Nate's knee slammed against the rock and he ground his teeth together at the sudden sharp pain. He tried to cling tighter to prevent it from happening again. His fingers scrabbled over the wave-worn boulder, searching for a deeper crevice. His jeans and jacket stuck to his skin, the soaked garments not holding in much warmth. Cold water surged again, threatening to pull himself and Mira from the rock they clung to. Sheer dogged effort had kept them from slipping off so far. Mira hadn't released Vinegar or Ren, knowing they'd be pretty useless in a battle for survival like this. A small part of Nate's mind that wasn't focused on survival shuddered at the sound of an unsettling screech from somewhere unseen along the coastline.
Another wave crashed against the pair of Cianwooders, striking with more ferocity than before. Back home they would have called this a storm, although the wind was nothing to write home about. He'd once read in a book that Seafoam was notorious for its navigational hazards. More shipwrecks occurred in this region than the rest of the continent combined.
The waves grew ever stronger. It felt like the ocean was getting the heavy artillery out. Not for the first time did Nate wish desperately Mira or himself had a pokémon with Surf.
His wish grew into a desperate, soul-crushing need as a wall of water slammed into him from his blind side. Both teenagers were swept away from the rock that had given them a measure of shelter.
"Mira!" Nate shouted.
Nate didn't hear her voice call back. He couldn't have responded, anyways, with the mouthful of saltwater that had poured down his throat. He alternately retched and gasped for air as the ocean seethed all around him. Arms paddling furiously to stay above the surging wave, his stomach dropped as the next trough brought him tumbling down. Nate looked up wildly as the next crest appeared. It loomed like a skyscraper in front of him. It hit with crushing force. Nate sank under the blow. He couldn't see anything for several precious seconds. He kicked as hard as he could. In the dim pre-dawn light he could barely see which way was up. Luckily he got it right and broke the surface after almost a minute under, drawing a grateful breath. The last wave must have carried him into a calmer patch of the coast. He was brutally reminded that 'calmer' was a relative thing as the next wave engulfed him.
Nate couldn't see Mira anywhere. In the gaps between waves his frantic searching didn't find the rock they'd been clinging to, either. He couldn't make out anything more than the direction of dry land. He swam hard towards the shoreline. He couldn't spare the time to worry about how to climb the small rocky cliff making up the water's edge. Progress was slow against the shipwrecking currents. Continued roaring off in the distance didn't help his rattled nerves any.
Nate felt the very real possibility that he might die this early in his journey. Instead of making him terrified or bitter, it just made him furious. What the hell kind of trainer died before catching a single wild pokémon?
Thus driven by fear of being embarrassed in the afterlife, Nate put everything he had left into his spastic swimming. Cianwood's second-fastest swimmer gradually approached the shore. The cliffs loomed taller and taller and the small portion of his brain still capable of rational thought began to worry about how he was going to keep from being smashed right into the sheer rock ahead of him.
A mysterious note echoed through the air, followed by a full chord. Soon an eerie song filled the air. Nate brushed off the sounds as another messed up part of this experience. He was close to being in shock. Even in October the water around the Seafoam islands was cold enough to be dangerous. He didn't even know if Mira or Buck were alive. So it was almost inevitable that he couldn't react fast enough as a surging wave carried him forward on the crest. Blessed unconsciousness claimed Nate as the young trainer slammed into the unyielding rock. His body fell limp in the wave trough. Water spilled into his lungs again.
Being unconscious, Nate didn't see or hear his savior. Buck, collapsed on top of a nearby cliff face, watched in amazement as Articuno descended from the low-lying cloud bank in a burst of unsettling birdsong. The Legendary flapped its wings. A precisely targeted vortex hit the cliff near the water line. Nate's limp body whirled into the air, coming to rest right in front of the bird. Articuno took the young man gently in her beak. A flash of pale blue light blinded Buck for a moment. When he looked back, the Legendary bird had vanished along with young Nate.
Lorelei awoke with a start. Tyche was gently nudging her master. The Ice Queen had only been lightly dozing, so she responded with a quick rub on the Lapras' face to let her know everything was okay. Tyche rumbled appreciatively. Uncharacteristically, though, the pokémon nudged her again, demanding attention. Lorelei took a moment to stretch before standing. The soreness in her muscles from sleeping on insulated ice reminded her that middle age had arrived with a vengeance. She shrugged on her satchel and belt, adjusting it as the leather caught against the padding on her jacket. She glanced around the cavern to see if Duke had returned. Not a trace. Lorelei sighed. She hated when the Dewgong left for weeks at a time like this. It was dangerous for any of his species in the Seafoam Islands with all of the smugglers about. Last she'd heard, the price of Dewgong horns had exceeded their weight in platinum on the Celadon exchange. That had been over three years ago. Still, Duke was too headstrong to let the dangers stop him from his wanderings.
An unexpected sight completely drove these melancholy musings from her mind. A bedraggled stranger lay across Tyche's back. In her general state of grogginess she hadn't noticed the unannounced guest. Tyche mewed, the Lapras suggesting something along the lines of "well don't just stand there gawking like a tourist, get this kid some help."
Lorelei waited as Tyche pushed off of the ice shelf and coasted along for a few seconds. Heaving her bulk up above the waterline, she rolled slowly onto her side. The boy slid off of her back and gently onto the water's edge where a subducting fold of ice had made a kind of loading ramp. Lorelei grabbed the boy's arms and Tyche pushed at his torso, and together they moved him up onto the flat patch where the trainer had just been sleeping. With the speed and skillfulness born of hard experience, Lorelei took the stranger's pulse and temperature before checking for major injuries. It took her some effort to peel back the wet, chilled clothing stuck to his skin. She noted the swelling on his left forearm and the unpleasantly low core temperature with some concern. Still, she couldn't find any signs of critical injuries. That made her job a lot easier. After grabbing a spare blanket she began working on the stranger's arm. Most conveniently, the teenager did not wake until she'd finished the sling.
His first word upon waking was both predictable and forgivable. "Ow." Nate said.
Lorelei nodded. "Indeed."
She put a hand on his right shoulder to keep him from trying to sit up. His face contorted from the pain before he forced it down. Lorelei waited patiently, sitting next to him. Not far away Tyche watched patiently, her huge brown eyes full of concern.
"What…what is this place?" Nate asked slowly. His eyes flicked around the distant cavern roof.
"A cavern within the southernmost Seafoam Island. I daresay that it has never been named by humans. It was not as seriously affected by the explosion as the others. In the short time that you spend here you will find it safe, if not necessarily inviting to an outlander like yourself. You might think of it as a hospital. It has served me well in my years of penance. Perhaps the Seafoam Islands hold a different meaning for everyone."
Nate brought a hand up to his head. "Ow. You're making my head hurt." He closed his eyes for a moment. Nate began a mental catalogue of hurt. Bruises seemed to be everywhere, although there was a particularly large one on his right thigh. It was uncomfortably close to a place he was grateful not to have bruised. His head throbbed, and his throat felt raw and dry. Then of course there was his left arm. Less said, about that, the better. He opened his eyes again and asked for water. Lorelei stood up, returning a few moments later with an oddly shaped canteen. The first gulp made him choke, spitting up cool, refreshing water all over his face. He tried to drink more carefully after that. Nate didn't bother feeling embarrassed in front of this surprisingly attractive woman. Pain and disorientation took up all of his attention.
The woman returned with a thick, waterproof blanket and draped it over Nate's body. Without saying a word she laid the canteen next to him and walked away. He slowly drifted off to sleep. Strange dreams—involving a Pidgeotto in a top hat and Mira wearing lots of leather—plagued him. Tossing and turning in his sleep, he almost rolled into the icy water before Tyche nudged him back onto the ice.
A familiar smell and the comforting sound of a pot cooking over an open fire woke him up some time later. The headache returned fiercer than ever. Nate lay there motionless, eyes still closed, as the desire to get up and eat warred with the need to not move and make the aches and pains worse. Finally his stomach won out and grumbled loudly. He opened his eyes, slightly embarrassed. The woman who'd saved him crouched next to him, holding a glass vial of hazel liquid. She gestured for him to tilt his head up and drink it. Nate shivered as the cold, slimy liquid made its way down his throat, tasting of jasmine and vomit.
He chased the strange brew with blessedly clear water and brushed a bit of sweat from his forehead with his uninjured forearm. The woman put one slim arm around Nate's back and the other grasped his right hand. Together they worked him up into a sitting position. Nate gasped as his back flared up in pain, joining the chorus of agony lead by his head and arm. The woman didn't react, except to walk over to the cooking pot. She stirred it several times, took an experimental taste, and returned to sit next to Nate.
"It will be ready to eat soon," She offered.
"Smells right. You know how to make Harikohlto stew right. It's not from here." He stopped for a moment as a muscle twinged in his left shoulder. Gritting his teeth, he finished, "You've spent time in Cianwood then. And you look familiar. Are you related to—"
She gently interrupted him. "I have not always lived in the Seafoam Islands. It has been several years since I visited western Johto, however. You may rest assured that I have no ancestral ties to Cianwood. I will now assist you in eating a meal. We must finish before the potion comes into effect and releases you back into unconsciousness."
The stew was delicious. In his addled state Nate didn't think to ask how she'd obtained all the spices and root vegetables this far from his home province. At first he tried to feed himself, but after the second spoonful spilled from his shaking fingers he relented. It was embarrassing, although the blush rising onto his cheeks may have been helped as much by the feeling of her warm breath on his cheek as by the humiliation. Eventually his body decided it had eaten enough. The woman helped him to lie back down on the ice, snugly wrapped in the blanket.
Through the fatigue clouding his brain Nate asked, "I didn't thank you yet. What is your name?"
She seemed to hesitate before replying, "Lola."
(((((((((( ^^^^^^^^^
Lucario stopped abruptly, his nose eagerly sniffing the air. Mandy and Alessandro froze, both dropping their right hands to their belts, fingering pokéballs. Lucario turned to the right and walked a few paces. Suddenly he slumped forward onto the grass, dropping like a sack of onions. A mad giggling sounded from everywhere at once, as if it was emanating from the air itself. Mandy flicked her gaze around, searching keenly for a target. She knocked a pokéball from her belt to the ground. The casual motion looked almost accidental. A dark blur streaked from the burst of white light into the tall grass surrounding the path on all sides. Umbreon was followed by a deep purple miasma. Grass stems whipped back and forth. Mandy tried to follow the action by listening to the growls and shrieks of the two battling pokémon. She glanced over at Alessandro, who was staring at his belt.
She blew out the breath she'd been holding. "Either release it or relax. You're making me nervous."
Alessandro pursed his lips. "You're not worried? Lucario got knocked out with one hit."
"That was a surprise attack. Besides, Umbreon has that ghost under control."
In a spectacularly good bit of timing Umbreon burst through the grass back onto the path. In her jaws a large Haunter let out a pained cry. Its phantom arms futilely grasped at the iron jaws clamped around its right shoulder.
Mandy let out a low whistle. "Looks pissed off. Not scared. Does that tell you something?"
"That you spend too much time training?"
Mandy laughed at her partner's cheek. "Alessandro, we've got to get your heart rate up more often. You say the silliest things. But yeah, seriously though, this isn't a wild Haunter. And if I'm not wrong the owner will be showing himself momentarily."
In a second piece of beautiful timing, a black liquid began flowing out of Alessandro's shadow into a pool right in front of the Team agents. Before their stunned eyes the viscous liquid rose up into the air, forming a blob before taking on the approximate shape of a human woman. Alessandro clenched his jaw, thinking rapidly about who this could possibly be. He'd never heard of a non-Psychic teleporting. And this was pretty clearly not a Psychic, even if the ghost-type under its control didn't give that away. He could swear that the face forming in the black ooze was familiar. Something about the cheekbones, or the nose, jabbed at a deeply buried but important memory.
Slowly the inky fluid dripped to the ground. A young woman stood there calmly, letting the rivulets of shadow fluid run their course. She was at least an inch taller than Alessandro, towering over Mandy. Long, straight black hair framed a pale face, contrasting prettily against her purple robes. Mandy's hand quickly went to her belt, preparing to throw out Charizard at a moment's notice. She recognized that color all too well. Saffron.
The mysterious woman spoke first. "Greetings." Her mellifluous voice was followed almost instantly by a deeper, less feminine echo.
Alessandro beat Mandy to the punch, asking "Who are you?"
"Most call me Keiko. You may release my Haunter, if you wish. It will not harm you now."
"Now?" Mandy snorted, not bothered by the bizarre shadow teleportation thing. "It didn't show up with a hand out ready to shake. How do we know we can trust you to keep it on a shorter leash this time?"
Keiko made no gestures, facial or otherwise. Even her inflection stayed the same. "As ever, there are no assurances. You will find it to your advantage to heed my words carefully. I come to you as an envoy. Envoys are traditionally noncombatants. They may speak for their masters and they should never be ignored."
Alessandro brought his left hand up to brush damp strands of hair back from his forehead. "Who exactly do you represent, then? We can't exactly speak for the Team. We'll listen, though, before we decide whether to kill you."
Keiko responded "I am employed by the Lady Sabrina in various capacities. My message is directed at both of you, and need go no further. I urge you to reconsider before wasting effort on attempted murder. You will find that the shadows and the ether will cloak me from any malefaction."
Mandy's eyes shot to the Haunter still trapped in Umbreon's jaws, almost pointing out the obvious (she was pretty sure that malefaction meant pain). Another question bubbled up first, shoving aside immediate concerns about violence. She asked "How can you work for Sabrina if you're a ghost? I mean, an exclusive ghost-trainer?"
A faint hint of color marred Keiko's cheeks. "Not all Saffronites are Psychic, nor do we all shun ethereal companions. There is an effect on my…social life, of course. I will offer a free piece of advice as well. You have no evidence that my companions are all ghosts."
Alessandro felt the beginnings of a headache rising, and wondered idly whether Keiko was hurting his head intentionally or not.
Mandy, seemingly satisfied with Keiko's response, added "I know you must be busy cloaking yourself in darkness and sneaking up on people, so let's get to the point. What does your boss want with us? We're happily employed by the Team right now."
"My Lady Sabrina asks you to cease your pursuit of the wayward Ralts. Critical information pertaining to our common enemy lurks within the little one's mind. You harm everyone in Kanto by impeding the Ralt's journey to Saffron, for so little benefit. She urges you to find a more productive use of your talents."
Alessandro shook his head before Keiko finished. "I'm not falling for that. Our 'common enemy' is safely locked away in Cerulean Cave. We've heard no reports of anything for years. If you want us to give up on our job, you need to try something a little more convincing than that."
Mandy thought it odd that Alessandro was talking like a normal person instead of using big words. Perhaps it had something to do with Lucario being knocked out. She tuned back in as Alessandro shifted into philosophy. It was always amusing to her to hear her otherwise world-savvy partner parroting Team doctrine.
"…Mewtwo is gone forever and the more you worry about it, the more you lose touch with the modern world. This world—the real world—is being shaped right here, right now, by the actions of people like you and me. Instead of waiting for your Dark God return and destroy civilization, you could try taking responsibility for your actions. That's what we do. That's why the Team is the future. You would know that if you spent less time in that precious city of yours."
Keiko appeared as unperturbed as ever. "If you will not trust my Lady's word of honor, then this encounter serves little purpose." A wan smile crossed the face of the young woman, the first unmistakable sign of emotion. For the first time the deep echo vanished. "I promise a more violent encounter when next we meet." Suddenly she started to vanish into a dark mist.
A brief wave of nausea hit Mandy and Alessandro, causing them to lean over clutching their stomachs. When they looked up again Lucario and Umbreon crouched side by side, affecting concerned expressions at their trainers. The Haunter had disappeared. Black flakes drifted in the air where Keiko had been before she dematerialized.
Mandy stretched her arms out and sighed. "This is going to involve a lot of paperwork, isn't it?"
Alessandro nodded, before starting off up the trail, his stride even more determined than normal. Mandy hastened to catch up. She didn't want to stick around when that freak could show up again at any time.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating, I just moved between cities and don't have internet access yet. The next chapter will have a real life pokémon battle in it, I promise.