Rag Doll, Chapter 25
Okay, here it is, the chapter where I beg your forgiveness for that crappy last chapter. There is another brief time skip because I just can't figure those cops out! Anyway, for sanity's sake, Blade is now a full-fledged rookie in the force. He gets a belt where his badge goes, which protects him from being caught by trainers.
Blade's POV
It finally happened. I was in and able to make a difference for the lives of the citizens of this city. Of course I hadn't done anything yet, since I just started. But I felt good nonetheless. The Chief led me down the hall that led to his office, but he stopped in front of a different door. The plaque on it read Sergeant Ramirez. The Chief stuck his head into the partially opened door and said
"Stan, can you come out here for a second?"
"Sure" a smooth voice answered.
The Chief stepped back, the door opened fully and out stepped a Lucario. He was wearing a hat that suggested his rank, and the badge was pinned to the fur on his chest.
"Stan, this is your new partner, Blade. He just came in fresh from the ceremony."
"Oh yeah?" asked Stan, looking me over. I stood up straight, not wanting to make a bad impression. The Lucario chuckled and said
"Relax, this isn't the army. So, you're new, huh?"
I nodded, and the Chief said
"Well, I'll just leave you two to get acquainted. Play nice now. By the way, Stan, you're on patrol at noon, take him with you."
"You got it, chief."
The Arcanine turned and went to his office. Stan motioned for me to join him in his, and I stepped through the door after him. His office was large enough for two people to fit in fairly comfortably. He sat in his chair in front of a computer, and then motioned to another chair by an empty desk on the other side. I took the chair and faced my new partner.
"So, fresh from the academy and such, huh?" he asked me.
"Yep" I replied "Sworn in two days ago."
"Well, welcome to the force. My name's Stan Ramirez. What do you go by?"
He leaned forward and extended his hand, which I took firmly and shook. Then I responded
"I just go by Blade. I didn't know last names were common around here."
"Well, when you live in a city that's got human inhabitants, a last name is kind of important to avoid suspicion. Otherwise things can get a little messy. So, you know the city yet?"
I nodded and replied
"Yeah, I studied the layout the day after I arrived, and I have a good memory. Call me paranoid, but I prefer to know where I'm running if it comes to the worst."
"That's good," Stan said to me. "When you have to chase a criminal, chances are they've studied their escape route. We do get some idiots, but there are actually quite a few cunning ones around here. I don't expect anything to go wrong on your first day, but just be prepared for anything. This city is full of surprises."
"Yeah, I know. One of the most surprising things I've found so far is Cresselia's energy compared to Darkrai's lack of it. They make an odd but cute couple."
Stan's eyes widened at the information.
"You know Darkrai?" he asked incredulously.
Chuckling, I told him
"I don't just know him, I'm friends with him. Why, is there something wrong with that?"
Shaking his head furiously, Stan replied hastily
"No, no, there's nothing wrong, it's just amazing that you were able to befriend him, that's all. He's notorious for being rude and antisocial, although I think we can agree that no one will take Mewtwo's title for rudeness and hostility. "
We both had a good laugh over that, and Stan looked over his shoulder to check the time.
"Hmm, eleven. Say newbie, you wanna get some lunch before we start patrol?"
"Sure, that sounds good. You know any good places?"
"Oh, there's this sandwich shop by the main plaza that has the best berry sandwiches you'll find in this city. And they've got everything from oran, sitrus, chesto, cheri, you name it!"
Soon we were on our way. It was a strange feeling not having to transform before going outside. Stan and I caught stares wherever we went, but we were never bothered. When we reached the sandwich joint, I let out a sigh of relief. Stan caught this and asked
"What's wrong?"
I drew a shaky breath and responded
"I was just so sure I was going to be sucked into a little ball at any second."
Stan laughed and told me
"Give it time, you'll adjust. For now I suggest you find the berry sandwich to suit your tastes. They have all sorts here."
I looked over the menu I was handed after we were given our table. Our waitress was a somewhat chubby girl who wore mostly pink but had a pleasant face and a black hat. I figured she was a Miltank, and when she returned I ordered a sitrus berry sandwich. I had always loved sour tastes, so I thought that would be the best choice for me. Stan ordered a mago berry sandwich. Seemed he had a real sweet tooth.
While we waited, we started talking about our home lives. It turned out that Stan had left his colony too, but not because he was forced out. He left simply because he wanted to see the world, but wasn't content with the idea of settling back down in his original colony. He continued to wander around until eventually he found this city. What was funny was as he was entering, someone had run by carrying something small. He had heard a storeowner shouting
"Stop! Thief!"
Then Stan had pursued the character and took him down with an Aura Sphere. The culprit later turned out to be a notorious Weavile who had sticky fingers. The Weavile was sent to prison and Stan was offered the chance to join the force, which he accepted. Since then, he hasn't looked back. Recently he found himself a girlfriend, a Lopunny, who he hit off quite well with. In fact, he was having dinner with her tonight after his shift. When our sandwiches arrived, he asked me if I had anyone special in my life.
Chuckling, I said
"Yep."
Then I went on to explain where I was from and what I had done with part of my life. I told him the story of how we met and how we eventually wound up together. He listened quietly the entire time, and when I was finished he said
"So, do you two have any plans for the future?"
Finishing my sandwich, I replied
"Well, when I get up the money, I'm going to officially marry her. We plan to buy a house, and when we're settled we're going to start our own little family."
Stan smiled warmly, then slapped my shoulder and said
"Well, I wish the best of luck to you. But for now, we gotta go do our job."
With that, he set some bills on the table, leaving a hefty tip, then we walked out still in good spirits. I could tell this would be a friendship that would last for a long time.
Rose's POV
I was out seeing the city with Cresselia. She told me she wanted to show me a special place in the park that I hadn't seen yet. I was eager to find what she wanted to show me.
When we arrived, the park looked as beautiful as the day Cresselia had first showed me. It was a marvelous place, filled with lush green grass, tall trees, and in the middle an ornate fountain happily threw water into the air. Cressie led me to a part in the forested area that had escaped my attention the first time. She walked through apparently solid trees. I was stunned, looking for her where she just disappeared from my sight. Timidly, I stuck my hand to the area I last saw her in. My hand passed through the trees with the sensation of a soft current of wind flowing up. I pulled my hand back quickly, afraid. When I experienced nothing else, I put my hand back through. Feeling nothing other than the current of wind, I pulled my hand back and attempted to keep my dress down as I walked through.
The insubstantial barrier felt like a nice breeze, but my dress was in no danger of billowing around me. Emboldened by this, I slowly took my hands away. When nothing happened, I continued on. When I reached the other side of the barrier, I could see a beautiful meadow. I gasped, then inhaled softly as the scent of the flowers consumed me.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Cressie asked me.
I whirled around to find her watching me, close to where the barrier had ended.
"It's gorgeous!" I replied.
"How long has this been here?"
Cressie laughed and told me
"It's been here since Darkrai ruled the city alone. In fact, this was the place where we met up often to battle. It was sort of an agreement we had; we would battle to see which would prevail for the night, nightmares or dreams. Most often he won, but I did my best to end the nightmares anyway. One night, we were battling. He had hit me with a well-aimed Dark Pulse, and he loomed over me as I began to cry, angry that I couldn't do a better job to help his terrified victims."
I watched her silently. Then she did something she had done once before. She took hold of my mind, gently, and thought back to the events of that night. It was a special thing that we psychics can do; we can show anybody the events of our past, though the picture is a little clearer when you do this with another psychic. I watched in fascination as the events unfolded in front of me.
Darkrai looked bored as he watched Cresselia get up from his latest attack. Cresselia stumbled in the air (which is difficult to imagine, I know, but trust me on this) and he said
"Why do you do this to yourself? You know you're at the disadvantage."
She glared at him and spat back
"Because I care about the people and pokemon you're terrifying! You probably don't know the first thing about compassion!"
I looked over at present-day Cressie and asked her
"You really said that to him?"
She nodded sadly and said
"Yes, but if I hadn't then this wouldn't have happened. Look."
As I turned my attention back to the events, which Cressie had paused for me so I didn't miss anything, (I know, we psychics can do a lot, huh?) I could see that a flash of hurt had passed over Darkrai's eyes before it flitted away to be replaced by boredom again.
"Feh, what do you know?"
Past-Cresselia looked intently at Darkrai, having spotted the emotion pass.
"What was that?" she asked, approaching him.
"What are you babbling about now?" Darkrai asked brusquely, backing up slightly.
"I saw something in your eyes, something else…" Cresselia muttered, getting closer and closer.
"You better back off before I send you flying" Darkrai threatened, charging another dark Pulse.
Cresselia stopped before him, still looking hard into his piercing blue eyes.
"Did you… just show emotion to my words?"
Darkrai blushed now, and flustered
"Don't be ridiculous! I have no emotion…"
Cresselia floated ever closer to him and grabbed his wrist, making him lose the Dark Pulse, then kissed him on the cheek, much as the same I did to Blade. Darkrai backtracked a few steps and said
"What the hell was that?!"
Cresselia was watching closely again. Darkrai quickly threw a Shadow Ball in her direction, but it missed. She didn't even have to move. Darkrai's eyes widened, and he turned and cursed. Cresselia came up behind him and noticed that he was shaking. She turned him around and was astonished to see tears in his eyes. When Darkrai spotted this, he flew away into the night, leaving Cresselia confused.
"I didn't know what to think or believe after that battle" present-day Cressie told me.
"For the next week, Darky refused to come out. I gave the city extra-good dreams the entire time, hoping to lure him out. Finally, on the eighth night he challenged me. I accepted and told myself that I wasn't going to fight at all. I wanted to see more of him, and I figured I could get closer if I wasn't trying to hurt him."
The scene shifted, but it was still night. Darkrai and Cresselia appeared from opposing ends of the forest. Darkrai wasted no time in getting started, throwing a Shadow Ball directly into Cressie' s face. She didn't attempt to dodge or retaliate, however. She took the attack head-on, or face-on in this case, and she fell with a strangled cry. Darkrai's eyes widened at this sight, but quickly fell back into his usual bored scowl.
He hurled a Dark Pulse at her, but not directly. He was aiming for the ground in front of her. She closed her eyes as the ground in front of her exploded, sending her flying back several feet. Present-day Cressie winced as she remembered the pain. Darkrai floated over to her position and looked at her, then shouted
"Why?! Why aren't you even defending yourself?!"
Cresselia weakly looked up at him and smiled slightly.
"Because I just want to talk to you. That's not a problem is it?"
Darkrai just scowled even harder, if that was possible, then shouted
"Of course it's a problem! This is a battle! I thought you came here knowing that, but it appears that I've overestimated you."
Cresselia's eyes never left Darkrai as he turned to leave. Suddenly she called out to him
"You're angry with me, aren't you?"
He turned and shouted again.
"Of course I am! First you taunt me by giving good dreams to my city, then you accept my challenge, and now you won't even fight back! I can't believe you would mock me like that. I thought better of you."
Cresselia thought for a moment, then smiled at Darkrai and said
"So, what I'm hearing is anger, disbelief, and betrayal."
"What are you getting at?" Darkrai asked her suspiciously.
"You have feelings after all, Darkrai. You just showed me three right now."
His eyes widened as he realized his mistake. His hands clenched into fists while he thought about what Cresselia just told him.
"What's it to you?"
As she rose shakily from the ground, she said
"I don't know why you lied to me and said you don't have emotions. I want to find out, though. I accepted your challenge with the intent of talking to you, not fighting you."
Darkrai turned away and said
"I have nothing to say to you."
She floated over to him and said
"On the contrary, I think you have a lot to say, you just don't know how to say it. But I'm willing to listen. Please, talk to me Darkrai."
Darkrai faced her again and asked her
"What's it to you?" But he wasn't as brusque this time.
I held my breath as I watched Cresselia close in on him and kiss him again, but on the lips. Darkrai flinched but didn't back away. When Cresselia ended the kiss, she floated back a little and said softly
"Because I care about you. I have been worried about you for a week now. I'm sorry about what I said, about you not having any compassion. If you'll give me another chance, I would be more than willing to listen to whatever you have to say."
Darkrai looked at her for a minute, then focused on his fist. Finally he faced her and said
"Okay."
The vision ended there and present-day Cressie said
"We should go home now. If you want, we can visit back here tomorrow and I can finish where we left off. I would like you to know more about us."
I nodded and told her
"I would love to know more about you guys. And when you're finished, I'll show you my past, too."
She nodded as well, then we walked through the barrier and made our way back to the hotel, my mind still swimming with what I had seen today.
Okay, I liked this chapter much better. Now that things have settled down in my mind, I can get back to writing this story how it should be written, my way! Reviews would be nice, so leave me some, please!