Chapter Nine - Secret Angels
Noel managed to stay quiet until they were heading towards the bike route to Eterna or Hearthome, not even questioning why her parents wanted to get up before dawn and leave Oreburgh. She'd likely figured that reporters and the like were nothing good and doing whatever it took to get away from them was well worth the avoidance.
Besides, she got a chance to run about with her pokemon, and maybe, maybe catch another one.
"Go, go!" she called softly in the pre-sunrise sky. "You can do it Skylar, dive on Percy."
Percy didn't even bother to dodge, only sent a single sharp leaf in the bat's direction. Kaylee leaped after it struck, pouncing on Percy, who again didn't bother to dodge. His stubby feet were slowing down, Nikolai absentmindedly noted. The email was still sitting in his inbox, unopened. He pulled out the chipped Holo Caster, looking at it with a wary eye The other was still on Noelani.
"Jen messaged you?" Cynthia inquired, ever so politely. Nikolai pretended his eye didn't twitch. He didn't have many contacts, he knew. Part of the trade of being an asshole teenager. No one wanted to talk to you even if you proved you weren't an asshole adult. No one worth dealing with anyway.
"He did. He said someone was helping look at Noel's blood."
"Did they find something?" Cynthia sounded a little too hopeful. Not a cure, surely, that was too much to ask, but an idea. Something. Something to make up for the small children that had already died and still could. Maybe he was just projecting on her again.
"He thinks so." With trepidation, he clicked the email open. Out popped a long set of documents. Immediately, Nikolai groaned. "I need my computer."
Which he had with him. One of the only pieces of technology he didn't despise on principle was the computer in all of its forms. A tablet didn't work as well, but this was likely going to be too much text for his old phone thing to process. He skimmed the multiple attachments until the main message finally showed up in view.
"To a Mister Darius," he read, before laughing to himself. Cynthia also giggled because him being mister in anything was still wrong in any universe. "I would prefer to keep my name anonymous for the moment due to certain circumstances. However, I have been informed that a loved one is suffering from the so called "Reversal Flu", a bug due to the effects of the widening portal between the earth and the distortion world. Your daughter is not the first and very sadly, it is likely she will not be the last."
"Morbid, aren't they?" Cynthia muttered.
"Mommy, Daddy!" Noelani called. "Can I go into the cave?" They looked up to see her pointing inside of Mount Coronet. "I'm gonna go in and find Arcy!"
"Not without Garchomp you won't," Cynthia told her, releasing said behemoth and his sharp everything. None of said sharpness was directed at the little girl, however, and he rumbled his greeting, going after her as she ran into the mouth of the cave in pure innocence. No fear, and none from her pokemon either.
Nikolai, despite himself, let out a sound of relief once she was inside but supervised. Cynthia pretended to look scolding. "Continue," she said quickly. "Before we can't."
He nodded. "Reversal Flu is also common to elderly non-trainers, likely due to their lack of exercise.' Yes, yes I know this-" He resisted the urge to skim and then paused, "As well as extended contact with a Ghost type." He couldn't help but glance in Cynthia's bag, where a certain spirit rested. He swallowed, unable to look at her.
"That, however, is where there is a potential for if not a vaccine, then perhaps an extended delay. Reversal Flu comes from Giratina. Specifically, if I may offer a guess, its eternally decomposing body. That is a dead dragon roaming about in a world after all. My current guess, which will apply to you, is that exposure to a ghost-type pokemon may siphon out said essence from the body in the least harmful way. It is not a cure, mind you, only an experiment. Therefore, I suggest you procure a rare Odd Keystone from the Underground."
Noel stared up at the caves, craning her small neck as high as she could. She could see the tunnels stealing away to who knows where. She grinned and balled up her fists. "Looks cool, huh, Percy?" The turtwig agreed with a grunt and she whistled to Skylar. "Get down from there, you silly!" Skylar screeched and obeyed, flying down to nestle in her hair like a strange hair ornament. She giggled again and then clapped a hand over her mouth.
Something clanged overhead. A few meters away, Garchomp rumbled with agitation and disinterest. She beamed over at her. "I'll be fine," she said, quieter now. Sound would echo in caves and stuff, her daddy had said so, and her daddy knew a lot! About a lot. Not everything, but no one knew everything yet. "I'm just gonna look around."
Garchomp let out a harrumph, but let her do so.
The soft clanging noise rang out again, louder this time. Probably just a wild pokemon. She trotted over to look at the water, just to make sure. Kaylee and Percy went after her. Percy was slower now. It was probably because they were out of the sun. Or getting ready to evolve. She wasn't entirely sure.
Noelani sat down by the water, staring down into it with utter joy. It was so clear! The filter wasn't this clear! And there were finneon! Now if that clanging would just stop already, everything would be great.
Garchomp let out a snarl from behind her and Noelani blinked, using the water to see why.
That was when a giant bell fell smack onto her head.
She, as any child would, wailed loud enough to hurt her own ears until she hit the ground.
The last thing she heard was Kaylee snarling and the spark of electricity in a small space.
