Chapter Nine – Strength in Numbers OR How to Make New Friends
Heidi looked around slowly. This definitely isn't what she had expected, it'd been three days and she's been alone for the vast majority of it. She looked at her team as she tried to decide their next move. Adam had said they'd be together. Together, she'd learn how to properly build camp, erect a tent, safely build a fire for cooking and heat, and most importantly how to evade Pokemon in the wild. They'd sort of worked on the camp portion of things, but the wild Pokemon lesson wasn't meant to be.
Two days ago :
As they finished their dinner, Adam received a buzz on his Pokedex. A message from Nick. Adam sat quietly on the overturned tree stump. He seemed to be struggling with whatever the message was about, and Heidi knew it wasn't good. Adam abruptly sprung from his bark covered stool, recalled Pixel and made his way to Heidi. "There's been a new development and Nick needs me right away. I'm afraid that our task may be too dangerous, and ask you to remain here. I've plotted a couple of points on your map that I've used for camping in the past, make your way to a new one each time and practice what you've learned so far. I hope to be back tomorrow, but I can't promise it." With that, he gave his niece a hug, handed her a Pokeball and left.
Heidi eyed the Pokeball, it appeared to be the same as every other ball she'd seen her entire life minus one small mark she couldn't make out. Whatever it was, she knew it was given to her for protection. She pointed the sphere towards the base of a tree, and released it's inhabitant. As the flash of light lessened, an alien like creature stood before her. "Beheeyem, the psychic Pokemon. It alters the memory of it's opponents. In unique cases, has rewritten entire lives of the unfortunate target."
Heidi felt an odd sensation in her mind, this was her first experience with telepathy. "I was told that if I was released, I was to ensure your safety. I will only intervene if I sense real danger, and teleport you if there is no other alternative. Until such time, please leave me be. I'll follow as you travel, but I currently no longer wish to converse with you." The psychic quickly severed his connection, choosing to slowly scan the area and gain his bearings.
"Well that was different..." The girl was thrown off by the alien's demeanor. "Apparently being psychic doesn't mean they've been skilled in social interaction." The girl knew trying to force a conversation was pointless, so she released her team and made her way to the tent. Nova laid at the young girls feet as Edward stood guard for the evening. Heidi had decided to name the haunted sword after the Black Prince, famous for his dark armor and single sword combat style. The Honedge had no need for sleep or rest, so he was the perfect sentry to keep her safe.
Heidi awoke to a beautiful sunny morning, Nova still asleep at her feet. She carefully propped her self up, ready to get up and make her way to the next "checkpoint" Adam had given her. As she pushed herself up, a throbbing pain began in her right forearm. She lifted her sleeve and noticed a dark bruise wrapped from slightly above her wrist up to her elbow. It looked like she'd wrapped a rope too tight around her forearm, but obviously she hadn't done so. She quickly nudged Nova, alerting the electric sheep of potential trouble. The two readied themselves and made their way out of the tent. As they emerged, Edward remained vigilantly standing guard. Heidi asked if he noticed anything out of the ordinary during the night, and the ghost indicated no. Heidi couldn't figure it out, and began to look for her psychic babysitter.
Walking towards the small bank Adam had planned on occupying Heidi cursed at herself. "How can I possibly be a trainer if I couldn't stay safe for one night?" She was slowly losing confidence, and she blamed it on Adam. "I can assure you, no harm came to you as you slept." Heidi whipped around, looking for the psychic. When she finally found him, she inquired about the evening, and he remained silent. Again she made request, and again there was no answer. She recalled the psychic to his pokeball, frustrated she could find no answers. "I already told you I stood watch, I would never let harm come to my trainer." Heidi spotted her Honedge, still holding position at the entrance to her tent.
"How is this possible? Why can I hear you? And wait a minute, why doesn't it make my brain feel fuzzy when we talk?" The girl was rapid fire searching for answers. Edward explained that ghost types have the ability to communicate with their captor, and also that there was only one way to forge that connection. "I'm unsure of how all other ghost types forge their bond, but but Honedge are a loyal breed. Some ghost types are untrusting or outright malicious, regardless of the Pokemon they once were. My kind are created when a steel type dies loyally defending his family. Sometimes that's a trainer, sometimes that's others of its kind. My kind are descendants of a Skarmory. THE Skarmory to be more specific, our ancestor was the 'First Sword of Hoenn' and fought alongside the greatest warrior of his era." As Edward attempted to continue, Heidi cut him off.
"What does this have to do with anything? Why do I have a ghost in my mind?" Freaked out was an understatement, she'd heard of Spirit Channelers who would be haunted or bonded by ghosts. Their demise was never a pleasant tale. "I tell you of my honor and loyalty to explain our bond. When a Honedge is given a trainer they must swear their lives to protect them. The bond created allows us to communicate, but it also allows you to wield me as a weapon if you ever chose to. Any other human that attempts to grab or hold me will be burned by a ghostly energy, you are now mine, and I am yours." Edward seemed please with the information he'd given the young girl. He could tell she was scared, but she seemed almost stubbornly determined to prove herself.
"I don't care if this is a special rite for you, you had not right to do that without my permission, where's the honor in forcing this on a person while they're sleeping?" Furious. White hot rage. Edward could feel it pulsing through his being. Heidi was mad, he may as well tell her the rest.
"There's one last thing, I heard the Psychic thinking it throughout the night. You have something different about you he's seen in few other people he has have ever met. Only one other person he commonly sees has this 'aura' and the Beheeyem has been around longer than you've been alive. You have a type of aura that is easily seen by Pokemon, and the Psychic fears it may make you a target for humans with ill intentions. That is why I swore my bond, now I can protect you or die trying. The Beheeyem believes that you have an innate goodness that will draw many Pokemon to you. You may notice an easier time bonding with your caught Pokemon, but you may also notice an increased amount of aggressive Pokemon attempting to harm you. We don't know exactly what it means, but we know its different." Now she knew everything he did. It was up to her to decide how to proceed.
Heidi reflected over this information for almost an hour. As she slowly stood up and prepared her self, she made her intentions clear. "If there is something different about me, than so be it. I appreciate you pledging you honor and life to me, and I understand why you've done it. Now we move forward. Edward, you are to always be by my side until we've left this island. You will communicate with Nova for me, and we will do this together. Any questions?" Heidi made her way to her tent, quickly pulled it down and packed it away.
The remainder of the day was happily much less eventful. A few battles with some random Pokemon, but nothing crazy. The group quickly made their way to the rock formation marked on her map, and made camp. Heidi released her Psychic protector who quickly made his way to a high point, began his meditation and would remain until the following morning. Just like the night before, Nova remained at Heidi's side in the tent, and Edward stood guard outside the entrance. It was the only peaceful night she'd have on this island.
Yesterday :
The morning was just like any other, quick breakfast, break camp, and begin their way to the next way point. She decided on a location on the western edge of the island, it looked to be a small cave on the coast. It'd be great to get a water Pokemon, but it'd be even nicer to have a safe place to crash. As we all know, things don't typically go as expected.
Around mid-day, Heidi noticed something she hadn't expected. A helicopter taking off scattered the wild Pokemon, and Heidi slowly approached the camp. "We should not be here, we should turn and return down the coast." The Honedge was clearly uncomfortable with the situation, and had it confirmed by the Beheeyem. "I sense many humans and enslaved creatures. They do not feel like they are like us, they are angry." The Psychic's eyes flashed, and he slowly began to glow as he probed the area.
Heidi turned to Nova and commanded she stay with the Psychic. She and Edward would check it out, and if they turned out to be friendly, she'd return for them. If not, Edward would call for the Beheeyem and they'd teleport to a safe location.
The innocent trainer slowly approached the camp, seemingly alone and unarmed. With Edward tucked between her backpack and back, she just looked to be a lost girl looking for help. She was approached first by an older gentlemen in a white lab coat. "Hey there young lady, I don't think you should be here. This is a private research area, and unfortunately it is quite dangerous. The Pokemon around here have been quite aggressive, and the tools we use are quite combustible. I think it'd be best if you head back the way you came." The mans eyes were pleading with the girl to turn and go, but she didn't pick up on the signal.
As she stood with the older researcher, she looked around the camp. Large white tents were everywhere, there where dozens of them. As she looked a bit further up the coast, she saw three men in all black jumpsuits making their way to the researcher. She turned to leave, beginning to feel far less comfortable, but it was too late. "Hey! What's she doing here? Don't let her leave, how'd she find us?" A tall man who looked to be in his late twenties stood before her. He had tight dark curls, a bit of scruff, a small scar in his eyebrow and a chiseled jaw. He was a handsome man, but something about his eyes made her very uncomfortable.
As Heidi sat silently the men walked a short distance away. Heidi concentrated, trying to discern what they were talking about. Unfortunately, the only portion she heard was about excavation and demo, but not what the purpose of it was. "Call the psychic, I can sense something terrible in the area. We must go now." Edward was direct to his purpose, and Heidi followed his command. The psychic quickly appeared, and with a grab of the hand, they were gone.
Somewhere down the coast, they reappeared. She quickly released her team and made way to the woods. They ran, as fast and for as long as they could. After thirty minutes of non stop running, they finally decided to stop and regroup. As Heidi tried to regain her breath, she heard a small cry. Quickly she darted towards the ailing creature, unsure what she'd find.
"Is that a Fearow? What is it doing here?" A fair question, Heidi had seen them regularly back home, but never in such a dense location. As she tried to figure out what to do, she noticed it had pinned down a Pokemon, and appeared to be toying with it. "Nova, hit that Fearow with a thundershock." The small sheep jumped to position as it's orb began to pulsate with electric energy. A second later, a crack of lightning split the trees and struck the Fearow directly in the back of the head. The electricity pulsed through the large predator, a telltale sign of paralysis. Nova quickly launched a second blast of electricity, ending the Pokemon's ability to fight. The Fearow slowly crawled away from the scene, leaving behind a battered beige and green mushroom. Riley quickly threw her pokeball, she needed to catch this Pokemon. She'd love for it to join her team, but it was badly hurt and she knew it needed medical attention.
The ball struck the small creature, sucking it in with a flash. Shake. Shake. Shake. Click. Heidi successfully captured her first Pokemon, not to further her team, but to save an innocent life. She gathered the ball and quickly released the inhabitant. Without thought, she sprayed the injured creature with a potion and slowly stepped away. After a few moments the Pokemon began to show signs of life. Heidi bent over, and addressed the creature eye to eye. "My name is Heidi. I was running through the woods and noticed that Fearow tormenting you, I knew I needed to do something. I captured you to save you, and hope you'd agree to join my team. If not, I understand and I'll release you." Heidi waited on its response. With a quick shake, the mushroom rushed his new trainer, happy to be safe. "Shroomish, the grass type Pokemon. When it senses danger, spores erupt from the atop the Pokemon, paralyzing or poisoning the threat."
Heidi returned the grass type, allowing it time to recover without risk of further injury. They made their way through the forest, exiting to a small field on the eastern edge of the island. Heidi pulled out her Pokedex and sent a quick message to Adam. "Where are you? Saw some really creepy people on the island, what should I do?" She hoped for a quick response, but didn't have high hopes. That night she camped with no fire, tent tucked into the brush on the edge of the forest. As she lay in her tent that night, she had her first night of fear.
Earlier today ;
Heidi woke up early this morning, the sun barely beginning to break the horizon. She released her newest teammate, and had a quick chat updating him on everything that'd transpired prior to his capture. After the chat, she realized he needed a name. "What should we call you? I think every name should have meaning. My Pokedex said you evolve into a grass/fighting type, which means you can proof to be a capable warrior. How do you feel about Eloy? It means warrior, and for short we can just call you E if you'd like." Heidi was proud of herself, she was always a deeply thoughtful person, and having the power to choose something as important as a name was not lost on her.
The team packed up, and made their way North. Heidi had studied the map, and quarantined half of the island, hopefully giving herself the best chance to avoid the shady researchers. The north part of the island was beautiful, their were rock out-croppings jutting out over the ocean, large plains of grass and flowers, lush jungle like forests and pure white sand beaches. In any other circumstance, she'd mistake her surroundings for a vacation.
Shortly after their lunch break, they again began north. She estimated they could reach the northern beaches and ravines before nightfall if they kept a good pace. As she'd soon learn, plans typically don't work out.
CRASH – Heidi jumped, startled by the unexpected eruption of noise. A tree quickly hurdled towards the group, stopping just before reaching them. "What the hell was that?" Heidi didn't have time to be patient, another crash as multiple trees were downed. She quickly scanned the area, attempting to identify where the cause of the destruction was. Another crash, and the trees to her left quickly were overturned. Heidi couldn't see anything, so she did the only sensible thing she could, she ran like hell through the trees. Disregarding which direction she was headed, only concerned with removing herself from danger.
The trees continued to be uprooted and launched from their long time homes. Slowly, the group put distance between them, and a short time later the noise faded away. Heidi pull out her Pokedex, trying to gain her bearings. Finally, something had gone right, they were a couple miles from the northeastern shore, and in impeccable time. As she tucked her Pokedex away, the ground began to shake. As Heidi tried to escape, she lost her footing to the quaking soil. She fell, hard. Smashing her back against the ground, panic set in. Edward quickly came to her side providing a sturdy presence to lift herself up. The Honedge wrapped his signature Pink ribbon around the girls arm, and led the way. He darted, sometimes removing the girl from her feet completely, weaving between trees and rocks. As they came to the exit of the jungle, the ground erupted.
A massive stone snake slithered its way out of the ground. It slowly came to a stop, with an untold amount of its body still submerged. The giant stood at least twenty meters tall, and it looked angry. Edward quickly readied himself, ready to put himself between the monstrous basilisk and his trainer.
The Onix lunged at the small steel sword, ready to dismantle it with ease just as it had the trees previously. The Honedge remained still, knowing it may only have one shot at repelling the beast. As the Onix approached, Edward began to rotate, faster and faster before hurling himself at the Onix' face. Gyro Ball, a highly effective maneuver for a steel blade to use. As the Honedge made contact with the beast, they met with a loud crack. Honedge quickly used shadow sneak back to its trainer, the Onix began to back off. Heidi slowly approached, sensing something was off. Against her better judgment, she found herself within arms reach of the giant beast.
"I know something is bothering you, but I can't do anything unless you calm down and let me help." She backed away, trying to put any amount of a buffer back between them. "This was a bad idea" she thought to herself, realizing she wasn't nearly far enough away for it to matter. The Onix lowered it's giant head towards the girl, stopping just inches away. Between the Onix's skull and giant rock horn there was something lodged between it. As she looked closer, her heart dropped. It was a bullet.
Beheeyem appeared, instantly on guard. Heidi asked him to communicate with the Onix, and to tell them how the bullet had found its mark. After a few moments the Beheeyem translated. "The snake was sleeping underground when an explosion awoke it. He went above ground to investigate and was hit with multiple bullets. The only one to do any damage is the one you saw. On the other side of the island there are men blowing holes into the ground, looking for something. There are many more like him currently searching for safety." Beheeyem ended his link, and again floated away.
Heidi helped remove the projectile, and sent the Onix back on his way. Finally making it to the cliffs of the north, Heidi made camp. With the tent up, her Pokemon positioned on edge of the rocks and forest, she slowly began to relax. She looked around, laughing, this wasn't how it was supposed to go. Where was Adam? With perfect timing, her Pokedex buzzed "Grab Beheeyem, teleport to our house. Get out NOW!"
Ten seconds later she found herself on the front porch of her Aunt and Uncle. Crystal rushed out to meet her, happy to see the girl was safe. The two made their way into the house, and Crystal flipped on the TV. "More from the islands off Route 123. Dozens of casualties as an unlicensed archaeological dig has gone wrong. We don't know if there have been any survivors at this time, only that the entire area has been closed to the public until further notice. Reports indicate increased Pokemon activity in the area, and seismic shifts threaten to tear the main island in two. We'll pass along more information as we can confirm it, but again Dozens..." Crystal muted the TV.
"I know it isn't your fault you were there, and I'm actually quite proud to see you in such great condition knowing everything that's happening on the islands. Adam had mentioned you'd briefly encountered men on the island, what can you tell me about them?" Crystal grabbed some hot tea and blankets, they'd spend the night talking about the past three days, and what Heidi would be doing next.
Riley looked at her Pokedex "See you in the morning, I'll be at the Poke Center at 9 am. Love ya! Heidi." Finally a reply, and she'd finally get to start her adventure with her friend.