Let's take a break from Wyvern's team's journey, shall we? And enter… a brand new set of characters!
Don't worry, we'll get back to Team Fossil in a few chapters, but for now, we're going to sneak a peek at another team's troubles…
Characters, characters, people! Send me 'em by the truckload!
-.-.-.-.-.
Away from Seaside Village, a lone bird Pokemon flew across the valley to the designated meeting place. His only focus was to reach the southern mountains, and the gang of criminals he knew to be hiding there.
Clawface reached his destination in a mere half hour. Lighting down on a small rock outcropping on the side of a cliff, he stared at the small cave opening that existed there and waited.
He didn't have long to do so – a dark, feathered shape emerged from the cave, seemingly melting out of the shadows. Clawface allowed a smile to cross his beak. "Mara," he greeted with a slight bow.
"Clawface," the Honchkrow said with equal formality – or was it indifference? "Did you get what we wanted?" The Fearow ignored the question and hissed, "Do you have the fledglings?"
Mara's face twisted into a scowl. "This is Darkfeather territory," she said warningly. "In other words – my territory. I asked you a question, and you must answer it. I ask again – did you get what we wanted?"
It was Clawface's turn to scowl, and it was made even more frightening by the amount of scars slashing across his face. "…No," he finally said, spitting out the word as if it took him a lot of effort to say it. "A rescue team interfered and forced me to retreat."
The Honchkrow was expressionless. "That is… disappointing," she murmured. "At least you weren't caught. What about the Krokorok?" Clawface snorted, "He was worthless. I left him."
Now Mara was enraged. "Why?!" she snarled. "The Life Stealers are our allies, and abandoning one of their members is bound to sour our relations with them! What if they decide to break off the alliance? Then that's one more Shard for us to recover!"
With another scowl, Clawface spat, "Fine, I will attempt to find that desert trash again. Now, I repeat my earlier question – where are the fledglings?"
Silence was the answer.
Clawface sighed. "I guess neither of us is any closer to our goal. Remember, I have not yet agreed to join you Darkfeather idiots, and thus should not be treated like one of your pitiful Pidgeotto. Next time we meet, I expect the fledglings to be in your possession."
Mara glared heatedly at him. "And the same goes for us. You will get that Shard." The Fearow bowed again and said, "Of course."
The Honchkrow slipped back into the cave, and the Fearow flew back off into the afternoon sun, ready for another attempt at the Shard.
-.-.-.-.-.
The Buizel had been born far, far away from this place. As a wanderer, it wasn't unusual for him to have been born far away from where he currently was. So why did he wander? Why didn't he stay in the Yin-Yang Islands? Did he have wanderlust, or a need to see the world?
No. Cenric had been wandering around the continent for several years in search of a Pokemon he held most dear. Something had happened to make the Absol go missing, and he was determined to find her. But being away from home had one additional benefit – it allowed him to let go of those painful memories.
Cenric still loved his family and friends, and the only reminder of them he had was precious to him, more precious than the largest gold deposit. It was a small locket he always wore around his neck, a locket that contained all of the things he held close to his heart.
When the Buizel felt lonely, he would open up the locket and stare at it for hours on end, remembering past times, happier times he had shared with his family and friends. He had always been a popular guy, and thus had many friends to remember. He missed all of them equally – OK, maybe one more equally than the rest, if that makes sense.
But now, Cenric didn't have time to think about that. The sky was dark with storm clouds, but for now the storm hadn't started. He was relieved for that, for the sea was already quite choppy. He thanked his mother for giving him the Sea Weasel gene, because it was only his inflatable neck ring and propeller-like tail that allowed him to navigate the rough waters.
What's going on? Cenric thought in frustration for what felt like the hundredth time. The storm hasn't started, the wind isn't blowing… what's kicking up these damn waves?
Cenric was a cheerful fellow, but even he had his limits. And those limits were being stretched farther and farther as he bobbed up and down in the endless ocean, without a soul to talk to or even the slightest sign of land.
But wait! Something appeared on the horizon – which was hard to keep an eye on, by the way – that made him rethink that last bit. It rose up out of the water, kind of like a rock… or maybe…
An island!
At last, Cenric would be able to rest for a few days, stock up on supplies for his now-empty treasure bag, and eat well.
Only thing was… the island wasn't exactly in any condition to give him these things.
-.-.-.-.-.
Diamond Island was a rather large island, with a populous town and trade center. It received shipments from not only Seaside Village, but Vulcana City as well. Pokemon came from all over to shop, visit friends, or just relax on the sandy beaches and the peaceful meadows.
Or, at least, they used to.
The earthquake had been more severe than any natural disaster Diamond Island had ever experienced. The fissure had collapsed houses, killed hundreds of locals, and literally split the island in two. Now, half of the island had partially sunk beneath the ocean, and the other half was rendered uninhabitable.
A small cove had formed when the larger half had begun to sink – formed by two small cliffs that joined at a ninety-degree angle. The water wasn't rising very fast, but it was already licking at the base of the cliffs.
Three Pokemon were trapped here, awaiting rescue while they watched bits and pieces of the Town of Peace float out into the open ocean. Once in a while, there would be a small aftershock that would shake their little cove, sending new waves into the water.
The smallest Pokemon, a young Charmander, shivered with cold as the water washed over her toes. She instinctively kept her tail held high, trying to keep the flame on its tip as dry as possible. "I wanna go home…" she sniffled, shivering some more and blowing her nose on her blue scarf.
A Dragonair wrapped the end of her tail comfortingly around her. "It's going to be OK, Terra," she soothed. "As soon as we're sure there aren't any other survivors, we'll get out of here. There might be others that need us."
The last of the trio, a grumpy Tentacruel, snapped indignantly, "And how long will it take for us to be sure? Until we starve to death waiting for someone who might never come along to be rescued?" They had already been there for days, and his patience was wearing thin.
"Give it a rest, Alphonse," the Dragonair sighed. "If you aren't good with waiting here, you can always just swim away." Alphonse snorted and looked away, keeping silent. They both knew he would never leave his only two friends in the lurch.
"Miss Evelyn?" Terra asked the Dragonair. "How long will it be before a rescue team comes?" The Dragon-type sighed heavily and looked out at the choppy water, shadowed by the overcast sky. The sea was as empty as could be, not including the pieces of driftwood and sea-soaked Berries floating around. "I don't know," Evelyn replied. "It could be never. But I highly doubt the Guardians would allow this disaster to go uninvestigated."
Alphonse spoke up bitterly. "They let the previous disaster go uninvestigated," he said with a ragged cough. "That tsunami that happened on the Glacier of Absence? They completely ignored it."
Evelyn had just about had it with her friend's negativity. "No one lives there!" she said sharply. "It wasn't worth investigating because no one had been put in danger! Now if you have nothing of worth to say, don't say anything!"
Everything was silent after that, except for the gentle lapping of the waves and the occasional sneeze from Terra or cough from Alphonse. Evelyn looked around worriedly – they would need to go very soon. If there were indeed no survivors, there was no point in staying here. They needed to find somewhere to rest.
But just then, Terra pointed at something out in the water with her glowing tail. "Hey guys!" she squeaked. "I think there's someone out there!"
The Dragonair and Tentacruel both squinted out in that direction. Indeed, as they soon saw, there was a bright orange head bobbing around in the water in the far distance! "Well? Don't just stand there, let's signal him!" Alphonse said, then fired an Ice Beam into the air.
Terra shot a small Ember into the sky alongside Alphonse's Ice Beam, and Evelyn joined in with a Dragon Rage attack. The purple, serpentine blast shot into the sky and exploded with energy, sending out a signal that could be seen for miles.
The little orange head began to move toward the trio. "It saw us," the Tentacruel said with relief. He blasted another Ice Beam into the sky for good measure.
Soon, the Pokemon was wading toward their cove. He was a Buizel from the look of him, and seemed to be alone and exhausted. The locket dangling from his neck and the treasure bag he carried caught the trio's interest.
"Excuse me," Evelyn asked politely, "are you on a rescue team?" The Buizel shook his head wearily. "No, sorry. I'm just a wanderer."
Terra deflated, and Alphonse looked glummer than usual. "So you didn't come to rescue us?" the Charmander asked. The Buizel shook his head again. "Sorry. I was on my way here to rest and stock up on supplies, but when I got here I found this… wreck."
Alphonse nodded. "That pretty much sums it up," he growled. "As far as we know, we're the only survivors."
The Sea Weasel Pokemon looked taken aback. "You three are the only survivors on the entire island?" he gasped. Evelyn sighed and replied, "Yes, so it seems."
A long, serious silence stretched on after that. "I'm Cenric," the Buizel said eventually. Evelyn pointed toward her two companions. "Alphonse and Terra. I'm Evelyn. I think we should really get off this island and find a place to rest."
Cenric nodded, but suddenly flopped to the ground, making a small splash in the shallow water. "I'm exhausted," he sighed. "Can I get a lift from one of you?"
The Tentacruel tucked in his tentacles and lowered himself to the ground. "Climb aboard," he said simply. Cenric climbed on top of Alphonse's head and stretched out tiredly. "Terra, you can ride with me," Evelyn said, lowering her head for the Charmander to get on. Terra did so after a moment's hesitation, firmly clasping the Dragonair's neck with her hands.
"Where to?" Alphonse asked Evelyn, who gave a limbless Pokemon's version of a shrug. "I was thinking the Elemental Islets. They're close, and relatively safe. We'll be able to rest up and then decide on our next course of action."
With that said and done, the Dragonair lifted into the sky, and the Tentacruel sank into the rough water. Together, they headed north for the Islets, leaving their ruined home behind them.
-.-.-.-.-.
Evelyn and Alphonse belong to one of my friends. Terra belongs to TriMaplenut. Cenric belongs to FinalPower.
Clawface is allied with Mara the Honchkrow and her Darkfeather gang, and Diamond Island is no more! What will Evelyn and her group do once they reach the Elemental Islets? And what about Team Fossil, and how will they react once they find that there is no help for Pteryx?
Find out in the next chapter, and yes, I'm still expecting OC requests!