Pokemon: Incarnation
Chapter 10: Marathon
"Right, what's going on here?!" A burly nidoking said deeply. He looked like he was the leader of the trio, as the other two pokemon flanked him from either side. I stared at them, still pointing the weapon in their direction just in case they tried anything funny.
"I was attacked by her! She tried to kill me! She's a member of the Pale Communion! She thought I was human!" I yelled back at them. I knew there'd be no chance of me being able to take all three of them on at once, and I was wondering if the weapon would even be all that effective against foes with such tough hides. "She caused this forest fire!"
"Sounds just like what the witness said. You two, get this pair out of the burning forest! I'll get Austin and Coraline to help put out this fire before to spreads too far." The nidoking announced as I figured it was best to comply. If these guys were also part of the Pale Communion, then my assailant would have surely told them before trying to hunt me down. I put the weapon back in the bag before I was escorted swiftly out by a pinsir as I noticed that filthy cultist was being carried out by a rhydon.
"How'd you find us?" I asked when we were clear of the rising flames, my body still covered in stabbing pains as every branch and bush suddenly felt a lot sharper than usual as I brushed past them.
"A few people in the houses on the outskirts of Serenity saw you being chased by her. Can't believe that Maude was part of the Pale Communion this entire time though!" He replied as we swiftly walked back into town.
"So what'll happen now? Oof, I feel terrible..." I said, lightly touching my burns and cuts. Sure, they were painful, but there didn't seem to be any serious wounds. It could make the next couple of days really uncomfortable, but all things considered, I could probably still walk fair distances if I wanted to. Would it be worth it to wait a day here to rest and recover? I guess I'll see how I feel in a few hours.
"There'll be a quick trial, but from what I've seen, you'll be fine." He said before looking at the bag. "I heard you made some sort of device to defend yourself. Mind if I have a look at it."
"Well, if you're a cop, then I don't think I have much of a choice." I said, taking it out of the bag. I held it in front of him, but I didn't give him my only real means of defence. He scrolled his eyes up and down it carefully a few times before looking at me.
"Looks like a braixen wand." He said as I nodded.
"I modified one." I replied, deciding to be honest. I gauged that these guys weren't part of the Pale Communion, or at the very least didn't tie my invention to my human origins, so it was probably better telling them instead of adding another thread to the mass web of lies I had already spun.
"Seems like a crazy invention from Syrinx. Please stay; Broussard needs more inventors. We've already lost so many to New Australia." He said, chuckling slightly, seeming to assume I was innocent. I found it a little strange, but given we ran by a few houses with Maude screaming about how she was going to kill me and constantly trying to incinerate my body, it surely must have attracted many witnesses.
"I'm not leaving this continent in a hurry, so don't worry about that." I replied, though I had no idea how long I'd be staying here. Was Melinda on this continent? If not, I'd probably be leaving after searching in every town. If she was here, then I'd probably start looking for The Guardian of Forever. All things considered, I'd be really lucky if they were both here.
"...We find Maude Monferno guilty of the attempted murder of Basil Meowstic." An elderly oranguru said, slamming down the gavel after a quick session in the court. Certainly helps when I had a total of nine witnesses, all of them telling the same story about how I was hunted down. It made me feel quite at home here, and if it weren't for my sister and my kidnapper, I could probably settle here quite happily for a few months until I can start figuring out a way to get back to my own world. The struggling Maude was dragged out by a couple of beefy pokemon, still clearly in a lot of pain from being blasted badly at the back of her head. I had no sympathy for her whatsoever, as I hoped that she'd get the punishment she deserves.
"Basil, you're ok!" Murphy said, running over to hug me like he usually does, but upon seeing that my skin was still pretty tender, he decided against carrying out the cuddle.
"Mostly, it still kind of hurts. I think I'll be fine by tomorrow morning though, and if I'm not, well...I'll be going anyway." I said as Nisbeth joined the two of us.
"Are you sure? I mean, we don't have to leave right then." Murphy said as Nisbeth looked over me, not looking too pleased.
"Are you going to journey out to Newer Orleans like that? Really Basil?" He said, shaking his head at me.
"Yup." I responded simply as I looked up into his disproving eyes. "Are you going to stop me?"
"From making a potentially fatal mistake? Quite possibly!" He said sternly at me, his gaze not wavering at all.
"Oh, can you not just be happy that I'm alive? Besides, I managed to deal with her. Clearly, I'm actually more cut out for dealing with the dangers around here than any of us expected." I said, shuddering slightly. Now that things had really settled in, this was the second time this world almost got me killed. Needless to say, I missed the security and safety of my home world. "Well, can you at least help me heal these burns? Any good medicinal stuff around here?"
"I reckon they sell burn treatments at the pharmacy. They usually open late, so I'd imagine they'd still be open. They also do quick check-ups for a price/" He responded.
"Well what are we waiting for then?! Let's go there now! ...Where is it again?" I asked, suddenly feeling a bit dense.
"I'll take you there now." He said, leading us over. The check-up wasn't cheap unfortunately, but the news was at least good.
"All the cuts are minor, and it seems like you got quite lucky, as your burns are pretty minor. If I were to guess, I'd say the monferno only barely hit you with her blast of flames." The doctor said after a quick examination. "I'd suggest taking a cool, low pressure shower to help sooth your skin. I'll also sell you some specialist dressings for you to apply afterwards."
"Strange question, but is attempted murder, er, common around here?" I said as she looked rather offended.
"Of course not! This was the first case in almost three years in Serenity!" She replied. So, still a lot more common than back in England then. For a small town, that was pretty bad!
"Oh forgive me sir, it's not like I'm still shaken up from a near death experience that just happened a couple of hours ago!" I retorted, my voice oozing sarcasm from every part of my mouth. "Here's your money for the check-up and the dressing. It lasted less than half an hour so I pay less for it as shown on the terms of service." I said, pressing the doctor's primitive-looking timer for him mere seconds before it hit the the thirty minute mark.
"...Very well." The audino said, grumbling as I gave her the money. I signalled to Basil and Nisbeth that I'd be taking a quick shower before heading off home as. I hid the weapon in one of the lockers, not even trusting Nisbeth with it before turning on the old creaky shower. The cold water stung a bit, but it shortly felt soothing as I swore I could feel my body heal. My fur didn't feel good when it was soaking wet though as my entire body felt heavier after a mere moment in the shower. Regardless it did give me time to think on the next few days ahead of me.
With the weapon by my side, I could stand up to most threats, and assuming Murphy doesn't back out at the last second, I'd be well protected. Short of an entire mob hounding us, I felt confident we could make it there. This would be a real test of fitness on my part, and I was starting to wonder whether sheer willpower would carry me that far. I was never much of an outdoors guy, so this could really take it out of me. Still, I couldn't afford to just stay here. Sooner or later, I'd have to make the journey, and all things considered, I'd rather do it sooner or later. I didn't know how much longer Melinda could survive here, nor was I sure how long I would for that matter. I knew that it would be safer and more sensible to stay put, but I didn't have that luxury. Life was forcing my hand, and I couldn't go folding now. I had already packed everything I needed. I was prepared for this. All I could do now was to give it my best shot, and never give in.
"So, Murphy, ready for our journey tomorrow?" I asked with a smile. He looked pretty unsure about all of this when I asked him this as he gestured me to follow him for a little private talk.
"Listen Basil, I'm not so sure about this." He said as I widened my eyes in surprise and shock.
"...Explain..." I said firmly, folding my arms.
"Well, while I'd love to go there and be an actor, I'm not sure I'm ready just yet. I'm not in a huge rush to achieve my goals and stuff like that. I'm only seventeen, I still have plenty of time. Besides, my parents would be really upset." He said as I rolled my eyes.
"I already know about all that, but you were still up for going in spite of that. What's changed?" I said as he shyly looked away from me.
"Oh, I know you won't want to hear this...Basil, with what just happened with you, it seems like some people think you might be..." He said before looking around to make sure no one was nearby. "...Might be a human." He continued in a low whisper.
"But I'm not!" I protested, though I was clearly missing the point.
"Look, I know this might sound quite horrible, but...but it could be very dangerous for me to go on this journey with you. If they think you're a human, then they'll probably try to kill you at the first opportunity they get. It could make it very dangerous for me too. What if they target me too for associating myself with you? We'd be alone and vulnerable outside of town. Listen, I think this is all a bad idea. We should stay here where it's safe for now." He said as a sad frown started appearing on my face then.
"So, just like Nisbeth then..." I muttered, looking away from him. "You know, I really thought I could count on you Murphy. In spite of only knowing you for about a week, I put faith in you, but it seems like it was misplaced. Well, if that's the way it's going to be, then I'll just have to brave this dangerous journey alone then."
"Basil, please don't." He said sadly, putting his hand on my shoulder and looked down at me. "I'd hate for anything to happen to you. Don't throw yourself into the fire like this."
"Consider this, Murphy. Unless she gets executed really quickly by the authorities, she'll have a chance to tell other Pale Communion members that I'm human. Now, it seems unlikely that there are other members here, though I can't be too sure about this, but if any of them come by and see her in a containment cell, she can tell them about me. As a result, they'll come running for my blood. Suppose we leave just before dawn as we originally planned; if any of them do swing by Serenity and see Maude, then by the time she tells them about me, we'll be long gone. No one has to know we even left here. If they really wanted to see me dead, then they'd find a way to do it in Serenity anyway. When it comes down to it, no place is safe now. Whatever's out there, it can't be much worse than being a sitting duck, waiting for the Pale Communion to find me. That is why I'm going, Murphy. If you want to come, then we'd be safer together, but I can't make you. On the other hand, not keeping to your word..." I said, my voice lowering on my last sentence as I shook my head.
"I see...ok Basil, I'll ask you one more question. I can see where you're coming from. I get why you're in a hurry now, but you seemed to be in a hurrier before she tried to kill you. Why is that?" He said as I started sweating slightly. How could I worm my way out of this one?
"Well, I already saw her a few days ago. She told me she was part of the Pale Communion and she seemed to regard me with suspicion. As I said, my extended family live somewhere in State Broussard, and they all kind of act a bit...kooky, according to my closer blood relations, not too unlike myself. What if the way they act attract the Pale Communion? They could be in danger too, and I can't just sit here." I said firmly, not wanting to reveal any lack of confidence. "Murphy, your dreams will be stillborn if you just sit here. If we leave as planned, then we'll probably avoid them completely. Besides, can you truly be happy with yourself going back on your word and leaving a friend to the dangers of the wilderness?" I continued, using every dirty, underhanded element of persuasion I knew to try and get Murphy to go with the plan.
"...Ok, I'll come." He said, still sounding unsure. It was clear I was manipulating him beyond his comfort zone, but he can thank me later for kick-starting his ambitions in life.
"Ok, just before dawn at the path away from here that leads to Newer Orleans. Don't be late!" I said, smiling as I went to rejoin Nisbeth. I happily waved Murphy goodbye, though his wave didn't have nearly as much enthusiasm as mine.
"Still persuading him to go with you I assume?" Nisbeth asked as we walked back home together. "You know, I really can't blame him for being so hesitant."
"Well, yeah. He's coming." I said simply as we arrived back in the shack as I rechecked to make sure I had everything I needed. My large backpack was completely stuffed and pretty damn heavy. It would be tough enough walking for four days straight without carrying that thing around! "You absolutely sure you don't want to come? I mean, it could be dangerous, and you once had a head for thrusting yourself into peril as a wannabe adventurer back in the day."
"And risk losing everything I have?" He said as I looked around the shack.
"'Everything you have'...huh. Nisbeth, you're a tough, smart guy. Read my lips – you can do better than this! Let's face it, this place is a dump compared to the houses in the town!" I said, and, predictably, he looked a little offended. "Yeah, 'after I saved your life and took you in' and all that jazz...do you think I'd even bother to say this sort of stuff if I wasn't your friend? If I didn't genuinely care about you, I wouldn't even care that you're not living up to your potential. It actually kind of upsets me that you're squandering your talents and qualities by living in this shithole, fishing away all day while struggling to meet end's meet. You're in your late thirties, you life is almost half over! Can you really say that you're completely happy doing this all your life?"
"Yep." He said casually as I flopped down onto my mattress.
"...That makes me sad." I said simply, looking away from him.
"Want to know what makes me sad? The fact that you're so willing to throw yourself into danger when you haven't fully recovered over someone who, let's face it, you probably won't find." He said, folding his arms while standing in front of me.
"Hey, we can't all be content to live lives on our arses all the time!" I retorted, sitting upright to look at him.
"You're an intelligent guy, usually. Surely you can see that you'll be incredibly vulnerable to being assassinated by that cult out there, can't you? You almost met your end by the hands of one of them a couple of hours ago, and you're still going?" He said, looking rather exasperated.
"Yeah, and if I stay here, they'll know where I am if Maude spills the beans. To think, if they come here to try and kill me, do you think they'll just leave you alone? Do you think they want witnesses? Do you think they'll take kindly to 'human sympathizers'? Trust me, for a safer, more comfortable life, you should probably come with me." I said, trying to convince him that I was right. He looked away from me and out of the window and sighed.
"You may be right. I could be an enemy of the Pale Communion now. I was always disgusted by them, but I never thought I'd ever be on their bad side since I wasn't a human." He said before turning to look at me, though he didn't seem to want to make eye contact. "So, it seems like my life could be in danger at worst case scenario. I'll be honest with you Basil; if I knew it could lead to all this...I might have just let nature take its course."
"What?! You're saying that you wish that you'd have just let the swampert eat me alive?!" I said, suddenly standing up out of shock and anger. "...Fuck you...that's, uh, that's all I really have to say."
"I didn't mean that!" He protested, his voice getting a little higher as he gestured me to calm down.
"Yeah? Then what did you mean by nature taking its course?" I said, narrowing my eyes as I glared at him.
"Ok, it was a poor choice of words. I guess what I was meant to say was that I probably wouldn't have took you in if I thought the Pale Communion coming after me was a real possibility." He said as part of me wanted to laugh at this.
"I said I was a human. Surely you knew the risks! Still, I really must ask you this – did you ever really consider me as a friend? I'll have you know I truly thought of you as one." I said as I felt increasingly disgusted as I uncovered more shit from Nisbeth.
"I do, I swear!" Nisbeth insisted, but I shook my head at this.
"But you'd leave me for dead, wouldn't you. How can I be sure I wasn't just some spice in your life that you spat out when I got too hot for you?" I said as I found Nisbeth chuckling at this.
"Really, you go for an awkward metaphor like that? Seriously, that sounds a bit, uh...wrong." He replied as I realised he was right, though it came across as an attempt to distract me.
"Stay on point Nisbeth!" I protested when he cut me off.
"Basil, if you stay, I'll protect you. I'll admit, maybe this isn't exactly what I wanted, but I already made the choice to let you stay with me. I'll live with those choices and do the right thing, but if you decide to leave, well...I won't stop you. I...I'll still really miss you though. Sorry, I'm just feeling terrible over the whole incident now. If you leave and they come for me, I'll say you went over to Bonnieport to mislead them." He said, sounding quite sad over the whole talk. "Other than that, I'll just go about my old life I guess, just like I wanted."
"Well, if you really insist in not taking this journey with me, then...fine, I'll stop trying to pester you into taking it." I said, climbing back into my bed.
"I'll say goodbye when we wake up." Nisbeth said, getting into his own bed. "Goodnight Basil." He said as night seemed to pass very slowly. I must have woke up about five times that night, constantly occupied with the thoughts of the immediate future. Was I ready for this? It wasn't important. I just had to find a way to get there in order to find Melinda. If I couldn't even get to Newer Orleans, then what chance did I have of being able to go around the world?
"Well, farewell Basil. Think we'll ever see each other again?" Nisbeth asked as we both got up shortly before dawn.
"It's hard to say really. Who knows what will happen once I find her? Maybe we'll both go back to our own world once we find The Guardian of Forever, or maybe our search and travels will bring us back to Serenity. If that happens, we'll be sure to visit." I said, feeling a little sad myself.
"Hug?" He said, offering one with outstretched arms. Yeah, getting hugged by a two legged frog over twice my size was strange, yet it felt overly appropriate right now.
"Eh, why not." I said as he picked me up and squeezed me gently.
"Don't go getting yourself killed now!" He said, smiling as I opened the door.
"I've actually got two friends that'll look out for me; Murphy, and this baby right here." I said, gesturing to the weapon. "I think I'll be fine." I said as I waved him farewell and made my own way through the swamp. By now, I had little fear of this place, and I wasn't remotely as twitchy as I used to be as I strolled right on through it, over the hill and across to the other side of town. Seems like everyone was still asleep, as I didn't see a single soul wander the streets. I saw the sky ahead of me slowly turn from black to a dull shade of blue as I stood around, waiting for Murphy. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait too long as I saw him bounding my way with an enormous backpack.
"Am I late?" He asked as I shook my head.
"Nah, I've only been here for five minutes." I replied, looking at the road ahead of us.
"It was so hard trying to hide my plans from my parents while packing all this stuff, but I did it! So, shall we go now?" He said as I smiled.
"It's about time!" I replied as we set off, leaving the small town behind. It wasn't long before the sun started peeking over the hills and mountains before us, shedding light to the road ahead. The river soon joined us to our left as we found ourselves flanked and sheltered by small trees to the right, creating a nice, pleasant atmosphere for the first couple of hours.
"You know, I feel really bad for leaving without saying a word to my parents. All I did was leave a note under my bed, telling them where I was going and why." He said, sighing sadly. "By the time they find it, it'll be too late for them to try and stop me. Oh, I feel horrible for them..."
"They'll understand in time Murphy." I said, trying to make him see the best out of the situation. "And, in time, they'll be proud of you for making the bold leap. Y'know, seizing your goals and dreams in life. No one said it would be easy or that it wouldn't involve sacrifices, but the journey and the prize...trust me, it'll be worth it."
"I guess when you put it that way...still, what if things go wrong?" He asked as I patted him on the back.
"Obstacles are tests, Murphy. They are there to see how much you really wanted to become an actor. If you are going to let setbacks dissuade you, then perhaps you never wanted it that much to begin with. However, I think it'd be a great shame if someone as enthusiastic and talented as you were put off so easily." I replied. I was fully aware I was just spouting hollow fortune cookie level advice, but regardless, he seemed to be eating it up. I had to keep him motivated, for his own good as well as my own. That being said, I really hoped that he was as into this as he looked. If he wasn't, then all this was down to me pressuring him into going to Newer Orleans with me. I liked the guy, and I'd probably feel bad if things went to shit for him, but a friend like him who made life easier for me here when he didn't have to...I'd happily support him in any way I could. "Don't worry, I'll be around if you need me."
"Thanks Basil." He said as the path started to become a little rockier and hillier. "Wonder how we'll do once we get there."
"Well, we'll both need to find a place to rent and jobs to keep paying for the time being. Still, you'll have plenty of time to practice your act in between all that stuff, and when you start reeling in the cash, then we'll have nothing to worry about." I said, pretending to know more than I really did. I really started to feel bad for him as I climbed up the steep slope behind him. I had been perpetually lying to his face ever since I met him, and yet, I felt as though I had to. When I thought about it, Murphy deserved better. I felt confident that he wasn't a part of the Pale Communion, so I'd probably be safe revealing my identity as a human, but on the other hand, he was open about his distrust of them. After managing to get him to come along with me, revealing I was human would be incredibly jarring anyway. No, I'd keep it to myself until I felt as though he could handle the truth.
Once we trekked between the hills, the afternoon came into full swing. The sun was held back by the clouds as they sheltered us from the worse of that great star's wrath, much to my pleasure, but to Murphy's disappointment. These strange creatures were able to get some energy from the sun by holding up their frills to it, though it usually wasn't worth it unless they were getting an intense blast. Climbing down the rocky slope, I almost stumbled as Murphy caught me just as I started to fall face first down the hazardous slope. It was a little embarrassing, but then again, I guess I never quite got used to be short legs.
"Thanks buddy." I said, smiling at him as we rejoined the river upon reaching the smoother, lower terrain. The journey so far was both relaxing and invigorating. Needless to say, if I could exercise like this whenever I wanted to, I'd be far fitter than I am right now!
"Down by the end, round by a corner! Close to the edge, down by a river!" I sung to myself as I walked close by the riverbank. Helped make things a little more cheerful, as hours of walking was starting to become a little tiring, both physically and mentally.
"What are you on about?" Murphy asked as I looked at him.
"Just singing to myself." I said as I noticed him staring at me as if I had kicked someone's pet. "...Is something bad about that? Did I trample over some cultural norm here?"
"...You're...weird." He said as I shook my head.
"So singing's strange? Sorry I'm not great at staying in tune! Just helps me pass the time, ok?" I said, sighing as I pressed onwards with Murphy walking in front of me.
"No, really, you're strange. I'll admit, I don't know many people from Conviction, but they were nothing like you." He said, looking over his shoulder to see me as we pressed on.
"Murphy, it takes all sorts to make a world. You should try it sometime! Besides, I think you're kind of odd being so huggy and upbeat upon merely seeing me, but I never questioned it." I replied as he looked a bit guilty.
"Well, I suppose, but still...look, for your own sake, you really need to try and stand out less. I'm sure you can figure out why that is." He said as I nodded.
"I've been trying my best buddy, even before the Pale Communion started targeting me. It's not easy when I've never been to State Broussard you know." I replied, chuckling slightly.
"Well, I suppose I can see where you're coming from. Still, can't really blame the Pale Communion for thinking that you're a human in disguise in a way, given you show up out of nowhere and couldn't fight until you invented a tool to help you with it. I did hear that humans were experts at making things to help them in all aspects of life." Murphy said, as I gave him an odd look.
"You never suspected me of actually being one of them, right?" I asked as he laughed slightly.
"Not exactly, but among all the people I know, if one of them was secretly a human, it'd probably be you." He said, smiling as he teased me.
"Didn't you say that you didn't trust them or something?" I asked as he thought about it for a moment.
"Yeah, I did. Who knows what they want? Until that time, we should be real cautious of them I reckon. Could be planning something bad for all we know. I understand why the Pale Communion are so afraid of them, but I really think they're being really stupid for hunting them down. Do you think they'll take kindly to thus?" He replied as he helped me climb over a huge fallen tree. There hadn't been much wind ever since I came here, so I assumed it had fallen quite a while ago.
"There's probably many sorts of humans, much like there's many sorts of pokemon. Probably shouldn't sweep them all into one category. Maybe they're just lost explorers or something." I said as Murphy seemed to think on it for the rest of the day. The sun started to set behind us, our bodies casting long shadows on the road ahead as we began discussing places to camp. It didn't take long to find a sheltered area, flanked by trees on the left and a small cliff on the right. This looked ideal, as the humongous broad leaves looked like they could shelter us from any rain. After setting up my rather tiny tent, I lied down on the ground near the fire that Murphy had just set up.
"Missing Serenity?" Murphy asked as I shook my head from the other side from the dim, yet steady fire.
"Not really, though I kind of wish Nisbeth was here." I replied, getting some food out of my bag to toast above the cracking flames.
"Lemme guess, you tried talking him into coming along too, right?" He said while laughing, as if it was a joke. I, however, rather solemnly shook my head.
"I did actually. He told me he tried to be some kind of adventurer when he was younger, but gave up since he kept failing, mostly due to the demand for those sort of guys diminishing over the years. I told him that this would be another great opportunity for him, but alas, he was too comfortable where he was to leave. I think it's a shame when people don't live up to their potential. It's partially why I badgered you into coming along with me, since I thought that a chance like this wouldn't come around again for quite some time. You are happy you came, right?" I asked, wanting to make sure he was doing fine. I'll admit, I was kind of using him for protection and company, but I liked the guy. I wanted to make sure he was happy and that he was in a position to achieve his goals in life.
"...Yeah, I am." He said as I gave him a boiled potato. "Oh, we should take turns sleeping in case anyone or anything gets too nosey during the night."
"Good thinking. I think we've been really lucky to have not been attacked by some of the local wildlife for an entire day so far, but I can't imagine that lasting the entire trip." I said, looking at the map. Seems like we were just under a quarter of the way there, but the last stretch was all on a mild downwards slope, which would make for some real easy walking. "Mind if I sleep first? I'm completely knackered."
"Of course. You look rather beat, even though I was slowing down a lot for you." He said, smiling as I rubbed my feet. Now that I had stopped and thought about them, they were rather sore from all the time they carried me over the rough terrain, and tomorrow didn't look like it would offer them any mercy. Finishing off our meals I lied back next to Murphy as I looked at the night sky. I couldn't recognize a single constellation whatsoever, as they all formed unrecognisable patters in the air. Where would Earth be among the vast cosmos out there? Did I go to a different part of the galaxy? Was I half way across the universe? Or was I somewhere else entirely? Was Melinda even on this planet? It suddenly made me feel very lonely, in spite of Murphy being here with me.
"Something wrong Basil?" He asked as I snapped out from my daydream and back into reality.
"Nah, just tired. I'm off inside my tent. Wake me up in a few hours and I'll do my shift. Goodnight." I said, crawling inside my tent and falling asleep within a couple of minutes, soothed by the sound of the warm, crackling flames. Even if I felt a bit lonely without some friends closer to home, I at least felt safe with Murphy looking over me. It was hardly comfortable, but my exhaustion made sleep a complete breeze to achieve. I'd have happily slept for over ten hours if it weren't for Murphy suddenly poking me.
"What is it..." I yawned, my eyes flickering open slightly.
"It's been five hours, it's your turn to keep watch." Murphy said, half dragging me out of the tent. Looking at his bloodshot, half open eyes, I couldn't blame him for being a little pushy about the whole thing. I put some more broken branches to keep the fire burning as Murphy fell asleep inside his tent, leaving me alone in the dark wilderness. I sat a fair distance away from the flames, just in case it sparked and hit the weapon as I had a look at my surroundings. I couldn't really see much at all, as the light from the camp-fire couldn't penetrate too much of the darkness, but those crackling flames would function as a pretty bright beacon for those who want to find us.
Gripping the weapon tightly, I patrolled around our little campsite, being unable to keep still. What species of pokemon were out there? Could they be predatory? What about scythers or sceptiles? They'd probably attack and devour a meowstic if given a chance! Why, there had been stories of humans being preyed upon by them on rare circumstances! What if they came from a more mountainous side? Aggrons and tyranitars...could the weapon even do anything to them?! I knew that Murphy would have no problem fleeing, but what about me? I knew Murphy was pretty damn tough, but was he capable of ruining such big, bulky, armoured pokemon?
I couldn't hear much at all aside from the occasional, distinctive hooting of a rowlet in the trees above, but that silence was soon shattered in the most subtle way when I heard someone or something gasping for breath as they pushed through the bushes and branches nearby. Pointing the weapon in the direction of those unwelcome sounds, I held my breath as my eyesight tried to stab their way through the darkness the best they could. It was coming closer! Was it attracted by the camp-fire? I knew I should have just extinguished it!
"...Who goes there?!" I announced firmly after a few tense seconds, mustering up as much confidence and bravado as I could muster.
"I won't hurt you, I promise!" The voice said, sounding very out of place, yet oddly familiar.
"How can I be sure? You don't sound like you're from around here. Who are you? I think I vaguely recognize your voice though..." I replied, still pointing the weapon in front of me.
"The same can be said for you. It's a long shot, but are you Basil?" He said, as it finally clicked in me.
"Danil?!" I whispered loudly as the wartortle came out the bushes. "Fancy bumping into you again. Keep your voice down though, one of my friends is sleeping and while he doesn't like the Pale Communion, he's not big on humans."
"About that...listen, I think I might have made a terrible mistake by bumping into you here." He said, looking serious as he dropped his attempts to mask his thick, Russian accent. "I'm on the run, Basil. They know who I am, and...oh no, I've brought them to you!" He said, his eyes and mouth widening in horror slowly as guilt was evidently overcoming him,
"They won't know that I'm one of them unless they've been to Serenity yesterday. One of them tried to kill me, but was arrested, and she seemed to be the only one staying there. If she got any visitors..." I said slowly. My mouth went dry as Danil nodded, realising I was in far greater danger than I thought.
"Oh no Basil, I'm so sorry! I didn't think I'd ever bump into you all the way out here! I thought you were just some traveller that could help guide me to possible hiding places." He said, still shuddering with sheer guilt. It wasn't his fault really; just a stroke of horrible luck. Regardless, we had to take action somehow.
"Right, let's just focus on what we can do. How far do you think they are away from us?" I asked quickly.
"About one or two hours. I have a good distance, but they'll be able to track me pretty well." He said as I considered my options. In our current situation, fellow humans should stick together. I barely knew the guy, but I did hear that Melinda thought highly of him...I'd brave this danger with him.
"'I'? 'Me'? Danil, we're going together! We'll pack up our stuff, put out the fire and leave as soon as possible! Melinda would never forgive me if I just left her idol to the wolves like that!" I said as I went to wake up Murphy.
"Hey buddy, get up! We're leaving now, and we need to hurry!" I announced, giving him a little shake.
"Huh? It's still dark outside though." He said, sleepily crawling out of his tent.
"I've reason to believe there could be a group of Pale Communion cultists on their way here." I said, speaking quickly as I hastily shoved everything I owned clumsily into my bag.
"Who's that wartortle?" He said, pointing at Danil, who was gesturing us to hurry up.
"The Pale Communion are after him too. They supposedly swung by Serenity yesterday, so chances are Maude told them about me." I said as I saw Murphy's expression change to worry, and then into anger.
"How could you bring them here?!" He said, snarling at Danil before turning to look at me. "If I knew this was going to happen, I would have stayed home!"
"According to him, we have a two hour lead on them. I'd like to keep it that way, so we should get moving right away!" I said, helping Murphy to pack the rest of his stuff away before lighting a torch on the remains of the fire. The heliolisk continued to look more angry than afraid as he extinguished the camp-fire as we set off on a quick pace, showing no warmth to Danil.
"Ahem...listen, Heliolisk, I did not intend to bring them here. It is very big stroke of bad luck that I bumped into someone who that xenophobic cult are also after." Danil said, doing his best to mimic a southern accent.
"...I suppose so...but still, accident or not, you've put all three of us in real danger! Why can't you just go away and deal with the problem yourself?!" He said loudly as I tugged on his arm.
"Get a hold of yourself Murphy! None of us wanted this to happen, but I think our efforts are best focused on trying to stay alive here! Even if they catch up, there's three of us. If push came to shove, we can at least stand up to them unless there's, like, ten of them." I said firmly to Murphy to try and get him to calm down.
"I think there's four of them." He said, still faking the accent. It was a pretty bad impersonation, but Murphy wasn't raising any questions, so no harm done I guess. "Again, I am sorry."
"That apology will be no good if I'm dead!" He said, snarling at Danil before picking up the pace, forcing me to jog to keep up with him.
"Suddenly not so perky now, huh." I muttered, holding my weapon as I saw the sky ahead start to glow, signifying that dawn was approaching.
"Well, it's kind of hard to be when you have some murderers on the way that could kill one of my friends! I don't see why you're standing for this Basil." Murphy said to me, casting another glare at Danil. "Anyway, we'll be traversing a swamp quite soon. Hopefully it'll slow them down more than us."
"So, what's that strange stick? Is it a braixen wand? Don't see how that helps you." Danil said to me quietly so Murphy wouldn't hear after dropping back a bit.
"I modified it with powder from some strange plant native here. I was bad at learning how to fight like a pokemon, so I decided to try fighting like a human. As a result, I made this beautiful thing. It's like a makeshift shotgun. How's it been for you anyway? Think you can stand up to them if it came to blows?" I asked as he looked unsure.
"Well, I was able to fight off one of them yesterday, a sandslash...maybe, so I think I'm good." He said as he began thinking for a moment. "Well, it was a very alien sandslash anyway, if that's what it even was. Covered in ice, and tried to impale me with a big icicle. Ever seen a sand...er 'iceslash' look like that before? Probably due this world. Maybe they're just different here, kind of like their strange looking 'willow' trees."
"Not seen anything like that yet." I said, trying to imagine an icy sandslash. Yeah, kind of doesn't really fit the name anymore, doesn't it.
"Who's that heliolisk you're with anyway? A native?" He asked, still keeping his voice low.
"Yeah, he's called Murphy; befriended him pretty quickly. Excuse him, he's not usually this grouchy. Then again, given the circumstances, I can't blame him. I, er, talked him into making this journey to Newer Orleans with me, saying that it was the only way to realistically achieve his dreams of becoming an actor in theatres. I'll admit, I'm kind of exploiting the poor guy, but...ugh; he's been good to me ever since I came here. I'd go as far as to consider him a friend...if anything really bad were to happen to him because I dragged him this far from home, I'd find it real hard to forgive myself." I said, my voice lowering to a grumbling murmur towards the end of my speech.
"Think he'll stay around once we get there?" He asked as I shrugged.
"I doubt it; I hardly expect him to journey with me afterwards if Melinda's not there. Oh, and keep the whole human thing to yourself around him. While he hates the Pale Communion, he doesn't think much of humans either, and he's on edge enough as it is right now." I warned, still keeping a distance from Murphy as he lead the way at a quick pace. "Were you heading to Newer Orleans before you met us?"
"I figured I might be safer there. I heard there's more than one law enforcement branch there, the less official one being one of these adventurer clubs. I'm going to find them and reveal who I am, and, with luck, they'll take me in and protect me. They also might know something about The Guardian of Forever. I saw they were lead by some ampharos called Charlie, but other than that, I really don't know much about them, so it's a gamble and a half for me. However, if I'm going to find The Guardian of Forever and see what he wants from me – what he wants from us – it's a chance I'll have to take." He said as I cast him a slightly amused look.
"Danil, you barely seem to recognized that he essentially kidnapped you! The only thing he'll be getting once I find him is a series of blasts from the weapon right here!" I said, struggling to not raise my voice as I gestured to the weapon in my hands.
"Did he not tell you that he was essentially begging for otherworldly aid to defend this entire planet?" He asked as he stared at me as we kept up the pace. I couldn't decide whether he was surprised that I didn't know or disgusted that I didn't care, but it was irrelevant regardless.
"Oh, that's real clever of him! Let's just summon a bunch of aliens and turn them into one of the native species! But they have no experience living in those sort of bodies, so they'll be significantly weaker than normal! He's either delusional to the point of being a danger to himself and everyone around him, or he's lying. Either way, he's getting no help from me! As to your question, he never said a thing to me. Just felt myself being dragged into another world as my skin started violently peeling away from my body as flesh and bone started disintegrating." I said, shuddering at the horrific memory of my violent transformation.
"He must have been in a really big hurry then. He didn't have time to give any details when he called out to me. He only said that he needed humans and that the planet was in danger. Didn't have time to tell me what it was from or what we needed to do, since something was supposedly pursuing him." He said as I began thinking about this. What if our captor was correct? What if there was some danger our there?
"...Not my problem." I said bluntly, as Danil gasped slightly in surprise. "My problems are finding Melinda, beating the shit out of my kidnapper, and getting home. He's been real busy reeling in trainers without permission, so I'd say he already had quite an army! Maybe he should have actually asked us if we were desired, y'know, instead of leaving us at the mercy of a paranoid cult!"
"I already told you Basil, he didn't have time to ask." He said before I cut him off again.
"Once again, Danil, it's not my problem. He endangered Melinda, he endangered you, he endangered me, and endangered a whole lot more. For that, quite frankly, he has to pay!" I said, snarling slightly.
"Huh...I wonder what Melinda would do?" He said, narrowing his eyes very slightly at me.
"She'd probably be a complete bleeding heart and enthusiastically go along with it. I've warned her of this attitude several times. It lost her the finals, and if I don't intervene, it's probably going to get her killed in this world! And if this world really is going to kiss its arse goodbye in a few weeks or whatever that bastard said was happening, well, I won't be around to get destroyed with it." I said firmly as he looked away from me slowly.
"...You've seen a lot of people here. Are you truly fine with letting them die?" He said slowly, no longer faking a southern accent.
"Aside from Murphy and Nisbeth...yeah. Don't know them, ergo, I don't really care. It's tragic, sure, but we're clearly not fit to fight asteroids or big massive demons or whatever this bastard's so afraid of. The best thing we can possibly do is to find The Guardian of Forever and get him to send as many locals as he can back home. If he and the natives here can't deal with this threat, then the planet's done for. He's clearly acting out of desperation or insanity, and he's clearly knocked on the wrong door. Danil, as we're fellow humans in this situation right here...chasing this pointless mission will only get you killed. Please realise that this is clearly a lost cause. The planet might not be in any real danger anyway, since from what I've learned, our kidnapper is seven shades of bat-shit crazy. Stay with me, help me find Melinda and let's just all try to go home before this big threat finds us, ok?" I said, trying to reason with him, though, in spite of all that, he still didn't seem convinced.
"If you're fine with not even trying, then so be it. If you can live with yourself knowing that you didn't even try, well, that makes one of us." He said, looking at me as if I had kicked his pet cat to the brink of death.
"What are you two blathering about?" Murphy said loudly as we ran to catch up with him.
"Just about State Broussard in general. Never been here aside from my time in Serenity, and it doesn't seem like you leave that little town very much at all, so I was just asking Danil about it." I said, keeping up my brisk jog. Danil cast me a confused look for a few seconds before I glanced back at him, giving him the message to just go with it.
"I noticed you two dropped back." He said, looking over his shoulder and eyeing me with suspicion.
"Meowstics and wartortles aren't as agile as heliolisks. Forgive us." I said cheekily as the conversations died down as we focused more on keeping up a swift pace. It felt like we were running for hours on end, never stopping, never resting. In hindsight, spending energy and thought on Danil and our differences seemed like a complete waste with the more immediate threat behind us. The sun above started to assault us with seething wrath, wearing and beating down on Danil and I, though, as expected, Murphy thrived in these conditions. The remorseless sunlight was absorbed by the big yellow lizard, as he looked more and more impatient as my jog slowly ground down to a brisk walk. At this rate, I'd run out of water way before I'd reach Newer Orleans, and I'd be forced to drink from the river itself, and I had no idea what things could be lurking in there, both big and small, both living and inanimate.
Eventually, the swamp came into view as the ground got lower and lower towards sea level. If this world had done anything for me, it allowed me to get over my fear of these places, but I wondered if that was necessarily a good thing, or whether it was just down to the weapon. My feet, lungs and muscles were crying out for rest, but I knew that my entire body could suffer a lot more if I gave into their demands. Just had to keep going...
"Think they'd have lost us by now?" Murphy asked as Danil shook his head.
"Doubt it; these people are utter fanatics. The only question is how much time they spend tracking as opposed to running. This swamp might throw them off though." He replied, faking the local accent once more.
"I reckon there'll be some nasty savages in these parts, so be careful." Murphy said as the path started to become a little hard to follow as we entered the rotten swamp. It wasn't much different at all from the place I was living in during the last week, so in a strange way, it almost felt like home. It was quite the blessing that we didn't have to deal with any trouble so far on our journey, but I somehow doubted it would last for too much longer.
"We'll probably have to rest eventually. It's not like we'll be able to make it all the way there in one go without passing out." Danil said, coughing in exhaustion as our footsteps became even heavier due to the soggy ground beneath our feet. With each step, I felt the dirt, mud and goodness knows what else surround my feet with a sickening squelch. I didn't even mind it all that much, but with people out for my blood in pursuit, the conditions here could slow me down. Looking over my shoulder every one in a while, I wondered how much the swamp would hinder them.
The local wildlife, including some pretty fearsome creatures, merely stared at we passed through their territory. They seemed to respect our collective numbers and strength, and recognized that we'd be very difficult prey. Regardless, I kept my eyes sharp and alert, since I wanted to make sure it'd stay that way. I pointed the weapon at a quagsire that was slowly getting too close for comfort, even though I knew that it probably wouldn't recognized the threat that my stick posed. I stared hard at it, ready to fire if it made a sudden move as I huddled behind Murphy, and after a few short seconds, it seemed to get the message and turned around. It looked pretty stupid and animalistic, so I doubted it was one of our pursuers.
"Feeling ok Basil?" Murphy asked as I nodded weakly.
"Kind of...so knackered." I said in barely more than a whisper. I scarfed down a sandwich and washed it down with water, choking slightly as I did so, and add this to the humid, muggy heat assaulting me, I could feel sickness approaching.
"Look, after we leave the swamp, we simply have to rest. I might die of exhaustion or heatstroke at this rate. If they catch us while we're too drained to fight, then we're all going to die anyway." I said, my voice shivering as I considered all the ways my life could end prematurely. I hugged the weapon close to me as if it was my best friend, which in many ways, it was. It was the only thing that I could guarantee cooperation from in this world.
Sunset was starting to approach as we kept pushing through the swamp. Good thing too, since it seems like both Danil and I couldn't cope with the heat for much longer. I started to wonder how far we were away from the Pale Communion by this point. Did we gain ground, or lose it? Really, it depended on them. We ran the marathon of nightmares the best we could, but depending on what species the pursuing members were and their general fitness levels, it may not have even mattered. Still, it didn't take much energy to fire the fully-loaded weapon, so I could at least bank on that. I had become so used to the noises of the swamp by now that I stopped turning to look round at each and every one, only reacting to the loud or out of place ones. After all, being stealthy in these parts would pretty much be a lost cause.
"Sounds too light footed to be a swampert..." I muttered as I heard something from a fair distance behind us. Looking behind me, I saw something very out of place – a gallade. Hardly a swamp dweller, it started at us from afar, just to the left of a sagging tree.
"...Oh blyad...oh no, they're here! They found us!" Danil said, no longer hiding his native accent. "That gallade was the leader of the hunting party! What do we do?! Do we stand and fight or run?" He continued, visibly sweating as he resisted panicking. Looking at the weapon, I started wondering if our pursuers knew about the power of my device. Maude knew all about it before attacking me, so did she tell the others about it? Could they find a way to detonate it? Would they bother trying to kill Murphy? All of these questions started swimming around my head as I backed off away from the gallade as it slowly and carefully approached us.
"I can't die here, not like this..." I said quietly as I saw other shapes moving behind him. A lurantis, a weavile and a floatzel. Was it the floatzel I saw passing through the swamp just after I met Nisbeth? I shuddered, as I saw all four of them looked pretty tough, each and every one of them very capable of ending my life in a heartbeat. Could I be facing the end right here? I wasn't prepared to run away, nor was I prepared to fight. My breathing accelerated into laboured, raspy hyperventilation as I witnessed the danger I had been fearing all day rearing its ugly face, or four ugly faces to be precise.
"Oh, Murphy, I'm so sorry for dragging you into this!" I said, whimpering slightly as I gripped the weapon tightly as I felt my blood race its way around my arteries and veins.
"...Basil, you didn't mean for this to happen. To be honest, I kind of hated you for most of the day for talking me into this, as well as despising myself for allowing myself to be convinced that this was a good idea. Still, I can't remain angry at you, providing we fight this out together. If you flee, they'll just catch up and kill you, but if we stand together, we might have a chance!" He said as I stood by this pillar of strength. He still looked like he had plenty of stamina left, and given what I know of this guy, he could probably take one of them out easily. Regardless, I had to bear some responsibility for getting a friend into some serious danger. I could barely even look at him out of what I done, as I felt an inexplicable urge to protect him. How odd – I was never that close to the guy, especially since I've only known him for a week.
"Murphy, I'm not running! I'll make sure you get out of this alive!" I said loudly as I saw the Pale Communion members approaching as a pack.
"Well, I guess this is a test to see if I'm good enough to aid The Guardian of Forever." Danil said, already looking like he had dampened his fears and tightened his focus. Glancing at him, I knew what side of the war I was on. In the battles between the Pale Communion and the human race, I knew that loyalty towards my own kind was paramount for my own survival, and the survival of potential allies in this alien world. Much in the same way I regarded Murphy, I wasn't prepared to see Danil die either.
"Ok, calm yourself Basil..." I said, drumming my feet on the ground as I tried to silence my excessive fears. Think; what can you do? Who would be the most vulnerable to the weapon? None of them were armoured or had particularly tough skin, but gallade could potentially detonate the weapon if he knew how it worked. Floatzel would likely not be slowed down by the swamp, whereas lurantis would be. I'd make her my target. Just keep focused and do what you do best – map out a strategy before having to deal with the task at hand.
Too bad I'd have exactly five seconds to plan everything as my assassin rushed at me with blades as long as my entire body.