MEEP! –hides- I'm posting this tonight because we're under an official hurricane warning...darn you Charley! So I figured since we might lose power tomorrow and for god knows how long, might as well be safer than sorry and post this tonight. ;D At least I get tomorrow off because of it! Geez, first week of school and we already have a day off. How messed up is that?
Speaking of school, it's actually not so bad. I spend all Weightlifting period on the Stairmaster...yes, we have one of those in there! XD It's actually quite a workout. I can't feel my legs. Yay!
Okay, so this is one of those IT chapters...the chapter that's really been begging to be written since 'April', really. Crazy. So I shall no longer bore you...and READ IT MORTALS! XD
Chapter Forty-Six"So spill," I muttered, my eyes darting around the room. It was actually relatively small compared to the rest of the Den, but I felt a lot colder in it than any other room down here for some reason...why?
The walls were made of the same crystal substance, only it seemed...dimmer here. There were rosebushes all over the place, and to one side, what looked like a little clearing. I could make out something that looked like a giant rock behind one of the bushes, but with a sinking feeling in my stomach, I realized it probably wasn't a giant rock, but, well...something else.
The crystal under April's hands began to glow. Apparently, she wasn't going to waste any time. My eyes widened as I saw the blue book I had read out of appear from the glow, and to my shock, it was three times as thick...as if a story had been written.
April grabbed the book and touched the cover with shaking hands before looking back up at me. "Lindsey..."
"I thought you were going to tell me everything," I snarled. "Tell. I don't have all day."
"Night," April murmured. "I guess so...but how to begin..."
I tapped my foot and April glared at me. I immediately quit it. Geez, was it rude to tap your foot in this room or something?
The woman who was my grandmother—but I honestly couldn't think of her that way; she looked way young—ran a finger down the book's spine, and began to tell the tale that I knew at once would change me completely forever.
"Two-thousand years ago, the Hunter clan was in their prime. No Pokemon was safe, especially the legendaries. No matter where any creature hid, it was inevitable that they would be found.
"And then, the Hunters fully discovered the powers of the Dragon Pokemon. They were so rare, there was even less of a trace of them than those legendary Pokemon. Imagine, having so many powers! So many attacks! At first they were simply killed in their quest, but the full extent of their power wasn't discovered until one single man harnessed it from a Dragonair."
I winced, somehow knowing who the 'one single man' was.
April didn't notice. "He became the most powerful Hunter in the whole clan. It was sickening...he was convinced he would rule the world, or something of the sort.
"Now, the Dragonair's powers he was using wasn't dead...far from it. It was filled with rage—its heart was completely oblivious to the normal one of the docile Dragonair. So consumed with hatred, it did what no other Dragon—or Pokemon, for that matter—dared to do: it killed a human.
"During this whole time, there was a young woman who had an obvious love for these magnificent Pokemon—a woman by the name of Lynn Tamer."
My eyes widened again as I recognized that name. Lynn—from the wall and that poem in the book!
My attention drifted back to April: "Lynn was a sweet girl, though a bit headstrong, so no one took her very seriously when she was crying that the Dragon Pokemon needed help. More so, everyone laughed since they were so convinced that these powerful creatures were nothing more than a myth to rouse the Hunters in their game." April sighed, rubbing her temples, like she really didn't want to continue.
"But that didn't stop Lynn. For months, she traveled all around all of the lands where Pokemon dwelled. 'Surely there must be somewhere the Dragonairs may live in peace, away from the dreaded power-hungry Hunters!' she kept thinking. As time wore on, however, her efforts seemed futile.
"It seemed like her life would end. She no food, no money, and had worn the same clothes for weeks. She knew her family wouldn't take her back either—she had nowhere to go. One night, she had collapsed near the land that would become Ecruteak City—even then known as a place with many legends. So she fell, not knowing whether or not she would get up again."
My heart ached for Lynn, but at the same time, I couldn't help but think how stupid she was. Sure, Dragons were cool. But where they worth dying for?
...Shut up. What a stupid question to ask yourself.
"But just when she thought it was the end," April continued. "She thought she saw something...glisten. It was so late out night—who would be wandering the streets at that hour? She weakly opened her eyes, only to come face-to-face with the glistening brown eyes of a Dragonair.
"She had no idea how it was there without the Hunters finding it, especially since the clan was more prone to Hunt in the dark, but there it was, staring at her with those big brown eyes. Lynn feebly rose to her feet, only to have the Dragonair launch itself from the ground and plunge its horn straight into her chest."
I gasped. April didn't look up—she didn't need to.
So she went on instead: "Lynn passed out from the shock. She awoke the next morning to find herself under a tree, clutching something. She nearly passed out again when she realized it was the jewel that lays on a Dragonair's neck—why did she have it? She quickly got up and hid, worried that if anyone saw her with such a treasure, they would mistake her for a Hunter.
"It was so fragile...yet so strong, like the essence of Dragon Pokemon themselves. Lynn lifted it up, admiring the reflections she saw—until one appeared that definitely wasn't part of the town: it was a fairly clear image of a sparkly lake surrounded by many woods, and no Pokemon or people at all.
"Just as Lynn got over the shock of seeing such an image—what did it mean?—it disappeared. She slightly shook the ball, and was shocked to hear something rattling inside. She quickly grew curious, and though she really didn't want to, broke the jewel—and a golden key fell out."
My hand automatically flew to the ball on my dress (that I was, for some reason, still wearing) with the key inside. That was just too similar...too crazy...
"Lynn took the key in her hands, and immediately felt some sort of inner power. She knew it had something to do with the picture of the lake she had seen. Putting the pieces of the Dragonair's jewel in her many pockets, she set off on a short journey, not asking anyone about the lake...for whatever reason, it felt too sacred to talk about.
"Somehow, and to this day, it's not recorded how or why—she found her way to this lake. It was the exact same lake she had seen in the image—clear, sparkling, and surrounded by woods and completely free of any other life. She stood near the edge, staring, as if it could tell her some sort of secret.
"Her gaze was interrupted when her trembling hands dropped the key into the lake. Lynn was terrified—she wasn't a great swimmer, but she had to get that key! Without another moment of hesitation, she dove in and searched and searched and searched for it...when her lungs felt like they were about to collapse, she discovered with horror she was far from the surface...she was certain she was near death. On instinct, she took a breath...and discovered the wonder of breathing underwater.
"Before she could fully explore this sudden new gift, she saw a glint out of the corner of her eye—the key had lodged itself into something. She swam down, still in awe at the ability to breathe underwater, and discovered the key—was in a lock, as if the key itself knew what to do. Obviously, she unlocked it—and in doing so, created a legacy that would live on for thousands of years."
The room was suddenly enveloped in silence, and it was weird after hearing April talk on and on for the past few minutes. I finally looked up and raised an eyebrow. "That's it? That doesn't really explain a lot. I mean, sure, it explains how this Lynn girl escaped from the Hunter dudes and found the Den and all, but...besides her basically starting the Tamer family line, what does this have to do with me?"
April didn't speak for several more seconds, but then quietly breathed one word: "Everything."
I froze. Wasn't this a familiar scene...
"Okay," I finally said, letting out a breath I had been somehow holding. "I've heard that line before. Actually, it was you who told me, wasn't it? While you were Mystic or whatever." April nodded gravely.
"Speaking of that, why did you kill Hades?" I had no idea where these sudden memories were coming from. I wanted to know what the heck April was talking about...didn't I?
Or maybe...just maybe…
I was afraid?
...Nah.
"I had to remind Diana somehow," April murmured. "Believe me, I'm not proud I did such a horrible deed. It scarred Mystic and I forever...it is not in a Dragon's nature to kill. Still...I had to remind her that Dragons were your destiny, and there was no possible way she could stop or change it."
I fell to my knees, the dress billowing around me. Somehow, hearing that triggered something...I had know.
"Not change it?" I whispered.
April flipped some of her hair over her shoulder—geez, I honestly had no clue how she took care of the mane when she wasn't in the body of Dragonair—and sighed again, looking up and staring me straight in the eye. I shivered.
"The Tamer's Prophecy," she said, loud and clear. It echoed against the crystal walls, but the way she said it made the words sound forbidden.
"As you may have imagined...Lynn lived down here with the Dragons and protected them, once they knew their Tamer had come. Come to think of it, Lynn changed the name precisely for her duty. Anyway, she did come out of the Den for items from the outside world...and she met a man. He became her first and only love, and they were to wed.
"Lynn knew she could not risk having her newlywed step foot in the Den...it was still a time when the Hunters dominated, so she didn't know if she could truly trust him. Right before she was set to leave and marry, she swam to the bottom of the pool and wept, her beloved Dragons surrounding her. Somehow, using their power and her tears, this crystal was created." April placed her hand on the crystal. "It's now said to protect the Dragons, even when a Tamer isn't with them in the Den...though nothing is as good as the Tamer herself," she quickly added, seeing me open my mouth.
"Lynn was fascinated with the crystal, and set it in this room as protection. She stared at it for quite some time. At some point, she somehow got this book—" April touched the spine of that blue book. "—And began to write what she thought the crystal was...telling her."
I frowned. "Huh?"
She shrugged. "It's not really explained how or why—but since this jewel was a part of her, it's probably likely she could understand it...somehow. Anyway, when she finally snapped out of it, a strange, new language was written—yet in her eyes, it was as plain as day. Later it became clear that only people who have been blessed by a Dragonair—or harnessed their power--could read it."
Well, that certainly explained why Steve and Ivy couldn't.
"She didn't think much of it. With a farewell to the Dragons, she left the Den and went to assume a life in the outside world. She married and had one child, which was odd in those times, but she could not have any more. She had a small girl, with dark hair like hers, and eyes like her father's. As the daughter grew, it occurred to Lynn, that maybe, just maybe...her daughter may want to be a Tamer. She set off to the Den, leaving her husband and child behind, and once again made her way to the lake. Once she arrived, though...what she found tore her."
'Uh oh,' I thought. 'Angst alert!'
"Several Dragons lay dead beside the pool. The rest were in hiding. Lynn had never seen such a sight...she wanted to know who had gotten into the Den, and yet she knew.
"The Hunter.
"Making sure the ones that were alive were safe, she set off, book in hand, to search for the Hunter. Her family had no idea where she was, or if she was even alive...all she could think of was destroying that Hunter.
"Well, days turned into months, months into years...she was in a situation much like she had been in one before she found the Den: no food, tattered clothing, and had basically abandoned her family. She couldn't think of herself as a Tamer...not until she destroyed the Hunter. For how could she, the protector the Dragons had basically chosen, call herself a 'Tamer' if several of her beloved creatures were dead?"
'Yup, I smell angst.'
"Lynn still traveled on...she felt so close to death. It was a wonder she was keeping herself alive, really. Then, just when she thought it was the bitter end, she found him: the Hunter.
"He was as dark and sinister as she had imagined. There he was, basically torturing a Dragonair he had captured with a dark Pokeball with crystal lining."
I gasped.
April didn't notice, or maybe she didn't want to. "Lynn had no weapons, no Pokemon, nothing. She only knew one thing: she had to destroy the Hunter, if it was the last thing she did...and so it would be.
"The battle commenced. Lynn kicked, hit, punched, did everything possible she could to try to destroy him, but no avail. The Hunter simply used his new-found power on her. Again and again she fell down, but not out. After several more blows, the Dragonair wearily opened its eyes—it could sense that its Tamer was in peril need. Using the last of its life force, it transformed itself—into a sword."
And of course we all knew what sword that was.
"Lynn sensed the Dragon's power, and with new-found strength, she grabbed the sword. In an instant, a second of good against evil, Lynn plunged the sword into the Hunter just as he released another blast of power at her. Both shook and screamed in pain, falling down at the same time.
"Each of them knew they were near death. With tears in her eyes and the book in her hand, she swore with all the power left inside of her that the Tamers would forever live on, protecting the Dragons—and that someday, sometime, she would live on again—and destroy the Hunter clan for good while she continued on to defend the Dragons...thus, it became...the Tamer's Prophecy."
At this point, April looked at and stared at me, and unreadable look on her face. I was confused at first, but then comprehension dawned.
"Y...you mean...I'm...Lynn?"
"Well...her reincarnation, more likely," April said, the look still on her face. "It was written there, so many years ago...and then, of course, the Hunter swore the same...only to harm. He was convinced he had gotten the Dragon's power, and was reluctant to share it with any other of his clan. He was reincarnated...but that body died, and because of the Hunter's own persistence, his 'ghost', you might say, sort of possessed people and made them do his bidding."
"Anthony," I shuddered.
April nodded gravely. "And he just happened to be the man Anthony was keen to use."
I felt close to tears. I couldn't talk about him. I couldn't...not now. I tried to shut his face out of my mind while April was still talking.
"Unfortunately..." She looked at me kind of sadly. "There is something written in here that you should know...since Lynn had married her first love, there is a sort of... 'law' that was set."
My stomach clenched. "What?"
"Well...a Tamer is bound to her heart's first desire. Putting it simply...she becomes destined to be with whoever she gives her heart to first, and that they would always have a female child to ensure the Tamer lineage would go on."
Flip-flops were suddenly happening in my stomach. Was it the kid...girl? Probably not. "You mean...I..."
"You loved him, didn't you?" April whispered. "Even though he was who he was...you did. You loved him."
A tear escaped my eye. Oh great...the last thing I wanted to do right now was cry and think about him. Don't think, Lindsey. Just...shut him out.
"Wait," I said. "So basically...I'll never be able to love anyone again?"
"Not so much as that," April sighed. "You will be able to love...but your heart has been given away. And, well, now that you have an heir to the Den, bluntly speaking, the laws see no reason why you would need to love anyone else like that again."
"Oh god," I gasped. "No. No, no, no!" I somehow stood up, even though my knees were shaking beyond belief. "So what you're telling me is that I'll be alone for the rest of my life?!"
In that second, the dress coated me with a glow, and instantly disappeared. I was once again clothed in my black shirt, jeans, and boots—and the belt. I looked like the same old Lindsey, but really...I wasn't.
And I never would be again.
"NO!" I screamed, even though April was trying to talk to me again. I spun on my heel, somehow—and I still have no clue how—yanked one of those massive doors open and ran out of there, sobbing like a baby.
In my tears, I managed to see Mom and Dad, who were against a wall. Dad still looked unconscious. I ran to Mom and flung my arms around her, crying my eyes out—something I haven't done since I was probably two. She had no clue what happened, but tried to calm me down anyway by rocking me back and forth and stroking my seriously messed-up hair.
After a few seconds, I heard a door creak open, and then footsteps. I knew it was April, but I couldn't look at her. I just couldn't. She had to be lying.
"Mother!" Mom hissed, one of her arms still around me. "What happened in there?!"
"I simply told her the truth," April replied, her steps still echoing in the Den.
"What truth?"
"That—"
"I'm basically always going to be alone," I hiccupped. "Damnit. Darrell's gone, and Steve and Ivy are dead...I'm not allowed to love anyone! Not ever again! It sucks, let me tell you!" I burst into sobs again.
Mom resumed her attempt to calm me down, but April's footsteps were annoying me. Where was she going, anyway? Sniffling and choking, trying to regain my breath, I stopped crying I slowly looked up. To my shock, April was kneeling by Steve and Ivy's bodies, her eyes closed as if she was concentrating on something.
I stood up and wiped my nose, running over to her. "Hey! Just what the heck do you think you're doing?!"
April slowly opened her eyes. "Lindsey..." she said calmly, as if the past few minutes hadn't even happened. "Your friends here...is there something they said to you that might have had some important significance?"
I blinked. "What?"
"Maybe something they both said to you?"
I clenched one of my hands into a fist. "Umm...well, honestly...I've been trying not to think about it. Actually, I just want to block this whole experience out of my mind."
April stared at me. "Anything at all?"
Geez. This woman could really be persistent when she wanted to.
I sighed. "Well...they both said...that..." I swallowed, ignoring a sudden lump that had risen in my throat. "That they would always be there for me." I let out a small laugh. "They can sure keep a promise, huh? They say that and then..." I trailed off.
April had closed her eyes again, looking as if she were concentrating on something. After a minute, she reopened them. "They didn't lie."
My eyes widened. "What?"
"They didn't leave you."
"Are you blind?!" I nearly screamed. What else could this woman possibly do to try to ruin my life even more?! "They're dead! My best friends are there in front of your face, dead! I don't care what you or anyone else says, THEY LEFT ME!"
"They didn't," April replied calmly once I was done screaming.
"Excuse me?!"
"Their bodies are lying here, useless..." I wanted to scream again when April picked up one of Ivy's arms and let it fall limply back to the floor to demonstrate her point. "...But their...souls, I guess you would say, are still with them."
My mouth fell open. If I wasn't already on my knees, I would have dropped to them. Everything was still. Nothing mattered...except what she had just said.
Was it true? Steve and Ivy...they were actually true to their word? Did this mean...
April was staring at me. "They mean a lot to you, don't they?"
I nodded, my mouth still open. "They...they're my best friends. They mean more to me than anyone or anything in the world...even now."
She smiled grimly. "Yes...I can understand what you mean. My husband and Mystic were a lot like that." She sighed, and looked back at Steve and Ivy. "Anyway...it's true; they didn't leave you, just in one sense. I can revive these bodies, and since their souls haven't left them, it will be just like...well, they've been sleeping."
I froze. My heart stopped beating. The world stopped spinning.
What did she just say?
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EEEEEEEE!!! Hmmm, we shall see where this leads...actually, I know where it leads. That is because on the Sunday after I posted the last chapter, I finished writing this. Still some editing, but it's written...-sniff- I vowed I would finish it before school started, and the Sunday before it starts still counts, right? ;)
Karania-- -continues- I have no choice, really...XD
Robin Ryan—Yes, apparently I have...I know everything, but I'm also brain dead. Yes, that is possible. And yes, he is dead. Don't get your hopes up. :P But then again, you're a Steve/Lindsey supporter...so why would you? ;P And Diana's not really the screaming type. If anything, Lindsey should be screaming at everyone right now...why isn't she? I have no idea.
-kills and revives Anna- :P
Hakura0—Hey, that's actually where I was sorta inspired from...I think I read the book awhile before/while I was writing the chapter. Hmmm...-hands you marshmallows-
Adriel—Seriously, that cow movie dropped my I.Q. about ten points. Which really has nothing to do with anything. And you're lucky I'm posting this, the rusted spoons almost made me not. :P Well...now you know 'everything'. Don't gnaw my fingers off! I need them! And you need them for a larger review! –wink wink-
LoneHowl—Lots of things are going on...more than you know...-evil laugh-
-munches Pocky- Consider yourself very lucky. :P
TheAlmightyDB—Well hey! Have I seen you around here? I don't remember. O.o Thank you for the reviews ;D I'm glad you think it's that good! –grins crazily- Let's just say there's definite option for a fourth one.
ZeroChan—NO NOT l33t! –hides- And...wow. Just wow. –hands you ice-creamed covered chinchilla-
WOO! Hopefully I survive Charley. That would really suck if I drowned or something and you all never knew what happens next. ;P I'm so evil.
You know the drill...read? REVIEW! –grins like a maniac-