(Thanks for the review Moon! Chapter four coming your way… this is the start of the more mysterious part of Sara's Quest. Hope you all enjoy.)
Drake and Sara set off the next day for Jade City. Emerald Path was a long, twisting route that broke into patchy areas of forest. Drake had all sorts of gizmos and gadgets like a compass -nothing special- and an assortment of fancy, electronic maps. His main one, the Pokemap 2000, was what he used the first day. It turned out that Emerald Path would take a good three days to get through, so Sara and Star weren't worried as the first day came and went.
The second day, they started to have their doubts about Drake's fancy doodads. ("We've passed that rock before." Star grumbled.)
At the third day, the sun was setting and Jade City was nowhere to be seen. "We're lost." Sara announces, and Star twitters angrily.
"Got that right. We've been traveling in circles this whole time." Star agreed. Dorovi and Star had gotten into the habit of translating each other's speech to their corresponding trainer, and as Dorovi told Drake what Star said, Drake gave her an angry glance.
"We are not lost! It says here that we've two more miles to go. If we walk fast enough, we'll get there tonight!" Drake exclaims, "Let's go." He restarted the forced march, Dorovi walking next to him, Sara and Star dragging at the rear.
"We're lost I tell you! Lost!" Star kept repeating.
Drake finally stopped again and snaps, "Well, go fly ahead and see where we are then!"
"Gladly." She responds crossly and circled upward. Sara and Drake waited for her to return, and she didn't look too happy. "Not just circles. Look what's to your left."
They do as she says, and it was Sara that first caught a glimpse of white. "We're back where we started!" She screeches, glaring furiously at Drake, "Why-is-that?"
"Well…" Drake stammers, pressing all sorts of buttons on the Pokemap 2000, "We could… its possible… aw, forget it. I must have read this wrong."
"Let me see that!" Sara growls heatedly and snatches the Pokemap 2000 away from him. It was an old thing to be sure, it looked quite dusty and there were patches of rust on its edges. It sat like a plate in her hand, and its clear computer screen showed what looked awfully unlike the Emerald Path they'd been exploring.
"Drake… how old is this thing?" Sara finally asks, and Drake's eyes widen as he begins to stammer again.
"Well… it's… it was made…. in 2000." He flinched back and waited for Sara to explode. And explode she did.
"WHAT! This… this thing was made over five years ago! NO WONDER! It's so out-of-date it should be in the trash can!" Sara screamed, her face cherry red. Drake gave her an innocent glance, and whimpered like a little puppy.
"How was I supposed to know?" Drake mutters.
"Common sense. I guess you don't have much of it." Sara growls and Dorovi said something to Star.
"He says that you're overreacting." Star translates. She looked annoyed herself.
It took a while, but Sara finally stopped chewing Drake out and relaxed. Yelling hadn't gotten them anywhere, but the sun had set and stars dotted the night sky. Drake received glares from both Sara and Star when he brought up the idea of going to Opal Town and resting in its Pokemon Center. But they agreed that is was a good idea, even if they were supposed to have left it behind three days ago.
The next day, they all were in better spirits. Sara called her mom again, and introduced her to Drake. "Awww, my little sweetheart has got a boyfriend!" She cries. Sara and Drake both turned new shades of scarlet.
"Uh mom, Drake is my partner, not my boyfriend." Sara tells her, but didn't convince her at all. Drake looked annoyed as Sara's mother ranted on about 'making sure Sara doesn't get into any trouble' but smiled slightly as Dorovi came into view and she began to focus on what a charming Pokemon he is.
"Adorable! You both have adorable Pokemon! Hey Sara, where'd Star get off to?" She was saying, and Sara blinks at her for a second.
"Uh, she can't make it today." Sara says with a strait face, feeling her Taillow sigh silently with relief on her knee. After a long talk she was finally done talking to her mom.
"Finally!" Star chirps as she chooses to perch on Sara's forearm. "She scares me." Then Dorovi mutters something that Star caught and translated, "He says she scares him too."
"Are you two ready now? I want to get out of here now…" Drake asks, and Sara nods. They went out into the early morning sun and looked up to see clouds forming on the horizon. They would be a problem sooner rather then later, but luckily the Pokemart sold umbrellas.
After they had shoved the two umbrellas into Sara's backpack, the only place they'd fit, they all entered Emerald Path again. After a while of walking, and actually following the signs that pointed the correct direction to Jade City, Sara suddenly stopped.
"Do you hear that?" She asks. Faint buzzing sounds were ringing in her ears. Star agreed that she heard them too. Before Drake could answer, she cut him off with a, "Look over there!"
Struggling with tree branches but only making it worse, was none other then the Deckadrill. Star shuddered as she remembered the Pokemon; it seemed to be thoroughly tied down by the branches though, so she flapped over and hovered in his face.
The Deckadrill's eyes had been red before, but they hadn't looked like they did now. Blood red and glowing, they fixed on Star and wouldn't look away. "And what happened to you?" Star asks it quickly, and as Sara and Drake were approaching them with caution, she had a conversation with it.
After a while, Star examined the Deckadrill's neck for some reason. What she found was a tight black band, strapped tightly to its captive, and it pulsed in a nasty way.
"He needs help." Star finally says as she turned to Sara, "This is unnatural, it's horrid… Sara, come look at this." But as Sara was approaching to look at the Deckadrill, it broke free and let out an incredibly loud hissing buzz. Drake and Dorovi turned tail and fled, but were heading away from Opal Town. Sara watched in horror as the Deckadrill swooped down, aimed at her.
"Run!" Sara screamed, and followed after the long-gone Drake, Star flapping ahead of her. As they ran, Star turned out of sight and left Sara in the Deckadrill's sights.
He was acting exactly the same, from the same motions to the same reasons to be chasing after Sara. But something was wrong. Something had to be different, because this Pokemon was defiantly out of control.
After a good hour, Star gone the whole time, Sara tripped and fell over a tree root. She whirled around on the ground to face the Deckadrill, and found that he was swooping down on her, about to strike. There was only seconds left, ticking fast, but Sara suddenly knew what she must do.
The words came out of her mouth without her consciously realizing they had. At the top of her lungs, Sara screamed to the heavens, "SOLONFREE!" She had shut her eyes off from the sight of the Deckadrill, and it took all her courage to open them again. Sara watched, amazed, as out of nowhere, a single Pokemon appeared. It was… Solonfree.
"Free!" It cries loudly, smashing into Deckadrill's side and knocking his attack away from its target. Deckadrill, screeching loudly, attacked the Solonfree instead of Sara then. The battle that followed was very one-sided; ending with the Deckadrill flopped down on the ground.
Remembering what Star had been looking at before, Sara scrambled over to the knocked-out Deckadrill and peered at his neck. She spotted the black band and she reached out and touched it. It shattered into dust and was blown away by the wind. Deckadrill still lay almost motionless.
Solonfree, which had been gazing over Sara's shoulder, gave a cry of joy. Sara turned to look into its glowing green eyes. "You saved me, again." She whispers, "Thanks."
The Solonfree bows again, and looks Sara dead in the eye. "Your welcome, Lady." It responds in a feminine voice. She said it in unbroken English, yet seemed not to have moved her mouth to say anything.
"You look as if I have just said something that is worth hearing." She continues, glowing green eyes still not moving from Sara's face, "But that was nothing. Really. I have saved you twice from this Pokemon. But do you know, in turn, you have saved him from a life of pure misery?"
"How have I done that?" Sara asks. She was beginning to think that this was all a big dream. Why would Star leave her? She wouldn't ever.
"The band. You have removed the band." She replies in a joyful voice.
"I'm sorry; I don't think I follow what you're saying. By touching that… band, which was fragile to begin with to be sure, I've saved that Deckadrill from a horrible life?"
"Yes, that's exactly what happened. You, Lady, have the Touch." The Solonfree said 'Touch' like it was an extremely big deal.
"Right… I don't really think so." Sara, by now, was sure that this was a dream. Talking Solonfree? Not a chance…
"Oh Lady! Such the modest one you are!" She exclaims, fluttering down and landing next to Sara. Golden light sparkles from the Solonfree's form, sort of like the evolutionary light. But this couldn't possibly be an evolution, because what appeared in the Solonfree's place didn't look anything like her.
Towering over Sara stood a bird that could scratch her cheek on the top of one of the old trees that loomed close to them. The bird had feathers that glowed a sparkling golden, and seemed to be made of light. She bent her massive head down so it would be level with Sara and gave her a long look with deep, emerald green eyes. When the bird finally spoke, her beak did not move. Instead, her voice rang as a smooth melody in Sara's head.
"Lady. I've been waiting for you for the longest time. There is something I have to tell you."
"Me? Uh, why do I have the feeling that you have to wrong girl..."
"Nonsense. I've seen you work your magic right before my very eyes. Seriously Lady, you are. My Lady, Sara, there will be many dangers in your future. You will gain new friends, but beware, as there shall be a mortal you cannot trust." The bird pauses before adding, "If ever you are in danger, just whistle."
The bird spread one massive golden wing and touched the ground with it. Sara was expecting the wing to disappear into the ground, as it looked to be made of pure light. But it didn't, and as the giant creature refolded her wing, she began to fade. "Remember what I have said Lady. Remember your destiny."
"But wait! What am I supposed to do?" Sara called after the fading figure of the bird.
Faint, hardly audible words reached her. "Just… whistle…" The bird of light was then gone, and no matter what Sara said, she wouldn't come back. After a while, the Deckadrill began to wake up. His eyes didn't glow, nor where they bloody red anymore. He stood and looked at Sara for a long while. Then, sweeping his left forearm over his chest, the Deckadrill bows to Sara and flits away.
"Strange." Sara mused. This had been a very interesting dream, now all she had to do was wake up. There was still no sign of Star, Drake, or Dorovi, so Sara took this time to look over the spot that the bird had touched. What she found was a whistle, made of almost clear metal that gave of a golden shine. It was attached to a long, tan cord that easily fit around Sara's neck, and gave enough room for her to be able to pull the whistle up to her lips.
It was pretty, even if it did look pretty useless. Sara gave it a couple of toots to hear what it sounded like, and to her horror it let out a hideous sounding string of notes. But she didn't have much more time alone, as Star came flapping back to her, chirruping madly.
"Sara! Where in the world were you? That Deckadrill could have hurt you, or worst!" She snaps as she hovers in front of Sara, "But Drake and Dorovi found something very interesting."
With that, Star beckoned for Sara to follow. She did, and Star led her across a couple of yards to Drake. He was standing on a hill, and looking down. Sara went up next to him, muttering a 'hello' and followed where he was looking. Across a small clearing, very close to them, was another city. "It's not Jade City though." Drake told her, "That is Peacock City, where we'll still find a Gym, the Flying Gym to be exact."
Drake flashed a smile and murmurs, "Ready?"
Sara pauses, then nods, "Last person there's a rotten egg!" And she sped through the clearing, Drake following close behind.