-Tate's POV-
It was still dark when I arrived at Phoebe's island. At least I hoped it was her island, because I had seen no other land since Bartolomeo left me. Only time could tell.
It was a quite big island from what I could tell from afar, a mass of grass and tall hills that didn't let me see the interior. It was probably as big as Mossdeep, which is one of the biggest cities in Hoenn.
I carefully stopped the motorboat close to the beach, making sure to choose a somewhat hidden spot from one who came to the island but also easy to access in case a quick escape would be needed. You never know when wild pokemon can get hostile. I left Moonlight aboard. As much as I didn't want to risk losing the body, she would only burden me
As I stepped off the boat and silently crossed the fluffy sand of the beach, it occured to me that, since Summer was badly injured, I was pretty much unnarmed. He would fight to the death for me, I knew, but I wouldn'f let it happen even if I had to die in the proccess. I more than ever wished I had borrowed papa's claydol or grumpig for this expedition...
I stepped up the hill that led to the island's interior, not having found any signs of intelligent life so far. But as soon as I observed that, a murkrow cawed above me, startling me to nearly roll back down to the beach, though I held myself at a root in the last second.
Nocturnals, I thought with a grunt. They love to screw with us whenever possible.
Once I reached the top of the hill, I could see how beautiful the island really was.
The grass was shiny green, shimmering smoothly under the moonlight while blowing gently with the breeze. The landscape was filled with trees and bushes of various sizes, all sporting the same healthy green tonality as the grass and many were full of fruit. That gorgeous green carpet extended for hundreds of meters for all directions, though the several hills didn't let me see just how big that place was.
There were, however, signs of civilization:down the hill, in the middle of the valley, sat a small wooden hut. It seemed roughly two meters tall, and likely not wide enough to fit a large pokemon such as a metagross or a camerupt comfortably. It was clearly abandoned, as no lights or defense lines against potential wild pokemon could be seen from my spot, though it was hard to tell. I would have to go there and check, and had to make sure I would make it in one piece.
There were pokemon around, mostly nocturnals. From my spot, I could see several murkrow perched to the taller trees, all busy with their...dark bird things. Alongside them, some natu were staring right back at me, as if expecting me to either do a magic trick or leap at them. Typical natu behavior.
From the distance, I faintly spotted a small pack of four mightyena hunting a lone dodrio, which seemed to be making little effort to escape from its predators. Supposing that they wouldn't bother me for now, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the natu and murkrow. Their emotions came to me in a flash.
No clear hostility from their part, except for curiosity from the nocturnals and caution from the psychics. Confident, I started my way towards the hut, hoping to at least find some cover until I decided where to go. Phoebe's house would probably be behind one of the hills.
But then I felt something rumbling in my pocket, before a flash of light shot out of it and took the form of my solrock, who stumbled to stay afloat as soon as he appeared.
"Summer!" I scolded, picking his pokeball to recall him. He quickly smacked it off my hands with Psychic, however, and brought it out of my reach. "What's wrong with you?! You are too injured to stay out here!"
Sir, please listen He said calmly, which was enough to shut me up. I am not going to allow that you walk around this Arceus forsaken place on your own. There are predators here, sir, I can feel pokeball has let me rest and I am feeling better now.
"Summer!" I stepped closer to the solrock, earning no protests as I extended my hand to slide it across his rocky skin. Now that I could actually look at him, I could see how bad his injuries were. Some of his shards, especially the upper half of his crest, had been broken or shattered during the fight with the ghosts, and there were multiple scrapes all over his body, one painfully close to his eyes. Noticing my concern, Dummer descended slightly to float more easily, trying to express that he was better. While he definitely looked determined to keep going, I could feel his pain through that mask of serenity.
"Summer, you know very well that the pokeball doesn't grant you the healing you need. If predators attack, you will stand no chance in this condition against one, talk about a pack of them. I promise I will be careful, old friend. I just need to get you to Phoebe..."
Sir, we have to face the facts Summer hummed sadly, looking into my eyes We do not know if this is the right island, even though you have followed the jellicent's instructions very well. Supposing that it is, we do not know if this woman will have a way to heal me, or even if she will agree to do so if she has. But if you roam this place by yourself, you will also stand no chance; weakened or not, I am not useless. If we want to get somewhere and try to save miss Liza, we cannot take such foolish risks
His words hit me dead on. Good old Summer, logical and straightforwards as always. I was just surprised at the amount of words being said by my serios and quiet solrock. As much as I hated to let him go around in that state, he had a point...but I was still not fully convinced "I will find a way, Summer. I can't let you get further hurt."
You got lucky with the jellicent He stung right back, sounding more agitated Sir, understand that you will not be able to fend off an irrational and hungry beast without my help. Bartolomeo was an exception.
"Fine!" I shouted, tossing my arms upwards. "But if I see that you can't take it, you are going back to your pokeball!"
If I judge it appropriate The solrock dropped the pokeball back in my hands and proceeded to float down the hill towards the hut, not waiting for my reply.
The hut was even more decaying up close; in fact, it was a miracle that no pokemon had, even if by accident, brought it down yet. The wood was rotten and humid, and looked really old. Weeds were growing freely on the rooftop, so far as having grown short vines hanging loose by the ledge. The windows once had glass, but now only had cracked shards chucked to the frames or nothing at all. The door didn't look very strong either; I could probably force it open with my scrawny arms.
Sir Summer nudged me, moving to hover between me and the hut There is a living being in there. A sentient one, I can feel it.
"Hm? What kind of pokemon?" I glanced at him, frowning. Another ghost, maybe?
A psychic, most likely. It is blocking me from reading its mind, so I cannot tell if it is hostile...
"I can." I said with a hint of a smile. Summer had never been good with emotions, which was to be expected. "I will have to see it, though. Open the door, Summer, it might be hurt."
Indicating for me to stay back, the solrock carefully used his lateral shard to slide the door open, causing a deafening creak that, admittedly, almost made me jump out of my clothes. As we headed inside the minuscule hut, he dimly lit a Flash, hopefully not enough to alert anything from outside.
A small white creature squeaked from the corner where it sat, quickly springing to its sash-like tail to stare wide eyed at us. It had a small golden bell ontop of its head, which helped me recognizing it.
"It's a chimecho." I whispered, my eyes widening at the sight. The chimecho whimpered upon hearing me, cowering against the wall. It looked terrified, shivering wildly as it stared at me.
A rare kind. Can you feel its emotions, sir? Summer inquired, still on guard between me and the chimecho. I doubted that this cute little thing would attack me, but better safe than sorry.
I nodded, concentrating on the wind chime pokemon to try and read its emotions. Liza and I had perfected this technique not long ago, taught by papa's bossy and impatient gardevoir. But no matter how much training I had received, I wasn't prepared for the devastating wave of fear that struck me. That chimecho was absolutely livid with fear! I stumbled backwards in my surprise, nearly falling to the floor before holding myself at the door frame, gasping.
"Summer, this...this chimecho is terrified! Utterly!" I whisper-exclaimed, earning a confused buzz from the solrock. Not waiting for Summer's response, I carefully pushed him out of the way to look at the chimecho. "Light up a bit more, Summer. I need to see it."
Hesitantly, he powered the Flash up so I could have a better look. It was then that I noticed how injured the chimecho was. It had multiple cuts and bruises over its tiny body, with a nasty looking bite wound bleeding on its tail. It also seemed to be starving, visible hunger mixed with horror as it stared at me. That pokemon needed urgent help. But first, I had to be able to touch it. I tried to open a calming smile, raising my open palms.
"Hey." I whispered soothingly, earning a scared whimper. "It's okay, little one, it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you. You can trust me."
The chimecho emitted a soft purr in response, not looking too convinced. I knelt down to the floor, trying not to make sudden movements, still sporting a warm smile as I looked into its eyes. "Can you speak to me?" It purred again.
She cannot speak telepathically, sir Summer translated, sounding slightly frustrated I suppose she is too young
"Oh, well. Translate me what she says, then." I murmured, turning back to the chimecho. "So you are a girl, huh? Very nice, you are a quite pretty girl. What could have caused your injuries, little one? Why are you here?"
Chimecho emitted a series of purrs and squeaks, flailing her little arms as she grew progressively more agitated. She seemed unaware that I was unable to understand her, so I gently shushed her.
"Calm down." I said softly, prompting her to reduce the flailing. "I am here to help. But I need to know, calmly, what is going on. I cannot understand what you are saying, but speak slowly so my solrock can translate it."
Chimecho tilted her head, apparently just realising our communication strain. Turning to Summer, she repeated her words, which he translated in my head She says she got lost from her siblings. She let herself be carried by the wind and ended up lost here in the wilderness, where she was attacked by a... He glanced at her for a double check, earning more scared squeaks Ugly...and freaky...bat monster...
"Well, that explains your injuries." I cocked my head sideways, slowly reaching forwards with my left hand. The chimecho stared intensely at it, probably expecting an attack, but didn't cower. I was obtaining progress. "How did you lose the monster?"
Chimecho once again spoke to Summer, who once again translated it She was forced to fight back against the bat with the attacks her siblings taught her, but still ended up badly injured as she is now. But she managed to put it to sleep with Yawn, and fled through the woods until she bumped into this shack and hid here for cover
"Oh..." I looked over at chimecho with concern. "This happened many hours ago, no?" Upon her nod, I slowly stood up and headed outside the hut, followed closely by my rocky bodyguard.
I returned moments later with an apple in hands, smiling at the wind chime. "You look really hungry, chimecho. Listen, I have already told you I won't harm you. You can take this apple, it's all yours."
I extended my hand with the fruit towards the pokemon, who stared longly at it with her wide beady eyes...before pouncing at the apple, snatching it out of my hand and proceeding to devour it with astounding ferocity. Heck, she was hungry.
"If this bat thing saw her right now, it would run for dear life." I muttered with a grin, earning a soft buzz from Summer that faintly resembled a chuckle. I patiently waited until chimecho was done with her meal before slowly crawling over to her. The little thing was sprawled on the floor and let out a burp as she watched my approach, not really looking scared anymore. I had earned her trust with this apple.
"Here." I whispered softly, carefully lifting the wind chime, mindful of her injuries. Chimecho allowed me with no protest, purring as I craddled her to my chest. While satisfied, she was still badly hurt, though.
"I suppose you don't know your way home?" I asked, sighing upon a negative shake. "Say...are there any other humans in this place?" This time she eagerly nodded, squeaking in joy with a smile. "Okay, good. We have where to resort. Now, to find our way."
It wasn't hard to move around, since the island's trees were sparse enough to offer a clear view of the surroundings. The hard part was avoiding those pesky murkrow. The Stupid little things presistently stalked us around the land, cawing loudly and occasionally swooping down to try and snatch chimecho from my arms. Being young and small fliers, Summer didn't exceed himself summoning small Rock Tombs to fend them off, though it did scare chimecho. The wind chime squealed fearfully everytime we were harassed.
As we progressed further, however, I felt something malicious creeping up on me. Barely did I feel that, a large shadow briefly covered the moon as it flew overhead, screeching defiantly. Looking up, I was shocked to see a huge and mighty crobat dive bombing in my direction, fangs exposed.
"WATCH OUT!" I squealed, jumping to my side right as the poisonous bat soared past me, avoiding a crash to the ground in the last second. The crobat immediately went back to the sky and prepared for another assault. Chimecho's panicked chimes made me deduce this was the responsible for her injuries. And that ticked me off.
"Summer, Rock Tomb! Teach it!" I exclaimed. My solrock buzzed and summoned multiple rocks from thin air, hurling them towards the crobat. However, his decreased stamina made the attack weaker and less accurate; the bat dodged them effortlessly, swooping down and slamming a Cross Poison at Summer.
"Uh, use Flamethrower!" I ordered, prompting Summer to release a stream of fire that scorched the crobat, who quickly responded by pouncing at the solrock and sinking its teeth into his shards, causing him to cry out in pain as the flier's body glew at a light green color. It was using Leech Life!
"Use Psychic!" I cried, but it was no use; Summer was already weakened, but the Leech Life finished the job. I am sorry, sir... Those were his last words before blacking out. I was quick to grab his pokeball and recall him before the predator tried anything with him, but with a cost.
I was now completely helpless as the crobat turned its fierce glare to me and the badly injured chimecho, its lips curling in a smirk. I didn't even need to read its emotions to guess what was about to happen. The creature spread its four large wings and took off after me. I screamed. So did chimecho, even louder than me. I could only shield her with my body and shut my eyes, waiting for those horrendous fangs to end me...
When the forest burst with a high pitched shout from my right.
"Brooklyn, Dark Pulse!"
My eyes snapped back open just in time to witness a dark beam of energy colliding violently with the crobat, sending the poisonous flier crashing with a screech into a nearby tree, the impact bending it over. The shockwave also pushed me back a few steps, allowing me to see my savior.
My heart soared as I saw Elite Four Phoebe standing ontop of a hill, her blue skirt blowing with the wind along with her black hair decorated with multiple flowers. Her attitude was far different from the times I had seen her when younger: she looked angry and determined, rather than cheerful and lax, her fists tightly clenched as she stepped over to stay between me and the crobat.
She was dazzling.
"P-Phoebe..."
"Stay behind me, kid." She ordered with that soft voice, to which I gladly obliged, though a bit off for being addressed as a kid by someone who couldn't be over her twenties. But she was a professional, after all. I just hadn't spotted her pokemon yet. Maybe hiding in the shadows like duskull?
The crobat, somehow still conscious, screeched defiantly, raising to its feet once more and taking off to the sky. I hoped that it had given up, but it dived down soon afferwards, unleashing a powerful roar as it winded a Wing Attack to strike us. Phoebe wasn't fazed.
"Use Foul Play!" This time, I could see the blurry figure leaping from somehwere behind me, going head on with the attacker. The pokemon waited until the last second before snatching the crobat's wings and doing a frontflip, sending the bat spinning uncontrollably in the air trying to regain balance.
It was a purple humanoid figure with feline traits and two large sapphires as eyes, a bright ruby sticking out of its chest and several other gems out of its back. The pokemon, Brooklyn apparently, opened a wide smirk with its razor sharp teeth, taunting the crobat to fight back. My heart sunk once I realised it was from the same species as the creature that had pinned and almost killed me back in Mt. Pyre.
"Now, Brooklyn, send it away! Power Gem!" Phoebe shouted, prompting Brooklyn to jump and puff its chest. Its ruby briefly lit in a bright light before a powerful beam of crimson energy erupted from the jewel, striking the dizzy crobat dead on. The attack launched the predator far away towards the beach, its pained scream disappearing through the wind.
"Good job, Brooks. As always." Phoebe praised her ghost with a warm smile, bending over to pat it on the head. She then turned around her dark eyes gazing curiously at me. "You alright, kid? Did it hurt you?"
"N-no..." I stuttered. "I-I-" At this moment, chimecho squealed happily, jumping off my arms to land right between a surprised Phoebe's, nuzzling affectionately against her chest.
"Oh, it's Izzy! You are here!" Phoebe cried in delight, hugging the chimecho tightly. "I had been looking for her all over! Thank you!" The Elite Four member opened a wide smile, craddling the wind chime to her with one arm while pulling me in an excited hug with the other, probably getting me beet red as a result. She let me go a moment later, her eyes lighting up. "Hey, I think I recognize you! Aren't you Garrow's kid? Nate, isn't it?"
"T-Tate." I corrected awkwardly, stepping back. "B-but yes, that's me."
"You have grown so much! How is your sister?" That question hit me like a bullet; how was I going to tell her about my issue? She was really kind and helpful, but you can never know. "And what could you be doing so far from Mossdeep in the middle of the night?"
"Miss Phoebe, I'm, uh, going to explain everything, but this chimecho needs medical treatment, and fast!" I urged her, pointing at Izzy's multiple injuries. Phoebe's eyes widened upon following my finger, just noticing them. "And so does my solrock! Please, tell me you have some way to heal them!"
I probably sounded ridiculous, but Summer's well being came first over my, uh, admiration for that strange woman. So did Izzy's. To my relief, Phoebe hurriedly nodded.
"Yes, yes, you are right! Absolutely! Follow me to my ranch and they will get the needed aid! And then we can talk."
When Bartolomeo told me the island would disappear during daytime, I didn't really know what to expect if it happened while I was there.
But, as it turns out, the legend about the mirage islands is true.
Says the legend that Palkia once turned its eyes to the Hoenn region. The legendary would have loved the region; it was impressed by the beautiful archipelago formed around that huge volcano island, as well as the region's pokemon. Palkia wanted to add its own finger to that gorgeous place. In a brink of inspiration, it created a variety of islands of different sizes and adapted to different environments. Not yet satisfied with its creation, the legendary gifted the islands special properties: when meeting certain conditions, said islands could dettach from reality itself and disappear entirely from where they once lay, presumably to some sort of pocket dimension. Few ever knew where they would go. When met by similar conditions, the islands would shift back to their place, as if nothing happened.
Needlessly to say, I freaked out once I looked over at the horizon...and found it to be fading away. The entire island seemed to be overtaken by a white, thick mist as the sun touched its surface, soon encasing the mass of land in a gigantic square.
Phoebe quickly explained to me that this was normal; contact with sunlight was the trigger for the dimensional phenomenon of this particular location. This blank void was the so called pocket dimension the mirage islands are sent to after disappearing. She didn't mention why she could have decided to set her house in such a volatile place.
I couldn't help but shudder everytime I looked at the horizon to see those huge blank walls encasing the entire island within its void. What could be beyond that layer?
Maybe some things are better left uknown...
Phoebe's ranch was a quite pictresque sight. It stood on a valley right beyond the hills I had been heading to, a big wooden house with a roof covered in straw. The property was surrounded by a wide terrain of fences, taking most of the valley's area to itself. I suppose you can do that when you have no neighbors. The fences were apparently a way to keep predators at bay when Phoebe was off taking challengers or doing other business. Scattered over the terrain were small huts that served as shelter for the groups of wild pokemon that lived alongside her, safe from danger.
Unlike pokemon centers, her nursing team didn't consist of chansey, blissey or wigglytuff: it was made of chimecho. The group of wind chimes was dearly relieved once they were told Izzy had been found, and were more than happy to take care of her and the solrock that defended her from the evil crobat. I knew that chimecho can learn a bunch of healing moves, so I trusted Summer with them without hesitation upon Phoebe's reassuring.
Right now, I was sitting on the dining table, across from the ghost user. I really didn't know how to start the story. Now that I was actually facing my beacon of hope, how was I supposed to tell the crap Liza and I had made and expect her to go out of her way and help? How was I supposed to make her believe in my words?
"Start from the beginning." She suggested with a comforting smile. "I can tell you went through harsh times. I'm listening."
And so I told her. From our trip to Mt. Pyre to my escape from Spiritomb's lair, she heard everything in silence, occasionally frowning or widening her eyes at some detail. When I mentioned my encounter with Bartolomeo, she opened a faint smile.
"Oh, Barty. I'm glad to hear that he has evolved. I was the one who taught him how to talk, you know? They grow up so fast..." She sighed deeply, going back to her thoughts.
It was only after a moment of an awkward silence that she spoke again. "What can I tell you, Tate...you guys did screw up."
"That I know, thank you." I grunted, not facing her.
"For now, we have to hope that this duskull you befriended will be able to get the Keystone to us, supposing he's willing to." She sighed, tapping her fingers on the table. "I am good at judging the character of a ghost. From what you've told me, this one will probably try to help you, but we can't be sure."
"He will. I know it." I tried to sound more confident than I really was. But I felt it; duskull would bring Liza back to me.
"In that case, wonderful." Phoebe giggled softly, making me blush slightly. I forced myself to focus.
"Bartolomeo told me you knew about this powerful force Spiritomb is after. Is it true?"
"Yeah, it is." She nodded gravely, her expression now serious and thoughtful.
"So? What is it? Where is it?" I asked, growing impatient at her serenity. She again ignored me for a moment.
"This force we are talking about...it's not a single object. They are pokemon. Immensely powerful pokemon whose capabilities extend beyond the understandable."
"Pokemon? Are they legendaries?" I suddenly got wary. Last time a legendary had been involved in an evil scheme...well, Hoenn was still recovering from the destruction.
"The sheer essence of creation and destruction lies within the hands of these almost omnipotent creatures." Phoebe nodded, looking slightly amused at my tension. "They are called the Unown. The arms of the Creator."
"Excuse me?!" I gasped, looking wide eyed at the snickering Elite Four member. "Arms of the Creator? Isn't there a tale that tells how Arceus shaped the universe with its one thousand arms?"
"There you go, you figured it out!" Phoebe beamed. "Yes, the Unown are the so called arms. I don't know why they were entitled that way, but that's not important. What's important is how dangerous they are." Her face darkened back to seriousness.
"If they are so dangerous, can't they, you know, destroy Spiritomb as soon as it comes close to them?" I inquired, trying not to imagine Liza's body being destroyed by some omnipotent monsters.
"They probably can, but this is not how the Unown work." Phoebe explained patiently. "They need a master, a brain in order to activate and direct their powers. Unless they were told to do so, they would offer Spiritomb no harm."
"Okay, but...aren't they supposed to be under Arceus' care?" I frowned.
"Nobody really knows why, but Arceus sealed the Unown away a long time ago." Phoebe sighed, closing her eyes. "Maybe it feared their power. Maybe it feared that they could corrupt the other legendaries. Whatever happened, they were relocated to a special prison of sorts, created especially for them by Palkia itself. This prison has the same features of the mirage islands."
"Appearing and disappearing." I murmured.
"Yes, but to a far larger scale. It can show up anywhere in the world, as long as one accomplishes the needed tasks to summon it. Which are extremely hard, though I will need to check the books to remember the details." She announced as she stood from the chair, heading over to the room next to the dining room.
"Ok, good." At least Spiritomb would have some difficulty getting to the Unown. But there was still an issue bothering me. "Phoebe...do you think there is a way to get Liza back?"
The ghost trainer stopped dead on her tracks, briefly frozen in place. When she turned back to me, I caught a glimpse of a pitying face before she cracked a confident smile at me. "I assure you, Tate, that there is. We are gonna kick Spiritomb's cranky ass off your sister and fix her back up."
As soon as I opened my mouth to reply, a thundering feminine voice suddenly echoed through the room.
"Phoebe? Can I rise up, are you busy?"
"I kinda am, Beth. Is it urgent?" Phoebe asked to the wind, while I still tried to identify the source of the voice. Its next words made my heart soar.
"Yes. I found an intruder sneaking up on the island, a duskull carrying a strange and heavy stone. I would normally have just deposited them back to the continent, but this stone has an...off aura that you might want to check."
"Duskull? Stone?" Phoebe looked over at me in astonishment, probably finding the same look at my face. "S-show them to me, yes."
I looked over at the nearest wall, where the shadows began moving, and couldn't help but squirm upon seeing what came out of if. A horrifying black creature, closely resembling the ghostly cyclops I had seen back at Mt. Pyre, popped its upper torso and head out of the wall, bowing its head at Phoebe before locking its red gaze at me.
"Phoebe? Should I get this kid away?" The ghost growled deeply, causing me to yelp in fear.
"No, no, Beth. He isn't harmful." Phoebe quickly assured. Daisy relaxed slightly, her glare a bit less intense now as she moved her entire body out. I observed a series of yellow lines across her body, as well as a drawing disturbingly similar to a human mouth and eyes on its abdomen. But what really called my attention was what she was holding.
A familiar skully face was brought to light, tickly stuck between Beth's arm and torso. The poor duskull looked badly injured and tired, vainly struggling to break free.
Followed by him, the creature pulled out the Odd Keystone.
"YOU DID IT!" I squealed, startling everyone in the room. In a stunt that could have cost my life hadn't Phoebe been there to assure my safety, I rushed forwards and forcefully snatched the skully ghost out of Beth's grip, who was too stunned to react quickly enough.
"You did it! You saved her from them!" I squeezed Duskull in a hug, hopping excitedly. The poor thing groaned in pain and annoyance, slipping through my flesh to escape my embrace and fall face first to the floor.
"Yeah, yeah, I did! Jeez, it's okay." He murmured, staggering back to the air and giving Beth a death stare. "You could have let me explain! Would have sparred me from a headache!"
"Explanations demand a time that you didn't have." The cyclop calmly replied, floating aside to let Phoebe step over to Duskull.
"Oh, poor thing. You look terrible." She said with a caring tone, reaching out to stroke the skully ghost's cloak-like skin, who surprisingly didn't recoil. "I can tell you went through so much...I'll have you healed up."
"Thanks..." Duskull glanced at me with his roaming eye, obviously in a lost of what to do before I gave him a stern look. "Thank you, kind lady...may I know who you are and what this freaky mr. mime cage is?"
"Mr. mime cage? That's one I hadn't heard before!" Phoebe let out a hearthly laugh, tapping Duskull on his side softly while carefully scooping him up. "For now, you can call me Phoebe. I am a specialist in ghosts, and you can be sure to you'll be properly cared for, sweetie."
"Just 'Duskull' is more than fine, lady." The ghost grunted, shooting me another glance. "Should...I let her? Is it safe?"
"Go ahead, she's nice." I assured him. Duskull nodded faintly and let himself be taken to Phoebe's nursery, though we still would have to talk later. I needed to properly thank him.
I turned around to look at the Keystone, which was being closely watched by Beth. Once she realised I was staring, the cyclop ghost glanced up at me with a cautious interest.
"I will be keeping an eye out for you and the duskull, boy. Phoebe may trust you, but it will take more to convince me." And with that ominous statement, she melted back into the shadows to Arceus-knows-where and left me alone.
"Liza." I called in a whisper as I knelt down by the Odd Keystone and reached out to rub my hand against the cold surface. To my surprise, the stone began warming up to my touch as time went by, as if Liza was happy to see me. There was a soft rumbling inside, which made me smile. "Hey, sissy...I already miss you..."
I sighed deeply, trying to put my ideas in order. This was harder than expected. I still couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't my fault. And I really didn't know how to tell her about Moonlight. "I am so sorry, Liza...I really am...everything has gone wrong..." The stone grew progressively warmer as I spoke. I didn't need to read emotions to guess that she was trying to comfort me. "I-I'm trying to fix this up, okay? Phoebe knows a way...that duskull we met is helping...we will get out of this, okay? I-I love you, sissy."
And, as I slipped my hand off the Keystone, I felt a consciousness touching mine, a faint, soft whisper echoing through the room like the blowing wind.
"I love you too."
Author's note:
Little to say in my defense aside from a ton of schoolwork. I still make no promises for the future.
Here we are, hope you liked this version of Phoebe. Tate does have a small crush on her in case you're wondering, but I will clarify early on that nothing's coming out of it. It's not like their ages are compatible, she is in her twenties and he's...dunno, 12? 13? Less than 15, I'm sure.
And Tate's got a new little friend as well, the sweet chimecho Izzy. We are gonna see more of her as it goes.
Most importantly, Tate and Liza have been reunited by Duskull. Now the mystic combination is together again, though they still have a long way to go.
Hope you enjoyed chapter 5, chapter 6 coming as soon as school projects and life overall let me.