Because I'm pure evil, I'm going to let the confrontation in the previous chapter go un-confronted for now. Instead, let's take a quick peek at how Tortuga and Pteryx are faring!
If you may recall, Pteryx is still unconscious from his encounter with Clawface, and Tortuga seems to have acquired amnesia. That isn't good…
Transmorphic Wyvern: I literally cannot stop laughing. Nice Monster Hunter Destiny reference, too.
Frozen Archer: Yeah, I think your Absol's the one I'll switch. You don't have to think up an entirely new past for him, it fits the species I have in mind already.
-.-.-.-.-.
Panting and huffing, Tortuga followed the Glaceon through the forest. He still had no idea where he was, how he had gotten here, or who the Eeveelution was. All he knew at the moment was that he was tired and no closer to answering any of his questions.
"How much farther?" he panted to the Glaceon, who kept walking straight ahead and didn't respond. The Tirtouga rolled his eyes at her silent demeanor and persisted in trying to keep pace with her. "Where are we, anyway?" he pressed, trying to get at least a little bit of information out.
The Glaceon sighed. "Fine, fine," she said. "I'm sorry for being so closed and rude. It's just that I haven't been in the best mood recently." Tortuga nodded understandably. He had met someone with a terrible temper not so long ago – Wait. I have? Where and when?
Tortuga pushed away his questions as the Glaceon started to speak again. "My name is Celosia. My friends call me Cell for short. I'm a wanderer."
The Prototurtle frowned. "You mean, you don't live in one place?" he asked, trying to clear out his muddled thoughts. It seemed that ever since he woke up that morning, his brain had been extremely cluttered. His head hurt, too.
"Yes, that's right," Celosia confirmed. "Ever since my family died in an avalanche, I decided to sever all ties from them and keep on the move. That's why I'm usually so icy towards Pokemon I meet."
His frown deepened. "Your family died? I'm sorry to hear that." Celosia just smiled sadly and left it at that. "Anyway, this is one of the Elemental Islets. It's called Fire Isle because it's the warmest of the three, but not by much."
Tortuga hazarded another question. "Where are we going, exactly?" Celosia stopped for a moment and pointed into the distance with a paw. "Just through this forest is the village on Fire Isle. There's a healer there that can take care of your friend," she added, nodding to the Archen still slumped on her back.
"My" – Tortuga began, about to state that he had no idea who the other fossil Pokemon was, but stopped just then when he found himself in doubt. He might have had an idea about who the Archen was, but he couldn't be sure. Troubled by all these confusing thoughts, Tortuga shook them away and concentrated on keeping up with Celosia.
But just then, the bushes rustled. Celosia froze and eyed the foliage warily. Tortuga shuffled behind her, worried as to what it might be. The foliage shook some more, harder this time, and three figures hopped out.
Tortuga squeaked in fear and instinctively covered his eyes with a flipper, but uncovered them again to look at the newcomers. There were two furry brown Pokemon that looked a lot like Celosia, but smaller. The larger one was as big as Celosia, and looked a little similar, but was pink and had big blue eyes. Ribbons streamed from the unfamiliar Pokemon's body.
"Hello, Cell!" chirped one of the smaller Pokemon. Tortuga suddenly remembered that it was called an Eevee. Celosia sighed and seemed to regain her icy attitude. "What do you want, Miranda?" she asked.
"We just want to see what you're up to!" squeaked the other Eevee. Celosia's stoic face didn't change as she addressed it, "I'm only taking this injured Pokemon to see the healer, Amanita. It's none of your concern."
The larger Pokemon that looked like Celosia stepped forward and said cheerfully, "Actually, it is! We're the resident rescue team around here, you know." She looked at Celosia knowingly, and the Glaceon just glared.
"This is a job that requires patience and perseverance, not to mention responsibility," she replied coolly. "It's not a job that I would trust to a Fairy-type."
The pink Pokemon stamped her paw on the ground. "That isn't fair! And we Fairy-types are better than the rest anyway. We can take down Dragon-types, for Arceus' sake!"
Celosia looked smug. "I hate to break it to you, but Ice-types like myself can also do that, just as easily. Just leave this to me, Okami, I have everything under control."
Okami looked outraged, as did Miranda and Amanita. "Fine!" Okami spat. "Next time you need Team Eevui, we won't be there to help you!" She stuck out her tongue and dashed back through the bushes, followed by the two Eevee.
"Stupid Sylveon…" Celosia muttered. Tortuga looked at her confusedly, and she noticed. "We don't get along. Never have," she explained briefly, not willing to talk about it any further.
Tortuga shrugged. Celosia continued down the path, and indeed it didn't take very long before they exited the forest and took their first steps onto a wide, grassy plain. In the very middle of the plain, about half a kilometer away, was an innocent-looking village. "We made it!" the fossil Pokemon exclaimed.
The Glaceon led him down to the village, which wasn't very large but seemed busy anyway. It reminded him of Seaside Village just a little bit, but it of course had a different atmosphere to it that he found very peaceful.
In minutes, they reached the healer's hut. Celosia peeked in through the curtains and came back with a disgusted expression on her face. "We have to wait out here," she told the Tirtouga, who said to himself, I don't want to know.
Finally, a nauseous Gulpin came slithering out of the hut, his face a much brighter shade of green than the rest of his body. In his left hand, he was holding a bag of what Tortuga assumed to be medicine. He held another bag in his right, and Tortuga could guess what its contents were by the putrid smell emanating from it.
He quickly followed Celosia into the hut. It had a nice, calm feel to it, and it was mostly bare except for a medicine cabinet and a small rug spread out on the floor in the center. The healer, a plump Audino, was waiting for them.
"Come in, dears, come in!" she sang. "What seems to be the trouble?" Celosia tilted herself to the side and dumped the Archen onto the rug. "I found him washed up on the beach, Nursey. I don't know what's wrong with him, but he won't wake up."
The Audino, apparently named Nursey, frowned slightly and bent down to examine the Archen. She dipped her head until one of her ear probes was touching his chest. "Mm hm… mm hm…" she hummed, listening to his heartbeat.
"What good'll that do?" Tortuga whispered to Celosia. She answered, "All Audino are good listeners, but Nursey's the best I've ever seen. She can determine exactly what happened to a patient just by listening to their heart beating, or even their blood flowing."
The Tirtouga was in awe by the time Nursey got up again. "This little one is in very bad condition," she said sorrowfully. "He took a Hyper Beam to the chest, is in the middle of a mild coma, and has a bit of water in his lungs as well."
Celosia's eyes bugged. "You can heal him, though… right?" she asked hesitantly. Nursey shrugged. "I can do my best, but there's really no way I can treat a coma. The best thing to do would be to let him stay here until he wakes up."
They thanked Nursey anyway and then left the hut.
As they walked through the village, Tortuga's mind wandered. A Hyper Beam to the chest? That indeed sounded familiar, and the Archen himself already seemed familiar to the Water-and-Rock type. Why can't I remember any of this? he thought in frustration.
"Something wrong?" Celosia inquired of him. He shook his head and replied, "I can't remember."
The Glaceon swished her tail as they left the village behind them. The duo was unconsciously heading toward the forest. "Maybe Nursey can look at you tomorrow," she suggested. "Maybe she can figure out what's wrong."
Tortuga perked up at this notion. "I guess she could," he agreed, waddling along beside his new friend.
-.-.-.-.-.
Luke felt safe and warm when he slowly woke up. There was a gentle rocking sensation lulling him back to sleep, and he felt a hand clutching his own It felt so soft and gentle that he wasn't tempted in the least to yank his fingers away from it.
Indeed, the Victini was so drowsy that he simply felt like drifting off back to sleep. But before he did, a tired thought floated out from his sleep-clogged mind. I just want to see where I am, he told himself. I want to see where I am, and then I can keep resting.
His eyes peeled open at the exact same time Gaby's did. They found themselves with their faces only inches apart.
The Kirlia shrieked loudly and bolted fully awake. Luke jumped up and hurriedly pushed himself away from her. Both of their hearts were beating rapidly from shock, and Luke was blushing furiously. He gulped and gradually calmed down, trying to push the thought that Gaby looked even prettier up close from his mind.
A Riolu was staring at them amusedly. "Hello, you two," he said cheerily. "Took you long enough to wake up."
The two friends looked around at their surroundings. They were on a small raft in the middle of the ocean, and their new Riolu comrade was paddling with a large, flat piece of wood in his hands. It looked to be about mid-afternoon from the position of the sun. Other than that, there wasn't much else to take note of.
"Name's Cobalt," the Riolu said. "I found the two of you floating around in the water a while ago. Do you remember what happened?"
Gaby frowned and shook her head slowly. Luke was about to say that he didn't know either, when the memories came flooding back to him. He gasped slightly and excitedly tapped Gaby's arm. "The storm!" he said. "Remember, there was that big storm that we sailed through?"
The Kirlia's eyes lit up, and she nodded. But… Where is everyone else? Where's the Tranquility? she thought. Was the storm so bad that it separated and scattered us?
Cobalt spoke up again. "I had to get through that storm as well," he said, taking a break from rowing the raft to sit down beside them. "It was a miracle my raft – and myself – survived it. Anyway, I'm trying to reach the Elemental Islets right now. Once we reach land, we can figure out what to do next."
Luke put in, "We should look for Pteryx next, right Gaby?" The Kirlia frowned again and caught Cobalt's look of confusion. "We were headed to Diamond Island because an Archen we know needed medical attention from the doctor there," she explained.
The Riolu sighed and shook his head sadly. "Diamond Island is no more," he said. Gaby and Luke held their hands to their mouths in a silent gasp. Stricken, they looked at each other with wide, frightened eyes – and promptly fainted.
-.-.-.-.-.
"Can't this ship go any faster?" Shadepelt complained as Rudy steered it through the lessening wind and rain. At last, they were leaving the storm behind them, and they were already almost to Diamond Island. Sylvester had managed to swipe a boat that had been left unattended in the harbor, and they were using it to get to said island in order to find the Kirlia and her Shard.
Nothing like a good hurricane to cover up a theft.
But Rudy was reaching the end of his patience with the insolent Purrloin. "Look behind you," he growled. "What do ya see?"
Not sure at what he was getting at, Shadepelt twisted her head to look behind her. "The sails?" she asked, wondering if it was a trick question.
"Exactly," Rudy said nastily. "Which means the ship's powered by wind, and that means we can't go any faster unless the wind does. Get it?" The Devious Pokemon grumbled under her breath and went to find her brother, who was fishing off the side of the boat.
Meanwhile, Clawface was perched up in the Murkrow's nest, shading his eyes (technically, eye) with a wing as he peered off into the distance. Once he got the Shard, he'd be able to hold up his end of the bargain until the Darkfeather gang got their claws on that Noctowl and Hoothoot. He knew that they'd be able to help him get past the obstacles on the path to the treasure he sought – but he would only give up the Shard once they were safely in his possession. Clawface definitely wouldn't put it past Mara to weasel her way out of the agreement once the Shard was hers.
Suddenly, his working eye – which was still as keen as ever – picked out a speck sticking up out of the otherwise watery horizon. "Hey guys!" he squawked down. "There's land dead ahead! Turn that wheel so we're headed thirty degrees to the left!"
Rudy smiled as he spun the wheel. Not only was he looking forward to hitting land, but he was also having fun. The last time he was on a boat had been when his Pop had taken him fishing out in the oasis. Ah, that was the life, he thought wistfully. Maybe when I'm done with this stealin' and muggin' business, I'll become a fisherman.
They got closer to the land. Taking a close look at the map, the Krokorok determined that it was indeed Diamond Island. His grin grew wider as he anticipated the end of the mission. Once that Shard was theirs, he could go back home to the Dunedust Desert, with no squawking bird Pokemon telling him what to do…
His fantasy was shattered by, indeed, a squawk from Clawface. "What in Giratina's name?!" he screeched, scarcely able to believe his eye. As they got closer to Diamond Island, the Life Stealers trio began to see as well – Diamond Island was in ruins. Already half of it had sunk beneath the waves, and the sea around it was littered with driftwood, rotting Berries, and more.
Sylvester was shocked beyond belief. Shadepelt was aghast, and Rudy was numb. "Wh-what… H-How could this happen?" Sylvester protested. "Islands don't just sink!"
Shadepelt took her paw away from her mouth and piled on, "I know the natural disasters were getting bad, but this is ridiculous! What could have done such a thing?!"
Rudy opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Even Clawface was distressed. "Where could the Shard be now?" he asked to no one in particular. "Has it sunk beneath the sea as well?"
It was now when Rudy found his voice. "I think we should tell the Abyssal Raiders what happened," he said nervously, and Sylvester reacted instantly, striking out at him with his claws.
"No, you fool!" he raged. "You know what the Raiders will do when they find out we lost a Shard? They'll snatch it for themselves and we'll be out of favor!"
Clawface swooped down to the deck and thought hard. "Let's just think about this for a second," he cautioned. "Try not to strain yourself," Sylvester said sarcastically.
Clawface ignored the Liepard. "Rudy, how big is Diamond Island on the map?" he asked the Krokorok.
Rudy squinted at the scale shown on the map, and then looked Diamond Island over. "I'd say a hundred or so miles, give or take," he said tentatively. Clawface nodded and continued, "Alright, now look out at the island we can see in front of us, and tell me approximately how big it is now."
Looking out over the ocean, and shading his good eye with a claw, Rudy did a few minor calculations in his head. He glanced down at the map, then at the horizon again. A fair while passed before he turned back to Clawface and answered, "I'd say more than half of it is left."
Clawface snapped his feathers as if they were fingers (don't ask how he managed that). "Alright, judging by how slow it seems to be sinking now, I'd have to guess that it started around three days ago. And since we made our first attempt at the Shard almost a day ago, that means our quarry was never on Diamond Island. If we assume that they know as well that Diamond Island is sinking, then they'll be heading to the closest place – the Elemental Islets."
The Fearow finished his deduction and waited for someone to say something. Rudy, for one, was very impressed by his reasoning.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Sylvester said at last. "Let's steer this thing to the Elemental Islets!" Rudy hopped to it, spinning the wheel and sharply turning the boat.
"Hang on," Clawface mused, still thinking. "The Elemental Islets usually have a rescue team or two hanging around, due to the islands being useful as rest stops on their adventures." Shadepelt, Sylvester, and Rudy all frowned at this. Real-deal rescue teams would demolish them in no time flat.
"Meet me on Fire Isle's beach," Clawface said, walking to the edge of the boat and spreading his wings. "Where are ya goin'?" Rudy demanded, and Clawface smirked.
"For back-up, of course," he said, before soaring up into the afternoon sky and back toward the continent.
-.-.-.-.-.
Okami belongs to one of my friends. Nursey, Amanita, and Miranda all belong to yours truly.
Oh no! Clawface and the Life Stealers have uncovered the terrible truth concerning Diamond Island! Will they find Gaby and the Shard they seek at the Elemental Islets?
And what of our other heroes, scattered all over the western ocean? Will they ever reunite? Finally, just where in the world could Terra, Cenric, and the wreck of the Tranquility have landed?
Find out (possibly) in the next thrilling episode of… "Destined Explorers of Legend"! *cue Legend of the Guardians theme music*
Rudy: "Review, or I'll turn ya inside out!"