"Wait a second." Garnet held up a hand to Sapphire as they reached the entrance to Meteor Falls. She listened for a moment before signalling for Sapphire to stay quiet. Afterwards the two crept into the cave, followed by Garnets friends.
Sapphire - who had initially heard nothing - now could hear voices in the beautiful cave. A part of Garnet's mind wandered around herself. Pristine waterfalls crashed down in various parts of the cave, their sources unknown yet their waters purer than most. The twinkling rocks which surrounded them boasted unearthly origin as they littered deep craters dotted around the cave.
They walked across a bridge, pausing in the centre of it as they saw a few figures dressed in red ahead of them. The men hadn't noticed them as they took orders from the redheaded leader. One - a jittery grunt whose eyes wandered away from his boss as often as possible - pointed at Garnet, his mouth agape as he did so.
Maxie turned slowly, his eyes falling upon the creature he'd ordered these morons to capture. A strained smile crossed his face; it looked painful - as if he rarely smiled. "Ah, Miss, just who we were hoping to see."
"Really, I seem to remember you running from me with your tail between your legs last time we saw one another. So what? You want to make me pay for humiliating you so thoroughly." Garnet leaned heavily on her back foot, crossing her arms and smirking at the man. Her Pokémon gathered around her, Titan looking particularly fierce.
"No. I think you know why I would be looking for you. As you are a rare being aren't you?" Garnet blinked. At the man's words, something clicked sharply in Sapphire's mind, her suspicion rising beyond a point of which it could be ignored. The brunette looked at her unusual travelling companion, wanting to know more about her, what did this man know?
"I don't know how to take your comment. I'm human like you are, or do you refer to my appearance. If so that's both slightly flattering but mostly creepy. Try a different chat-up line if you want to get anywhere with a woman at all in the future. But looking at you I don't think that's in your plans." Garnet narrowed her eyes at the man, her amethyst pupils not wavering from his own eyes.
"You are quite adept at hiding what you are creature." His voice had not a single waver in it; he was certain in his information and knew what she was. "I assume this girl has no idea what you are. In that case shall we skip the introductions and skip straight to the point. I was saving this for Groudon. But capturing him should be easy enough if I have something like you on my side." He took something from his pocket; it was a spherical object - a PokéBall - with a rare blue and purple pattern on its lid, a 'M' visible on the front. "Let's not drag this out monster."
He tossed the PokéBall; it flew straight at her head. Her Pokémon friends moved forward to block the incoming capsule, but she held her hands up to them to cease their movements. The Master Ball bounced off her head, rising into the air before she snatched it in her hand. "Ouch, wow rude." She looked down at the PokéBall of great power which lay in her palm. "What was that meant to do? I'm not a Pokémon to be caught in a PokéBall like this." She closed her eyes, her face reflecting distaste perfectly. Sapphire's eyes flew open; she was so certain that Garnet was some sort of Pokémon, like Zoroark or Ditto!
Garnet twirled the PokéBall, contemplating tossing it into the waterfall below the bridge she stood on, she figured she would toss it, but not quite yet - she'd get as much information out of this man as possible beforehand.
"So, what were you expecting and why?" She snapped her fingers around the sphere and held it out over the edge of the wooden bridge. "Give me information and I'll give you this back." She bartered with the redhead, who was hiding infuriation to all but Garnet and Titan, who could both read the brainwaves pulsing out the red hot anger.
"I obviously expected to capture you within this PokéBall. But since it did not work I am led to believe you already belong to a trainer as Pokémon cannot be caught in two separate PokéBalls. So where is your trainer and why do they let you wander around imitating the species that controls you." Maxie pushed, he knew how to get information out of proud beings, best way to get a rise out of them was to knock their pride to the ground then their anger would spill out all their truths.
"So you really are incapable of logical thought." Garnet rubbed her chin in deep thought. "A redheaded girl looks like a person and can't be caught in a PokéBall, of course she can't be human - that'd be silly." She mocked, rolling her eyes at Maxie.
"I have had enough of your games creature. I have examined your DNA and know you are not what you seem. I will have you, make no mistake." He turned away from her and marched down the stairs leading to a lower section of the cave.
"So I am assuming you don't want this PokéBall then, alright." She let it drop into the water making a deep sploshing noise at it sank into the rushing water at the top of the waterfall.
Maxie hissed orders to his men, he wanted that item back. Even though it didn't work against her, it would work against Groudon.
"I thought it'd be nice for you to stop and eat lunch here, the scenery is so beautiful in this cave." Garnet faced Sapphire, they'd set down on a flat expanse of land near a towering waterfall. Her curiosity at this place was rampaging through her mind. Simple questions like 'where does the water come from?' pounded at her mind, she wanted to explore this place and discover its secrets.
"What is your real reason for wanting to wait around here Garnet? You've never lingered in a place before now." Sapphire pulled out a sandwich she'd picked up from Fallarbor Town's Pokémon Center as they'd passed through the little soot-ridden place.
"I want to spend a little time exploring." Garnet admitted with a childish smile on her face. "I need to find out the secrets hidden in this place."
"You love discovering new secrets when you leave old ones buried?" Sapphire mused - more to herself than Garnet. "Alright, but if you're not back before I finish, I'm out of here." The girl released her Pokémon and proceeded to giving them some of their food.
"Deal." Garnet held onto Titan's claws as he lifted her up the waterfall, "I'll leave Hokori and Rayna with you." The two little Pokémon looked at one another curiously; Rayna didn't quite trust Hokori the Sandshrew, her natural wariness of Ground-types understandable. "You two play nice!"
"Titan, this place is amazing," Garnet sighed out her words, her mind blown by the wondrous place unfolding around her. She darted from one crater to another, picking up shards of glittering stones she'd never seen before and would probably never see again. Garnet loved this cave of wonders!
She explored another branch of the cave, looking around it curiously, there were many Pokémon scurrying around this place - they couldn't have chosen a more stunning location to live than this. The sunlight shimmered down through wounds in the cave ceiling to enlighten the surroundings, making the water sparkle like diamonds and the damp rocks to glimmer as if each and every one were precious.
"Good afternoon." Garnet was yanked out of her admiration by a sudden voice. Her mind had wandered around and around her surroundings, yet she hadn't noticed the human in the cave also. She knew him, his shock of silver hair stood out, especially now as the rays of the afternoon sun shone brightly down on it. "I never expected to see you here; it's nice to see you again." He offered her a smile.
"I must say I match that thought, I never thought I would see you here either." She beamed, her spirits lifted by the breathtaking scenery. It was unusual really, she had never felt this way about a place before, she tended to glance at a place and forget the details as she moved around so often it'd be a waste of time to linger on minor details. "It's nice to see you again, what are you doing this deep into the caves?" She enquired of him.
"I told you I travel around Hoenn, looking for rare stones. This is one of my favourite places to come searching. Few people ever come this far in and the place is rife with unique stones of all descriptions."
"A good place to come when seeking solitude," Garnet noted quickly, remembering this vital fact, just in case. "Although I should head back soon, my friends are waiting for me near the exit. But I couldn't help myself I had to explore this place!" Garnet observed her surroundings for the umpteenth time; everything - no matter how many times she looked at it - seemed brand new and refreshing.
"There are many unique caves and caverns in Hoenn, although I must say this one is my favourite as it's so diverse and holds many rocks and stones from other worlds." Garnet focussed on him, once more he was befuddling him - it was one thing for her to overlook her surroundings, but humans tended to do this far more often than she as they teeter along their lives. Some humans only pay attention to the world when they wish to exploit its resources or creatures. He was observing this place through the same eyes she was, those which sought out secrets for the sake of knowing them, what was he?
A loud shrieking roar sounded, drawing both their attentions away from their respective thoughts. Garnet shot off, hearing a quieter cry of desperation, a call for help. Her instincts had worked before her mind caught up, she didn't recognise either of the voices so it wasn't her friends who were fighting, yet she couldn't leave a Pokémon in distress.
A large blue and red Dragon-type Pokémon bore down on a smaller more round Pokémon of the same type. Titan waited for her instruction, but she felt a hand on her shoulder before she could give it. "Your Metang isn't strong enough to deal with a Salamence, especially not one which is this aggravated."
"I can't do nothing as it attacks the other Pokémon." She growled if Titan couldn't help, then she could!
"I never suggested that," He said a little indignantly as he tossed a PokéBall of his own. A shining metal bird flew from it. "Help Shelgon," He commanded calmly to the steel bird.
It hurtled like a bullet towards the large dragon, flapping around its head to draw its attention away from Shelgon, who rolled back, it was injured. Garnet shrugged off the hand which still held her back. "Take me to Shelgon," she requested in her mind. Titan heard her request and swooped over her head, she grasped his hands and he lifted her up and glided quickly over to the Pokémon. "Please hide me from view."
Titan hovered low between her and Steven, so that the latter could not see her heal up Shelgon. Garnet's hands pulsed with the multicoloured energy which healed the injured Pokémon just as it had Hokori not three hours ago.
Skarmory flapped around Salamence's head, avoiding the blasts of fire which burst from the dragon's maw. The bird was fast and elegant in flight; it never made an attempt to attack the Pokémon, simply waved around in its line of sight to distract it.
"Be gone!" Garnet sent a warning into the dragon's mind, the strength of her Psychic power startled the dragon - who had assumed she was a mere human as he had not fully focussed on her - but now as his attention was diverted to the redhead, he could tell plainly that she was no such thing. Salamence roared its distaste, shaking the very rocks which made the cave, before flapping away; perhaps it would lie in wait for the girl to stumble across it. One thing Salamence was certain of, it would never forget her face and one day in the future would challenge her.
Skarmory did not give chase; it returned to its master and landed next to him. Garnet watched as he thanked the bird for its bravery, feeding it a berry and petting the bird before returning it to its capsule. She rose from her crouched position besides Shelgon. "There you go, all better now." She smiled down at the Pokémon and patted its back. "You take care of yourself alright?" She walked back to where Steven stood; his curious gaze was fixed on her once more.
Shelgon cried happily before rolling off down the cave. "You've grown very close to Metang." He noted more to himself than to her. "Curious as you two haven't been travelling together for too long." He held his hand out to his old Pokémon, Titan took this opportunity to hug his original trainer as he often hugged Garnet.
"It is quite unusual; Psychic-types don't usually get along with me." Garnet chuckled, watching the antics of her Pokémon friend. "Although it seems as though he is happy to see you again. Titan, come on let him go or you'll break his ribs." The Pokémon released Steven, who breathed in deeply his lungs now free to work properly. "Thank you again for allowing me to travel with Metang; he's been quite a dependable companion."
"I thought he might be. It has done him good to travel with you, his confidence and certainly his power, have grown vastly since he was a little Beldum. You've given him a nickname?" Steven enquired curiously, wanting to know the mental workings of this girl. Once more he was struck by the desire to know her thoughts, feelings and plans for the future.
"Titanium, Titan for short, quite simply because he's tough as anything I've ever seen." Titan hovered behind her, his head visible over hers and his clawed hands resting on her shoulders. The two seemed inseparable; this commanded the respect of the Steel-type specialist, as it had taken him months to gain the trust of his first Beldum.
"It is quite a fitting nickname for Metang; I look forward to seeing which Pokémon you choose to travel with. Do you choose Pokémon of a certain type or travel with the Pokémon you like best?" He mused again.
"I travel with those Pokémon who choose to accompany me." She answered him, finding it easy to brush away his implement that trainers only travel with some Pokémon because they like their type or look not the Pokémon themselves, but then again this information was old hat to her. "At the moment I have two other Pokémon travelling alongside me, Rayna an Electrike and Hokori a recent addition, he's a Sandshrew." She finished, the pair of them had started walking to the exit without acknowledging their movement. "Are you staying in this cave much longer?" She asked, wondering how much of his time he spent searching for rare stones.
"A few more days I think, I just have a feeling that there is a rare stone somewhere in this cave. I'm curious to find out what it is, what category of stone it falls into and where it originated from, if it origins were of this cave or a meteor." Garnet watched as his eyes seemed too unfocused, as if he was stuck in deep thoughts about stones not yet unearthed. He was a fascinating creature to observe. He snapped out of his thoughts visibly and looked at her, "Where are you headed next?"
"Mount Chimney, we came here on a little detour and now are headed back to Mount Chimney."
"Have you been challenging the Gyms around Hoenn?"
"I haven't yet found a truly challenging Gym. Titan flattened the first two then the third never fought us." She looked up at Metang; they were nearing the waterfall now.
"Well, good luck for the rest of the Gym Battles, I hope to see you complete the League Challenge, you seem a more than capable trainer to me." They stopped at the top of the waterfall; Garnet looked down into the sparkling waters. "I shall leave you here then."
She nodded, her amethyst eyes locking with his silver ones. "It was a pleasure seeing you again." For once, her words were not falsified. Titan held her hands again and took her down the waterfall. Steven watched her go with the fires of intrigue still burning fiercely in his mind.
"You're still here?" Garnet approached Sapphire, who was seated on a low rock. "It looks as though you finished eating some time ago, how come you didn't continue to Rustboro?" She smiled at the girl.
"I was just letting the Pokémon rest, plus you left me with two of your Pokémon I couldn't simply leave them here on their own." Sapphire defended her actions.
Garnet laughed, "Yeah right! You missed me didn't you? Just admit it!" She teased her spirits on an odd high.
They bickered teasingly all the way down to Rustboro City.
Subject 663 came to a swooping halt, her still broken arm waving at a sickly angle. She hadn't spared the energy to heal it yet, she needed to check her friends' wellbeing before she cared for herself, the pain of it had numbed down by now, but on the odd occasion when it was jostled a sharp pain did slice through it.
Upon reaching the cave 663 glanced around herself, ensuring no human saw her enter the cave. The entrance was hidden behind a layer of moss and ivy which had grown thickly through the years, obscuring the slim slice in the rock's face - incidentally creating a perfect hideaway for 663 and the three Eevee clones.
Subject 663 stepped into the cave, her body instantly lighting up with a Flash to light her way in the cave. Only her footsteps could he heard as they echoed and reverberated off of the harsh stone walls repressing her senses. Once she drew deeper in the cave, the sound of dripping water was sounding, still no sound of movement from her friends.
663 focussed her mind, searching the caverns and smaller cave offshoots. All was quiet; except for one… one pained set of thoughts. Fear slashed at her mind as her feet sped up her pace. The stone walls blurred by as Extreme Speed took her faster than the naked eye could follow. A tear leaked out of her eye as her mind webbed together a series of horrific scenarios which could have led to one of her friends getting hurt. None of her mind's tormenting thoughts quite hit the mark, although many of them came close.
She turned the last corner, her pace ceasing to a severe halt as her ruby eyes widened. Moments passed as her horror rendered her body paralyzed, but one more sound from the injured mind brought her out of this stupor.
The room was a large chamber deep under the ground, a labyrinth of tunnels led here. This was the place they often hid in to get away from the world around them. The ground was soft enough for her friends to sleep on and they kept stashes of long-lasting food hidden around the caves. They'd stayed here for weeks before as they waited for the turmoil of the world to pass them by.
Today the soil was soaked red, deep and demanding of attention. All three of her friends lay on the ground in front of her. From their positions it looked as if they put up quite the fight. One sheet of discarded paper lay upon the ground, splatters of red smudged across it.
663 crossed, checking them all for signs of life, only one responded to her. "I thought they had you. They said that you'd been caught." Jolteon's blue eye was cracked open, staring at her as his body trembled. He had been worried about her?
"Shush, hush now save your energy. I can fix this! I can save you!" Her voice cracked out of her lips, she watched as her usable hand shook sharply. "I-I can heal you-it'll be okay." Hysteria was setting in as she gently touched the Pokémon.
"Save your energy, they are close. I couldn't protect the others; let me rejoin them to tell them I'm sorry." The dying Pokémon shrugged off her hand easily, his tone begging - he did not wish to see her captured because she wasted the last of her energy trying to save him, his fate was set. "You are in no state to fight them now, flee while you still can."
"I can't leave you to die here like this! I-It's my fault this happened." Her mind blanked, blame pulsed brightest, blame and guilt. She'd led her friends to their deaths…
"You must, I am not long for this world regardless whether or not you try and heal my wounds. I do not wish to see you get captured, now leave this place before they come to find you. Collect the item and flee." Jolteon's inner voice now pushed her away more forcefully. She needed to snap out of this and get out of the cave. "Leave!" She could feel his life leaving his body, within moments his bright head lolled down, thudding against the ground softly as he left her.
She couldn't handle it, 663 broke down in tears at the sight of all three of her trusted companions lay dead. Tears rocked her frame then burst forth. Not for the first time humans had caused her close friends suffering, and not for the first time had humans caused death of a friend. Her first friend and companion, an Eevee who had found her as a child, had also been captured by the scientists. His little body couldn't handle what they did to him.
She pressed her hands on the ground, her broken arm mending itself as her pain was burned back by anger fuelled by sorrow. She made the ground shift carefully, the patches where her friends lay sinking slowly, creating graves for the valiant young clones, once the graves closed over flowers sprouted up from the soil, the colours of the flowers matching that of the Pokémon's body - red for Flareon, blue for Vaporeon and yellow for Jolteon. She stood slowly. "Rest in peace my friends; you are in a better place now." Her final tears dropped onto the soil before her eyes dried up forever.
She walked over to the paper, snatching it up - avoiding the red smudges - to read it.
'Dear Subject 663
You are mine, you have belonged to me since my father left me the leadership of the team years ago.
I have told you before I can make your life a living nightmare.
We have been observing you for some time now, so we knew where you would be likely to send your friends. And once you made it clear you were not going to give up, I contacted my grunts who lay in wait. They dealt with your friends quickly.
Surrender to us or more will meet the same fate.
Giovanni'
A feral snarl coursed through her throat as her anger peaked. Her fist closed, scrunching the paper to the smallest entity it could become before her hand ignited, the dark blue flames burning even the ashes of the paper.
Footsteps rang out loudly, the snapping cracks of guns being cocked mingled with the pounding steps. The creature of fury whirled around, her white hair flying around her wildly and her fangs bared, her keen red eyes spotting the intruders approaching.
PhantomGalaxy13: It always makes me smile seeing your reviews, I'm ever grateful for every comment you give as you review every chapter xD! Sadly no battles in this chapter, however next chapter and the one after that things will liven up a lot, this chapter is dedicated more to outlining (as most of mine seem to be dedicated similarly). Althought i hope this chapter raises a few questions :) Until next time have a lovely day -Iris
SelasVictoria: I also hope that science has not developed to the point where things like what I have written about in this story could ever happen. Cloning is possible i know and has happened various times, but splicing one creature's DNA with another's to the point where the host becomes something else (which can happen with plant-life - we learned about it in Biology years ago) could happen with animals/humans. It's creepy to think of the atrocities which could happen. Anyway, it's lovely to see you reading this story! I didn't expect you to like this one as it's quite different to the shorts of TOHC. Well, I hope you further enjoy this story and the shorts to come! -Iris