Disclaimer: Pokémon is copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Warner Bros, and Wizards of the Coast. I in no way claim rights to Pokémon; this fic is a non-money-making venture for free distribution on the Web.
Dedication: This fic is for Lightning-Strike. Lightning-Strike is a talented, cool author here, whose user id is 141533. This is her Christmas fic, especially for her! ^!^ Merry Christmas, L-S!
A/N: All Pokémon speech is translated, unless otherwise indicated. Review thank-yous at the end of the chapter.
Light of a Dark Black Night
5: Glimmer
Great, now what did I say, thought Touchwood, a few days later, watching Shadowgleam wearily, as with a globe of power crackling around her, she tore away, on all fours, faster than he could move even in short panic-bursts.
She is way too touchy.
Maybe he should stop asking her what she was going to do when she stopped. Maybe she wasn't ever going to stop. Maybe she was just a restless spirit who actually enjoyed travelling.
Maybe he should just ask himself when he was going to stop. This wasn't the kind of life he liked.
But Touchwood continued on after Shadowgleam, at least for now.
She might not know it, but there was a lake ahead. Maybe when she got there, she'd stop, at least briefly. It was evening now.
v v v
Shadowgleam ran.
She loved running.
She wasn't actually especially mad at Touchwood. But by the way he'd been carrying on, she'd known she was going to be, soon, and so had decided to get away from him, and at the same time, do something she liked, instead.
So she ran.
Maybe if she ran off more often, he'd get the message.
She considered that for a bit, jumping over tree-roots. What with the survival skills he'd been teaching her, she could probably do fine on her own, now. It didn't seem fair, however, to part ways with him without giving him something back. Like the move Slam, for example. She needed to teach him that properly.
She dimmed the electricity crackling around her, just a little bit, so that from a distance, she knew she must look like a will-o'-the-wisp, darting through the trees.
There was a new scent up ahead. Shadowgleam began to slow down.
It's a lake! She slowed down completely.
Now that she was close, she could hear the water, lapping against the land as if drinking itself.
v v v
Shadowgleam walked the last steps to the edge of a cliff; it wasn't too high, maybe the height of a human house, but seemed to be sheer. As she'd run, the darkness had fallen around her, and now it was late evening.
Splashing sounds came from below her - they weren't caused by the waters. She came to the edge of the cliff, anchoring herself to a rock with her tail, and looked down, and could make out a large figure in the gloom.
She was about to call down, when the Pokémon called up to her.
"Watch out! The cliff is slippery there." It was an Ampharos.
"I'm safe," Shadowgleam said. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, perfectly, except that I can't get out."
"I can swim - I'll come down and help you."
"I can swim too. I just can't see my way up the cliff in the dark."
"I'll light it for you," said Shadowgleam. Putting down her burdens, she backed away, then turned around and dangled her tail down the precipice. By concentrating, she got it to emit a steady, clear glow.
"Thank you."
A few minutes later, the Ampharos scrambled up. "That's better," she said, shaking the water from her coat all over Shadowgleam. Not that Shadowgleam minded.
"What's your name?" she asked. "I'm Shadowgleam."
"I'm Glimmer."
The Ampharos raised her right paw, and extended a tendril of electrc power. Startled, Shadowgleam looked behind her, almost expecting someone to tell her what to do. Angry at herself, she turned back to Glimmer and tried to copy her - reaching out a small, wavering lightningbolt herself. It was difficult. Gently, as if guiding a small Pokémon, Glimmer reached out her spark to touch Shadowgleam's, and made them both glow.
Friends, said Glimmer, through the connection. She cut her own electricity. Confused, Shadowgleam kept up her sparks for a moment before letting them die back too.
"I don't understand…"
"You helped me. Don't you know about this bonding?"
"No…" Shadowgleam was even more confused. This was a wild-Pokémon thing, something she'd never learned. And she was very angry to think that, just for a moment, she'd shown how dependent she was. Dammit it was as if I was expecting Touchwood to tell me what to do!
Dependence wasn't a good idea. Dependence on Touchwood would never let her be free again, and dependence on Gavin…
Gavin let go of me.
...I have a problem with dependence.
Touchwood always picked the wrong moment to show up.
"There you are!" he cried.
"Here I am!" Shadowgleam replied sarcastically. "Right here, next to a large landmark, easy to find."
"What's wrong?"
"What is it that's wrong?" Glimmer asked bewilderedly, looking from one to the other.
"Never mind," Shadowgleam muttered. She felt angry and confused. She had to escape. "See you later."
She turned and walked off the cliff.
v v v
"Shadowgleam!"
"Calm down," the Ampharos said mildly, "she's not hurt."
"How do you know?" Touchwood asked.
The sounds of the first splash had died away and now there was a small one - Shadowgleam, apparently, coming back to the surface.
"That was deliberate," she called up. "I'll be back."
"Thanks for easing my mind."
The Ampharos looked curiously at him. "I'm Glimmer," she said. "Is that how humans talk?"
"Those are the words they use, yes," said Touchwood. "We were both abandoned. Except she can't get over it."
"Humans! You are trying to help her?"
"I don't know," said Touchwood. "That is, I'd like to help, but I don't think I'm helping."
Glimmer looked sympathetically at him. Shadowgleam had left the Pokéchow here - he offered some to the Ampharos, and ate a bit himself. "Travelling with her is a good change," he added, to fill up the silence. "It's been a while since I could use human-like speech."
Glimmer didn't say anything; she walked over to a tall rock and curled up beside it. Touchwood, too, decided to sleep.
v v v
He woke up later. The moon was a crescent and the stars were out, and between him and the cliff was a dark silhouette.
"Pretty, aren't they?" he said, referring to the stars.
"They're beautiful. But - whatever you're going to say about look-at-all-the-beauty-of-nature-and-isn't-it-nice-here-and-aren't-we-lucky, don't say it. Save the moralising."
"What if I wasn't going to say that?" asked Touchwood.
Silence.
"Okay, Shadowgleam, you can decide whether I was going to or not. But how about this. You put together what you thought I was going to say, and ask yourself if it actually makes any sense, or if it might actually help. And I'll keep quiet."
"I'm sorry, Touchwood. You're right."
"They are beautiful," she added, after a long pause.
"They're magnificent."
Pause.
"Look, if you try really hard, you can see a Furret... there."
He snorted. Whatever you say.
"Go to sleep sometime, Shadowgleam. The stars'll always be there."
"See you in the morning."
v v v
Always, thought Shadowgleam, staring up at the stars, not really seeing any formation, or any particular sparkle. Something that'll always be there.
It was a peaceful, comforting, reassuring thought.
v v v
Behind them, Glimmer stirred, and looked up at the galaxies. Perhaps they're right. They are ordinary, the same night after night, but sometimes, ordinary things are also marvels.
v v v
"Where are we going next?" asked Glimmer next morning.
"We?" said Touchwood, confused.
"Is this because of that spark-joining thing you did with me?" Shadowgleam asked.
"What else?" said Glimmer. "You're travelling, and I would like to come. There are no Ampharos tribes in this area."
Touchwood didn't mind. Shadowgleam looked unhappy, but tucked it away. "The mountains!" she declared. She looked at Touchwood as if expecting a reaction.
"Whatever you like, Shadowgleam," declared Touchwood, who had been expecting this. "You're the wanderer."
"Shadowgleam Wanderer," repeated Shadowgleam. She grinned.
"Let's go."
v v v
They crossed the lake, with a lot of friendly splashing, and continued on. Glimmer was fascinated by their tales of life with humans, and asked them all kinds of strange questions.
It wasn't too hard for Shadowgleam to answer these questions. Except that Touchwood would always try and make them more specific to her and Gavin, forcing her to remember the old days.
She explained clothing to Glimmer, and then fended off a question about 'what kind of clothes did your trainer wear'.
"By the way," she countered, "how did you get your name?"
"It was for luck!" Touchwood explained. "Literally, 'touch wood'! The humans have an expression," he explained to Glimmer, "you 'touch wood' to prevent bad things happening, or to give yourself good luck."
"That's nice," Glimmer agreed.
"Who were the other Pokémon in your team?" Shadowgleam asked. Oh, maybe that wasn't such a good question. He'd probably ask it back.
"Well.. there was a Noctowl, a Croconaw, a Bellsprout, a Krabby, and a Rattata."
"Any good fighters?"
He gave her a strange look. "What a human way of asking."
"You are rather like a human," Glimmer put in. "I have just noticed it. Your training must have made you think a little like one."
Shadowgleam was taken aback.
"Is that even possible?" she asked.
"Of course," said Glimmer. "I know. My daughter was captured."
Both Shadowgleam and Touchwood turned to look at her.
"I met her in battle later. She called me wild. It took her a while to recognise me."
"What happened... did you faint?"
"No... she did. Perhaps she learned something."
Shadowgleam looked thoughtfully at Glimmer, who didn't seem sad or hurt. Perhaps that Ampharos daughter had been happy. Perhaps she'd adapted herself... become happy, because she'd had to be. It all depended on the trainer. They were different… well…
I always thought that Gavin was different too.
Lightning-Strike: The usual I-will-change-ANYTHING disclaimer applies.
Miss Black Dragon: Gee are you a faithful reviewer or what. Thanks hugely. I'm glad you liked it, and Shadowgleam, and Touchwood WILL eventually learn Slam. Hehehehehehh….
Pikacar/Marle: Oh, what a lot of lovely reviews! I think I thanked you by email, but thanks again for your interested comments. Romance? I don't think so… *squizzes carefully at characters*… well, you know characters… hope they don't decide to fall in love without telling me…