I really like this chapter, personally. I have no idea why ... oh wait, maybe it's because this is the one where the Cerulean arc ends! (Finally ...)
Chapter Twenty-Five: How to Be a Nobody (Regret and Repentance!)
Trekking through the towering stalks of wheat, a spiky-haired boy grimaced as his hand throbbed again. The authorities had finally released him, returned his freedom. Yet the many lines had left their mark: his right hand was so cramped from its grip on the pen that he couldn't uncurl it without his muscles screaming in protest. So he went on, a virtual cripple and yet a free one, for he was no longer recognized as a public menace by the overbearing police.
In their eyes, he was once again a nobody.
A smirk played at his lips as the thought crossed his mind. A slight rustling in the wheat nearby caught his attention, and his left hand automatically plucked a spare Poke Ball from his belt. Twirling in his fingers, he stood very still, waiting for the unseen Pokemon to come to him.
And come it did: a tiny star-shaped Pokemon waddled right across his path, oblivious to his presence. With an almost lazy motion he tossed the red-and-white sphere at it; the pink creature, large brown ears twitching at the faint sound of the Ball soaring through the air, squeaked in surprise as she caught sight of it. She turned to run, but the Ball had already opened, converting her into a mass of bright red energy and drawing her slowly inside. With a soft snap it shut, trapping her inside in spite of her struggles to free herself: it pinged cheerfully before it hit the ground, sending a small cloud of dust flying.
His grin widened as he stooped to pick up the Ball housing his new Cleffa, then gazed around as he replaced it on his belt. Fire had to have come by this way, he knew, remembering the other teen's talk of defeating the gym leader in the next city. That was before they had separated, he remembered, as he set off through the field again. Before he'd been forced to return to Officer Jenny and her loud, snapping mouth, while Fire was allowed to move on with his life. But they'd meet up soon enough, whether Fire wanted that or not. He'd make sure of it.
Whistling a half-forgotten tune, Ocean continued trudging through the sea of endless grain.
She dreamed she had flippers.
There was an ocean of pain, its waters chopping and violent, and she was swept along in its current. Even if she could have escaped the pull, it'd be pointless: the path she followed was lined with ivory spears pointed inward, and orange blood pooled beneath them, staining the water dark. Overhead, two huge, hulking Pelipper cruised overhead, and their young Wingull offspring followed right behind, pumping their wings ferociously just to keep up. As she watched, one of the Pelipper swiveled around in midair, snapping at the smallest Wingull with its huge beak – in a single bite, the larger bird tore off a frantically fluttering wing, which dropped like a stone into the water – strange green-blue stuff poured from the gaping wound in place of blood. With a pained shriek the victim attempted to keep its newly deformed body aloft, flapping its remaining wing uselessly—
At the splash, it exploded into a flurry of bloody icicles.
One struck her, tearing a hole in her side as it sank into her flesh, and she cried out in shock as it pierced something deep inside her. Some dark fluid oozed out, dripping around the icicle and into the ocean, where they hissed with sudden bursts of escaping steam … and to her horror, a voice in her head struck up a whispering chant: die, die, die, die, die, die …
A small chunk of ice, shaped like a beady eye, floated past her, bobbing along in the waters. Through the haze of pain obscuring her vision, she blinked blearily as the current turned it in her direction, and it glinted with the reflection of the blood-red sky, glaring at her murderously as if this was somehow all her fault. Then, with a strangely soft sound, it imploded, forming a vacuum that churned the water into great, swirling whirlpool that seized her in its swirling motion, dragging her down into the newly-formed vortex, ignoring her shrill screams.
die die die die die die die die die die
Her strength ebbing away, she turned her exhausted gaze upward in despair, too numb with pain to even show surprise at the sight of the thing floating above her in the sky. What she had thought was the sun was instead a flaming baby-blue eye, watching the current pull her under. Its dark laughter echoed around her as water poured into her lungs—
"NO!" she yelped, her eyes snapping open, staring at the ceiling in transfixed horror. She took a deep, shuddering breath, feeling her lungs expand painfully before finally releasing the air in a long exhale. Twitching her fingers almost reflexively, she sighed in relief, the tension in her body ebbing slightly. It was only a dream …
But even as the fear drained mercifully away, the guilt still paralyzed her: the sudden, ugly revelation that it had all been her fault.
My fault.
She squeezed her eyes shut as tears threatened to fall. She counted on me to take care of her, she thought, despair poisoning her mind. So small and innocent … Even if I wasn't her actual mother, that's how she saw me. I was at her hatching, I brought her up, I showed her the world … She swallowed hard, memories welling up in her brain.
A horn cracked through the shell, followed by a small, dark head, dwarfed by two huge ears. Two huge black eyes squinted in the sudden rush of light.
"Pras?" it squeaked.
"How could I do that to her?" Leaf moaned, fists clenching in regret. "She'd hardly grown any older since then. I wasn't just an idol to her … I was her coach, role model, and mom, all rolled into one. She looked up to me like I was a star. Maybe it went to my head in the end."
"Will you protect me, Mommy?"
"Of course I'll protect you, Paris …"
"I could always count on her to love me, no matter what …"
"Mommy! You came back!" squealed the Lapras, bowing her head down to nuzzle Leaf's face.
"Even if my own stupid selfishness blinded me to that."
"You're not the Pokemon I thought you were. You never were, really …"
"And in return, I ditched her like yesterday's news."
"I'm releasing you."
"Please, Mommy …"
"If it was all for nothing, then the cause is pretty much worthless, isn't it?"
A soft tap startled her from her troubled thoughts. "Hey, Leaf …"
"Huh?" She glanced over the edge of the bed to see the wide, expectant eyes of her young cat Pokemon gazing back at her. "Oh. Morning, Parvati."
"Morning. Hey, you should come downstairs. You've been sleeping for ages, and Bill's got breakfast ready for us!" The Meowth beamed, licking her whiskery chops. "Well, he did at first. But then I got really hungry, because it smelled soooo good, and me and Eevee got into a fight over who could eat it first … I won."
She sighed, her head falling back onto the pillow with a soft thump. "That's great, Parvati. Really great."
"Hey …" With a graceful leap, the cat leapt onto the bed next to her, tail flicking from side to side as she tilted her fuzzy head in concern. "You okay, Leaf? You don't seem really with it. You look kinda sad, actually."
Really? the girl thought tersely. I had no idea. Then she blinked, realizing with sorrow that it was that kind of thinking that had driven her to abandon Paris. Swallowing hard, she turned her head toward the large window, through which sunlight streamed cheerfully. I have to stop acting like this, she told herself firmly. Or else I'll lose another Pokemon …
"C'mon, tell me what's wrong," Parvati pleaded, nudging her blanket-covered arm with a soft white paw. "I've gotta know. Fystor told you yesterday that you needed to cooperate with the people you're working with," she added, squinting one eye in an attempt to look sly. "So cooperate with me. Tell me what's bugging you."
"I'm wrong," Leaf mumbled.
Parvati leaned a little closer, putting an ear in her trainer's face. "What?"
"I said, I'm wrong!" the brunette moaned, burying her head under the fluffy pillow. "If I hadn't been so stupidly selfish, Paris'd still be with us! I couldn't look past the stupid indigo scales … to me, it was like nothing was under them." She huffed dejectedly. "Too damn short-sighted of me."
"Paris is your old Lapras, right?"
"Mhm."
"Well." With a brief tensing of muscles, the cat casually sprung up onto Leaf's shoulder, where she sat down as if she owned the human rather than the other way around. "You knew what you were doing when you released her, right? Then why're you only just now seeing what's wrong with it?"
"Dunno," Leaf said, voice muffled. "Maybe I needed time to figure it out. Or maybe it was Mom being abducted — because, you know, I had to feel the pain she went through before I could understand why I shouldn't have made such a stupid mistake. Having a constant female role model torn away from you … it's important to have one, especially these days with all the stupid arrogant boys telling you that they make better trainers. At least you know where your mom is …"
A soft crash emanated from downstairs, followed by the sound of Peter's snickering. A stray ray of sun crept over the lower edge of the window, catching Leaf's eyes in a blinding stream of light. With a sigh she turned her face away, gazing instead at the shadow she cast on the wall. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, she wished above anything that this mess had never happened. Cleaning up mistakes was too painful a job, she had only now realized.
"Run that by me again?"
She sniffed involuntarily. "What, the whole thing? Something about figuring it out—"
"Not that. You said, 'They make better trainers'. Personally, I think that's a weird thing to say. I mean, from what Mom and I have seen, there're so many different paths that trainers follow. Some are meaner than others, but not all the nice ones are good at training. What's the difference between a good trainer and a lame one, then?" There was a brief pause in which she allowed her words to reach Leaf's brain; then, kneading her forepaws into Leaf's shoulder, she continued. "From what Frosti and Cheri have told me, you've got a great competitive spirit. But y'know, you get kind of … focused on things … so much that you end up hurting people's feelings. Maybe that's how a good trainer is supposed to be, and maybe it's not. But still … I think that there's a reason you guys are called Pokemon trainers. It's kind of, you know, about us rather than you. Of course, the fact that you're feeling sorry about Paris might mean I don't even have to tell you this, but …"
The words hung in the air long after Parvati had finished speaking. Only the squawk of an unseen Pidgey somewhere outside disturbed the contemplative silence.
"Sorry," the cat finally murmured after a few moments. "I guess it's not really my place to lecture. Just an idea, I guess …" She trailed off awkwardly, curling her tail around her paws and biting her lip in embarrassment.
Leaf, becoming painfully aware of the pressure her face was feeling from the mattress, lifted her head ever so slightly. Is that true? she asked herself. Was this really going on from the second Frosti and I met? Snapping at them like I do … I'm like Fire, back when he was an insensitive jerkwad. But the abuse, if there was any, was so subtle that until I abandoned her, I was the one they were rooting for.
I was the hero, weirdly enough.
Ha! If that's heroics, give me a crash course in villainy.
With a grunt, she began pushing herself up; Parvati, cat that she was, nimbly jumped to her trainer's side as the girl moved blearily into a sitting position. Sighing, she looked down at her Meowth, who returned her gaze with a tilted head and wide, expectant eyes. What am I going to do? she wondered. I can't hurt them like I hurt Paris. But hell, how am I supposed to change? It's not like I'm playing some lame video game where I can try again if I screw it up. And I might end up making things even worse! I know for sure I won't be able to forgive myself.
Although … Fystor was acting like she knew everything about it. Of course, that might just be aura, but maybe she could give me some ideas about what to do. The legendary's insufferable smirk popped up in her mind, but she brushed it aside with a mental wave. After all, who knows how old she really is — she's bound to have seen a case like this before. And really, any argument besides "give her to me" is a good argument in my book.
"Don't be sorry," she said aloud, giving Parvati a wan smile as she scratched behind her ears. "Yesterday I would've said that it's not my place to be lectured. Just goes to show how wrong you can be about yourself, doesn't it?"
Parvati responded with a contented purr, rubbing her head against Leaf's palm. The warm metal of her forehead coin rubbed against her skin, but she concentrated instead on the soft vitality of her creamy fur. It'll be fine, the girl told herself, watching her Meowth close her eyes happily. It's not a long shot; Fystor never misses a chance to put me down. And she's sure to have the best solution, in any case. Nothing can go wrong with this plan, surely …
"Gone? What d'you mean, 'gone'?"
Lightning flinched as a spray of food flew at him: Leaf was currently tearing into a granola bar, tossing its shiny wrapper into the steadily growing pile of similar wrappers sitting on the table before her. Carefully keeping a straight face, he wiped the spittle from his nose, forcing himself not to show disgust. He couldn't really blame her for her unladylike behavior, as she hadn't eaten in over a day — Most people have never gone that long without food, he had to remind himself — and Bill's miraculous discovery of the box shoved somewhere at the back of the pantry had triggered in the ravenous girl a reaction similar to that of a Scyther finding itself in a locked room full of tiny red Pokemon. Still, letting somebody demand an answer of him with a mouth full of food was getting on his nerves. It was definitely getting on Peach's, at any rate: the small electric mouse glared furiously at the girl from her usual position on Lightning's shoulder.
Facing them from the opposite end of the table, Roark rolled his eyes. "By 'gone', we mean 'she's already left'," he replied. "I'm really, really hoping you already knew what that meant."
She glared at him.
"She left this for us to find, probably a long time before we even woke up," he went on, sliding the paper sitting in front of him towards her. "Bill didn't see it, obviously. He was still raving about his calculations for 'the air velocity of a Swellow', which is why he didn't notice it in plain sight on the table. If Fystor didn't expect that, I'm a girl." He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms.
"But you are a girl, Obi-Wan," a voice by his feet crooned in mock adoration.
He sighed. "Anni, if you're making another crack about my hair—"
The rest of their bickering faded into the background as Leaf scanned the note.
I've headed out. Before you start complaining about it, remember that I'VE got things to do too. It's called responsibility, for the love of Mother. In any case, I already did an Aura Burn to hide you people from Vember when she regains her senses, so you'd better be happy. And after I check in on those bloody Twins, I'll have to oversee Wes's and Rui's progress along with your own. Group advice: don't make me have to save you too many times, all right? It pisses me off.
Lightning: Your Pokemon are happy. KEEP them happy. Reason? Two words: The. Shadows.
Roark: The Lapras isn't strong enough yet to fight ocean currents, so your best bet is following them. I think that on this coast they move south, at least during this time of year. I may be wrong, so ask somebody about it. And keep your bloody head down if you want to survive.
Leaf: Next gym leader's a psychic, so MAKE SURE everything in your big head isn't floating around for any telepath or aura reader to see. Oh, and BTW, quit being an asshole.
One bit of common sense here – if you run into an angel, DON'T get into a fight with it if you can help it. Remember its name instead, or at least its face. Using your brain is a GOOD thing, FYI. Now hurry up and get out of Cerulean before Vember tracks you down. You people weren't chosen for nothing.
Fystor
She continued to stare at it, unseeing. The blood drained from her knuckles as she tightened her grip on the edge of the chair. Her heart plummeted as she realized that she couldn't wait for Fystor to check in on them, that she'd have to think up a painful solution all on her own – but considering how horribly she'd abandoned Paris, anything she thought of wouldn't cut it with Cheri and Frosti.
Something audibly bumped the table, and her gaze tore away from the paper instinctively, only to inadvertently lock with a pair of burning black eyes staring back at her from the dank shadows of the kitchen. Frosti's expression was inscrutable. An orange flame flickered as his tail swayed to and fro, back and forth, as precisely timed as a clock's ticking pendulum. After several seconds, he finally sighed moodily and moved behind the counter, vanishing from view.
I can't do this without them, she thought, mechanically tearing another bite from her granola bar. And I can't pretend I can boss them around like it's nobody's business anymore. But how am I supposed to make it right? They fought for me, even when they thought it was pointless. And that's just one of the debts that can't be repaid.
"— and a beard," Anni was saying. "A shaggy druggie beard, like the pedo had in that one Christmas movie, before he had to become the new Santa when he smashed the old one with his van. Which reminds me, we should get strawberry jam sometime, that stuff is damn good."
"For the last time, Anni, this is not going to turn into another American Idol rip-off!" Roark exclaimed, half annoyed and half amused.
Lightning blinked at him. "Wait, what?"
The redhead sighed, rolling his eyes at some memory. "Long story."
"You only say that when I win," the dinosaur remarked smartly, snickering.
They're smart. Watching the playful banter and Lightning's usual confusion, Leaf's heart sank further as the situation's ridiculousness hit her again. They didn't get here through being selfish and superior. Lightning puts his Pokemon's happiness before anything else, and he's doing great. And sure, maybe Roark screwed up with the Skipper-as-Marshtomp thing, but still – he did it because he cared about Skipper, enough that he didn't want evolution to hurt him. Twisted his reasoning there like hell, but at least he saw his mistake sooner than I did. Exhaling, she closed her eyes, letting darkness wipe out her vision for a moment. What am I supposed to do?
In the counter's dismal shadow, Frosti sat and hugged himself tighter, trying to ignore the unwashed scent wafting from the grimy floor. The searching, analytical expression of his trainer, seen just moments before, lingered leeringly in his mind, as the statement he now knew to be the truth resounded through his mind.
She doesn't think I'm worth her time.
It was obvious, he told himself, obvious enough that nobody had to say it. He was by no means inexperienced in battle by now, yet he was still clearly a disappointment. After all, he was her first Pokemon, and so should logically have the closest bond with her and be her strongest fighter to boot. Of course, any misconception that this was the case had long since been shattered: Cheri had already asserted herself as the most powerful team member, and Parvati, who they'd met barely two days ago, was showing the trainer an unending display of affection that was clearly returned. And where did that put him? On the sidelines as an outcast, in every respect but physical. And now, with his new nervousness concerning evolution, that status was more obvious than ever.
She wanted him to evolve, and he hadn't. She wanted him to be an outstanding battler, and he wasn't. She wanted him, above all, to make her proud of him somehow, and he couldn't.
Because if a Lapras couldn't please her – a rare, powerful Pokemon sought after by trainers, coordinators and collectors alike – then how could a Charmander, a specie seen comparatively often in the care of young trainers, ever hope to meet her impossible expectations?
"Sulking as usual, I see?"
His already tense frame stiffened even more as a startled hiss escaped his clench teeth. The noise died as he turned to see Anni looking down at him, a smirk playing at the corners of her beaked mouth. With a slight shiver he forced himself to calm down, feeling his pounding heart begin to return to its natural rhythm.
"I'm not sulking," he retorted, his voice coming off rather more annoyed than he'd intended.
"Yeah, right. Real convincing show, small fry." She plopped down next to him on the floor; eying him shrewdly. "Come on, bugger, lighten up. In half an hour tops, we'll all be outta here on that quest thingy. It's a hell of a lot better than sticking around here forever with that retarded scientist."
"Mm." He stared off into space, ignoring her.
"Look, buddy, I'm talking to you. We might not get another chance to talk for, I dunno, fricking months. If the psycho angel chick doesn't kill us all, that is. Then conversations would be too damn difficult to do without a fricking séance."
He gave no sign that he'd heard her, gazing at the far corner of the kitchen instead. Sunlight was already illuminating the floor over there, revealing the dark stains, glaringly bold against the pale tiles.
"Ugh. Work with me, dammit!" she snapped, shoving him over; with a gasp he was forced to hastily push himself back into position before he toppled onto the floor. "You need to know how fricking lucky you are, you moron!"
Now he finally looked at her, a bit of cynicism glinting in his stare. "Lucky? Me?" He chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "We're running off to do something that'll probably get us all killed, or maybe even Crushed. And I have to work with Leaf as a trainer."
She snorted. "Yeah, I don't envy you there. With a trainer like that, who needs fricking enemies? But that's not the point. The point, small fry, is that I'm … I'm jealous."
He raised an imaginary eyebrow. "Oh really? And what exactly is so great about me that you'll come down off your pedestal and talk to me about it?"
"Don't try to needle me, asshole," she snapped, glaring daggers at him. "You have something that I've wanted since I was born – and I'm millions of years old, so you can bet your moping ass I'll be wailing on you about it. See, you actually have a choice on whether to evolve, and you'd rather be a moron and not evolve."
Is that all? With a scoff, he turned away again.
"Look, retard, you may be all emo about it, but not all of us are. Back in the fricking day, I wasn't strong enough to evolve when the Arceus-damned meteor hit. Then I got resurrected, got a trainer, and got a fricking life. I got stronger. But I also got this." She shoved her wrist in his face.
He recoiled instinctively, then frowned as he realized she was only trying to show him something: a collection of beads made of small rocks, strung together so that they encircled the Cranidos's wrist. They gleamed with a flat, sandy gray color, contrasting sharply with the dinosaur's dark gray skin. As it neared his face, his heartbeat almost instantly dropped to its usual rate, and he gasped in surprise at the sudden change, wincing slightly as the blood ceased to race through his veins and resumed its natural flow. He blinked, frowning in confusion. Why was he afraid again?
"Carved from Everstone," Anni told him from somewhere outside his vision; the bracelet held him transfixed as he basked in the change it had wrought in him. "Roark made it himself. Even before he became gym leader, we'd watch challengers battle his dad in his gym. We saw a lot of evolutions, and some of them were pretty gory, I'm not gonna lie. So he made me promise to always wear this, and I said fine, dammit, I will. Later on Skipper and Emily each got one, and they've been wearing those too – or at least Emily is, considering. But it never pissed them off as much as it did me."
A slight smile came over Frosti's face as he continued to stare at the bracelet. Somehow, it made him feel safe, stable, secure. Then Anni withdrew her hand, and the dark feeling returned with a vengeance, kicking his blood back into overdrive. His head automatically turned to follow it, and his eyes gleamed hungrily.
"If you hate it so bad, you could give it to me," he murmured. Inside, he rejoiced at the idea. Finally a solution to the agonizing terror hovering over him, a guarantee that he'd never have to choose, never need to suffer, and always feel that cool suppression destroying any possibility of a terrifying future. Grinning, he reached out for it with an eager orange hand.
SMACK!
"No chance of that, small fry."
Hissing in pain, Frosti clenched his teeth as he glanced down at his injury; a brilliant red welt was already forming in the shape of Anni's palm. "What the h— … the heck did you slap me for?" he growled, nearly swearing in anger.
"Because you shouldn't take things that don't belong to you, nimrod." She grasped at it protectively with her other hand, beak clacking in distaste. "Besides, it's important to me, even though it's retarded. He makes us wear these because he doesn't want our brains spurting out our noses, or something, and nobody can blame him for keeping us safe. I owe it to him anyway; he's the one who dug me up. But still … He doesn't understand how much the benefits outweigh the risks." She sighed, half-closing her eyes. "He just doesn't."
Her reasoning calmed Frosti down slightly, and he unconsciously nodded at her words. Yet the fear and discomfort persisted, and his insides crawled with uncertainty.
"Just wanted to let you know about what you're deciding," Anni grunted as she pushed herself back into a standing position. "Throw the chance away if you want, but at least I tried to tell you. Hell, it might drive you crazy, but it's not nagging my fricking conscience anymore … I guess I'll be seeing you around sometime, small fry. Maybe. Not likely, though."
And she left, leaving him in a shadow even gloomier than before.
"So it turns out that while the presence of the Exeggcute does make a difference, there are over two hundred other variables which could affect flight velocity," Bill rattled on, facing them from the inside of the doorway. He paused to consult the inky notebook in his hand, then nodded and continued, "Okay, three hundred, not two. But guess what? One of the most prominent variables is the Swellow's place of origin. So, given that there are no other manipulated variables, a Hoennese Swellow will have a different velocity than a Sinnohan Swellow!" Striking a scientifically triumphant pose, he beamed at the three teenagers, who managed to return weak grins. "I know, right? Everybody'll be thrilled about this!"
Leaf nodded vaguely, not really listening. Today, at last, they were going to actually do something about the crazy happenings, and it was highly likely that somebody would inconveniently get themselves killed. In spite of the warm sun rays cast upon her back, a shiver ran up her spine.
"Well," the scientist said, beaming at them all, "good luck on your journeying. Hopefully you'll get where you're going as painlessly and quickly as possible. Even if it's not as fast as an unladen Swellow. Leaf …" He sighed, the grin fading from his face. "I really, really am sorry about almost killing you. I wasn't trying to just smooth it over when I apologized before, and I want to really make it up to you, so … here."
He fished two slips of blue paper from his pocket, handing them to her. With a puzzled expression, she scanned the identical writing shown on each of them. Apparently, each was a ticket admitting one person onto some boat called the S.S. Anne. "Thanks," she told him, slipping the tickets into her pocket. Don't know why the hell he'd think I want to go running around after some little boat, but I might as well accept his apology. "I really appreciate this. And don't beat yourself up about it. I'm okay now, aren't I?"
The grin reappeared as he nodded. "True. I just wasn't sure if the psychological wounds had healed along with the physical … anyway, I'll try and reason with the Clefairy like you all suggested. Imagine if I manage to actually get some sentient communication out of it! It'll be the first first-hand account of life as a Shadow that the world has ever seen! All I'll need to do then is teach it how to use a keyboard …"
He shook hands with each of them, and they smiled in return, gazing up at the sunny-yellow cottage almost wistfully as they said their goodbyes. It was with mixed relief and sadness that they slowly turned and began their long walk away from the only truly safe abode they'd known in a while, as they passed the tall, haughty hotels overlooking the sea. Within those walls they'd seen terror and drama, rage and tears, yet as their feet shuffled through a sea of green grass, they realized that, while they had stayed there, they'd felt a strange sense of security from the rest of the world, as if the isolated location had eliminated everyone else on the planet. But they only realized this now, as the scientist waved after their retreating backs and they plunged back into the jaws of dangerous adventure.
"Here they are!" Nurse Joy giggled, sliding two trays with three Poke Balls each towards their respective owners. "All healthy and ready to go! Lightning's are all better now, too, but he's still in the ER with his Nidorina. It may be a while before he comes out. He still feels guilty about her evolution, the poor thing." Readjusting her nurse's cap, she turned daintily and vanished into a back room.
Leaf hastily reached for a tray, not wanting to stick around with her companion longer than she had to, and pulled it toward herself, eager to get this wait over with. Pulling the lid off, she quickly reached for a Ball and placed in on her belt, then paused, frowning in confusion at the one of the remaining spheres. Weird, she thought, picking it up and staring at it curiously. I don't remember ever having a Great Ball.
At her side, Roark cleared his throat awkwardly. "Those are mine."
Flushing, she replaced the two Balls she'd taken on the tray, then swapped trays and took her own Poke Balls. Ignoring the miner as he reclaimed his Pokemon, she glanced about the Center's lobby, searching for a place to sit while they'd wait for Lightning to finish his excruciatingly long visit with Dory. Furniture lined the sterile room in an aesthetically pleasing way, yet most of the chairs were occupied by trainers waiting for their own creatures, sitting in various states of anxiety. The only unclaimed seating she could see was a small couch with just enough room to accommodate two people.
What the hell.
A scowl twisted her mouth downward as she stalked haughtily towards the couch, pretending not to hear the footsteps of the boy behind her. With twin sighs they sat on either side of the couch, taking care to leave as much space between them as was possible. Folding their arms, they glared in opposite directions as if they'd never seen each other before in their lives.
Somewhere outside of Leaf's vision, a little boy wailed. She gritted her teeth and tried to shut the grating noise out, albeit to no avail – the shrill sound of his voice brought Paris's mournful cry echoing from the dark depths of memory.
"Cut that out," she muttered, rubbing her temples.
"I didn't do anythi—"
"I wasn't talking to you!" she snapped, swiveling around to stare coldly at him.
He raised his hands in front of himself defensively. "Well, sorry."
She let him fry in her glare for a long moment, then turned away in a superior manner. Yet even over the obnoxious sound of the little boy, she thought she heard Roark mutter "Girls" under his breath.
Her eyes rolled. "Miners," she scoffed.
"Kantoan."
"Idiot."
"Drama queen."
"Four-eyes!"
"Snob!"
"Nerd!"
"Hillbilly!"
"Oh no you didn't!" she shrieked, leaping at him with nails bared.
"I need to go," Lightning whispered. He tightened his grip on Dory's paw ever so slightly, half afraid that she might vanish into thin air if he let go. The pale blue Pokemon didn't respond, however; only the shallow rise and fall of her pale chest and the slow beeping of the nearby ECG indicated that she was still alive.
The coordinator's mouth half curled in an attempt at a smile. Even with the ugly patches where the glow had burned the skin away, and the nauseating lumps where the bones had broken, she looked so peaceful laying there on the cot, far from the pain that would invariably rack her fragile frame when she reawakened. She's a tough one, he thought proudly, telling himself that the moisture forming in his eyes was due to the scent of Lysol burning out his sinuses. Not just a courageous girl, but a survivor. A survivor like me.
Gently he uncurled his hand from his Pokemon's, pushing himself to his feet as he did so. From his shoulder, Peach patted his head comfortingly, gazing down at the unconscious Nidorina with soft black eyes. "Bye, Dory," she whispered, looking back as Lightning dejectedly turned and walked out the door, letting the Pokemon sleep.
Immediately a loud crash from the lobby caught their attention, and with a worried expression Lightning sprinted down the sterile corridor, Peach clinging to his shoulder; a few stray sparks leapt from her short fur in anticipation.
"What's this?" he heard Joy ask loudly above the noise of the clattering and oddly familiar shrieks. "No, no, no fights in here! This is a strictly pacifistic building! Miss McKenzie, you shouldn't … oh dear …"
Fearing the worst, Lightning skidded into the lobby, sneakers sliding on slick tile. A strange sight met his inquisitive eyes: several chairs and a couch had been overturned, revealing undersides dotted with stains and ancient gum. A crowd of waiting patients stared with him in disbelief at a wild-looking Leaf, who smirked triumphantly at a helmeted figure limping quickly out the glass doors and out of sight.
"Aw, Leaf …" he moaned, facepalming.
"He called me a hillbilly," she replied, blowing her frazzled hair out of her face. "The dude called me a hillbilly."
"Oh, let's just get out of here," he muttered, grabbing his Poke Balls from Joy's unresisting hands. "We could've at least split up with him peacefully," he went on, dragging her by the hand toward the door. "Like 'so this is goodbye' or something. You didn't have to maul him."
"What?" Leaf snorted. "And leave this place without a bang?"
It was a mark of how shocking Leaf's attack had been that the nurse didn't even call after them that she hoped to see them again soon.
karatekid: fout a mousse thing tody, scary struff
Sarcasm_Flower: Whee, sounds fun.
* Cranidos has joined #leag
karatekid: I knowr ight
Kenobi: =D
Kenobi: hi
Cranidos: Hi :)
karatekid: so teh mousce thingie had a flufffy face
Sarcasm_Flower: Oh hey
Kenobi: How're you?
Cranidos: Got beat up
Kenobi: Ohnoez :o
Cranidos: by a girl
Sarcasm_Flower: Leaf again?
Sarcasm_Flower: Why the hell are you still with her?
Cranidos: I'm not.
Sarcasm_Flower: Good.
Cranidos: I'm heading out of town today
Kenobi: So you're coming back?
* Spider has joined #leag
karatekid: and it hasd hugews teeths
Cranidos: No, sorry.
Kenobi: :(
Kenobi: Why not?
Cranidos: Stuff.
Sarcasm_Flower: Hey Janine!
Kenobi: Like what?
karatekid: and it sadi rawer
Spider: Hi
Spider: I'm so bored x_x
Cranidos: Crazy stuff.
Kenobi: Well that clears things up.
Sarcasm_Flower: So am I
Cranidos: Hey Misty
Sarcasm_Flower: stupid sisters took my Joyfeel to use in a show :/
Sarcasm_Flower: What?
Spider: *nod*
Cranidos: Currents on this ocean are going south, right?
Sarcasm_Flower: Yeah
karatekid: and ull never gess wat it did
Cranidos: Kay, just double checking.
Kenobi: It bit your Lucario?
karatekid: OMG
karatekid: HOW DID U NKOW
Sarcasm_Flower: It's because he's magic.
karatekid: I KNEW IT
Spider: What does it even matter where currents are going?
Sarcasm_Flower: He's over here in my city and he's a curious nerd.
Sarcasm_Flower: That's why
Cranidos: :/
Spider: OK
Sarcasm_Flower: It's okay Roark.
Sarcasm_Flower: Everyone else who's here already knows.
karatekid: so yah liek it bit my lcacefuo
Cranidos: Only thanks to you :/
Kenobi: LOL
BASTIODON: So that's where you are! Roark, my boy, why didn't you let me know sooner?
Sarcasm_Flower: OMG
Spider: Or not. o.o;
Kenobi: …
karatekid: wat
Kenobi: Um
Kenobi: Hi Mr. Howard?
Spider: Have you been here all this time sir?
BASTIODON: Indeed.
Sarcasm_Flower: That's SO WEIRD
Sarcasm_Flower: OMG
karatekid: hey tis is liek teh timw wen the buggy thingu bit my luvario
Spider: +1 Ninja
BASTIODON: You're too kind Janine.
Sarcasm_Flower: ._.!
BASTIODON: So you're in Cerulean, Roark?
Sarcasm_Flower: Well
Sarcasm_Flower: I don't think he wanted you to know
BASTIODON: What?
Kenobi: Yeah, that's what he said.
Kenobi: Right Roark?
karatekid: cas it had liek fangs amd kept saing rawwwwwwwwwwwr
Kenobi: Roark?
Sarcasm_Flower: Where'd he go?
Spider: He's still online I believe
Kenobi: What exactly's going on, sir?
BASTIODON: Well
BASTIODON: How much has he told you?
Cranidos: Nothing, luckily.
karatekid: then lucsarip was all leik U SAHLLL NOY POASS
* Cranidos has left #leag
BASTIODON: Son!
BASTIODON: Wait
Kenobi: Roark?
Sarcasm_Flower: …
Spider: Now he's gone.
Kenobi: Mr. Howard, what happened?
BASTIODON: Nothing!
BASTIODON: nothing at all.
karatekid: and teh buggie was leik AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPQ
BASTIODON: Been worried sick about him
Sarcasm_Flower: Cause he was all emo/nerd.
Sarcasm_Flower: Weird combo
BASTIODON: Hm.
* BASTIODON has left #leag
Spider: Did that really just happen?
Kenobi: Did what happen?
Spider: I dunno.
Sarcasm_Flower: Everybody's weird.
Sarcasm_Flower: Especially their family.
karatekid: and tehn it died. lol
Kenobi: Died, hm.
Spider: What?
Kenobi: Just thinking.
Kenobi: Strange how all this started when
Kenobi: … hm, yeah.
Kenobi: He hasn't been seen since then.
Sarcasm_Flower: Since when?
Spider: When?
Kenobi: Yeah … that's a weird coincidence.
* Kenobi has left #leag
Sarcasm_Flower: WTF.
Spider: Boys.
Sarcasm_Flower: Agreed.
Sarcasm_Flower: Boys can be such boys sometimes.
Spider: In a really boyish way.
Sarcasm_Flower: True that.
Spider: Ninjas and tomboys are better
Spider: Girl ninjas I mean
Sarcasm_Flower: Girls ftw.
Spider: Even though girls aren't good enough to date.
Sarcasm_Flower: Yeah.
Sarcasm_Flower: Wait, what?
Spider: Weird logic tangent. Sorry.
Sarcasm_Flower: o_0;
Spider: LOL.
"You didn't."
"We did."
"You didn't."
"We have established otherwise, Fystor. Really."
"You didn't!"
"Don't be so surprised, Feisty. This is a big event, remember? A big event."
"Rrrrrrrgh!"
The blood-red equine and jet-black cat exchanged smirks, then turned back to continue watching Fystor bang her furry head on the counter. With each frustrated smack, the abandoned glasses vibrated slightly, their various contents swirling in miniature whirlpools, catching the dim light and scattering it. Her long pointed ears flopped back and forth.
"Bloody – hell," she spat, each word punctuated by a smack, "why – couldn't – you – idiots – just – close – the – damn – Casino – like – you're – supposed – to?"
"Because it's a big event," Secloven repeated innocently, winking at his sister.
With a groan, Fystor put a paw to her throbbing head and turned to glare at them. "Must I spell it out for you?" she growled, massaging the injured site. "The mission is supposed to be as safe for the 'chosen ones' as possible. The mission is not supposed to be conveniently watched by every freaking person who happens to be in the Casino, many of whom are guaranteed to be on Apolydon's side and want nothing better than to let the kids fall into his clutches. News flash: this is the freaking world is at stake. And somehow, sane people such as myself have the crazy idea that the well-being of the world is just a little higher on the general priority list than the success—"
"Hold it," Secloven interrupted lazily. "I lost you, Feisty. 'Cause you were rambling, you know? At first I was like, 'What?' and then I was like, 'Huh?' And then I got bored, and … ah … something about clutches?"
"Oh, forget it," Fystor muttered, facepalming. "Reasoning with you bloody Twins is like playing poker with spoons."
"How so?" Sentarpen asked silkily.
"What d'you mean, 'how so?'"
"You used ambiguous wording," the feline explained, tufted tail twitching. "The way you said it made the sentence have different possible meanings. I mean, would the spoons replace the people, or the chips, or the cards?"
A long silence stretched between them. Somewhere near the Game, a spirit guffawed heartily, breaking through the surface of the sea of excited chatter.
"I can't believe this," Fystor whispered incredulously. "I. Can. Not. Believe. This. You don't care about how many Pokemon here are evil disciples setting out to help him Crush everybody, and yet you're getting worked up about how you would play poker with spoons?"
"Well, yes," Sentarpen admitted. "That is the general idea."
"Yeah," her brother agreed. "By the way, why are you a Lucario?"
Piercing eyes of silver locked onto sparkling blue irises. "Oh, I dunno," she replied sarcastically. "Maybe to talk to people here without worrying they'll blow my freaking head off while my back is turned. What with everyone seeing the action, all of Apolydon's buddies'll know who honorable old Fystor's siding with. Thanks for that, by the way."
"You're welcome."
Scowling in exasperation, Fystor stormed off towards the Game, leaving the Twins behind as she approached the blindingly lit map, its brilliant rays only partially blocked by the flock of Pokemon crowding around it. Just forget about them, she told herself sharply, balling her paws into fists. Concentrate on the task at hand.
Her eyes darted from one Pokemon to the next as she carefully eased her way into the crowd, examining their auras with no real expectation of finding anything; any follower of Apolydon worth paying attention to would no doubt have trained themselves to keep their thoughts and emotions under control. Nevertheless she watched the players and observers intently, and the four ear-like sensors drooping from the back of her head bumped each other gently as she turned her pointed blue-and-black face to and fro, ever so casually looking at the crowd while inside her mind furiously processed the aura's information. Any one of those – even the bouncing, giggling blue bastard blob, better known as a Phione – could be a potential and perhaps even lethal enemy.
Suddenly an unprotected aura, one still colored by intentions and hopes and yet radiating impressive power, leapt into her vision, and she actually halted in her tracks, surprised at the fact that she'd found anything at all. Letting her eyes scan that area again, she quickly rediscovered it as belonging to a small fox Pokemon, gazing up wistfully at the players of the Game; lifting a small paw, the fox tapped the clawed foot of a metallic, vicious-looking bird, but the Skarmory only laughed, shaking his wickedly sharp head in amusement as he returned his sharp-eyed attention to the map.
An unaligned angel! Fystor realized, watching with newfound interest.
Biting her lip, the angel slunk away from the mass of Pokemon crowding around the Game. Her eyes didn't seem to have adjusted to the darkness away from the brightly glowing board, though: she smacked right into a tall, dark canine Pokemon who watching the players curiously. She gasped in surprise at the impact, falling back onto her six-tailed rear with a soft thump.
The taller, bipedal fox Pokemon tilted his sleek head in her direction, a scowl forming on his clever face. "Watch it, punk," he growled darkly, his thick crimson mane bristling.
"S-sorry!" she squeaked, scrambling to her small paws as she tried to back away. In her haste she stumbled, barely catching herself as she kept her wide, nervous eyes fixed on the dark-type, who smirked threateningly. His blood-red claws twitched, and a mischievous glint flashed from the pale blue eyes shining against the shadows of his gray-black fur.
Tough guy, eh? Fystor's own eyes narrowed. The bugger'll cause trouble. Better nip this in the bud if I want to get her alone. Rubbing her hands together as if in preparation, she nimbly sidled through the maze of eager watchers, who grumbled vaguely if she blocked their view of the Game but otherwise failed to acknowledge her.
"Kinda young to be hanging out here, aren't you?" The leering tone in the dark Pokemon's voice and aura grew more obnoxious as the legendary approached. "Shouldn't you be cuddling up with your mommy, kid? Don't want some massive monster meanie munching you into mash, do you?" He paused to watch unease cross her fuzzy face, then added, "By the way, I'm really hungry at the moment … since you're here, you might as well let me borrow your jugular for a while. And by 'a while', I mean forever." A glistening tongue snaked from the depths of his jaws to lick his grinning chops.
"Ah-actually, I was just going," the Vulpix stammered, choking out a nervous laugh. Her large brown eyes flicked to the side, and with a sudden movement she pounced out of the way with a squeal just as the wolf lunged at her; his claws, gleaming like knives, whistled through the space she had just vacated. With a slurp, he swiveled in her direction, ready to strike—
And froze, frowning slightly at the sight of a slender black-and-blue jackal standing directly between him and his intended victim. The Vulpix's mouth fell open in surprise as she watched her savior place her paws on her shorts-clad hips, fixing the confused wolf with a cool silver stare.
"I'm sorry," the Lucario said sweetly, not sounding sorry at all. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Yeah." The would-be devourer slid his tongue over his fangs, causing them to drip with greenish saliva. "The kid was gonna treat me to lunch, and I just couldn't tell her no. Say," he said, gazing at her as if only just noticing her, "you're a pretty hot vixen yourself, girl. Whaddya say you and me get to know each other, maybe squeeze in a little dog-on-dog action?"
"Cool story, bro." She shot him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "But Pokemon aren't allowed eat other Pokemon here. And FYI, it's not sexy to compare girls to things that you're about to kill and dissect with your bare hands, so bugger off."
His eyes lit up demonically. "Hard nut to crack, are you? Excellent. I like my females a little feisty, and you'll be perfect in the—"
CRUNCH.
A gurgling scream clawed its way from his throat as he seized his broken jawbone, and he dropped to his knees as an endless torrent of paralyzing pain stabbed at him from the nasty crack. The few nearby Game-watchers on the edge of the crowd glanced over at them in curiosity and comparative apathy, as most shrugged and turned back to watch the players beat on each other. By the jackal's feet, the Vulpix gazed up in awe at her as she dusted off her paws leisurely, still giving him that cool look.
"It's bad enough when they call me that," she muttered, "but I'm sure as hell not going to be referred to that by mortals. Oh, get over it," she snapped, as he unleashed a particularly ugly wail. She twisted a hand around, pointing the spike on the outside of her wrist at him. "Be glad I used my palm and not my fist. Follow me, kid," she said, looking down at the Vulpix. "We need to talk."
"T-talk? Um – I don't want to waste your time or—"
"Just come on, all right? I just want to talk."
Cautiously, the fox trotted at the taller Pokemon's feet, following her warily as they made their way over to a more secluded corner of the Casino: in lieu of the recent upswing in the Game's popularity, this section of the slot machines, with their colored figures glowing eerily from the reels, was practically deserted. The Lucario glanced around briefly to double-check that no one else was nearby, then turned to look down at the Vulpix staring worriedly at her.
"I hope I wasn't a bother," the fox said after a moment. The short locks of orange fur curled on her head bobbed downward as she cast her eyes to her paws, shuffling self-consciously. "I'm sorry if I was inconvenient for you somehow."
"You are young, aren't you?" the other murmured, speaking mostly to herself.
There was a blink of surprise at the strange comment. "Um, sure?"
"And yet you already have six tails. Mhm, you're an angel, all right."
"What? No, I'm not a—"
"Yeah, you are. Don't try to pretend with me, kid. What's your name?"
The angel glanced to the side, as if pretending not to hear to question. Her triangular ears twitched in antsy nervousness.
"What's your name?" The repeated question fairly rang with force.
With a long huff, the Vulpix shifted her vague gaze to the other side. She sighed softly, then said, "Rinka. My name's Rinka."
"Rinka, eh? Well, Rinka, let me break this down for you. It is really, really dangerous for a neutral angel to come slinking around this Casino without careful control of his or her thoughts and aura. Didn't you know that, kid?"
She made a face. "I didn't even know this place existed, actually. I just wanted to relax for a bit, and then, suddenly, I'm here. Am I dead?"
"No, of course not. That ridiculous carpet cleaner smell would be brimstone if you were."
"Fair enough." Slowly she raised her head to meet Fystor's gaze, eyes glittering in the glow. "But if you don't mind me asking, who're you?"
"Well," Fystor replied, looking down to examine her claws almost apathetically, "that depends. The thing about the Apocalypse is that it's impossible not to be on a side in the end. So let me put it this way: depending on what you decide to do, I'm either your most trusted ally, or—"
Her eyes flicked back upward, locking Rinka's in a gaze that sent chills down her spine. With a shiver, the fox suddenly realized that this was no ordinary Lucario, and that somehow, in some way, she had stumbled onto something that she really didn't want to deal with.
"—Your worst nightmare." She smirked. "Choose carefully."
And there ends the Cerulean arc. To this day I don't know why it went on so long. Character development, I suppose.
And Leaguechat names, hooray:
BASTIODON = Byron
Cranidos = Roark
karatekid = Maylene
Kenobi = Riley
Sarcasm_Flower = Misty
Spider = Janine