CRUNCH
The casket splintered under my weight before Mew diverted the energy away from me, causing a large dust cloud to blast the audience. I winced, and stood up.
"Hi everyone!" I smiled meekly. I stood there for a moment, waving the dust away with a hand. Once it cleared, I saw the horrified faces of everyone in the audience. My neighbors, my family, my parents. Jake.
Jake?
I blinked, and turned to my former classmate. "Jake? What are you doing here?"
"J-just, y'know, paying respects…I guess." The awkward jock answered, shrugging his massive shoulders.
"We weren't even friends." I realized how harsh that sounded. "I mean, I didn't dislike you or anything, but…we hardly knew each other."
"We had a small class; everyone knew everyone. I guess, in another life, I would like to think we…I don't know. Maybe we would've hung out more."
"That means a lot, man." I nodded to him with respect. He hunched slightly, embarrassed by his bluntness. "Anyway!" I turned back to my audience, most of which were still giving me horrified looks. "Thank you all for coming! Truly, it means a lot that you've all come. Honestly, I expected a smaller crowd. Who knew I was so important?" I let a small blush cover my cheeks. "Don't be shy! You all look like you've seen a ghost!"
[Josh…you're scaring them.] Mew whispered. The minister next to me clutched his cross tightly, and looked at me with terrified, dark eyes.
"Come on guys!" I turned to everyone. Mrs. Shriver, my neighbor, looked petrified with fear. My own parents were stone.
"Dad!" I laughed, trying to illicit some kind of response. "You're shorted then I remember! I mean, you were almost six feet taller than I was, if you know what I-"
[Josh, shut up.] Skarr urged.
"Mom! You brought me flowers. I'm surprised it wasn't a calculator, or perhaps a fax machine. Maybe I could use my time in the afterlife crunching some numbers."
"Josh, that's enough." My father ordered, his voice wavering.
"Is it? It only took my death to bring her to her senses." I growled.
"I'm serious." his deep voice shook with emphasis.
"I'm dead serious." I smirked a half-crazed grin. "You could say I'm even being grave."
"Josh, stop!" My mom screamed, covering her ears. Someone ran into the woods.
"Anyway, to the rest of you!" I gestured to the crowd. "I apologize for my delay; I didn't want to be cryptic, but I had other, very important things to attend to.
[Josh, control your adrenalin levels.] Mew encouraged. [You're becoming unstable.]
[And to my parents!] I gave a big wave. [Instead of burying me, let's bury the hatchet instead! We're making the other's uncomfortable, all with this bickering. Let's keep our decomposure, at least until we're home, alright?]
"Get away from us, demon!" The priest thrust his cross at me.
"Oh, come now. I'm trying my best, even if my jokes are coming of as a bit stiff." I waited, but no one was laughing. "Anyone? Damn, I was sure that one would reach it's deathtination." No takers. "Well, darn. I was dead-sure that one would work."
[Josh, stop.] Mew ordered desperately.
My heart was racing in my chest, and all I could think of were other puns.
"Josh, get down here." My father demanded.
"Come now!" I addressed my parents. "I'm just trying to urn your affection! I admit, ever since our rather rotten departure I've felt mortified. Even if my mummy here was being a bit of an o-bitch-urar- ]
A steel wing connected with the back of my head, and I fell to the floor. The wooden pedestal danced in front of my eyes as I felt myself being dragged off the stage. My head throbbed, and I felt myself being dropped in the grass.
"Is he alright?"
"Is that really him?"
"What was with him?"
"We need to bring him to the house. Come on, Keith."
Something grabbed my midsection, and hosted me into the air.
[Thank you, Skarr.]
[Don't mention it, Mrs. Karren. He wouldn't normally be like this, but…]
[Circumstances, I realize.]
And the darkness overcame my sight. For a while I faded in and out of consciousness, hearing bits and pieces of conversations not meant for my ears.
[More than that.]
[Self-imposed pressure.]
[Self-imposed?]
[What are you implying, bird?]
[A gentleman never implies.]
[Good.]
[…without intention.]
"…too hard."
"Or not hard enough."
"You want to kill him?"
"I don't want him to die, Keith."
"He's not a boy anymore, Margret."
"So what? We let him run off and go get himself killed? Again?"
"I won't have him leave like he did last time. If he leaves, it will be of his own accord, and we'll be there standing by his side."
"You're always like this."
"…"
[If you killed him…]
[Relax. I barely nicked him.]
[He's human! A nick could kill!]
[Stop it, you two. Fighting won't help us.]
[Actually, fighting's got us this far.]
[Amusing.]
[His pulse has risen twenty-four percent. I believe he is regaining consciousness.]
I opened my eyes, and yawned. I was in my old bed, and my Pokémon were all around me.
[Hey!] Static bounced on top of me, squishing my stomach. [You're awake! How's life, bedface?]
I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. [Hey, Static…]
[Nice to see you're awake without brain damage.] Mew smiled. [It is currently eleven in the morning the following day.]
[We were so scared!] Nova tackled me from the side in a small but meaningful hug.
[You made an ass of yourself.] Skarr frowned.
[How do you know?] I accused, making my way to the bathroom to make myself presentable.
[Mew explained what had occurred.]
[I thought it was funny.] Nova offered.
[Why would you do that?] Myst asked.
I closed the bathroom door, and slumped against it. [I don't know. Nerves.]
[It's been a long time since you've done something like that.] Static mentioned quietly.
[Ever since I left my parents, yeah.]
[You've done this before?] Myst asked.
[I've done a lot of…irrational things.]
Nova pawed at the door.
[Give me a moment.] I washed my face, and made myself presentable.
[Your parents are waiting for you downstairs.] Skarr mentioned.
[Thanks.] I stood at the top of the stairs, looking down. […just…give me a moment.]
"Lunch will be ready in a moment." My mother turned away, a grimace permanently etched in her face.
"Oh. Thank you."
"Mmmm." She grunted.
Dad was sitting at the table with a worn newspaper clutched in his massive palms. "Josh! Good to see you're awake." A small smirked cracked his stoic face as he saw me, and he let out a small chuckle. "Created quite the commotion, you know. Our poor neighbors were suggesting an exorcism."
"Oh good lord." I chuckled, pulling up a seat. "They would do it to, you know. Bring some relic from Lavender Town and wave it all about."
"Grind it into powder and pour it in your soup."
"…Anyway, I just wanted to…apologize." I began, a pit in my stomach. "I wasn't-"
My father stood up, and put a massive hand through my hair. "Son, never apologize to me. No amount of remorse could make up for our lack of supporting you."
"T-thank you." I blinked with surprise.
"Thank you." He smiled in return. "For coming back."
We all sat around the formal dining room, which was the only table in the house large enough to seat all of my Pokémon, myself, and my parents. With a grin, I acknowledged they were one place short – they hadn't yet learned about Mew.
Mew had been strangely quiet recently, in fact. My watch clicked quietly at my side, ever spinning backwards in time.
[Our neighbors are getting anxious.] My mother frowned, pouring soup for everyone at the table. Static and Skarr looked at her warily, but the others looked cheerful and optimistic.
[What do you mean?] I asked.
[After the way you acted yesterday. You did quite some damage.]
Nova gave her a concerned look. [B-but he didn't mean to!]
[It doesn't matter what he meant. His actions were uncalled for.] She glared through the small Charizard.
My father sighed, and gave her a weary look. "Honey."
"What?" She spat. My father just shook his head. [Augh, you're always like that. Say something or don't. Now, Josh.] She turned to face me, slowly pouring the soup. [You've created difficulties forme now. Now I have to face them because of your negligence. Not to mention the heartache and pain you put me through when you left us.]
My blood began to simmer as I clutched my spoon.
[What were you thinking!?] She spat, glaring at me with the ladle in her hands. [Do you know what you put your poor father through? What you put me through?] her thoughts reverberated with emphasis. I ground my teeth, frustration and anger clenching my fists. [Your father sat on the porch every day looking for you. I cooked a third portion every day for supper waiting for you to fail,] Nova flinched. [so I could pick up the pieces. Do you know what that does to a person?]
[Walking around without family to support you?] Skarr screamed, taking me completely by surprise. [Yeah, he knew what that was like. Were you there in the beginning when he would cry in his sleep? When the emptiness consumed in from the inside? What kind of family were you?] Skarr flapped his wings angrily, knocking down everything from the table. [We were his family. Webelieved in him, we supported him, and we're the reason we all succeeded.]
[You call this success? You call this a family?] My mother motioned at Skarr, as if she was about to slap him. [What do you have to show? A bunch of mouths to feed, and a wasted year. That's what you have to show!]
Quietly, I reached into my pocket and grabbed my trainer case, tossing it on the table. Eight glittering badges shone back. My father's eyes widened, and my mother was speechless.
[That's what he has to show!] Static roared, his tiny paws clamed at his sides. [We did it! Without you! And after this, we're going to wreck Victory Cave, we're going to destroy the Elite Four,demolish the Champion, and we're all going to become the strongest team in Kanto, led by the strongest trainer ever!]
[Trainers have gotten eight badges before. They're the ones in the news reports, having their bones dragged out of the Cave.] my mother whispered.
"Margret!" My father urged.
[I'm not burying you again, Josh!] my mother screamed, knocking over my father's coffee.
[I don't intend for me or my dreams to die.] I spoke darkly.
The room was still for a moment, and the tension in the room began to fade.
[Well. It's been lovely to see you both again.] Sarcasm dripped from my tongue as I grabbed my jacket and threw it on. [Unfortunately I have things I must attend to, and, reluctantly, I must take my leave. Take care.]
[Josh! Get your ass back here!] my mother smashed her hand on the table.
I opened the door, and the outside wind blew strongly, rustling my jacket around my sides.
[JOSH!] My mom grabbed my jacket roughly, but was stopped by a turquoise field of energy, and sent back into her own chair.
[Thanks.] I nodded towards my watch.
[Anytime.]
I stepped out the door, with my Pokémon trailing behind me.
[Skarr. Can you fly me to the mall?] I asked, throwing a leg around his metallic exterior.
[The mall?] He asked, as I returned the others to their Pokéballs. [Weren't we just there a few hours ago?]
[I forgot a few things.]
[Whatever you say.] he shrugged, flexing his wings in preparation.
"Wait!" my father's voice rang from inside the house. Skarr looked at me expectantly.
[…Let him come.] I decided. My father ran out of the house, and crushed me in a hug.
"I have so, so many regrets, Josh. I don't want this to be another." He shook, his arms wrapped tightly around me. "Don't let this be like last time. Promise me you'll return."
I knew what I had to say, though it tasted like ash on my tongue. "I promise."
"I love you, son."
"I love you too, dad."
Keith sighed heavily, as if a large burden was removed from his mind. "Your mother loves you as well, even if…she has difficulty expressing it."
"…I know." I sighed into the wind.
"If you need anything, we're just a phone call away. We will help, you know. Even if it's hard."
"I won't need your help."
"I know." He put a hand on my shoulder, and I could almost make out tears in his dark, emotionless eyes. "But call anyway. We'll have a spot here waiting for you, when you come back a legend."
He got to me. I wiped my own eyes with a sleeve and have him a weary grin. "I'll take you up on that, dad."
"Alright. Take care! Stay safe!" My father waved goodbye as Skarr took to the air. [And take care of my son for me, you hear? I only have one!]
[Will do, Mr. Karren. Will do.] Skarr chuckled as we flew into the broad, promising blue sky.
(Josh POV)
As I flew over Kanto, the sun ignited the horizon in a sea of color.
I was home.
I was hundreds of feet in the air, with the deafening wind howling through my hair, but I was at peace. There was something to reassuring about being where I belonged, not necessarily in position but in life. Everything I needed I had in my pack, and I was pursuing my dream.
I was accomplishing my dream.
[This is freedom.] I smiled, letting go of Skarr with one hand to feel the wind blow through my fingers.
[Hmmm?]
[This. The open sky, the fresh, crisp air.] I laughed into the wind. [This is freedom.]
[Hardly.] Skarr snorted. [I'm the one flying you. You're bound by my whims - I could take you anywhere.]
[If that's true, then why are we going to Celadon, where I want to go?]
[Perhaps our whims coincide.] Skarr grinned, his amber eyes shining.
[How fortunate.]
Skarr tilted his head ever so slightly, and changed course. [Ladies and gentlemen of the flight deck.]
[Hmmm?]
[This is your captain speaking. We may experience some slight turbulence...] Skarr suddenly dove downward, causing me to yelp. [...and this is a reminder to double-check that your restraints are firmly in place.]
[Skaaaaarr!] I screamed, laughing as we soared at ridiculous speeds. [What are you doing?]
[Please refrain from smoking, walking, or using the lavatories as we make our decent. Thank you.]
[You're insane!]
Skarr smashed against something with his left wing, causing it to explode into a mess of red. He flipped upside-down and caught it in his beak, then corkscrewed and righted himself once more. [Thank you once again for your patience. Looks like clear skies from here on out. Thank you for flying on Skarmory airlines on your non-stop service to Celadon.]
I turned, trying to make out what was in Skarr held in his mouth. [What just happened?]
Skarr grinned, turning to me with half a dead Sparrow hanging from the side of his mouth. [I was hungry for a mid-flight snack.]
[Ewww, Skarr!]
[What? I've seen you eat Fearow before. This is no different.]
[Yeah, but it's cooked, and seasoned and everything first!]
[So what, I don't mutilate, burn, and fowl my food before I eat it, and that disturbs you?]
[Actually, I would consider that Sparrow properly mutilated.]
Skarr chuckled. [Well, perhaps I was trying to be a bit fancy. I knew I could catch it in my mouth, but I didn't know if I could cut it in half mid-flight.]
[And?]
[Success!]
[We're going to need to land by a lake before we get to Celadon - you look like you just murdered someone.] I giggled, looking at Skarr's bloody maw.
[Why? Humans should see me and tremble!] Skarr laughed, lazily making his way to one of Celadon's many lakes.
(? POV)
I felt most at home in the dark. I was never a troublemaker even as a child, but something about the night made me calm. I felt as if I belonged when the shadows came, and I felt a kinship with the slivers of the moon. I was lying down, and the world was a glorious shade of black - that perfect shade where you're unsure whether your eyes are open or closed. I would have been content to exist in this twilight forever slowly easing myself to sleep had it not been for the troubled breathing beside me.
Perhaps to others it would appear as if she was sleeping, but I knew better. Years of companionship had taught me when she was troubled, and when she was just feigning sleep. I didn't need the light to tell me she was distressed, or where the curve of her stomach would lay on the bed. I curled around her gently, and caressed her with a palm.
"Do you hate me?" she whispered into the dark.
"I could never hate you."
"I don't understand how you couldn't. I hate myself."
"You had your reasons, and he has his."
"I promised you - I promised us...I would be better than this." She sighed, clutching a pillow between her arms.
"It was better this time."
"He still ran away, Keith. Just like last time. I caused it then and I caused it now."
The soft sound of tears tore at my heart, and I clutched Margret all the tighter. "It was better this time. He will come back, and he'll be okay. I promise."
"How do you know?"
"Because he's just as stubborn as you." I smiled, finding her cheek in the midnight and placing a small kiss. "That and your hair, that's what he got from you."
She laughed lightly, then sighed. "I am sorry...It's hard for me to put the past behind, but when this is all over, I will apologize to him."
"That'll mean a lot to Josh."
"Do you think it will be enough?"
"I think it would speak mountains." I nodded, resting my head against my arm.
"...Thank you."
"Always, my love."
"Taking a journey?" The cashier smirked.
"Taking the journey." I nodded, zipping up my pack. That was the last of the supplies I would need from Celadon, including all of the items I would need for the Cave. You could never be too prepared, after all...
[Are you ready yet?] Skarr flapped his wings impatiently.
[Almost. Let me check everything one more time.]
[You are the champion of over-preparation.]
[Better that then the alternative.] I shrugged.
[Of what? Being normal?]
[Worse; underprepared.] I gulped, zipping up my bag for the fifth time. [Over prepared people have sore shoulders. Underprepared people don't make it out of the Cave. At least, not alive.]
[Relax. You won't perish in our care.] Skarr waved a wing.
[Forgive me if I still take precautions.] I grinned, slinging my pack over my shoulders. [Alright! Vermillion or bust!]
[Finally.] Skarr lowered himself, and I hopped on his back. [Any longer and I would have begun to rust.]
(Guardian of the Eight Trial, POV)
"Relax. No one's come in years. Don't be so edgy."
My eyes were glazed over with trepidation, and sweat trickled down my neck like blood. I could all but hear her lamentation, crying out for a sacrifice. She could smell her food coming, and she was growing impatient. We had kept her waiting for far too long...
"It's just a cave, man. Relax."
"It's not just a cave." I shivered. "There's something in there. Something's gonna happen. I know it. I feel it."
"Don't go mental on me, Jim." Tobias waved off my concern. "If you keep sputtering about the cave being alive they're gonna lock you up, man."
"Call me what you want. I've been guarding her for nearly a decade and I know something's up. I-I've been having dreams."
"How about we switch places? You guard the seventh trial, and I'll guard the eighth. Maybe being too close to the entrance has been screwing with you, you know?"
"I'm not crazy!" I shouted, grabbing his smooth white jacket with my sweaty palms. "I know what I saw!"
"What did you see, then?" Tobias frowned, crossing his arms.
"The Cave. It's...it's like she's growing." I looked behind my shoulder, just to ensure the Cave hadn't moved. "See the shadows by the entrance? They're bigger. She's extending. She's reaching for something, and I know what it is. It's a man."
"A man?"
"A man. A man made of shadows of the darkest night. I see him in my dreams - his piercing red gaze, and the spikes jutting out of his inky flesh. He's the only one that can sate her hunger. He's the one she craves."
"Maybe you need to lie down, Jim. Take the day off. Get some rest."
"He's coming. And when he gets here, I don't know what he'll do."
"No one is coming. We're gonna get you home, get you some water, and tomorrow this will all be just a-"
"First Guardian to Two through Eight, do you copy?" A gruff, female voice demanded though the radio clipped to Tobias' belt.
"Seventh and Eight Guardian, loud and clear. What do you need, Number One?"
"T-there's a trainer here, a-at least, I think he's a trainer."
"Huh?"
"You know that Night-Blight or whatever thing that was on the news? He's here...and he has all the badges."
Tobias took a long look at the radio, before cautiously pressing the speaker again. "What's he look like?"
"Like something out of a horror film, man." One responded, her voice rough but shaky. "He was pitch black but with glowing red eyes, and these weird spikes sticking out of-"
"When you finish your idle gossip, I am here to prove my worth."
I froze. My stomach twisted into knots, and I felt sick. Slowly I turned, and I saw the product of my nightmares standing before me.
"I have obtained every badge, and bested every test." Nightshade spoke, presenting his badges. "Now I will best your 'Cave', defeat your masters, and the world shall once again recognize the strength of the shadows. Do you have reason to oppose me, or shall I continue undeterred?"
"You may pass." Tobias spoke for both of us, nudging me out of the way. The monster strolled past both of us, leaving a trail of shadows behind himself that slowly melded into the aether.
"W-what will you do to us?" I choked out.
The beast turned to me, burning a hole with his blazing red eyes. "Speak your mind, mortal."
"Once you win, what will you do?"
The shade smiled. "Disappear. What more do you expect from a shadow? Once I have my moment in the light, I will be gone."
"You...you won't harm us?"
"What would I gain from your demise?"
"I thought you were evil."
"Evil may lurk inside of me, but can you not claim the same of yourself? Our actions speak for our hearts, and mine only yearns for ambition." NightShade gave a curt nod, and headed towards the cave.
"Wait!" I screamed. Nightshade turned to me. "You can't go in there! S-something waits for you. Something...dark. Darker than you. Darker then us all!"
"It is not my destiny to fear the darkness. I am forged from-"
"You don't understand!" I shouted, wringing my hand together.
NightShade walked over to me, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Believe me, I understand. I know what I risk, yet destiny demands I continue." Nightshade sighed, and for one brief moment, he looked very, very human. "You can feel her too, can't you Guardian?" he asked. "She demands a sacrifice."
"Be careful."
Nightshade smiled warily, and turned towards the Cave. "I was made from shadows, Guardian. To others, the Cave symbolizes fear and mystery, but to me?" NightShade gave me one last grin. "To me...I'm finally going home."
(Josh POV)
Victory Road. The walk, presenting my badges, and taking the first steps up to the Champion. The fresh, vibrant grass brushed against the gold sculpted statues of heroes of lore, and of heroes to come. The steps to the cave were worn with time; each held a story of steps taken by legends, steps taken by Masters, and steps taken by those the cave would claim.
I noticed my step caused a crack in the staircase to widen. What would my destiny entail?
[A...are we going in?]
[Do we have a reason not to?]
[Well, I mean, we could always train m-more...]
[We could train for a lifetime.] Static rolled his eyes. [Of course we're going in. We're ready.]
The cave's mouth was massive. It was carved to look like a literal mouth - eyes and a snout included, with sharp, intimidating fangs. It may have stirred fear in some, but the only emotion I felt was one of paralyzing, giddy excitement. It was all I could do to continue moving forward.
Nova wrung his tail between his paws. [A-alright.]
[We'll be okay.] Myst smiled.
Nova gave her an apprehensive look. [H-how do you know?]
[Because you'll protect me.] she grinned, nuzzling his snout with her own.
[Alright! What are we waiting for?] Static motioned towards the entrance.
[Follow Josh with care. A dark aura surrounds this place...] Mew frowned, still strapped to my wrist.
[I also feel uneasy, Josh.] Skarr frowned. [Is it wise to release us here? I, for one, won't be much use on my feet.]
[I imagine the cave will open up more, once we're inside.] I answered.
Skarr nodded. [Mmmm.]
I took my first step into the Cave. Our footsteps echoed loudly, like we were a small but invincible army. [Through our trials, we were tested. Through our journey, we were made into a team. We were forged together. I couldn't ask for a better friends.]
[D'awwww.] Skarr smiled. Myst elbowed him hard beneath the wing, and he winced. Our footsteps seemed smaller somehow.
[I'm serious. I know, as long as we stick together, we'll never-] Suddenly, the cave was pitch black. [Nova? A little help here?]
Silence.
[Nova? Static? Skarr? Myst? Hello?]
Nothing.
"Anyone?"
"...Anyone...?" The Cave echoed back, mockingly.
[I'm still here.] Mew responded. I breathed a quick sight of relief, and shoved my hand in my pocked, holding on tightly to the watch. [But I don't feel the presence of the others anymore, Josh.]
I leaned against the wall, waiting for the flurry of thoughts in my mind die down. [W-we'll find each other. Whatever trick or test this is, we'll pass.]
[Through hell and back again.] Mew nodded.
[Where do you know that from?]
[I don't.] Mew giggled. [You do.]
(Nova POV)
[As long as we stick together, we'll never-]
Silence. Sickening, horrifying, silence.
[Josh!] I screamed, whirling around with my tiny light, trying to catch sight of my trainer. My wing clipped a stalagmite, and I winced. [Myst!]
[...Anyone...?]