Catchy title, no?
But too bad! OC submission is closed! So far, I've got the immediate storyline figured out, so I don't have any more room for new characters. However, somewhere down the line, I will be re-opening the OC submission.
Now, back to the story!
RoyalBlue120: Sorry, but I already got a Charizard request, and since those Pokemon are pretty rare I might have to change his species. Would you mind if I changed it to another Fire-type starter?
-.-.-.-.-.
In the dead of night above the western ocean, there was no movement other than the gentle rolling of the waves. Below, there might have been the occasional Chinchou, Huntail, or even Jellicent roaming around in search of unfortunate prey to fill their bellies with. But above the surface – no, there was nothing to be seen for miles.
However, if one were scan the waters to the northeast of the Elemental Islets, one would see a lone ship bobbing up and down on the waves, a steady tailwind stretching the sails to their limits and pushing the boat far along. There was a single word engraved on the side of said ship – Windchaser.
The crew of the Windchaser numbered only three, but tonight they had a wealth of extra hands to go around. Indeed, this was the same ship fleeing the Elemental Islets, the same ship that had narrowly escaped the Darkfeather gang. The Windchaser was Team Bloodsucker's personal craft, built by their own… eh, "hands".
Burner the Moskeeteor and Drain the Pendrula were at the wheel. They were usually at that position on all their adventures – with his many legs, Drain was a very effective pilot, and Burner was usually the navigator.
Tonight, though, they were silent. Usually, they were talking and planning together when steering the Windchaser, but not tonight. The things that had gone on only a few hours ago were enough to keep them quiet. Both were busy with their own thoughts, trying to figure out what had happened, and how best to tell the Guardians.
"Mara's gone too far," Drain finally muttered, catching his boss's attention. He continued, "Attacking a populated island with almost no rescue teams to watch over it… it doesn't seem her style, but that only proves the gangs are getting more desperate. They want those Shards badly, and we can't let that happen. If they get their dirty claws on them…"
Burner nodded and finished, "…then they will be in full control of the continent's – no, the world's – fate." Then he paused and added lightly, "Don't worry, those Shards are demon hard to find. Team Knights, bless their noble souls, have already gone missing trying to find the Discoverer of the Earthen Shard."
The Pendrula turned away from the wheel and crossed ten pairs of legs. "And whose fault is that?" he demanded. "If we had laid siege to the Abyssal Raiders' trench like I had suggested to the King, then the Discoverer wouldn't have been captured!"
Sighing, Burner looked away and murmured, "Yes, I know I should have listened to you when you suggested that," he admitted. "But that doesn't explain what the Abyssal Raiders were doing in the Dunedust Desert, or how they even managed to survive." As Drain went back to the wheel, the Moskeeteor continued softly, "The Raiders are smart, and beyond that, they are powerful. I wouldn't deem it impossible for them to target the rest of the Shards and cross their allies to get them."
Drain shuddered, his long thin body rippling. "Not when they've got that General Fang working for them," he agreed. "Dang fish is a military genius. And speaking of geniuses – how the heck did Mara ever get the idea into her brittle skull to find and take a Shard in the Elemental Islets?"
Burner stopped to think – Mara wasn't exactly a brilliant mind, but how did she get that idea? The Elemental Islets weren't even part of one of the five main Factions. Unless… someone from a separate Faction had been carrying one around and had happened to visit…
His antennae twitched as he suddenly thought of something. "But what if they had been following a Discoverer?" he asked Drain, who turned his head back to his friend. Burner continued excitedly, "It all makes sense now… the Darkfeathers must have been chasing after one of the Discoverers… and followed them to the Elemental Islets… and wasn't willing to let them get the chance to escape."
Now Drain whirled around, eyes bugging almost clear out of their sockets. "Are you saying that there's a Discoverer… on this ship?" he asked incredulously – but before Burner could answer, there was a sudden crashing noise as some of the stacked crates over by the side of the ship fell over.
The two Bloodsuckers were alert in an instant. "Pin Missile!" yelled Drain, firing several glowing needles that exploded as they hit the deck. A dark shape darted out from behind the crates, flushed out by the Pin Missiles. Burner leapt into the air and flawlessly caught the eavesdropper a second later.
The Purrloin grinned nervously at his stern glare. "Um… hey there," Shadepelt squeaked.
-.-.-.-.-.
On the opposite side of the boat, at the stern, Jowl and Sinestra were lying down comfortably, looking out at the water. The younger Eevee was feeling upset, and had been ever since their escape. When Jowl had asked why, she wouldn't say anything – which meant she was really upset.
The silence was broken by a quiet clicking sound. Both of them turned around to see the huge Conductula walking toward them. She sat down beside Sinestra and stared for a while at the water with them.
At last, Tesla said soothingly, "I know what it's like to lose someone you admire." Both Eevee looked up at her, startled in Sinestra's case and confused in Jowl's. "H-how did you know?" the little Eevee asked.
Tesla shrugged. "Like I said, I know what it's like to lose someone you look up to. And I've seen enough of you, Sinestra dear, to know that you really admired Celosia."
Jowl looked down at his sister in time to see her ears droop sadly and tears fill her eyes. "E-ever since Cell a-arrived on F-fire Isle…" she quavered, "I r-really liked her and w-wanted to be her f-friend. I e-even t-told her I wanted to b-be a w-wanderer like her. She was p-perfect in e-everything she d-did, and I c-couldn't help but look up t-to her." Then Sinestra sank her head into her paws and cried softly.
Placing a comforting claw on her shoulder, Tesla said quietly, "It's a shock, I know, to see someone as flawless and then suddenly come crashing down to reality. Celosia was a great Pokemon, especially because she was able to adjust to every new place she visited on her travels. But, Sinestra, no one is perfect. Any Pokemon can be killed. Even us in Team Bloodsucker could one day go off on a dangerous mission and never come back."
Sinestra stopped crying and looked expectantly up at Tesla. The Conductula continued, "It's never a good thing to witness someone's death, especially if that Pokemon was one close to you. Celosia died saving your life, and as cruel as it sounds, you have to be thankful that it wasn't you who were killed. If she hadn't sacrificed herself, then the Darkfeathers would have likely killed you and your brother as well."
Jowl snarled audibly and spat into the water below them. "Why?" he asked angrily. "Why did those feathered freaks decide to attack our island? We've done nothing wrong!"
Tesla looked uncomfortable as she patted Sinestra to comfort her further. "Not every Pokemon in this world is good like you most likely believe," she said grimly. "In fact, these days there might be more bad then good in the world. The Darkfeather gang is one such group who has been causing the Guardians and rescue teams no end of trouble. Stealing, kidnapping kids like yourselves… they're some of the worst." She sighed sadly and drew her multiple legs a little closer to her as a chilly breeze ruffled her fur.
"I'm going to fight them," Jowl said determinedly. "I'm going to join Team Eevui and take them down." There was a fire in his eyes now that Tesla observed with great interest. Does this little one truly have the determination and courage to join a rescue team? she wondered curiously. It might be interesting to find out. Tesla decided that she would keep a close eye on these two for the time being.
The Eevee siblings would indeed need all the help they could get to succeed in this dangerous world.
-.-.-.-.-.
Okami sighed and went back below deck. Miranda and Amanita were waiting for her in the hall when she came down the stairs. "That was quick," Miranda said idly. The Sylveon responded, "Tesla's already talking to them. I didn't want to be a bother."
Amanita sighed wearily – even though her leader was several years older than her, sometimes she could be really childish. "You know you're never going to get over Cell's death if you bottle everything up," she told her. Miranda added, "And if you're hiding everything inside, it'll start festering in there until you're a complete wreck. Our rescue team needs to get better, and we can't get better if our leader doesn't have the spirit."
Okami sighed again and said nothing. She walked into her cabin, the other two following like Mareep. "What do you think the Guardians will say about all this?" she finally asked, willing to at least talk about that. "About all what?" Miranda asked, swishing her tail. She was still trying to get used to her new Vaporeon form.
"All this," Okami said again, as if that explained everything. "You know, the attack by those Flying-types… Diamond Island's apparent destruction, which we heard nothing about until now… the only reason I didn't believe that story was because the Guardians didn't know anything about it!" she added. "The world's in a huge mess, and everyone's expecting the Guardians and the rescue teams to fix it all!"
Miranda put a gentle paw on the Sylveon's shoulder. "Calm down," she said softly. "We're going to tell them what happened, and then they'll organize an investigation. They'll probably send out rescue teams to capture those Darkfeathers, too," she added as an afterthought.
"Yeah!" cheered Amanita. "Just you wait, those featherbrains will get justice served to them on a silver platter as soon as we tell the Guardians what's been going on!"
The Sylveon sighed and let a smile crease her face. The two of them were right – it didn't pay to dwell on the sadness that came with the death of someone she considered a friend. They had work to do as a rescue team, and they also had to get better at being a rescue team. Miranda's evolution today was surely a sign – a sign that their future as Team Eevui was looking brighter.
"Alright," she finally said. "We'll tell the Guardians about everything that's happened – and then we'll help in any way possible!" At these words, Miranda and Amanita beamed at her. This was their old, cheery, confident leader!
"Go Team Eevui!" they cheered, voices ringing strong and true in their cabin.
-.-.-.-.-.
Meanwhile, in another cabin, two Pokemon were feeling far less optimistic.
Tortuga had just finished telling Pteryx about everything that had conspired since he had fallen into his coma, way back at Seaside Village during their battle with Clawface and Rudy. The Archen had listened intently, but at the realization that his brother Wyvern was missing and that no one had any idea where he was, he seemed to droop with sadness.
Now, all he was doing was sitting on his bed and staring down at the floor. Tortuga was sitting beside him, wondering how best to take care of this situation. He himself didn't know much about worry – the Tirtouga was one of the most laid-back and carefree Pokemon he knew. However, the disappearance and possible death of their leader and, more importantly, good friend was something even he had to worry about. As Wyvern's brother, Pteryx was even more crushed than he was. And it was his job to bring Pteryx back to his old self.
"Look, Pteryx," Tortuga began awkwardly, after a while of staring at the floor with his friend. "We… we don't really know if Wyvern's dead or not, right? So… I guess there's no reason to worry about him."
The First Bird Pokemon didn't even look up as he replied, "I'm his little brother, ya twit. It's natural for me ta worry about him when he's not here with us. I just can't relax without him by me side. And right now, Wyvern could be in mighty big danger."
Tortuga winced. Shot down on his first attempt. He'd have to do better than this, he realized.
Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "We… we've come a long way since we first formed Team Fossil, remember?" he asked. "Now, we might not have the status of Team Bloodsucker, and we might not be legendary like some other teams, but we're still a respected rescue team."
Pteryx still didn't shift his gaze from the floor. "So?" he replied. "What's yer point?" He didn't sound any more convinced than last time.
"My point is," continued Tortuga, getting an idea and hoping it would guide him along, "that being on a rescue team is a dangerous job. Any member could get killed by the slightest thing. Finding treasures and bringing in villains are often only dreams. In real life, rescue teams face all kinds of hardships for things that might seem inconsequential. Being respected by our fellow rescuers means that us, Team Fossil, have faced many of these hardships and still brought back the gold."
The Archen lifted his head and stared at Tortuga. He couldn't read the look in Pteryx's beady eyes, but he could sense that he must have done something right. The Prototurtle pressed on.
"And what do these hardships teach us?" Tortuga continued, on a roll. "They teach us to have hope with us, always. You have to constantly hope for some salvation, for some good fortune, and for some little thing that could save your lives. You have to hope that you and your teammates will pull through and survive even if you fail. And right now, we have to hope once more. We have to hope that Wyvern is alive and well and on his way to find us."
Pteryx kept staring at him. The Water-and-Rock type blinked and lost a bit of his confidence. "Did I… did I do a good job…?" he asked tentatively.
A long moment of silence passed by before Pteryx opened his mouth. "Tortuga…" he said slowly, "…I think… that yer absolutely right." As Tortuga sighed with relief, Pteryx went on, "Yes, I think yer right! We're Team Fossil, fer Arceus' sake! Sure, we're no Team Bloodsucker or Team Knights… but that don't matter! We ain't gonna lose all the respect we gained from our peers by mopin' over a missin' – possibly dead – teammate, we're gonna use those hopes of ours and place our faith in ol' Wyvern! We're gonna trust that he's gonna make it home safely and in shipshape!"
Pteryx then jumped to his feet and stood there on the bed victoriously. The Tirtouga saw with tears in his eyes that his friend was truly back to his old self – jaunty, full-of-good-will voice and all.
The ship suddenly plunged over a steep wave, and the abrupt movement was enough to cause an ornament on a shelf to tumble down and smash down on Pteryx's head. Tortuga found himself grinning happily as the Archen squawked and belted out a fierce flurry of insults at the little ship-in-a-bottle.
Pteryx was back. No doubt about it.
-.-.-.-.-.
In yet another cabin – the last of the three – Gaby and Luke were huddled on the bed, too uncomfortable to speak. Luke was perched on the footboard, holding on with his hands and rocking back and forth. Gaby had her legs drawn up in front of her as she sat against the headboard. The window was open, allowing a beam of moonlight to illuminate the room.
The Kirlia suddenly muttered something under her breath, and Luke turned around to face her. Gaby was sitting just out of the moonlight, in the shadows. Her red eyes managed to shine just as brightly despite the shade.
"What was that you said?" Luke asked curiously. Gaby sighed and repeated loudly enough for him to hear, "How could things have gone so wrong?"
Luke didn't understand, but he wanted to. He lifted off of his perch and floated onto the mattress, into the light. He sat down and asked her, "What do you mean by that?"
Gaby sighed again and looked reluctant to speak. But just as Luke was about to encourage her to, she did so without his prompting. "I mean," she began to explain, "this was supposed to be a quick expedition to Diamond Island and back. We were supposed to take Pteryx to the doctor there, but then there was that storm, and we all got separated… and now we're running away from the Darkfeathers. How could this have gone wrong?"
The Victini frowned. Gaby initially seemed to be a quiet and reclusive Pokemon, but now she seemed more willing to speak her mind. Luke assumed that to be a good thing, but he didn't know for certain. But what he did know was that she was right – how could a simple trip to DiamondIsland have gone so badly indeed?
"Well," he said hesitantly, "this world… it's getting more and more chaotic, you know. So I guess… things are more likely to go wrong in such a world." It was hard for even the naïve Victini to stay optimistic. Such a fact was hard to avoid nowadays.
Gaby nodded, although it was hard to tell due to her position in the darkness. "And then there are all those bad Pokemon cropping up in greater numbers…" she piled on gloomily. "Pokemon seem to think that acting cruelly and selfishly is the only way to survive. In a way, it does make sense… but it only makes the world even harsher."
Luke tilted his head, remembering how Clawface and Rudy had been pushing Gaby around that day. "What did those two want with you anyway?" he asked suddenly, knowing that the Kirlia would know what he meant.
Her eyes stared at him from the shadows for the longest time, then she silently shuffled out into the light to sit beside him. "Can you keep a secret, Luke?" she asked, and the Victini was struck by the sheer… un-Gaby-ness of her voice. She sounded cautious, vulnerable, and insecure, nothing at all like her usual strength and self-reliance.
"Of course I can," he said loyally, making a little 'X' over his heart. "Cross my heart and hope for pie." Gaby gave him a strange look, and he blushed with embarrassment. "That's how I always say it…" he muttered sheepishly.
Gaby took a deep breath and spoke once more. "You ever heard of a Shard?" she asked, and Luke shook his head. She explained, "Shards are legendary items that are supposed to be linked to the world and its fate. If one had all five, one would be able to either save the world, or destroy it, depending on what struck your fancy."
The Victini's eyes were wide as she said this. Gaby didn't say anything else for a few seconds, before she said, "I found a Shard."
Now Luke's eyes grew even wider. "You did?" he asked, voice tinged with awe. Gaby nodded. "Yes, I did," she confirmed. "I found the Aqua Shard, the one that is supposed to be linked to the Water element. I'm its Discoverer, or that's what the Shard told me."
At this point, Luke's eyes were practically popping out of his skull. Gaby smiled at his astonishment. "The Guardians have the entire legend of the Shards, and they know what to do with them once found," she said. "That's why I wanted to take mine to the Guardians. But I couldn't, because Clawface and Rudy found me, and… you know the rest."
This news was overwhelming to Luke. His friend found a legendary item, one so powerful it could decide the fate of the world? It was unbelievable to him.
"I'll help you in any way you can," he found himself saying. "You're my friend, after all, so you can count on me completely. I want to help you with whatever you're supposed to do with that Shard."
Gaby smiled – not just one of her usual small, barely noticeable ones, but a real smile. "Thanks, Luke," she said gratefully. "I'm glad you want to help me. Truly."
Luke blushed ferociously and looked away. "Th-that's what friends do," he stammered quietly.
And although she knew he couldn't see, Gaby looked away as well as a faint warmth blossomed in her cheeks.
-.-.-.-.-.
Ooh, things are heating up! XD
I am slightly ashamed to say that my little sister has become obsessed with watching MLP: Friendship is Magic, and I'm getting sucked into the show as well. It's not actually that bad – it's even funny at times.
… … … Don't judge me.
Anyway, the fate of the Windchaser's crew remains uncertain (even to me)! How long will it be until the Shard's cry for help reaches its Discoverer? Find out what happens next in the upcoming episode of… "Destined Explorers of Legend"!
Tortuga: "Um… we rescue teams would appreciate it if you gave us a review! Oh, and tell me how I did with my speech please! Was it good?"
Chapter Question #7: My personal favorite Pokemon couples are Jirachi and Meloetta, and blue and pink Frillish! What two Pokemon do you think would make the cutest couple, readers?