LRH Chapter Two: Riddles and Rhymes
The six little Pokemon ran for a long while, finally collapsing, panting and sweating, some distance from where the crazy Houndoom had attacked them. All of them had painful stitches in their sides from their flight, but Jaz seemed to fare worse than the others. Despite the speed her six legs granted her, they (and her tiny body for that matter), were not built for such a hard run. She lay on her belly, her tired legs twitching spasmodically as her fangs clacked together.
"D'you think we lost him?" Jerio asked, after sucking in a few breaths that made his raw throat sting a bit.
"For a while, yes," Sajin answered, ruffling her feathers. Her wings were so sore they couldn't be folded all the way, so she hoped that while turned out to be a long one. She wouldn't be flying for a day or two, and her legs weren't built for carrying her long distances at a fast pace or for an extended period of time.
"At least we got a bit to eat before that Houndoom chased us off," Zane said, sighing.
"Maybe those apples will keep him occupied for a time," Kalo said, though she didn't sound like she believed it.
"At any rate, I'd say we're okay for now," Tek said. "Though we should find somewhere with more cover soon so we can sleep. After all this excitement, I'm ready for some good rest."
"I agree," Jerio said, staring into the darkness of the woods. "Guess we'll just have to hope we don't run into any friends of that Houndoom's."
"We won't, will we?" Jaz asked fearfully, and Kalo shot Jerio a scowl before settling beside the scared Spinarak and smiling.
"Nah, and if we do, we'll show them not to mess with us!" This seemed to cheer Jaz up, if only a little.
About ten minutes later, Sajin commented that they should get moving. Despite none of the others really wanting to move so soon, they agreed, and they were off once more, heading into the woods.
It was almost pitch-black among the trees this time, and Sajin (having the best vision) took the lead. But even she had a hard time seeing through the darkness that surrounded them. Within five minutes, she came to a stop, causing the others trailing behind her to suddenly come to a halt and bump into one another.
"What's wring?" Tek asked, and Sajin shook her head, ruffling her feathers in agitation.
"I can't see hardly at all!" she said, clacking her beak and scowling at the shadows.
"At least we don't have to worrying about someone else seeing us," Zane said, and then proceeded to snap free a branch from a bush. He was ready to set it ablaze for them to use as a torch when a dreamy voice above them spoke.
"Do not be so certain of that, young one. Some of us have eyes better for perceiving in the dark then the light. In fact, I can see all six of you perfectly, looking scared and tired and worried."
"Whose there?" Kalo snapped worriedly as she and the others bunched together. Zane quickly used an Ember attack on the branch he was holding. The tip caught fire, and even though the flame was small and its light weak, they could see well enough to identify what had spoken.
Perched on a thick branch about ten feet above them was a large Noctowl, a brownish bird that looked like a giant owl. His dark eyes watched the Pokemon below as he chuckled softly.
"Don't worry, young ones. Unlike some ruder Pokemon that dwell on this island, I don't taunt my prey. If I'd meant you harm, you'd have felt nothing but a small prick. So relax."
"I was right then," Sajin muttered, mostly to herself. "This is an island."
"By the sounds of it, you must be knew to this place," the Noctowl said, Sajin's words having not gone unnoticed. He shifted his taloned grip on the tree limb, which caused Jaz to flinch, and settled down a bit more. "Maybe I can help?"
"Well, yes, we are new here," Tek said. "We were caught in a bad storm today and ended up here."
"Ah, so the storm hit in a larger area than some of us had thought it would. No doubt you'd like to get back home, eh? Your parents are probably worried sick."
"Can you help us gwt home?" Jaz asked in a timid voice. Being one of this great bird's natural prey items (and knowing it, if by nothing more than instinct), she was slightly hesitant to make her presence more known than it was already. But if there was any chance this bird could help them get back home, then she decided she could act older, just for a moment. The owl Pokemon chuckled again, not in a mocking way, but more in a fatherly way.
"Indeed I can, young one. Around this time of year, there are many schools and herds of Water Pokemon making their way to their home waters for the season. Most pass this island, and there is a specific spot all stop at. This place is like a temporary harbor for the Pokemon to rest and stock on the native food of the island before continuing their journey. I know where this spot is exactly and the fastest way to get there from here."
"Can you tell us how to get there then?" Jerio asked excitedly. "There'll be Pokemon who can take us home!"
"Yes, I will tell you, on one condition we'll explain in a moment. First, where are you all from?"
We live near Petalburg City," Tek answered. "We were at the beach when the storm hit."
"Petalburg City, eh? That's some way away from here. In fact, if the storm hadn't been as bad as it was, you all wouldn't have even gotten here in one day. I suppose that makes it both a blessing and a curse..." He trailed off, and for a moment appeared to have fallen asleep. Then he clacked his sharp beak, startling the youngsters and looking at them. "Now, those conditions. I'll tell you how to get to the Harbor if you can each answer a riddle for me. I do not get much of a chance to talk to decent Pokemon, as those who live on this island are indeed few and far between. So I entertain myself by thinking up riddles and rhymes and such, though I rarely get the chance to quiz others with them. Now, do you all accept?"
Jerio and the rest of the young Pokemon shot each other anxious looks at this. Riddles? Why couldn't this guy just tell them the way to this Harbor place?
"If we get any wrong he'll probably eat us," Jaz muttered, her fangs clicking lightly. Zane pulled a face as the Noctowl chuckled once more.
"Little one, my ears may be hard to see, but they are just as good as my eyes. I will not harm any who fail to answer correctly. You'll just have to find the Harbor yourselves."
"Well...we really don't have much to lose. At least this way, we have a chance," Tek said, somewhat darkly. The others nodded in glum agreement, and they turned back to the Noctowl. "Okay, we accept."
"Grand!" the Noctowl said merrily, settling more onto the branch and clearing his throat. "I'll give you your riddles one at a time. You'll each get one clue if you need it. And you can't tell one another the answers." The owl Pokemon cocked his head at the youngsters. "Now, who'll go first?"
"I will," Kalo said, stepping forward as she did. She gave the others a little nod and then turned back to the Noctowl. "Though maybe you could come down a bit so we don't make our necks sore looking up at you."
"I suppose," the owl said. He gave himself a little shake, then spread his great wings and simply fell from the branch. He glided gently through the air, landing on another branch almost directly in front of the small band of young Pokemon, and folded his wings. The others blinked a few times in surprise, and Jaz shuddered. He'd made no noise at all as he'd moved. It was, she decided, a good thing he wasn't hungry at the moment. The others seemed to be thinking the same thing as they moved slightly closer together.
"I guess I'm ready," Kalo said after a moment. The Noctowl nodded once and settled himself.
"Very well then, here is your riddle: Cut me just so, beautiful I'll grow. What am I?"
"Things don't grow when you cut them," Jerio said, confused. "It usually makes them smaller, not to mention doing some sort of harm."
"It depends on what's being cut," Tek replied. "Stones can be cut with lasers. My mom told me about it once, that humans can do it. It does make them smaller, though. Doesn't hurt them." She gave a shrug as if to emphasize. Kalo sighed and shook her head.
"I want my clue, please," she said. The Noctowl nodded.
"You see many of them all over most of the time, and some all of the time."
"Many most of the time, some all of the time..." Kalo repeated, thinking. She sighed a bit, shifting, the bulb on her back itching suddenly. She made to scratch it against something when she suddenly got the riddle.
"I know it!" she said. "I know the answer." She grinned and looked at the Noctowl, who nodded for her to continue. "It's a flower! You don't cut the flower itself, you cut weeds around it and stuff. And most flowers go dormant during the winter, but some keep growing. That's how you see many of them most of the time and some all of the time." She grinned more as the Noctowl nodded again. "I got it!"
"Good job," the large bird said. "You got it quite quickly. Whose next?"
"Me," said Zane, moving forward to take Kalo's place as she moved back for him. The Noctowl watched them switch places, then spoke.
"As you wish. Here is your riddle then: I can be white or red, orange or blue, or maybe all at once. Yet I am always the same. What am I?"
"Wow, there's one for a person," Jerio muttered as Zane thought about his riddle. No one said anything in answer, though he did get a strange look from the Noctowl. He couldn't tell if it was annoyance or amusement, and is made him a little uneasy. He gave a small sigh when the large owl turned back to Zane.
"Let's see...darn, I don't know. Can I have my clue?"
"Of course. I am dangerous if misused or not given respect."
"That could be a number of things," Jaz said. "I mean, anything can be dangerous if it's not used right or something, right?"
"Indeed, young one. You are wise for one so tiny," the Noctowl said with a little wink. Jaz gave a weak smile, not sure whether she should feel honored by the compliment or worried that she'd drawn such attention to herself. Finally, she decided on feeling complimented, because she was going to be bringing a lot of attention to herself when her riddle came up. The thought made her shiver as she turned her attention back to Zane.
Wow, this is hard, the Cyndaquil thought, feeling aggravated. And, as is something that normally happens to frustrated Cyndaquil, Zane's back exploded into flames. Due to his irritation, they were their normal orange-yellow, but there were also streaks of red and blue. The others behind him gave little gasps as they realized they were looking at the answer of his riddle. And Zane, being a particularly smart Cyndaquil, was quick to catch on.
"I got the answer," he said happily, and the fire on his back became pure orange-yellow. "The answer is fire. It can change color with heat but it's still always fire."
"Good, good, that's correct," the Noctowl said, bobbing his head. "Well, whose next then?"
"I'll go next," Sajin said, and she and Zane switched places.
"Here is your riddle: I can destroy and I can kiss, I can caress and I can strike. What am I?"
"A Gyarados with major mood swings?" Zane joked, earning little laughs from the others, even the large, riddling-loving owl before them. The laughs died quickly, though, as Sajin pondered her riddle.
Something that can be both gentle and vicious...so far, the questions seem to be relating to us somehow. For Kalo, it was a flower. For Zane it was fire. So...it stands to reason this must somehow relate especially to me. But there are a lot of Flying and Normal types that can be both nice and mean. In fact, ANY Pokemon can. So maybe it isn't a Pokemon. It must have something to do with the sky, or maybe wind patterns or...wait!
Sajin clacked her beak and looked up at the large Noctowl perched before her.
"The answer," she said confidently, "is wind! It can be a nice breeze or a tornado."
The owl Pokemon studied Sajin closely, and for a moment looked for formidable that she was worried she'd answered wrongly. Then he nodded once and waved a wing at her.
"Good, good. Very nice. Answered quite quickly, didn't you? Very nice. Next?"
"Good job," Tek said as Sajin moved back. Then she stepped forward. "I'll go next."
"If you wish. Here, then, is your riddle. I give life, and I can take it away. I am needed by all living things. What am I?"
"That's simple!" Tek said almost immediately. "It's water!" She grinned and waved her tail happily. "Everything doesn't need air to live: plants don't, and they're living creatures. Food wouldn't have made much sense. But you can drown in water, and everything needs it to survive."
"Very well done!" Noctowl replied merrily. "What a smart group of youngsters you are! Now, who'd like to go next?"
"Me," said Jerio moving forward to take Tek's place as she turned and tottered back to join the others. "I'll go next."
"Right, here is you riddle. I am still, I do not move on my own. I grow smaller over time. What am I?"
Jerio scowled slightly. What didn't move on its own and grew smaller over time? Noctowl smiled a bit, his eyes flickering in the dark as he watched the Larvitar thinking. He looked over to Sajin and, as he had expected, could see her slightly annoyed. She'd already figured it out. Such a smart Pokemon, that Pidgey. If any of these others guessed wrong, he'd have to let her have a go at the question. It was rare to find such a bright youngster these days.
"Think, think, think," Jerio was repeating to himself, his eyes narrowed to slits as he thought. He bowed his head slightly, squeezing his eyes shut and concentrating with all the will a Pokemon of his age (and mindset) could. "It doesn't move on its own...gets smaller as time goes on..."
He sighed, rubbing his head and wishing his favorite rock were nearby. It was always the place he did his best thinking. Even though it seemed to be getting less and less grand as the months went by.
"Wait..." Jerio said suddenly, knowing that somewhere, buried within that thought, was his answer. He scrunched up his nose and concentrated more, before realizing what it was that he was trying to pin down. But before he could open his mouth to give his answer, a cry sounded out. One that chilled the six little Pokemon to their souls...
"HOOUUN!"
"Oh no!" Jaz cried in fear, beginning to shake. "It's the Houndoom from earlier!"
"But how did he find us so soon!" Tek asked worriedly, looking around.
"Ah, the Crazed One," Noctowl suddenly said, causing the young Pokemon to jump. "That one always causes trouble."
"Crazed One?" Sajin asked, shooting a look back at the Noctowl, who was now standing alert on the branch he was perched on.
"Yes. He had a traumatic event happen to him when he was young. Apparently, his mother was killed by poachers who were washed onto this island years ago, and so were his litter mates. It drove him insane with grief, but perhaps he would have been fine, if he had not killed the poachers a few weeks later. I think, most of all, that sealed his madness." Noctowl sighed. "I am afraid I must cut our riddles short, young ones. You must quickly leave here. Doom will not hesitate to put this place into flames to find you. Go straight until daybreak. When you can see, follow the bent guardian's path, and you will come to the beach where the Water Pokemon stop on their migratory routes. The journey will take you days, but I believe you can make it." He spread his large wings and looked at them, his once-kind eyes suddenly sharp and full of vicious wisdom. "Go now!"
And with that, he launched into the air and flew off in the direction of the Houndoom's voice. A moment later the youngsters heard Doom bellowing and were blinded by a sudden burst of flames not far away.
"Let's move!" Tek cried, rubbing her stinging, watering eyes. The others nodded and the six little Pokemon ran forward, mindless of the noise they were making. Jaz, however, quickly began to fall back.
"Wait!" she cried out, her little legs pumping as she struggled to keep up. Kalo heard the tiny spider's cry and slid to a stop. Without hesitation, she shot out a vine and wrapped it around Jaz, lifting her into the air before running off once more.
"Sajin!" she called as she caught up. "How are you doing?"
"I'm...fine..." the Pidgey said as she ran. Actually, she was mostly hopping, once in a while taking to the air for a few seconds so she wouldn't fall too far behind. Kalo watched her for a moment before sending out another vine and using it to lift Sajin as well. The Pidgey clacked her beak in surprise as she was hoisted into the air.
"Sorry Sajin, but we gotta move!" the Bulbasaur said with an apologetic smile. Sajin said nothing, though she didn't seem too upset at the free lift.
"I don't think I can go like this till morning!" Jerio said a few minutes later, slowing down and rubbing his side, where a stitch was beginning to throb painfully.
"Come on!" Zane said, stopping by the Larvitar's side. "We can't stop, that Houndoom might catch up!"
"I'm not built for all this running!" Jerio countered. "I'm a fighter, not a marathon runner!"
"He's right," Tek said after a moment, also having stopped. Kalo joined them a moment later. "We can't keep this pace up all night without resting. I think it'd be okay for us to stop here for a few and catch our breath."
"Well...a few moments then," Zane said, turning and peering into the shadows. Jerio heaved a sigh and slumped to the ground, rubbing his aching side. The others sat or laid beside him, except for Zane.
"Come on Zane, sit down," Jerio said after a moment. "You're making me nervous just standing there like that."
"But...haven't any of you noticed that it's been really quiet the past few minutes?" the Cyndaquil asked nervously, shifting from paw to paw. The others shot nervous looks around, and Sajin ruffled her feathers in agitation.
"You're right," she said after a moment. "It has been awfully quite."
"What do you think it means?" Jaz asked, her fangs clicking together lightly. Kalo shook her head.
"Maybe it means Noctowl led him away?"
"Whatever it means, one if us should keep guard," Zane said. We can take turns. I don't think we'll get to the bent guardian's path tonight, whatever THAT might mean."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Jerio replied, glad for a reason to be able to sleep. He yawned and stretched, and within five minutes was asleep. Zane sat a few feet away, keeping an eye on the darkness around them all. The others settled down, though they didn't fall asleep as fast as Jerio had. Jaz was the last one to fall asleep, her fangs clacking together as she mumbled.
"Mama..."
Zane looked over at the others and sighed. It was their first night from their parents. And it hadn't been easy or fun. Zane, as was common for most Fire Pokemon, always had a sense of adventure. He'd dreamed about being on his own, toughing it out in the wild. He's always imagined himself being strong, fearless, wild. But here he was, on an adventure, and he wan none of those things. Being on an adventure was not as fun as he'd thought it would be.
"I want to go home..." he whispered to the darkness, feeling scared. It was like he was alone, as the darkness swallowed him up. He didn't even notice the temperature drop around him as he sat there, staring into the darkness, feeling more and more alone, more and more frightened. He didn't see a particular shadow moving behind him as the darkness emptied beneath him and spilt him into a pit of blackness that was slumber.
The one eyed-Gengar smirked as she watched her prey fall victim to her Night Shade and Hypnosis attacks. The good thing about being a Ghost was no one noticed you, if you didn't want to. And most attacks, like Hypnosis, could be preformed without needing eye contact.
She smiled viciously and clapped her hands together, stepping from her hiding place and holding her hands to the other little Pokemon. A black, gooey energy began to bleed from her palms and snake around the sleeping forms of Jaz and the others. This was the female Gengar's specialty: Dream Eater. She smiled more as she felt the dreams of the little Pokemon being absorbed, along with their energy, into her body. After a few moments, she lowered her hands, glowing briefly with the energy she'd stolen. As the glow faded, she turned to the unconscious Zane and chuckled softly.
"This one I shall keep. His fear and insecurity make him the perfect meal. I shall give him Nightmares and steal his dreams. And I shall become stronger!" She cackled as she went over to Zane and picked him up, then vanished into the shadows.
Still asleep and in unison, the other five little Pokemon all shuddered in their slumber as the Gengar and their friend faded...
The next morning, the others got a rude awakening from Jerio as he shook them all roughly, looking worried.
"What is it?" Sajin asked sleepily as she blinked tiredly. Jerio stood before the others, looking close to panic.
"It's Zane!" he cried. "He's gone!"
Misa: Woo, chapter two! Now on to chapter three and four . Remember, I like da reviews.
SSPichu: So do we! Wields his Scythe.
Coal: Yups! Wields his as well.
Misa: Sweatdrops as she watches her muses. Guys...
The Pichu and Charmander look at her. Yes?
Misa: Watch where you're waving those, you might hurt someone!
Coal: Nonsense! Waves his Scythe and it touches a random guy. The flames on it make his wig burst into flames.
Guy: AAAGGGGH! Runs in circles and faints, becoming toasty.
Coal/SS/Misa: OO...
Coal: Eh...heheh...Scoots away.
SS: Remember to review, or this maybe happen to you! Hey...I rhymed!
Misa: -- oi...
