I'm surprised. This story is about twice as popular hit-wise as any of my Eonshippings for the same length, but only two people have taken the time to review. Weird. Updates will take longer now, because I'm back to school tomorrow.
Same Disclaimer. No Warnings this time.
Lateral Ganon
# # # Chapter Specific Notes # # #
Italics are telepathy from an Alakazam or a Lucario. It's pretty obvious which at the relevant points.
('Sections in brackets and quote marks is the sound made by the Cyndaquil that humans hear. It will only be in this chapter.')
Prologue: Part 2
It was the early hours of Christmas day in Cemusem Village, and only the Pokemon centre in the town had any lights on. A lone woman was walking through the streets towards it, a small ball clutched in one hand, and her coat held firmly closed with the other. She stepped into the warm atrium of the Pokemon centre, and walked over to the counter. A blue fox-like Pokemon was sat on the counter, apparently reading a newspaper just prior to arrival. The Glaceon looked up at her as she approached, and Kelly paused.
"You're new here aren't you?" She asked the Pokemon. The Glaceon shook her head, and made a series of mewling noises. Kelly frowned.
"I can't understand you." She said regretfully. The Glaceon mewled again, and waved its front paws abound as though trying to demonstrate something. Kelly scratched the back of her own head.
"Nope. Still gibberish. Can you bring Kenai in?"
The Glaceon continued mewling gibberish angrily for a few seconds, before jumping off the desk and padding into a backroom. An old Alakazam in a lab coat with very apparent bags under his eyes lumbered out of the backroom, stopping next to the desk.
Ah. Doctor Pepper. Can I interest you in a drink? The Pokemon offered. Kelly nodded.
"Yes please. One of me please." She said. Kenai wandered back into the backroom, and brought out a can bearing her name, Now what do you need help with?
Kelly snapped open the can, and took a sip before answering. It had always been a party piece since she'd graduated.
"It'll only take a moment. I picked up a Cyndaquil from the north, and it had frostbite on both its back legs. Can you heal it?" She asked. The Glaceon looked up with interest, and mewled at the Alakazam. He looked down at it, before looking back at Kelly.
Melissa wants to know where you got this Pokemon, although I know it's irrelevant.
"Oh. I caught her at Mount Larsan." She answered. The Glaceon jumped, and mewled at Kenai, flicking its head in circles.
She says she used to live there before she came here, and that she regularly saw Cyndaquil and Charmander. Now, you wanted her healing you say. Hand over the Pokeball then.
"Don't open it though. I want it to be a surprise for her too." Kelly insisted. Kenai nodded.
Of course. He said, before the voice became significantly quieter and darker, another one of us being passed off as nothing more than a cheap Christmas present. He muttered. He placed the ball on a machine built into the wall, and pressed a few buttons. He hummed in surprise as a picture of the Pokemon appeared on a display.
My my. An albino. These are rarer than shinies. Are you sure you're not a poacher, doctor? Because a pelt like this would have a ridiculously high market value. We're talking millions of Poke-dollars here if it was a Typhlosion. He said. She whistled appreciatively, but shook her head all the same.
"I'm a doctor. My job is saving lives, not selling them. I caught it because it was dying, and I wanted to save it hours of suffering. There were Weavile nearby."
Ah. That's a different matter then. He said, tapping another button and ejecting the Pokeball from the machine, And one Cyndaquil fully recovered. Do you want it gift wrapped? He said sarcastically. She plucked the ball out of his fingers, and scowled at him.
"This Pokemon isn't going to be thrown out on the streets in January. She's going to be a loving pet. For the family." She said, clutching the ball defensively. Kenai looked at her reproachfully.
We're not pets, and you shouldn't think of us as them. Caterpie and other Pokemon without conscious thought; those can be pets. But not sentient beings. Sentient beings are friends. And unless you treat them as friends, they are enemies. Are you sure you want to go around making enemies for yourself? He asked her. She looked back at her feet.
"Sorry. I should have thought about that."
Well… it's too late to fret over it now. Just treat her properly okay? I'll know otherwise.
"I will do. Merry Christmas Kenai."
Merry Christmas Pepper. Don't forget this afternoon. Kenai said half-heartedly as he yawned loudly. Kelly smiled, and left the centre.
Benjamin opened his eyes slowly, blinking the sleep from them as he looked across his room. It was Christmas day! He leapt straight down from the top bunk, and quickly changed into some day clothes, before dashing out of the room. He jumped down the stairs three steps at a time until he got to the living room, and he gaped. There, pinning up more decorations on the tree, was his mother. She smiled sweetly at him.
"I'm home Benny." She said, holding her arms open for him. He ran into her embrace, and they knelt down on the floor.
"Nan said you wouldn't be back in time for Christmas this year." He said. Kelly patted his head gently, and tried not to picture the Articuno skewered by a glacier.
"I decided that it would be better to spend Christmas with you this time. And guess what I found whilst I was out there." She said, holding up a box. Benny frowned.
"Not another fossil. You've shown me millions of them." He moaned. She shook her head and her grin widened.
"Even better than a fossil then." She said, piquing his interest, "Do you want to see it?"
The boy narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.
"Are you sure it's not another stinky old fossil?" He said, glancing over at a display of them above the mantelpiece. Pretty much every fossil known was there, including the Helix, Dome, Root, Claw, Skull, and Armour. In another case there was an Old Amber secured in a frame, and a rare bone of some other unknown Pokemon rested loosely on the side. Kelly noticed the glance and laughed
"Can you name them yet?"
"Oh mom! That's boring." He complained. She gave him a look that meant they weren't going anywhere otherwise, so he cleared his throat and pointed at each rock in turn, "Omanyte, Kabuto, Lileep, Anorith… Crandor and Shieldy?" He guessed. Kelly smiled.
"It's close enough. Cranidos and Shieldon. And we all know what smart boys deserve. They deserve their presents!" She said in the embarrassing motherly way as she passed the box to him. He smiled and pulled off the lid, staring in shock at the Pokeball inside. He tried to speak, but no words came out. Kelly rubbed his shoulders.
"It's a Pokemon. Why don't you let her out?" She suggested, stepping back as the boy plucked the ball from the foam it was nestled in. He looked at it expectantly before looking at his mother again.
"I don't know how to open it."
"It opens on impact, so most trainers throw it. It won't hurt her." She said. He looked back at the Pokeball, and tapped it against the ground. The Pokeball burst open with a flash of red light. A small shape formed from the light, and solidified into a white Cyndaquil. It looked around in shock.
"Where am I?" She said. 'Cyndaquil' was what the humans heard instead. Benjamin sat back on his haunches, impressed.
"A Cyndaquil! It's amazing!" He said. He reached a hand out in front of the Pokemon for it to examine. The albino looked up at him.
"Who are you?" ('Quiiii?')
"Hi. I'm Benjamin." He said, laying the hand flat on the floor. She walked over to it, and sniffed at the fingers. He laughed as the Pokemon's snout tickled, and pulled it back. The albino looked at him blankly.
"Do you want to name her?" Kelly asked him. Both Benjamin and the Pokemon looked up at her, before looking back at each other. He couldn't think of any names for the Pokemon that wasn't cheesy or boring. The Pokemon waddled over to the arm he was resting on, and tapped on his hand. In that simple touch, he had the name he needed.
"Sophie. She's called Sophie." He said conclusively. The Pokemon cocked its head to one side.
"Sophie…" ('Cynda.') She said, looking at the boy. He smiled at her.
"See. She likes it." Kelly said, "You can play with her now if you like."
"Can I?" He yelled happily, before turning to run out of the room, "Come on Sophie!"
"Wait! She's only got little legs." Kelly called after her. Benjamin ran back in, and swept the Pokemon up in his arms, holding it against his chest. He ran over to the door and pushed it open, stepping into the fresh snowfall.
Sophie recoiled as the sudden chill encompassed her, and she looked at the ground. Snow. Just like where she'd been abandoned. Frightening images formed behind her eyes like a demented slideshow. A sister being shattered and devoured by a big blue bird. A brother dangling limply from that woman's hand. The only thing that snow stood for to her now was death and destruction. She squealed and pressed herself against the warmth of Benjamin's chest, causing him to stop and look at her. He pulled the Pokemon away from his chest, and watched as she curled up into a ball, still squeaking in fear.
"What's wrong Sophie?" He asked her.
"Snow! It's evil!" ('Cyn! Quilda!') She squeaked out. Benjamin uncoiled her, and looked to see tears forming under her eyes, freezing in the cold air onto her fur.
"I don't understand you." He said to her. She pointed at the ground, before curling up against his chest again.
"Snow… Please… get it away…" ('Cyn… Quilquilqui.') She whined. Benjamin looked at the snow, before looking back at the house.
"So Cyn… must mean… snow…" He mused, before walking back into the house, "Mom!"
"What is it honey?" She called back absently.
"I think Sophie's scared of snow."
"That's nice dear." She replied, and he instantly realised that he wasn't going to get any useful advice from her for hours. He walked up to a door and pushed open the door to find his mother working furiously at a desk, periodically referring to something on a computer screen. He closed the door quietly, and looked back at the Cyndaquil in his arms. She seemed to have calmed own now she was back in a warm area, and he could tell she was watching him, even though he couldn't see her eyes. He walked up the stairs and made his way to his own room, and placed the Cyndaquil on his desk, flopping onto a couch in the corner himself. He looked at the Pokemon on his desk, and watched as it jumped off and rifled about his room.
"Make yourself at home." He said, "Just don't burn anything."
"I can't burn anything even if I tried." ('Da cyncyn quiiiil quicyn.') She squeaked. Benjamin bolted upright on the sofa.
"That's it! I'll just learn your language." He said, standing up and walking over to the computer. He flicked it on, and Sophie jumped up onto the lower bunk bed to watch. He scrolled through several web pages, before laughing to himself.
"According to this it's easy, but it just takes ages. I've got years, so I guess it'd be worth the wait."
"What is it?" ('Quill?") She hummed. He looked across to her and smiled.
"I say a word, and you repeat it how you say it. I listen carefully, and I then just need to remember it. Shall we try it?"
"Why not? Nothing to lose." ('Quillda? Da cyncyn.') She whistled back at him. He frowned.
"Can you just nod yes or no? I don't understand you yet." He asked. Sophie nodded, and he smiled broadly. He looked back at the webpage, and read a few more instructions.
"It says I should start with common words or phrases that will be handy to know. Okay. What's hungry?"
"Hungry." ('Quin') She said. Benjamin tried to memorise it, and moved to a different word.
"Tired."
"Tired." ('Quin') She answered. He scratched his head in confusion.
"I thought hungry was Quin."
"No. Hungry… Tired." ('Da. Quin… Quin.') She said, squeaking the word clearly. He listened carefully as she repeated, and noticed a very subtle difference. They continued in this vein for about four hours, before his mother called upstairs.
"Don't forget Edward invited us to the PokeCentre for Christmas dinner today, and I want us looking our best." She called up. Benjamin frowned at the interruption, but the twenty words he'd managed to learn felt like a lot of progress.
"But mom! I don't want to go to no stupid dinner." He said. Kelly tutted.
"That's a double negative Benny, which means you do want to go to the dinner. Now hurry up and get changed."
Benjamin strode back to his sofa, and flopped down on it sulkily. Sophie padded over and jumped up next to him, watching him. He stroked her nose softly.
"It's not fair. Why do I have to get dressed up especially just to cover it in gravy?" He moaned. Sophie's stomach rumbled ominously, and he smiled down at her.
"So you're hungry right? I've got another idea. How about you come to this dinner as well, and you can eat whatever you want?"
Sophie nodded, and squeaked again, which He now recognised as a yes. He stood up and changed into some nicer clothes, before picking her up again. He carried her downstairs where his mother was admiring herself in a mirror. She'd chosen a casual blue dress to go in, but wore a cardigan over the top of it. She looked over at the Pokemon in his arms, and frowned slightly.
"Do you really have to bring her with us?" She asked him. He nodded, having prepared a good argument for this question.
"Nanny's gone home for the holiday, so we can't just leave her alone in the house. You don't know what she might do. Besides, she's hungry." He told her, nudging the Cyndaquil up in his arms. Kelly sighed regretfully, and pushed open the door.
"Very well then. Come on. If we don't set off now, we'll be late."
Kenai opened the side door of the PokeCentre as they approached. He looked at the Cyndaquil in the boy's arms and grimaced, although it didn't change his face enough to register as anything unusual. The only unusual aspect to him was that his lab coat seemed much cleaner, and he'd added a bow tie to his neck.
Right this way then. He said politely, leading them both through into a small dining room. There were six places set at a long rectangular table, each with at least half a dozen knives at forks besides them. A middle-aged man was sat at one end, and a small six year old girl with silver hair was sat next to him on the long side of the table. The man waved to them, and gestured for them to sit down. Benjamin sat opposite the girl, whilst his mother sat down next to him. He put the Cyndaquil on the table next to his plate, and his mother immediately tried to shoo it off.
"Benny. No Pokemon on the table." She hissed at him. He made a motion to pick her back off and put her on the floor next to him, when Eddie stopped him. He shot Kelly a disapproving glare.
"Come on now Kelly. Why do you think the table is set for six this year? I've been neglecting two of my best friends for years. And considering one of them is cooking this meal, it only seems fair that he gets to enjoy the fruits of his labour."
"Don't tell me you…"
"Yes. Kenai will be joining us for this meal, as will Lazlo." He said. A Lucario walked into the room, and took a place next to silver haired girl, and Benjamin couldn't help but stare. He knew that some of Eddies Pokemon had a penchant for wearing clothes, but this Pokemon's suit seemed to have been tailored to fit. The Lucario wore cyan breeches, with a similarly coloured waistcoat, and gold thread through the border. An orange lens was held over his left eye by an earpiece clipped onto the side of his head, and Eddie nodded appreciatively.
"You modelled that suit on your grandfathers fur am I right?" He asked. The Lucario nodded, before noticing Benjamin staring at him. He glared at him with cold purple eyes.
'It's rude to stare.' He said telepathically, causing Benjamin to flinch.
Kenai wandered back in through the doorway he'd brought them through, and took his place on the opposite end of table to Eddie, between Lazlo and Kelly. The food was quickly dished out onto plates, and after a moments pause for grace, they all tucked in.
Benjamin looked up at the Cyndaquil looking at his plate, and smirked. He picked up one of his spare forks, and picked up a piece of carrot from his plate. He held it up for Sophie, and whispered to her.
"Try this. It's really good." He said, smiling as she pulled the carrot off with her teeth and chewed it hesitantly. She squeaked in delight, and Benjamin gave her another.
Kenai looked up from his plate, and almost choked in surprise as he saw Benjamin feeding the Cyndaquil. Slowly, but surely, he smiled, his worries about the future of the Cyndaquil put at ease, at least for the moment.
I'm about to skip a two years. But can more people actually review? And for Kotor when you get around to reading this, Fortuneshipping is DawnxLucas (the game characters), not... (shudders), you know what I mean. Someone messed up big time with their naming, because it's becoming a pretty common mistake. I think I've seen about six people that have fallen for the misnomer.