Last time, on Explorers of Prehistory...
We got to take a look at our baddies, and their evil plans to take the Life Fragments for themselves! Now, we see our heroes, lost in stormy seas with little chance for survival! What will happen?
Find out now!
While the rain was dying down at Zapdos Peaks, it still pounded the oceans. The waves roared as rippled through the salty brine, thunder roared above head, and lightning flashed. The sky was pitch black, and there was no land in sight. As lightning flashed, a single sight could be seen. The outline of a small, wooden vessel, and its three occupants.
Bonehead screamed in fear and pain as salty seat water shot into her face, blinding her and filling her mouth with brine. She cought and spluttered, struggling to hold onto their makeshift vessel. Another wave pounded the log, forcing the trio of Pokemon to cling harder to the log.
Tyberius gritted his teeth as he gripped the log. The wave hit them full force, and even he was lucky to have kept his grip. The waters were intensely powerful. The sinking island had likely caused an undersea earthquake, which was causing the tidal waves. The bad storm wasn't helping either. Wind pounded them like a hammer to a nail, and the log was barely floating as it was. Every second it felt like it might sink beneath the waves, and fear was evident with them all.
"We've got to do something!" wailed Bonehead over the din.
Bessie couldn't talk. She was too paralyzed with fear, trying to comprehend what was going on.
Tyberius grunted as a spray of brine splashed into his face, nearly blinding him. "What do you sggest?" he asked, trying to be heard over the storm.
"I don't know!" Bonehead replied. "I... I don't want to die!"
Tyberius nodded. These two girls were to young to die. They needed a chance to live.
"L-LOOK OUT!" Bessie cried, suddenly.
Tyberius whirled about too late to see the wave. It smashed into the log, full force, and knocking both Tyberius and Bonehead off. The Ground Type began to sink into the water almost immedietly. Tyberius' eyes widened, as he quickly grabbed the Cubone by the tail. He tossed her back onto the log, her eyes filled with fear as she gripped the broken tree with all her might.
"Girls!" Tyberius shouted. "I'm going to try and teleport us away!"
"What?" said Bessie, frightened. She had never teleported before.
"Trust me!" shouted Tyberius. "Keep quiet! I need to focus if I want to get us a good distance!" He closed his eyes, and focused, cutting off the sound of the waves, the thunder, the wind and the lightning. His mind reached out, the powerful mind of a Psychic Pokemon searching for a place far from the storm. Safe for the girls, safe for himself. Perfect calmness, perfect mentality, perfect control and focus.
He saw oceans. Calmer oceans. He saw the mainland's shore. He saw a boat, sailing by where they were, steering away from the storm.
The ship. He nodded, his mind still focused on the ship. Was it safe? Would they rescue them?
He searched inside the ship, the crew, the passengers, their leader...
Darkness. He saw darkness.
What...? he thought. What is this...?
The darkness was distorting, strange... It seemed to ripple like water, to change and bend. It began to take shapes, buildings and tree rising from the darkness. He saw Pokemon walking around, alive and well.
He recognized the city easily. Dragonite City, the capitol of the mainland and the Dragonite Empire. He saw the round walls surrounding the city, keeping out invaders. He saw the massive Gardevoir Guild, where Guildmaster Silvia was with her guild of determined explorers. He saw the palace of the Dragonite Empire. All of this in one mind.
Then, he saw a spark.
Then, the city burst into flames.
Pokemon ran from their homes, screaming in terror. They ran into the streets, uselessly attempting to escape as the fires consumed them. He saw armies of strange Pokemon marching the streets, killing all those who opposed them. He saw the city fall, the Gardevoir Guild devestated by the invaders. He saw a figure... Tsa'aal... marching through the streets, his soulless eyes filled with fury as he led an army against all who still lived.
Then, he saw it. A shadow, wrapping around the city. He saw a pair of eyes shining in the shadow. Then, he heard her laughter. A long, hideous, and horrible laugh, filled with malicious joy and the sheer enjoyment of the senseless loss of life, every snuffed life bringing another burst of snickering and giggling. The shadow wrapped around the city, and then began to spread. Forests, mountains, rivers, distant villages and cities, all being consumed by the shadows, the laughter growing, and growing and growing...
"You're not supposed to be in here."
Tyberius' eyes snapped open. The mind he had been reading had noticed him. He quickly removed himself from her mind. He shook his head, trying to get her out of his head. He felt her try to pry into his mind, to find out where he was.
"Mr. Tyberius!"
Tyberius' eyes widened. Bessie was waving at him, terrified. "Are you okay? What's wrong!"
"Calm down!" said Tyberius, more to himself to Bessie. "I need to focus..."
"Hey, there's a boat over there!" Bonehead said.
Tyberius' eyes widened. He turned around. He could faintly see a boat coming, undaunted by the storm. "No..." he muttered.
"Maybe they'll save us!" said Bessie, hopefully.
"No, they won't," said Tyberius.
"What do you mean?" asked Bessie, panicking.
"Liten to me," Tyberius said, looking at the girls. "That boat has a very, very evil Pokemon on it," he said. "If she catches us, she won't let you live. She will kill you."
"W... What?" stammered Bonehead, terrified.
Tyberius closed his eyes, focusing again. He raised his hands, focusing his Psychic powers. He had to teleport away from that ship, no matter what!
He focused on the mainland - the hopefully still safe mainland. He kept his mind focused and straight, devoid of all distractions.
Until a wave smashed into him.
He was knocked off the log, spluttering and struggling to keep afloat in the water. The gir;s shouted his name in terror, but he couldn't hear them. A glowing blue aura surrounded him. He was ready to teleport them all to safety.
A Signal Beam wizzed past his head. He turned around just in time to see a second one heading for his face. With a grunt of pain, Tyberius took the hit, the blast knocking him into the salty water.
He quickly broke the surface, gasping for air and spitting salty brine out of his mouth. More Signal Beams, and other such attacks wizzed by, all aimed at him.
He looked over to the log. It took a vicious hit from a Hyper Beam that missed him, blowing off part of the log. Bonehead and Bessie screamed in horror and held onto the log tighter. The waves were carrying them away.
He turned around and faced the ship, growing closer and closer by the second. Pokemon stood on the deck, firing away with their attacks.
Tyberius gritted his teeth. He'd never make it to the girls in time.
"So be it..." he muttered.
His eyes began to glow blue, and he raised his hand, pointing it at the log.
"Ty!" shouted Bonehead. "Swim away! What are you doing?"
Ty gave the girl a small smile. Be well, he told the duo with his telepathy. He snapped his fingers.
Log began to glow, the girls along with it. It slowly floated into the air, and then vanished, every particle and atom that made it up, every unseen fragment disolving and shooting away at the speed of light. The girls faded away from his sight as well, worried expressions on their faces. Bonehead had her hands streatched out, reaching to save him.
Finally, the girls vanished, their molecules flying off at the speed of light, heading far, far away. With any luck, they'd reach the mainland.
Tyberius turned around. The dark ship was getting closer.
He unfolded his blades. "Chase me all you want," he said coldly. "It won't be easy for you."
He dived into the water, keeping his head low. It was dark, but the bright flashes from the Hyper Beams and Signal Beams gave him some light. Using his blades as makeshift paddles, the Shiny Gallade shot through the water, his red eyes focused and alert. He quickly swam underneath the boat, evading the enemy projectiles.
He raised his arm, charging a Psycho Cut and releasing it straight at the bottom of the ship. While his arm moved very slowly underwater, the blast of mental energy shot foward quickly, striking the bottom of the ship and leaving a mark in it. Tyberius gritted his teeth and swung again, another blade splintering the bottom of the ship. It cracked.
Water began to rush into the bottom of the ship, the now weakened wood splintering and breaking away. He saw the bodies of strange Pokemon leaping into the water, eager to avoid drowning.
Speaking of drowning...
Tyberius swam towards he surface, realizing just how much he needed to breathe about now. He shot towards the surface, eager to take a breath and swim to safety.
Something cold grabbed onto his leg.
Tyberius turned around, looking into the depths of the sea. A black, shadowed hand was gripping his ankle, pulling him down deeper and deeper to the briney depths.
Tyberius's eyes widened. He readied another Psycho Blade, ready to attack again, but before he could, another black hand gripped his arm, holding it in place. Another one followed, grabbing onto his other arms, and two more followed, quickly siezing his legs and pulling him down.
Tyberius struggled uselessly against the arms as they pulled him deeper and deeper. He couldn't hold his breath any longer, and he had to open his mouth. Water began to pour into his lungs.
As darkness began to fog his vision, Tyberius could only thank the heavens that Bonehead and Bessie were far away from here. They had a chance to survive. That was all they needed.
Tyberius closed his eyes as the world went dark.
Be well...
Breaker gritted his fangs as he gripped the mast. Rain pounded their hunting ship, making the deck slick and slippery. Another blast of thunder and flash of lightning shot through the air. A wave smashed into the ship, sending it reeling backwards. Breaker hit the deck with a loud crash, sinking his clawed hand into the boards as he struggled to steady himself.
Iron's claws gripped the wheel of the ship, swearing and spitting as he struggled to keep in control of his stormtossed vessel. Rain pelted his face, and he could barely see an inch in front of his shark-like nose, but he still fought for control. He had spent three years of his life trying to get this ship, and there was no way he'd give it up!
Blade was having his own troubles. He was crawling across the deck, heading for the mast. His eyes were cold, but filled with panic nontheless.
"Iron!" bellowed Breaker. "Hold her steady!"
"Ya don't think I'm trying?" shouted Iron, as he gripped the wheel, turning the ship away from a large, nasty looking wave.
"Breaker!" shouted Blade. "The sails!"
Breaker looked up at the sails, bellowing in the wind. With all that strain, they could be torn apart, and then they wouldn't be able to sail home.
"Blade, help me put the sails down!" shouted Breaker, crawling over to the sails. He grabbed the line, and with the help of the Scyther, began to pull the sails down.
Chris chose this mintue to come up out from below the deck. Breaker glared at the Blastoise. "I thought I told you to get below the deck!" he shouted.
Chris ran over, helping pull the sails down. "I'm not gonna sit around and be useless!" he shouted. "I am a grown adult! I will hlep!"
"Then pull harder!" shouted Breaker.
"Hey!" Iron shouted. "There's someone out there!"
"What?" Breaker shouted.
"There's someone in the water!" repeated Iron. "I can see a Pokemon! Looks like a Lopunny!"
"See if you can get closer!" shouted Breaker.
"Roger!" shouted Iron, gripping the helm and turning towards where he saw the Lopunny. "Keep your head up!" he shouted to the drowning normal type. "We're coming for yah!"
The Lopunny's reply was drowned out by the roar of the waves.
"Blade! Get me a rope!" shouted Breaker.
"You aren't actually thinking of going in there," Blade said. "You're a Rock Type, Breaker, you'll-!"
"I know, I know!" Breaker said. "But if someone doesn't go in after her, she will die!"
"...I'll do it."
Breaker and Blade turned and stared at Chris. "You don't have to do that, man," said Breaker.
"Yeah, I do," the Blastoise insisted. "I'm the only Water Type we have! I have the best chance! Give me the rope and I'll save her!"
Breaker and Chris stared at one another for a second. Then, Breaker handed Chris the rope. "Go," he said. "We'll pull you back up."
Chris nodded, quickly tying the rope around his shell. "I'll be back!" he said, before leaping off the edge and into the raging seas.
Breaker grabbed the rope, holding it tightly as Chris shot through the deadly waters. The Blastoise's eyes were well adjusted to the briney water, and he quickly caught sight of the poor, drowning Lopunny. He shot foward, his hands ready to grab her.
The Lopunny saw him approach. Her brown eyes widened as he approached, but if she was frightened, she couldn't react. Her limbs were too tired from struggling to stay afloat. With a pained gasp, her eyes began to shut, and she began to sink.
Oh, no you don't, thought Chris, grabbing the soaked Lopunny with his hands.
Chris's head broke the surface of the water, and he grabbed the rope tied around his chest, tugging it. "I'VE GOT HER!" he shouted as loudly as his lungs would allow.
Breaker and Blade heard him, and both grabbed the rope with strong claws, pulling him over to their ship. Closer, and closer, and closer...
Soon, Chris was right next to the hunting boat. He held the out-cold Lopunny up to Breaker. "Grab her!" Chris ordered.
Breaker grabbed the Lopunny, pulling her on board. "Alright!" he said, holding out his hand. "Now give me your hand!"
Chris reached out to Breaker, but paused, his eyes widening. "Sweet Children of Arceus!" he shouted.
Breaker whirled around. The mother of all waves was riding towards the ship. It looked like an Arbok spreading his hood as he approached his foe.
The wave hit before anyone could react. The water swept over the deck. Blade sunk his swords into the deck, keeping him from being swept off. Breaker gritted his teeth as the freezing water bit his skin. He clawed at the deck, trying to keep himself and the Lopunny being swept off. The waves washed over the deck, spilling back into the sea as the ship leaned to the side under the water's weight.
Iron yelped in surprise, gripping the helm of the ship as he struggled to steer the wrecked ship.
Breaker growled as he climbed back to his feet. The Lopunny was very water-logged, but alive. "You alright?" he asked Blade.
The Scyther nodded. "I am fine," he muttered, shaking his body.
"Good," Breaker said. "How 'bout you, Chris-?"
The Tyranitar froze. He looked over to the side of the ship, where Chris had been.
He was gone.
Chris was gone.
"No..." Breaker muttered.
Blade's eyes widened. The water where the Blastoise had been was gone. The wave had torn the rope clean in half, and the force of the wave had carried him away.
"No, no, no..." muttered Breaker.
"Breaker!" Blade said. "Breaker, we need to get her some inside the hull!"
Breaker blinked. He looked down at the out cold Lopunny in his arms. "Take her," he muttered.
Blade took the woman, swiftly carrying her under the deck, leaving Breaker alone, staring out into the sea.
Iron gritted his shark-like teeth as he gripped the wheel. "Breaker!" he shouted. "What do we do?"
Breaker didn't answer. All he could do was stare out to the sea. Chris, the Blastoise, the fighter - his friend - was gone.
Breaker snarled, looking over to Iron. "Circle the area!" he roared.
"What?" Iron said.
"Circle the area!" repeated Breaker. "We've gotta find him!"
"But, Breaker! That could takes weeks! We'll be out of fresh water by then!" Iron said.
"DO IT!" Breaker ordered.
Iron blinked, startled by Breaker's outburst. "Get ahold of yourself!" the Garchomp shouted. "If we stay here we'll be torn apart by the storm!"
Breaker whirled to Iron. "You sayin' we should just leave Chris to die!"
"No! I'm not!" Iron said. "I don't want to leave anyone behind! But we have two kids, three adults, and a client who needs to be returned home under the deck! We can't just risk their lives!" He released the wheel and walked down to Breaker, staring his friend in the eye. "Chris is a Water Type," the Garchomp said. "He can swim. He can stay underwater for indefinate periods of time. He can take care of himself."
Breaker stared back at Iron, clenching his teeth. "...Fine..." he sighed. "Get us out of this storm."
Iron nodded. "I'm sorry."
Breaker turned away as his friend returned to the helm. The wind howled, the rain pounded the ship, and the lightning crashed in the sky. But Breaker stood there, unmoving.
The Tyranitar snarled, looking out to the ocean. He slammed his clawed fist onto the railing, splintering it. He swore, loud and hard, and for a moment, it pierced the din of the tempest.
Breaker closed his eyes.
Be safe out there, Chris.
Nicholas the Lopunny gave a groan of pain as he hit the wall, slamming into it as the ship rocked back and forth in the waves.
Trinity grabbed Nicholas's hand, pulling him up. "Easy there, pretty boy," she warned, trying to keep cheery while the storm raged above.
Ghost and Faye were terrified, clutching each other as their hammock rocked back and forth. As per usual, only Shadow was calm, though if you looked closely enough, you could see a tinge of fear on his face.
The door swung open, pouring rain and wind into the room. Blade came into the room, carrying an out cold Lopunny. He quickly placed the Lopunny on the table.
"Whoa!" said a surprised Faye, getting off of her hammock. "Who's that?" the Kirlia inquired Blade.
Blade shook his head. "I don't know," he said, looking down at the out cold Lopunny.
"Is she gonna be okay?" asked Faye.
"I don't know," Blade said. "She's not breathing."
"She must need mouth to mouth," said Trinity.
Everyone quickly stared at Nicholas.
The Male Lopunny paled. "M-me?"
"Same species..." muttered Shadow.
Nicholas sighed. "Oh, all right..." He leaned over to the female slowly and nervously.
Then, her chocolate brown eyes opened.
"BRICK BREAK!"
POW!
Nicholas sceamed as he was sent flying, hitting the wall with a thud. "Ouch..." he muttered, falling to the ground.
"P-pervert!" snapped the Lopunny. "How dare you-?" She paused, almost falling off the table. Blade and Shadow quickly steadied her.
"Easy, ma'am," said Shadow.
"Who are you?" the Lopunny demanded. "Where am I?"
"Stay calm," Blade said. "Tell me, what do you remember?"
"I..." the Lopunny stammered. "My daughter, Bessie, went to town in the morning, but she never came back. I went... to look..." She looked up. "Where's Bessie?"
"Uh..." Shadow said.
"Where's Bessie!" the Lopunny said. "Where is she? She can't be..." Tears were leaking from her eyes. "She can't... b-be..."
"I'm... Sorry," Blade said. "You're the only one we've been able to find..."
"N-no!" said the Lopunny, burying her face in her hands. Her shoulders began to shake and she began to cry.
"Kids..." Nicholas muttered, grabbing Ghost and Faye by the shoulders. "Let's leave her be. She need some time alone."
Faye and Ghost nodded. The melencholy of the situation gripped them even harder than before. Faye had tears leaking from her eyes, and Ghost had his head bowed low. They walked/floated to their hammock and curled up inside, completely silent.
Nicholas sighed as he sat down, leaning against the wall. Shadow joined him.
"Shadow?" the Lopunny asked.
Shadow gave a nod to signal he was listening.
"You ever think that..." Nicholas paused, trying to find the words. "You ever think that all this running away... might be pointless? We ran from Jade Island because it sank... We ran from that little island because it sank. And now, Tiny Island's gone under too." He looked at the Umbreon. "Is the whole world just collapsing down on us? Is there even a point to running away?"
Shadow thought about it quietly.
"I mean, if we're all gonna die anyway, what's the point in running?" asked Nicholas. "I just... I just don't think I can go on, seeing all of this death. I mean... Why does this have to happen? Why is this happening?"
"...The Gardevoir Guild."
Nicholas blinked and looked at Shadow. "What?" he asked.
"The Gardevoir Guild is currently investigating the mysterious natural disasters that plague this world," Shadow said. "If it's answers you seek... The you should go to the guild."
Nicholas thought about it. "How do you know about this?" he asked the Umbreon.
"I have my sources," Shadow said, quietly.
"So, the Gardevoir Guild..." muttered Nicholas. "You think they're accepting new recruits?"
"Possibly," said Shadow.
"Hmmm..." muttered Nicholas.
Blade walked towards the duo as Nicholas thought about the explorers' guild. He had just convinced the Lopunny to lay down in a hammock and go to sleep.
"How is she?" asked Nicholas.
"Not good, I'm afraid," said Blade. "She's quite shattered over this."
Nicholas sighed. "That's too bad," he said. He looked up at Blade. "How quickly can we reach the mainland?" he asked.
"In about a week," Blade replied.
"Good," Nicholas replied. "I want to speak with the Guildmaster of the Gardevoir Guild." He turned to Shadow. "What do you say? Cre to join me?"
Shadow looked away. "I work better alone."
Nicholas sighed. Even in the face of the end of the world, Shadow was still Shadow. "Alright," he said, standing up. "I'll just ask Chris."
Blade looked at Nicholas, a new tinge of sadness in his eyes.
"Nicholas..."
"Yes?"
"...You might want to sit down."
The sorrow and pain in the room increased by tenfold.
The miserable voyage continued on, but with one lost member, and many traumatized souls.
HEY! I'M BAAAAAACK!
How're things, everyone? Yeah, I know, I'm late. Really, really late, I'm sorry for that. I'm gonna put my focus on this story for a bit, because I've already done some good work for the next Tony's Journey Chapter. So, before I leave, there are a few things I want to bring up.
No, Chris is not dead, and neither is Ty. Chris and Ty have been getting very little character development, so I've decided that some tragedy would help make things more interesting. There's gonna be a subplot with the two, so don't worry. You'll be seeing more of them. Secondly, you may have noticed that the "Accepting OCs!" is back on the summary. Well, that's right! I'm accepting more OCs! However, I am only accepting certain kinds of OCs. Sorry. So, here is what I'll be needing:
Explorers for the Gardevoir Guild (both teams and solo. I'd like a snooty bullyish team to rival some of your OCs when they get there)
Members of the Eeveelution Resistance (an important plot point later on in the story.)
Shopkeepers for the town (I don't need a juice bar owner though, I've got one already.)
And last but not least, villains for the Shadowed One to have for henchmen!
Also, I'm planning on doing some Origin Stories for a few OCs. Aero, Bonehead and Team berserker all are gonna get their own stories, so if you've submitted an OC and want to see them in a story, give me its backstory, and I might write it down some time. Or, you could just write it down yourself, like what I'm doing with Tony's Journey!
That'll be all folks! Submit at will!
Oh, and read and review!