Return to you
Too excited for this chapter. I had to finish it in a hurry! XD
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokémon.
Chapter 28: Island of Secrets
Sapphire felt her body afloat. She opened her eyes and saw nothing but misty blue waters. Serene but it was cold, empty and silent. Everything including herself was at a standstill. Another one of those strange dreams, she figured. If it wasn't, then she wouldn't be able to breath underwater. But if it was the dream, then the shadow will come.
Brushing through the water, she positioned herself upright and panned her surroundings. Then it appeared before her from the blue abyss with its eyes glowing bright yellow and its body lined with gleaming ominous red markings. It was huge but it moved through the water with ease using its large pectoral fins and tattered tail. Sapphire gasped as the shadow began to become clearer to her. She knew what it was. There was no mistake.
Kyogre.
The water-type legendary drew closer with its crimson patterns giving off a grim vibe. It was like watching a glistening stream flow but instead of water it was blood. Sapphire's heart raced with fear as memories of their encounter in Hoenn flooded the empty spaces of the waters. The girl saw images of cities being struck by massive tidal waves and homes carried away by raging currents. People and pokemon were fleeing and screaming all around.
Then more visions began to appear. But this time they were about the days where she experienced loneliness, hopeless and sadness, like the time when Ruby disappeared. Sapphire sat on the forest floor and stared at the spot where the boy was moments ago. Another was the night of his birthday, Sapphire slept in the lobby of Ruby's house where she waited till midnight to let her tears fall. Their sudden meeting and parting in Ecruteak also flashed by as well as the times where the girl just recalled Ruby's face and how much she missed him.
It was overwhelming. Sapphire shielded her eyes away from the scenes. But then she noticed a blue pattern appearing on her right arm. It was similar to the time when the Blue Orb was inside her. What did it mean? The object used to control Kyogre was destroyed by Celebi so it couldn't be. It must be her mind playing tricks. She was dreaming, after all. But even if she knew that, there was this lingering fear inside her.
Suddenly, the markings on her arm flowed further up her shoulder. The sensation was like a surge of electricity that was accompanied by a cold wave that made her feel like her arm was turning to ice. Sapphire clutched her limb and yelled but nothing came out except for a few bubbles that rose to the surface.
"...Sapph."
The girl looked up upon hearing the voice that was calling out to her. A light shone down on the darkness surrounded her. She desperately swam up and extended her other arm. She saw a hand reaching out to her from beyond. The voice continued to call to her. Who was it? Lapis? Ruby?
Suddenly the darkness of the water swirled up, attempting to drag her down. Her legs were caught by the tendrils of the shadows. It sent chills that ran up her body. Sapphire flailed her feet, trying to break free but the water was restricting her movements.
"Sapph."
The voice resonated louder and the light was accompanied by a vivid green tint that erased away the black essence holding on to her. Sapphire felt someone clasp her hand and pull her into the light above.
She looked down for a final glance and saw Kyogre's silhouette disappear into the depths.
Sapphire woke up in cold sweat. Her breathing was fast and her vision was erratically shifting from clear to blurry, mostly blurry. She did her best to calm herself from the nightmare that she faced, but it was no good. She could feel herself trembling no matter how hard she tried not to. It's over. It was just a dream, she told herself as she covered her face with her arms and took long and even breaths.
"It's good that you're finally awake."
Sapphire flinched and lifted her arms away from her face. Her eyesight got clearer and she found herself lying in bed inside a room with dull white walls and a pale blue ceiling. She understood that they were finally off the Whirl islands, but where exactly was she? Cianwood City? Did they finally make it?
Sapphire tried to sit up but her body still felt lethargic. She sank back against her pillow and exhaled deeply. For a moment, she caught a whiff of a sweet floral scent. Aromatherapy? The smell was too familiar to mistake it.
"…Lapis?"
It was the first time she ever said his name out loud. She didn't really take it to heart. It was just that the name escaped from her lips unconsciously. Before she could shift her eyes towards the origin of the voice, someone sat next to her and placed a hand over hers.
"I thought your instincts were better than that."
Sapphire's eyes grew wide when she saw a boy with raven hair and crimson eyes, clad in black and red clothes. Her heart skipped and adrenaline began to take over. She sat up in shock and was struck by a heavy wave of nausea. Luckily, Ruby caught her by the shoulders and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.
"Take it easy. You still need more rest."
Sapphire pressed herself against his chest listened to his heart beating fast like her own. All the fears that she felt before vanished in that moment. Even the dizziness didn't matter to her. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she returned the embrace. It was really Ruby. After that day in Ecruteak City, she finally got to hold him once more. In her heart, she told herself that she wasn't going to let go.
But it was easier said than done. Reality was much harder to fulfill than the dreams and imagination in one's thoughts. Their parting had already been anticipated by her. It was the best way to protect herself from feeling all the hurt that came with it.
"Sapph…" Ruby called her name.
Sapphire couldn't utter a single word in return. She just wanted to savor the moment for as long as possible for any second, Ruby could just vanish before her eyes. The thought of that happening made her tears fall even more.
Suddenly she felt her arm throb. It was getting numb like it was freezing over. The recollection of her dream kept flashing in her mind. She wanted to check if there was something wrong but that would mean breaking off of Ruby's embrace. She shrugged off the feeling and tightened her grip around the boy.
Ruby moved his arm away from the girl's back and clasped her arm. Sapphire thought that he was going to break away from her, but instead the contact of his hand on her arm, sent a sudden surge that made them both jolt away from each other.
"W-what was that?" Sapphire looked at Ruby in surprise.
The boy didn't meet her gaze but his expression looked different, like he was hesitating. The boy pulled up the sleeve on his left arm and showed a red ring-like tattoo that lined across his wrist and further up his arm. "That was just the reaction between Kyogre and Groudon's essence."
Sapphire felt at a loss for words. She hesitantly looked at her own arm and saw similar markings but blue in color. Her dream was real. But why? Why does she and Ruby have those? The orbs are gone. It wasn't possible.
"H-How? I-I don't understand."
"I didn't believe it at first either but it is real. The orbs might be gone but some of its energy remained inside us," Ruby explained as he gazed on his own arm. "Do you remember that time when we went to the Battle Frontier to help Emerald and our seniors battle Guile, I mean Archie?"
"Yeah. There was this old guy named Spenser who also touched the orb before," Sapphire recalled. Spenser was one of the Frontier Brains, known as the Frontier Brain of Spirit. Because he came in contact with the orb, he gained the ability to tell if a person had touched the Blue Orb just by looking into the person's eyes.
"Even when the orbs were destroyed that ability of his still remained. Don't you find that a weird? We came in contact as well but nothing happened." Ruby paused for bit to give Sapphire more time to understand the situation. Then he continued, "One of the reasons for that is because of the spiritual training Tate, Liz, and Grandmaster Juan gave us. The other reason was because we were still young…"
Sapphire was having trouble taking it all in. It was completely hard to believe. How does Ruby know all this in the first place? Just what has he been doing all that time he was away?
Ruby took a deep breath and kept going. "I heard from Wally that only a child could make it to the top of the Sky Pillar. The passageway to Rayquaza was designed so that adults couldn't go through for the reason that they were more susceptible to the orbs power than children."
"So then… The orb's power inside us only appeared now because we were growing older?" Sapphire figured.
"Correct."
"Then what about Marge? Didn't she touch the orb as well?" Sapphire pointed out, recalling that it was the former Team Magma Admin that took her place in helping quell Rayquaza.
"Marge had unusually strong spiritual energy and the fact that she died made the orb's power leave her body. So when Celebi brought her back to life, she no longer had it inside her," Ruby answered. He could remember that day very clearly because it was the day he almost lost his father. He would never forget it; not the hopelessness, not the fear of losing the people he cared for the most. Those feelings were still haunting him deep inside.
"I'm sorry that I hid this from you until now…" Ruby inched closer and cupped her face with his right hand since he couldn't touch her with his left. He felt her tremble but then her face grew peaceful at his touch, making him somewhat relieved.
"So why'd ya do it? If it's affecting both of us, shouldn't we fix it together?" Sapphire reasoned, clasping the hand on her face with her own.
Ruby tenderly wiped the tear marks on her face and looked at her. "That's because I never planned on you getting involved in it."
Sapphire bit her lip. Ruby was taking in the entire burden so she won't have to. Just like before when he locked her in Wallace's flying car so he could face Groudon and Kyrogre by himself and prevent any chances for the orbs to take over her body. It was in that way that he showed how far he was willing to protect her without any regards of his own safety. It was in that way he proved to her how important she was to him.
But to Sapphire, all she ever did when she was growing up was to get stronger in order to protect herself and those she cared about. She hated the fact that others would get hurt for her sake because she was too weak. Even now, she still couldn't bare it.
"But I am involved!" Sapphire brushed off Ruby's hand and moved back. Then she raised the arm with Kyogre's markings in front and clenched her hand into a fist. "And ya can't do anythin' about it!"
Without a word, Ruby stood up and picked up something at the foot of the bed. It was an orb, completely similar to ones that were used to control Groudon and Kyrogre, but that one was green …like Rayquaza. How? Many scientists in Hoenn had failed trying to create an orb for the sky high pokemon so where did that orb come from?
"This was created long ago by the ancient people of Hoenn in order to ensure that Rayquaza was to remain if ever the Kyogre and Groudon ended up fighting again. But due to some calamity that befell the Johto region, the orb was taken here, more specifically, was taken to Cianwood City in order to call forth Rayquaza to help cease it. But after that event, the pokemon returned to Hoenn and the rest is history," Ruby summed it up as he sat next to Sapphire who was still listening intently to him.
The girl was amazed of how a relic from Hoenn reached Johto but she couldn't understand what the orb was for regarding their current situation. She averted her gaze from the green sphere and faced Ruby. "How'd ya know all that? And whaddya plan ta do with it?"
"Time-travelling really takes you places, be it in the past or the future. I even made a few friends along the way." The crimson-eyed boy smiled and reminisced on his journey so far. Then that smile faded and he placed the orb between him and Sapphire. Without looking at her face, Ruby held the girl's right hand with his own. "They say that Rayquaza has the power to soothe the other two members of the Weather Trio so I'm going to use the orb to temporarily gain control of Rayquaza in order to negate the remnants that were inside us ever since we held those orbs."
"Ruby, ya can't do that!" Sapphire protested. She remembered what happened when one used the power of the orb as well as the result of not using it in order to control one of the legendary pokemons of Hoenn. Both were risky. The former meant that orb could overpower and take over the host, driving him/her insane with power while the latter would strain the controller's body to the point it can prove fatal.
Ruby squeezed her hand and looked straight into her ocean-blue eyes. "Everything will be alright. I found a way to use the orb without the risk of it taking over my body."
"How?" Sapphire believed him but she couldn't shake off the dread in her heart and mind.
"Just leave that to me... Right now, I need to remove Kyrogre's essence within you."
Sapphire flinched. "Remove it? How? I thought ya can't without using Rayquaza."
"You're right. I can't negate it by myself…"All of a sudden, Ruby pushed her down unto the bed and pinned her so she couldn't break free. Sapphire was half-flustered by his actions and half-worried about what he was about to do. She struggled but she hadn't fully recovered from her fever and her arm still felt numb from the cold energy that manifested from Kyogre's power. Ruby looked at her with no emotion in his eyes, just an emotionless resolved remained. "The only way is to transfer the essence into my own body."
*ba-thump*
"No!" Sapphire yelled and flailed around violently, but Ruby still kept her pinned down. She felt like a burden. She didn't want to be protected in a way that could mean her losing someone precious to her. Fear and sadness began to overwhelm her. Suddenly, her fever started to rocket and blue markings glowed and began to spread further. Sapphire's breathing grew shallow and she started sweating uncontrollably.
"Sapph, you have to calm down or it'll get worse…" Ruby tried to reason with her but the girl continued to resist. Seeing her scared for him made the boy's heart ache. Then the energy in his own arm began to surface as well. Scorch marks appeared on his left sleeve and slowly began to burn all the way. "…not now."
Ruby cringed at the burning sensation but he endured the pain in order to accomplish what he set out to do. He held on tightly to Sapphire's right hand with his own hand that once held the blue orb. He took even breaths and leaned his forehead against the girl.
"Everything will be okay. I'll come home to celebrate your birthday, I promise."
Sapphire was losing consciousness like she was being dragged back into the cold dark waters of her dream. Everything around her was fading into a blur. The last sight she saw was Ruby's silhouette and the verdant glow coming from the green orb.
Sapphire found herself back in her dream state but this time, she was lying down and floating above the water's surface. The movement and sound of the waves were calm and the sunlight shining down from the radiant blue sky was warm and comforting. Clouds drifted by, aimlessly. Overall, it was a peaceful dream with no shadows or any signs of Kyogre.
Even then, Sapphire felt uneasy. She had lost sight of Ruby and she failed to stop him.
"Everything will work out," an unfamiliar voice resonated in the open sky.
Sapphire couldn't recognize it but she was sure that it belonged to a girl. She got up and surprisingly, she didn't break the water's surface. Only a couple of ripples were made when she moved. It was like she was lying on a semi-liquid mirror.
She looked around and saw no one. It was empty as far as her eyes could see. The only person around was her and her own reflection. She looked down and stared deeply at herself.
There was nothing wrong but she kept gazing, sensing that something would appear. After a few blinks, her eyes caught a glimpse of an unknown girl's image. It was only for a moment but she could tell that the girl had long black hair and that she was smiling at her. Sapphire raised her head and once again saw no one.
Suddenly, she felt someone lean against her back. She didn't feel any bad vibes but she was surprised. Sapphire didn't look, thinking she would disappear if she did.
"Who're ya?" She asked.
"My name… is Jade and I'm a friend."
Sapphire didn't know anyone by that name. She couldn't resist any longer and turned her head, only to be engulfed in a bright light that signaled the end of her dream.
September 14
Sapphire woke up, feeling lighter and more energized. Her fever was gone completely and as for the markings… She quickly turned her attention to her right arm and saw no trace of it. Did Ruby succeed in transferring it to himself? Sapphire feared for him and leaped out of bed.
She found her lost bag at the foot of the bed. Parts of it were stitched back into almost perfect condition, probably Ruby's handiwork. She checked her badges which were now thirteen in total, eight from Hoenn and five from Johto. Inside, All five pokeballs containing her team were accounted for. She even caught a glimpse of Momo, who rarely stayed inside, curled up in one of the capsules. Her pokegear and pokedex were intact as well as her extra clothes.
Then she hurriedly got dressed and noticed her hair was unusually in great condition. It was really smooth and silky unlike the state it was in after she arrived in the Whirl Islands. There were even a couple of small braids in her locks. Another one of Ruby's doings, she guessed.
Why'd ya have ta go this far just for me? Am I still that weak that ya have ta keep protecting me? Sapphire asked herself as Ruby's face lingered in her thoughts.
"You're finally awake. That's good." Sapphire turned and saw Lapis coming towards her with a tray of food. He smiled and placed it on top of a small wooden table. "How's your fever? The medicine here in Cianwood is one of the best if not the best in the whole of Johto so I think it should be gone by now, but I still asked for some supplements for you to take."
"Where's Ruby?" Sapphire asked immediately.
Lapis didn't answer her question. "Just so you know Eddie's fine. He made it safely back to Olivine City. You should have heard him apologizing over and over on the phone. I told him that it was okay, we were fine and that we made it here to Cianwood but he was really upset, saying that he shamed his honor as a Sailor… Anyways, you should eat or else your fever will return. You also have to big battle waiting for you at the gym."
Sapphire was glad Eddie was okay but her mind was still concerned for Ruby's sake. She had to find him or even clues to this whole event.
"I said, where the heck is Ruby?!" She repeated.
Lapis flinched at her tone but remained silent on the subject. "Don't strain yourself now. Ruby will be upset if you get sick again so eat up."
She clenched her teeth and stormed towards Lapis. She immediately stuffed the food in her mouth and swallowed it one big gulp. She did the same for the tablets that Lapis intended for her and chugged all the water down her throat in a matter of seconds. "There. Done! Now answer me!"
Lapis stood there in disbelief to what he just witnessed. He felt a chill run down his spine as he thought of the things the wild girl could be capable of doing especially towards him. "Uhm.. I… He…"
Having already lost her patience, Sapphire loomed over him and growled.
The next thing the boy knew he was dragged against his will outside the pokemon center. Sapphire ignored all the sights of the new city. She could care less what Cianwood City looked like, not even the smell of the salty sea breeze or the texture of the fine white sand all around.
Once they were out in the open, Sapphire threw him on the ground before her and rephrased the question, "Where'd Ruby get that green orb that he plans on using ta control Rayquaza with? And don't change the subject or you'll really piss me off."
Lapis stuttered in fear, "T-The E-Embedded Tower…"
Sapphire raised a brow as she stared at him with a deadly look. "And where's that?"
"I-I don't think he's there anymore and further more shouldn't you be concentrating on your gym battle now?" Lapis gestured to the gym which was a short distance up ahead, hoping shift her attention and blazing energy to something else.
Sapphire looked at the gym building ahead and grumbled. "That can wait. What day is it anyway?"
Lapis checked his poketch and replied, "Quarter to seven in the morning, 14th of September."
Sapphire recalled they left Olivine on the 12th of September and they got stranded on the Whirl Islands for the remainder of that day and fortunately, left the next morning if her foggy memory was served her correctly. That meant they arrived in Cianwood on the 13th which was yesterday. Now it's the 14th.
"Six days left for your deadline," Lapis concluded.
"Make that four…" Sapphire corrected.
The blue-eyed boy was caught by surprise. "Huh? I thought your plan was twenty days? Not eighteen."
"That's right, but I wanna be in Hoenn by the 20th of September. It takes about a day or so ta travel from Blackthorn City to Hoenn. I'll reach my goal when I meet up with Ruby again at the Secret Base on my birthday with all eight badges of Johto."
"So I guess you should hurry to the gym then…" Lapis smiled, seeing Sapphire grasped the importance of time she needed in collecting her badges.
Sapphire snarled. "Don't think ya could talk your way outta this. Yer still gonna take me ta this so–called Unbedded Tower."
"Embedded Tower…" Lapis corrected.
"Whatever! Now get your butt moving before I kick it for ya!"
Lapis had no choice but to go along. He led her pass the gym and inside a cavern known as the Cliff Edge Gate. Inside were a small lake and a receptionist that welcomed them and asked if they wanted to try the Safari Zone. Sapphire almost doubted whether or not Lapis was taking her to the right place but the boy reassured her that he was. Giving him a chance, they moved on. The cavern was visibly wider than the ones in the Whirl Islands and instead of travelling through mazes underground, they travelled upwards using rocky staircases until they reached Route 47.
The two trainers arrived at the edge of a very high cliff, overlooking crystal blue waters and lush nature. The view was refreshing with the open sky above, the sounds of water crashing below and the cries of various pokemon in the distance. It was such an unexpected sight to behold. Who knew that such a place was at the end of the tunnel?
Lapis and Sapphire continued onwards, following the path that guided them to Cliff Cave before making their way down towards the sound of water flowing. They encountered a few wild pokemon along the way like Kinglers and Steelixes but it was nothing that they couldn't handle.
They reached the end of the path. The rest of the was only accessible through surfing. Sapphire didn't have a water pokemon on hand so she turned to Lapis who had Gila.
"I don't think that's a good idea…" Lapis argued, clearly hesitating in letting the Lugia out.
"Don't give me any of yer lame excuses and cough it up." Sapphire shot back, holding on to whatever patience she had left.
Still Lapis refused. "I'm telling you that it's bad."
"And why's that, huh?" Sapphire raised a brow in suspicion.
"Didn't you notice how quiet everything is?" Lapis pointed out.
Sapphire turned to the watery scenery. They boy was right. Other than the roar of the waterfalls, it was strangely silent. A tense vide lingered in the air. The waters were beautifully blue but there wasn't a water pokemon in sight to even make a splash.
"What happened here?" Sapphire inquired.
"Ask him…" Lapis gestured to a blue creature surfing across the still waters. Other than its blue color, it had a cream underside, dull gray shell on its back and black eyes. Its neck was long and slender. There was a horn on the middle of its forehead and a pair of curled ears placed farther back on its head.
Sapphire took out her pokedex and determined the pokemon as a Lapras.
Lapras – The Transport Pokemon
This intellectually advanced Pokémon is able to understand human speech. With its mild temperament, Lapras prefers to carry humans on its back, rather than engage in Pokémon battles.
Sapphire didn't notice anything wrong with the description to make Lapis think that the Lapras was behind the sudden disappearance of the water-types residing there. According to the digital encyclopedia, it was a gentle pokemon, much like the Amaura.
Lapis whistled to it and the Lapras turned around and swam over. Sapphire didn't understand. First, the boy was implying the pokemon was dangerous. Now, he was calling it over.
The Lapras calmly approached them with a stoic demeanor. That was when Sapphire noticed the difference between it and the photo on the pokedex. The Lapras before them was covered in various scars and its horn was sharp and the spikes on its shell were jagged rather than dull. It looked straight at her and Lapis and studied them for a few moments before turning to its side, allowing them a way to get on its back.
"I've heard from Nurse Joy that this Lapras used to belong to a trainer. They were caught in the recent storms between here and Olivine City. It was quite tragic. Its trainer didn't make it and this Lapras ended up here," Lapis relayed the story he heard to the girl.
That would explain all the injuries it had and the reason it was fine around people was because it used to belong to someone. But that didn't explain as to why all the water-types in the area fled. It didn't seem aggressive and surely, its appearance wasn't that intimidating.
"If you want to get to the Embedded Tower, I suggest we should just ride this Lapras instead of taking out any pokemon." Lapis gave it a berry as a treat and prepared to mount on the transport pokemon's back. "That's what Ruby did as well as other trainers who needed a ride across."
Sapphire was unsettled. She wanted to know to know more about this Lapras and why Lapis was insistent in not using any pokemon. "So why aren't there any pokemon around?"
Lapis was about to get on the pokemon when the girl's words stopped him. "Ah, well… This pokemon seems to hold a grudge against water-types or any other pokemon for that matter. You should have seen the way it acted when I sent Gila out yesterday…"
Sapphire grew more interested in the latter part of Lapis' reply rather than the answer to her question. The boy was there. He was with Ruby when he retrieved the green-colored orb from the Embedded Tower. It made her realize that most if not all the answers were right in front of her. Now that they were in Cianwood City, she could find out all she can about Ruby, the orbs, the time-travelling …everything.
"Yer gonna fulfill the promise, right?" Sapphire looked at the boy with a serious expression.
"The promise?" Lapis was taken aback by the sudden topic. He started feeling nervous about it.
"Yeah… The one where ya said you'd tell me everything when we reach Cianwood City," Sapphire elaborated, crossing her arms. "Well, here we are."
"I thought Ruby more or less explained all that? Anyway, shouldn't we get to the tower first?" Lapis evaded the topic. Then he approached Sapphire and murmured in a very soft voice, "My team is really getting uncomfortable with this Lapras around."
Speaking of the Lapras, the transport pokemon was still waiting for them at the shoreline. It didn't seem to mind nor did it seem to care about the two's conversation. It glanced at them every now and then, but that was all.
Suddenly, Sapphire felt a movement inside her bag. Something was squirming inside. A second later, a pair of round gray ears popped out followed by a long white fluffy scarf and a head of a yawning chinchilla with scarlet eyes.
"Cincci?" Momo squeaked after taking a deep breath. She had gotten used to staying out of her pokeball. But since she was too exhausted after that long day that they were stranded in the Whirl Islands, she stayed inside to get a good rest. Now that she's fully rejuvenated, she was ready to seize the day at her trainer's side.
"Uh-oh." Lapis gulped and turned to the Lapras.
The transport pokemon immediately started growling at the sight of the Cinccino. It pushed away from the dry and withdrew back to the waters where it conjured a neon blue ball that launched a beam from its mouth, straight towards the Cinccino. Sapphire turned about in time and moved out of the way. Momo was safe but the corner of the girl's bag was covered in frost, showing how close the attack was from hitting them both.
"What gives?!" Sapphire yelled as she placed a hand protectively on her Cinccino's head.
"I told you, it gets extremely hostile around other pokemon." Lapis readied Nyro's pokeball since that was his best bet against the water/ice type.
The Lapras unleashed another Ice Beam assault, narrowing the small space that Lapis and Sapphire stood as well as sealing away the entrance to the Cliff Cave. The two trainers were trapped. The last choice they had was to battle.
Momo scurried up her trainer's shoulder as Sapphire reached into her bag and tried to get Toro's pokeball. Seeing what the girl was about to do, the Lapras fired another assault but this time, the beam was yellow in color.
"Sapph! Watch it!" Lapis shouted as he sent Nyro out who instantly delivered a blazing torrent of fire at the transport pokemon.
The Lapras dodged it but its Thunderbolt attack was drawn off course and struck the ice walls that it created prior. The structures crumbled above Sapphire just as she pulled out one of her pokeballs. Luckily, Momo created a turquoise barrier over their heads to protect them both from the falling ice fragments.
"Thanks, Momo." Sapphire smiled at her and turned her attention to which of her team she took out from her bag. "…huh?"
The Lapras saw the moment of distraction and seized it by attacking with Ice Shard. Multiple fragments zoomed across the air towards the girl. Lapis ordered Nyro to melt the attack but a new wave of ice shards were headed straight for them. The Houndoom released another Flamethrower and managed to negate the attack but only the one that was intended for them.
The first attack was still advancing towards Sapphire. Momo saw it first and created another protective barrier. She succeeded but she didn't know if it would work the third time.
The Lapras continued to show no signs of letting up. It opened its mouth once again and unleashed a Blizzard attack. The sudden decline in temperature swiftly turned the waters into ice while the strong frigid winds swirled violently around them, forcing the two trainers to brace themselves as well as their two pokemon. But things were looking bad. The ice was spreading rapidly especially around their feet.
Momo curled her long thick tail around her trainer's neck to keep her warm. Sapphire, in return, held on to her Cinccino to make sure she wouldn't be blown away. Then she stared once again at the pokeball in her hand. There was no time for asking questions. She had to act quickly.
Sapphire opened up the pokeball and a red matter flew out and materialized into an avian pokemon that soared across the surrounding area in a coat of flames, melting away the layers of the ice and slowly negating the Blizzard attack.
Sapphire and Lapis breathed in relief, feeling the air warm up. Then they both gazed upon the pokemon that the girl took out. The scarlet flames around the bird pokemon died down and Sapphire finally got a better look at it. Its plumage was mostly red-orange with a gray underbelly and black areas around its tail and wing tips. A pointed crest rested atop of its head and a black and yellow mask-like pattern adorned its eyes. Its black beak was hooked with a yellow cere that matched the sharp talons that extended from the shaggy feathers on its legs.
It cawed fiercely while flapping its wings, showering vivid embers with every beat. The Lapras redirected its attention to the new enemy, flying in the air. Even when it looked even more outnumbered, it wasn't about to back down.
The battle continues.
End of Chapter 28
Any questions? I had major references in the Pokemon Special Manga. That was a whole lot of researching.
I also had a lot of things taken from HeartGold/SoulSilver especially the Embedded Tower.
The only thing I modified was the location of the green orb also known by a different name.
Around a third of all the secrets are now revealed. Did any of you expect that?
Jade is mentioned again! :D
Her storyline chapter along with parts of Ruby's journey will be posted after the 100th review.
No rush. It'll reach that number eventually. Maybe after the next chapter.
Vikeila - thanks for being patient and giving constant reviews! As well as checking my typos.
pizzapie is MINE - random! lol
Swoosh15 - next chapter will be the battles
bashy - thanks for that review. I really appreciate reviews like that every now and then.
If Gila means mentally disturbed in your language, for mine it means 'Happy' but that's not the origin. I just used Lapis' name pattern on Lugia's name. And as for the second paragraph of your review, I already wrote 3k words of this chapter when you posted. I changed nothing since it followed your advice anyway. lol. Win-win situation.
There won't be deaths in this story. Well, not deaths that are really mentioned, just implied. You'll find out in the next chapters.
I'll stick to Normal POVs for a while then.
Anyway! Thanks everyone for your support and time for reading. Review! :D