I flinched as a sudden crack behind me interrupted my few minutes of appreciation for our surroundings. One needed not see the source to recognize it, and I sighed at the thought of our beautiful surroundings being haunted by violence.
And indeed, it was beautiful. The sewer exit fed water into a small pond of sorts-probably no more than a hundred meters in diameter, that in turn fed into a stream, which I assumed led to the water treatment facility. The land bordering pond's murky waters was grassy, save for a dirt path just barely wide enough for a car to traverse comfortably, traveling closely alongside the lake and continuing to follow the stream across the way. On the other side of our modest road, a wall of trees stood tall, their sheer volume made the forest itself seem adamant against any who may intend to cross through it, and were the countless arbor not enough to ensure this, small shrubs lay close to the ground armed with thorns in a misshapen and hostile rug.
To the path goer however, the arbor beside the road would seem pleasant. The canopy of trees cast the path in shade, shielding travelers from the unforgiving sun, and the cool air beneath its leaves was flowed constantly out of the woods, pushed onwards by the wind unto the path and pond.
I relished in the serenity of my surroundings, this was after all, my first taste of nature. It felt empty, but not the same unnatural emptiness of the ghost city Goldenrod, the hollow shell it was. This was a different sort, a detachment from the world around it.
And yet violence persisted even here.
Lawrence yelped, clutching his swollen cheek as he reeled back from the open handed strike. He stumbled back into balance and looked at his assailant flabbergasted "What the heck was that for!"
Jenny remained silent as she withdrew the offending hand.
"The Tentacool?" Lawrence protested "It wasn't my idea!" Jenny paused for a moment, and then turned towards me, crimson irises glowing with fury.
It was a perfectly acceptable response, when I thought about it. We had after all, intentionally put her in danger without her knowledge nor her consent.
"It worked out in the end didn't it?" I hazarded, hoping that it would be sufficient to calm her.
It was not.
"In Kid's defense" Lawrence added "the Tentacool would have found you anyways. When we found out they were following us it was just a straight shot down the tunnel and to the exit."
Jenny remained tense for several seconds, but then relaxed as she saw reason "Where were you planning on going after you got out of the sewers?"
"You see the path going down that stream down there?" Lawrence pointed at the path I saw earlier "It heads to a water treatment plant, we figured it was as safe a place as any to spend the night, and plan our next move."
With that small conflict resolved we walked again in silence.
"Your accent," Lawrence started "Are you from Hoenn?"
"Yes" Jenny nodded "Some of the officers in Goldenrod called me a few days ago and asked me for some help in a terrorism investigation."
"The thing with the contest hall right? They called you all the way up here just for that? How come?"
"Yeah, that one. Hoenn had heavy terrorist activity last year, so Hoenn officers have a bit of experience with this kind of thing" Jenny replied. I caught the implication that she was an officer, and made note of it mentally.
"Oh yeah, my grandpa told me about that." Lawrence said eagerly "What were they, team Aqua and team Earth? Whatever happened to them anyways?"
"Team Aqua and Team Magma" Jenny corrected "They formally disbanded voluntarily, and we haven't heard anything since" she answered, raising her hand and making an odd hand gesture as she rotated her hand about the wrist rapidly.
"So did you find the suspected terrorists you were looking for, Jenny?" I inquired curiously, wondering where the conversation would lead.
Jenny shook her head "I didn't get a chance to investigate, I only arrived the a few hours before I met you two in the sewers." she answered "But I don't think that there were any, not that it matters now, and it just looks like some people were in the wrong place at the wrong time now."
"Well who knows," Lawrence chimed in "maybe it was terrorists, just unleashing a nasty invention that makes all Pokemon go bonkers?"
This got my attention "You really think that's possible?" I asked "That this was a man made disaster?"
Lawrence shrugged "Maybe, maybe not." He reasoned "But when you think about it, there's Pokemon that can use moves like hypnosis right? To control people and other Pokemon. Well I remember hearing on the news about a crime syndicate that created a machine that could control Pokemon in a massive area. Maybe we're looking at something like that, just a bit rougher and a lot bigger."
This created just as many questions as answers "Okay then," I responded "but what made them so... why are they so deadly?"
"That I wouldn't know the answer to." Lawrence confessed "It might be from the same mind machine garbage, or maybe something else." Lawrence's brows were furrowed in contemplation "What about you Jenny, what's your thinking on this?"
Jenny touched her chin in thought before responding "I recall an incident in Orre _ years ago when a terrorist organization experimented with a method of altering Pokemon in order to make them more dangerous. I'm not sure about the specifics, but a lot of people were hurt by their experiments. Real wounds, like gashes and broken bones. I think that they were eliminated once, but came back only to be eliminated again. Maybe they're back again, and fed up with Orre?"
"Well, anything is possible" Lawrence said "When you think about it, it isn't all that hard to imagine that either one, or even a little bit of both could throw an entire city into chaos."
"Fair enough." Jenny said nonchalantly "You have an accent too, are you Sinnovian?"
'Change of subject, maybe she's hiding something'
"Yeah" Lawrence confirmed "But my mom was from Hoenn, but she traveled a lot, before meeting my dad and settling down in Sinnoh."
"So do you have family in Hoenn?" Jenny asked.
"Well, my grandpa lived there" Lawrence answered "But he died about a month ago"
Jenny flinched "Sorry I asked".
"Nah don't worry about it. He lived a good life, always smiling and laughing to help people smile and laugh. Just kept on being happy til he died I guess, not so bad a way to go. Still a bit hard to believe he's gone though".
"This incident didn't invent death, just reminded us of it" I consoled "Perhaps it was a mercy, there is no need for someone so close to death to go through this kind of hell before his passing."
"Nah, I'm sure its all nice and cozy back in Hoenn, he'd be fine there. He'd be upset that this happened, probably more than a little scared, but he'd just laugh and try to help in any way he still could" Lawrence guffawed loudly, mirthful with reminiscence.
'Lawrence is disillusioning himself' I realized. Jenny only arrived briefly after everything went wrong, and if she was still in Hoenn when everything started, she would have news on Hoenn. Lawrence was smart, and must have realized that she could answer his question. But then again, it was easier to pretend it was day when curtains are drawn over the darkness.
I looked at Jenny expectantly, hoping to read her reaction. If she knew the truth, of which I had no doubt, then felt no obligation to tell us, or perhaps an obligation to not inform us. She was contented to just stand quietly as Lawrence rambled on.
Suddenly Jenny's eyes fixated on something to our right "Is she okay? She's been asleep for a while now."
I followed her gaze and saw the girl who's body I had recovered, and cringed as I felt a wave of dark thoughts and sharp responses surge forward from the darkest corners of my mind. I stood still intently, fighting a raging battle that only I could seem as I mentally reasserted control of myself.
"Are you alright?"
Jenny's interruption shook me from my dark trance "No" I paused for a moment and continued "She's not okay. She was reminded of death more than any of us." Despite all the force and strength I attempted to put into my voice, it was still barely distinguishable from a sad whimper. There was no faking it; we had slumped into hopelessness.
The light between the trees besides us seemed a little bit dimmer, the breeze less gentle. Our feet kicked the earth angrily with every step, we were moving, none of us knew where to, or how far, but we were moving. But outside of the one thing that separated us from the city of ghouls behind us, our trip was as silent as that same street that morning of the day before.
Several more hours gave an image to the destination we had been hoping to achieve by days end, with several more hours of daylight still.
The layout of the plant was simple enough. The small river we were following flowed into a large building of the compound, near the entrance. Pipes could be observed leaving that building and leading into large vats of water in the field surrounding the facility. Several smaller buildings were scattered about the clearing, including one that directly bordered the river, slightly taller than the other scattered structures, emitting the deafening roar of rushing water as it took from the stream to turn its turbines.
The roar of the small hydroelectric generator was our first indicator of civilization, alerting us as we continued to trudge on our beaten path. It was a welcome sound to my aching legs, my feet and calves forced to march onwards without pause after sprinting for our lives underground.
We followed Lawrence as he passed the small building and continued onto what I assumed was the main building, feeling our spirits lift slightly as we passed a small field of flowers, wild and beautiful, in the chaotic way that only nature could manage. This much, at least the world had not taken from us.
"I came here once to help fix the hydroelectric dam" Lawrence said, shattering the thawing ice over our conversation "The inside of the main building is more comfortable than it looks, come on."
I scanned the facility for under scrutiny, finding the entirety completely vacant as I looked from building to building. "No one's here, are we sure its safe Lawrence?".
Lawrence nodded confidently "It's not empty for the reason you think it is. Goldenrod city declared a state of emergency immediately after shit hit the fan. Most city employees were given leave of absence, and the water plant only really requires maintenance every few days, with the water generator and computers. Nothing has attacked this place." The yet went without saying, a reminder that we could not stay here for long, no, safety had to be found somewhere, somewhere that could protect itself. Only then in securities embrace could we battle the horror inside us.
Lawrence lead us towards the main building, walking up to the front door and trying to open it "Dangit, its locked" Lawrence swore "Anyone see another way in?"
I peaked around the side of the building and scanned the walls for other entrances "Nothing here" I stated.
"There's a window around this side, we could break it if we cant get in any other way" Jenny's voice called out.
"Lets try to avoid that" Lawrence repeated, yanking on the handle in once more futile attempt as he muttered curses under his breath. "Alright, so maybe we can find a spare key lying around?"
I looked at the bird of prey on my shoulder curiously "Noctowl, could you use confusion to work on the tumbler in the lock?" Noctowl squeezed its narrow shoulders together in a brief shrug, before looking at the lock, most likely contemplating the feasibility of my idea.
"Don't try anything yet" Jenny warned, kicking over a small rock on the ground "Here, wouldn't want to risk breaking the lock" Jenny flashed the small piece of metal and then tossed it towards Lawrennce, who caught it deftly and inserted it into the door, exhaling visibly as the key turned and a small click was audible from within the door.
Lawrence turned the doorknob and swung the door open, revealing a medium sized hallway, composed of simple, large bricks turned white with a thick coat of paint. Two wooden doors with small glass windows appeared on the immediate right, small plates next to them indicating what they were-offices- and who they belonged to. The left side of the hallway had similar plates, but their doors were without windows and their designations- chlorination and filtering, for example- varied greatly from the offices.
Lawrence swung open the first door on the right, revealing a modest office, furnished with a small wooden desk against one wall- host to a multitude of papers and drawings and equipped with a decent office chair, two less then comfortable looking lounge chairs along the wall opposite to the desk, and a high window on the wall opposite to the door, a mini-fridge was on the wall with the chairs, accompanied by what appeared to be a small pantry. The walls in themselves were not bare, various lined them, such as the one clock in the room or various forms of memorabilia.
Lawrence wasted no time acclimating, throwing down his day pack and taking the office chair by the desk, with Jenny following his lead and planting herself in one of the lounge chairs, and after a moment of indecision, I met them in their exhausted rest, taking the seat beside Jenny.
"So" Lawrence said, breaking the silence "I think we oughta stay here for the night and decide where to set out in the morning, there's not many more hours of daylight left, and I'd rather not risk leaving and searching for shelter elsewhere." This prompted silent nods of agreement from both me and Jenny, contented with our current surroundings, if only for a single night of safety "What else?
"We should set up a watch" Jenny said, accepting Lawrence's invitation to suggestions "Just because this place hasn't been attacked yet doesn't mean it won't be, especially now that people are here."Jenny tapped her chin contemplatively "I don't know all the Pokemon you two have, but I think Magnezone should watch for the rest of the day and Noctowl can relieve it at night, fair?"
I made to nod, but Lawrence interjected "Magnezone doesn't need sleep, it can help Noctowl through the night, and I have some nocturnal Pokemon that can help out too. If security is a problem for all of you, we can up the anty with the watch."
"Unless Magnezone happens to have night vision, I don't think it will do much good outside at night." I said "As for additional watch, a single Pokemon in addition to Noctowl should suffice, we don't want to attract attention."
"How about Magnezone patrols the building" Jenny suggested "He could light the inside up with flash without attracting too much attention."
"Right." Lawerence agreed "Also kid, we still need to check out what Pokemon you have don't we?"
"You want me to start that now?" I asked.
"No, there's something else that we need, come with me. You too Magnezone. Jenny, see if you can find anything, I'll be back soon." Lawrence turned back towards the door and exited, Magnezone shortly behind him.
I followed, not bothering to dismiss Noctowl from my shoulder or close the door on my way out, and followed Lawrence as he walked down the hallway, checking the doors as he went mumbling "Not you, not you, not you, not you, ah! There we go!" He exclaimed suddenly, opening a door, and fishing through the pile of items on the other side. A few moments later he emerged again holding a long item in his hands "Here".
I missed a beat "A shovel?"
Lawrence nodded solemnly "We can't drag around a corpse forever, It's time for a burial." Lawrence paused for a moment shocked by how callous his words seemed "Its not clean and its not easy, but now's as good a time to finish this as any. There were flowers in the field, grab them, there was nice hill near the stream with a good sized tree, you might be able to dig around the roots there. I'll try to fish around here to see if I can find anything to help. But it all begins with this" Lawrence said, holding out the shovel.
I accepted the shovel gingerly, as though gripping it to hard would cause it to shatter. "Thank you, for letting me get this far. I know you didn't exactly approve of it, but thanks for grabbing her back in the sewers it means a lot, I'd like to do something civil in all this."
Lawrence waved it off "We all have our baggage, if this helps you, it helps everyone" Lawrence paused for a moment "We'll get out of this eventually, we'll run and run till we're out of here, someone else can wipe this place up. We can run as much as we want, but if we forget our humanity, we'll never escape. Bury her now, so you can bury this later, you can thank me later." He turned towards his own companion "Magnezone" he said simply. Magnezone gave a bzzzzzt and then deposited the girl that it had been had holding onto me.
"I'll also explain your... condition to Jenny while you're gone. I'm surprised we made it this far without introductions as it is."
I nodded, there was nothing to be said. I walked out the door back into the field, the sun shining as it approached the edge of the horizon, even as dark clouds from the city approached us. Noctowl remained on my shoulder, my only companion from a forgotten past, the only one that could know the name to the face of the girl I carried.
I followed the stream until I found the spot that Lawrence had informed me of- not far at all from where we entered, just across the river, the flower field easily in observable distance, the stream running right at the foot of the hill. The wind that carried the Goldenrod's storm forced its way past the trees and into the clearing, much of its gusto lost in the wild arbor of the surrounding woods. That which remained of this force was just a gentle breeze, brushing the grass to no avail, all the power that made the gale worth reckoning lost.
And I could not help but ask myself, how far have we gone? A day's journey by foot, surely. But how many miles did our feet touch in our escape? A mere hour by car? An instant by plane? Had only the denizens of that forgotten city had known a mere day before the attack, then we could have all walked out together.
And this girl on my shoulder, whose hair moves in the wind? Surely, if in a day an entire city could be vacated into the surrounding woods, the life of a single girl- no more than a teenager- was not too much to ask was it? Was the attack just a day's walk away from these tame woods so brutal and viscous that every life spared must be wrested from the maw of the beast? And what was so special about us lucky few who survived, in the face of an entire city wiped out? Why did we live by a series of impossibilities, when thousands could have been saved at the expense of but a single day, a single warning? Had we been doomed to die anyways? Did we fail those who were left behind?
"I'm sorry Lawrence, but I cant forget." I said solemnly "I've already forgotten, and that is a crime so terrible that no matter how many days we put between us and now, I'd sooner die in that city than live with the guilt that comes with this ignorance"
I eased the dead girl off my shoulder, carefully placing her so that she would not roll down the slope and began digging silently, watching for roots from the tree as I slowly carved out a small grave for her.
I was not without aid though; Noctowl set off and returned with flowers from the field grasped in its talons, Lawrence returned bearing a large plastic container that would serve as a makeshift coffin. We didn't say anything as he arrived, nor when he left, there were simply no words for such a grim situation.
The hole grew, first to the size of a suitcase, then to the size of a desk, and hours later to the size of a closet. By then the sun had traveled to the far end of the horizon, and the dark storm clouds took its place, their rolling mass nearly upon me.
I looked at the young girl again, laying peacefully in the plastic container, her face unmarred and innocent, her expression peaceful and calm, her posture still and restful. I didn't know that I had planned to speak until the first words came out of my mouth.
"I'm sorry I forgot you"
The words hit me like a rampaging Tauros, though they were my own. "I don't even know if I knew you, but you held onto my wrist when you died, so even if you were a complete stranger looking for safety when you were afraid, I'm sorry for forgetting that." Tears now ran down my cheeks- unbidden but unopposed.
"But then again, I feel like I knew you. Once. I suppose that is the real tragedy isn't it? Not to die, not to be murdered- no you'd live on in the hearts of others. But to die without anyone knowing that you ever lived? You may as well have not been born at all. I am the only one who could have remembered, and I failed to uphold your memory." No words of criticism or reassurance came from her deceased throat.
"So for that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that this is the best I can do, that I couldn't save you or even remember you. But I'm going to make a promise. I'm promising to at least remember that you died. What happened to you- someone will know. I wont forget that your life was stolen from you. And I promise that someday I'll remember who you were. I'll keep trying to remember you until I succeed, even if I'm afraid of knowing what I lost." Again, painful silence.
"You know, I can't help but wonder if there was anything I could have done." I continued, not expecting a response "I mean, I don't even know what I did, but I survived. I don't really understand why, did I see something no one else did? Or was it jus- yes, it was probably just fools luck. So yeah, just bad luck."
I sobbed once, wallowing in all the despair and fear and sorrow I had felt over the last two days, I basked in my own mourning of the life I may have once had "Look at me, breaking down because of self-pity. I fared far better than you. I wont break down for what has happened after this, just give me today to mourn it all. And I swear I won't die until I know who you are, and who you were. And when I do-" I paused to look at my wrist, the moonstone on my wrist band appeared cool in the setting sun. And around her neck, a small necklace, with an embedded amber stone gleamed one final time, the unique shape and color characteristic of a sunstone betraying its name.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Noctowl reacting for the first time, eyes welling with tears, its own sobs drowned within its own feathery breast. I could only wonder what it knew; did its eyes water with tears for the deceased girl, who's face was frozen in an endless sleep? Did it cry with sorrow at the broken boy before it, wrought with terror and misery with no other memories to distract his ailing mind? Or did it perhaps weep for the boy who was burying a stranger with whom he lived beside in his life prior?
I looked down upon the other gift from Lawrence "When I do-I'll come back and tell you. Then I'll carve your name and your eulogy into this." I waved the dark and ornate piece of wood about, as I suppressed another sob, this one meant for her. "Until then just stay here and wait. When I come back, then you can finally rest."
I began to bury her, her young face permanently etched into my mind. I sobbed freely with every grain of dirt I sprinkled over her coffin and still I buried her. Noctowl still watched, tears dripping from its own eyes now, and despite its presence I was still alone. I was alone but I would survive. I would survive because this girl couldn't, and I could not allow life so rarely given to be wasted.
The armies of hell could try and wrest life from me, but they already have. I escaped that battle, from Goldenrod, where countless others didn't. It was obvious that the sun was setting for the world, and the moon was new and dark, both literally and figuratively.
But amidst the unforgiving night, the man that took the name Crescent, was waxing.
