Chapter 13
"Alright, sweetie, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. You hand back the eye and I'll let you go."
She gulped. "Hang on now… I don't know what you're talking abou-"
"Shut it, whore. I saw you slip that thing into your dress. You get it out or I'll search for it myself."
She slipped her hand under her dress and pulled out the gem. "Here." She threw it behind her.
She felt the knife slacken against her neck, and she spun around and tightened her hands into a fist. She saw a hooded figure and snarled, "Little bastard!"
Then the figure raised a hand, and quickly knocked away her punch. It was amazing how quickly he had moved his arm to block her attack. "Watch it."
He was cloaked, and she couldn't tell much about him. He was nearly completely covered. "Who are you?" she growled. "And why are you following me?"
"So you're the freak who's been stalking her…" said Thrymr. "Leave us alone, or else-"
He didn't speak, and quickly darted back into the trees. "Do we follow him?"
Thrymr scowled. "There's something funny going on here. Just go back to sleep… I-"
"THAT BASTARD!"
"Wh-what?"
"He took my necklace!" Without thinking, she dashed off after the mysterious visitor.
"Azura, wait!"
That necklace had been a gift from Luna. Little bastard! Arghh! Who steals from a lady?!
She could hear the sound of footsteps ahead, and raced forward. "Hey, wait! You took my necklace from me!"
Then she came to a stone outcropping. At the very edge was the hooded Pokemon. In one hand was her necklace; in the other was his. He whipped around, and she saw the ominous whites of his eyes.
"Give it back!" He turned back around to look over the edge. She blew an ice beam into her hands, and formed a spear of ice. She notched it on her bow. "Give it now!"
He ignored her.
"D-don't think I won't fire!" she shouted.
She heard footsteps behind her, and turned around to see Thrymr right there. He was panting. "Jeez… you're quick for an ice type…"
The mysterious Pokemon whipped around, white eyes flashing like fangs among the darkness within his cloak before leaping.
"Wait!" she shouted, running over to the ledge. Below was a small pool, looking dangerously far. She blinked when she saw the Pokemon far below, eyes still daring her to jump. He was dry, and certainly unhurt. Then he whipped around, and vanished into the trees far below.
"Azura…" She heard Thrymr speak behind her, sounding confused. 'I-Is this your necklace?"
"Eh?" Then she gasped as she looked into the Manectric's hand. It was her necklace! He must have dropped it! Or did he…? She put it back around her neck, feeling slightly uneasy. "Thanks…"
"Yeah. It's nothing… but that Pokemon…" He walked off, mumbling quietly to himself.
She looked to where the thief had vanished into the trees. What are we dealing with here? Lost in her thoughts, she followed Thrymr back to their fire.
After walking for a solid amount of time, she quickly realized something was wrong. She didn't recognize anything. Maybe I was running so quickly? But still… nothing seems remotely familiar… She continued walking for awhile, but nothing was really sparking her memory.
Then she heard a rumbling. "Rrrmmm…" She turned around, and gasped. Out of the ground rose three massive Pokemon, surrounding her. Made of stone, and strong and sturdy came a trio of Boldore.
"Rrrmmm… in…
"T-t-truder…"
Her light blue skin became pale. Rocks and ice are never a good mixture, especially when you're the ice. She pulled out her bow, but quickly realized that these behemoths would shatter her arrows upon impact. They were too hard for her to break their armor. She would have to try freezing them solid… but that would require her to focus on one… Then she felt the strike of stone against her back. She fell forward, and groaned. She coughed, and noticed blood mixed with her saliva. She stood up. The three rock Pokemon had surrounded her. One of them raised a fist, and she narrowly avoided being crushed by the massive stone.
Then one of the Boldore's eyes began glowing orange. Power gem! She rolled out of the way as a barrage of stones flew where she had just been. When she got up, she was panting. How long can I keep this up? There wasn't enough room for her to do anything of notice, and their armor was much to thick for her to break realistically.
Then one of the rock types collapsed forward. She was almost flattened. When she looked up, she gasped. "Y-y-you!"
Who else would it be besides the thief. She swore she saw his eyes flash at her before her leaped off the back of the collapsed Boldore to land onto the back of another. He placed a palm onto its back and she watched it collapse again. The final Boldore looked around, then with a low moan, sunk back into the ground.
She spun around to glare at the cloaked figure. "You… you little-"
He flipped his hood back, and she gasped. "A-a-a…"
His spiky hair and eyes carried an emotionless look now. "Jolteon." Then he cowered. "L-look out!" Eyes suddenly massive, he pointed behind her. "Look out!"
Then she felt herself get hammered on the back and collapse.
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The warm crackle of flames woke the young Glaceon. She opened her eyes, back aching terribly. The temperature was a little warm for her preference, and she could see flame shadows flickering on the wall. She realized she was wearing nothing but lingerie. Her dress was on a stone far away, and got ready to move when she felt a sharp prick on her back. She grit her teeth in pain. "Urf…"
"I'm sorry. I'm almost finished stitching." A voice came from behind her where she couldn't see.
That's right… the Jolteon. "Are you… the Jolteon?"
"Yes. My name is Zeph-"
"OW!"
"Sorry, sorry… but I'm Zephyr. You are Azura, right?"
"Yeah, that- WAIT! You're that bastard who took my necklace and who's been stalking me! You little- KYAA"
"Watch it! I just might have hit a pressure point! Stay still!"
She bit her bottom lip in agony, then knew she had to be quiet… for now. "Fucking bastard… taking my dress off, you pervert."
"Hey. Would you rather have let me leave you to bleed to death? Besides, if I wanted sex, I would have done it already. Now shut up and stay still. Just a few more… there!" She felt him tug on her back, then watched him walk in front of her.
She finally had a chance to look at the Jolteon closely. He had spiky fur, with a lankier build. He had a pair of gloves on, which were bloodied(she shuddered at the thought of it being her blood) and wore a cloak that was very dark green. His eyes were a vibrant green that she hadn't seen before, and a scar etched across the side of his cheek. He wore sandals that looked beat and ragged, but carried himself confidently.
She winced as she pulled herself to a sitting position, self consciously covering herself as much as she could. "So, Zephyr, you thief, why did you intrude on my battle? I had it under control!"
"Right…"
"I mean, why the hell would a thieving Jolteon help me? You stole from me!"
"Hey, I gave it back you know…"
"No! Well, you still took it in the first place… so you can't deny that!" He walked over to the rock and tossed her the dress. She quickly covered herself and buttoned it up to minimize her exposure. "Why have you been stalking me?"
"You looked like you had some stuff on you. Plus you seemed suspicious. How often do you see a Glaceon with a Manectric?"
"Well… I'm just hanging with him to explore…"
"I know. I've heard everything you have said pretty much… how you are from Undira, how your buddy tried to beat Palkia yet failed…" He sighed. "Things have been tight around here… especially with the nightcrawlers around."
"Nightcrawlers?"
"Your buddy mentioned giant bugs… it's quite true really. Giant bug types… you're lucky you haven't been attacked yet. Truly the stuff of nightmares… don't get caught alone."
"So what… you suggest I sleep here with you? Not a chance, you pervert!"
"What do I have to do to convince you? I won't lay a hand on you!"
At the same time, she was heeding his warning. She wasn't weak, but they were still creepy. She huffed, and walked over to the far corner of the cave. She lay down on the leaves and grass, and, without thinking, she fell asleep.
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Clang. Clang. Clang. Sounds of metal echoed throughout her head. She was holding her bow in one hand. Somebody was watching her… still, she was curious… this place… it… it looked like a power plant. It seemed… no… this was an engine room actually. But what was it powering…?
"So you came."
She whipped around. A pair of eyes stared out from the shadows. She could see two legs and a cloak. The eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?"
"Who am I? I can ask you the same thing. Put that bow down."
She scowled. "Totally. I'd just let a stranger kill me."
He didn't respond for awhile. "What's your name?"
"Azura. Yours?"
The eyes blinked, before the mysterious Pokemon vanished into the darkness.
She woke up, feeling too warm, which was never good. Yet she was in a cold sweat… At the other end of the cave, sitting across the fire was the Jolteon. He was bent over something, but she couldn't make out exactly what. Too tired and nervous to stand, she tried collecting her thoughts. Could he be that mysterious figure in the engine room? The cloak… the…
"Azura. Azura." She turned to her side. Somehow, Zephyr had gotten right next to her without her noticing. She jumped in surprise.
"Ah! How'd you get here so quick?"
He frowned. "Umm… am I not a Jolteon?"
"Oh yeah… right…"
"Anyways, the sun is going to be coming up soon. Your friend should be getting concerned about you…"
"Yeah. Thrymr… well, he gets ticked off at me a lot… he seems to be super concerned… he's just like my mom…"
He nodded. "Well, he'll do good protecting you, I think. I've listened to him, and he seems to really know what he is doing. Keeping up with a legendary is no small feat."
"I know… I just wish he'd stop worrying about me…"
"Let's go."
The two of them walked out of the small cave side by side. The sun's rays were already shining up, but the beautiful sphere had yet to rise up. Dead leaves crunched with each step they took.
"Azura."
"Yeah?"
"You two were headed to defeat Palkia, if I'm not mistaken, right?"
"Yes. Well, he was, but I'm certain I could help him take down that legendary."
"Please listen." His voice was serious. "My sister vanished quite recently, along with her mate. I've heard people saying it was Palkia. I don't know if this is true, but… well, please look for her when you guys are up there."
"Your sister? What's her name?"
"Her name is Madison. She's a Leafeon."
Dah duh! What will happen next? Read n' review!
