Something wakes me up in the middle of the night. I don't exactly know what, but I do know that it is entirely unwelcome. I sit up and grumble a little and Eve wakes up too, her rings slowly lighting up in the inky darkness of the room.
"What's wrong?" She asks, her red eyes concerned. I just flap my hand at her and pad over to the window. I look out to find the street entirely empty besides a large dragon-type Pokémon and a kid next to it. I can't tell in the clouded moonlight, but the kid almost looks nervous. I sigh and climb back into the bottom bunk, Kasha having claimed the top one.
"Some guy is walking his dragon-type in the middle of the night," I whisper, "What a dork. He should know they hate to cold." Eve chuckles quietly and snuggles closer. "Hey Eve, I have a question."
"What would that question be?" She teases. I pet her ears and sit back against the wall.
"Why did you evolve that night outside Kentil?" She takes her time in answering, so I ramble on. "I thought Eevees only evolved into Espeon and Umbreon when they were fully trusting and happy with their Trainer. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but Mama and Papa just died… So why then?" Eve hums and takes more time.
"Well, I guess that was the first time I felt really proud of you." She explains, "You and the furball were so set on catching Winter, and you commanded me so confidently… I guess I just forgot about what happened to us for long enough to enjoy battling again. Your mother hadn't battled with me in so long…" I feel sad that Eve felt unappreciated. I never thought to ask her about that.
"Well, thank you for your confidence in me," I say and hug her close, "But every day I miss Mama and Papa and Flit more and more. It feels like there's a ragged hole on my chest that won't heal closed. I just… I just miss them so much right now." Eve responds by climbing into my lap, dwarfing my small frame almost entirely. I'll tell you now, Umbreon are not a small species.
"You're not alone Rin. I miss David and Rebbekah very much and Flit too. But we have to move on. We can grieve now, but you can't let your sorrow get in the way of your dreams. You'll make them proud, of that I know for sure."
"Thanks Eve, you always know what to say." With the grief in my heart lessened the slightest bit, I fall back asleep with Eve still sitting in my lap and my hand on her head.
"Rin! Kasha! Wake up!" Guy shouts as he slams open our door in a panicked rush.
"What?! What's happening?!" I shout and fall off the bed, Eve tumbling off beside me. Tikeri and Winter look down at us with confused expressions and Kasha rolls to the side of the bed to look down at Guy with sleepy eyes. I can hear a strangled noise and look up to see Guy holding in his laughter. Finally he can't hold it in anymore and bursts out laughing, Woody snickering by his feet. Buddy and Yuki peer around his legs to see the commotion.
"You should see your face Rin!" He says between gasps of air. Kasha climbs down and approaches Guy calmly, then slaps him upside the head.
"You ass!" She shouts, though not without humor. "Go away and let us get ready for the day, moron."
"Aww, I love you girls too!" He teases before Kasha slams the door on his nose. I can hear his yelp from our side of the wooden frame.
"What a dork," She says with a smile before pulling me off the floor. "I've got first shower!" She darts into our bathroom and I can hear the water start running immediately.
"What was that?" Winter and Tikeri ask at the same time. I laugh and grab a rag and the Lugia out of my pack to finish the details.
"That, my friends, was Guy and Woody being a couple of dorks," I reply. "Though that was the funniest morning I've had for a while." Winter looks appeased and Tikeri yawns widely, Eve chuckling at the three of us. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, I'm just enjoying the view," She says. I think I know what she's talking about with Winter and Tikeri beside me and my trinket looking spiff and shiny. I hear the door click open and see Guy peek his head in the room.
"Is Kasha around?" he asks cautiously, making me laugh.
"No she's in the shower," I tell him, "I'm gonna hop in once she's done and then we can head to Artisan's Square before hitting up the Gym." Guy gets a weird look on his face, like he's thinking of something he shouldn't be.
"I don't know, maybe you should join her and we can get going sooner," He says with a devilish smirk.
"You PERVERT!" I yell while I laugh and throw a pillow at him. "Shoo before I get Kasha to hurt you!" He laughs and leaves, closing the door behind him. I can't stop laughing at his suggestion and Kasha finds me giggling on the bed when she exits the bathroom.
"What happened while I was in there?" She asks, setting off another round of giggles from me. She just shakes her head and pulls on her sneakers. "I'll ask Guy, go shower so we can leave!"
After getting ready, Kasha and I meet Guy down at the lobby in the Pokémon center. Guy still has the smirk on his face and Woody is giggling by his side.
"Okay, what has got you two giggling so bad?!" Kasha inquires, giving Guy a steely glare. Both of us burst out in laughter and I have to sit on the nearest bench before I fall over. Kasha's face goes red and she crosses her arms. "Fine then! See what I care!" She strides out of the Center and we follow after her, still trying to stop laughing.
"Don't be mad," Guy says. "Rin and I just shared a funny joke when you were busy." Kasha sighs and throws her arms around the two of us.
"Well that's all fine and dandy, but don't we have somewhere to be?" She smiles. "Let's get our butts to Artisan's Square so we can get to the Gym."
"It isn't going anywhere Kasha," I tease. She lightly smacks my shoulder and skips ahead of us.
"But weren't you so excited yesterday?" She teases right back. I stick my tongue out at her and cross my arms. Winter chuckles from my shoulders and flicks her tail in my face.
"You walked into that one Rin," She says and I just pout a little more.
"Fine, you win," I sigh. "But let's get going before I make even more of a fool of myself this morning." Everyone laughs at this and I simply skip ahead of Kasha. "Eat my dust!" I laugh when Kasha's eyes light up in challenge as she starts running to catch up with me.
Not ten minutes later we hit Artisan's Square. The place is huge! It sits in the exact center of the city and has the look of an outdoor market from the Renaissance era. Stands with cloth roofs and hand-painted signs dot the cobblestone plaza. In the center of the stones is a unique pattern of colored stones depicting a large blue bird and what looks like a Crysat… funky. Behind the picture is a stage set up with crimson curtains and everything. No one seems to be interested in it now, but I would guess it's for performances and festivals.
The plaza is also crowded with scores of people. There are businessmen, tourists bundled up against the weak cold like it's a blizzard, regular citizens and shopkeepers with some of the weirdest clothes I've seen yet. One group next to a wagon- an actual wooden wagon –are dressed like a bunch of gypsies. Another shopkeeper looks like he's been plucked out of the Victorian era. A few look like normal people from other regions. In short- this place is Heaven –right behind the Junkyard.
"Wow, I knew this place was going to be busy, but I never thought it'd be like this!" Guy remarks. I laugh at him and grab his wrist.
"Come on. Let's go see all the shiny baubles!" He laughs at me and lets me drag him along. Kasha seems distracted by the Victorian man. The gypsy group smiles as we approach the worn stall full of shiny trinkets.
"Hallo!" A man with a salt-and-pepper beard says in a thick accent. "Welcomme to mine shop. Please do not break things, or you will haf to buy them." He winks with a smirk to show us it's all in good nature.
"Are you from Baylou?" I ask, recognizing the accent. The man smiles wider and slaps my back, rattling my teeth.
"You know of Baylou?" He asks and I nod. "I haf not been to mine forested home in long time. You haf family there?"
"My aunt and uncle and their kids live there," I reply, trying not to feel the guilt for not thinking of them sooner. I wonder if they've heard the news yet… The large bearded man laughs jovially and slaps my back again. I can see Guy trying not to snicker at my discomfort by hiding his smile behind his hands. I give him a face and he just turns redder for trying not to laugh.
"Well, you haf to see this," the large man says and plucks a bracelet off the counter. "This is old Balyou charm for luck and safety. You can haf it." I stare at the bracelet for a minute before it hits me.
"You want to just give this to me?" I ask incredulously. He drops the jewelry in my hand.
"Anyone with ghost eyes needs safety," He says with a wink. "Besides, you know of Baylou, not many do. Anytime you find yourself in Baylou, just tell shopkeepers you know Nikolai Redwing. They will help you if you need it."
"I-I can't thank you enough, Mr. Redwing," I say but he flaps his hand at me.
"I am just following tradition," He says. "Luck and help for ghost eyes. Not every day you see them." I look at Guy to see his face is one of disbelief and extreme curiosity. Woody, however, seems oblivious towards everything but the stall filled with green glass vases and baubles.
"Well, thank you, thank you immensely," I reply. "Mr. Redwing, do you know where I can get a good price for this." I rummage around in my bag until I pull out the mechanical Lugia. Nikolai looks it over and I see a light bulb go off in his head.
"Ah! Mr. Zodaps, the man down this road a bit, likes metal things," He says. "You could sell to him." I smile and replace the toy in my bag.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Redwing," I wave and tow Guy back towards the Victorian man's stall where Kasha is still hung up.
"What was all that?!" Guy immediately asks. I chuckle at his curious nature and look over the bracelet Nikolai gave me. It's fairly simple with two charms hanging from a blue colored cord. One charm is a small silver ball with a tree carved on it. The other is a small onyx disc with a strange rune inlaid on it in silver. It looks like a pair of fangs connected by a horizontal line with two vertical lines extending upwards between them.
"Riiin!" Guy whines, making me chuckle again. "Are you going to answer me? And what's Baylou?"
"Baylou is the region to the east of us, across the Green Mountains. It's a region with weird customs and even weirder Pokémon. That was an old Baylou superstition," I explain. "People used to believe others with really light eyes like mine could see ghosts. So for their hard times dealing with the dead, it's customary to give luck charms or help to people with 'ghost eyes'. My cousin has the same eyes and she used to get bugged all the time about them." Another pang of guilt stabs my stomach about my cousin. I really should call them at some point…
"What's all this about 'ghost eyes'?" Kasha asks.
"Rin just got free stuff because she's got freaky eyes," Guy pouts. Kasha laughs and throws an arm around his shoulders.
"Well here, I got you something nice anyway," She hands him a churro. "The stall next to Mr. Victorian over there sells them. They're heavenly!" I giggle at her word choice and fasten the bracelet around my wrist. Guy sighs and takes a bite of his churro, visibly improving with the sweet treat.
"Guess what I found out!" She says quickly. "You see the picture in the stones?"
"Yeah, it's a little hard to miss. What about it?" I ask.
"Mr. Victorian says there's a legend about it." Kasha explains. "I'll sum it up though. Legend says Articuno used to roost in the mountains near Eira- The Ice Mountains –and guard an old relic. But when it was called back to a different region, it spawned the Crysat to keep its treasure guarded. So, apparently, Winter is a descendant of Articuno." I laugh off the story and steal a bite of her churro.
"Really?!" Guy says excitedly. "I thought you said Legendaries didn't live in Alamar." His teasing is directed toward me. Gee, he changed loyalties fast.
"What about it Winter?" I ask my feline. "Any truth to this legend."
"Rin, that was probably centuries ago." She scolds quickly. "I wouldn't know either way." She seems uneasy about the subject, but I guess it's not my business. Though now I've got my suspicions.
"Huh, oh well," I shrug it off and repeat what she said to my friends. Guy looks deflated, but he perks back up with each bite of his churro.
"Seriously, what are these made of?!" He jokes, getting a laugh out of Kasha and me.
"Come on, I want to see this 'Mr. Zodaps' so I can sell my toy." I say and head down the street. Kasha drags Guy along and we hunt the street until we find a stall decorated with mechanical trinkets of all sorts.
"Hello?" I shout into the stall. "Anyone here?"
"Yes, yes, no need to shout," a voice says suddenly, scaring the crap out of me in the process. "What can I do for you young one?" A tall man appears out of nowhere, looming over the counter of his stall. His blonde hair looks singed with all the dyed black parts and his nose is rather long. His manner of dress is just as weird as all the other people out here. He is wearing a pair of loose, white cotton pants and a loose yellow shirt with fancy embroidery at the bottom, like a foreign prince of sorts. "Well?"
"Umm, yes, ah." I stutter. "Mr. Redwing… he ah, he said…" He raises an eyebrow, challenging me to go on.
"What our friend is trying to say, is that she has something to show you," Kasha butts in. "Go on Rin, he's not going to peck at you." The tall man smiles as if he found what she said ironic.
"Okay, have a look at this," I say quickly and dig the Lugia out of my bag. Mr. Zodaps' eyes widen at the sight of my trinket. He plucks it out of my hand and examines it.
"Where did you stumble upon something like this?" He asks as he turns it over and over.
"I made it." His eyebrows disappear into his bangs. He looks at me like I just told him I conquered the Alamar League with a Magikarp.
"You made this?"
"She sure did," Kashs says. "You callin' her a liar?" The man chuckles and points to the windup key.
"What's this do?"
"It's… a windup key…" I say. Why wouldn't he know what it is?
"I mean what does it make it do? It can't possibly fly…" He seems stumped, so I grab the toy out of his hand and wind it up. It lifts off my palm in the same way it did in the forest and circles our heads before flying straight to land on the street.
"Hey look, it didn't go for my head this time!" Guy jokes. Mr. Zodaps looks amazed, stupefied even. Guy picks up the toy and puts it back on the counter.
"How did you get it to fly?!" Mr. Zodaps asks.
"I dunno, I just did." And it's the truth. I just thought if I made the wings wide enough they'd catch the air. The man looks at me with that incredulous expression again and stares for a minute.
"Umm, so do you want to buy it or… not…" Seriously, his staring is starting to creep me out, but I also find my eyes drawn to him. Something about him seems strangely familiar. Like the Blue Lady in the restaurant yesterday, he has a way of commanding attention, drawing one's focus.
"Well, young one, what are you willing to part with it for?" Mr. Zodaps asks. For a minute I get lost staring at him, but eventually my brain realizes he asked me a question.
"Depends on what you're offering," I say, still examining the tall man. His dark eyes rove over mine as he sums up my character. Then it hits me. He has the same soft golden glow like the Blue Lady! It's just barely there, but against the dark interior of his shop, it stands out ever so slightly.
"Then we shall play the bargain game," He says with a smile, distracting me from the glow. "I will offer and you will counter offer until we agree, deal?" I nod and set Winter on the ground. Mr. Zodaps looks at her like he's just noticed her. He seems almost surprised at her presence, but focuses back on me quickly.
"For a toy like this, I suppose I could offer… let's say 500Poké." He says. Already it's more than I thought I would get or it, but if that's his starting point, he's got to be willing to pay much higher.
"Really, for hours and hours of work?" I tease, feeling strangely courageous. "500Poké for hours of detail work and actually making the mechanics. I say 900Poké." The man smiles.
"Aren't you confident in your handiwork," He teases back. "I guess for hours upon hours of work I could raise it to 650Poké." I scoff, something I would never usually do to a stranger, and roll my eyes.
"Yes, but it actually flies," I point out. "Surely that has to be worth at least 850Poké." He raises his eyebrows.
"I don't think you know how this game works, little one," He says. "I say 700Poké and that's as high as I want to go." His dark eyes look victorious, but my confidence is feeling a little too good to let up now.
"And I say I won't take anything under 775Poké," I respond. His eyebrows really go up into his hair now. His face takes on a glare, staring me down like he wants to vaporize me, but I glare right back. I swear I'm high in adrenaline right now. After about a minute, Mr. Zodaps' face breaks out into a smile.
"My, my, don't you have a pair," He chuckles. "I accept your offer and raise you 50Poké just because I like you." He sticks out his hand, which I shake before breaking out into a huge smile.
"I guess that wasn't bad for my first time," Mr. Zodaps looks stunned but then laughs.
"No wonder Redwing gave you a trinket, you put those ghost eyes to good use," He smiles and brings a cash box out from underneath the counter. He counts out the cash and we exchange our goods. "I hope to see you again, maybe with another toy for me." I wink and stuff the cash in my wallet, then put that in my bag.
"I'm sure you will, someday," I say. "If you like traveling."
"Challenging the Alamar League?" He asks and I nod. "Good. Maybe I'll see you in Análi."
"Hey, do you know a lady with blue hair that sparkles a little bit?" I ask, the question blurting itself out before I can think about it. Mr. Zodaps looks at me suspiciously and crosses his arms.
"Why?"
"Well, she kinda left her book in the restaurant yesterday…" I pull out the worn leather volume and show it to him. "It's just you have the same kind of air about you and I thought you might be her older brother or something." Mr. Zodaps only glances at the book before turning his dark gaze back on me.
"Well, I do know a lady with blue hair, but last I seen her, she was in Kanto," He brushes off quickly. "Besides, she would never leave a book lying around. You must be mistaken." I frown and stow away the book.
"Oh, okay then," I sigh. "Thanks for your business, and good fortune in the future." Mr. Zodaps waves at the three of us as we head down the street.
"Next stop, the Gym!" Kasha says happily. "We can finally get our first Gym badge! Let's go Slowpokes!" I laugh at her exuberance, immediately forgetting the strange look the shopkeeper gave me and dash ahead down the street. Guy chuckles at the both of us and follows leisurely, Woody swaggering by his side.
"I'm so pumped!" Tikeri says, a burst of fire exiting his mouth as he barks. "Our first challenge!"
"Good to see you're confident," Winter teases, making Tikeri puff out his chest in pride.
"Let's go!" I yell.
The lady with the blue hair… How is it I don't find it surprising that my sister is here? She always had a knack for seeking out trouble.
"Mr. Zodaps? Is that really the best you can do?" A girlish voice calls into the stall. The blue-haired lady stands at the counter, lording over it as if it were her birth right. The man with the singed hair chuckles darkly and approaches the young lady.
"And yet, you let yourself be seen by a child," He retorts. "All because you wanted to show a book of fairytales to an old friend. Shame sister." The Blue Lady huffs and taps her fingers on the counter.
"It wasn't my fault," She whines. "You know there are people that can't be fooled, those with different minds." The man chuckles and places a trinket on the counter, the very same trinket he just bought.
"That child who saw you made this," He states. "Tell me, is this just coincidence, or are things stirring sister? Who was that child? I know you must have gotten a good look at her if you've followed her to me." The Blue Lady sighs dramatically and examines the trinket while she explains.
"In the restaurant, I caught her staring at me when I thought I was invisible to everyone but my friend. She looked mesmerized and embarrassed at the same time when I caught her eyes. They are such a lovely shade of blue you know! Anyway, I thought I was just seeing my friend and here I have a child staring at me as if I had two heads. I stared back, you know, and saw what she is." The man raises his eyebrows as the lady pauses in her story.
"You know I don't have all day," The man says impatiently.
"Please, brother, you have all eternity," The woman retorts. "This child is special though. I think she may be a Bond Child."
"Here?! Of all places, here?" The man asks incredulously. "Things are stirring sister… But question is, for the better or worse?" The lady chuckles and shrugs.
"I don't know, but it will be fun!" She says happily. "Do you think our sister is here too?" The blonde man laughs heartily and returns the toy to his collection.
"If she is, she's down in the Islands," He replies. "She doesn't tolerate the cold like you and I do." The woman laughs in a musical manner.
"You call this cold? This is a sauna to me." The man shrugs off the comment and fiddles with another trinket.
"I'm worried sister, about what's to come."
"Well, you shouldn't, there will be a Hero and a Villain just like every other time. Though I'm starting to think the Bond Child might be important. Do you think so?" The man nods slowly, as if lost in thought.
"She is challenging the League, why not go see her Gym battle today? I'm sure there will be a crowd." The Blue Lady smiles and taps her brother on the nose.
"Perhaps I will. Though, Zapdos, please think of a better name, yours is entirely too obvious!" Zapdos simply smiles at his sister before he starts to pick up his shop.
"Go watch your Champion and see if she is the Hero we need. I am going to go find our sister. Don't let yourself get caught."
"As if you need to remind me, brother!" With that, the Blue Lady strides down the street, attracting the attention of many men as she walks past.
"Easier said than done, Articuno, especially when you love to show off so much." Zapdos scoffs and continues his work.
Haha! I am finally done with this chapter! Amazing where the story goes when you let it write itself. So enjoy, review, or hate and ignore, your choice. Read on fellow authors!