... i hate college (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
AND COVID TOO! (Seriously everyone take care, little b*stard virus up and got me and my family infected overnight)
Anyways for the like the four people still reading this here's a phat juice update for y'alls(ok I promise I'll never say that ever again just please let me have some fun plz xB )
Still getting used to writing whatever without overcomplicating stuff and I somehow still did so in this chapter (God I really suck) so hope you like this stuff. Been getting lots of new ideas too so maybe more stories are on their way(?
(probably not)
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"You're more than welcome to stay here as long as you want Jasper." Said Kalya in a soft voice.
"Thank you guys." he said "I really hope you don't mind me being back here."
"Don't sweat it, dude everyone's missed you since you left." said Archer in his usual cheerful tone. "They even kept your room the same as you left it."
"Besides we'd appreciate you back in our ranks as a pro." said Harris, again a slight grin peeking through his typically stoic expression.
His ears perked up upon hearing this, Jasper carefully brought his hand to his muzzle humming a little as he thought of his previous experiences away from Mystline and the guild.
"I heard the rumors on my way back." He answered as all four of them walked to his old room via the guild's barracks. "Is it really getting that bad?"
"No…" he responded, some sarcasm slipping through his voice "It's much worse than what they've told you."
Jasper stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at his friends with another worried expression.
"Has anyone-?""No!" interrupted Kayla "No one's been seriously injured."
"But that's only because we've been trying to keep them away from the more dangerous jobs." complemented Harris.
Kayla shot him an annoyed glare and Harris rolled his eyes at his partner.
"What?! It's the truth!" He exclaimed, "Mystery Dungeons haven't been this active in decades, centuries perhaps if the old records are to be trusted."
"You guys! Not so loud!" Exclaimed Archer. All three turned to look at the Arcanine a little embarrassed.
"Sorry Archy, you're right." said Harris "We can't afford to cause a panic right now."
Jasper simply nodded his head in agreement and continued to walk in silence, his mind already burdened with the thoughts of his failure during the exams now wondered about the rumors he had so often heard throughout his travels. Pokémon from all walks of life seemed to be facing the same distressing problem, aggressive pokemon attacks were on the rise… Everywhere.
From deep within the Zagros heartland, to the vast expanses of Cyrenaican desert, stretching to the forests and mountains of Götia and Kalos, and all the way to the sheer peaks of Agathyn and the Galarian Isles.
'Truly unsettling' he thought.
"Jasper are you with us?"
Jasper's ears shot up and he shook his head snapping out of his thoughts. He turned to Kayla with an apologetic look in his eyes.
"Sorry I dozed off a for a while there, you were saying?"
"We're here little mon." said Archer pointing at a weathered-looking door, covered in many drawings and scratches. His old room.
Jasper lowered his ears and gulped loudly as he stood in front of what had once been his own home for almost 20 years, now fearing the thought of both what lay inside and what had been missing from it for quite a long time. Closing his eyes and shaking off his fears he extended his hand and pushed the door open…
They weren't lying, his room looked exactly as it had been left. Stepping inside and walking towards the center of the room he took in just how little everything had changed
"My bed…" He whispered while he approached the corner where it sat.
"I wanted to change your bedsheets but the other members wouldn't let me," said Kayla giggling a little.
Jasper returned the gesture and giggled as he settled into his old bed, feeling with his hands all the tears, rips, as well as their subsequent stitching and repair, he had accidentally torn his duvet with his claws so many times that it had become an overlayed mess of different fabrics, colors, and textures.
"My gear!" he exclaimed as he noticed the wooden box at the foot of his bed, bursting with practice equipment, wooden swords, and protective pieces that piled up beyond the brim and over the edge.
He scooted a little closer to the edge of his bed and took one of his many practice swords in his hands once again getting used to its familiar weight, turning his hand he felt along the chips and dents on the wooden blade, each carrying a distinct memory of his training all the way back to when he was just a rookie, he sighed with melancholy and placed it back inside the box.
'Simpler days…' he thought as he glanced to the other, unoccupied side of the room.
There was another bed just like his, but its user had long since left leaving it along with Jasper empty, even now after all that had happened since his partner's sudden departure it was difficult coming to terms with the void that had been left behind.
"And Sylas? Has he ever returned?" he said, his eyes glazing a little as he looked into the vacant space just across the room.
"No, I'm afraid he hasn't come back since his departure," said Kayla.
"Leave him be Jasper." said Harris stepping into the room and sitting next to the bed "He'll come back whenever he's ready."
Jasper sighed again crossing his arms and flattening his ears. "I know… I just wish he'd be ready sooner."
It had been almost two years since Sylas had decided to leave the guild and his partner Jasper, two years since this room has been half emptied, two years since Jasper had felt more lonely than ever before, two years just left to wonder… Why?
'Maybe he got a feeling of what a complete disappointment you'd turn out to be…' a little voice whispered.
'Yeah…' he thought himself 'Maybe he chose to ditch me the second he found out.'
Jasper stood up surprising the Guild Masters a little, taking a deep breath he walked towards the bed stopping just shy of its edge. He gently caressed the old covers they too having been repaired more times than he could count.
'Maybe he just decided to spare himself the shame of having been paired with such a lousy partner.' he thought with a sigh.
"Jasper?"
His ears suddenly perked up and he looked back in surprise to see Archer who had squeezed his way through the doorframe and into the room.
"Sorry, dozed off again." he apologized.
"Come on little 'mon." he said as he gently nudged him away from the vacant bed. "You already have enough on your head to trouble yourself with more.
"Archy is right!" said Kayla "Why not go outside for a while, might be good getting some fresh air before your celebration later tonight."
"If you're still up for it." added Harris.
"Y-yeah! You guys said the others put so much effort into it… I wouldn't like to break it to them right now…"
"Are you sure?" questioned Harris in his 'Are you sure you're making the right decision?' voice, of course, he knew it wasn't the right one, but facing the alternative, it was too much for him right now.
"I…" he paused, no taking back what would come next "I am."
Harris just arched one eyebrow and huffed in response.
"If you say so, kid. Come let's go get some fresh air, we'll take care of your stuff later."
o*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*o
I woke up once again desperately coughing and gasping for air… It seemed that I had inhaled water through my nose in my sleep.
Still coughing I raised my body from the puddle which by now was a muddy trickle that clung to me, and while the air left my body violently with each cough and my vision blurred from the lack of oxygen another feeling came over me like a disgusting, heavy and warm wet blanket.
Retching violently I instinctively pointed my mouth downwards and shook my head moving my hair out of my mouth's way, giving out one last cough, a rancid flow of warm and salty water exited my mouth falling to the muddy floor below.
A few tears left my eyes out of the sheer feeling of disgust plaguing me, lifting a hand to hit my chest a couple of times a final bilious slick slid out of my throat and was spat out instantly.
"Gross..." I muttered between coughs.
Mercifully that seemed to be everything…
Shivering a little I pushed myself away from the mud and dirt and leaned back on the tree I had felt earlier closing my eyes I raised a shaky hand to my face to wipe away the tears but was stopped when more hair slid off my forehead and covered my face again. I huffed in frustration while pushing my hair to the side.
"When did I let my hair get so lo-" I said out loud but stopped dead in my tracks when I noticed something was… Off.
My hair was a bright crimson red, that shone despite being wet and covered in mud, and even though I couldn't remember what my hair was originally like at the moment, I somehow knew it wasn't supposed to have this color.
"Strange…WAIT!" My eyes widened and my legs kicked into the dirt as if I was trying to back away from what I'd just realized.
"My arm! MY HAND!" I yelled as I stared incredulously at my own body.
My arm was covered in a deep coat of dark gray fur, it looked quite skinny and frail especially at the elbow joint, a few scars covered my forearm barely hidden by the coat of fur but the oddest sight had to be my hand, or more accurately, paw which now pnly had three fingers, each ending in a sharp crimson claw. The shock of the sight nearly made me faint again and my stomach turned and twisted almost making me vomit too.
Suddenly my eyes widened even more and I shakingly started to struggle for breath, a simple yet frightening idea popped into my mind.
'What else has changed!?'
Lowering my hand, trembling with unease until it touched my chest then I started to feel around my body. The fur seemed to extend throughout my whole torso, it was quite thick in some areas in my chest and it felt dry and dirty due to the salt from the ocean and the mud of the old puddle. Moving my other hand and raising it to eye level I confirmed my suspicions, it too had changed.
"What is this?" I murmured.
Now fully aware of the changes in my upper body I cautiously explored the rest... My lower back was covered in fur too and my legs they felt so… strange? It was an odd feeling that I couldn't even begin to explain, let alone understand, they twisted and shifted in strange directions ending in another three-toed foot, or again, paw? I carefully touched and probed the claws at the end of each toe, immediately wincing and recoiling at their sharpness.
"What IS THIS?!" I repeated.
Despite starting to feel accustomed to my strange form my mind felt as if it was being bombarded by hundreds of alarms and warnings. This wasn't right, something just wasn't how it was supposed to be, but how was it supposed to be in the first place? I questioned myself while I started to force myself to a standing position.
"Something is wrong." I said as my abnormally shaped legs staggered and bent causing me to lean back into the tree and more of my long crimson hair to fall over my face covering my eyes
"Dang it."
I quickly shook my head trying to move it without letting go of the tree but it only seemed to make the crimson wall of hair in front of me thicker.
"Come on!" I said a little louder now again shaking furiously to no avail. "Damn…"
Realizing that I'd have to use my hands if I wanted to see again I steadied my breaths and straightened my posture, planting my feet into the muddy soil, stopping their incessant shaking and focusing as much as possible on not falling over.
"One…" I inhaled.
"Two…" I gripped the tree's bark with my left hand, digging my claws into it.
"Three!" I quickly raised my right hand and grabbed the thick wall of hair in front of me, twisting it and clearing my view, being almost done when my legs started to buckle.
Before I could properly react, the bark of the tree I was holding on to peeled off and I found myself falling down once more.
"NOT THIS TIME!" I yelled before rotating my body as hard and as fast as possible, hitting the ground with a hard THUD and a SPLASH.
"YES!" I yelled raising my fists in a victorious pose before letting them fall beside me.
I had successfully fallen on my back which caused all of the hair covering my eyes to fall back and away from my face, as well as fall back into more water puddles, which would keep some of that pesky hair out of my way, at least I hoped it would.
Rising to a sitting position I breathed a sigh of relief, finally being able to fully take in the sight of my strange body. Then one final earth-shattering thought came to me.
"... My face…" I muttered. My hands instinctually snaking their way up to feel around my head only stopping short of my face,
That same fur was covering my face too, most likely of the same color, yet something felt stranger than everything I had already seen and felt. My gaze now focuses on the strange anomaly at the center of my vision. The beating of my heart became like thunder ringing in my ears while I desperately looked around me to see if there was a way, a way to peel and get the full picture of what I looked like now.
'Wait a minute…' I thought 'Beneath me!'
Still sitting I cautiously turned to look behind me finding another much larger puddle of muddy water. I slowly twisted my body supporting my weight on my arms and knees I gradually closed the distance, the sight that welcomed me would forever leave a mark on me.
A pointed muzzle and sharp, cunning eyes welcomed me, reflected in the stagnant water.
I tried to scream, I tried to push myself away and scatter into the deepest darkest abyss I could find and crawl there until the image that had now burned itself into every nook and cranny of my mind disappeared, however, my body was completely paralyzed by the shock of what I was seeing. No sound exited my muzzle it only opened to let a tiny and nearly inaudible gasp leave my throat and I felt my body start to shake uncontrollably once again.
"... this has got to be some sort of dream, right?..." I murmured incredulously.
This just wasn't right, something about everything I was seeing and experiencing was unquestionably wrong, every fiber and cell in my being felt as if they were blaring alarms begging me to come to my senses and return to… something? As if I wasn't already struggling with the fear and anxiety of realizing that something was horribly wrong with my appearance I came to a frightening discovery.
Just what is normal?
I started trembling, my mind struggling to find an answer to that question but the more and more I tried to find the answers to my burning questions the more I drew blanks, the more I realized I couldn't remember anything that could indicate this was any different than it should be. I couldn't remember why my face and body felt so alien to me, I couldn't remember why my face looked the way it did and still feel like I was something totally different from it was, no…
I COULDN'T REMEMBER A THING!
I barely had time to sit back down to stop myself from falling back down face first, before a flood of world-shattering. mind-breaking sense of pure godless horror consumed me, and as the alarms that rang across my body rose louder and louder I struggled for breath, finally feeling air course through me I realized I had stopped breathing due to the anxiety, looking around and trying to just come up with anything I violently shook my head and desperately looked again for something, anything that could tell me just what was going on. WHO WAS I? WHAT WAS I DOING HERE? WHAT WAS HAPPENING?!
With a final, bellowing gasp I screamed in horror.
o*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*o
Jasper stretched his arms and took in the salty air of the afternoon as he exited the Guild's main entrance. A cold breeze swept through the path rustling the leaves of the multiple trees dotting the gate. With a shiver, Jasper pulled on his scarf a little tighter and turned to see his friends making their way down the path to join him.
"Quite chilly today huh?" He asked with a smile.
"Unusually so." said Harris "There must be a storm heading this way."
Jasper looked up and again sniffed the air, clear hints of moisture and rain were easily distinguished among the smell of sea salt from the shore as well as the multiple fires and hearths of the city.
"Well it's a good thing that you made it here before it hits." said Kayla as she padded her way next to Jasper "Come on kiddo, there's a lot to see around town."
Jasper giggled and looked up at the sky again this time with a little nostalgia in his gaze.
"We can barely call Mystline a town anymore." he said as the four canines walked their way to the edge of the city.
"It's grown so much since I left and it seems to only be getting bigger!"
"Well there have been many new changes all around Zagros!" said Archer now walking next to him "A canal is going to be built upriver connecting Hassel river to the main Nubian waterway."
Hearing this immediately peaked Jasper's attention recalling something he had seen earlier that day when he had just arrived back to Mystline.
"So that's why they're building that new port in the mouth of the river?!" he asked excitedly.
"Yep!" said Kayla "Best of all the council in Zagrad already announced the construction of a rail line between Revana and Silvari."
"Of course, you've most likely seen all those things while you were in Tiamat." said Harris.
Upon hearing this Jasper recalled his many explorations of the grand city, massive ports handling dozens of steamers at once with ease, its imposing plazas, and auditoriums that seemed so much larger than life that any legendary pokemon would feel intimidated by their sheer scope and design. The city of industry and progress it was, titanic by its very nature.
"Yeah, but I'm still surprised so much of it has already arrived here so quickly." he answered looking down at the path as they continued to walk. "It all happened so fast…"
Jasper and the Guildmasters continued down the path still talking about the newer developments Mystline had gone through during his absence, some of the jobs that the other members had taken, and again the attacks of wild pokemon around the area. Jasper listened carefully as his friends continued explaining how it had worsened in recent days, how some of the smaller towns and villages had been evacuated and left abandoned for the sake of the villager's safety, and how this, in turn, had made the city grow more and more.
Soon the dirt path they had been walking on gave way to a cobbled path of bricks and stone, trees were replaced with small plantations and farms each with its own little hut, continuing down the path the occasional house started to appear at the side of the road and towers of steam and smoke appeared in the distance as the citizens lit up their fires for the upcoming night.
They eventually reached one of the many bridges that crossed over one of the countless creeks and estuaries that branched off the Hassel river. This one was particularly liked by Jasper as it gave them a nearly unobstructed view of the city and its notorious shoreline. Jasper quickly darted to the edge of the bridge stopping just shy of its railing, placing his hands at its top and settling down he admired the landscape ahead,
Mystline always seemed to glow much brighter in the light of the afternoon sun, he thought as his eyes followed the creek as it snaked down its path. He glimpsed further downstream and saw new homes built following the stream, each being bigger and bigger as it continued further down. Soon the river vanished among the many homes and new buildings that had been built in recent times yet still, the city looked as mesmerizing as ever, basking in the sun's warm glow, windmills and waterwheels gently turned and in the few open areas where the buildings became small enough to peek over them, dozens of pokemon could be seen, each living their own lives, some selling goods and services, others singing and performing, and other simply strolling around town enjoying the calm of the afternoon and it's remaining hours of sunlight.
And away near the edge of the landscape was the mighty Hassel river, splitting the town into two separate parts, straining his eyes to see just a little further he could see some of the construction equipment near the beach where the new port was being built, he could see the fishing boats off in the distance slowly rolling and waving as their crews made their way back to shore and he could see the houses and piers at the other side of the river.
Jasper sighed with a profoundly nostalgic feeling that welled up in his chest, nearly bringing tears to his eyes. Mystline truly had grown so much since he left and he wondered, what about him? Just how much had he grown in the past year and a half if anything? There it was right in front of him, Mystline a small town which he thought would be forever stuck in time, staying small and quaint now had dramatically changed itself in such little time, he felt a heaviness take over him, his legs felt weak as they were just about to give in, and a feeling that can only be described as stagnation flooded his heart and mind.
"Is it as beautiful as you remember?" he heard from behind him. He quickly glanced behind him to see that his friends had joined him in looking at their growing city.
"...Yeah" he said longingly "Beautiful…"
The four canines decided to stay there for the time being just taking in the sight of the city they had sworn to protect, talking about the smaller changes that had been occurring in Jasper's absence.
"I heard Moonshot Wares upgraded their store recently, it's got a second floor now." said Kayla pointing at a particular building in the distance one near the edge of the river. "And the new stuff they've been selling is fantastic, really puts the old uniforms to shame."
"Yeah, how about we go there and see if there's some new gear for you!" exclaimed Archer, his tail wagging a little in excitement "We could also get you a replacement for that old thing." he joked while pointing his muzzle at the scarf that Jasper currently wore.
Jasper laughed a little at the joke while raising a hand to clasp the old scarf between his clawed hands. He appreciated its age and endurance throughout his life. sticking to him through thick and thin, gently letting go he turned to look at his friends.
"I think I'm good with this one still." he said "Besides I wouldn't like to grab attention back in town at the moment."
Recalling his return to the guild he shivered at the idea of multiple townspeople swarming him, bombarding him with more questions of his travels and the possibility of being discovered. He could practically see it by now, their faces full of contempt, disappointed in the one whom they believed would be the next star to grace the town. A pit in his stomach formed and gulped as more and more possibilities of the citizens of Mystline finding out in the most mundane ways possible shifted and took shape in his head.
"Yeah… I think it'd be best to not go to town so early." he said, Archer and Kayla sighed in unison while Harris rolled his eyes before walking closer to him.
"Listen kid, you can't do this forever." he said sternly.
"W-what are you talking about?" he answered feigning ignorance.
"You know full well what I'm talking about." Harris said taking another step forward closing their distance.
"Harris…" whispered Kayla "I don't think we-"
"No Kay, I believe we were already in agreement." Harris interrupted a little softer than usual but still firm enough to stand his ground.
"Archy do something!" said Kayla looking to her other partner only to find him averting her gaze "Archer?..."
"Sorry... but I have to agree with Harris on this one." he answered.
Jasper turned to look at his friends and mentors, their gazes looked regretful and dejected, it was the same kind of look he feared would be cast upon him if he told the truth of what had happened back in Tiamat and his spectacular failure in the exams. He felt the pit in his stomach grow and expand, almost as if it would consume him as if it would devour him whole, not even a trace of who he was being left behind.
"Look kid, you may not want to acknowledge it, but the fact of the matter is that up until your very last letter you've been lying to us." he said sternly, Jasper avoided his gaze slightly and pinned his ears back. "And you still lied to them during the welcoming ceremony."
Jasper looked down in shame, recognizing the truth behind Harris' harsh words, noticing this Harris' tone softened a little more.
"Look kid, I know it's tough for you in particular, everyone here looks up to you." he said, still just as stern "But that's an even bigger reason for coming clean."
"I know." he muttered as he looked up to face them again "I'll do it tonight during dinner."
"You don't have to now, we truly know how challenging this must feel, we'll give you some time." said Archer trying to calm down his nerves.
Jasper's expression brightened a little upon hearing this, taking a deep breath and calming down his nerves he walked to the other side of the bridge, settling down on the edge and looking at the sky.
"It's alright… Harris is correct." he said "Besides the sooner the better, right?" he asked.
"You won't regret it kid." Harris reassured him. "We'll be there if you-"
Suddenly he stopped mid-sentence, eyes wide and ears perked up noticing a noise in the distance. All four canines quickly darted their gaze to the path ahead leading to town, raising their ears and tuning them to sense the incoming noise which only became louder and louder.
"What is that?" asked Archer, tilting his head to the side.
"I think someone's yelling for-"
"hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeEeeeEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"
The noise became louder and clearer as it drew closer taking the form of a distinctive cry for help, soon the source of the cry became visible. Way off in the distance a petite, black, red, and white figure was frantically running towards them, going as fast as its skinny little legs could carry it without tumbling down.
"Guys… Is that… Duma?" asked Archer surprised to see the little Pawniard so far from his workshop.
"Looks like him to me." said Kayla before sprinting towards the screaming Pokemon and yelling back at his friends "Come on. let's check up on him!"
"Right!" said her partners in unison before quickly catching up to her in a few strides, Jasper, however, stayed behind for a moment, quietly giving out the biggest sigh of relief in his entire life and prayed to the Legendaries that whatever the problem was, would be significant enough to warrant enough attention and steer away from his confession. After composing himself he too joined his friends, running towards the small pokemon.
Quickly heading to catch up to Duma, they ran across the stone bridge claws clicking and breaths panting they crossed it in mere seconds and then continued through the stone path, Duma's figure soon became larger and larger and the volume of his screaming got louder and louder. At the last moment, Jasper leaped forward and took the lead as they ran to meet Duma, finally, both parties came to a stop in the middle of a tree grove, Duma however still dazed by his panicked state continued to scream.
"HHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-"
"Duma?"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL-"
"Duma?!"
"LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"
"DUMA?!" yelled all four in unison finally snapping Duma off his daze.
The little Pawniard stopped screaming and hunched over panting heavily, each breath labored and hoarse, most likely from all the previous screaming. After catching his breath he looked up and immediately focused his sight on Jasper opening his mouth to speak but only coughing in the process, finally after another round of panting and coughing he spoke.
"JASPER! MY GODS IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU!" he yelled exhausting what little breath he managed to regain. "HE'S OUT THERE, OUT THERE I SAY! HE'LL KILL US ALL!"
Clutching his chest mid banter and coughing some more, he turned back to face the canines.
"JASPER YOU MUST GET RID OF HIM! BEFORE HE ARRIVES! NO! BEFORE HE HURTS SYRA!" his voice now rising in volume and the panic returning to his expression quickly causing him to hyperventilate.
"Then there's no time waste Duma, tell us now! Just what are you talking about?!" said Archer stepping closer to the smaller Steel type, comforting him.
"Th-thanks Archy…" he said calming down and letting Archer's warm body comfort him, with a sigh he finally answered clearly
"There's a Zoroark outside my home." he said in a somber and yet fearful voice.
It was as even the wind and the creeks stopped making sound at that moment, and a dreadful, overwhelming sense of utter panic flooded each of the senses of the canines. Everyone's eyes went wider than dinner plates jaws opening so wide they felt as if they would crash against the floor at any second.
"A WHAT!?" they yelled in unison, now practically hovering above Duma.
"A ZOROARK!" he answered, "AND A FIERCE LOOKING ONE TOO!"
"Are you sure about it?!" asked Kayla "You might have seen something else."
"I'M SURE OF IT! I SAW IT WITHOUT HIS TRANSFORMATION ON!" he said a little angrier at her disbelief
"WHAT?!" the canines answered again.
"But that's impossible! Zoroarks rarely venture so far down south!" said Harris closing his eyes and pacing a little, his mind trying to come up with a logical explanation. "And the Altai Desert is much too far away for them to have come here from there."
"It wasn't a wild one either!" He added jumping a little, shaking his bladed hands "I HEARD HIM TALK!"
"This is just getting weirder and weirder." said Jasper covering his eyes and turning his back on the group, before quickly turning to look directly at Duma "DUMA HAVE YOU BEEN SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME NEAR THE BELLOWS AGAIN?"
"NO! Jasper this isn't the time for jokes!" he yelled back while shaking his head "Worst of all Damascus isn't in town and Syra is inside our home with that MONSTER outside!"
Silence soon returned to the group as the full gravity of the situation made itself clear, now fully understanding Duma's panic and what each second wasted meant, an imminent threat loomed over his sister and home, and now it was time for action.
"Guys…" said Jasper clutching his fists "Take Duma to officer Aegislash, now…"
The trio looked up… and smiled. Jasper's dejected and hunched-over appearance had completely disappeared, his posture was fully erect, claws and fangs beared prepared to face a possible enemy. His red eyes regained their old shine, almost glowing in the shadows of the grove. His red and white mane seemingly recovering its old shine, waving in the wind.
"I'll handle him, Duma…" he said as he turned to see the Pawniard, giving him a claws up before shifting his posture.
His stance widened, his body was lower to the ground, placing his hands at the sides of his body he propelled himself forwards with a mighty jump. The other canines looked in awe at the star of Mystline back in action, his lithe body easily clearing a dozen meters of distance from where he started in less than a second, Landing in all fours again the Lycanroc swiftly made his haw through the path jumping over fences and into trees until it soon disappeared from sight.
o*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*o
"THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!"
I frantically repeated myself as my clawed hands clutched my head.
"THINK PLEASE! JUST REMEMBER SOMETHING!" I shook my head violently trying to rattle my mind back into working order "ANYTHING PLEASE!"
Bot to no avail, it was as if I was staring into a blank wall, endlessly trying to find a pattern or shape in the empty void of my mind, the more and more I struggled just to remember even the smallest of things, nothing. No recollection of getting here, of ever being anywhere else, of being anything else. Yet everything screamed at my very being, crying for me to realize something I just couldn't understand, tears welled up in my eyes as the full gravity of what was happening began to set upon me.
"What am I?..." I sobbed, my hands rising to my face and covering it in fear and disgust.
Closing my eyes I sobbed a little more and continued struggling to recall anything out of the void that was my memories. Something? Someone? Sometime? All these ways of recollecting lives were completely new to me. The only thing I could remember apart from the beach and my constant slips in and out of conscience was.
"The sky…" I whispered between sobs.
I looked up for what I realized was the first time since that night which felt like an eternity ago, fixing my gaze skyward I was disappointed not to find that gorgeous shimmering spectacle, only seeing a clear blue sky, besieged by the light of the setting sun.
I tried once again to make sense of the sight, had I seen a place like this before? Had it ever held any significance to me? Was there even a shred of my own existence hidden within its warm glow? Was there any trace of me to be found in this odd new identity?
Empty and blank.
A sudden wave of what I can only describe as the darkest despair one could ever possibly feel nearly forced me to the ground knocking whatever little control I held over this body. More tears escaped my eyes as my mind, body, and soul warred within me desperately trying to hold on to anything.
Mercifully just when I was about to fall over the edge of the darkest abysses of dread and despair a strange sensation flooded my very being with the warmth of… familiarity. My nose and muzzle hiked up as a familiar smell wafted through the air and gently set itself where I happened to be sitting. It was… sweet? And slightly bitter at the same time? Yet it was warm, oh so deliciously warm.
I stood up immediately and would have been completely taken aback by my now sudden control over my body, nevertheless, I was too entranced by the smell gently waving and wafting thorugh the salty air that I didn't even notice my feet moving withouth any of the previous shaking and stumbling. Frantically sniffing I could feel the strange aroma tingling the roof of my mouth, almost tauntingly as if it knew I somehow found it familiar and enticing.
"Where have I smelled this before." I murmured still too immersed to notice my first steps were turning to a steady jog.
I continued making my way through the thick coastal woods, head still pointing skywards and nose sniffing for wherever the aroma was most potent trying to locate the source. Ideas of what it could be quickly popped into my mind but disappeared shortly afterwards, far to quickly for me to make sense of any, just a blur of thoughts and what once might have been images of another time, as if the wall that blocked the paths of my mind somehow became thinner just to glimpse at it's most abstract, its most incomprehensible form.
The scent became clearer and clearer and a distinct toastiness caused my eyes to widen and my jaw to open slightly letting out a little string of drool to slide off without my notice, It was that same aroma I had smelled on that night, that gorgeous starry night.
A strong sense of urgency now coursed through me, as a new sense of resolve replaced the consuming darkness that had once invaded me. Whatever was producing this smell was associated with that memory and I would find its source, and hopefully an answer to my questions as well.
As I continued treading through the woods, my mind fully occupied by the task of finding the source of the aroma I failed to notice how the once loose and wet soil transformed into a harder padded dirt path, and with my head help up high I was soon able to see something else caught my attention.
A pillar of white smoke snaked its way skyward until it disappeared into the afternoon sky. Taking some time to appreciate the sight I soon realized this white smoke was the source of the scent and with this new clue present in my mind, my resolve to find the answers I so desperately sought grew… However.
There was still a little voice in the back of my head, whispering it's doubts about finding any answers at all wherever that smoke and scent originated from. And a sense of fear took hold in my deepest thoughts as new alarms quickly blared in my head, but I persevered, not caring what would be at the end of this road.
"Here goes nothing…" I murmured still too focused on what was ahead to notice my walk had turned into a full sprint.
"I'm getting out of here."
o*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*o
Jasper landed with a grunt, rising up fully and taking just a moment to regain his cool. Having spent the past half hour or so jumping across rooftops, running through dark alleys and paths, and lastly jumping through the treetops at the forest at the other edge of the city. His stamina quickly recovered and now if he was truly going up against a Zoroark he'd have to play the sneaking game knowing full well that the slightest noise could give off his location to it, setting on a fast but quiet pace he ventured further into the unknown.
Duma and his family's workshop was quite a distance away from the city proper near one of the Hassel River's smaller branches, named Soren's creek by the locals. Far from town and dangerously close to the foot of the eastern hills, it wasn't uncommon for wild pokemon to sometimes venture too close to their home however if Duma was to be believed, this was no wild pokemon.
"Damn it…" Jasper whispered as he raced through the forest in the light of the setting sun.
He wanted something to distract the guild long enough for him to come up with a way of breaking the bad news to them, but this was just too much! A fierce-looking Zoroark, most likely a bandit stalking the edge of the city?! Just what was going on? Was this somehow related to the wild pokemon attacks in recent times?
More and more questions piled upon his mind, filling his head with thoughts of just what waited for him at Duma's home, clenching his jaw and gritting his teeth he furiously sped up becoming a racing blur dashing through the forest path. His hands closed tightly to form fists.
Whatever it was that waited for him, he'd give him a piece of his mind, he thought while beginning to come up with strategies of just how how he would face his opponent. Many ideas rushed through his mind but soon he settled on something. To prevent the zoroark from relying too much on his cloaking and illusion abilities he'd first need to stun him.
Clutching his fists tighter, breathing out, and focusing a sudden crackling followed by sparks and a flash came out of his hands.
"Thunder Punch will do the trick nicely." he said confidently as he jumped into another tree ahead.
Focusing his sight he soon made out the shape of Duma's wooden home not too far off in the distance, a plume of white smoke coming out of its chimney.
"Alright Jas." he said to himself with a smile "It's showtime!"
o*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*o
Changed Rakan's name to Jasper, just cause... please don't hit me.
I'm quite hopeful for this story, I'm sick and tired of reading medieval-style pokemon fics like these creatures literally control elements possess super-strength, fkin Pikachu shoots lightning out of its mass-produced media-saturated body! WHY DON'T THEY GO BEYOND MEDIEVAL?!
Modern fantasy really opens up the gates so much more to newer and more exciting possibilities on storytelling and the idea of how the repercussions of these new leaps in their technology are felt and assimilated by the characters. Jasper is surprised yet a little sad to see everything changing so fast. I wonder how our dear Zoroark friend will react to this?
The next chapter will be a little shorter so hopefully, you won't wait as long.