Tyler woke up underwater, a little disoriented. It took him a few moments to remember where he was and why, but then his paw went instinctively to his chest. That's right. My water crystal is gone. I have to get it before some other pokémon does. The image crossed his mind of the crystal simply not being anywhere around the pond, and he shook his head. That couldn't happen.
The vaporeon decided not to eat first. There would be time for that once Claire's gift was safely back around his neck. He oriented himself to the edge of the pond he needed to be on and stepped out of the water.
Despite his urgency, caution still took over for a moment as Tyler looked around to make sure there weren't any pokémon too near or watching him too closely. He worried especially about the scyther pair, but they didn't seem to be around. They probably attacked me because I looked vulnerable after I fell. I've got to stay on guard.
He headed back for the rock formation he'd fallen off of. It was the obvious place to start. It made sense that the water crystal would be where he'd landed, but the ground had dried overnight so he didn't have any way to tell where that had been. Tyler looked up, searching for the ledge. He found it, but it was still hard to pick out exactly where he would have landed. Tyler's heart sank as he saw that the area was littered with stones. I've got to find it. He started pacing the area, head down to scan the dry ground. Tyler tried to stay calm, but as minute after minute passed, the tension grew until he was almost on the edge of panic. Finally he tried reaching out to it with his power. He wasn't sure if he'd be close enough, but he did feel something. It's close. Tyler still wasn't sure where; he wasn't used to the way the water crystal showed up in his senses, so he had only a fuzzy impression that it was nearby.
That was a relief by itself though. The crystal was still around. It hadn't been taken. All Tyler had to do was find it. He stopped for a moment and let out a huge sigh before returning to his search. After moving around and turning in different directions, Tyler decided it was probably closer to the rocks. He kept looking until finally he came right up to the base and caught a flash of blue inside a pile of fallen stones. Some of them were larger than Tyler was; he didn't think he'd be able to shift them, but there was no way he would stop now, not with the crystal so close.
Tyler pushed as far as he could into the gap, sliding forward on his stomach. Once he couldn't fit any further, the vaporeon turned liquid and flowed through the cracks to finally touch the crystal. It started floating when his water surrounded it, but the chain was caught between two stones. Tyler determinedly worked it loose before carefully retreating back the way he'd come.
Once he was out of the crack, Tyler reformed and picked the stone up with his paw. Tears unexpectedly sprang to his eyes as he got a clear look at Claire's gift again. I almost lost you, Claire. Or…all I have to remember you by. I'm sorry. Tyler looked up at the sky. Are you all right? Did I do the right thing? The questions still haunted him, and the vaporeon wept as a fresh wave of loneliness found him. Why can't I do this? It's not the first time I've said goodbye. In his heart, though, he knew. Every other time—Ryan, Carson and Kara, even Zahna—it hadn't been forever. Or at least, it wasn't supposed to be. He'd always hoped to come back. This time, it felt like Claire was gone. I can't keep going like this.
But I have to. That was the only way he'd make it. Tyler took a shuddering breath and pulled the chain over his fins, shaking it into place. He felt safer knowing the crystal was around his neck again, and he needed that reassurance right now.
I can't stay in this place. I have to keep going. Tyler took another breath. He was losing his confidence like this. He had to do something, prove to himself that he was coming closer to rescuing his family, that going off on his own hadn't just been a mistake. There had to be a reason. Tyler knew there was, but it only mattered if he actually had a chance. Do I?
The vaporeon shook his head. I'm going in circles again. Things were so much easier when I was with Claire and all we had to worry about was facing the next opponent. Not finding them. He looked down again at the water crystal. Claire gave me this. She believes in me. I have to believe that. I can do this, Tyler reassured himself. I can.
He took another breath, letting it out slowly. Okay. I was going to find a bird pokémon and ask them the best way to get out of these rocks. He decided to go back and wait at the edge of the pond. Pokémon would arrive soon enough.
When he reached the pond, Tyler remembered he hadn't eaten yet, so he found another bush, choosing more carefully this time. The berries were a kind he'd had sometimes, not quite his favorite but not bad either. Then he went back to wait.
Pokémon came and went, but Tyler left most of them alone. They either looked local, or unfriendly, or both. Finally one of the strange round-headed birds he'd seen yesterday floated down to land at the edge of the pond. It stood straight and then leaned down almost as if it was pecking at the water.
Tyler ran around the edge of the pond to where it was, checking his momentum when he got close. He didn't want to seem like a threat. "Hey! I have a question."
The bird stopped and stood up straight again, turning its head to look at him. It didn't answer right away, just staring at him with one eye at a time. "You've come a long way," it finally said.
Tyler wasn't sure what to say to that. "Well…yes."
"You're going a long way."
Tyler nodded quietly, deciding to wait and see where this was going.
"Hmmm…" the bird said, blinking one eye at a time again. Its gaze snapped away from him, then back. "Catchers? You attack them? But don't get caught…interesting. But then, you did before…"
"Um…" Tyler hesitated. "What's going on? What are you saying? How do you know that?"
"I see." It closed one eye. "Back…" the eye opened again and it closed the other "…and forward. You are different. Most of the pokémon here, they always lived here, they will die here. Or be caught. Not you. You came from somewhere, you go somewhere. Catchers both ways. You're always tangled with them."
Tyler thought about it and decided to go along. "That's right. They came and took my family. Now I'm trying to get them back. I just need…to get away from here. I have to find a safe path out of the mountains. Can you help me?"
It nodded. "That's it. That's why."
After a long silence, Tyler tried again. "Do you know a way down there?" He indicated with his head. "It'll take a few days, and I have to find food."
The strange bird considered him again, then snapped a wing out to the side. "You will go that way. Find the stream and follow it. It will take you where you are going."
That was something. "Um, thanks. I'll do that," Tyler replied.
"Do not thank me. I told you because your path interests me. But you are the one who walks it."
Tyler nodded. "Okay." One more question came to his mind. "What are you? I mean, what kind of pokémon?"
"I am a xatu." The bird gave him a perfunctory nod and went back to sipping water, seemingly ignoring him. Tyler nodded one more time. I guess that's what I needed to know. There's a stream that way, I can find what I need from there. If I swim, I can even get to the grass or forest or whatever it is out there today. He looked back at the xatu one more time; it didn't pay him any attention, so Tyler shrugged and set off in the direction it had indicated. I think that was one of the strangest conversations I've ever had. Can xatu really see the future? It had been right about how many times humans had changed his life, so Tyler thought it might be telling the truth. I guess I've heard of pokémon that can do a lot of different things. Olive can make it just get dark at noon, so…why not this?
As he left the pond behind, it occurred to him that the xatu hadn't told him how far it was to the stream. Tyler considered that for a moment and then shrugged. He wasn't going to go back and wait. The only way out was forward, and he couldn't stand waiting around any longer. I'll make it.
Tyler kept going in a straight line, checking every now and then if he could sense the stream ahead of him. It took the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon as well before he could sense it, but that wasn't too bad. I was worried it might take days again. The sky started to cloud over as the day went on and the temperature dropped a little, but it didn't bother Tyler too much. As the vaporeon walked across the barren terrain, he saw a fair number of other pokémon. Most of them were hardy rock and ground pokémon, ones who could last a long time on their own out here, but there were a few others. Birds and bugs seemed to make this their home too, and he even saw a furret peeking out of a hole in the ground once. He was worried about an attack, but he was left mostly alone that day. Tyler was hungry by the time he made it to the stream in the late afternoon, but apart from that he was fine.
Once he reached it, Tyler stopped, disappointed. It was just a small stream, only deep enough to come partway up his legs. It wasn't big enough to swim in. But at least I have water here, and there should be something to eat around here. I won't have to worry about those for a while. Tyler turned and started following the water downstream, padding along the bank. It was nice to hear and feel the water running alongside him, though. It made him feel safer.
As he'd expected, it was only a short while before Tyler came across a berry bush. He ate his fill, thinking wistfully back to Claire and her bag. It would be helpful to be able to carry food along with him, especially if he was going to be traveling around a lot now. I'm all right for now, though. Where there's water, there's food.
Tyler started seeing more pokémon as he followed the stream's course. There were dens around, especially near the bushes, and the pokémon here seemed a little friendlier. Or at least not hostile. Tyler still got a sense that they were wary of him showing up as an outsider.
It started raining before sunset. Tyler decided to enjoy it and pressed on as far as he had light, though he couldn't help wishing the rain had come the morning after Claire had released him. Once it got dark he found a spot that seemed a little out of the way and lay down with rain running down his fins and sides. He already had enough water, so it wasn't soaking into his skin now. Tyler gave a contented sigh and rested his head on his paws, listening to the patter of raindrops in the night until he fell asleep.
Tyler woke up with the sunrise and set off again. He thought he was still more than a day away from the green area he'd seen, especially since he'd gone off at an angle to reach the stream he was following now. The stream had swelled from last night's rain, though still not enough to let him make up the time by swimming down it. He found a cluster of berry bushes at a bow in the stream, so for the first time in a few days Tyler had a choice of what he wanted to eat. He found some of the red ones he liked on one of the plants. Once he'd eaten, he stopped for a few minutes, looking again at the crystal hanging around his neck. I'm all right, he promised it.
Tyler sighed and set off downstream again. It did feel good to be going somewhere again. The ground was still damp underpaw, though the clouds had mostly spent themselves and there were only a few wisps of white left in the sky. It slowly dried as the morning wore on, and Tyler could see shoots of green peeking out through cracks in the ground. Maybe it wasn't all so barren out here after all.
It was a little after noon when Tyler heard a piercing scream. "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The vaporeon's heart skipped a beat—he knew that voice. Sasha! He turned and started running in the direction her scream had come from, going around or over the larger rocks that broke through the ground.
"I'm coming!" Tyler called as he ran. He didn't know what he might find there, but if something was threatening his sister he didn't have any time to hesitate. No time for anything. The scream rang out again and Tyler startled, pushing himself to run a little faster.
As he rounded a boulder, things finally came into view. Three pupitar were menacing the eevee, who was sheltering in a crack between two rocks. The hard-carapaced pokémon were launching like missiles on bursts of air, hitting hard enough that their spikes put dents in the rock. Sasha cringed down as each one came for her. She was out of their reach for the moment, but if they kept up their assault the rock wouldn't hold up.
"HEY!" Tyler shouted. "Get away from her!" The pupitar changed direction and saw him running in. Before he'd gotten close, one of them shot at him with another hiss of pressurized air. Tyler liquefied midstride right as it tore through him. He reformed still on his paws and stumbled, but it had been quick enough that the water crystal hadn't fallen off his neck this time. Fighting one on three, he was going to need it.
He dodged as another pupitar came hurtling at him. It changed direction, but not enough, and it went plowing into the ground behind him. After just a moment there was another spurt of air and it popped upright again. The third pupitar had just finished another run at the eevee, spraying more rock chips. Get away from her! Tyler repeated in his mind, his throat filling with water energy. He skidded to a halt and braced himself, letting loose a blast of water so powerful it rocked him back. Claire's crystal, he thought again. The water blasted the pupitar away from him and Sasha.
Tyler knew he only had seconds before the three pupitar would be coming back at him again, and he set his paws, taking a defensive stance in front of the eevee. Behind him he heard, "Father? You're back!" His heart sank for a moment, but relief came too. It's not Sasha. Then another pupitar came hurtling in. Tyler caught it midair with a quick burst of water, hitting it again as it landed a few feet in front of him. The pupitar made a choking noise and flipped awkwardly backwards, bouncing once before it came to a stop with water coming out of the holes in its shell. Tyler focused and put an ice beam into it, freezing it solid before it could do anything else. He heard one of the others coming in, but before he could do anything it caught him in his right side. Tyler cried out and rolled over as its crown of spikes broke his skin.
The third pupitar was attacking the eevee again. Wincing, Tyler held the one that had just hit him down with his forepaws and fired a long stream of water across the crack, deflecting the pupitar again. He looked down just in time to see the pupitar's shell crack open to reveal a pair of jaws, and he scrambled back. No, I have to get back in front of her. Tyler sprinted forward, jumping over the pupitar as it inhaled. By the time he'd reached his defensive position it was hurtling his way from behind, but this time Tyler was ready. He whirled left on his paws, whipping the water around him into a crashing wall that smashed the pupitar into the rock beside him. Before he could hit it with an ice beam, the remaining pupitar came rocketing in as well. All Tyler could do was liquefy and let it pass through him. This time the water crystal slipped off his neck when he reformed.
At least now both pupitar were in the same place. With a moment to breathe, Tyler started releasing water. The two pupitar seemed hesitant to blast in again, so Tyler pulled the water around him and waterfalled into them instead. One got out, but Tyler trapped the other, holding it with him in the bubble of water. It snapped at him, but for the moment they were in Tyler's element. Bubbles spurted out the holes in the pupitar's shell and then it stopped, jaws working weakly. Tyler let the water go again and it went splashing outward as he looked for the last of his attackers; the pupitar he'd just drowned lay on the ground, making a gurgling noise. Tyler was starting to realize that they used their breath to move. Take it away and they weren't much of a threat.
The last pupitar had retreated to a safe distance. "Stay away from her," Tyler warned. It didn't seem like it was about to come at him, so Tyler took the opportunity to freeze the second pupitar to the ground. Then he heard it: the slow, thudding footfalls of something massive. Tyler turned back to the eevee, who was panting rapidly and looking wildly around. Then her eyes snapped to his face.
Before he could say anything, the eevee's ears flattened. "You're not Father." She started crying.
Tyler shook his head. "That's not important right now. We've got to run, now. Come on."
"Run where?" the eevee sounded on the edge of panic again.
"Follow me." Tyler saw his water crystal on the ground and picked it up in his mouth before turning back to the eevee. "Come on!" A roar sounded from the other direction and the eevee jumped, galvanized into action. She took off in a sprint, away from the river. Tyler headed at a different angle. "This way!" he called around the chain in his mouth. A glance back confirmed that it was a tyranitar coming after them. They could probably outrun it, but if it caught up to them…Tyler had fought one before, and it had been one of the worst battles he'd been in. Ryan's fire and Miranda's lightning hadn't done much good against it and Alan wasn't on their team then, so Claire had sent him out. He'd taken a beating from the monstrous armored pokémon. He was stronger now than back then, but Tyler didn't want to test himself against this one, not with both his safety and that of the eevee on the line.
Tyler wove back through the rocky terrain at a sprint, breathing heavily. He glanced back frequently to make sure the eevee was still following. She was, but he had to slow down for her several times. Come on! the vaporeon thought, gritting his teeth. The tyranitar dipped in and out of sight, but a few seconds' delay could be the difference between escape and…Tyler shivered. He didn't want to think about what would happen.
They reached the stream again. Tyler looked around quickly, weighing his options. There still wasn't enough water to swim—at least not normally. What if I use my own? Behind him, the eevee had stopped too, darting glances between him and the incoming tyranitar. Tyler took a precious moment to fold his fins and shake the water crystal back around his neck, though there wasn't time to get it securely under his ruff. It would have to do.
"Are you going to fight it?" the eevee asked.
"I hope not. Come on, into the water."
"I can't swim!"
"I can," Tyler replied. There wasn't any more time, so Tyler turned and seized the eevee by her ruff, jumping into the water and running downstream with her weight swinging back and forth from his mouth. She was breathing in quick, frightened gasps again. Tyler concentrated and more water came streaming off his skin. If he could pull enough of it into a swell, he could swim downstream and get away.
"Hol' your breaff!" Tyler ordered through the eevee's fur in his mouth. She was trembling but did as he said, and his paws left the streambed as the water closed over them. With his mouth full, Tyler realized he couldn't use his gills very well either. He shrugged and flicked his tail, sending them rocketing downstream on the swell of water he'd created.
Tyler managed to hold it all for half a minute before his breath ran out. Hopefully that was enough to get away. Before he ran out of air, Tyler let the swell break and went tumbling as the water suddenly became shallow again. The first sound that reached him was the eevee coughing. She sat up in the stream, looking miserable. Tyler looked around, confirming that the tyranitar wasn't still following them, then looked back to her. The water crystal slid down his neck when he bent to pick her up again, so he arched his head back for a moment and got it under his ruff where it normally was. Once it was in place, he pulled the eevee out of the water.
"Are you all right?" he asked the bedraggled eevee. She shook her head, coughing a few more times. "I'm sorry," Tyler said. "Hold still." He wrapped his tail around the eevee and started sponging the water out of her fur. After a few moments she sighed. "What's your name?" Tyler asked her.
She met the vaporeon's eyes for the first time, staring up at him. "Chloe," she said in a small voice.
"What are you doing out here alone, Chloe? Where's your family?"
Tyler started thinking of how they could get back without getting attacked, but Chloe just shook her head and started crying again. "Gone."
He tried to ask her what had happened but the eevee didn't answer, just buried her head in his side, sobbing. After a few moments Tyler gave up and just curled around her, wrapping his tail so she was inside the circle his body made. It wasn't much, but Tyler hoped she'd feel safer. She called me "Father" earlier. He must be a vaporeon. I wonder where he is? And she'd said her family was "gone." What did that mean? Had trainers—Catchers—taken them like they'd taken his? I'll take care of Chloe if I have to. Even if trainers don't mean any harm for the pokémon they catch, it isn't fair that the rest of us get left like this. "Don't worry," he whispered. "I'll keep you safe."
There was no answer, but Chloe curled up against him with a shuddering sigh. Her breathing slowed down and Tyler realized she had fallen asleep. He looked up at the sun. She must be exhausted. How long was she out on her own? Tyler sighed, wishing he knew what had happened. At least I can keep her safe for now. He looked around, carefully not moving. He didn't want to disturb her; if the eevee had fallen asleep in the middle of the day she had to need her rest.
He got a little uncomfortable after a while, but Tyler didn't move. He was getting sore where the pupitar had gotten him too, but he decided to ignore the discomfort and give Chloe a chance to rest. It was almost evening before the eevee stirred again. Tyler got up and stretched stiffly. "Did you sleep well?" She looked up and gave him a little nod, though she still looked tired. He still had questions, but Tyler decided they could wait. "Come on. We can't stay out here all night, and we need to get you something to eat." Get us something, Tyler added silently as his stomach rumbled.
Chloe followed him further downstream, though Tyler noticed the eevee stuck close behind him. They found a lone bush before too long. With the sun going down, Tyler pulled a few berries off, watching as Chloe did the same. They weren't his favorite, but he thought she seemed to like them, as much as she'd shown enthusiasm for anything. She kept darting glances at Tyler, as though afraid he'd disappear too. For his part, Tyler kept his eyes and ears open for anything that might be coming. Nothing showed itself; Tyler thought any pokémon around would have already eaten and returned to their dens before it got this late. Normally I wouldn't have to worry about this. Normally I wouldn't have to be worried about other pokémon. Everywhere else I've been it's been all of us together, and the only threats were the humans.
Chloe looked up at him again once she'd finished eating. She looked uncertain and didn't say anything for a minute. Finally she opened her mouth. "Who…who are you?"
"My name is Tyler." He thought for a moment. "I come from a forest, pretty far from here. Catchers took my family, just like you." Chloe burst into tears again. "What's wrong?" Tyler asked.
"Not…my family," Chloe sobbed. "Just Father. And…after he was gone…we weren't safe. Those…things…they…they…" She broke off and buried her face in her paws, still sobbing.
Tyler wasn't sure what to do for a few seconds, then he pulled himself closer and started licking behind Chloe's ears in long strokes, hoping to calm her. It was something Mother used to do. She stiffened at first, but then started to relax beneath his tongue, although every once in a while she would tighten up again, hunching her shoulders against some unseen pain. He noticed that the eevee's ruff and fur were in a mess, so he started straightening it out, carefully working through the tangles with his teeth.
By the time he finished, she was still again, just breathing in and out. Tyler realized her fur still wasn't as neat as it could be, but it was the best he could do. I've never been the one taking care of someone. It's always been Ryan or Zahna or Claire taking care of me. Or Cora. But I might be the only one who can keep Chloe safe now. I have to take care of her, at least until I can find somewhere safer for her to live.
He looked away for a minute, out toward the horizon and the sky. When he turned back, Chloe was staring at him again. "Um…Tyler? You're…not going to go away…right?" He noticed she was staring to breathe faster again.
The vaporeon shook his head firmly. "No. I'll stay here. Don't worry about that, I'll keep you safe. Is there…" Tyler felt bad asking, but he had to know. "Is there anyone left back there? Your family?"
Chloe teared up again and took a shuddery breath. "No. They're…Mother….and Trina…they're gone. I ran, they came for me last." She broke down again, and Tyler's heart went out to her. It hurt to see someone else like this. She's had it even worse than me.
"Chloe," Tyler said, as softly as he could, "I know…I can't replace your family. I can't ever fix that. But I'll keep you safe. I promise. I've…" Tyler paused. "I've trained. With…Catchers. I can fight probably anything out here."
"Even that big one? By yourself?"
"The tyranitar, you mean?" Tyler sighed. "I'd get hurt, but…yes. And I will, if that's what it takes to protect you. I can't bring your family back, but I can do that."
"So what do we do?"
Tyler felt a little better; Chloe seemed to be past the worst of her pain, at least for the moment. He wondered if this was how Cora had been with him. "For now? We need to get some sleep. Or at least I do. Tomorrow, we can keep going." He looked down the stream. "I was headed this way before I found you. Things are…different out here. Pokémon aren't like this in most places. You should be safer in the forest."
'But what about you? Can't you stay?"
"I have to find my family. Catchers took all of them, and…" Tyler trailed off. "That's not important right now. I'm going to make sure you're somewhere safe first."
"Please don't leave me alone," the eevee pleaded.
Tyler opened his mouth to reply, to reassure Chloe or something, then closed it again and thought some more. "I'm not…for now. I'll take you somewhere safe. But I can't stay out here forever, and the places I have to go are dangerous too. You might get caught if you come." He sighed. "But that's later on. For now, we need to get some rest. We have to get as far as we can tomorrow."
Chloe gave him an unreadable look before nodding and curling into a ball. A small yawn escaped her, and Tyler couldn't help but smile. He sobered as he thought again about what she had gone through. She deserves a better life than this. Despite how tired he was, Tyler stayed awake for a little while longer and considered the night around him, watching and listening for any further signs of danger before he finally lay his head down to go to sleep himself. The movement reminded him of the chain around his neck, and Tyler looked down at Claire's gift again. It was the first time Tyler had thought of his trainer for most of the day. Thank you, Claire. This might have saved my life today. Maybe both of our lives. He sighed and finally closed his eyes.