Chapter 6:

Crash-Landing

"We are all on Earth to help others: what on earth the others are here for I don't know," W. H. Auden

Majyk blinked, eyes adjusting to the sudden darkness in the room he had just entered. There was no source of light in it, making it very hard to see anything. He sighed. "Shadow, I know you like the dark, but you really should at least put a candle in here."

A chuckle came from the corner of the room. "Sorry, master. You're the only other one who comes here. It didn't seem important."

With barely a second of concentration, Majyk summoned a weak, hovering light just bright enough to see the room with. On the bed in the corner, a black and red form shifted, blocking the light from his eyes with his arm. "Hey! Warn me next time, would you?"

Majyk's lips curled into a slight smile. "How are you feeling, Shadow?"

The arm lowered slowly, revealing two blue eyes behind it. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Majyk was able to make out a bit more of his form. Black-furred body, red mane, clawed fingers. On first glance a perfectly normal zoroark, discounting the small red streak of fur around his neck and the snow-white streaks that ran through his long mane. Majyk was the only one who knew the truth and, if things went well, it would stay that way.

"Sore," the zoroark answered ruefully, "Not as much as Team Firestrike or Snowpaw I'd wager, but still…"

"And how is your side?" Majyk asked. Shadow shifted nervously. The alakazam's eyes glared at him. "You haven't been tampering with the bandage again, have you?"

"It was digging into me and making it hard to sleep," Shadow muttered defensively. Majyk crossed his arms and the zoroark sighed. "Sorry…Still can't believe how much energy that cacturne drained from me…"

At the mention of the guild's dead attacker, Majyk stiffened. "It was…a most unusual Pokémon."

"A monster…" Shadow agreed. He closed his eyes and dropped his head. "Master…am I a monster too?"

Majyk looked at him sharply. "Certainly not! If anything, you're a hero!"

"Well, yes…" Shadow agreed hesitantly, "But…what was I before you found me? I…I've tried to remember, but it's like everything in my life before I woke up on that island is…it's a giant blank spot." He looked up, pain in his eyes. "Why am I not allowed to show myself to the rest of the guild? Why do I have to do everything in secret? If I'm a hero, why am I hiding from the ones I'm saving?"

"In time, you will step into the light," Majyk assured him, "But for now, the world is not ready for one with your…power to appear again. Just be patient."

Shadow's shoulders slumped. "I will try, master."

Majyk smiled and patted his shoulder. "Good. Now, lie down please. I'll tend to your injury." Shadow nodded and mutely rolled onto his side.

"Once upon a time, in a far-away land, there was king who went by the name of Ferdinand. He was renowned throughout the land for his enormous appetite, but some of his subjects thought that was not quite right. "How can a king eat so much?" they asked themselves, "There's barely any food left for us on our shelves!"

"So they gathered together and conjured up a plan. They chose one to represent them, the people of the land. He was a tiny little umbreon named Shadowsong, whose body was small but ears were long.

"He marched up to the castle with his head held high, up to the towers that reached to pierce the sky. He knocked on the doors with a 'Bang! Bang! Bang!' It echoed through the halls and through the towers rang. "Oh your majesty!" he called in a voice loud and clear, "I come from all your subjects with a message for you to hear! Now, you've been eating all our food, you see, and that is something we just cannot let be. And so, in light of your gross food attraction, we hereby declare a food revolution!"

"Ferdinand was puzzled by this and rose from his throne. Underneath his ponderous weight his legs gave a groan. The snorlax king waddled up to the top of the wall, and there saw a sight that nearly made him fall. Peasants armed with spears of celery topped with carrots! They stood in a line, surrounding him and his high-topped turrets. "Guards!" King Ferdinand called in desperation, "Come quick! Post-haste! It's a food revolution!"

"The guards came running quickly, armed with tomatoes, to which the peasants responded with a salvo of potatoes. "Load the catapults!" the captain shouted aloud, which the guards did with fervor proud. From the catapults they launched Razz Berry Pie, which flew up, up, up into the sky. "Load them again! Faster!" the captain said louder, and this time the guards loaded them with chowder.

"The peasants responded with a volley of cabbage, which the king thought to be quite savage. Cakes, pies, apples, and various types of berry, really anything that they could carry. Bushels of wheat and bundles of barley, even the old baker, Barnabas Farley.

"The battle raged on, into the night, and by morning there was quite a sight. All the food in the land lay on the ground, trampled and stepped on, scattered all round. The king and the peasants wailed in dismay, and all together they rued the sad day. Then, to the front stepped Shadowsong, whose body was small but ears were long. "Friends," he said, "We are left without food, various and sundry, so I suggest we conquer another country!"

"The peasants cheered, the king was delighted, arm in arm they went off to have their dilemma righted. And so began the Great Food Fights of the Continent of Caltoo, and if you don't believe me, here's a pie for you!"

Bolt finished his singing with a flourish and bowed to the cheers and laughter of his audience. Keski sighed and began cleaning the (very delicious) pie off his face. The wounded Starchasers were sort of a captive audience, but Bolt was not a bad entertainer so they didn't mind. Cyon was even considering asking him to perform at the Harvest Festival, if he and Keski were still around. He secretly hoped that they were delayed, though he never would have told them that.

"That was absolutely delightful, Bolt!" the male glaceon said from where he was seated in the infirmary.

"Yeah, it was pretty neat," Medi agreed, organizing supplies in the corner, "Remember that Cotton is sleeping in the next room, so don't be too loud."

"Thank you, thank you!" Bolt said with a grin, "Any other songs?"

"That wasn't real singing," Blitz growled, "That was just talking in rhythm with slightly musical qualities."

"On the contrary!" Bolt said indignantly, "It's what's known as a Patter Song. It's often used in drama and theater."

"Oh really?" Blitz said in disbelief, "And how do you know?"

"I studied it," Bolt replied, "I'm a bard, remember?"

"Yeah…" Blitz grunted.

"Well there you go!" Bolt said brightly, smiling at him, "So…once again, anyone want to hear another song?"

"I'm good with whatever," Mendigo said, a bandage wrapped around his body to help him mend the crack in his shell.

"How about… Battle Start!" Corona asked.

"Or, Evening Melody?" Cia suggested.

"Ugh, no." Corona wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Sorry, Cia, I'm with Corona on this one," Yuki said.

"I want to hear how he beat that hariyama again," Blitz said gruffly.

Bolt looked quizzically at him. "But…I already told you. Twice."

"And I still don't believe you," the arcanine responded.

"Well then, why would you believe it the third time?" Bolt asked.

"Just…gah! Shut up!" Blitz snapped, reddening, "I still don't think it happened quite that way…"

"Well it did," Keski said from his seat in the corner, "I was there and I still don't quite believe it."

A knock came at the door. "Come in!" several voices chorused. The door opened seemingly of its own accord and Emerald waltzed in, a businesslike expression on her face.

"Good morning, everyone, I hope you're all feeling well." Not waiting for a response, she beckoned both Bolt and Keski over. "Would both of you come here a minute? There's something we need to discuss."

Keski slid off the high stool he had taken and nodded. "Sure thing. Come on, Bolt."

Bolt bowed to the occupants of the room. "I'll be back later! Don't kill each other now!"

"If they try it, I'll be very ticked with them!" Medi called over her shoulder. She grinned and brandished her claws. "And I've been dying to try my hand at dissection. Who knows? I might be good at it!" She winked at Keski, who hurriedly stepped out of the room.

"So what's up?" he asked Emerald as she closed the door behind the three of them.

"Simple, you two are going out today," she answered, "Kachi has offered to watch you and Team Tails today. He gets a day off, you get to go out and see the town, and Ryke and Mina get out of my hair for a few hours! Everyone wins!" She cleared her throat. "Plus, Chief Pyre and Master Majyk are going to have a rather…lengthy discussion and they don't want non-guild members around."

"Ah," Keski said, "In that case, we will be glad to go out with Kachi."

Bolt grinned. "Now we can go to the beach and build those sandcastles!"

The lucario sighed. "Yes, Bolt, we can build sandcastles."

"And go swimming in the ocean!"

Keski gulped. "Um, no. You're an electric type."

Emerald chuckled. "Well, if you have anything to get ready, I suggest you do it now because he is going to be here shortly."

"Right!" Bolt said, darting off, "To lunch then!" Keski shrugged and followed.

Upon their arrival in the main hall, Keski was almost tackled to the ground by Ryke. The riolu leapt right at his chest, latching onto his shoulders and wrapping his legs around the lucario's ribs. "Hey! Did you hear?! Officer Kachi is taking us out and you're coming with us!

"Yes…" Keski said, trying to pry him off, "I just heard that from Emerald." Ryke grinned and clambered up to rest on his shoulders. Keski growled. "Off!"

"No! I like it up here!"

"Too bad! Get off!" Keski snapped. Across the room, Bolt grinned at him. "Wipe that grin off your face, Bolt! Or I'll come for you next!"

Mina nudged Keski's leg. "Grab his tail. It will help get him off," she whispered.

"Mina!" Ryke shouted in alarm. She smirked and shrugged. "Traitor…"

"Grab his tail, huh?" Keski suddenly reached for it, hiding a grin.

"Ah! No!" Ryke curled his tail up tight, trying to avoid Keski's grip, but the lucario snagged it. He pulled Ryke off his shoulders and over his head, then let the riolu dangle upside down in the air. The riolu crossed his arms and glared. "No fair."

Keski raised an eyebrow. "What's not fair? And doesn't this hurt?"

"Mina helped you!" Ryke said, "And yes, it does hurt, but not enough to make me complain about it!" He twisted a bit in mid-air, trying to get loose. "So…you just going to hold me upside down like this?"

"Yes," Keski said impassively, swinging the riolu by the tail over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and taking a seat at the service bar. Skipper looked up and chuckled. "Can I get a scone?" Keski asked politely.

"Aye, that ye can," the floatzel said, opening a cupboard and handing him one, "Here ye are."

"Hey! I want a scone!" Ryke protested from behind Keski's back.

"I want a scone too!" Bolt said, suddenly appearing in the seat next to Keski.

"Alright! Alright! Trim your sails a bit, mates…" Skipper muttered, fetching two more scones. Just then, Mina hopped up onto another stool. Skipper glared at her. "An' I suppose ye'll be wanting a scone as well, eh?"

"No," she said, "I'd like two please."

Skipper sighed. "Sure thing, lass."

"Hey! Why does she get two! I want two!" Ryke protested from behind Keski's back, "And…this is starting to hurt, so can I be put down now?" Keski promptly set him on the empty stool next to him. The riolu sat up straight and massaged the base of his tail, taking a sharp breath. "Yeah, that hurts now…Anyway, can I have another scone now?"

"Sure, why not? Eat all me scones…" Skipper said, making a grand gesture with his hand.

"Okay!" Ryke and Bolt chorused happily. Ryke's tail wagged happily, heedless of the fact that moments ago he had been holding it in pain.

"I was being sarcastic…" Skipper muttered.

"Aw…" the two moaned, ears drooping. Ryke brightened suddenly and jumped in Keski's lap.

"What the…? No!" Keski growled, grabbing the riolu and setting him back on his own chair. "Care to tell me when I became your favorite jungle gym?"

Ryke grinned at him. "You and Bolt beat that hariyama! I want to learn from you so I can become stronger! That means I must stay close to you at all times!"

"…" Keski stared at him. "No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"You might as well give up," Mina said, "He's talked about you all last night. He won't let this go so easily."

"Nope! I won't!" Ryke agreed, grinning up at Keski eagerly, "Come on! Just show me how you do things! That's all I'm asking!"

"And you might as well give up," Bolt said, "I try this sort of thing all the time. It only works about half the time, and I know how to do it better!"

"Yeah, but do you do this?" Ryke put his face right in the lucario's and, with wide, tearful eyes, said, "Pleeeeeeeeease?"

"That's a dirty trick…" Keski growled, "Alright! I'll show you a few techniques! Happy?"

"Yes," Ryke said with a happy smile.

"Will you get off me now?" Keski pled, "And stay off?"

"Sure." Ryke carefully stepped back onto his stool and began balancing on one footpaw for no apparent reason. Keski stared at him and sighed.

"Now what are you doing?" he asked.

"Practicing my balance, of course!" Ryke answered.

"Right…" Keski muttered, "Of course. How could I have thought otherwise?"

The front door opened. "Hello, Starchasers!" Kachi's voice called. The pikachu entered grinning, his little sister beside him. "So I hear I'm playing babysitter today."

Meadow looked Bolt and Keski over unsurely. "Big brother, I think they're a bit old for babysitting…"

Kachi laughed and patted her head. "True, very true. But, I got the day off for it, so let's not bother with the details, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed.

Skipper pulled a large picnic basket from behind the counter, instantly drawing Bolt and Ryke's attention. "Here, why don't ye take this, Keski. Ye seem more responsible."

Keski accepted the basket with a nod and peeked inside. Bolt and Ryke tried to peer over his shoulders, but he slapped the lid closed before they could so anything. "No you don't!" he growled, turning away from them and toward Kachi. "So, where are we going?"

"Up to you," the pikachu replied, "Meadow wants to go to the beach, so…"

"Yes! Yes! By all means yes!" Bolt bounced up and down with excitement, drawing stares from everyone present.

"Oookay…" Mina said, "I guess the beach it is!"

Meadow grinned. "Yay! This will be fun!"

"You bet!" Ryke said with a confident grin.

"And you know what we can do?" Bolt asked with a secretive smirk. The pichu and riolu exchanged glances.

"What?" they asked.

"We can build a sandcastle!" Bolt declared. Keski smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Cool," Ryke said.

"Yay!" Meadow cheered. The three of them formed a ring and pranced around in a circle. "We're going to build a sandcastle! We're going to build a sandcastle!" they chorused.

"Oh, what the heck…" Mina muttered. She scampered over and joined the ring, much to Skipper's amusement.

"Well, to the beach then!" Kachi declared, posing dramatically with his paw pointed toward the door, "Forward march!"

Keski shouldered the basket and followed them out the door. As they emerged from the building and made their way down the street, the Pokémon who were outside stopped and stared, whispering to each other. Keski perked his ears up, trying to catch what they were saying.

"Is that them?"

"Yep. Black-furred lucario and a jolteon with a crystal necklace."

"Do you really thing they beat that thing by themselves?"

"There's no way, is there?"

"Are you sure they're the ones?"

"They don't seem strong enough?"

"Mommy, what type of Pokémon is that?"

"A lucario, but I thought they had blue fur…"

"Can't be them."

"Now you know that story can't be true. Just a tall tale that is. Probably started by them to make themselves seem tougher."

"Sure, I'll bet they helped, but I doubt the beat that thing by themselves. Did you see the size of it?"

Keski sighed and stopped trying to listen. "Well, at least the important people know what we did…"

"So where is the beach?" Bolt asked.

"Down by the docks," Kachi answered, "We will have to go on the opposite side of the docks rather than the side we usually go to, since that is where the hariyama is currently buried. Come on. The path down to the docks will be crowded soon, so we best hurry." He stopped suddenly and smacked his forehead. "I forgot something in the storage warehouse. We'll have to make a quick stop there. It's right this way. Come on."

He led them down a side street to the warehouse. It was a low, squat building, because most of the storage space was dug into the stone that made up the foundation. Kachi immediately entered and they followed him. Only Ryke hesitated, pausing at the door. Bolt looked back at him quizzically.

"What's wrong, Ryke?" he asked.

"Well…the owner might not be so thrilled to see me…" Ryke said sheepishly, "Last time I was here, I pulled a prank on him and he told me not to come back…"

"Just wait out here then," Kachi told him, "We won't be long and you can just call out if you need us."

"Yes, Officer Kachi." Ryke sat down on the steps, idly humming as the others went in. He didn't bother paying attention to his surroundings. Why would he? No one in town would try to harm him. As a result, he didn't notice an emolga approaching him until she was almost directly in front of him.

"Hello there," she said in a friendly manner, "Are you a member of the Starchaser Guild?"

"Yep!" Ryke answered proudly, "You must not be from around here."

She looked surprised. "How did you know that?"

Ryke grinned proudly. "Around here, everyone knows I'm part of Team Tails, the Starchaser Guild's up and coming best adventurers!"

"Is that so?" the emolga asked, amused, "How interesting." She sat next to him. "So…what's your name?"

Ryke hesitated, not even sure why he did. Something just didn't seem right to him. A vague sense in the impression he got from her that she was not to be trusted. However, then she smiled at him and placed a paw on his shoulder. Hearts seemed to swim before his vision and he relaxed. Suddenly, she seemed the most beautiful thing in the world. He was horrified with himself that he hadn't immediately trusted her. "You can tell me," she said, "You can tell me everything…"

"What…what do you want to know?" he asked, eyes wide as he realized she was paying such close attention to him. Anything he could do to keep her happy and focused on him he would willingly undertake.

She smiled. "Tell me about your visitors, the lucario and the jolteon."


Kachi emerged from the storage facility, leading the way and holding a wrapped package under his arm. "We're ready to go Ryke," he said. The riolu didn't move, staring off down the street wistfully. "Ryke?"

The riolu blinked, snapping out of it. "Oh! Hi guys! There was an emolga just here, but she left when she heard you all coming out…Whoops! Wasn't supposed to say that…" They looked at him strangely. "What?"

"You must be mistaken," Kachi said slowly, "the only emolga in this town is visiting from the capitol."

Ryke blinked. "Oh. It's…it's probably not important anyway." He rose and gestured impatiently. "Come on! Beach time!"


Roxy huffed in annoyance, watching the mysterious jolteon and lucario head down the path to the beach and docks. The riolu hadn't known anything useful other than that the two were being held by the Starchaser Guild until they could work out a small issue with the police. That, however, had given her the next place to look. The police would need to verify their identities, which she, as a representative of the central government, would be entitled to review if she so wished. However, for now, she wanted to watch them a bit more. And besides, they were going to the beach. A bit of relaxation would be nice after days of travel.


Bolt grinned as the ocean came in sight. Waves crashed along the rocky shore, which has less sand than he had hoped but still enough to provide the makings for a decent sandcastle. Without further ado, he dashed into the surf, whooping and hollering excitedly. Meadow, Ryke, and Mina ran after him, laughing. They leapt into the water and collectively gave short yips of surprise as they found themselves receiving tiny electric shocks.

"It tickles!" Meadow giggled.

"You're an electric type!" Mina countered, "It does a bit more than 'tickle' for me!"

"Ow! This is awesome!" Ryke declared, "It makes my skin feel numb!"

"It's my fault," Bolt said apologetically, "My electricity is stored in my fur, so it kind of leaks out in the water…"

"I'm getting out!" Mina declared.

"I'm staying in!" Ryke counter-declared, grinning.

"Why?" Mina demanded.

"I've dared myself to see how long I can take it!" Ryke explained, "It'll be awesome!"

"I've already got used to it," Meadow added. She took a deep breath and dived under the water. After a moment, Bolt dove after her and resurfaced with her on his head.

"Tag!" he said, "You're it!"

"Wait, wha-?" She was unceremoniously dumped back in the water and emerged, spluttering. Bolt was already a few feet away, furiously swimming. Meadow giggled and gave chase. "Whee! Gonna getcha, Mr. Bolt!"

On the shore, Keski went through the contents of the picnic basket: several casseroles and a pie plus a pitcher of berry juice. It would make a good dinner, he decided, though he resisted the temptation to go ahead and have some now. He did, however, remove the blanket and spread it out on the beach to sit on. Stretching out to his full length, he fell back onto the blanket and let the sun warm his fur. He closed his eyes contentedly. Kachi plopped down beside him, but stayed sitting up.

"So…" the officer began, "I take it you're not one for swimming."

Keski sighed. "Not here, no."

Kachi's ears perked up slightly, but he forced himself to appear uninterested. "But at home?"

Keski opened one eye and peered at him. "I'm a Steel-type. I sink fairly quickly."

"Ah." The pikachu nodded. "That makes sense…" He glanced down at the package under his arm and cleared his throat. "Um, I…well, I have something for you. You and Bolt, really. It's kind of to say thank you. For everything you did for this town."

Keski blinked in surprise. "Oh, so that package in the storage was something for us? Thanks, Kachi. What is it?" The pikachu smiled and held it out to him. He accepted it and tore it open. Inside was a coin purse filled to the brim with gold. Keski's eyes widened. "Is this…?"

"A fifty gold pieces. To help pay off your fine," Kachi said, rubbing the back of his head in a sort of embarrassed way, "My parents left and my sister and I a bit before they went off to war. They never came back, so I kinda grew up fast and started taking care of Meadow. This is some of it, but we both decided that this was the least we could do for you."

A grateful smile spread across Keski's face. "Wow. Thank you. This is…an incredible gift."

Kachi laughed. "It's only money. People are more important. That's part of the reason I'm a member of the police: to protect the members of this community." He indicated the blue sash he wore with pride. "You don't wear this unless you're willing to put yourself in harm's way. May not be as glorious as being a member of a guild, but…" He smiled somewhat distantly. "I'm content. And that's something that riches and glory could never bring me."

"Still," Keski said, "It's part of the last gift your parents gave you. That is a treasure of incalculable price."

The pikachu shrugged. "You and Bolt have had a bad string of luck. You got on Malik's bad side and got fined because of it, then you saved the town and got fined for it. You could have just sat back and let us fight the hariyama and no one would have blamed you, but you both stepped up and defeated him. You didn't deserve the fine for it…"

"Yeah…" Keski growled, "But this makes up for it." He shook his head. "I mean…I never would have expected this. Everyone's been kind and friendly, but this…this is a whole new level."

They both turned when they heard Ryke's voice. "Okay! Okay! I'm done!" he shouted, hopping from paw to paw, "It hurts now! I'm done. Ow." He waded gingerly out of the water and collapsed onto a sandy patch of the beach, sighing contentedly. He raised a paw victoriously. "Two minutes by my count!"

"Nope. That was three minutes," Mina said.

"Hey! That's even better!" Ryke rested his chin on his fore-paws and looked up at Keski. "Dare you to beat my time, Keski!"

"I decline," Keski replied, disinterested.

"Aw come on!"

"Nope."

Bolt bounded up onto the beach next to Ryke, fur dripping. He shook furiously, spraying water in every which direction. Ryke yelped in surprise and leapt to his feet, scrambling away. Bolt blinked, staring at him in confusion. "What got into you?"

"Electrified drops of water!" the riolu responded hotly.

"I thought you wanted to be electrified…" Bolt said, ears drooping.

"Not now! I wasn't prepared for it…" Ryke muttered.

"Hey Bolt," Keski said, "Come here a minute, okay?"

Dutifully, the jolteon trotted up, curious. "What's up?" he asked. Keski held up the purse of gold coins. Bolt's eyes widened. "Wha…?! Where did you get that?!"

"Kachi gave it to us," Keski answered, "As a gift."

Bolt's eyes shone with happiness and gratitude. "Wow…" he said, "Thanks, Kachi!"

The pikachu laughed. "You're welcome! Thank Meadow too, though. She agreed to it."

"Yep!" his sister said, smiling and nodding her head, "Now let's build a sandcastle!"

Instantly, she, Ryke, and Mina scurried off to a particularly sand spot. Bolt, however, lingered just long enough to nuzzle Kachi gratefully before he too scampered off.

"So…I guess the real question is when Cascade can confirm our identities," Keski mused.

"Yeah, I suppose so…" Kachi agreed, "It shouldn't be too long. The information on your home is expected to come next time the mail is delivered." He paused and cleared his throat. "You know," he said, "You're welcome to stay with us."

Keski's head snapped around, his eyes sharp. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" The pikachu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I, at least, would like to see you stay. You saved the town, after all. You're, well, heroes and all that. I realize you're not perfect, but nobody is so I won't hold that against you! But after you're released from the guild's, admittedly lax, custody, I thought you would need a place to stay until you get the final bit of the second fine paid off. Meadow and I don't have a huge place, but it's comfortable and warm. It would be a tight fit with you two in it, but we could make do. You could stay with us even after you paid off your fine, if you wanted."

Keski cracked a smile. "Thanks, but we need to find Bolt's sister. She left with no warning and we were all very worried. I don't think you could make Bolt stay until we've found her and convinced her to come back."

"But…after that…" Kachi said, holding out to the last, "Would you come back?"

The words echoed through his brain, setting off a torrent of voices like small stones set off a landslide. Hey! Kid, come back here! Come back here, that's an order! Come back and fight! Come back, my son. Come back to me. Come back, traitor! Traitor! Traitor! TRAITOR! Keski stiffened, gripped the sand between his forepaws with something akin to anger. Kachi was, understandably, confused. "I'm sorry, did I say something?"

Keski blinked, coming back to the present, and shook his head. "No, just…memories. It's not important."

Meanwhile, the four younger Pokémon had decided to each build their own sandcastle and see who could make the best. Ryke grinned inwardly, figuring he'd have the advantage thanks to his hand-like paws. However, he was quickly disillusioned. Bolt expertly piled sand together, being very picky about the consistency and dampness of what type he chose to go where. The stuff with a few shells mixed in got put in the center, lending support to a quite tall tower he was erecting by in essence shoving it in place with his legs and sides, sometimes even his head.

"Well," Mina said, standing beside her own pile of sand, watching Bolt use his nose and the tips of his claws to sculpt the surface into a stone-like pattern, "I think we know who is winning this contest…"

"Yeah," Ryke agreed, grimacing, "Well! Congratulations, Bolt. You win…fifteen minutes of fame."

Bolt looked up from his work and blinked. "Oh, I just have a lot of practice with this. My sister and I loved to make these on the beach when my dad took us down there." He smiled, happy memories coming to him. "It's a bit of a trek from the base of the mountain to the beach, so we rode on his back and played hide-and-seek in his mane. It would be hard for me to fit now that I'm not an eevee, but my sister still is so…she could, if we could find her." He sighed heavily. "Wish she knew why she left…"

Meadow sat down next to him and patted his leg. "What's she like?"

Bolt smiled. "Well for one thing, she can be very sarcastic. Sometimes she's mean to me too, but I deserve it. She used to say I'd forget my own tail if it wasn't attached to my spine, but then I evolved into a jolteon so I'd be the same type as Dad and suddenly she had to find a different snarky comment to use."

"Aw…but tails are awesome…" Ryke said, disappointed.

Meadow cocked her head to the side. "She doesn't sound very nice or fun…"

Bolt laughed. "Not always, but she's my sister and I love her! I'll always love her and Dad because they are my family."

Mina wasn't paying attention, which Bolt found a bit rude but not enough to be worth commenting on. However, when she stiffened and stared at something, he took notice. "What is it?" he asked.

"Something's down by the water," she said, "Something red and white…"

Bolt scanned the waves. It was not hard to pick out the form Mina had seen. Whoever it was floated limply in the surf, tossed by each wave. "Stay here," he said, not taking his eyes off it, "I'll check it out." Before they could protest, he took off, spraying sand behind him.

The strange Pokémon did not move as he approached. A thin, triangular head barely rested above the water, allowing it to breath, while a much plumper body rested below the surface, attached by a long, slender neck. Fine white and red feathers, water-logged from the ocean, ran up and down its body. What color its eyes were, Bolt could not tell because they were tightly closed, giving its face a pained expression. However, what most drew and deserved his attention was a long gash down the other Pokémon's side. He hesitated for a moment, then turned and ran up the beach past the small group of sandcastles.

"Kachi! Keski!" Suddenly, Bolt came to a skidding halt in front of them, eyes wide with concern and talking at a million miles an hour. "There's a Pokémon on the beach! I think she's hurt! Come quick!"

Kachi was instantly on his feet, dashing in the direction that Bolt had come from. Keski took a moment longer, debating whether to follow or interrogate Bolt for further details. In the end, concern for the Pokémon won out and he ran after Kachi, Bolt hot on his heels.

"Ryke! Mina! Meadow!" Kachi called, taking charge of the situation, "Come over here! Let's get her out of the water!"

Together, they crowded around the unknown Pokémon and half-lifted half-dragged her out of the water. Even Keski forgot his reservations and plunged in, taking the majority of her weight upon himself. Even so, he made sure the water did not go up past his knees. They brought her, wings, paws, and all, onto the beach and out of the surf. Meadow gasped in horror when she saw the wound down the Pokémon's side.

"Big brother Kachi! Big brother KachI! Look! She's hurt!" she said, tugging on his arm.

"I see that, Meadow," Kachi said sadly.

She looked up at him with wide, watering eyes. "Can we help her?"

Her brother gave her a determined smile and clenched a fore-paw. "Course we can! Why don't you and Mina run and get help from the town?"

Meadow nodded reluctantly and patted the unconscious Pokémon's side. "Please be okay…whoever you are." With that, she dashed off toward the town on all fours with Mina. Kachi turned to the remaining three.

"Right!" he said, "Do any of you know any healing skills?" Keski, Bolt, and Ryke exchanged glances. "Didn't think so…" the pikachu sighed, "Ryke! Keep a watch on that wound. If it reopens, put pressure on it."

"But…what if it bleeds on me?" Ryke asked.

Kachi glared at him. "Then suck it up! This is someone's life we're talking about here! Bolt!" The jolteon jerked upright. "If she shows any signs of waking, let me know!"

Bolt saluted. "Aye, captain!"

"Keski…" Kachi said, turning, "you and I will try to keep her stable, if we can. First, we need to get the water out of her lungs." The lucario nodded. Kachi climbed on top of her stomach and jumped lightly while Keski pressed down. A small stream of water flowed out of her mouth and she coughed, but instantly she began drawing ragged breaths.

"Her side is bleeding now!" Ryke warned. Kachi muttered a curse under his breath and scrambled over.

"Keep pressure on it!" he ordered, "Bolt! Run and get the picnic blanket! We'll use that as a temporary bandage." Bolt nodded and ran at top speed. Kachi looked over at Keski. "So…don't know exactly how this works, but can you sense anything from her?"

"Yes," Keski replied, "She is very weak right now, but her aura is impressive. Not…powerful, but impressive nonetheless."

"Is she in danger of dying? That's all I need to know," Kachi demanded.

Keski frowned and shook his head. "No, no immediate danger of that. Life is still strong in her. As long as she doesn't bleed out or drown, she'll be fine for the present. But she does need treatment."

Kachi sighed. "Probably should have checked that first. Well, the Starchaser's infirmary is already packed, but Astro should be able to leave now. We can trade out him for her, I suppose." His ears drooped. "So many injuries…"

Bolt arrived back with the blanket, which Kachi immediately ordered be torn into strips of cloth immediately. They wrapped these around their patient's body, stemming the flow of blood. Her breathing evened out some and, having done all they could do, the four of them stepped back, heaving sighs of relief.

Suddenly, she coughed and another trickle of seawater dribbled out of her mouth. "W-water…" she croaked, "Please…"

"Ah! Yes ma'am!" Kachi said awkwardly, "Keski! Ryke! Get the picnic basket and bring it back here! Quickly!" The two silently nodded and raced away.

Bolt approached her head and sat down, a wide, friendly smile on his face. "Hello there! My name is Bolt. Don't worry! We rescued you and you're safe now."

"E-eon…" she forced out of her dry throat, beginning to stir frantically, "Where is…?"

Bolt hushed her. "Just rest for now. After you drink something, you can talk a little, okay?"

She swallowed whatever liquid was in her throat, calming down slightly. "O-okay…"

Shortly, Keski and Ryke returned. The lucario removed a flask of soft cider and uncorked it, letting it fall like a miniature waterfall into her open mouth. She swallowed it greedily, letting it wash over her dry, wide maw and down her parched throat. Immediately afterwards, she tried to rise, but Bolt and Keski pushed her back down.

"Whoa there!" Bolt said, as she began to panic and move about, "Careful! Don't move about too much or you'll open your wound again."

"Where is Eon?" she demanded, "Where is my brother? Is he here?"

Bolt shook his head. "No. You're the only one we found. You washed up on the beach here." With this, her eyes went wide with horror and she redoubled her efforts to escape their grip. "Hey! Hey! Calm down!" Bolt said in dismay, "What's your name?"

She blinked slowly and looked up at him. "Eona…" she said, somewhat shyly, "I'm Eona…"

"That's beautiful!" Bolt said, being friendly, "Where are you from? I've never seen anyone like you before."

"South…far south and west. Over the sea," Eona answered, "Eon and I carry important messages for our lords…" She looked desperately at Bolt. "Do you know where he is? He looks like me, but with blue feathers instead of red ones. He…he has to be around here somewhere!"

"Ryke," Kachi whispered, "Check along the shoreline, would you?"

"Yes sir," the riolu replied, setting off.

In the meantime, Bolt did his best to keep Eona calm. "Tell me about yourself," he said cheerfully, "What sort of Pokémon are you?"

"I'm…I'm a latias. The only one of my kind," she said, "You could call me Latias even, if you wanted, but my name is Eona."

Bolt nodded. "In that case, I've heard stories of you and your brother! Well, some call him your mate, they aren't really clear on that point." Eona looked mortified. "Brother then!" Bolt declared, "So…what were you doing all the way out here?"

"That's…confidential," she answered nervously, "And I won't tell you! Not even if you torture me!"

"Who said anything about torture?" Bolt asked, confused, "I'm not going to torture you! Unless you consider my singing torture. Keski says it is sometimes, when I get a song stuck in my head and sing it over and over again."

Eona relaxed, relieved. "Eon says the same thing…"

"How rude, right?" Bolt said, nodding his head sympathetically.

"Right," she agreed, chuckling.

"Fortunately for him, I know lots of songs!" Bolt said proudly, "Would you like to hear one?"

She hesitated. "No, no thank you," she said, clearing her throat calmly and very much unlike the panicked wreck that she had been a short while ago, "I just want to know where Eon is."

Bolt's ears drooped in disappointment. "Well, we haven't found him yet, but we'll keep looking. And soon we're going to carry you into town and get you some proper medical care." He looked her over, scanning her bandage and a few smaller injuries critically. "If it's not too much bother, how did you get so beat up?"

Before she could answer, the sound of many Pokémon approaching interrupted any further conversation. Meadow led the way, followed by Team Tremor, Emerald, and Medi, who lagged behind and was breathing heavily. "Over here! This way! Hurry! She's hurt bad!" the pichu called. Within seconds they surrounded Eona. However, since no one but Medi was skilled enough to improve her condition anymore than it had been, they began asking at least a dozen questions each in the space of twenty seconds. She looked around with wide, frightened eyes, stammering out half-articulate responses to one or two, but unable to do more.

"Everyone stand back!" Medi ordered, pushing her way through. The weavile panted and dropped to her knees beside her new patient. "Here," she said, holding out a cup filled with medicine, "Oran Berry concentrate. It will take the edge off and help prevent infection." Eona accepted it and Medi sat back, wiping sweat from her brow. "Cotton seriously needs to get back to work…" she muttered under her breath, "Running in this heat is a killer…"

"It's not hot though," Sunsoarer said, stretching his arms and wings out in a relaxed manner, "It's actually quite pleasant."

"Perfect for a nap!" Stuffy agreed.

Medi glared daggers at him. "Why don't you do something helpful and help me get…what's your name dear?"

"Eona…"

"Why don't you help me get Eona back to the guild?" Medi snapped. The flygon raised his arms in a placating gesture.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Kachi agreed, "A hot bath and nice bed will do wonders for you, Eona."

The latias blinked at him. "And you are?"

The pikachu saluted with a friendly grin. "Sergeant Kachi of the Seaside Crest Police Force, ma'am. I'll organize a search party for your brother, don't you worry."

She smiled as Sunsoarer, Stuffy, and Naila lifted her into the air, with Emerald's telekinetic assistance. "Thank you, Officer Kachi."

He smiled and turned to Bolt and Keski. "Sorry about this, but it looks like I'll be cutting your beach-day short."

"It's fine," Keski said, waving his concern away, "After all, as you said, people are more important."

Kachi nodded. "Come on, Meadow," he said, smiling at her, "Let's go find Ryke before he gets himself lost."

Meadow giggled, though it was somewhat lesser than normal due to her concern. "Yeah, cause Ryke is a dummy!"

"Something like that…" Kachi said, rolling his eyes. The pair set off down the beach in the direction the riolu had gone while Keski and Bolt followed the Starchasers up the path into town. To their amazement, Eona turned invisible as they drew close, almost causing Team Tremor to drop her.

"Sorry!" she called, "I just…don't want to be seen by everyone. I'd rather the entire town didn't know I was here."

"Well we look like idiots then," Sunsoarer complained, "Holding our hands in the air when there is nothing to be seen!"

"Sorry…" Eona muttered, "But that's just the way it's going to be."

Emerald sighed. "Half a moment…" She closed her eyes and a faint glow surrounded her as she initiated a telepathic conversation with Guildmaster Majyk. "Guildmaster."

After a moment, he replied. "Yes? What is it? I'm in the middle of meeting with Chief Pyre. He is understandably concerned about the safety of the town."

"We have a slight problem."

"Well? What is it now?"

"It is not dangerous, but it would be easier to explain in person. Could you teleport me and everyone in my vicinity into the main room of the guild?"

"Give me a moment."

Emerald turned to those around her. "Close your eyes."

Bolt gave her a funny look. "Why would I-?"

A few seconds later, a flash of light enveloped them all, leaving only Medi behind. She gave a disgruntled growl, glared at the sun, wiped her brow, and set off the for Hall on foot.

"Stupid teleport not affecting Dark-types…" she muttered, "Ugh, I'm sweating like a grumpig. And people wonder why I like to stay underground most of the time…how Team Snowpaw bears it is beyond me…"

Meanwhile, Bolt was blinking rapidly, trying to regain his vision. "I should have listened to you, Emerald…" he muttered, "That was really bright!"

"I warned you," the gardevoir answered with teasing smugness. Eona turned visible again and groaned, drawing everyone's attention. They set her down by the fireplace carefully, being wary of the injury on her side, gave her a blanket and some spiced wine, and then stood hovered around aimlessly unless she should need anything else before Medi or Majyk came to question or tend to her more expertly.

Eona settled comfortably into the blankets. Keski and Bolt settled beside her, enjoying the fire. "How are you feeling?" Keski asked.

"How do you expect I'm feeling?" Eona said ruefully, "My entire body hurts. Sure, the drink helped, but I don't dare move too much so I don't start bleeding. And to top it off, my brother is missing…"

"We don't know that…" Bolt said.

"If he were here, then weak as I am I would sense him," Eona said with conviction, "But…I've been trying ever since I woke up and…nothing." She sighed forlornly.

Keski leaned forward. "If I may ask, what exactly happened to you?"

Eona closed her eyes and swallowed. "We were…attacked. By Lord Rayquaza."