-Chapter 10-
Submission
The Stan Lee Public Library was close by, not a particularly large one, but it was full of information that any aspiring Pokemon master could utilize. It made sense that it was near the Team Mystic headquarters too, and that most of those who were studying inside its walls were wearing blue. There were a few Valors and Instincts there as well, of course, but not nearly as many as there were Mystics. Marleon never got around to finding out who the library was named after, but he always assumed it was someone who lived on Rain Dance Island before he made the island his home. He figured whoever Stan Lee was, he must have been someone important to have a library named after him.
He entered in and began to browse the catalog for a book that would help him find a cure to Quagsire's Leech Seed situation. He eventually decided on a few books with general information on grass-type Pokemon, and he would start there. After a little searching on the shelves, he found the books he was looking for, and started to find somewhere to sit when he noticed a familiar face. There were private rooms along the wall of the building where one could sit and read without too much distraction, and inside one of them was Garrett, the Team Mystic leader, with his face buried in an old encyclopedia. Marleon noticed a pile of books next to him, and several others open to various pages that were scattered along the table he sat at in the room. He would have left Garrett alone to his studies, but he remembered he had something to give the Mystic leader, so he walked up with his couple of books and tapped on the door. Garrett looked up and grinned, motioning Marleon to come in.
"Gyarados! How're ya doing? Long time no see!", Garrett said as Marleon entered and closed the door. The former gym leader chuckled, "A day I believe. Not sure if that counts as a 'long time'.", he replied. Garrett snickered as Marleon sat across the table from him, "Huh, grass Pokemon? Not like you to be interested in those, unless there's some water and grass type that you're interested in catching.", he said. Marleon shook his head, "Actually trying to find some information on Leech Seed. One of my old Pokemon has a very bad case of it, and I need to find a cure." "A cure? Leech Seed should have just fallen off of the Pokemon after about 12 hours. Sounds like a modified species of it.", Garrett said. Marleon nodded, "As far as I know, it was something Team Rocket did with a Serperior."
"Damn! That's a bummer! Well hey, if you'd like me to, I can put a research team on it. Maybe you could bring the Pokemon to the Team Mystic headquarters and they can see what they can do.", Garrett offered. Marleon sighed, "I appreciate the help, but moving Quagsire would be difficult. He's already in too much pain. Maybe V would let your team stop by Team Instinct to look at him." Garrett grimaced, "Ah...I'm not sure about that. She's not entirely too happy with us right now." Marleon crossed his arms, "I'll speak with her. Right now, I think Quagsire's health is a lot more important than this whole team thing." Garrett scoffed, "It's much bigger than you realize, Gyarados. But we'll see..."
"Oh, I have something for you.", Marleon said. Garrett blinked, and then his eyes widened and he stood at once when he saw the pristine blue feathers that Marleon pulled out. "That's from Articuno!", he shouted in excitement. Marleon chuckled, rubbing his ear a bit, "Hey keep your voice down, it's still a Library you know." He looked on the other side of the window and could see a female Instinct trainer and her Dratini both looking their direction. The rooms must not have been as sound proof as he believed they were. Garrett laughed a little, "Sorry...but wow! Where did you get those?", he asked. Marleon told the story about how Articuno led him to Seel, and how Seel was badly injured. He handed the feathers over and Garrett began to study them eagerly, "This is fascinating! And you said this happened recently?", he asked. Marleon nodded, "Yesterday." "So Articuno is definitely in the area! But with the feathers, we will be able to track it much easier."
Marleon cleared his throat, "Hey, I was wondering about that. Why exactly are you so interested in Articuno?" Garrett grinned, "Oh, because it saved my life when I was just beginning as a Pokemon trainer.", he explained, recanting the tale.
Garrett had just set out on his Pokemon adventure, with his squirtle, Gallant, and a recently caught Spearow. They were searching in the tall grass for more Pokemon to add to the team when a Venusaur was spotted crossing their path. Garrett did not know the Pokemon was too high of a level for him, and he threw a Pokeball in an attempt to capture it without battling. The Venusaur's instincts kicked in and it destroyed Garrett's pokeball with a single Vine Whip. The trainer sent out Gallant, but the Squirtle was easily defeated by the Venusaur's whips. He tried with Spearow but the bird stood no chance. When Garrett realized he was in trouble, he tried to flee but large vines sprouted behind him and blocked the path. The Venusaur approached, angry, and Garrett braced himself, trapped with no way to escape. When Venusaur sent out his vines to strike Garrett, he shut his eyes and expected a painful end...when the vines had stopped just short of the trainer. He looked and felt the air grow cold around him. The Venusaur's vines were frozen solid, and the grass Pokemon was trembling in fear. Above them was Articuno, who struck the Venusaur with a barrage of ice shards. The Venusaur retreated back into the forest. Garrett looked up to the bird, who was glaring down at him before landing. He was still trapped by the vines behind him, but Articuno approached and gave him an assuring nod. Garrett reached and pressed his hand into the bird's chest plumage, and he felt calm and inspired. The bird took flight afterward, leaving him a single blue feather.
"So Articuno saved you that day. It makes a lot of sense now. It must be your guardian.", Marleon nodded. Garrett blinked, "'Guardian'? What does that mean?", he asked Marleon chuckled, "I'm surprised you don't know about them. But every Pokemon trainer has a legendary Pokemon that is...oh how would you put it...spiritually bonded to them? I think I've read a few books on the subject, after I found out that Suicune is mine.", he explained. He noticed Garrett had an encyclopedia on local legends around the Fire Islands League, and he pointed to it, "Oh, you have one of the books here. Let me see that..."
He took the book and flipped the pages until he found a page titled The Legend of Arcanine: How Arcanine Got Its Stripes. "This is one of the stories.", Marleon said, sliding the book over to Garrett. "Interesting. It even says that Arcanine is a 'Legendary Pokemon' in the Pokedex, but it's considered to be more of a pseudo-legendary. Let me read it...", Garrett cleared his throat, and began to read aloud.
"'In the beginning, there were tribes that revered the Legendary Pokemon. Each island was devoted to a type of Pokemon, and had places to pay tribute to the legends. Lavatic Island had a large temple to honor all the great Fire type Pokemon – Moltres, Ho-Oh, Entei, Heatran, and Arcanine. The Pokemon looked down with favor on the islands from the place they reside, known at Thrylikos Mons, or the Legendary Realm in common tongue. Of the legends that were of Fire type, Arcanine loved the humans the greatest and offered favors more commonly than the others. It would appear before them, showing its pristine, beautiful orange and yellow body. There was not a trace of black markings on Arcanine originally. One day, the Fire Islands were threatened by a volcanic eruption, as Lavatic Island itself was swelling with magma. The island's volcano was spewing fire already, and the humans begged the Fire Legends of the Legendary Realm for protection. But their prayers fell on deaf ears. Moltres was busy complaining with Zapdos and Articuno. Ho-Oh was not interested in getting involved. Entei and Heatran were preoccupied with other matters. The other Legends had combined their powers to protect the remaining islands from the natural disaster. When all seemed lost, it was Arcanine that appeared before the humans of Lavatic Island, and it entered the volcano and absorbed the heat into its body, quelling the magma and preventing the eruption. The Legendary Pokemon sacrificed its immortality, and was marked with the familiar black stripes we know Arcanine to have today. It could no longer return to the Legendary Realm, but it was happy staying with the humans it loved. To this day, each of the legends swear by a vow to follow Arcanine's example, and each human is bonded to a single Legendary Pokemon, who appears to them for matters of inspiration as well as protects them during situations of peril.'"
"So there you have it.", Marleon spoke, "There are similar stories to the origins of the Guardians, but the one about Arcanine is one of the most well known." "Fascinating...", Garrett spoke, "I wonder how they choose." Marleon shrugged, "No one has been able to ask them, but I'd like to know myself. I've had several encounters with different Legendary Pokemon, but Suicune has appeared the most for me."
Garrett looked at the feathers from Articuno again. "Thank you for this, Gyarados. You've done me a huge favor, we'll be able to track Articuno now that we have a sample of its DNA.", he said. "What will you do when you find Articuno?", Marleon asked, "No doubt capture it, right?" Garrett shook his head, "I...just want to thank it. That's all. Oh, and I'll be in touch about that Leech Seed situation. I think if we put our minds together, we can find a solution." Marleon nodded, and he left, returning the books he had picked out for the research. Once outside, he summoned Flygon, "Mind giving me a lift to the Rain Dance Gym? I'll point you in the right direction...wait til you meet your teammates.", he asked his Pokemon. Flygon agreed, and Marleon hopped on his back, the two flying to the other side of the island.
It had been a few hours after they had returned to the Rain Dance Gym. Flygon was becoming acquainted with his new teammates, and Marleon decided to relax and flip on the television. He was drained after today, laying on his old bed while the news flickered. The main story was that Team Mystic was now dominating the gyms on the island. They had done a good sweep of Mariner City, taking over several gyms that normally were always controlled by Team Valor. The numbers were a solid 20 gyms for Team Mystic, 7 gyms for Team Valor, and Team Instinct had 3. Marleon yawned and began to close his eyes, letting the television stay on while he napped.
Something woke him up moments later. "Hmm?", he sat up. Glaceon was nudging his back with her paw. "Glaceon? What is it?", Marleon rubbed his eyes. She pointed at the television. Marleon focused on it, and then his eyes widened. A breaking news story, as several trainers were crowded around one of the buildings of Mariner City. Perched on the top of the building was Lugia, the Legendary Psychic and Water Pokemon. The sleek legend was speaking telepathically to all those around, but it's message was muted while the newscasters were speaking. "We're now receiving word on Lugia's intentions. It appears that it is calling for someone in particular.", Cindy, the newscaster, spoke. "We are going to play what Lugia demanded.", Tommy, the other newscaster, spoke. The audio from the live feed of Lugia was now playing. "Bring me the chosen one, your so called leader of this island! The one you call Gyarados!" Marleon's veins went cold, the legend was calling for him? What did Lugia mean by 'chosen one'? He quickly got up and got ready, "Come on, everyone! We're being called for!", he said to the Pokemon of his gym, and began to collect them all into their respective Pokeballs. Once his team of Red the Gyarados, Glaceon, Seel, Flygon, and Altaria were all secured, he darted out of the gym and ran to Mariner City.
The closer he got to that building, the more he could mentally hear Lugia's voice. He was nearing the location when Lugia met him, landing before him in the street with enough of an impact to crack the ground beneath it. The Pokemon exhaled, "It's just as I feared.", Lugia spoke telepathically, "The human is in fact cursed." Marleon blinked at that, "I'm here, Lugia! What's going on?", he asked. Lugia craned its head, "I was hoping you would enlighten me, what have you done to receive that aura around you?", it asked. Marleon blinked again, "Aura? I don't understand...", he spoke. Lugia grimaced, "Lies now, then? Don't test my patience. What is your plan with that dark energy?", it questioned him. Marleon shook his head, "I don't know what you're talking about! Please, tell me what's going on!", he shouted. Lugia exhaled, and then extended one of it's wing-like hands, concentrating on Marleon. By now, the crowd had moved all around the two of them. Marleon felt a tension in his body, and he gritted his teeth and groaned, it was as if all of his muscles began to twitch uncontrollably. And then, the aura became visible around him. Marleon felt a surge of energy all around. A violet color to it, seeping out of his body almost like he was engulfed in flames. He held his palms up and looked in shock, "What...what is this? This...power?", he questioned.
Lugia grumbled, "I don't know what you were thinking when you made an agreement with him...", it began to speak, "But I have no choice. You are a threat to this island, and I will see that you are dealt with.", Lugia's arm was still outstretched, and Marleon suddenly felt his body begin to tighten from a psychic squeeze. "Forgive me. Your death will be as painless as I can make it."
Marleon's Pokemon popped out of their Pokeballs, and they stood between him and Lugia. The human was now floating about a foot off the ground, but with the Pokemon in the way, Lugia had to break the telekinesis and he landed with a thud. "Out of the way! You're interfering with-", Lugia began, but the Pokemon complained. Red was the most boastful. "There is no way I will allow him to live, even if you say he is kind to you!", Lugia spoke in frustration. All of Marleon's Pokemon came to his defense, arguing and pleading their case that their trainer shouldn't die. Lugia finally closed its eyes. "Fine then. If you will not allow me to be the one to end him, I will let his own kind do it."
Marleon watched as all the electronic screens on the buildings, the ones that normally had the scoreboards and the live news reports, all changed simultaneously. They now had an image of Marleon on them. But the former Rain Dance Gym Leader gasped when he realized what image it was. "Take a good look, humans! This man you wish to be your 'chosen one' is a criminal!", Lugia spoke telepathically to everyone around. "He is a member of the organization known as Team Aqua! He terrorized the lands around these islands for more than five years! They called him...'Barnacle Bob'!"
The photo showed Marleon in his Team Aqua uniform. He clenched his fists at the sight of it. He could hear the fellow trainers around him, of all three teams, chatter about the picture. They were recognizing him as the criminal he was for the past six years. "Why don't you show them that tattoo of yours, too?", Lugia spoke. Marleon tensed, "I'm not with them anymore! I didn't want to be an Aqua!", he shouted. "Oh? So they held you hostage then?", Lugia questioned. The trainers were closing in on Marleon and his Pokemon. "Come now, let me end this for you. It will be much quicker if you allow me to do it. I'm sure they would torture you.", Lugia spoke. The crowd got closer and closer. Marleon grumbled, and then said, "Red! Dragon Rage!" His Gyarados roared loudly and his eyes began to glow, as twisters formed and swirled around Marleon and his Pokemon. This prevented the trainers from getting any closer, and while they were distracted, Marleon recalled everyone but Altaria and hopped on her back. She took off and vanished into the clouds above, as the twisters from Dragon Rage settled. It would have appeared that Marleon had completely vanished. Lugia saw his escape, but only smiled. The trap was set.
He went to the Team Instinct headquarters, and landed, exhaling. "That was close. Thank you, Altaria.", he rubbed the dragon-type's neck and returned her. He rushed inside, hoping no one saw him there. They'd probably come looking for him here, but he thought it could have been the best place for him to go. Marleon swiped his keycard and the door opened. But as he stepped into the headquarters, he was met with several Instinct trainers and their Pokemon, all preparing to fight him. "There he is!", a trainer called out. "Don't let him escape!", shouted another. The trainers began to close in when he heard V call out, "Wait!"
She stepped out from the crowd, along with a fully evolved Aggron. The Team Instinct leader stared into Marleon's eyes. "V, please, I didnt-", Marleon began, but V interrupted, "How could you? How could you join Team Aqua?" Marleon gulped a bead of saliva. Team Instinct had turned on him as well. "It wasn't my choice, Vicky! They rescued me that day I disappeared! And I wasn't in a position to challenge them!", he argued. V clenched her fists, "My home, Aquifer Town...it was wiped off the map thanks to Team Aqua!", she said. Marleon blinked, "What? When?", he questioned. "Eight years ago. They summoned Kyogre, and a tsunami destroyed several small towns on the coastline of Sinnoh! My home town, everyone I knew and love...was gone after I left for my Pokemon journey.", tears were forming and rolling down V's face as she spoke, "Ever since then, I vowed to take my revenge on both Kyogre and all of Team Aqua. Even if that means I'll have to help Team Magma...I will not rest until Team Aqua is erased from the history books!"
Marleon stepped back. The doors were locked behind him. "There is no escape, Marleon! I'm sorry it has to come to this, but you're not going to make it out of here alive!", V said, as Aggron and all the other Pokemon around prepared to take the cornered former gym leader down. Marleon quickly summoned Flygon, and before the Dragon-type could adjust, he pointed to the door, "Flygon, Draco Meteor!" "Get him! Get him!", V ordered, and the Pokemon charged at Marleon. Flygon quickly formed several large boulders from the foundation of the building, and slammed them into the door. It caused a small explosion and propelled everyone back, even Marleon and Flygon. While a small dust cloud appeared, the gym leader wrapped his arms around Flygon's neck, and the dragon raced out of the building through the freshly made opening, taking flight.
They circled above the island, hearing sirens, and a broadcast informing all trainers to be on the lookout for 'Barnacle Bob', otherwise known as Marleon 'Gyarados' Takenawa. He could hear the mention of Flygon, so he had his Pokemon disappear into the Aqua Rainforest where he returned him. He had to catch his breath, and made his way to the edge of the tree line. He could see trainers running along the paths, thinking they might be able to find him in the Rainforest. Marleon wasn't safe here either. So at the first chance he got, he darted north toward the Oceana Coastline. He had a lucky break that there weren't any trainers close by when he did, disappearing into the tall grass near the beach, before making a run for the water. He ran to the first pier he could find, and summoned Red, hopping on the Gyarados' back. "Go, Red! Out to shore!", Marleon commanded, and the Red Gyarados obeyed, swimming as fast as he could, putting as much distance between them and the coast as they could. Marleon looked back, watching Rain Dance Island slowly shrink behind them as they swam further away. It looked like they weren't followed or even spotted. When the island was no longer in view, he exhaled and relaxed. But the gravity of what had happened hit him. He was an exile from his own home. He only hoped the word didn't spread farther than Rain Dance Island about his history with Team Aqua. But knowing the news, he was sure it was already too late for that.