicious and nutritious of all fruits.
"I figured we could treat ourselves now that our first day is done," he told Thrin and Trevor, passing the berries along.
"No argument here!" Thrin cheerfully agreed. She raised the large berry above her head and announced, "A toast to our journey to win the Kalos League!"
The boys laughed and mimicked her action, the three berries making contact where they raised them. They were just about to lower their arms and take a bite of their dessert when, without warning, a gust of wind stirred their hair and Volan's berry was ripped out of his hand.
"What the…" he protested, gawking at his empty hand in bewilderment.
A rustling sound drew the gazes of the three toward a low-hanging tree branch that stretched just far enough for its tip to be illuminated by the campfire's soft light. A familiar face was perched on said branch, the stolen Sitrus berry dangling beneath it while the fire brought light to its red feathers.
"Fleeeeeetch~," sang Fletchinder, beady eyes reflecting the light of the fire.
"You again?" asked Volan. "Are you following us?"
The robin-like Pokemon shrugged and answered, "Chin Fletchiiiiindah."
Helpfully, Edgar piped up from where he was seated next to Volan, "She says dat she was lookin' for a place ta settle down when she saw da fire."
Unsure of what to say to that, Volan considered for a little before tentatively looking back up at Fletchinder. "We were going to put it out in a minute or two. We still have a ways to go before we reach the other side of the forest, so…"
"Fletchindah fletch," she promptly interrupted.
"Say what?" replied Edgar. When the other bird nodded, he turned to his Trainer and reported, "Now she's sayin' she saw our battle with dem Team Flare people."
Fletchinder flew down to make herself comfortable on the same log on which Trevor and Thrin sat, carrying the berry all the while, and continued, "Fleeeeetch, chindah Fletchindah."
Dubiously cocking an eyebrow as the Fire-and-Flying-type started pecking freely at the Sitrus berry, Thrin questioned, "So what's she going on about now?"
"She was impressed wit how we handled ourselves," Edgar replied shortly.
Might Fletchinder actually be reconsidering the offer Volan had made to her that afternoon? That was the possibility at the forefront of his mind as he watched Fletchinder eat, her full focus now on the fruit she had snatched from him.
"Edgar says that Fletchinder liked the way we were able to defeat Team Flare," he murmured to the others. "Do you think I should ask her again to come along with us?"
"It's worth a go," Trevor responded. "We might not see her again, so you may as well use this opportunity."
He had a point – they'd be out of Santalune Forest tomorrow, leaving Fletchinder far behind them by the next sunset. If ever there was a chance to get the powerful Flying-type to join him after all, it was now.
Steeling himself, Volan got out of his seat and brought himself into a kneeling position on the ground directly beside Fletchinder. She dug her beak out of the succulent fruit and swallowed her umpteenth beakful before she realized his presence. Her head twitched up and to the side, and Volan momentarily paused to admire her blacker-than-black eyes, like polished river stones.
"I know I've asked you this before," he began, voice toned down to a mere whisper but hard with determination, "and I also know I failed to back up my request with a satisfying battle, but I have to ask one more time. Will you come with us, Fletchinder, and be a part of the team?"
She blinked once, the neutral look in her eyes impossible to read. She flicked her head in the other direction to briefly observe Edgar, then again for Akuma and a final time for Charmander. When she faced Volan again, it was obvious that something had changed.
"Fletchin," Fletchinder twittered at last. "Alright, I'm in."
With a rustle of feathers, the Ember Pokemon lifted off and flew in a rising circle around Volan with a high-pitched note of victory. Volan simply smiled while Thrin and Trevor slapped their hands together in a high-five. The Pokemon all welcomed the newest member of the family in their own ways, with much excited fluttering from Akuma and loud cawing from Edgar.
"So," Volan said, when Fletchinder had settled back down in front of him, "we need a name for you. Have you anything in mind?"
"Fletch? Fletchindah," she replied. "A name? Never thought of one."
Excitedly, Thrin bent forward to more closely address her. "Ooh, how about Falcon? It sounds fierce and powerful!"
"I-I was thinking something like… Hinoya?" suggested Trevor. He looked to Volan as if asking permission. "Y-You know, like Hinoyakoma? The Kantonian name for Fletchinder?"
Both ideas sounded strange to Fletchinder herself. The first was too masculine and the second was weird. She gave her Trainer – and she'd have to get used to thinking of Volan as her Trainer, come to think of it – a pleading sort of glance that said, Help me.
"Piper," Volan decided. "It… sounds right, I guess. I don't know, it kind of popped into my head suddenly."
Regardless of where he had gotten it from, his second Kalos Pokemon was content with it. The newly-christened Piper sat patiently as Volan took an empty Poke Ball from his backpack and gently tapped her head with it, activating the mechanism and allowing her to be sucked inside.
"You too, Edgar," he added, retrieving the Murkrow's ball as well. "We need to get some sleep if we want to be out of the forest before noon tomorrow."
None of the Pokemon complained as they were reabsorbed into their respective capsules. Soon, the tents were all set up (Trevor needed help with his) and the fire was put out with a pail of water gathered from a nearby stream. Thrin took her backpack with her into her tent so that Froakie would be safe.
One by one, the three Trainers fell peacefully asleep, their first day of travel having finally come to a close.
-.-.-.-.-.
But not everyone's sleep remained peaceful…
Inside one of the tents, Volan lay on his side in his sleeping bag, his face tensed slightly and his body twitching periodically as he fought to dispel the nightmare that had gripped his subconscious. In it, he was trapped in darkness and unable to move, while something invisible circled him and whispered to him in an uncomfortably familiar voice.
"Is something the matter?"
"…odd that Team Flare only appears when you begin your journey…?"
"You have no idea what fate awaits you!"
"The Crisis! It will come, and all will die! I know that there is no turning back!"
The darkness retreated all at once, revealing a barren wasteland in which no plants grew. Volan shot upwards with a gasp, suddenly free from his bonds, and watched in horror as the darkness was sucked away into a small, black hole in the overcast sky. Directly beneath the hole, there was some kind of crystalline formation growing from the earth like a colossal flower.
Abruptly, the spear-shaped crystal opened up, blinding red light shining through the cracks. It seared Volan's eyes, causing him to lose his balance and fall when he tried to protect himself. By the time he adjusted, it was to see a scarlet beam erupting from within the tower of crystal, striking the black hole and flooding the sky with red.
Everything under the expanding red shadow began to crumble into nothingness, even the ground itself. A bottomless pit yawned wide, and it was rapidly closing the distance between it and Volan. But he couldn't run, for at that moment, the red light where the beam struck the sky flared up with a sudden brightness, blinding him once again.
A screech pealed across the landscape, unlike any sound Volan had ever heard. It was more than a mere noise – it was like the sound of fear and pain embodied. The light continued to brighten, creating a scattering effect where three spikes of light flared out from the source like a more sinister version of the sun's rays, resembling the shape of a Y.
Red flooded his vision, and terror clutched at Volan's heart with such force that, surely, his own life would leave his body in order to escape.
But it didn't. Rather, the red soon began to recede.
When Volan's vision recovered from the temporary blindness, it was to see the tips of his shoes touching the lip of the pit that had been eating away at the surrounding earth. Backing away, he lifted his head to gaze once more at the sky, from which the ominous red glow was already fading. The Y-shaped star was growing dimmer, its three rays of light shrinking back toward its core.
Soon, it was only a flickering point, like a star that shone beneath the clouds rather than above. Energy ceased to flow from the giant crystal formation, and it seemed to become dormant. There was a strange stillness about it that made Volan believe that it was no longer active.
Everything was quiet as Volan continued to step away from the pit, only stopping when he was a safe distance away. Now he could afford a good look at his surroundings – he was on a barren plain surrounded by equally-barren hills. There wasn't a speck of color for as far as the eye could see, apart from the dim red light that sparkled above as a reminder of the near-apocalypse that had just occurred. The crystal, Volan noticed, was greenish-silver in color, and was bright enough to shine across the shadowy landscape even without any light to reflect.
Only now did he realize that he was locked in a dream. He didn't know how, but perhaps it was how surreal this place seemed, like it could not possibly exist in reality. Or because Volan had some experience with dreams like this.
His thoughts were immediately put aside when the sky lit up again. This time, however, it was with a deafening roar that popped his eardrums with its sheer intensity. Vivid green spread across the sky, tinting the clouds the deep color of a forest while more intense green shone through the cracks. In the distance, the crystal structure transformed into a pillar of emerald fire that roiled and raged, adding to the spectacular and frightening light show.
More green emerged from the pit in front of him, tendrils of green flame snaking upwards and soaring into the air before descending to meet him. Volan could feel the heat burning his skin as they drew closer. The green illumination given off by the flames was so close now, it was starting to brighten to white. He braced himself…
…and yet the flames never touched him. They were trying, given how they were struggling, but it was as if an invisible force field had sprung into existence between them and him, shielding him from obliteration.
"You have been chosen."
Volan flinched at the volume and closeness of the voice, which sounded like it was coming from all around him.
"You and two others will stop the Crisis."
Who was that? The voice seemed oddly familiar, but no matter how much Volan tried, his mind could draw no parallels.
"If you perish, the world is lost."
Everything went black, only for a trio of colored lights to blink into existence and begin circling him. He watched each one as if hypnotized, fascinated by the dance of blue, pink, and yellow.
"Together, you are the Chosen Three, and the fate of this world is in your hands."
The lights shut off, leaving Volan to fall into the abyss.
He woke up with a start, sitting up straight despite the fact he was still in his sleeping bag. It took him a second of wriggling and trying to free his arms before he realized this. Sighing with relief, he lay down and went back to sleep.
Outside, something blinked into existence. It gazed mindlessly down at its sleeping saviors for a while – then, satisfied, it disappeared again in a minor flash of green.
-.-.-.-.-.
A new character shows up on the scene! We don't know anything about her yet (although she knows a borderline creepy amount of stuff about our heroes), but I will tell you that she's partially based on the Hex Maniacs from XY and ORAS.
I'm not sure why, but I like the idea that Trevor is fascinated by Kantonian culture and would nickname Pokemon after what they're called in Japan because of it. New headcanon, perhaps?
Second time's the charm, apparently, because this time Volan nabs Fletchinder! There's no real significance behind her nickname, really – I remember that my friend came up with a character with that name, and that character was fire-related, so I suppose it's as good a name as any.
Celosia: "Send reviews or you'll be sorry!"
Specter cryptenebris = "hidden shadow specter"
Next chapter: What's Bugging You?
Chapter Question #5: Which villainous team is your favorite?
Honestly, I'm still a Team Plasma fan, but Team Skull and Cipher from Gale of Darkness are both pretty cool too.
-.-.-.-.-.
Volan's Kalos Team:
Edgar (Murkrow, male)
Ability: Super Luck
Moves: Peck, Astonish, Pursuit, Haze
Piper (Fletchinder, female)
Ability: Flame Body
Moves: Peck, Quick Attack, Ember, Agility
Thrin's Kalos Team:
Akuma (Vivillon, male)
Ability: Shield Dust
Moves: String Shot, Tackle, Gust, Protect