Having spoken to a few passersby in Rustboro, Garnet deduced that there was a man who frequently took a boat from the beach south of Petalburg Woods to Dewford; he was always open to taking new Trainers over to the island. So she headed back out of the city, the briefcase swinging on her left wrist, Zigzagoon settled in her right arm, Beldum in his usual spot on her shoulder. She had grown accustomed to his weight there and the feel of his cold steel body against her neck and jaw. She hummed to herself as she walked through the wood, hopping down dips to avoid weaving her way through all the habitats of the native Pokémon.
Her mind attempted to wander back to times she had strolled through a forested area before, but she kept a harsh grip on those memories, refusing to allow them to play out in her mind. But little visions of a small Pokémon who was not there drifted into her perspective. She always would blink, a glimmer of hope flickering through her mind, before the vision vanished and her heart shredded once again. She ought to get out of these woods quickly, before her mind drove her insane.
A small voice in the back of her head muttered that it wasn't healthy to bury things deep in the recesses of her mind, but she stomped on that and pushed it down alongside the memories she refused to adhere on. She firmly told herself that the past was past, and only the future now mattered, and she would ensure her future was a free one.
"Quick, she's over there!" She whipped around at the echoed voice, her heart thumping heard in her chest, but no one was there, there was no fresh scent of human or any sign of pursuers. She turned away and started to run through the woods, the screams of the past shrill in her ears.
Breaking out into the light was a welcome relief. Unable to understand what exactly had happened back there, she looked over her shoulder at the woods, thinking she saw a pair of deep brown eyes blinking sadly at her, but these were also a hallucination drawn forth by her memories and unstable mental state.
The scent of the sea filled her nostrils, she was back at the beach - she could only assume that the little house here was the home of the man who could take her over to Dewford - she didn't fancy another long swim, not with Zigzagoon in tow especially. She approached the door, tapping gently at the creaky wood, worn away by years of sea air. After a little time, an old man opened the door, glancing at her.
"Good day," She greeted with a false smile gracing her lips, "My name is Garnet. I was told that you could take me to Dewford. I have money to pay you for your service." She opened her bag, but he waved it away.
"Peeko and I don't help trainers for money! We do it for the joys of sailing and aiding others." This took her by surprise, another person who was willing to freely offer something. What was with people of this region? Her views on the emotions and actions of humans had been thoroughly rattled by her short time in this tropical place.
"Are you sure?" Her eyes conveyed the confusion within her mind. The man smiled and ushered her to his little boat. He started up the engine quickly, the cheerful Wingull eyeing her for a moment before crying happily and flying around the ship, brushing his wings against her hand gently, a sign he trusted her.
The journey had no effect on her, she was used too many forms of transport, Beldum, having seen sights of the sea the previous day, didn't bother getting excited over the waters around them. Zigzagoon however, attempted to lunge into the seas often; he was fascinated at the phenomenon of a great big, rippling puddle and wished to explore this unknown entity. She'd had to chase him down a few times as he hurtled around in his peculiar way, trying to get over the edge of the boat. Beldum eventually rested on one of the seats lining the outside edge of the little boat.
She spotted the citrine beaches of the little island, flashes unsteadying her. But she shook them from her mind; this island was nothing like that one. She blinked and refused to pay the lapping memories any heed. "You challenging the Dewford Gym?" The captain asked as he navigated the boat through a narrow strip of sea between a steep cliff and the shallows of the island.
"Well, I didn't know there was a Gym here, but yeah I will be!" She looked to Beldum, whose spirits lifted and he whirled around her head at the prospect of another battle. "My original reason for travelling here was to deliver a letter to Steven in Dewford." Her mind drifted to the unusual human, who was so kind to her so quickly. She agreed with herself it was nice to know that there were kind people out there, but she was more comfortable with dealing with rude or hostile people, she wasn't quite sure how she felt about him. She knew that human hearts were susceptible to growing very much attached to those who show kindness, but would she? And what kind of vulnerable situation would that put her in? No, she couldn't risk that! Perhaps she should limit the time she spent in this human's presence, just to be on the safe side of things.
"Well it's best to drop by the Gym first, as the leader there Brawley knows everything that happens on this island, he can tell you where to find Steven." The old captain helped her off the boat, even though she showed no sign of struggle, she pulled Zigzagoon away from the edge of the water as she moved through the city sitting on a beach, heading for the large Gym.
The battles were uneventful; she let Zigzagoon have a go at fighting, his unusually quick speed aiding him in avoiding the super-effective moves of the Fighting-type Gym trainers. Once she faced the leader Brawley, she switched to using Beldum, who flattened the entire team with Zen Headbutt. The cheery Pokémon swirled around her once again, revelling in his glory. After the battle and receiving the badge from him, she asked Brawley if he knew where Steven was. "Oh Steven, he ran off to Granite Cave once I told him about it. He didn't leave long ago, he should still be there." She'd thanked him and moved out of the gym-style Gym.
Finding the cave was simple; it was to the north where the scent of earth wafted through the salt and sea air. She entered it swiftly, the darkness not affecting her keen eyes. Beldum rested on her shoulder like he seemed to always do, his red eye illuminating the cave walls he stared at. Zigzagoon rushed around the cave, sniffing at every boulder and every little crack in the floor, his snuffling nose making loud echoes around the cave. It was not a confusing cave, not this part anyway. There was a slippery slope which she could scale easily, but she ignored for the time being, she watched a trainer slip and slide back down from the slope and assumed it wasn't an incline which humans could walk up and she may look a little strange if she scaled it with ease. So she turned away from it and walked down rough-hewn steps to another entrance into a separate cavern.
He was there, the silver-haired strange human. He was staring up at a large mural of two super-ancient Pokémon which decorated the wall ahead of him. The detail in this ancient picture took her by surprise. She had expected a childish doodle for its age, but these were gigantic portraits showing every detail of the Pokémon they depicted. One was a red hue, a powerful looking Pokémon who seemed to be controlling the land. The other was blue and seemed to be raging a battle against the land dweller, controlling great rolling waves around it. The image brought a smile to her face; they looked like they would provide an amusing battle.
Garnet moved up the stairs leading to this viewing platform of raised stone, he had not heard her footsteps behind him. "Mm-hmm, so in the ancient world their primal forms held this much power…?" He mused; she looked back to the mural, that much power? That was nothing! Well a little of something! But not much in comparison to what she had seen had known. She missed most of the rest of his monologue, picking up how he mused over the difference between Mega-Evolution and this form of reversion. She peered at the Pokémon, a part of her mind wishing to meet them, wishing to challenge them.
She nudged a pebble on the ground with her foot, it rattled across the stone floor, gaining the attention of the silver-haired human. "Hello again," She greeted, seeing the confused look in his eyes. She ruffled through her bag, drawing out the letter Mr. Stone had given to her. "I've been asked to give you this." She held out the white envelope, still crisp and crease-free.
He took it and placed it in his jacket pocket. "Thank you, Garnet right?" His eyes drifted to the Beldum, who peeked at his original trainer through long red locks. The little thing zoomed out to greet its old trainer. It snuggled into his chest affectionately; he welcomed it by patting its steel head. After a few more seconds it drifted back to her and rested on her shoulder once again. "Beldum has become much attached to you very quickly. You must be a very trustworthy and kind trainer," He stated, staring deeply into her amethyst eyes, which seemed just as hard and unforgiving as the stones he thought of.
"He's a very lovely Pokémon." She patted the silver-white Pokémon, "These Pokémon." She gestured to the mural behind him, "Are they part of your region's lore?" She wished to know more about these Pokémon, so that if she ever were to meet them she knew all she needed to know.
"Yes, Kyogre and Groudon are very much the foundations of our lore in some respects. These depictions reveal the fear that circulated around the two super-ancient Pokémon. They were considered to be the greatest threats to humanity." 'Oh if only you knew that the greatest threat to humanity was…' "And so legend tells of how their power was sealed within two stones after a great Dragon-type subdued the two Pokémon." 'Dragon-type? Like the one who attacked me? He was a very unforgiving type of character. I can see him going all-out on a couple of upstarts like these two.' "And so it is said they rest in deep slumbers of which they should never be awakened or they shall wage their war against one another once again."
"It does seem that they contain great powers of the land and sea." She glanced up at the Pokémon for a final time before turning away from the mural. She had seen power greater than this, but she had to pretend that she was in awe of this level of power.
"What do you feel when you see this? Seeing the evident fear that these people felt when they carved this into the wall? The great terrible power that these Pokémon possessed, what rages inside you when you see that?" She glanced into his eyes, looking deeply into the curios pools. Something compelled her to be honest with him.
"I'm unsure what you wish to hear. This power is great I shall admit, but it is far from the greatest and most terrible power I have yet to witness. I have seen things which would never be believed. I have experienced power far greater than what these Pokémon possess and I…" 'Should stop talking right now!' She turned away, breaking the spell of his eyes. "…I really need to go now." She finished lamely.
"You've seen a greater power than this?" He pushed, wanting to know more of the secrets this mysterious girl held within her mind. He wished to know everything. He touched her arm as she made to walk off, she looked over her shoulder, her hair, which so matched the stone she was named after, flying around her neck and wrapping up the little Beldum as she made the sudden move. He halted in his questioning, his mouth half-open to ask another of his thoughts, when he felt her arm beneath his fingers, it trembled in fear. Something had scared this girl. Was it his contact?
Looking deep into the amethyst eyes, he could see the flicker of fear, her sudden jerking movement also stood out as something unusual. What was with this trainer? What had happened to her to make her so fearful of human contact? Why did she look like a semi-feral Pokémon at this very moment? Why was she staring at him as though he was about to cause her great suffering? And why did he feel a pool of sorrow for her and a strange longing to protect her from all her fears? He didn't know her, he had met her yesterday. Yet something about her drew him to her. Was it the mystery or the actions, or perhaps the way that Beldum trusted her so suddenly when his kind were usually shy and reserved?
"I'm sorry," He apologized as he took his hand from her arm, seeing the flares of fear dying in her eyes, replaced by the smooth nothingness which made her eyes twinkle like gems. "I did not mean to startle you. I'm just curious as to what you have seen before this. Could you elaborate?"
"I could," She started, her voice steady even though she was still shaken, "But I do not wish to. The past should remain where it is undisturbed as it can be dangerous if you delve too deeply into things which cannot be changed." She turned away from him, wanting to tell him, wanting to be able to trust him; he was so kind to her. But she knew that she could not, she could not trust humans. At the drop of a hat they could turn on her and if they learned about the item she held… The world could perish… No. It's better if she leaves now and never sees him again. Never grow close to him, never… "Why are you in this case?" She cursed herself inwardly.
"I, I was here searching for rare stones. I collect them and so travel here and there. Yet once I saw this I was distracted from my search. Now alas I must leave, I hope our paths cross once again." He passed her by, his silver eyes focussing on her for one final moment before he exited the cave, he had many queries he must learn the answers to. She watched him leaving, her mind racing in two different directions. The rational side of her stated firmly that she should hope not to see him again. Yet the human side of her said that she wanted to see him again, she wanted to know about him, what he thought, what he felt, how he would react if he knew…
"Oh Beldum, Ziggy, what do I do?" She sat on the top step of the cave, looking between the two Pokémon accompanying her. They knew her secret - they could sense it within her - Beldum could see it in her mind. "How do I go on from here? Do I leave and hide in solitude? Or should I open up? Reveal who I am, not to the world, both the world and I are not ready for that yet. But can I trust someone I don't even know?" Her instincts said 'no', dragging up old memories of traumatic times. She shook them off before they consumed her, but one sneaked up on her and enveloped her mind.
"Is it complete?" A gruff voice, shuffling feet, excitement. Someone was close to her, and yet far away, although she was trapped apart from the two whom spoke.
"There is no it in this lab; there is a girl here, myself and you. I will not address her like some object." The kinder voice argued. A tapping, as though on glass, rang out louder than the voices. She felt the noise vibrate through her head, her hearing heightened beyond belief.
"There is no girl! You killed that girl when you started. Look at that! Is that the face of a girl? No, and so I shall not address her as if she is a child."
"But she is simply a child."
"No child is like this. Her mind is advanced beyond any child, did you not say so yourself? And besides, she cannot be described as human, not after what you've done." Stomping footsteps, a door slamming, why could she not see? Something opened, and a wave of cold hit her, it chilled her body ad she was unwilling to step into it.
"Come on child, come out and we'll see if your eyes have healed, I know it hurts, I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry."
She breathed in sharply; she was lying on her back, on hard rock, some jagged pebbles poking at her ribs. An old pain blooming behind her eyes as she stared up at the two concerned faces staring down at her. She blinked up at the Pokémon and sat up, hating herself for being so weak. She needed to practice holding back these memories more. Perhaps start building up mental walls to entrap them in a dark corner of her mind, where they would remain undisturbed.
"We had better go." She stood her legs a little shaky but her balance returning quickly as she started down the steps towards the exit. "We have a journey ahead of us!" She tried forcing some enthusiasm into her tone, but it just sounded flat and painful. Her face mirrored her tone, the grim, pained expression taking a long time to fade away.
Tatty and Dragon: Thank you so much for your review! It makes me smile whenever I see your reviews! It's so much nicer to write when you know someone is out there enjoying the story. And i too am a massive Steven Stone fangirl (just in case the three Pokémon fics all involving him didn't tip you off xD) And I did worry that I might be making it obvious as to her connection with Mew, but in hindsight I think that's just because I've had this idea sorted out in my head for a long while now. I hope my future content keeps you intrigued! Thanks again!