I can't believe that I'm already falling behind.
Okay, I also fixed that timeline thing that I mentioned in the last chapter.
School and my procrastinating, Um… I mean my "Writer's Block" is interfering again, but I will persevere.
My fortune cookie tolds me so…
National Suicide Hotline Number : 1-800-488-3000
Fears come in all shapes and sizes, but our reactions come in only a few.
"(And so after that, I ended up here… abandoned.)"
I don't know why she felt the need to add that last part.
I swear it was to drive a stake of guilt into my tiny heart.
"(What made you decide to tell him all this now?)," Phineas had silently listened beside me, "(you obviously knew who Tyler was for quite a while.)"
"(I didn't think that I'd ever need to. I wanted him to grow a little more mature before I told him anything.)," Jyrotika took a look at me for my reaction to all of this.
"(I… I think that… excuse me.)," I got up slowly for the door. My childhood was now officially over.
Jyrotika had now explained everything. Why my father had to leave (how he died), why the pendant was so important, and why I was so freakishly special. She even told us what she knew about Youko. We came here for answers and boy did we get answers. Only now did we both know exactly how deep in trouble we actually were. Now, I knew that I had to grow up… and fast.
"(Hold on…)," Phineas stopped me, "(are you alright?)"
"(I'm fine…)," I said, drained of all my emotions, "(it's just a lot to take in. I need time to think.)"
"(Then at least let me come with you.)," Phineas offered.
"(No, it'd be best, if I was alone for a little while.)," I didn't give him time to object.
I had to be the mature responsible one. I would also have to repeat this story to others at least on seven other occasions. Please bare with me for now. Only the three of us knew now and it would remain that way as I (the only translator for the humans) would be taken out of the picture for a long while.
Karen here…
I had spent those minutes a little selfishly. I knew that Andrew was okay. I hadn't neglected him during this past week. It's just that… I needed some time off from this whole Youko thing. Even if it was just a few hours. I spent it brushing Andrew's fur. It amazed me every time how the flaming mane didn't hurt. If you knew anything about Ponyta, you'd know that this was a clear sign that Andrew trusted me. In a way, it calmed me down. I guess that's something that Rio and I had in common.
"How's that Andrew," I asked him softly.
"(Perfect Ma…)," Andrew nickered, Kiki seemed to laugh at it.
"I think that he's well enough to get out of those straps and walk by now," Ms. Kay informed me.
"You sure it's not too soon?"
"Please take them off," Ms. Kay smiled as she prepared to state her idea of a joke, "he's had the urge to run so badly that he's been swinging on these straps like a Mankey."
"Okay," I nodded patting Andrew one last time, "You ready?"
"(Well, it was nice while it lasted.)," he nodded.
"(Don't worry Andrew. You'll still be Ma's big baby boy.)," Kiki said something that sounded like it teased him. I knew that it did by the way that Andrew stomped to himself. I was so proud of Andrew. The two of them never really got along this well before. Luighseach must have been a good influence for him. When Ms. Kay released the straps, it only took Andrew a few seconds to steady himself, ready to get running again.
"(Finally!)," Andrew did a small tap dance, testing out his unused legs.
"(Be certain to take it easy.)," Luighseach neighed, stomping similarly, "(If the bones aren't set then they'll just end up breaking again.)"
"(Yes sir…)," Andrew calmed down quickly and took much more tender steps than what I'd expect. The old Rapidash must be rubbing off on him.
"You can take him on the trails if you'd like," Ms. Kay offered.
"No, I can't risk being seen with him," I placed my hand on Andrew, "Mr. Bisha may keep his word, but my dad is more stubborn than a wild Tauros."
"Then I'll have Luighseach accompany him instead," Ms. Kay opened the door for her Rapidash, she pet him as he exited the stall, "you'll protect him, wont you?"
"(But of course.)," Luighseach seemed to bow to Ms. Kay as he nodded. I watched the two of them walk off into the woods.
It kind of hurt. I was almost afraid that he wouldn't come back.
Ms. Kay relieved me of my anxiety by patting me on the shoulder.
"Andy is in good hands."
I sighed at this. It was getting late. I had to get John back to school before Principal Bisha found out. He just might cancel the battle if he found out that I was the one who took Milkshake. I went back into the barn to grab my bag and pet Kiki good-bye. She wasn't there though. I became worried when she wasn't outside either. I moved to the coop to see if she was with John. I only found Phineas and one of the Combuskin sitting in there.
"Toto?"
"Phineas, it's time to go. Have you seen Kiki?"
"(No)," Phineas shook his head as he stepped out, "(Have you seen John?)"
It took him a moment to remember that I couldn't understand him.
He pantomimed something as he asked again.
"(Have you seen Tyler?)," he asked, placing his claw as if he was patting some invisible table.
"Tyler," I guessed, he nodded in response, "I haven't seen him."
"(You haven't?)," Phineas looked worriedly back at the Combuskin inside.
"(I'll go get Banhi.)," she stood up, "(We will find him.)"
"(So, Jade, I take it that you know about Tyrone's little 'condition'.)," Nemean looked up (or rather down) at me. Even when lying down he's still taller.
I nodded at this, not saying anything about Tyrone's multiple conditions, "why do you ask?"
"(I'm just curious… why you aren't asking about it yourself?)"
"I think that you should leave it alone grandad," Derrick said it, I'm certain.
However, Nemean just wanted to say something. The only ones out here were Nemean, Leo, myself and the fake Tyrone. Paki and the Tarsa were inside being brutally cleaned by Margret. She would send them straight to bed afterwords. We've been sitting on the back porch quietly sipping (or lapping in Nemean's case) our drinks for almost a half hour. I was even considering talking about how quickly the grass seems to grow.
"(What? She didn't hear about it from you yet did she?)," Nemean tilted his head at his grandson, "(It's been over a week and she hasn't asked us anything.)"
"I just don't like to pry," I lied, staring intently on Derrick, "Plus I was indisposed for the past week. I remember you telling me that it wasn't because of the Phoenix Gate that you're like this."
"(Of course not, the Phoenix Gate's power didn't cause us to become Shïsá. We were a created long time ago.)"
"Do you really have to tell this story again?"
Derrick groaned, Leo stood up to get closer to Nemean.
"(It all started shortly after the founding of Golnar…)," Nemean reminisced, "(Roughly near the time that the founding fathers were given their special gifts by the blessed Kubbi. Our ancestors… now, by "our" I mean Leo here as well. You understand?)"
I nodded at this.
"(Their names were Jeremiah Bondell and his partner Bootes. Our ancestors were simple farmers, not nearly as wealthy as the founding fathers. However, they desired to protect Golnar as well. More so, they wanted to protect their friend, the first founding family's head. For he was in the most danger.)"
"Why's that?"
"Be-causssse," Derrick rolled his voice in a matter that declared how irritated he was at me, "The first founding father was a mere peasant boy. It was an insult to their prides as nobel men to share the title of Heroes of Golnar with him. Even if he was the one who tamed the silver Ninetales."
"(He didn't tame her, Tyrone.)," Nemean growled, "(Such a term would inquire that Kubbi was wild to begin with. If anything William Lawrence was Kubbi's chosen one.)"
I spat out the drink that I was sipping at the moment, "Wait, hold on. Lawrence as in…"
"(That's right.)," Nemean nodded, "(But let me finish explaining before you jump to any misdirected conclusions.)"
"Yes, sir," I scooted to the edge of my seat.
"(Jeremiah and Bootes had witnessed the soul bonding ritual and decided to perform it on themselves. Of course, they hadn't had a clue about what they were doing. Jeremiah didn't know that an item was required to keep the contract between the two souls and was used as a divider to keep the souls apart. So as a result, Jeremiah and Bootes' became one soul in two bodies. In turn, Jeremiah had caused beings like us to come into existence.)," Nemean stood up to stretch his legs, he stood proudly in front of us as he continued, "(When Kubbi had discovered what Jeremiah had done, she pitted him. Telling him that the ritual had cursed the Bondell bloodline. Jeremiah's body had become a living 'artifact'. Like livestock, Jeremiah was no longer eligible to own himself.)"
"That's stupid," I said, "Just because he was no longer human he could be owned."
"It's not that simple Jade," Derrick said sadly, I noticed that he was physically sad, "Growlithe are naturally loyal. They naturally present themselves to serving others. If they have no one to serve, they'll die. Shïsá are no different."
"(That's exactly why Kubbi named our race "Shïsá". It means 'Guardian Dog' in another tongue. Like the statues of the Legendary Dogs that some people still keep around town. A Shïsá's purpose is to protect their masters, both the Aniki and the Aneki.)," Nemean paused a moment, "(The two have never changed, the human Shïsá can only be male. We don't know why. As such the Aniki is the person that we were born to protect. They aren't always of the Lawrence family, but it usually is. That has been our soul purpose from the beginning.)"
"So then when John died…," I didn't bother finishing the statement.
"John was also the last of the Lawrence family," Derrick looked almost like he was going to lunge over, "Smith… Damn him…"
"Tyrone, what's wrong?"
"(He must die…)," Tyrone growled to himself. I knew it was Tyrone, Derrick must have lost control. Although Tyrone didn't seem to be in control of himself.
"Tyrone calm down," I ordered him. Tyrone took a second to register what I said. He then frowned and stared at me with those puppy dog eyes. Shakingly, Tyrone crawled closer to me and hugged me.
"(I'm sorry… Aneki, he took my Aniki away from me.)," Tyrone slowly slipped his head into my lap. As far as I could tell, Tyrone had this bottled in the back of his mind. Losing John did this to him. He might not even realize it himself. I decided to do what I've done in the past. I placed my hand on his head. It calmed him down enough to sleep.
"(Just like a true Aneki…)," Nemean grinned.
"I guess," I sighed, "speaking which what exactly is an Aneki?"
"(Um… that's a little more complicated.)," Nemean coughed.
"How much more complicated could it be?"
"(It's not something that we can control, it just happens.)," Nemean's tail shifted to where his missing leg should be.
"Is it really that embarrassing?"
"(No, it's just… you might misunderstand. An aneki is the word for our…)," Nemean growled too low for me to hear him.
"Could you repeat that?" Nemean rolled his nose before he mumbled the same thing again. "(our women…)" I saw the expression on Leo's face go from confused to shocked in a mere instant. He had heard Nemean perfectly the first time, but he now understood what Nemean had said.
"It can't be that bad, Leo."
"(Only because, well, it means that you're my Aniki's future wife.)"
"Wife!" I stood up when I heard that. Luckily, Tyrone woke up from my shouting before I would have knocked him onto the floor.
"(Now calm down, I told you that we can't control it.)," Nemean and Leo lowered their heads and ears.
"(Please don't be mad at Aniki.)," Leo whined.
"What did I do," Tyrone looked back up at me. I turned to look straight at Nemean in the eyes.
"He doesn't know," I pointed at Tyrone.
"(Never told him.)," Nemean motioned to cross his heart.
"Told me what," Tyrone tilted his head now.
I took a moment to breath, "It's personal. Please, don't worry yourself over it."
"Okay, Aneki," Tyrone's tail wagged freely behind him. I sat back down.
"So why me?"
"(Like why we're always male, that remains a mystery.)," Nemean shrugged, "(it could be anything from fate to looking in your eyes to… oh, I don't know… hitting him in the face with a toy firetruck.)"
"I never did that!"
"(Oh, I know. It's just a funny memory I have of my own son.)," Nemean chuckled. Nemean was about to tell his next story when Tyrone's phone beeped.
"Hello," Derrick took control quickly for the immature side of Tyrone, "Who? Karen? Uh… Leo?…"
Derrick quietly listened for a while longer as a I heard a girl speaking on the other end. He obviously had no idea what the girl was saying. When she was done yelling, Derrick put the phone to his chest.
"Uh, Karen says that she needs Leo to find Milkshake."
"Oh really," I sneered, knowing what Derrick didn't remember, "and just why does she want your help?"
"(We had found him last time.)," Leo barked, hopping to his feet, "(I could smell him when no one else could. We should go.)"
Please Review if you can. Thank you.
Warning: Spoiler Alert: Upgraded Founders List…
Decedent: (1) Lawrence Family
Owner: None
Artifact: Unknown
Partner: unknown
Species: Unknown
Power: Unknown
Decedent: (2) Aiku Family
Owner: Unknown
Artifact: Hammer/Mallet
Partner: unknown
Species: Unknown
Power: Unknown
Decedent: (3) Bisha Family
Owner: Principal Manny Bisha
Artifact: Spear
Partner: unknown
Species: Unknown
Power: Unknown
Decedent: (4&5) Jiro & Fukira families
Owner: Unknown (called: "Pink")
Artifact: Scroll
Partner: Dargais
Species: Unknown
Power: Is able to see and draw out the future, but doing so will cause a great amount of strain to the body. Under normal circumstances, the user must give up an equivalent amount of their life. But when combined with the Gourd of the Fukira family the life exchange is essentially canceled.
Decedent: (4&5) Fukira & Jiro families
Owner: Unknown (called: "Blue")
Artifact: Wine Gourd
Partner: Celtnis
Species: Unknown
Power: Accelerates healing in exchange for an equivalent of memories. Say you break your leg (which normally would take a month or two to heal), then you lose the memories that you have of the past month. If a body part is irreparable naturally then it can not be healed. Where as if they need a day to "rest and recuperate" like "Pink" would then they'll lose a day's worth of memories.
Decedent: (6) Zaiten Family
Owner: Bernice Zaiten (aka "Benny")
Artifact: Sitar
Partner: Ignu
Species: Chattot
Power: Is able to manipulate sound in order to "confuse" the minds of Pokémon and essentially control them. (Much like the Pied Piper, except more out of annoyance than enjoyment.)
Decedent: (7) Ebisu Family
Owner: Eddie Ebisu (called "Ebisu" by elder members)
Artifact: Fishing Rod
Partner: Loumirako
Species: Relicathe
Power: Water summoning and manipulation. Loumirako is able to battle using the streams of water that Eddie summons. There is no known side effect for using this relic's powers as of yet. Where ever the water comes from, it clearly also returns there when Eddie is finished borrowing it.
Decedent: (8) Hotei Family
Owner: Buddy Hotei
Artifact: Sack
Partner: unknown
Species: Unknown
Power: Unknown