Disclaimer: If you own Pokémon, you'll know that I don't. And you can see that I know that I don't. And you should know that I know that I don't. So I conclude that you know that I know that you know that I don't own Pokémon, because you do. If you DON'T own Pokémon, disregard the above.
Author's Note: I have called the HM Waterfall, 'waterwall' in my story, and the the HM Whirlpool, 'watergyre'. I hope no confusion is caused.
Dedication: To all the people at Zeth's Pokémon Library, Oddish's Fanfic Website, and Togepi's Message Board. They are very original and great writers, and they helped me with some information… Of course, they don't know me as 'Morbane' there…
Reader's Aid: You may get a bit confused between Loren's Pokémon and their nicknames. Here are who the nicknames refer to:
Shimmerzag: Loren's Pikachu
Bluewing: L's Mantine
Charger: L's Charmeleon
Lance: L's Skarmory
Clear: L's Clefairy
Caira: A Blitzkat
Halcyon: Dylan's Ampharos
Moon: You're going to find out.
The Pokémon Gods
by Morbane: A Pokémon Fanfic
Chapter Two: Babes in the Wood
Morning!
"Morning," Loren said, sitting up in her sleeping bag as she identified her Clefairy's voice. "You're a perfect alarm clock, you know that, Clear? You've even cheerful." She checked her Pokégear; it was 6:02am, Thursday 10th April. Three days since their Gym victory. Life went on.
Sometimes, Loren thought, it went on too quickly. She was already wondering how much the victory mattered, and whether it had just been a fluke anyway. She made breakfast and ate some, thinking about her past failures. She led her Pokémon in their usual morning exercises, telling herself that it was just post-success aftershock, and she'd feel better later.
For the last few days their routine had been the same again. Sometimes it could be fun - they all tried to come up with new ideas for things to do - but mostly it was just plain hard work.
As Loren reflected, raising herself off the ground for yet another push-up, sometimes this was good. Sometimes it meant you were making progress.
Or sometimes, it made you feel like you were getting nowhere.
Next, they had a short break, then Loren's Pokémon went systematically through each of their moves. Loren practised the basic fighting exercises that Chiyo had taught her, in their last year at Pokémon Tech.
She missed Chiyo and everyone else from there.
What were they doing now? She'd talked to them last month; every month they made it their priority to spend one hour together, in a voice-conference call. And they emailed each other... so she knew where most of them were right now. Proxy was in some western city, working with Porygon; Midori was near the Kanto border, on her mother's research station. Lia was with another Professor... she wasn't sure where. Luke was going on a godforsaken trip up to the icy islands north of Syuto and... She stepped wrongly, not concentrating, and into the path of Sunkern's Vine Whip.
"I'm sorry," she said, as he disintangled himself from her. Serve her right though, she was going to have a bruise or two. She cleared her mind and continued the routine.
Next, four of the Pokémon would pair up and fight mock-battles, while she would work with the fifth, and the last Pokémon would be set a task. Today it was Bluewing who went off to the stream by himself and practised diving in and rising out. Loren took Lance to the side; Charger worked with Shimmerzag and Sunkern, with Clear.
She sharpened Lance's wings as she watched the two pairs duel. The metal his feathers were made of was actually not steel, but hollow, light aluminium, although covered with a very thin steel coating to protect the inner structure and make a sharp blade. However, they did become blunt from time to time, and so, with a little help from Charger, Loren was tempering them again.
In a blessings-counting mood, she reflected that she was lucky to have such good rapports with her Pokémon. Many other Pokémon might have resented her for telling them to do something they weren't capable of, in a dangerous situation, but Charger had almost immediately forgiven her for the stupid "Fire Spin" order of Monday. They did trust her, and it was reassuring.
Nevertheless, Charger gave her an oblique look as the Pokémon changed over, and it was the Charmeleon's turn with Loren.
"Yeah, I know," Loren said quietly. "It was a stupid idea, telling you to do Fire Spin. I wasn't thinking, and you came through very, very well..." They hadn't talked about the near-accident until now.
I shouldn't have obeyed. Charger said. But I just did...
That was Loren's fault. She had misused the trainer's-bond, giving her Charmeleon such a strong command that it would have been nearly impossible to disobey. She tried to answer past a growing lump in her throat. "I should never have given that order."
But at least you thought fast afterwards, Charger said, with a little more gentleness. You ordered me to drop it, and you ordered Lance to use Sand Attack just in case...
"I was only just in time, wasn't I?"
You were in time, Charger replied... Which meant that she had averted disaster by luck.
Loren waited; there was more.
I could have killed them. Charger said.
"No," Loren said urgently, "Lance would have used Sand Attack anyway if you'd lost control; he would have suffocated the fire. Sunkern could have helped; Bluewing was there."
I could have killed all of them, Pokémon and humans. If I had lost control the fires would have been too big for Lance to extinguish immediately. The picnic table would have caught fire; the humans' clothes would have caught fire. And you know what would have happened... She paused. The Pidgeotto's feathers would have started to burn. The Cyndaquil would have just... dissolved into the flames, trying to get control of them... he was too small.
"I'm sorry..." Loren whispered, blinking. She'd failed her Pokémon's trust. She'd failed Charger. She could see that Charger had been thinking about it a lot, visualising it, remembering it.
They didn't die, Charger stated. I was about to lose control... I would have... but I didn't. You told me to drop it. Thank you.
"Thanks? Charger, Charger, it was my fault! I was only lucky I realised and cancelled your action... That should never have happened! Never! I don't want it to happen again!"
I know you caused it.
Loren gulped back the lump.
And I know you prevented the disaster. You mended the situation with your next action. I forgive you.
"Charger..." Her third Pokémon, the Kanto starter, had given Loren the most powerful, dangerous gift a Pokémon could give his or her trainer. Complete, unconditional trust. "Charger..."
Enough, she said. I trust you. Now, she paused... Now, we're going to work on Fire Spin. I don't want it to happen again either... It won't.
And at Charger's calm determination, Loren finally broke down. Her tears splashed down Charger's back; they were warm enough, and impure enough, not to hurt the fire lizard.
"It's not fair!" she wailed. "I...I... don't deserve you...? don't you realise it was my fault?"
We aren't beating you up about it. Neither should we, Sunkern said, turning to them from his bout with Lance.
"But..." *No buts*. "Okay." Loren cleared her throat. "Lance, I need you to use Sand Attack on this clearing over here; make a nice wide circle of sand. Bluewing, come here for a minute?" He came. "See if you can wet all the bushes around here. Just so there are no dry twigs sticking out, you know..."
And she was back to being their trainer again.
&
"First make a column of fire in front of you. It doesn't have to be very tall, but it must be strong."
Charger built the column with great care, extending it from just above her knees to a little over her head. She was tall for a Charmeleon, seven inches above the average height of 3'7"; the column came up almost to Loren's neck. Finally she was ready, and waited.
"Split the column at intervals. I want there to be some air between each block. They don't have to be perfect, just fairly even."
The fire was getting harder to control, as Charger was forcing it into an unnatural shape. But soon, lumps of fire stood spaced out, in thin air, arranged into a column.
"Take every second one, starting from the bottom, and rotate them around yourself."
Holding one paw in front of her to keep half of them still, Charger moved her other arm around in a circle in front of her. Every second mass of fire, separated from the others by a lot of air now, swung in a slow, careful circle around the Charmeleon. When they came full circle she tensed, strained, and passed each lump through the gaps left by the others. The fires wavered but they didn't mix.
"Well done."
Charger knew what to do next. She revolved the moving lumps faster and faster, keeping the the circle they made perfect and neat, with her at the exact centre. She stretched out the blobs until they were dashes, then streamers of fire spinning round her. But as she elongated them into full rings, the stationary fireballs dissolved into the others, and the streaming fires began to swing erratically. Looking tired, Charger dropped the flames.
&
They were making progress, but Loren knew it was hard for Charger to see that. They had been working on Fire Spin for a couple of hours now, with the other Pokémon exercising nearby. Finally, Charger was ready to try the next stage of the move.
With full rings of fire rotating at every second level, Charger now took the stationary fireballs and began to spin them too... in the other direction. She was clumsy, and it didn't work very well. She dropped it and tried again, overheating a little.
It was hard to imagine, now, that Charger could summon a wildfire that would threaten five humans and eight Pokémon, but then, it hadn't been the true Fire Spin that she'd summoned on Monday. It had been a kind of default, a cylinder of fire that flared and wavered. It was very dangerous.
She was getting there now... the fires were spinning inside each other, tentatively but fairly smoothly.
Then suddenly they merged, and became a cylinder of fire only just within Charger's control.
Charger dropped the flames with a cry of desperation. She looked at the others, saw that they were all right, and drooped where she stood. "It's all right, Charger," Loren said gently. "You're doing superbly."
I can't control it. I'll never be able to control it. It's too dangerous.
"No it isn't." Loren caught Charger's eyes. "As long as you hold the fires, they will only burn what you want them to burn. And you can drop them - you've just done it twenty times - if you feel like they're getting out of control."
Suddenly she got up and walked over to Charger. She passed her left hand through the Charmeleon's tail flame. It was hot, and it hurt, but it didn't burn her. "You see?" she said, to Charger, who had jumped back. "You can control fire."
I will try again.
"Yes, but you need a rest first."
Charger sat down where she was. Loren gave her a potion and some ether.
&
It was a week later; only two weeks were left to go in Sudayo's challenge. Loren had gone back into town just once, to zap her Pokémon at the Pokémon Centre. She'd made such a quick trip that she'd been in and out of the town in 30 minutes, since she'd gone in the early morning when there were no queues, and only Blissey and Chansey and subs were on duty.
Charger had practised every day with Fire Spin; she could hold it in the air around her now, without fear of it turning into a fire tornado. She was always enough in-control to extinguish her flames if they showed the slightest sign of escaping her. In that, she felt more secure. But she could not yet summon Fire Spin as an attack, and make any prediction of what would happen to the opponent.
She had come a long way.
She was leading the group now, as they searched through the woods. They were looking for Pokémon.
Generally, this was one of Loren's team's favourite activities. There was an excited squeal from Clear now as she spotted a Pokémon on her right, and Shimmerzag and Charger rushed off to surround it. The others ran after them, coming to a stop in front of an alarmed Nidoran female. We challenge you to a battle! the Clefairy declared, recalling the correct formula. (Not 'correct' for ordinary Pokémon trainers, but Loren had invented this protocol and drilled them in it.)
"Neee - donee." Loren had to concentrate a moment to figure out what had been said, then she translated the speech into, All right.
Which of us do you choose to battle? Lance asked.
The Nidoran looked surprised that she'd even been given a choice, then pleased. You, she said, pointing her little horn at Clear, who obviously looked the weakest. Actually, in levels, she was the weakest... but not by very much.
Clear looked very proud. You're on!
Loren and the other five formed a ring around Clear and her opponent. You may make the first move, Sunkern told the Nidoran dryly.
The Nidoran nodded, and abruptly rushed forward. Clear hadn't been ready for an attack, and jumped only partly out of the way. She was hit hard. "Fayr!" she cried, as she hit the ground. The Nidoran reached the other edge of the ring and watched tensely for an attack.
"Minimize," suggested Loren. The edges of Clear's body became indistinct and blurred.
This was one of her strengths. Clefairy was younger than the rest, and less mature, which meant that often she needed to be given more direction than the others. But when she was given an instruction, she considered it and either instantly acted on it if it suited her, or instantly rejected it if she disagreed. She did not waste time or give her opponent a clue towards her actions. When she was older, she would be a fantastic battler.
"Defense curl?" proposed Loren, erring on the side of caution. Instead, Clear leapt up, and came down with a solid whump on the Nidoran female's back. Pound. Clefairy was good at this attack. She jumped off again as if the Nidoran was a springboard, and began to vigorously Doubleslap her.
The Nidoran writhed under her paws and used Poison Sting. The Clefairy leapt back with a shocked look and then scowled. With her unhurt paw, she scooped up a pile of dirt, breathed on it, and flung it at the Nidoran - somewhere along the way it became mud. It splattered on the side of the Nidoran's face. She didn't like that.
Again the Nidoran rushed at Clear, but this time Clear sidestepped the attack. She Pounded her once more, then used one last Doubleslap and the Nidoran surrendered.
Loren tossed her a berry, the Pokémon wished her well, and the Nidoran watched as the human and her team moved on, Loren rubbing cream into Clear's stung paw.
In this way, they encountered several Pokémon. Two Oddish, one who wanted to battle and one who didn't; a Nidoran male; a Rattata and a few Abra (they fled); and a Wooper.
All of her Pokémon had risen a few levels in the last few days, which suggested that the training scheme was actually working. Bluewing was level 31, Sunkern was level 30, Charger and Shimmerzag were level 29, Lance was level 28, and Clear was level 26. They were proud of this too.
It was a little while before they saw another Pokémon. They were good at moving through the forest, but even so, wild Pokémon were easily alerted to their presence. The forest was dim, not as dim as the Ilex Forest to the southwest, but contained many of the same types of vegetation. The trees were tall with dense foliage, and ferns and other shrubs covered the ground. But Loren's team were careful in picking out their way.
In Ilex Forest, so Loren had heard, you needed a flashlight almost all the time; only around midday was there light enough to see by. Loren wasn't sure if she believed this, since Sudayo was her informant, but she did know it was pretty dark.
Suddenly, just in front of them, only a few metres away, a Doduo walked out of a fern.
Loren froze; the others did too, except for Charger, Bluewing and Shimmerzag. Charger melted away into the bushes, trying not to give the group away with her tail flame, and Bluewing and Shimmerzag cut off to the side, flanking the Doduo.
Their speed might not normally match that of the Flying/Normal Pokémon, but they had the element of surprise, and also, they were used to different terrain. This Doduo acted as though completely confused by this habitat, which was not surprising. Doduo were almost never found this far south. (Cinnamonville was closer to Azalea Town than Goldenrod City, and a little further east.)
In moments they had surrounded the Doduo, who looked extremely confused and worried. "We challenge you to a battle," said Bluewing, "If you accept, you must choose one of us to battle you."
"Very well..." the Doduo said (Loren translated her words with difficulty). "I choose..." She was obviously too proud to choose Sunkern or Clear, since Sunkern was at a major type disadvantage, and the Clefairy looked weak. But she couldn't win a battle with Shimmerzag, and Charger looked too strong for her. So Lance and Bluewing... and Bluewing was the stronger of the two, even if he couldn't fly as well. "Skarmory," said the Doduo finally.
It was over quickly. Lance could stay up in the air, while the Doduo could only hop and float. Besides, Lance had his Steel Wing attack, plus Swift, and could use Sand Attack to deflect the Doduo's Tri Attack. One of those Tri Attacks hit him, with a lucky Burn, but by that time the Doduo was defeated. "Pokéball, go!" Loren called.
The Doduo turned one head, startled, and the ball struck her and sucked her in. The Pokémon watched, Lance ignoring his burn, as they ringed the ball, whose occupant thrashed about.
The Pokéball's light went out. But the tension in the air didn't leave.
Lance fumbled for the Ice Berry Loren held out in her left hand. But he didn't take his eyes off the occupied Pokéball. As soon as he'd taken the Berry, Loren strode forward and picked up the ball.
"Go, Pokémon!" Loren cried, casting the ball out of the ring. The Pokémon formed a semicircle facing the Doduo as she reappeared.
"Doduo! Do you accept the conditions of my training?"
Do I have a choice? the Flying/Normal asked sullenly.
"Yes." Loren stared into her four eyes - and suddenly realised that two eyes were blind. Moon-like circles of silvery white glowed in the right eyes of each head. *Were you trained before, Doduo?! Is that why you're here, hundreds of km's south or west of where your species usually lives? Did your previous trainer cause those eyes to go blind?*
The Doduo stared at Loren, sizing her up. She knew that she wouldn't survive long in this alien forest, not with a disability. She might be desperate enough to take Loren's offer - even though she probably distrusted humans.
With her other head, she stared at Loren's Pokémon. Loren knew they all looked well cared for and strong.
If I accept, will you release me later if I choose? the Doduo asked, with the head that was facing Loren.
"Yes." Said Loren. "There are conditions, though. You may not decide to leave me in the middle of a battle, unless you have been hurt senselessly, or very, very badly. In most situations, I need a day's warning, or a good reason."
And how do I trust you?
Inside, Loren felt a flame of triumph. Here was her chance to truly win the Pokémon's loyalty - by knowing something that few trainers knew or bothered to honour.
Pokémon usually considered being crippled as worse than death. They sealed their promises by putting one of their most valuable body parts on the line - a wing, for a flying Pokémon, or for a Grass Pokémon, their main leaf... It had to be something that one could live without, but that one depended on. The Pokémon called it one's 'point of honour'.
"I swear on my right hand," said Loren. Because Pokémon thought there was no way better to cripple a human than to mangle their best hand.
Doduo stared at her fiercely with both heads, probably shocked . "Do these Pokémon vouch for you?"
Without hesitation, each of them stepped forward, their point of honour presented to the Doduo. For Lance and Bluewing, it was their left wings. For Shimmerzag, it was her right cheek sac. They stood, silently challenging the Doduo. Then they stepped back again.
Do you promise to respect the conditions we live by?
The Doduo cackled a laugh. Once you have explained them to me, I will decide.
"Then come back with us to our camp." Loren said, glad. "And we need to get you cleaned up, too. Your Tri Attack's good, though."
She pulled a few berries out of her pack, and a Max Elixer. The Doduo accepted them. And at this point, Loren's Pokédex began to beep at her.
"Pokémon capacity has been breached. You carry one Pokémon over the limit. This is illegal. Pokémon capacity has..." It repeated itself.
"I'm deciding which Pokémon to send to Professor Jacaranda, okay, Doc?" Loren said, irritated.
"There is a maximum limit of ten minutes. Decide quickly."
*Dumb A-I.* Loren had a bad relationship with her Pokédex/gear. She'd taken to calling it 'Piddle' until it had shut down all functions in protest, then adopted 'Doc', which it grudgingly accepted. The thing wasn't very bright, but was very annoying. A bad combination.
Of course, Pokédexes had come a long way since her parents were trainers. Back then, as soon as you caught a seventh Pokémon, it was whisked away and you didn't even get a chance to talk to it. It had even been legal to shut down the thought processes of Pokémon in computer 'storage'! Now, obviously, it was illegal. Thank the Pokégods.
I'll go. Bluewing said.
Loren nodded. His level was the highest in the group, so he wouldn't have to catch up too much when he returned. She would miss him, but that was the price of catching a new Pokémon.
She returned him to his Pokéball, and placed it on the receptacle on the top left-hand corner of the Pokédex.
"Is this the Pokémon you are sending back?" Doc asked, displaying Bluewing's statistics on its screen.
"Yes, Doc, it is." She brought the 'dex up to her face. "Say hi to Midori for me, and all the Pokémon," she whispered into the Pokéball. Then, with a whoosh of air, Bluewing was transported. "Thank you, Doc."
"You are now at maximum carrying capacity for Pokémon."
"Go on standby, Doc," Loren ordered. It obeyed, and Loren put it away.
As if reading Loren's mind, Shimmerzag jumped on to her shoulder, filling Bluewing's place and putting the same weight on her that the Mantine usually did.
&
"That's our camp," Loren finally told the Doduo, pointing out a boundary flag that marked their area. "Now, what would you like to eat?"
Doduo were omnivores, preferring to live on grassy plains. Loren was sure she had something suitable. Whatever you eat, the Doduo replied wearily. I don't really care.
Loren nodded and passed her flags.
If properly marked out and claimed, a trainer's camp was sacrosanct. No other person could pass between the flags without permission - unless it was an emergency, or they had an official warrant. There were limits to the camps, of course - they couldn't cover more than a certain area, they couldn't include a resource such as a water supply or a berry bush, and they couldn't include certain types of Pokémon nests.
But there was someone in Loren's camp. Not a human; a Pokémon.
Loren suppressed a gasp. It wasn't just any Pokémon. It was a shining Teddiursa.
&
She didn't gasp, but the Teddiursa was alerted anyway. It pivoted and Leered at all of them, then began to run.
"Stop!" Loren called, blinking away the attack. It turned again and its eyes began to cloud dangerously.
What? It demanded. Don't move, or I'll icebeam the human, it added to Shimmerzag.
When you are threatening someone, it is advisable to use a threat that even the most stupid will believe, Sunkern said mildly. Even though you are shining, you must be rare indeed if you can use an ice attack.
The Teddiursa snarled. Believe it.
Loren did. She'd seen the attack used before. "There is food," she said carefully, "in the red box on the left side of the tent. That's all."
That's all? the Teddiursa said sceptically. It looked tired and in bad condition. Its Pokémon speech was remarkably clear and easy to interpret. It was male.
"That's all," Loren repeated. "If you don't want it, or if you have already eaten it, you might as well go. I carry berries but you can find them for yourself in the woods."
You're a trainer! the Teddiursa said.
"Yes, I am."
And you dont even want to catch me!
"No, I don't."
Believe her! Lance screeched in rage.
I have already eaten some of your food, the Teddiursa said. It was easy to find.
Then, almost too quick to see, Lance used a Swift attack, knocking the Teddiursa over. His developing Ice Beam attack flickered out. Immediately, Sunkern wrapped the Shining Pokémon in vines, and Shimmerzag zapped him.
Then you have stolen from us, Lance said You have attacked us, threatened our lives, trespassed, and also offended us. On your own self be it.
No! The Teddiursa scrambled up, but Sunkern twitched his tendrils and the Teddiursa fell again. No! Lance meant to scar him, and the Teddiursa was scared.
Loren stayed silent, trusting her Pokémon.
You're pathetic, said Charger coolly, walking over. You are weak and not very bright. You obviously let trainer-paranoia control you, and as a result you're wearing yourself ragged trying to avoid humans. And of all places you choose to live, it has to be a popular trainer forest. You don't even seem to know basic survival techniques. She cocked her head and examined him. But you are young, she added condescendingly.
Loren realised that Charger was right. She'd been deceived his attitude, but she now saw that the Teddiursa was very young and low-level. She was surprised he hadn't been captured already.
I have never been out of this forest, said the Teddiursa to Charger. I don't know where else to go.
You were born here? asked Clear.
Yes. I am an orphan.
Then we offer you a deal. Sunkern said. You will allow this trainer to mark you in a way that will restrict you, but will not allow another trainer to catch you in a Pokéball. We will train you and teach you how to survive, and you will honour us and this trainer.
I don't trust you.
You don't have a choice.
The Teddiursa stared up at them with big, lost eyes. O... kay...
On your self, Lance reminded him, and slashed viciously with his beak, making a deep gash down the back of the Teddiursa's right ear. He squealed and sat down, and Sunkern unwrapped his tendrils.
This was Pokémon justice. Sometimes it sickened Loren, but in this case she understood it.
She threw a Pokéball while the Teddiursa was still stunned, and its light went off almost immediately. Before her Pokédex could start beeping at her, she released him, and smashed the Pokéball against a rock, turning it into a formal Release.
"Pokémon capture and instant Pokémon release. Status is still maximum Pokémon carrying capacity," the Pokédex stated, sounding a little shaken.
Loren picked up one of the Pokéball fragments and got a special awl out of the tent. Very soon, she had whittled a hole in the fragment. Then she found a type of cord in her supplies and threaded the Pokéball fragment through it. Finally, she tied this cord around the neck of the Teddiursa, tight enough so that nothing would be able to come between the cord and his neck, but just loose enough so that it wouldn't choke him. It sank into his fur and became almost invisible.
One of the many benefits of Pokeballs was that they halted uncontrolled bleeding. The Teddiursa's ear gash was forming a scab already, although it would never fully heal. He would always have a scar.
The capture/ release/ fragment procedure that Loren had just used was quasi-legal at best, but it would serve her purposes, especially since she had no intention of battling the Teddiursa officially. Her 'claim' on him was only to protect him from other trainers - and he had consented.
*We make our own traps - and we fall into them too,* she thought, as the Pokémon settled into their chore routine and she began to prepare an early dinner for them all.
&
A Natu was singing in the top of a nearby tree as the sun set. It was interesting, Loren thought, the way they always liked to perch at the very top of trees when singing their beautiful song… *I'd like to have a Natu someday* she thought restfully, sitting with her back up against a tree and gazing into the campfire as she groomed the Doduo.
"The Pokémon that I train, usually have nicknames," she told the Flying/ Normal. "Do you want to have one? You don't have to have one – Sunkern doesn't."
The Doduo didn't answer. "Did you have a nickname before?" Loren pursued. "You did, didn't you? What was it?" Clear gave her a reproachful look, and the Doduo shifted uncomfortably.
She called me Sunflash, the Doduo said softly, but unhappily.
"Is that your name?"
No! It's not my name! I don't want that name! She made it up!
*Or maybe she didn't, if she'd read Brian Jacques,* Loren thought wryly. "You don't have to have that name. I'm training you now, not her. What name do you want?"
I'm not just of the sun, now, the Doduo said slowly. Two of my eyes are dark. I'm both light and dark now… call me Moon. The moon is half light and half darkness… and I have two moons in my eyes…
"Welcome, Moon," said Loren solemnly.
"Did you really have to do that?" said the expressions on Shimmerzag's and Charger's faces. Loren looked guiltily down at Moon. Pokémon feared being crippled more than anything else… and here was a Doduo who had been half-blinded already. If Loren's suspicions were correct, it was the Doduo's last trainer who had blinded her – and then released her into an area in which she had no hope of surviving.
*I wouldn't like to meet that trainer,* Loren thought, a little scared. *The kind of deliberate cruelty she must possess – to destroy Moon's eyes so methodically, not in an act of violence, but by using chemicals, or a surgical procedure… and to just get rid of her… Pokégods. Oh, Pokégods.*
But if she ever did meet her… Loren clenched her fists. *Oh, if ever…* That trainer… wouldn't know what had hit her.
*I'd kill her,* Loren thought. *If I could… if I was angry enough…* But for now, she thought a bit more sensibly, all she could do was inform the police, and look out for the unknown trainer… keeping Moon out of her Pokéball, but protected.
&
Quite suddenly, as Loren was about to order her team to bed, Doc beeped. It was a certain type of beep that meant someone was trying to contact her.
Loren got up, switched on the Pokégear, and in its screen's green light, read an email. It was from Dylan, the Cinnamonville Gymleader.
"Hey, gather round, guys," she called. "You might want to read this." That was figurative, because none of them could read.
"'Dear Trainer Loren,'" she read aloud, "'Congratulations on the Blitz Badge. If you would like to come to assess the battle, it is a service provided by the gym. I would very much appreciate your company tomorrow, as I am mainly free; I also have other things to discuss with you. Yours respectfully, Dylan. PS: I left a message at the Pokémon Centre, but according to Nurse Joy Celia, you have not visited it for more than a week. I hope you are well.' Well, that was rather formal," she added. "But look – he signed it Dylan. Interesting. I wonder what those 'other things to discuss' are?"
Intriguing, commented Sunkern.
We did fine at his gym. What's this assessment about? said Clear, looking loyally at Shimmerzag.
"I'd like to find out," Loren said. "Let's go."
And soon, a reply email was sent to the gymleader of Cinnamonville, thanking him kindly and accepting his invitation.
&
"Hi… you wanted to see me?" asked Loren the next day, standing on the doorstep of Dylan's office.
"Yes, I did, please come in," said Dylan, getting up from his chair. "First of all," he said, "here's the tape of your gym battle. Would you actually like to discuss it?"
"Well," said Loren, clearly gathering up her courage, "I was wondering what those 'other things' were that you wanted to discuss…"
She trailed off. She had just caught sight of Caira.
Dylan was amused. "Meet Caira," he said. "She's a Blitzkat. Her type is psychic/electric, and she doesn't evolve, or have a pre-evolved form… we think. She comes from the Ember Valley."
Loren closed her mouth but she couldn't stop herself staring. Dylan didn't blame her – Caira was magnificent. The huge feline resembled some kind of leopard in shape, although dark gray in colour. She had a small, soft white mane that trailed down her back a little, and streaking down her sides were faint marks of a lighter gray, hard to pick out, that resembled forks of lightning. Sometimes, in the darkness, they glowed.
Her eyes were huge and golden and her ears were tufted with golden fur. Her tail was long, with gold markings scattered along it, and an elegant white tuft at the end, and each of her paws had wicked-looking pale gray claws.
"Don't ask how I got her," Dylan said, "it's a very strange story.." *And a rather sentimental one,* he thought. "I could call her my guardian…"
"But I have my own agenda," said Caira, stretching to her feet. "An honour to meet you, Loren of Cianwood.
"Never mind asking her," the Blitzkat added to Dylan. "You will travel with her. She's Chosen, and she'll need your help."
"What…" said Loren. Dylan, being used to Caira's more annoying habits, picked up the thread,
"Chosen? Anyway, I need to leave the gym and go on another Pokémon journey," he said.
"And he needed a companion, since he was somewhat out of practice. And since you understood your Pokémon so well, he decided to ask you – well, his Pokémon and I convinced him to." Caira stared at Loren. "And now that I've seen who you are... I'll have to come too."
And suddenly she locked Loren's eyes with her own and began to speak silently, just to her - ~It's all right, Loren. But I meant what I said about you - you are Chosen, and you will need his help.~
*What do you mean... um...* Loren tried to think towards the psychic/electric.
~I'm Caira - no other titles. No nicknames, either. And do you think I can explain prophecy? Concentrate on something a little closer to the ground... for the moment, anyway.~
"But why me?" said Loren aloud to both of them.
"You could be a very good battler, for one thing," Dylan said. "And you've got amazing Pokémon rapport - really amazing. I could teach you a lot of things about style..."
"I won't the be the only one who learns something," retorted Loren. "Okay."
They stared at her and she began to continue – "But I can't start out again until May, so you'll have to wait again –"
"That's all right," said Dylan, smiling, "I couldn't find a gymleader replacement until then anyway." *Pokégods! She accepted! Now I've just got to find out what Caira means, and why she's so adamant that we should travel together...*
"You're still looking?" asked Loren. "I know who'd be perfect for the job." Proxy Caleb, one of the Ten back at Pokémon tech.
And suddenly Sudayo's challenge didn't seem like the doom it had been at the beginning, and her journey didn't feel like the waste and the failure it had almost become... She might even beat Sudayo. Or not. But she'd won a badge and she would be travelling with a Blitzkat and a gymleader... Now maybe... well, she didn't know exactly what was different, but everything seemed a lot brighter. Bright enough to look towards the future again... Bright enough to light the entire Ilex Forest. Even if it was as dark as Sudayo claimed.
A/N: Well, that's it from Loren for the moment. Next story will either be about Proxy Caleb or Midori Jacaranda. Don't worry, they're at least as interesting...