Hello, again! This is LS!! So, how are all of you….wait, I can't hear you. Shoot. Oh, well. For those of you who enjoyed Partners, this is a prequel. *tells herself to work on Partners sometime in the near future* It started as a request fic from a friend (a fluffy fic, of all things! FLUFF!! *shudders*). Well, here's the first part of it. It might not make sense, but it leads up to something interesting…this has nothing to do with a certain other fic I've posted, by the way. Well, enjoy, and don't forget to give me your input!
Pidgey and Spearow chirped softly in the moments before dawn. A few Rattata scampered about on the rocks while Zubat flittered to their roosts for a day's sleep. The last few Hoot-Hoot and Noctowl hooted quietly before closing their eyes and falling into a deep slumber. In the darkness of the trees large sleek shadows raced, watching and waiting, hoping and praying.
Slowly, all sounds ceased and silence covered everything with its thick blanket. Even the river rushing far below in the wide canyon made no sound in the pre-dawn minutes. The only noise was the soft pad of well-worn shoes on the rocks. A young girl, around the age of fourteen, worked her way around the immense boulders surrounding the chasm. As she traveled closer to the edge she glanced at the powerful force that had carved the deep gorge, then looked back up. Noticing a large stone before her, she easily climbed up its rounded face and stood, gazing at the eastern horizon as the sun prepared to start its journey.
Slowly the deep violet of night began to fade to a soft slate blue around the top of the flat plain. The first slice of sun rose into sight, coloring the sky with pale rose and turning the clouds to gold-filled ivory. As more of the red fiery orb climbed up into the wide expanse above lavender became its background and the clouds were waves of pink, tipped with cream and scattered with shimmering silver. After a few moments more elapsed the sun had pulled itself completely above the horizon, and minutes later the pastels of dawn had brightened to the day colors and the lighted orb had turned golden yellow.
Smiling slightly, her emerald eyes sparkling, the girl jumped down from the rock. She was at peace with the world in the early morning, nothing on her mind but the beauty of the new day. The marble sized sunny yellow Pokéballs hooked on her ears glinted in the light as she turned her head to look at the forest. The new leaves still held the golden shades of birth, and these would eventually fade to the deep hunter greens of age. Still smiling, she began to walk again.
She hadn't taken five steps when her head snapped to the side. "Where are you?" she growled. There was no reply, just the whistle of the wind as it blew through the trees. The breeze grew slightly in force, tugging her red-brown hair out behind her into the sun's rays to catch a hint of gold. The girl waited for a few moments, watching the shadows shift, but there was nothing to tell her that someone was indeed following her. Frowning and narrowing her eyes, she continued.
A few Hoppips floated by on the gentle wind, easily capturing the girl's attention. She had never seen anything like the little pink Pokémon, their green leafy tops fluttering every which way. They drifted over the gorge and over the trees opposite her. Grinning, she looked back at her path, catching sight of the three Sandshrew playing tag. Giggling, she moved on, waving at the little armadillos as she passed, receiving happy calls in return.
Rounding a curve and another large rock, she lightly touched the pendant beneath her tan tank top, reading the deep amethyst flow of color that drifted through her mind. Giving another soft smile, she closed her eyes.
"That's right, Carmine, get some rest," she whispered, stroking the decoration. She stopped quickly as one of the boulders uncurled and stomped off. Her eyes followed the Donphan, wondering what in the world it was. "And someone please explain what these strange Pokémon are," she muttered, scratching the back of her head. Dusting off her flared blue jeans, she kept going.
As she walked she noticed that the amount of noise dimmed to an absolute, unnatural silence. Sticking her hands in her pockets, the teenage girl continued her pace forward. Her head slowly rose, her gaze turning to the forest. Scowling, she took a deep breath.
"I know you're there. You might as well come out, you cowards," she called.
"So, her senses are as good as claimed," a rough male voice sounded from the darkness, holding an edge of disappointment. Shadows moved in the trees, then one by one four black-clad figures walked out of the woods. The girl's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Rockets," she spat. Before her was a pair of blonde haired boys no older than fifteen, and twin girls with raven hair, about thirteen years old. "What do you want?"
"Don't play games, Tempest," one of the boys said, black eyes darting around nervously. His voice was softer and smoother, very different from the voice she had first heard.
"What?" the so-called Tempest asked. "I don't know any Tempest. So, ladies and gentlemen, if you'll kindly excuse me, I'll be taking my leave." With that, she began to walk off, her viridian eyes locked on the four Rockets. Tempest? Who's that? If they're talking about me, there's a big mistake. I'm Crimson.
"Not so fast," one of the girls said. Crimson turned, ready for anything. "You're not going anywhere. Well, at least not while you're alive." A Pokéball in the girl's hand caught a glare in the sunlight. As though she had heard a gunshot to signal the start of a race, Crimson took off along the edge of the cliff.
Seconds later, she felt the rocks beneath her feet crumbling away. The wind was suddenly rushing past her, the wall zipping by faster than she could ever have imagined possible. Flipping so that her feet were pointed toward the ground below, she extended her hands to slow the fall in any way possible.
By pure luck her left hand caught hold of a slight ledge in the rocks. She dangled there, swaying slowly back and forth, catching her breath. Above her she heard footsteps. Looking back up, she saw a towheaded boy glaring down at her, a sneer etched on his face.
"So, she's not quite out of the picture yet," he called to his companions. Crimson's eyes widened as she saw the flash of gunmetal in the sunlight. A shot rang along the edges of the canyon and a piece of fire embedded itself in her left shoulder. Crying out, she slackened her grip on the overhang, slipping closer to total oblivion. Catching herself seconds before disaster, Crimson found that she was clinging to small niches in the rock by only her fingertips.
"Darn it, she's persistent," the boy snarled. Everything was so far away as pain took over her senses.
"Hand it over," one of the girls said, annoyed.
Probably because they haven't finished what they came to do, Crimson thought, staring up at the group of teenagers.
"Oohh, Claire's gonna take a shot," the boy taunted. Watching the smirking carbon-haired girl as she raised the pistol, Crimson's mind began to shut out everything. Closing her eyes, she smiled a bit.
"So, it's finally going to end," she whispered. Two more gunshots rang through the still air and she was falling again. One of the Pokéballs at her ears suddenly enlarged and burst open, a Horsea loosely coiling its tail around her neck. Crimson opened her eyes again, startled. Looking down, she saw that rock was rushing up to meet her.
"Riptide, use Hydro Pump!" she shouted. An immense blast of water rushed out of the seahorse's trumpet-like snout, pushing both Pokémon and trainer away from the wall of the cliff. Seconds later there was a splash in the swift river, and then there was nothing. The only sign that anyone had been there were a few drops of crimson sliding down the rocks.
*cackles* I love to torture Crimson, especially since she's my favorite character! This turns out to be interesting, and a whole other plot line comes in after a while…BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT!! Well, review if you would, and let me know if I should pop the next piece up (note: It is short, has almost nothing to do with this part, but it merges nicely). Well, bye for now!