You know, I figured maybe I should post some speech up top! Temp, you're a genius! Adding preliminary commentary to your writing again! By the Nine ( props to whoever gets this reference)!
Anyway, first off I should do this...
Pokemon is Nintendo's franchise, not mine, and was produced by Game-Freak.
"Five Phases" is my story.
K. Now, I'd like to thank whomever is reading this story, be it on deviantart or here, I greatly appreciate your interest. And of course, please oh please review and if you feel like it pass the word along that a cool new fic is up! I will not let this one die, I will not I WILL NOT. Recently I've been hitting some life-road bumps, so you'll have to bear with my lack of punctuality. Uggghhh, it's a curse.
Enjoy folks! Review at the end please and tell me your thoughts and what I might need to work on!
The Night Before…
Reiki was looking at the mission billboard in the mess hall of the Guiding Light HQ. He figured that he should find an easy mission for the sake of his two new teammates, but on the other hand he knew he couldn't just slow himself and the whole team for their sake. He decided then that he would take two jobs: a moderate mission for Stella and himself to partake in while he left an easier one for Ziggs to accompany Kaim and Cadence through.
"Le'see… This escort mission should be well enough for Stella and I… Now what for the others…"
Suddenly, Reiki's aura sensors tweaked and rattled some. "Reiki, are you in the HQ still?"rang the voice of his father in his mind. Reiki snapped to attention and, closing his eyes and concentrating, traced the mental link back to his father.
"Actually, I just came back from the squad house, but yeah I'm still here,"he replied in kind.
"Excellent. Would you please, once you're done with your own tasks, come visit me again in the lighthouse?" Lumen requested. "I wanted to speak with you alone before, but you left before I got the chance."
"Of course, I'll be there soon. Won't take me long,"Reiki responded. The link was cut, and Reiki opened his eyes again. He scanned the billboard quickly, searching for a viable mission for the team's junior trio. At last, he noticed a commission from a Plusle to rescue his friend in Tugley Woods. He took the notice for that and the escort mission, brought them to Tennor's desk at the mission station so he could give the official commission and document it, and then quickly made his way to his father's quarters.
A quick climb of the ladder and a flight of stairs later and Reiki was once again at the beacon of the lighthouse. His father had taken his tea-set and organized it nicely now that nobody was drinking his cider any longer, and had taken to merely looking out from the windows at the vast ocean. Surely, in all of Crescent Town, such a view could only be perceived from this room. Lumen turned to his son.
"Hey kiddo! C'mere, lemme talk to you," he greeted cheerfully, waving Reiki towards the rug. Reiki sat down next to his father, and looked up at him.
"So, what did you need?" Reiki asked seriously, busily.
"Ahhh, that can wait. First, tell me what you're thinking 'bout?"
Reiki murmured, "I figured that a private conversation constituted a little more than idle chatter."
Lumen shrugged. "Perhaps, but I wanted to spend some time with you. You're always so busy out doing missions I don't see you so much anymore. Same with your mom; we don't normally talk more than commissions it seems."
Reiki grumbled and turned his gaze out the window. "I'd rather not talk too much about mom, if at all. At least not with you anyways."
Lumen was shocked by this and a little disheartened. "W-What do you mean by that?" he begged to know.
"I hear too much about you from her, and a lot of the time the conversations… don't end well," the Riolu admitted. He kept his gaze fixated on the roiling ocean, but Lumen could tell that his focus was only on not looking at his father. "If you end up saying something unkind about her-though I'm not really saying I expect you to, but, in case you do- I don't really want to have to keep from telling her."
"Why do you have to keep what I say from her?" Lumen asked.
"Because, I don't want you two mad at each other when she gets home," Reiki explained. Then he added, "Plus, there are some things she says about you that she doesn't want me telling you, or things she says that I shouldn't."
"Well, then why are you telling me all this in the first place Reiki?" asked Lumen inquisitively. Reiki didn't respond though, instead merely grumbling.
Lumen nodded. "I see," he admitted before looking out at the waves like his son. "Well, I understand. If you'd rather not tell me these things, then I won't ask you about them."
There was silence for a while. The wind whistled from the outside of the glass panels, and the soft crash of waves against rock could be heard. Reiki broke the silence.
"She… says that you're kind of lax sometimes…" he mumbled softly.
Lumen chuckled slightly. "Oh? She does, huh?" he asked slightly humored.
"Yeah… actually, she says you're just too easy going all the time," Reiki admitted eventually.
At this point Lumen was really laughing out loud, much to Reiki's surprise. The Riolu finally looked up now with his shocked and awkward look. "What? What's so funny!"
Lumen wiped a tear from his eye, and he couldn't tell if he was crying from his laughter or a hidden feeling of hurt that had momentarily welled up. "Nothing, just that your ma really used to like how laid back I was," he replied. He shrugged then. "Oh well, Pokemon change I guess. Heh… But while we're on the subject of secrets, I want to talk to you about something."
Reiki looked back to his father now, now that the conversation had steered away from the subject of his parents. "Mhm, what is it?"
"It's about Cadence," Lumen mentioned, his tone of voice deeper and serious now. "It's about him and his humanity, specifically. I'm not going to ask why or how you know, though I doubt he told you directly. Have you told anyone else yet?"
Reiki shook his head no.
"Good. Then don't ever, unless Cadence or I gives you permission to do so. This might not seem too important, but it is. Especially since he didn't want you knowing in the first place."
Reiki glanced to his left. "Sorry I overheard your conversation with him this morning," he apologized coolly, more for his father's sake than for Cade's.
"Mmmmmm…" Lumen hummed for a moment. "Methinks you didn't hear us this morning. You were listening to us last night, in the infirmary."
Reiki jumped suddenly and blushed.
"You were probably just peeking in on Kaim, to see how he was doing while trying not to get involved. But lo and behold your eavesdropping got you into more trouble again, didn't it?" Lumen nudged the little Riolu's shoulder a little. "You get what I'm saying?"
"I don't really think that this is any trouble," replied Reiki simply. "It's quite the opposite actually. I now know what I'm dealing with on my team, and I can plan accordingly."
"Oh? Please, enlighten me. How were you planning to prepare for a human stuck as a Totodile on your team, Reiki?" Lumen asked his son, a little peeved that Reiki was bantering with him as opposed to accepting the fact that what he did wasn't particularly acceptable. Still, this stubbornness was one of Reiki's defining features. It was what kept him standing when the odds were against him. Without it, he wouldn't be half the squad leader he was now, let alone half of himself. Regardless, Reiki didn't have a response to his father's question, and remained quiet.
Lumen sighed. "That's what I thought. Look, I'm not gonna beat you up so much about this. Just make sure you keep it quiet, kay Ray-Ray?" He shook his son's shoulder again reassuringly and put on a reasonably bright smile. Reiki looked up at Lumen and, just for the shortest of moments, smiled back before nodding his head.
"Got it," he replied. "I won't tell a soul."
The Next Morning…
"RISE AND SHINE!"
Cade's eyes opened as he flailed and shot up in bed. Kaim was standing at the foot of his cot, laughing happily.
"You must be a pretty late riser, huh?" Kaim asked his friend.
Cade yawned, his toothy mouth opening wide, and rubbed his heavy eyes sleepily. "Uhhhg… I swear if it's just after the friggin' sun popped up…"
"No, it isn't that early," came a terse reply from Reiki as he walked up to Cade's cot. He had a black shoulder bag strapped across his front, and he was fastening the bracers on his wrists. "We let you sleep in for 10 minutes because you're a noob. So stop complaining and get up, half of the team is all ready to go."
Hearing that, Cade saved his growling at the Riolu for another time and hopped up out of the cot. He stretched briefly before turning to Kaim and asking, "Ok, how do I 'get ready'?"
"Well, normally what you do is take a few items that you think you'll need for the mission, like Berries or a special scarf," Kaim explained hastily. "Orbs too, because they can really help you out, but they're kinda rare so-"
"Ok, ok, wait a minute, slooooow down!" Cade requested, gesturing for the Charmander to stop rambling. "I don't really have any berries or doohickeys or whatever. So… what do?"
Kaim grinned and chuckled nervously. "Right, hehe, my bad," he laughed. "I guess you can use some of my stuff then when we get it. If you'd like! The whole team tends to pool their resources anyways."
"Wow, you sure? That's great, thanks a lot!" Cadence was very grateful for this, but Kaim merely shrugged it off like no sweat.
Reiki situated the shoulder strap before speaking up again. "Stella and I are heading out now, so I'll leave Ziggs in charge of you guys from this point." Ironically enough, Ziggs himself was still asleep in his cot.
Reiki walked over to the cot and started banging heavily on its frame. "Ziggs! C'mon, you lazy 'Saur, wake up!" the Riolu yelled loudly. Ziggs moaned and then stirred, lazily rolling off the bed of straw and onto the ground, stretching when he got on all fours.
"C'mon Ziggs, I shouldn't have to be pestering you like this in the morning anymore like I'm your mom or something. You know better!" Reiki scolded the Bulbasaur.
Ziggs rubbed his face into one of his legs, attempting to get the sleep out of his eyes, and then looked up lazily at Reiki. "Really man, calm down. You gave us a low rank mission and we have two newbies on the job. You run things your way and be all uppity in the morning, but I plan to take my mission today niiiiiice and slow if I want to," he replied in a long and drawn out fashion. Ziggs turned to Cade and Kaim. "Do I have both of your support for this idea?"
Kaim was a little hesitant in answering, whatever his reply may be, because he didn't think talking back to Reiki was the best idea. Cade, seeing that Ziggs himself was confident enough to argue with the squad leader (and still holding a large heap of negative emotions for the Riolu), nodded his head firmly. As soon as Kaim saw Cade's agreement, he agreed as well with a quick nod.
Ziggs looked towards Reiki with a smug and victorious smile. Reiki rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I suppose it doesn't matter if youthink you have everything under control," he remarked. "Stella, you ready to go yet?"
Stella was rummaging through some cabinets at that moment, and the sounds of pans banging and jars clinking were coming out from where her head was. "Now I know I had some of that stuff in he- AHA!" When her head pooped out of the cabinet, she had a brown sac in her mouth. She walked over to Reiki and motioned for him to take it, which he did. "Dried apple slices for the road," she explained when she regained her ability to speak. "We might find something else to eat in town before we set out or even on the road, but in case we don't these should help a lot." Reiki nodded in affirmation and stuffed the fruit into his pack.
"We'll be heading off now. I expect you guys to get out of here soon enough, and be back by no later than sundown. Kay?" Reiki addressed the three junior members.
"Yessir!" came their ready reply, even though the Totodile and Bulbasaur both wished they were still sleeping. And with that, Reiki beckoned for Stella to follow him. They pulled back the tarp at the entrance and walked out into the wet and cold of the semi-dark dawn of a new day.
Ziggs turned to Cade and Kaim. He still looked like he was only 1 part awake, 3 parts sleep-induced zombie. Yet underneath that one could still see a glimmer of excitement at the potential for their day.
"Alright guys," he began. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them, everything 'zombie' about him was suddenly replaced with a glow of eager determination set upon accomplishing something great. What it was, Cade couldn't tell, but he certainly felt more positive when he looked at him. "Let's get crackin'! Let's get this show on the road!" Ziggs exclaimed. He whipped a vine into the bed of straw and pulled out an empty pack. He extended his vine towards Cade, motioning for him to take it.
"First job as a new recruit is carrying the pack," Ziggs informed Cade, much to the Totodile's dismay as he took the pack and slung it across his body.
"It isn't going to be super heavy, is it?" he queried, already guessing how Ziggs would reply.
"Well, I suppose it all depends on what your mission is and your definition of 'heavy'," Ziggs explained. "I'd say that the normal starting weight for that bag on missions like these iiiisss… eh, 10, maybe 15 pounds. But we're going to be packing for a 'passenger' member, so perhaps 20 or 25 pounds would be the best estimate."
Cade sighed, very much relieved by this. "Well, when you put it that way, 20 pounds doesn't seem that bad," he mumbled.
Ziggs began sputtering, obviously humored by Cade's words. "It does? I didn't know you were capable of lifting your body weight so easily? Guess we have a new team mule!" Ziggs laughed at his joke, leaving Cade suddenly "weighed down" by his task and the sheer reality of it all. Kaim patted him on the back then.
"Don't worry Cade," Kaim told his friend, smiling assuredly. "If it gets too heavy or you get tired, we can always trade off."
Cade scratched his head in embarrassment and smiled. "Hehe, thanks buddy…"
"Ok, ok. Enough talk, let's get going already. I'm sure Nanna has the storage units open by now." Ziggs told his team as he walked out the hut.
"Nanna?" Cade asked Kaim as the two followed Ziggs outside. "Someone I need to know?"
"You'll meet her this morning. She's the Kangaskahn that runs the storage facility in town." Kaim informed him. "Nanna's super nice, if sometimes a little too motherly, but what do you expect from a Parent Pokemon. Her business is running the storage facility for all the guild's squads, so you will most likely be seeing her plenty. Sometimes, she even has presents for us too!"
Cade nodded his head. He wasn't against meeting more Pokemon. At the very least, he'll be looking for someone he may recognize, or vice versa. And as Kaim said, Cade figured as a new member of a team he would most definitely be visiting the storage a lot, so it would be a good idea to get acquainted with the supervisor now.
Plus…nobody DOESN'T like presents.
The morning was still pretty dark. The beams of the sun could be seen trying to crawl over the tops of the mountains and forests to the west of the town, and they were painting the morning fog that clung to the hills with purple and citrine hues. The grass was still wet with the morning dew, and the three Pokemon could feel the water getting in between their toes and claws. Of course Kaim, being the fire type, was the only one not appreciating this next to Cade and Ziggs who both concluded it felt very refreshing and even energizing.
Eventually the trio made it into the business district of the town. Despite the impression it gave Cade yesterday, it would seem that even the liveliest section of the town slept with those who ran it. Still, there were a few Pokemon rummaging around preparing for their day of bartering or cooking or whatever skill they used to make a good living. The trio walked through the street until they came to the storage unit, a hut that was styled after the head of a Kangaskhan. And sure enough, who else would be running it besides a Kangaskahn.
"Morning Nanna!" Ziggs greeted brightly as he approached the counter. There were actually two counters; one was about a foot higher than the three younger Pokemon while the other was low enough for Ziggs to look over even while on all fours, made especially for Pokemon of the trio's stature. Of course, Cade really wasn't paying attention to the desks, but instead to the Pokemon behind them. Nanna whipped around at the voice and smiled brightly.
"Well if it isn't one of the young, up and coming members of Team Wuji!" Nanna announced happily. "How are you this morning Ziggs?"
At that statement, Nanna's pouch began to wiggle a little bit, and a small purple head of a baby Kangaskahn poked outside. The baby yawned cutely, and then smiled before shouting, "Shiggy! Shiggy! Hiiiiiii!"
Ziggs smiled nervously at the slaughtering of his name, but greeted the baby kindly. "Hey there lil' guy, how are ya'," he mumbled. "… Maybe next time you'll get my name right."
The baby stuck his tongue out at Ziggs and made a raspberry sound. "Phhhbbbttt!"
"Now that's enough, darling!" Nanna scolded her child, but very softly. "You should still be napping anyway, so go back to sleep baby." The baby moaned, but yawned nonetheless. Soon enough, he retreated back into the warm confines of the pouch, and wasn't seen after that.
"So sorry about that little scoundrel dearest," Nanna apologized to Ziggs. "He's becoming an absolute bundle of energy as I'm su- oh!" Nanna looked beyond Ziggs and noticed Kaim and Cade.
"Kaim, there you are! I'm sorry I didn't mean to ignore you like that!" she apologized again. "I heard about your incident with the Rhydon, I'm so happy to see you're alright… though that is certainly one ugly scar, honey! Are you ok?"
Kaim chuckled a little. "Yeah, I'm fine Nanna, really," he assured her. "I was fixed right up by the healers back at HQ, so there's no worry."
"Well they must have if you're already walking about so early in the morning, goodness me!" Nanna then looked towards Cade, who waved nervously once he realized she was looking at him.
"Hm? And who might you be, darlin'?" she asked sweetly. "Don't be shy, come closer so I can get a good look at'cha!"
Cade, a little nervous and worried that he was going to be smothered to the max like some baby, approached Nanna slowly. Once he reached the counter, Nanna leaned down and looked him over before smiling brightly.
"Oh, you must be the other young fellow mentioned in the rumors!" Nanna exclaimed in bright realization.
"R-rumors?" Cade squeaked. "About me? Really?"
"Oh, well of course not JUST about you deary, but you and Kaim yes! You are the young Totodile who lost his memory that Master Lumen rescued along with Kaim, right? Wasn't it… ah, Cadence! That's your name, isn't it?"
"Uhh… y-yes ma'am, or Cade if it suits you."
"Oh please, don't call me 'ma'am'. I hate being called that just as much as being called Maud… Ugghh, what a droll name I was given," she made a face of disgust and shuddered as she said her name. "Please, if you ever want to get my attention, call me Nanna. And I'll call you Cade! K?" her smile was so comforting and filled with warmth that Cade felt much more at ease all of a sudden.
'A mother… this is what a mother is like,' Cade thought suddenly. The lingering feelings of love and safety welled up within Cade with her smile. But unfortunately, he could not put a face to them besides Nanna's. On top of that, it was obvious that Nanna had never before seen Cade, crossing out any possibility of a lead on his memories from her. Cade didn't let his negativity show though, for fear of making the Kangaskahn worry.
"Sure, Nanna! I'll remember that," Cade affirmed, happy he could refer to her so easily. "It's a pleasure to meet you!" he extended his stubby little arm for a hand shake, and Nanna took it gingerly in her own giant grasp.
"My, what a gentlemon we have here! The pleasure is all mine sweety! Ah, but here I am probably wasting all of your time!" she realized. Without hesitation she started on business. She looked back to Ziggs. "I assume that Cade is now a member of Team Wuji?"
"Yeah, he joined just yesterday," Ziggs explained. "We were wondering if we could get the usual package of supplies from our stock for a low-rank mission for three this morning, if you please."
"But of course! I'll be right back!" Nanna walked back into the hut and descended down a flight of stairs into the ground. This impressed Cade a lot, though he found it sort of unorthodox. He wondered what things were stored away in that underground safe house and how they were kept preserved against the elements of decay or mold. He had seen enough of Pokemon and human works worked together to realize that it was probably easy to do that.
Nanna returned soon enough, carrying a small wooden crate of a variety of things. Mostly it was just apples, but there were a number of berries and three scarves dyed black and white as well. They had badges pinned to them, fashioned to look like the Guiding Light's logo; the shining golden star. There was also a wrapped package in the crate as well.
"You just take what you need Ziggs and put it in your bag," she instructed the Bulbasaur. "As for you two, you get something special, the both of you!"
'Wow! It sounds like that present thing was no joke!' Cade thought with surprise. Cade handed Ziggs the empty pack while he and Kaim dashed up to the little counter. First, Nanna handed Kaim the wrapped package. It was an amorphous parcel, not in a box but just wrapped numerous times around something variably flexible.
"This one is for you, darling. I kid you not, Master Lumen himself came down here just last night and gave me this package," she informed Kaim, whose eyes were now wide as saucer plates. She continued her explanation, saying, "He said he figured you would arrive here early tomorrow and that you were welcome to have this along with his high expectations and good regards!"
Kaim was already tearing the wrapping off of whatever was inside, and as soon as it was all off, he held up what was inside as if it were a trophy. It was a pair of goggles. The goggles were comprised of a black circle of fabric and a plate of dark colored metal attached to a wider portion that framed two shaded lenses. These lenses reflected faintly what pieces of light it could pick up from the rising sun. The goggles also sported two hanging pads on either side, perhaps for keeping ears or your head warm, and were fastened by buckles and four long strips of the same cloth that tightened the goggles to the head of the wearer. They looked really complex, but this only added to their impressiveness.
"Wooooooooow! What is this, Nanna! Is it a Relic!" Kaim asked excitedly. He put the goggles on and looked through the lenses.
Ziggs, at this point, had heard Kaim's shout of unbridled happiness and finished packing to take a look-see for himself. "Really, you got a Relic? And from Lumen, too? It must be pretty impressive if it's one of his! What's it do, huh?"
"Ziggs, what's a Relic?" Cade asked, still trying to figure out why the two Pokemon were freaking out. "I don't think I've ever seen one before."
"Well, we really don't know exactly what a Relic is, and they're so rare I wouldn't put it behind you even with your amnesia. What they do is they give whoever uses them the power of another Pokemon," the Bulbasaur explained. "What we think is that they are pieces of human technology that they left behind after the Exodus occurred a long time ago, hence the name Relic. But we don't really know for sure."
'Humans? Exodus?' Cade began pondering what exactly this meant, but he was interrupted by Kaim popping up in front of his face suddenly.
"CADE! YOU'RE ALL BLACK AND BLUE!"
"…eh?" Cade looked down at himself. Everything from head to tail was still colored as it should be, and it certainly didn't look like he had bruises all over him even if that's what Kaim meant. "Kaim, I look exactly the same as I…always have." He grumbled at the ironic falsity of that statement.
Hearing this, Kaim took the goggles off his now confused eyes, but they became surprised and wide as dinner plates as soon he did. He then put the goggles back on, then took them off, then on, then off. His smile grew wider with each alternation.
"I think it's something like funky see through vision…that changes people's color!" Kaim exclaimed as if he had discovered a true breakthrough in science and discovery.
"Kaim, that sounds totally silly! Why would you think something like that!" Cade asked, still not really getting this whole Relic idea.
"Well, when I look through the lenses, you turn colors! You became black and blue, and when I look at Ziggs…" Kaim panned his view over to Ziggs, and shouted excitedly when he looked at him. "Ziggs, you're all Green!"
Ziggs cocked an eyebrow. "Uhhh… yeah. Us Bulbasaurs tend to be…y'know… green," he muttered sarcastically.
"Aaagh, no, you don't get it! Here, Cade, come here. You try!"
Kaim grabbed Cade's arm and pulled him in front of Ziggs. Before Cade knew what was happening, the goggles were placed across his face, and then he understood what Kaim was saying. Ziggs was on fire. But it wasn't like fire in color. The flames flashed with the colors of a warm glade on a summer afternoon and the rust on a piece of copper, and danced violently all across his body.
"Jeez, Ziggs, he's telling the truth! You're on fire, too, ahaha!" Cade exclaimed.
"FIRE! WHERE! HOW! PUT IT OUT!" Ziggs shouted worriedly. As he exclaimed this Ziggs began circling around himself, trying to discern where even a single ember may be on him, which made Kaim and Cade laugh even louder.
" Kaim… this is so cool! Just what is this thing!" Cade began shouting excitedly as his friend started nodding his head in agreement. Cade continued looking around. Nanna was colored purple and red, but she wasn't on fire so much as the color radiated from within her and all around her as if she glowed. When he turned to Kaim, he saw a continuous explosion of tiny red and white sparks fanning out from his center. He thought that it looked cool over the spiral scar on his belly. As Cade looked at other things, he began to see other colors. Some were dormant, others were solid, and some were as vibrant as Ziggs had been. He even realized, after taking the goggles off, that he could see these colors through walls or other things that obstructed his sight.
Cade took the goggles off and handed them back to Kaim, still amazed at what they could do, before turning back to Nanna. "Just what are these things?" he asked her.
"Well, by the way you explained it and how it was Lumen who gave it to me, I would venture to guess the goggles give the wearer aura perception much like a Lucario," Nanna explained. However, Cade could tell by the tone of her voice that she was guessing just as much as he was. Kaim heard this and grew even more excited, however, instantly taking Nanna's advice as the sure thing. It was the best guess so far, anyhow.
"Oh, that's right! Kaim, Lumen gave me a letter to go with that gift," she realized. She reached into her pouch and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Kaim, who took it and hastily began opening it much akin to how he opened the first package. Inside was a note…
For Kaim, so I never have to see you walking around with a bloody bandage wrapped around your head.
Lumen.
Kaim began laughing happily before folding up and burning the note with his fire. He then took the goggles, situated them on top of his head and tightened the fabric until it was secure. The strips of fabric used to fasten it were long, so the ends fell down some along Kaim's back. He felt this and craned his neck to try and see behind him.
"…Hmmm… a little long. Hope my tail doesn't light it on fire," he muttered, unsure of the length. He shook his head, and then turned to Cade and Ziggs.
"So how do I look then?" Kaim asked happily. "Hopefully it works better than the bandage, right?"
Cade laughed heartily and then gave Kaim a thumbs up while Ziggs nodded his approval.
"Sweet! I'm gonna take this with me wherever I go!" He fidgeted with their position one more time, making sure he could easily put them up or down. He couldn't leave the accessory alone.
"Oh, and Cade, I have something from my own personal collection I want you to have," Nanna told Cade, "come here, please." Cade excitedly approached the Kangaskahn and did as he was told. Nanna reached again into her pouch and pulled out a long and thin aqua blue box locked by a tiny little latch. She undid the latch and opened it, revealing inside a necklace.
There was no chain, just a thin piece of cloth. The gem that was just barely smaller than Cade's hand was the eye catching part, though. It was a beautiful jewel in the shape of a drop of water, and its dark blue color made it seem like a solidified piece of the dark depths of the sea. Light shimmered and refracted across its smoothed surface, and if one could look closely inside there was a pattern of one large, dark sphere surrounded by several other smaller dots.
"Go ahead, honey, take it!" Nanna urged the little croc. "This little thing has been collecting dust for almost a year now, and I feel the last owner would have wanted it to be put to good use."
Cade took the gem in his hand, and inhaled sharply as he felt a rush of cold pierce his hand and run through his body. It was as if a stream was running through him, and it made him feel comfortable, collected, and invigorated much like the dew in the grass. He put the necklace on and felt the energy course into his very center as it touched his chest.
"Nanna, this is so nice," he muttered softly, entranced by the gem's effects. "Is it a Relic?"
"No," came the suddenly serious voice of Ziggs. Cade turned to see him staring at his firmly. Cade found himself sort of intimidated by the look. It was almost like Reiki was looking at him, and he felt hurt inside that he was feeling this from Ziggs who he had so far taken a great liking to. "No, that is not a Relic," Ziggs reiterated. "That is a rare gemstone found in only the most natural and untouched bodies of water, called Mystic Water by some… Nanna, are you sure Cade should have that?"
"Why of course, Ziggs, why on earth shouldn't he?" Nanna asked suddenly rather serious herself.
"Because…" Ziggs hesitated, flustered suddenly that he couldn't find the right words.
"Well, y'know! I'm not saying I don't trust Cade with it…but I don't know how Reiki will react when he sees it. He very well might explode!"
"Am I missing something here?" Cade asked, beginning to take the necklace off in order to avoid some conflict he didn't want or mean to start.
Nanna looked at Cade, her eyes carrying a very sorrowful gaze all of a sudden. She looked like she wanted to tell him something but couldn't bring herself to do it, which irritated Cade somewhat. He did not want secrets kept from him, especially when he was practically a secret to himself! But he could see that Nanna wasn't hiding something from him, but that she simply couldn't bring herself to talk about it. Cade was suddenly very sad, so he took off the necklace and handed it back to Nanna.
"Here. Thank you for the offer, but take it back. I-I really don't want to cause any bad relations-"
"No, Cade, Nanna is right," Ziggs spoke up suddenly. "You should take that. In a way, you are the only Pokemon with the right to take it."
'Oh, hardly, Zigfried my friend,' Cade thought with sharp and dark humor.
"Why is it 'right' for Cade to take it, Ziggs?" Kaim questioned, emphasizing the 'right' part. Apparently the little Char was out of the loop as well. "Is it just because he's a water type?"
Ziggs shook his head no. "That's not it. Look… um, let's just not talk about it right now. Maybe when we get into Tugley Woods or later. But, whatever you do, don't let Reiki see that. Not yet."
Cade was still very disheartened now by this unknown burden that he was carrying. And how would he keep Reiki from seeing it anyway? Yet a gift is a gift, and if Ziggs and Nanna weren't fully against him taking it, then he would take it. Wouldn't it be rude if he were to decline, anyway? Cade nodded, and put the necklace back on. The running flow cold calmed Cade down once again, and his thoughts flowed with it much more easily.
"Well… alright, I'll take it Nanna, thank you. But I'd like to learn what the big deal is eventually," Cade claimed. "So, if it isn't a Relic, is it just for show?"
Nanna shook her head quickly, any evident negativity no longer visible in her eyes. "Not at all, darling! That gem in the hands of any water pokemon is a wonderful boon in the fray!" she explained with much excitement. "You'll find that all of your water-based attacks are a significant bit more powerful when you're wearing it."
This impressed Cade a lot, and he felt the undeniable urge to try it out well up within him. It was odd; despite not fighting much, not being pressed to fight by anything, and his one experience with fighting as a Totodile being such a terrifying experience…an urge to fight was still within him. "I promise I'll put it to good use then!" Cade assured Nanna.
Nanna nodded her head positively. "Of course you will, dearest. Just make sure you and your friends aren't pummeled by wild Pokemon you hear me?" Cade nodded in response, and looked down at the jewel. He began to play with it some, holding it up against the sun so the light shone into the deep blue of the stone and made silhouettes of the small ring of dots inside.
Ziggs had taken this moment to retrieve the packed bag with his vines. The Bulbasaur offered the bag to Cadence, and when he took it, Cade almost fell over backwards even while carrying it with both arms. Ziggs had a point: carrying your body weight WAS hard. Eventually, and with Kaim's erratic help with balancing Cade every time he so much as leaned in one direction, Cade became properly balanced and got the bag's strap across his shoulder.
Ziggs turned to address the storage keeper. "Nanna, thanks again for your help…but I expect to get a present next time, too, alright?" he joked with a smile.
Nanna laughed. "With that attitude Ziggs, you'll be lucky to get anything more than my left hook from me," she joked, clenching the fist to deliver said punch. Despite the humor her threat was still fairly intimidating. "Cade, Kaim, you two green-horns watch out for each other. I'm sure your first mission will be a downright success!" she called out to the other two Pokemon.
"I can't afford to let Kaim get hurt again, Nanna. You can count on me, I won't let it happen," Cade pledged valiantly. Kaim laughed happily though, humored even, and patted Cade's shoulder.
"Man, you are the most serious Totodile I think I have ever met Cade… actually, well, I think you may be the only one I've really talked to at all. But you get it I'm sure!"
Cade didn't get it, and tilted his head to the left in obvious confusion.
"…Right. You don't get it. Ok, ummm… Ziggs, can we get on the road yet!"
Ziggs nodded. "Yeah, we better hurry. That Minun is all alone in that forest, after all. Thanks again Nanna! Let's go guys!" And without another word, Ziggs was dashing down the road west towards the hills.
"Hey, Ziggs, wait up! We hardly know the way!" Kaim called after the Bulbasaur trying to catch up.
"I DON'T KNOW THE WAY, SO DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND!" Cade called desperately, lugging the giant pack of supplies along with him as he attempted to break the speed of a brisk stride.
Nanna watched happily as the young rescuers ran towards the hills and into the light of the rising sun. "They're a good group of kids. Surely, they'll do the guild some good."