24
We leave the next day, both of us sleeping in. As we leave, I notice that ghost pokémon are smiling and being cheerful, as if the mood had changed suddenly. Did mine and Veera's mood change that much by just talking?…
I ignore it and concentrate on our leaving. After getting supplies, we start the long trek back to Celadon. Technically, I never entered the city, but I lead our group to the gates, and I left from there. Veera and I talk a lot more now, I asking about how she felt about the whole trip, the fact she could talk to me after she evolved never having sunk in until now. Nothing is really revealed to me. The Spriteon evolution was as foreign to her as to us, and she did indeed wish she had been cursed and not me.
Again, it takes two weeks to get back, but we make it. I stupidly forgot to get anyone's pokétech number or cell number, so I can't find where anyone would be, so we enter Celadon. I'm used to big cities by now, but this one isn't as big as Saffron. The buildings aren't as ordered either, but the large Celadon Store stands at the West side of town, a building that is almost 10 stories tall, JUST for buying stuff. I looked up in awe when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I have on my normal black Lucario shirt, and a black sash I found in my bag one morning (Thank you Draxik) around my waist to secure my sword. It looks odd with my clothes, so I guess that the person knows me.
I turn and am startled to see The Man with Dark Ambitions, whos name I shall now refer to as Dark Ambition. "Hello you." He says playfully.
I bat his hand away. "What do you want?" I place one hand around my sword's hilt.
"I am not dumb enough to pick a fight in the middle of public." He says indignantly.
I think for a split second and realize something. "You killed the president of Silph Co. and his wife and you are totally free?"
He takes his hand out of his night-black robe and I jump. He has on an akward looking hand to say the least. Dark red, almost maroon, it is a glove that he has on over his hand, and each finger point a distinct claw. It looks like a soft and comfortable cloth was used in their making. He admires it for a few seconds and says, "I have ways of getting around."
"You got down a building that would have been near swarming with guards and eventually police officers, when Draxik and Markus were in the same room?" I say, trying to sound stuck up in a joking manner.
He nods, with a stupid grin on his face.
I facepalm. "Augh, what is it then? If you don't want to fight me, and Veera is safe under my sash here…" I click the sword out of its sheath.
"Now now, don't get all huffy. Can't I just say hi? Oh, and you may want to look around the outskirts of town. You may find something that suprises you." He then turns around and waves me off. I hit my sword back in, think, and decide that if it was a trap, he wouldn't do it close to the city. I head off to the outskirts, which technically are not outside the city limits.
--
The outskirts are marked by a fence. Anyone can just climb over it, but a rest house rests on the fence, so people know where to enter. The outskirts are just inside the fence, and have a few dirty, broken down houses here and there, most of the alleys in-between houses leading to dead ends. Down one of them, I actually found a rare candy. Abby might need some cheering up, I'll save it for her.
The fence is actually woven between the trees, so I just stay near the houses. It's a short wooden fence that doesn't impede anyone's progress going over it, but hidden cameras are used around them to keep criminals and such under watch, so if they cross it, people know where they crossed. Wow, I must be in some weird mood, rambling to myself…
After several minutes, I don't find anyone or anything, and am about to give up when I hear a whimper. I figure its some hurt pokémon or something, and walk calmly into the trees and peek around until I find something. I find Rachamim with a weird dog pokémon.
Its fur is white, but not like a pale white. Like stone. It reflects light well, as it appears to be shining when direct sunlight hits it. Its tail is simple and short, and looks kind of sharp, similar to a glaceon.
"Okay Quartzeon," Says Rachamim. "You may not be Markus, but she can't make a Den in her state. I guess we know why pokémon populate the land so fast, practically not gestation period. So, while she's caring for Shimmer, you need to make a den for her and protect her while she's still weak, okay?" He said, almost acting like a teacher to his pokémon, apparently called Quartzeon, which appears to be ANOTHER eevee evolution. His quartzeon nodded a few times quickly and used a dig attack, apparently not going to deep, as I saw a cartoon style hump of dirt move in some direction away from Rachamim.
I show myself and take a few steps forward. "Hey you."
He jumps up as if to the attention of a sergeant. "OH MY GOD Raizu! Your back! Do you know how worried we've been!?"
I raise an eyebrow at him. Remember, be nice. You aren't the somewhat arrogant ass you made yourself to be ever so long ago. "You guys don't have to worry anymore, now do you? Veera and I went there, and came back, 2 weeks trip back and fourth, with no interference."
He nods. "Well, it may help you to know that Abby…"
"Gave birth?" I say, knowing it wasn't actually a question.
He nods again, not responding with some clever rebuttal or pun, as I would have expected. "Yes, that too…"
Before he finishes the sentence, the worst possibility comes to my mind. Dark Ambition gave a warning, and had been looking at his clawed glove. "Is she okay!?" I meant this, but I half expected him to be an ass about it.
"… She's hurt, but she will recover. She refuses to be taken to a center, because she did gave birth recently. The vulpix is a girl, and she is named Shimmer. She's quite cute." He finishes with a happy note, and smiles.
"How did she get hurt!?" I ask, feeling worried still.
His smile fades and his tone turns somewhat dark. "Well, she said some Rocket member hurt her, but I wouldn't know. The ambush they set up is in some old warehouse that isn't used anymore, near the department store. Why they would send someone to attack is something I wouldn't know." He shrugs at the end.
I leave him, and run in the direction that Quartzeon left. The trail is easy to follow, and I actually trip over it once. When I hit the ground, for some reason, Veera decides to come out of her pokéball. Your in a rush. I'm out here for you, I don't feel it's 100 safe out here.
I get up and don't nod, but acknowledge her help. We go on for a few seconds and come to a clearing. With no logs or stumps (amazingly…). At one side, I see Abby lying on the ground, and Quartzeon playing with a vulpix, who apparently is Shimmer. She looks like a normal vulpix, but she has an odd facial feature… a black stripe, that looks like a band, over her eyes that goes all around her head.
Like a Lucario.
A tear falls from my eye, and I look at Abby, who hasn't noticed me yet. She has some bandages around her chest, and dried blood can be seen through them, but she doesn't look like she's sick or even in any pain. But she looks too tired to get up. I walk over to her and she turns her head to me, smiling and looking happy. "Oh Raizu, your back…"
I stop. I understood her too… What is wrong with me?
I just tilt my head at her, as if confused, hoping to hide the fact from Veera that I know what she can say. Veera just looks at Abby and then goes off to play with Shimmer and Quartzeon. Oh, silly me… Thinks Abby. I should know better. I haven't spoken to anyone in a while, I was too used to only talking to other pokémon.
I nod, glad I don't have to reveal I could understand her. "Its no problem. So… your daughter is named Shimmer?"
She nods. She's beautiful isn't she… Oh…
I just agree with her. "She is. She looks like…" I stop myself, knowing saying that would hurt her as much as me.
Raizu… I miss Markus. He never even got to see his daughter…
"I know Abby."
After you left, I felt horrible for a while. Like I was incomplete. I was alone, and no one here understood me. I didn't go with you because I wanted to go easy for a while. I couldn't make the trip well if I had our daughter growing inside of me, so I stayed. I weeped every night, and felt a huge pain in my chest.
"Abby…" I say, unsure of how to act. Everyone has been pouring themselves out to me lately… Am I the right person for them to do this to?
Then, two weeks ago last night, I stopped crying. I wanted to, but couldn't. Then I realized that I felt less sad. Almost like my mind had yelled at my heart to get over it. The memories are preserved, as if in a museum of priceless works, but remembering them doesn't make me cry. They make me happy. Happy I could ever know such a man… Happy that he was laid to rest in the right place.
I sniffle a little bit, and then decide to change subject. "Abby. Who did that too you?" I ask firmly, pointing at the bandages around her chest.
A man with a dark robe said he wanted to meet me, knowing somehow that I was who cursed you. He then raked me across the chest with his clawed glove. I'm fine now, but then, I was scared for my life… Oh, and I saw his face.
I hadn't seen it yet, but I couldn't figure out why that mattered. He always hid his head from me under his hood. "What?…"
He looked exactly like you, only with shorter, and ruby red hair. If I hadn't known better, I'd say he WAS you.