Eelizabeth's Tale
11
After about twenty minutes of nonstop running for their lives, Elizabeth, Jon, Flashbolt and Ninetails slowed down and stopped for a break. "I think… we lost 'em." Jon wheezed.
"Great… but I think we lost… ourselves too. Where are we?" said Elizabeth, also out of breath.
"We're right here. But I don't know much else, we're lost." Jon admitted.
"Well, logically, we came from that direction," Flashbolt nodded his head in direction that they came from, "so the path was going that way," he nodded in a different trajectory, "So if we go that way," he nodded in a direction that was in between the previously noted points, "then we should end up in Oreburgh."
Jon looked to Elizabeth for translation. "Uh, yeah. That sounds… sounds like a plan." he said.
"But it doesn't matter now." Elizabeth sighed, "They have Latias."
"She'll be fine. We know that she can take care of herself." Jon reminded her.
"Yeah, but we have no leverage for the council!"
"The council?" Ninetails asked.
"Yes, the council of legends. That's where we've been headed this entire time." The eevee explained.
"That name… sounds familiar. But, I can't put my paw on it."
"Oh, it's, it's probably nothing." Flashbolt assured her rather quickly.
"We'll think of something, it isn't like we can turn back now." Jon said, not noticing the small conversation between the pokemon. "I think we should just keep pressing on and hope that the luck goes in our favor." They all began walking.
"Pff, like luck has done much for us so far. Turned into a pokemon, broken machine, almost killed by crazy dragons…" Elizabeth grumbled sarcastically to herself.
Ninetails still looked deep in thought, and Elizabeth asked her, "How do you know the council of ledgends?"
The question looked as though it made her struggle harder to remember. "I, I don't know!" she said, as though she was in pain. "I can't remember anything before I evolved! There isn't anything in my memory of being a vulpix, or things that could have happened while I was! But 'council of legends,' that means something to me. I just can't, I don't know if it means something good or bad."
"Oh, you probably just heard someone talking about it. I'm sure that's it, and it means absolutely nothing else." Flashbolt said, again, quickly and nervously.
"What's your deal?" Elizabeth inquired, and then walked ahead of them with Jon. "Jon, Niney seems stressed, she's trying to remember something."
"Well, I'm not the one that would know. You're the one that can communicate with her."
"I hope Latias is okay." the small fox said, changing the subject.
"Me too Ellie, me too."
***
MEANWHILE…
Latias opened her golden eyes, to see that she was with the rest of the council. She threw up. "Sorry, teleporting just doesn't agree with my stomach."
"Quite alright." Mew said to her. "We are glad to have you back."
"Why exactly am I back?"
"Because we have much more experience in kidnapping than we to in pokemon-human transformation."
"Well learn!" Latias shouted. "Those were good people and you could have killed them!"
"Latias, calm down. I ordered them to avoid murder." Mew declared.
"Well they must not have been thinking about that when they all blasted them with hyper beams!"
"What?!" Mew glared at the four that had been sent out to return Latias.
"Uh, yeah, we did that. This probably doesn't look good." Rayquaza said. Mew shook her head. "Drat."
"Okay, well, that was our fault. But that still does not merit the immense effort it takes to transform pokemon."
"She is not a pokemon, she is a girl, and she is scared, especially after Flashbolt told her what you did last time." Mew looked at her blankly, "You know, last time, the girl, Kate?"
"Oh yeah, too bad about that. So sad." Mew said, sounding less than emotional.
"Mew, we can't wipe her memory. She has had Flashbolt for a pet for 12 years." Several other legendaries sniggered at the thought of Flashbolt as a pet, but were met with silencing glares from Mew and Latias. "If she lost her memory, Flashbolt would just fill her in. And wiping his memory would be breaking our word. And what would we do with the human?"
Mewtwo stepped up. "That depends. Are they in love or something? If so, we could change him into an eevee and let them live out their short, meaningless lives that way." he suggested.
"Ummmm, Noooo. No, they aren't in love as far as I can tell. They're just friends." Latias answered awkwardly.
"That could still work." Mewtwo shrugged.
"Mewtwo, take your seat." Mew commanded.
"I still think I should give orders, I was designed to be better than you." Mewtwo said.
"And yet you aren't. Sit down." Mewtwo reluctantly returned to his seat.
"We could drown them." Groudon said.
"No." Kyogre, Suicune, Lugia, and Manaphy responded at the same time.
"Does anyone care what I have to say in all of this?" Latias asked expectantly.
"Fine, what?" Mew gave in.
"It is amazing the pokemon that the human has captured. He has Flashbolt," several legendaries rolled their eyes, "the previous human Elizabeth Vance, and a Ninetails that you hopefully remember." Several pokemon whispered in confusion, but others nodded in recognition. "Now, like I have said, we cannot wipe the girl's memories, and we can't kill them either," she gave hard looks at several of the more violent, "so I suggest that we either change her back into a human," she waited for the angry shouts to die down, "or, I can't believe I'm saying this, do what Mewtwo has thought of. I personally would be merciful and change her into a human and spare myself the thought of what her human life would be like if we were to do nothing, or the alternative. It isn't like we don't have spare energy to use."
"Why could we not just do nothing? You are here now, so they have nothing else to offer." Ho-oh pointed out.
"They already know we exist, and if they do not get help, their story could be dangerous to this council, possibly attracting trainers." Latias noted.
"Then we could restrict their movements after they get here." Darkrai said.
"True, but forcefully putting a restriction on their area of movement, for their entire lives would eventually cost us more energy than it would to transform Elizabeth, effectively contradicting the reason for doing so.
"In addition to that risk, human technology is very good, and I am linked to that capture device known as a pokeball. With that in their possession, I am also, and the forced domestication that the device causes would continually dull my senses as long as I am linked to it, which is extremely dangerous to this council. In order for me to be free, the human would need to willingly release me, which is what he plans to use to trade with. In any case, I need to go back and continue to travel with them. Besides, with them, I can keep a closer eye on Flashbolt and the Ninetails."
"You make many good points, friend." Mew said, "I am with you on this issue. Arceus?"
"I am unsure of the end this will cause, but by staying neutral, the results would be the same as if I voted with you, so that is what I will do." Arceus spoke clearly.
"Latias, you are free to rejoin the human and, former humans. Make sure that the Ninetails does not remember, and that Flashbolt doesn't… well keep a watchful eye on him."
"Can do. I'll be back soon." and the dragon soared off to the south.
"Well great," Latios muttered, "All of our work was for nothing."
"I heard that, and you four aren't off the hook for trying to vaporize the travelers." Mew frowned.
Rayquaza coiled up. "Double drat."
***