I sank to the ground, still occasionally coughing. If there was one thing I couldn't take it was people who abused Pokémon for fun, and obviously that was what this explosion person was doing. And I began to feel queasy as I realized who it might be.
But all those thoughts vanished as I watched Pokémon come crawling, limping, and rolling into the woods. Most of them were Dark- or Psychic-types, with the odd Fighting-, Grass-, and Fire-type mixed in.
One Pokémon in particular caught my eye, if only because of the faintly glowing rings that were visible through the dust that covered her body. Umbreon.
I ran over as quickly as I could and picked her up, not caring, for once, what anyone thought. I sat there and held Umbreon tight, not noticing my power firing up, not feeling my power spread into Umbreon, not until I opened my eyes and realized that Umbreon and I were glowing.
"No...use...keeping it...a secret...now...huh," said Umbreon slowly and raspily. I nodded, tears leaving clean tracks down my soot-covered cheeks. Slowly and painfully I stood and turned to find every other Master looking at me like I had changed into something evil.
"I guess it's time to tell you guys. I'm not just a Darkness Master. I'm...different. Special, if you will. That first time I almost lost Umbreon...I gained a strange power that day." I paused and started to cough. When it stopped I continued. "I have the powers of the Glowing One, a human with the ability to freely converse with Dark Pokémon, among other things."
Brian and Asheya were the first to approach me. Asheya had known, but I guess she hadn't known all of it. They turned and stood behind me, like they were backing me up. A split second later the others stood behind me, too. I turned to face them once more.
"Thanks guys," I said. "Now I know why I chose YOU as the Darkness Masters." I started coughing again (dang smoke!) and Umbreon reached up and licked my chin, which sent me into a crying fit again. Man, what a day.
After a few minutes, we all headed to Simon and Juilee's shelter, which was pretty big for being up by the Lake. That's when I remembered the evolution problem.
"Are we really here right in the middle of evolution season?" I asked, and Simon nodded, a devilish smirk on his face.
"I knew you'd love it," he said impishly. I groaned. LAST time I'd almost gotten mauled by about fifteen hundred Gyarados. Literally.
I felt a ton better after a nice hot shower and a change of clothes. I'm sure Umbreon felt better too, or she wouldn't have been sleeping. Of course, everyone felt like they wanted to sleep for about fifty years. Give or take.
Keya, said a soft voice, and I looked around. Everyone was asleep save for me. That's when I realized the voice had been in my head.
Keya, you've been avoiding certain thoughts all day. You are needed, Airenkeya. You are needed for a good deal of time yet. So think, Keya. WHO destroyed Mahogany Town today? You know you know.
I DID know. Jason and Leria. AGAIN. And Jason had almost succeeded in his primary goal: to do to Umbreon twice what he'd done to Houndour two years and a month ago. Almost, but not quite. He hadn't reckoned with the Glowing One.
Keya, you don't know who I am, but you will. Someday, in the near future, you will meet me. You are strong, stronger than you can ever imagine, for your powers are not yet fully realized. But they will be. Remember your dreams, Airen. They are your keys. I heard the voice, of course, but by then I was too out of it to tell whether or not the words were dreams themselves.
The next morning Simon and I went to check out Mahogany, or what was left of it. What we found was total destruction, and two people standing amid the wreckage, a boy and a girl. They could only be Jason and Leria, and I could see that they'd changed their wardrobe a bit.
Jason wore a navy blue jumpsuit and a collared red cape. He wore black boots ((A/N: think James from TR here!)) and white gloves. A Pokémon, an Eevee, cowered in his shadow as he sneered at her.
Leria was a different story. SHE wore elbow-length black gloves, tight white pants, a black shirt, sneakers, and a navy blue hooded cape. And she was holding another Eevee, obviously the other's twin brother.
As I watched, another thing became clear to me. These Pokémon were babies, their parents probably killed in the destruction of Mahogany. And I watched in horror as Jason raised a whip and prepared to lash the Eevee.
"NO!!" I cried, and dove from our cover and into the way of the whip.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Anyone curious as to what happened to Keya's family? If you tell me, I'll write that story, too. ~The Darkness Master
But all those thoughts vanished as I watched Pokémon come crawling, limping, and rolling into the woods. Most of them were Dark- or Psychic-types, with the odd Fighting-, Grass-, and Fire-type mixed in.
One Pokémon in particular caught my eye, if only because of the faintly glowing rings that were visible through the dust that covered her body. Umbreon.
I ran over as quickly as I could and picked her up, not caring, for once, what anyone thought. I sat there and held Umbreon tight, not noticing my power firing up, not feeling my power spread into Umbreon, not until I opened my eyes and realized that Umbreon and I were glowing.
"No...use...keeping it...a secret...now...huh," said Umbreon slowly and raspily. I nodded, tears leaving clean tracks down my soot-covered cheeks. Slowly and painfully I stood and turned to find every other Master looking at me like I had changed into something evil.
"I guess it's time to tell you guys. I'm not just a Darkness Master. I'm...different. Special, if you will. That first time I almost lost Umbreon...I gained a strange power that day." I paused and started to cough. When it stopped I continued. "I have the powers of the Glowing One, a human with the ability to freely converse with Dark Pokémon, among other things."
Brian and Asheya were the first to approach me. Asheya had known, but I guess she hadn't known all of it. They turned and stood behind me, like they were backing me up. A split second later the others stood behind me, too. I turned to face them once more.
"Thanks guys," I said. "Now I know why I chose YOU as the Darkness Masters." I started coughing again (dang smoke!) and Umbreon reached up and licked my chin, which sent me into a crying fit again. Man, what a day.
After a few minutes, we all headed to Simon and Juilee's shelter, which was pretty big for being up by the Lake. That's when I remembered the evolution problem.
"Are we really here right in the middle of evolution season?" I asked, and Simon nodded, a devilish smirk on his face.
"I knew you'd love it," he said impishly. I groaned. LAST time I'd almost gotten mauled by about fifteen hundred Gyarados. Literally.
I felt a ton better after a nice hot shower and a change of clothes. I'm sure Umbreon felt better too, or she wouldn't have been sleeping. Of course, everyone felt like they wanted to sleep for about fifty years. Give or take.
Keya, said a soft voice, and I looked around. Everyone was asleep save for me. That's when I realized the voice had been in my head.
Keya, you've been avoiding certain thoughts all day. You are needed, Airenkeya. You are needed for a good deal of time yet. So think, Keya. WHO destroyed Mahogany Town today? You know you know.
I DID know. Jason and Leria. AGAIN. And Jason had almost succeeded in his primary goal: to do to Umbreon twice what he'd done to Houndour two years and a month ago. Almost, but not quite. He hadn't reckoned with the Glowing One.
Keya, you don't know who I am, but you will. Someday, in the near future, you will meet me. You are strong, stronger than you can ever imagine, for your powers are not yet fully realized. But they will be. Remember your dreams, Airen. They are your keys. I heard the voice, of course, but by then I was too out of it to tell whether or not the words were dreams themselves.
The next morning Simon and I went to check out Mahogany, or what was left of it. What we found was total destruction, and two people standing amid the wreckage, a boy and a girl. They could only be Jason and Leria, and I could see that they'd changed their wardrobe a bit.
Jason wore a navy blue jumpsuit and a collared red cape. He wore black boots ((A/N: think James from TR here!)) and white gloves. A Pokémon, an Eevee, cowered in his shadow as he sneered at her.
Leria was a different story. SHE wore elbow-length black gloves, tight white pants, a black shirt, sneakers, and a navy blue hooded cape. And she was holding another Eevee, obviously the other's twin brother.
As I watched, another thing became clear to me. These Pokémon were babies, their parents probably killed in the destruction of Mahogany. And I watched in horror as Jason raised a whip and prepared to lash the Eevee.
"NO!!" I cried, and dove from our cover and into the way of the whip.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Anyone curious as to what happened to Keya's family? If you tell me, I'll write that story, too. ~The Darkness Master