Secrets of the Night
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!
Chapter 25: Obligations
Floe Island, Sevii Archipelago
It was already past midday and the sun was beginning to shift to the pale blue western sky. Despite the beating heat of the sun, the atmosphere along the Sevii group of islands was cool and calm. The serene beaches were peacefully quiet, only the symphonic waves crashing along the shoreline resonated amidst the salty breeze. Inside the pokemon center though, the mood was not as pleasant.
The clock hanging on the wall continued to tick monotonously, giving the still ambiance a heavy mood. Gremio was in the lounge, impatiently and worriedly waiting for his charge to return. He had taken a short nap earlier but it was not evident in his aged facial features. Concerned, Nurse Joy checked on him occasionally and understood how worried he was. Gremio was sitting on a couch while tapping the floor with his black polished shoe. His eyes were shifting from the window pane and then back to the floor. In his mind, he kept regretting that he left his charge with a boy who's not only younger than Neo, but also very much a stranger to the Takamoto family.
Gremio closed his eyes and exhaled for the nth time to restrain his nerves. When he opened them, he saw a sliver of light shimmering in the middle of the room. Then all of a sudden, the light expanded tenfold and blinded the man for a moment. In an instant, Gremio shielded his eyes with his arms and slowly brought them down when the light receded. Cautiously, he blinked several times and eyed the several figures that appeared out of nowhere. They were shrouded in a cold white mist, but as the moments passed, it became clear as to who they were.
Chase,after making sure that they indeed arrived at the pokemon center, rushed to Neo's side and carefully helped him back to his feet. He slung the older boy's arm over his shoulders and pulled him off the floor. Neo staggered and shifted his weight towards Chase. He was losing consciousness. He could no longer feel his legs and the rest of his body was becoming cold. Still, he gripped the Ultraball in his hand and forced himself to stay awake.
"Young master!" Gremio yelled in horror as he frantically ran to Neo's side. Adrenaline, guilt, worry and regret were swirling chaotically inside of him as he supported Neo's other arm. He eyed his charge and checked for cuts, wounds or anything else. All he noticed was a thin layer of frost on his hair and clothes, and a black and gold capsule held securely in his hand. He gave a lengthy sigh and ushered his charge to the next room to rest. "Young master, you are indeed reckless…"
Neo let out a weak smile and thought back on his accomplishment as he neared the next room. He could hear Nurse Joy's voice, frantic and concerned as well as Gremio's, but he couldn't raise his head to see them. All he could see was his feet, stepping crookedly in a sea of blurry white tiles. He took another set of steps and heard the door open. His eyelids were giving in to the weight. Luckily, he reached salvation. The soft warm bed was within reach.
Chase stepped back as Gremio finished ushering Neo unto the bed and covering him with the sheets. He watched as Neo fell asleep with Gremio's comforting stroke across his forehead. Guilt and regret were still fresh inside of him. Neo was in no condition to undergo a long journey. He had to understand that, but he was in desperate need of an ally and a way to reach the island of assassins.
Gremio checked Neo. His breathing was lax and he trembling ceased. His skin was still pale, but basing on experience, a good rest will bring the color back. Gremio gently took the Ultraball from Neo and set it beside his pillow. Then he let out a calming sigh and turned to Chase. He noticed the silver-haired boy simply standing there and looking away. For some reason, he seemed downtrodden.
"Sir Graceland, is there something the matter?" Gremio asked, earning a hesitant gaze from the boy.
Chase looked at Gremio and then lowered his head in shame. He couldn't look at him. He knew this happened because he was pushing Neo. It was his fault that Neo clenched his fists and kicked the floor with his boot. "I-I…"
*knock* *knock*
Before Chase could speak, a knock came from the door. Gremio and Chase directed their attention as Nurse Joy came inside. She smiled at them sweetly and turned to Gremio. "There is someone in the lobby looking for you."
"Yes, I see. Thank you very much," Gremio answered. His expression lit up somewhat, like he was waiting for the arrival of this person with much anticipation. He walked towards the door, but then turned about to look at Chase. "Sir Graceland, you are not at fault. Young master has a mind of his own. He can very much decide for himself. Whatever he resolves to do, it is my duty as his butler to assist him and support his endeavors no matter how much I fear for his well-being… So in light of this, Sir Graceland, I shall depend on you to take your part in looking after him. Refer to it as my personal request."
Chase was taken aback by Gremio's words. The weight of the guilt partly left his shoulders. It was encouraging to have someone place his trust in you, but it was also burdensome in the way it was coupled by the weight of living up to that person's expectations. Chase took it to heart and met Gremio's observant gaze with his own determined look, earning a soft smile from the old man.
Gremio then turned and left the room, leaving Chase and Nurse Joy in Neo's company. Meanwhile, the pokemon were in the treatment room with Nurse Joy's team of Chanseys. Gremio could hear them as he passed by and made his way to the lobby where a girl with brown hair, striking a violet jacket with a grey inside-shirt and faded jeans, sat back with her legs crossed and arms tucked behind her head. In front of her was a white furred creature with a grey crescent horn, and on the table was his Fletchinder, busily cleaning its vivid orange feathers with its pointed beak.
"Gremio, am I right?" The brunette glanced sideways after a stifled yawn. Then she sat up straight and stretched her arms upward. "Well, here's the thing that you ordered." She brought out a red case with five jars inside containing some sort of concoction. "Courtesy of Lady Amalia Felis."
Taking possession of the case, Gremio nodded his gratitude just as his Fletchinder flew off the table and perched itself on the man's shoulder. He watched as the brunette let out another yawn and stood up. That was when he noticed a pair of sheathed blades attached to her back in a criss-cross fashion. "You're from the Saber unit as well. I expected a member from the Sky unit."
"If you don't like it, I could always take the package back and have one of those airheads fly them back here," the girl shot back sarcastically and placed her hands on her hips. Her Absol then stood up and yawned lazily before trotting over to her side, anticipating their departure.
"My apologies…" Gremio bowed his head apologetically and raised his head to confirm whether or not the younger Saber unit member accepted it or not. "May I ask for your name?"
"Aspen. Aspen Weathercroft," the brunette replied, understanding that it would be more of a hassle if she waived the question around by not replying at all. "My job here is done. Can I go now? I still have stuff to do in Semira."
"Very well. You have my thanks…" Gremio placed a hand over his chest and bowed his head once again. Then he recalled the Fletchinder to its pokeball.
Aspen sighed in exasperation at the formality. Then suddenly, her eyes darted to the open door leading to the hallway and noticed a silver-haired boy watching them from the shadows. She locked gazed with the stranger's golden yellow eyes and stood very cautiously as Kyria, her Absol turned to the unexpected arrival and growled in a low voice.
Sensing the sudden hostility in the air, Gremio turned around and saw Chase furiously eyeing Aspen and her dual blades. Fearing the animosity that the boy was showing, Gremio calmly approached Chase but before he could utter a word, Chase snapped.
"Vince! Faith!" Chase dashed to the center of the room with his Gallade and Gardevoir instantly teleporting to his sides at the moment they sensed their trainer's call. Both psychic-types were battle-ready with eyes glowing vivid blue and arms radiating a psychic aura. Without wasting another second, Chase yelled out his commands, "Vince use Psycho Cut! Faith, Moonblast!"
With elbows extended in an azure glow, Chase's Gallade leaped up, planting his strong legs on the surface of the ceiling before rapidly diving down towards Aspen who, in return, swiftly drew a pair of black blades and blocked the attack. Faith, on the other hand, concentrated on the girl's partner, the Absol. After conjuring a brilliant pink sphere of energy from its chest, Chase's Gardevoir hurled the fairy-type attack at the Absol but Kyria managed to Detect it, evading the attack and consequently providing an opportunity to charge in with Night Slash.
Blue sparks shot out at the screeching collision of swords. Locking blades with the Gallade, Aspen fortified her footing and tightened the grasp around both hilts. Her auburn eyes glared determinedly at the opponent as the pressure from the Gallade surge. Grunting, she mustered her strength and pushed back the Gallade, before following up with a clean horizontal swing. Unfortunately for her, Vince raised an arm in time to block it as he leaped back near Chase and Faith.
Simultaneously, Faith was struck back by the Night Slash move inflicted by the Absol. Her secondary-type managed to counteract most of the damage, but it was still painful. Kyria, then bounded back to Aspen and shot her a glance to check if she was alright. The two exchanged smirks as they positioned into a battle stance, their blades glinted and poised to strike.
"Sir Graceland, enough of this! You don't understand!" Gremio pleaded, but was left unheard.
Blinded by the memory of his mother's cruel death, Chase growled under his breath. His eyes darted to his pokemon who seemed very much aware of the anguish that their trainer was feeling. Chase called out to them to issue a command, but before he could utter an attack, a swift brown blur dashed across the floor and tackled him to the ground.
"Nooone!" a cream furred pokemon with streaks of chocolate stripes, growled while keeping Chase pinned down against the white floor tiles.
Everyone in the room was immediately startled by the sudden appearance of the pokemon. Vince and Faith rushed to their trainer's rescue, but as soon as they came close, the Linoone bounded away. Aspen recognized the pokemon and knew just whom it belonged to. Then as if on cue, she felt an arm wrap around her waist, lifting her off the floor.
"Ren! Put me down!" Aspen flailed furiously, kicking, screaming and battering the back of a tall brown-haired boy with the hilt of her blades.
"Ouch! Cut it out!" Corentin winced in pain while doing his best to restrain Aspen on his shoulder. "This is the thanks I get for coming all the way here?!"
"Wait a minute!" Chase yelled out as he scrambled back to his feet. His two pokemon tried to help him up but he shrugged them off and glared at the two persons across the room. "I'm not letting you get away!"
"Hey, chill out! I don't know what your problem is, but it's rude to randomly attack people, especially when they did nothing wrong!" Corentin spat, pointing accusingly at Chase.
"Nothing wrong?! You gotta be kidding me! You bloodthirsty killers know nothing!" Chase answered back in anger. Gremio tried to restrain him but he managed to break free and dive once again into the fray. "Vince, Night Slash!"
Although hesitant, Chase's Gallade lunged forward with arms extended into ominous black swords. Corentin's Linoone reacted quickly and landed an accurate Quick Attack to deter the blade pokemon away from its two targets.
"Awesome job, Linnea!" Corentin cheered as he shot his Linoone a thumbs-up.
"Ren! For the last time, put me down!" Aspen demanded. She had stopped pounding Corentin's back but she was still struggling wildly. But much to her dismay, Corentin's grip only tightened as he headed towards the door.
Just as Corentin reached the doorknob, a purplish black sphere of energy zoomed their way, but luckily, it was countered by Aspen's Absol. Kyria sliced through the Shadow Ball using Night Slash, halving it before it dissipated into an ominous light.
That was the last straw. Corentin turned around and glared at the silver-haired boy who was standing alongside a Gardevior, gradually conjuring up another Shadow Ball. "Look here kid! I'm doing you a favor by calmly leaving. But if you want to accuse people of being bloodthirsty killers and randomly attacking them, I'm not gonna just stand here until someone gets hurt!"
"Hurt?! After all the things that you and your kind did, getting a scratch or two is the least of your worries," Chase yelled, brows furrowing and fists clenching.
"Seriously, I don't know what your problem is, but I haven't the slightest clue what you're ranting on about! I mean, c'mon, I'm no killer and neither is the flailing Magikarp on my shoulder," Corentin argued, after mustering back a bit of his composure.
"Who're you calling a Magikarp?! Let me go, you jerk!" Aspen struggled even more wildly, to the point she managed to drive a solid knee against Corentin's side, making the boy cringed and groan in pain.
Despite that though, he still managed to restrain her. Corentin straightened himself back and secured once again his hold on Aspen. Groaning, he shot another annoyed look at Chase. "Get this through your head. If you think we're assassins, then you're mistaken. I'm from the Sky unit, senior class, Corentin Greyling and she is from the Saber unit, same class. She may be carrying swords around, but that doesn't mean she kills people. In fact, if she had to kill someone, I'd probably be top of the list."
Chase was not easily convinced, but he was calmer than before. Gremio placed a hand on his shoulder and drew his stern gaze. Hurt, fury and confusion swirled in his golden-yellow eyes, but Gremio countered his look with sympathy, patience and sincerity.
"Sir Graceland, I know how you feel…" Gremio began, keeping a firm yet calm grip on the boy's shoulder. "Neo's father was very dear to me as well. If things were different, I would have sought vengeance as well, but I had the responsibility of watching over my young master. At that time, he needed me the most…"
"And so you forgot about paying those people back…" Chase jerked his shoulder off and turned to Gremio with a furious look. "I'm not like you. I won't just forgive and forget what they did to my mother. I won't let them do whatever they please…"
"Hey!" Corentin called out to them and waved. "Since we've cleared this misunderstanding, can we leave now?"
Chase glared at them once again, but was pulled away by Gremio. The old man stepped forward and bowed apologetically. "Yes. I apologize for my charge's friend and as for the damages to the room…" Everyone glanced at the dent on the ceiling, the claw and slash marks on the floor and the singed spot on the wall. The arrangement of the furniture was also a mess.
"Sorry about that… Aspie is a little hot-tempered," Corentin apologized with a chuckle and smile.
*bam*
Aspen replied to the insult with a kick to his side. Corentin did his best to keep a straight face but it was evident that he was in pain. Gremio wasted no time and assured them that he would send over the payment for the special medicine and as well as pay for the damages to the pokemon center. Corentin smiled in relief and left with Aspen, along with their two pokemon.
Chase slammed the wall with the base of his fist and breathed. He was still suspicious of the two's identity, but there was none of that merciless animosity in their presence. Chase could still remember how his mother's murderer displayed no hesitation or even mercy towards them. He was lucky to have escaped with his life, but that day's event left a life-long scar in his memory.
Gremio looked back at the teen with sympathy. He stood by and watched Chase's two pokemon approach and comfort him. Chase apologized to them for his rash behavior and quietly returned to his room to further gather his thoughts.
Outside, Corentin was walking towards a more open area while still carrying Aspen on his shoulder. The girl had settled down and was now simply sharpening her dual blades against each other, in which Corentin thought was very unnerving especially when he can hear the long smooth screeching noises behind him.
"Aspen, could you not do that?" Corentin requested, almost pleadingly.
"Huh? I don't see what the bid deal is." Aspen feigned ignorance as she purposely increased the volume and length of the strokes.
Corentin cringed but didn't give in to possible the threat of being stabbed in the back. Instead, he directed his attention to the clearing just before the Daycare Center. A shadow was on the patch of grass, gradually increasing in size, along with that, thunderous beats of wings grew louder as well. Corentin looked up and saw his partner, a Staraptor, descending towards them.
"Did you have a good rest, Ekaitz?" Corentin inquired with a kind smile. The Staraptor cawed loudly and lowered himself towards the ground so his trainer as well as Aspen could mount on his back. Corentin returned his Linoone to her pokeball and asked Aspen to recall her Absol as well.
"I have Ailith so I can fly back to Semira on my own," Aspen argued as she attempted to break free for the nth time, but as predicted, it was useless. Corentin was presented with no choice. He reached for Aspen's belt and searched for a pokeball. Aspen realized what he was doing and flushed bright red. She struggled violently and threatened to actually stab the boy. "What the hell are you doing, you perv?! Lemme go or I'll else!"
On instinct, Corentin jerked away his hand and froze. "H-Hey, chill down. I'm not doing anything! I'm just looking for Kyria's pokeball."
Aspen growled, sheathed her blades and reached for Kyria's pokeball. She exchanged looks with her partner who seemed amused with her and Corentin's antics. Aspen rolled her eyes in contempt as she sent her Absol back into her pokeball. After that, she tucked the pokeball back unto her belt. "Happy?"
Corentin laughed and set Aspen on his Staraptor's back before mounting on as well. Sensing the opportunity, Aspen reached for her Skarmory's pokeball, but just as she grabbed hold of it, Corentin stopped her by placing a hand on hers and then signaling Ekaitz to take off. The immediate flight took Aspen by surprise and as a result, her hand slid off of her Skarmory's pokeball but Corentin's hand managed to stay atop of hers. Not only that, she was also forced back by the momentum and ended up slamming against Corentin. On the other hand, Corentin was used to flying abruptly so it didn't really affect him. The only thing that really affected him was the set of blades that separated him and Aspen.
Underneath the radiant azure sky and above the glistening cerulean oceans, a huge brownish gray avian glided through the snow-white clouds. The breeze was cool and smelled salty in an invigorating and refreshing way. Wingulls flew below them, almost kissing the beautiful pristine waters.
Soaking in the serene atmosphere, Aspen sighed in exasperation and gave in to her predicament. She narrowed her eyes and glanced back at Corentin. "What are you doing here anyway? Didn't your boss give you something to do back at Semira?"
"Look who's talking…" Corentin laughed. "He's doing okay. A little more hostile than usual especially when he started carrying around a small baby pokemon instead of his Noibat, but otherwise, I didn't notice anything amiss."
"Tch. If I knew I had to babysit a brat, I'd have passed…" Aspen complained, letting out another sigh followed by a yawn.
"C'mon, Aspie. It's not that bad. Besides, along with keeping an eye out for Aeron, we also have a more serious task on hand," Corentin reminded, emphasizing the latter with a sense of urgency.
"Something must be up…" Aspen concluded with a more serious tone.
"I'm sure it'll be alright," Corentin said optimistically as he lightly squeezed Aspen's hand.
The girl had forgotten about it, but the gesture reminded her in a sudden way. Aspen could feel the blood rushing to her face. Her face flushed bright red. She faced front and acted like she was still oblivious. The vast ocean continued to stretch into the distance. No land masses stained the absolute blanket of blue. So by the looks of it, Semira was still miles away. It was going to be a long flight back and Aspen was already on the verge of breaking …or falling asleep.
Aspen yawned loudly and inched away from Corentin, breaking free her hand in the process. Corentin was sighed inwardly in disappointment, but before the whole disappointment sunk in, Aspen turned to her side and laid down on the Staraptor's back, resting her head on Corentin's leg.
"Wake me up when we get back…" Aspen said in a demanding tone as she closed her eyes.
Corentin looked away when his face grew red at the sight of the girl falling asleep. He tried to rub the crimson shade away, but the growing heat accumulating in his cheeks was telling him it was simply getting worse. Unconsciously, he took a peek, but he couldn't see Aspen's face clearly because of her brown locks billowing in the breeze. He tried to lean closer, but a sharp pain struck his side, reminding him of the beating he had prior. He predicted no broken ribs, but a good number of bruises as well as a sprained shoulder that he should be feeling for the rest of the week.
Clutching his side, Corentin groaned in pain and cursed under his breath "…Dammit."
End of Chapter 25
I wanted to include a flashback about the medicine for further explanation, but I was too close to the my quota of 3k-4k. Above 5k is already long for me.
I'll do it in the next chapter along with Ikari's past (which I've been finding an opportunity to include.)
Lu-chan- Well? Was I being too mean to Corentin? xD