Halcyon / The Heavy Silence / In Silent Rain
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Keep it moving! We're almost there!" Shouted a tall female clad in a tight, leather body suit. Her short red hair hung entirely over one side of her face, covering whatever scars lay behind there.
The sky was a grisly indigo, and smoke clung about the burgundy cliffs sticking out from above the ground. An army clothed in red and black robes marched on much like a toy soldier set, so perfectly macabre, not stopping to blink; they only would if their prey had fallen into their trap.
The woman, who's intense, lime green eyes seemed to knock anybody dead in their tracks, practically exploded when they laid sight on the tropical clearing. A red dragon, (called by some), Latias, was flying in circles around the colossal cliffs that transcended over the passageway like Godzilla's shadow.
"There it is!" She cried victoriously. The army faced the enemy and scurried about, hiding in different areas that shaded them until they were ready to attack.
"Hold your fire!" She barked, and began to walk toward the unknowing beast, pulling out her black rifle that was surely bigger than she was. "This is going to be my task… Archie can't do anything to get in my way of this. I'm going to acquire that blue orb no matter what." She sneered to herself quietly.
The creature caught her standing there, with the bulky item looming over her right shoulder. It began to fly around faster, creating a challenge for her.
"Oh, you son of a gun, you think you're so much more clever than me, eh?" She pulled the trigger. "Well clever this, dragon-god."
A blaze of menacing fire carrying the bullet hounded after Latias, ripping it spot on the side of its body. Its devious expression turned into a tangled strain as it descended from the sky, plopping into the hot sand, crimson blood pouring out of the wound. Large chunks of the cliff started flying at the army from its downfall. An insuperable puff of sand shrouded the atmosphere, sounds of the creatures heaving cries beseeching as the sandstorm cleared up.
The woman merely coughed, looking at Latias with vain, not pity. Her cold-hearted self gave the creature a once-over, and then she turned to her army that was crowding around the entrance.
"Bring the net! We have to get this thing back to our lair as soon as possible!"
Twenty or so of the soldiers passed the mesh up to the front of the herd. All rushed over to the creature, placing the wire netting over it's wounded self.
The beast started to screech as the sharp steel cut deeper into its gash, thrashing about like a fish out of water before it's last breath.
"Take it to the lair, NOW!" The woman hollered and began to take another route higher into the mountain. One of the soldiers dropped the netting, as the rest of them struggled to drag it back through the caverns they had surpassed to come up here.
"Maxie!" He panted, "Where are you going?" She halted, and without turning around breathed, "I have some other… personal… business to attend to."
With that statement, she strode away, her gangly figure disappearing completely from sight.
Shaking rapture. A violent storm. No… earthquake …something … quaking… so malevolent…
"Xyza! Wake up!" A deep, masculine voice barked.
"Nuh…" Xyza peeled her face off the sticky tile, at first thinking she was in some dream. The chilled, solid ground beneath her felt alien, and not like home. "Onion Pikachus." She blurted and sleepily opened her eyelids. "Where am I… who are…"
"MUDKIP! WATERGUN!"
Xyza's eyes shot wide open and she bound off the ground in a matter of seconds.
"GAH! OKOKOKOKOKOK! DAMNIT! IM AWAKE, IM AWAKE! I KNOW WHO I AM! IM XYZA! RIGHT…right…um…"
She blinked as his lips began to quiver.
"Oh, crap."
The male figure started laughing hysterically. Xyza did not find this funny.
"Oh, you are cute when you're mad." He snickered in between breaths.
Xyza made squinty eyes at him when the little pokemon ran over to hug her ankle. "YOU DOUCHE BAG!" She growled playfully, pointing at the boy with a smirk on his face. "First of all I'm not 'cute' thank-you-very-much, and second… gah. Man! Brendan! I am so going to get you back…"
"GOOD MORNING!" A man bellowed cheerfully. He came over to Brendan and gave him a slight hug.
"Son." Brendan nodded. He walked over to Xyza, who felt lost, yet again.
"Hello, Xyza…" Birch went and shook her hand tenderly, mainly because her shake was a non-existent limp. Xyza was really damn confused.
"Um… but… oh, crap… you… know me?… how… and… but… sick… you were… were…"
He laughed with a good nature as Xyza babbled like a two year old.
"Yes, of course I remember, how could I forget?" He grinned. Xyza felt like she was drowning in stupidity and bewilderment.
"Erm…really? Uh…but…how…"
He gave a sweet chuckle. "It took me all night to figure it out, but with a few little clues here and there, I was able to place the pieces of the puzzle together." He paused attentively. "That's how it is in the life of a professor. Deductive reasoning, critical thinking." He rubbed his hands together and nodded in agreement with himself. Xyza just stood there like a moron. Brendan gave her a look, and she hissed back at him.
"Err…yes, yes, indeed, here-here, to critical reasoning and me saving the proof, I say!" Xyza cheered, thrusting a toast with an invisible glass into the air.
Silence. No one had cheered to her applause. After some awkward stillness, Birch and his son burst into another fit of chaotic laughter. She started thinking something was seriously wrong with this family. Maybe they needed professional help… or Ritalin.
Birch calmed down a tad. "Why of course, child! You saved me from my horrid accident…"
"As did I!" Brendan interrupted annoyed, glaring at Xyza, who gladly returned the favor.
"…As did you, son… but…hmm." He sighed. "That Mudkip seems to really like you, Xyza."
She looked down at the pokemon clinging to her leg. "Um…Mudkip?" Brendan snorted and she leered back at him.
"YES! I… uh… like it too." She gave a dry grin. "Alot." Birch nodded. "That's good because…" he smiled benignly, "she's all yours."
"WHAT?" Xyza and Brendan yelled in unison.
"Is there a problem?" He questioned complacently.
"YES!" "NO!"
"NO!"YE-NO…"
"NO! "YES!"
"Asshole…" "Bastard…" Xyza and Brendan refused to look at each other any longer.
"Come on, you two, you are too old for that nonsense." Birch shook his head, considering scolding them, but in the end decided to proceed on with his task. "Anyways, Brendan, don't fret, I am also giving you a pokemon of your own as well…"
"Oh, sick. Seriously?"
"Why yes of course…"
"Did you say, sick?" Xyza interrupted. Brendan acted like it was nothing and she was mentally deficient.
"I did."
She grunted. "So… you're saying that you having your own pokemon is… sick?" Brendan nodded.
"As in a disease? Like… gonorrhea or…"
"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, WOAH. Dang. Sick, as in like cool, rad, sweet…" he tilted his chin at Xyza. "You have alot of questions don't you?" She blinked as she usually did when her brain was taking its leisurely time to process. "Um…"
Brendan mumbled something about her being a dumbass moron and ran a hand through his slick hair, then thoroughly brushed it with his fingers. Xyza wanted so badly for Mudkip… her Mudkip, to chop it all off.
"Your hair looks nice." Xyza lied. "So. Stop playing with it." He scowled and Birch split the two of them up.
"Alright, alright you two, enough already." The professor huffed and went a few steps away, grabbed something, and came back to them… holding ten pokeballs in his previously empty arms.
"Five for you each!" He presented the items. Xyza just stared at them.
"Um… you know… if I'm going somewhere…" she trailed off. Birch inquired her remark. "Yes Xyza?"
"Uh…" she bit her lip. "Doesn't my mom need to know something about this? I mean I bet she had no idea where I was all night…"
"Already taken care of." Peter appeared out of nowhere, and Xyza almost shouted in surprise. Him and mom would get along well, she mused.
"What? Uh… how… but… where…" Peter and Birch guffawed. "She said to take this with you, and to say goodbye before you leave…" Xyza, dumbfounded, took the black sling-bag Peter had presented her with. When she looked to question him further, he had gone, and Birch was turned around to an impatient Brendan.
"Excuse me, chicky." Brendan pushed Xyza out of the way and took his share casually. He opened one ball to find his Treeko inside, and sulked a bit.
"What the… dad… man! This was already my pokemon. You said I could have a new one." Birch laughed thinly. "No, Brendan, I said you could have your own… and you do have your own pokemon." He smiled mischievously. Brendan plopped himself on one of the counters behind them, staring at the floor. "Haha, very funny." He mumbled. Xyza, who was tired of all this arguing that seemed to be happening in her life 24/7, glanced at the red and white spheres Birch was holding. "Oh, crap…"
Birch's expression turned a bit grim. "Is something the matter?"
Xyza sighed. "Yes… no… but… ok. I mean, my father works with pokemon but me…? I don't know anything about 'em…"
She took five of the pokeballs appreciatively and looked Birch dead in the eye.
"How do I use these things?"
"Let me run through this again with you, ok?" The wind blew past, carrying a sigh from two young teens who were stretched out in the pastures on the outskirts of Petalburg, (right beside Mr. Briney's cottage), rather depressed about the day's antics. The tall, green grass blew passively around them, the pure blue sky was without a cloud in sight, and the small, glassy body of water right in front of their eyes reflecting the burning sun… it was beautiful.
"You… are… not… going… to… lose… your… personal… life… because… of… me." Xyza finished the end part cheerily, which made Brendan want to push her into the lake even more than ever. She's probably too stupid to swim, let alone float in water… Brendan scoffed.
"You are a dumbass moron. You take too long to learn things."
"HEY! That's not true!" Xyza barred her teeth at him wrathfully. "It didn't take me that long to learn how to use a pokeball…" Brendan snorted. "WHAT! I mean it didn't take a whole day… see! Look at the sign over there!" She pointed to a sign a few feet ahead of them that read 'NEXT TOWN: 10 MILES.' He overlooked it and slumped. She shook him violently as he buried his face into his kneecaps.
"C'MON BRENDAN!" She spoke through gritted jaws. "We are almost to…" Xyza trailed off and pulled up her map swiftly. "Rustoburo!" Brendan brought his head up. He looked terribly tired. She tried her best to comfort him. "Yeah! You see, after that, um, scary forest over there… we'll be in Rustoberry! Yay!"
"Rustoburo." Brendan corrected her mundanely.
"Um… right… well, anyways, like I said before, it didn't take me that long to learn how to catch a pokemon, I mean it only took me…" she began counting her fingers, and Brendan, irritated, stood up and strolled off.
"HEY YOU! BRENDAN! YOU CANT RUN OFF WITHOUT ME! WE'RE PARTNERS!" He ignored her, and Xyza sprung up off the ground, her fists clenched in fury. "That bastard. He better be worth this…" she began to scurry behind him as he kept a deliberate pace, chasing after him for who knows how long; she sure as hell wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. Xyza was content just as long as he was there for her to tag along behind him…
"Brendan! I'm sorry if I annoyed you! I'm new at this! Brendan please listen! Brendan… damnit! I really am sorry, so yeah, you can stop running away from me anytime now! Please, Brendan, please…"
She came to a halt and paused. Two inches from her face, Xyza realized, she was near a shrine… a small… beige, stone shrine that was glowing a magnificent pastel grey. Everywhere else seemed a collapsed black, towering pine trees hovering over her vulnerable body. Why she had halted, she supposed, was some force that held her back from bumping into this spiritual monument. Xyza felt a wave of another spirit pass through her body. Xyza jumped back and shivered so sadistically, she fell rear down on the ground. The shrine began to glow even more, the luminous substance flying around in viscous swirls. They reached for Xyza, but suddenly diffused out just as they were going to wrap around her. She saw a soaring creature rise from the spot, it's eyes closed. It had long, green mane, vicious red eyes and seemed to be wearing a pink and white gown, although that was just it's body.
"Gardevior…" It chanted in a long whisper, floating around Xyza for a few minutes. Xyza had no clue what to do, under normal circumstances she would have tried to capture it, but she was mesmerized… possibly even a bit possessed.
It kissed Xyza on the forehead, and faded away.
This wouldn't be the last time she saw this mysterious creature.
AUTHORS NOTE: GAH! This editor is so damn messy! Oh well. I guess you'll just have to deal with the hideous version. I don't have it anywhere else except in MSW. So sue me. No, don't. You know what… I'll shut up now. Ok, anyways, about that end part… yep it was kind of lame, with the Gardevoir, I know, but you peeps shall see! It'll help Xyza later on :) Um, next chapter is called, Voyage / Lost Between Two Horizons / Eaten By the Distance & I have yet to finish it. Actually, I haven't even started it… so, go & REVIEW, REVIEW, I NEED OPINIONS! Please? Hmm.
Au revoir mes amis :D