Though I completed this chapter last night, I waited until today to review before I post it. I guess that's how to do it anyways, right?
I could literally make chapters once a day, if I spent all my time doing it, but I know that'll just lead to a severe case of writer's block. And no one wants that!
Enough of my stalling; it's time for you to be relieved of your cliffhanger.
Enjoy!
Chapter 29
Awakening
Kenta was speechless. He watched the girl, who too observed him without speaking. His expression riddled with unchanging disbelief, even as the Pokémon beside him quivered. There was only a trace of the girl left that Kenta could recognize, and that was in her appearance.
"M...Marina?" he asked again. "Is that you?"
The entranced Marina shifted to face him. Her crimson eyes showed an intense mixture of emotions he could not read. The mob of Unown continued to orbit her like satellites.
A breeze flew between them. The divine sword beside her littered with faint adornments of light, and sparkled in its potency as she lifted it. Huffing in restrained detest, she grasped the handle tightly as she gave the blade a stark swing.
Kenta took a step back, the girl's gesture alone threatening. A gust of wind howled toward him with a violent, rugged thrust, shredding up the lake along the way. He grabbed his Pokémon at once and ran along the bank. The edge of the air streams clawed him, but he stood his ground with Togetic and his hat firm in his grasp. He blinked, his heart racing as the wind died.
What the hell?! There's no way… He turned to mystical girl. His face twisted in dismay when he caught sight of her giving her blade another wave. There's no way this could be her!
This time, the blast hit him directly, and Kenta was picked off his feet. His jacket rippled spinelessly, and he gritted his teeth as he was hurled into the closest tree. The boy yelped, falling face first onto the damp grass softly once the attack had dissipated.
"Toge!" His helpless Togetic wriggled out of his arms, distraught as it prodded him. His Trainer groaned as he slowly sat up, and Togetic grinned in relief. But it quickly made a fearful frown as Kenta scowled.
"What are you doing?!" he yelled out to the figure in the lake. He was about to continue angrily, but he stopped and swallowed his words.
The girl was running across the water toward him, but she halted skittishly. No longer was Marina's young face chained to the unsuited dark look she once had. Deep regret shimmered in her eyes, tears visibly streaming down her cheeks. She bit her lip, sniffling as she trembled in her best efforts to hold it in. She was terrified.
Kenta's face fell and softened at once. "Marina?"
The girl shut her eyes and held her hand up to her mouth, shuddering as she shook her head. She turned and, with some of the loyal Unown following, sprinted across the lake from him. Kenta stood, his concern latching onto her.
"Marina! Wait!" he called after her. A shooting pain exploded in his shaken body, forcing him back to his knees as Marina landed on the distant shore. He watched her fleeing figure vanish into the night. With another yell of her name, he bared his teeth, struggling to get back up as he longed to give chase.
What's happening? What's with this sword? Why was I able to walk on water? Why are there Unown everywhere? Was I fighting? When did Kenta…? Why did I just…?!
There were just too many questions that she could not answer.
Marina bolted further and further north, wherever the path led her. Desperate to get away from the lake, she passed a couple of ruins without casting a thought over them. Her wet footsteps echoed in the night air. The Poké Ball and sword were held unrelentingly tight in each of her trembling hands.
A squeak from the Unown flying by her shoulder made her wince, and she lashed at them recklessly.
"Get away from me!" she hollered.
The whole heard of Pokémon spun and giggled happily, clueless to her anger. "Ano! Anno anoo!"
She sniffled, scowling. "Get away!" she screamed. Despite her efforts, the group of Unown surrounding her still spun and squealed to her and themselves.
With another futile and childish swing of her weapon-less arm, Marina continued to run as fast as her feet could take her. The shimmering moon illuminated her surroundings, allowing her to see through the freezing autumn night. Her cold legs soon began to ache, and her chest stung from excessive strain until she finally stopped at the pond northwest of the Ruins. Heaving great breaths of labored air, Marina's watery eyes darted back and forth at the pond as well as the plentiful supply of Unown that had tailed her the whole way through.
Her nerves tingled as the gentle, powerful voice from before spoke. This time, it was solely omnipresent, unlike when it had taken possession of her body.
"Marina, calm down. You must rest!"
"No!" Marina shouted rebelliously, hiccupping. "Shut up!"
"I just saved your life!"
"You hurt Kenta!" she cried aloud, wiping the tears from her eyes with her forearm.
The voice did not respond.
For the quiet moments that passed, she panted heavily to regain her breath, sniffling in between. Marina looked down at the sword in her shaky hand. A strange power emanated from it, and she sadly gazed at the Neo Ball embedded within the blade itself. Unable to manage its weight any longer, she dropped it, and the sword uttered a displeasing clang as it hit the dirt.
"J-Just who...?" she murmured and looked up at the sky. Many of the Unown began to make their retreat back into their ancient homes. Unnerved, she gazed around her with aimless focus, particularly at the fleeting Pokémon.
"Who are you, anyways?!" she cried.
Her voice echoed without any other to accompany it, and she clenched her fists. Marina shook her head as she sobbed; her confusion, frustration, weakness, and anger mixing together in despaired turmoil. At her feet, the sword evaporated completely in a flurry of retreating Unown, leaving only the Neo Ball behind. Even as the distressed girl watched this, she shuddered and sniffed, completely at a loss.
Eventually, a quiet voice asked, "Are...you okay?"
Marina froze in reaction to the sudden query, and she gasped in mild surprise when she turned.
The purple-haired boy, Bugsy, stood a little ways before her. Beside him on the ground sat her bag, jacket, and Pokémon egg. He offered her a forced smile.
Rather than questioning how he had gotten there without her noticing—because things were already confusing enough—she merely stared at him with her hands covering her nose and mouth, as if trying to hide the obvious fact that she was crying.
"You ran," he said softly. "Right?"
With a sniffle, she hesitantly nodded. She rushed to dry her tears as she turned to him. "H...H-how...?"
"It's okay. I don't blame you. You don't know what's going on at all, right?" He narrowed his comforting, all-seeing eyes, reading her feelings like a book. "I don't really know either. But you're scared what he would have said to you… right? Are you afraid that he'll reject you now? Even though it wasn't your fault?"
She stared, nearly aghast. Not bothering to answer him, although she knew that he was right, she looked away and did her best to hold back her tears.
"Don't worry. Everything's over now." He pointed to the body of water next to him. "This is Lake Betal... Take a look at your reflection."
Marina frowned.
"…You don't need to bother if you don't want to... Your red eyes are going away anyhow."
"What?" At this, Marina felt her cheek and knelt toward the edge of the pond. On the water's surface, an unhappy girl with glowing crimson eyes stared silently back at her. By the time she noticed this, however, her irises settled back to her original emerald shade. The girl lightly cupped her face, stunned.
"It looked like you were able to walk on water, too," Bugsy said slowly and added, "With the Unown's help, it seems."
"Why...? Why do you know all this?" Marina asked, voice quivering as she stood. She turned to see Bugsy approaching her. Before she could even begin to react, he reached for her and slowly pulled her into a gentle, friendly hug. As her head rested on his shoulder, she blinked as her innocent expression slightly returned.
"It's alright to be afraid," he said, giving a slight smile, "You might understand within time, but... I have a feeling you're sick of all these confusing things."
Marina nodded.
"Then I won't tell you anything." He paused and pulled away. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to throw another curve ball at you one last time. I have to be honest on this one."
"...What is it?"
"I'm not Bugsy," he said. "I'm not human either."
Wait, what? She honestly thought she was prepared for anything else at this point, but his confession downright baffled her.
"Then, who...what are you?" Marina simply let the boy pat her head. He laughed quietly.
"A Pokémon in disguise. My name is Latios. We met once before, back on the island when you were still called Aura," the boy replied, smiling as he felt a pinch of nostalgia.
"Island...? What island?"
"You don't remember anymore? Well… You said you didn't want to know anything, so I'm not giving anything." The boy's crimson eyes darted toward her, shining white. "You're tired. Get some rest."
Marina tensed. Her body went limp, and she closed her eyes and instantly fell unconscious.
Waves crashed on the bright golden sand of the long strip of beach. The sun was up high, sometimes covered by a rare fluffy cloud. Curious rainbows of all sizes snaked across the sky, originating from the island's two tall mountains. The ocean's fresh, salty wind constantly blew in a gentle caress.
The water splashed harmlessly as a young child ran along the shore, laughing with a wide smile. Her cyan pigtails flickered behind her, and her simple cotton dress fluttered in the wind. A pair of pendants knocked together every so often at her every step, and one of them chimed merrily as a bell would.
"Wait! Wait!" her young, delighted voice giggled. She chased a flying azure Pokémon with straight, pointed wings, resembling somewhat like a jet in animal form.
Behind her, another Pokémon similar to the first, bearing ruby feathers instead of blue, followed the girl. The red creature's amber irises glittered in sheer excitement. It called out in an adorable voice, followed soon by the deeper tone of its brother.
"Wait, Latios!" the girl cried out happily as she and the red Pokémon, also female, pursued the blue Pokémon. "You're too fast!"
He stopped and turned, smiling even as the young child playfully jumped and latched her arms around his neck.
"Got you!" she declared, looking up at him with a blissful smile on her face. Both of them uttered a shocked gasp as the red Pokémon rammed into them, attempting to hug them both at once despite being far smaller than Latios.
"Ra!" she cheered.
The girl giggled. "Yay, Latias!"
Before Latios could join in, he staggered and fell onto the sand with the three of them sitting in a pile. With wide eyes full of surprise, they looked at each other. At the same time, the trio smiled and laughed innocently before getting up and chasing each other across the beach once more...
Marina slowly opened her eyes, half-asleep. Her head rested on a breathing bed of soft blue feathers. A steady heartbeat continued evenly like a soothing, wordless lullaby. She stared at the jet-like Pokémon that she leaned on like a pillow, remembering it from her dream.
"La...tios...?" she whispered. Quiet and incredibly tired still, she closed her eyes again. For some time, she lay still and quiet, until she released a sudden sneeze. But she clutched Latios' feathers and buried her face into them as she drifted back into her slumber.
Again, it fell silent for a decent amount of time. When it was assumed with certainty that Marina had indeed fallen asleep, Latios raised his head.
"That was a close one," a human voice whispered.
He nodded, facing the two figures that crawled out of the shadows. One was a boy in his younger teenage years, a Trainer with cobalt blue hair and sporting red and black attire. Floating along next to him was Latias, who had grown like Latios had over the years but was still fairly small in comparison.
"Aura—oh, I mean, Marina—must really be sleepy," the red-coated Latias projected her thoughts psychically. She held a familiar bag of candy in her little arms, eating a sweet every so often.
"She is," Latios agreed.
The boy watched them, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. "I'm glad we finally got this out of her hands," he said in relief. He pulled out the green and white sphere, gazing at it in the palm of his hand. The two Pokémon did the same.
"Aura's Neo Ball…" Latios said, quietly concentrating its mental voice away from the sleeping Trainer.
"Aura wouldn't be too happy if she found out we took her away from Marina."
"We've really got no choice. Even though Suicune gave the Neo Ball to Marina so Aura would protect her, it looks like it can backfire... like tonight. Aura is stronger than I ever imagined."
"Yeah. There were so many Unown everywhere, it was like woah. I wish we could have stopped it before it got out of control, but…"
"We didn't make it in time," Latios commented, albeit somewhat guiltily. "At least she saved Marina. Why she went after her friend, on the other hand…"
"I don't care what this 'Aura' girl wants," the human claimed. He observed the Neo Ball with a frown. "That was her close friend and an old friend of mine too. I'm not letting some reckless hag of a spirit do as she pleases."
"Now Aura really wouldn't be too happy to hear that," Latias commented with a lighthearted smile.
He pocketed the sphere away again. "Aura can't do anything about it now. But thanks to her, I've got more clues about what this power is now. It truly is amazing."
"But I still wonder about the story we heard," Latias said, "About there being two people who existed like Marina."
"There's Aura, the one inside the Neo Ball, and supposedly another named Maya. But Cilice said that Maya passed on long ago," Latios mused with a profound tilt of his head.
"Yeah, it'd be interesting if there were another," the boy sighed, "but this is good enough. Less for me worry about."
Latias ruffled her red and white down in displeasure at the cold atmosphere around her, chomping down on another piece of candy. "It's too chilly. Let's get out of here already."
"Will Marina be fine here, by herself?" Latios debated calmly. "Since she's taken a liking to using me as a feather bed, I don't mind staying here until she woke up. I'll catch up with you then."
"Sounds like a plan." The teen nodded, grinning again in his gratitude. "I appreciate your help. The old hag messed things up a little, but everything should be good now. I can do more research myself here on out." Then, with a light shiver himself, he crossed his arms. He looked around at the dank, charred and disorganized state of the basement-like room where they currently resided.
"Anyway, why did you two choose here of all places to drop Marina off? Sheesh. The Alph Visitor...Research place, whatever it's called, would have been better—and warmer too."
Latios blinked his cool crimson eyes. "Well... It saves her a trip to Ecruteak."
"Besides," his sister added, "Don't you think those statues over there are at least a little bit intriguing? I thought she'd like to see them."
The Trainer blinked with pure puzzlement written on his young face. "What? Statues?"
"The statues!" Latias exclaimed, hushing considerably afterward. She pointed toward a flight of stairs leading to a plateau. "Those three right over there."
Following her little guiding arm toward the elevated floor, he scrutinized the shadows for a good few moments. He raised an eyebrow. "I don't see anything. Where are they?"
Latias tilted her head. As she looked toward her brother, the two Pokémon locked eyes, sharing the same sentiments.
But Latias broke the stare and let out a little giggle. "Sorry, nothing. I was just seeing things." She ate another candy from her little bag and floated back over to him, offering her free paw for him to hold. "We should get a-going then."
"Sure." He turned to Latios and the slumbering Marina. "I wish I could stick around to say hi, but I think she's been through enough for now," he said. "And I've got other things that I need to check out."
"No need to worry," the Pokémon responded.
As Latias' yellow eyes began to emit a whitish glow, the Trainer boy glanced over his shoulder at the empty plateau. With an unconcerned shrug, the two vanished from sight, and Latios rested his head as he waited through the night.
When Marina gradually slipped back into consciousness, she found herself lying flat on the ground. Sleepily she turned her head, searching through the darkness. Only her belongings were recognizable beside her, and the egg was still wrapped snugly in her jacket. She sat up from the dust covered ground with a start.
"Bugsy? ...Latios?"
Visibility returned to her as her eyes adjusted to the bleak darkness of night. Her surroundings were not in the least familiar to the ruins, but it did appear ragged and scarred over years of neglect. The place was littered in many sorts of debris, ranging from large wooden splinters to broken pillars and statues. Not a soul had set foot there in a long, long time.
Marina was also alone, as she noticed by peering through the moonbeams that supplied her with little light. Where did he go? Where am I? How long was I out?
She sighed. I don't even know anymore.
Dazed, she weakly stood. By observing a little more, she found herself to be on a higher level compared to the rest of the underground floor cascading into darkness below her. Turning behind her, she found a short flight of stairs that led to a plateau higher than all others. Three large figures stood there, frozen in time.
Seriously, just… What's going on here? She pondered.
I come to the Ruins of Alph to sightsee and find a mysterious Pokémon, and what happens? I fall through a trapdoor and see Unown after completing a harmless puzzle; something took over me and attacked my best friend—. Marina's face fell considerably, but she was too tired to cry. And then I find out that "Bugsy" is actually a Latios... A Pokémon I'm pretty sure I met in the past when I was little...whenever that was. It's so crazy, I don't even know if it really happened or not.
Marina sighed deeply. "Just thinking of all this makes me even more tired than I already am."
Spending a momentary minute of silence, she gazed at the three figures above her. Curious, she carefully scaled the dusty steps.
Does that mean those odd memories are true? About an island, and a lot of Pokémon…
She stopped as she reached the top, stumbling as she did so. Three statues rested before her, bearing sleek and animated poses carved into their stone bodies that stood at least two feet taller over her. She gasped at once, recognizing the three from left to right.
"It's Raikou, Suicune, and Entei!" she said in a whisper. "Three legendary Pokémon that once roamed Johto...!"
The statues appeared so detailed that Marina had a haunting thought they would spring to life at any given moment. She observed the trio with a thoughtful eye.
Suicune's sculpture was closest to Marina, standing merely a couple feet from her. It shared a long flowing mane like its familiars, but its figure was lean and elegant like the motionless ribbons streaming from its hide. A large stone, always depicted as a colorful hazel gem in the pictures Marina had seen, was embedded firmly on its forehead.
Grinning a little, the girl could not help but walk closer. "They're so amazing...Especially Suicune."
All three of them carried great importance in her childhood, and at one time Marina had believed that she had seen them face to face, only to be shot down by disbelieving comments by her parents and everyone else she knew. Her only proof was her fragile memory, which had scratched away enough for her to doubt those claims herself. She could not recall what role they played, if they ever had any beyond being Pokémon Marina hoped to see in the future.
For her, the statues were almost enough. She admired them, enchanted by the realistic curves of the carved images. Marina reached out her hand shyly to the Suicune facing her, but stopped herself before she touched it.
Wait, should I really do this? She shifted to the other two sculptures and quickly skimmed the smooth stone of the one before her, seeing no visible fractures. Nope, no cracks anywhere... But did Latios bring me here? Did he want me to see them? She looked over her shoulder briefly. He's not here, though. I wish he was; it's creepy, and I'm still so confused...
Even if he did not answer her in favor of keeping secrets—as he had said that he would—that did not change the fact that she didn't like being by herself in a place like this.
She felt her tangled hair, pursing her lips in distaste. Her fingers sensed the bandana, still sitting loosely on her head. Still in thought, she slowly yet gently fixed it. Afterward, she turned her gaze back onto the beautiful Suicune statue and another tired smile found its way on her face.
"Maybe just Suicune," she promised under her breath, "And then I'll find out how to get out of here."
With a hint of hesitation, Marina placed her hand on the sculpture. It was smooth and clean, seemingly immune to dust. After petting its muzzle for a pensive moment—and feeling somewhat silly doing so, she turned away. Inhaling the damp air, she looked out into the depths of the cold room.
"Well," she said, crossing her arms. "Is there even a way out of here? If worse comes to worst, I'll have to force my way through, but I really don't want to do that..."
Then again, I'm not really up to anything right now. I just want to sleep in a bed and hope all of this was just a really realistic nightmare… I don't even know where I am right now.
The wind outside gave a sudden howl, and Marina stumbled in a sudden wave of dizziness that crashed into her. She quickly covered her head.
"Oh no, not again. Stop already! I just want everything to go back to normal!" she shouted in a distressed groan. She stumbled into the Suicune statue when she noticed an azure light shining from over her shoulder. She stiffened instantly. Scrambling back onto steady legs, she turned around and retreated in apprehension.
Lights shrouded the three statues, intensifying by the second. Each hue of the aura reflected what powers they represented; Suicune's was engulfed in azure, Raikou's sparked yellow, and Entei's flared scarlet.
Marina stared with a dumbfounded expression plastered on her face, her eyes wide. Now what?
The blinding illumination dissipated to answer her question.
Now in vivid color, the three statues stood with a potent air of life swirling around them. The Suicune's ribbons and purple tresses went into motion just as Entei's smoky mane fluttered like a cloud.
But the first to move was the bright yellow tiger to Marina's left, and it stretched and straightened its pose until it suddenly turned to her. With a brief display of all its teeth, it called into the air with a crashing thunderous voice as if lightning had struck the earth.
Marina shook at the sound, incredibly awed. Oh my God!
A powerful roar erupted to her right, and she whipped her head toward the brown lion Pokémon. It stared in silence with flaring orange irises. Both Pokémon watched the absolutely astonished girl, their expressions unreadable.
Suddenly, Entei and Raikou sped in opposite directions. They unleashed an exploding blast of electricity and fire in the distance, creating a devastating bang that shook the old building. With their paths created, they leaped through the exits and disappeared into the early morning.
Marina, too shocked for words, looked at the only creature left: the powerful water Pokémon standing before her. It had been staring silently the entire time, also concentrating on the young Trainer. Like she had always imagined, Suicune stood with unmatched grace in its muscular, elegant posture.
It blinked calmly. Jumping with just as much speed as Raikou and Entei, Suicune turned and bounded about the ground in graceful circles around the girl. Marina watched in deep admiration and slight fear, turning often to keep track of the quick beast. The Suicune's grand, smooth leaps seemed to give off its sincere gratitude, and it soon stopped and stood in front of her again, locking eyes with Marina. Its crimson cat irises brimmed with potent strength, yet some hint of benevolence.
...Wow. Marina held her hands tighter as she took in its brilliant appearance. It's beautiful.
Suicune suddenly howled with a symphonic, flowing voice. It then soared over the girl and dashed away into the shadows. Marina's eyes hurriedly followed its fleeting figure. After a few moments of its echoing steps, a blast was heard, followed by nothing more.
Marina's breath returned to her, and, shivering, she collapsed onto her knees—weakened by the impressive sight she had witnessed. Feeling her fast-pounding heart, Marina convinced herself to relax the longer she sat in silence.
Okay… What happened? She pondered in disbelief, her mind swimming with disarray. That was Suicune, Entei, and Raikou. Why were they statues? I… This is all too much...
The tired girl closed her eyes and let herself fall back onto the ash-powdered floor. She fell asleep before she could let out another thought.
