I'm going to keep uploading chapters. So many and so little time!

Rainbow Island is actually a reference to the Southern Islands Collection of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It's really cute!

Chapter 3
The Burning Brass Tower

Water lapped at the yellow sand of the Johto region's shore. Marina slipped off of Suicune's back, outrunning the waves. This particular spot was uninhabited by humans, so no one saw them arrive. She trotted by Suicune's side as they left the beach behind them, letting the Pokémon take the lead.

"Suicune, where are we going again?" she asked.

They walked in silence despite her question. It had been quite some time, perhaps over a year, since the incident with Deoxys. Since then, she'd been coexisting with the odd Pokémon on the uncharted Rainbow Island. In that time, many of the Pokémon had grown close to her—some like family. She still missed her own dearly, of course, but she'd finally accepted that she couldn't go back for a while. A very small handful of Pokémon could talk to her as well, knowing more than she had ever expected. It continued to mystify her even after Suicune had attempted to explain to her that they were psychic.

What confused her currently was the purpose of this little trip off the island. However, she followed Suicune obediently.

"You said we were going to…Ec-ru-teak City, right?" Marina asked, attempting to pronounce it.

The elegant Pokémon nodded.

"Do you know where Ember lives, Suicune? Can we see him?"

This time, Suicune gave no response.

Marina frowned as she looked at her shirt, which fit her a bit oddly. She felt awkward in her old clothes, even with the large rip fixed thanks to the efforts of whichever Pokémon that did so. It had been so long since she had worn it. At the island, she and the Pokémon eventually had to make outfits themselves, or some would smuggle clothes from the mainland.

The hexagonal marking on her forehead had disappeared long ago. Now, she looked like an ordinary girl. But simply having Suicune at her side made it an odd sight to see.

A gentle nudge from Suicune snapped Marina out of her thoughts. For a while, she could hear voices, but now it was louder. Outside the concealment of trees, she could see people walking around. It was a large town, its area filled with culture both old and new. Blue shingled houses and stores were pressed beside one another. Alleyways and wide streets allowed for pedestrians to stroll past each other—a web of paths that spread throughout the city.

"Wow. Suicune," Marina turned to the large blue feline, "why are we here?"

Suicune stared at her for a long time before turning its head toward the people-filled town. Two large towers were seen in the distance at the outskirts of the city, and Marina gazed at them in awe. At that, Suicune leaped away from her, running along the wooded border in order to keep itself hidden.

Marina turned to in surprise and called out, "Wait! Where are you going? Why aren't you talking?"

The girl already understood the message, but it still puzzled her why Suicune would let her alone so suddenly.

Around her neck, her bell and Neo Ball were looped together on the same small chain. She clutched it uncomfortably; it was the first time she had taken even a step off of Rainbow Island. Now, the trees surrounding her were less pleasing to the eye. Everything on the island seemed too perfect to be real, like a mirage, a dream that never happened; yet still it existed.

Will I have to go through the town? She thought with a worried frown.

Biting her lip, Marina breathed deeply and sprinted into the crowd, her untamed pigtails waving behind her. She gawked at the wonderful scenery she passed. Tourists stared wide-eyed with small guidebooks in hand. Citizens of all ages wore colorful kimonos and other traditional garments. Children ran wildly as she did, making her seem like she was playing along with them. She clumsily pivoted when she needed to, her wavering eyes on her goal: the eastern tower.

Even so, the girl could not help but smile at the positive energy.

There are so many people here. I dunno what to do!

She slowed as she began to tire, catching her breath. Nobody appeared to mind Marina, which made it all the more easier for her. She had been nervous since she heard the city's incessant chatter.

What if someone talked to her? She hadn't met a human in years. There was one exception—a boy that Entei had brought with it on Rainbow Island one month ago. Shortly before this trip to Ecruteak, Entei had taken him back home.

But that was aside the point. A child like her was different from a crowd of people in a bustling metropolis.

"Hey." A finger tapped on her shoulder.

Marina jumped and turned with wide eyes.

A teenage girl leaned towards her, hands on her knees. Her long, violet hair was tied back in a sloppy ponytail, and a grin adorned her tanned face.

"Hello there," she greeted.

Marina could only gaze, speechless. Sure, she could greet back, but her voice was too skittish to attempt it. The older girl tilted her head at the odd response. A small green Pokémon stood at her heels, observing Marina as well with curious red eyes.

Realizing that she had been staring, Marina clumsily bowed. The girl only snickered, and her Pokémon mimicked her harmlessly.

Blushing in embarrassment, Marina replied, "Y-yes?"

"My name is Sora. Who are you, kid?"

"I… My name is Marina."

"Ah, Marina? That's a nice name."

Marina froze. Except for Suicune, the psychic Pokémon on Rainbow Island had always called her Aura. That, too, made her wonder about Suicune's occasionally odd behavior. Perhaps she was simply too young to understand a creature that had lived such a long life.

Seeing Sora's Pokémon, Marina asked her, "Are you a Pokémon Trainer?"

Sora grinned and patted her on the head.

The little girl's eyes grew wide and shimmered like glass. She quickly closed them to prevent her tears from slipping out. Such maternal kindness, so familiar and loving, overwhelmed her. She felt more relieved and thankful than she probably should've been toward a stranger.

"You're right, I am," Sora declared. She paused. "Hey, what's wrong? You lost?"

Marina shyly smiled again at the casual feel surrounding Sora. Her little hands wiped her eyes quickly.

"N-No. I'm with…my mom," she carefully said.

Sora shrugged, smiled and said, "Of course, of course. …Anyways, this is Minnie, my Larvitar."

"Oh, hi," Marina greeted and waved at the Sora's Pokémon, who nodded cutely in response.

"Where were you headed so quickly?" Sora asked. "I saw you running a mile a minute."

"To, um, the tower," Marina pointed to the towering structure, "Right there."

"Ah, the Tin Tower. I just went there. If you want, I don't mind walking you to it." Without another sound, Sora turned away and looked over her shoulder. Her casual, unquestioning grin really was comforting. "Come on. You don't want to really get lost, do you?"

Marina willingly followed her with a gleeful skip to her step. She walked at Sora's side, patting Minnie on the head as her previous discomfort began to fade. Now that she had someone with her in the city, she felt at ease. As they approached the nearing tower, she gazed at its immense height that shot into the sky.

Suicune must be waiting for me, she thought. Her green eyes were then fixed on Minnie the Larvitar again.

"Is that your first Pokémon?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is. I'm pretty lucky; where I come from, Pokémon are hard to come by. Trainers usually have to buy or travel to find their first Pokémon, if they're not lucky enough to have someone give them one."

"Why?" Marina, puzzled, scratched her head. The idea of having a difficult time finding a Pokémon was completely impossible to her.

"It's just different from places like this, where Pokémon are everywhere," Sora explained, "My home region is just a big old desert."

"Oh. Where is it?" Marina asked.

"You wouldn't be interested, but it's northwest of here, just over the mountains. It's called the Orre region.

"I guess they didn't teach you that at school, did they?" Sora laughed. Her face fell somewhat, her hands bitterly slipping into the pockets of her jeans. Minnie kicked at the dirt.

"…Sora?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

A sudden cold breeze brushed in between them, and the trees in the distance whistled. Marina felt an additional familiar presence and turned toward the forest, which were now in clear sight from houses. Hiding within it was Suicune, watching the girls.

"Oh!" Marina exclaimed.

"What?" Sora asked.

"I… see my mom." Without thinking, Marina bowed. "Thank you! Bye-bye!"

Marina dashed into the forest without looking back. Suicune had delved deeper into the brush, and she followed quickly. Just to make sure, she glanced back to check if she was followed. Fortunately, the other girl couldn't be seen in the distant crowd. Marina reached Suicune, simpering.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," she apologized, to which Suicune nodded.

They weaved through the trees and stepped onto a narrow dirt path, and she gasped as she gazed upward. The ancient pagoda stood over them, more massive and magnificent than from far off.

At the foot of the tower were a brilliant garden and a stone path leading to the entrance. In front of that, a Japanese-styled gate; and pinned on top of the brilliant red cedar wood was a golden tablet. The engraving of a bird was carved into it, sparkling in the sun's rays.

"Ho-oh? This is Ho-oh's home, isn't it?" Marina excitedly turned to Suicune. She turned toward the tower far off to the west. "And that's Lugia's?"

With a stiff notion, Suicune again nodded.

"It's so big…I wonder if it's there now?" Marina whispered, trying to see the top. "You call him 'Lord Ho-oh', but why?"

She sat down after Suicune's absent reply. Minutes passed, and she frowned.

"Suicune, why do you call me Marina? Everyone else calls me Aura. You're the one that named me Aura, but why don't you call me that?" She looked at the Aurora Pokémon, who had been watching her solemnly. Marina's face went blank. At this point, she could finally sense its somber feelings, however faint.

"Suicune? What's wrong?"

Suicune approached her. It looked down at the innocent human, its crimson eyes burrowing into hers. The waving ribbons and ocean blue mane seemed to slow in unison with the Pokémon.

"Suicune?" she repeated softly. "Are you okay…?"

Slowly, Suicune nudged Marina's chest. Her pendants clinked beside each other. She glanced at them, puzzled. Suicune's eyes merely pierced through her. She closed her eyes and delved deep into her thoughts where the two were connected. She felt a cold grief she hadn't experienced before. What was it? To try and comfort the beast, she gently held its snout only to feel an ounce of regret. She tensed when she finally understood.

"…I have to go back home?" she asked.

Suicune closed its eyes.

Suddenly, a shiver struck through Marina. It felt as though they were being watched. She looked around in alarm. Having both sensed and noticed her reaction, Suicune did the same. But they were alone.

A thunderous blast erupted from behind them. The earth rumbled, and Marina cried out in surprise. She quickly stood on her feet. On the western side of town, smoke poured from the other tower.

Suicune dashed past her through the pines and toward the main part of the city. Marina scrambled after it. As she reached the road and turned to the tower, she stopped in horror. Over half of the western pagoda was covered in growing, greedy flames. She and Suicune gazed in panic and confusion.

Seemingly out of nowhere, the familiar red and yellow blurs of Entei and Raikou soared into the tower.

Suicune's claws sunk into the dirt. With a sudden burst of speed, Suicune too sprinted toward the inferno.

"Suicune!" Marina called out. "Suicune, wait!"

Suicune paused and turned back. Frightened people nearby gasped and stepped away from the beautiful, glittering blue Pokémon. Suicune's scarlet eyes burned into Marina's, its stare serious and filled with valor and responsibility. Its gave a mighty roar, warning her off. It whirled around and took one last leap before swiftly darting into the burning tower.

Marina almost tripped trying to both chase Suicune and stop herself.

Why...why did Suicune go in there?!

The terrible flames spread across the entire length of the pagoda with impossible speed. They shredded down the tower story by story. With one final groan, the top floors collapsed on themselves.

"No, Suicune!" Marina cried out. "Suicune! Raikou! Entei!"

Her legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. Flocks of people rushed past her. None spared her a glance as they either hurried toward the tower with water or simply fled and watched from a safe distance. Their shouts of anger and fear frightened Marina further; the peaceful people she had seen earlier were a distant memory.

The small Neo Ball felt warm against her chest. Feeling utterly helpless, she grabbed onto it tightly and sobbed as the once grand tower shriveled to the ground.

A hand abruptly grabbed her shoulder. "Come with me! It's dangerous here!"

Marina froze, recognizing the voice on instinct. Her head slowly turned and looked up at the woman's face, whose hazel eyes widened. With her free hand, she cupped the girl's red, tear-stained cheeks.

"Marina…?" Caroline asked softly.

"Sister!" the little girl beside her exclaimed. A smile dawned on her face as she stared at Marina with wide, shimmering blue eyes. Marina wiped her eyes, futile as more tears came.

"Ma…Mama…Mom," she spoke, her eyes shifting to her sibling, "M-May…"

Caroline nodded slowly, in disbelief. With a grateful smile, she fell to her knees and tightly held Marina in her arms. The sounds of people and fire were still very much alive, but they seemed far away and unimportant now.

"Thank god, thank god...!"

"Marina!" May hugged them both, unable to help herself as she, too, shed tears in the strange joy they shared in the midst of the chaos.

"Marina, where were you? What in the world happened to you?" Caroline asked, pulling away from her child to see her face again. Marina looked back at her, uncertain whether to be incredibly happy or distressed. She looked over her shoulder, where the tower continued to burn with only two floors left.

"S-Suicune is…is in there," she stammered. She turned back to her mother and pleaded, "You've gotta save Suicune! E-Entei and Raikou are in there too!"

"Suicune, Entei and Raikou?" Caroline questioned. She brushed Marina's bangs aside. "Dear, what are you talking about?"

"Mama, you've got to save them! Please, Mom!" Marina cried. She pointed desperately at the tower. "They took care of me and now they're in trouble! They're gonna… They're gonna die—!"

With a wisp of air, Caroline shushed her child and stroked Marina's askew blue hair. "You poor thing, you must've bumped your head…"

"No I didn't—!"

"Marina," Caroline interrupted sternly, "Calm down, dear, calm down. Let's get away from here, okay? Your Papa and your brother are worried sick about you."

"Chris…Papa?"

Her mother nodded, smiling half-heartedly as she stood, carrying her with a firm grip. She looked down at May and grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's go."

"But…" May trailed off as she looked at the tower. The flames were dying down, but only one floor remained of the ancient landmark. She turned away and continued to keep up with her mother, gazing up at her silently distressed sister with a concerned, sad frown. "Suicune...?"

Hours after the fire, the city of Ecruteak was quiet into the evening despite the festival planned for that day. Everyone mourned for the loss the historical landmark. The city once known for its two brilliant towers from centuries ago now possessed only one. The eastern tower of Ho-Oh stood unscathed, though the dark shadows it cast gave off a sorrowful and lonely feeling for the lost presence of its fallen twin.

Marina's parents packed their rental car in silence, preparing to head home. May sat in her booster seat by herself in the back. She watched her elder siblings, who stood side-by-side outside. They watched the gloomy sight of the west tower as the sun began its descent.

Even when Marina had told her family what had happened to her, vaguely because she was rather panicked for hours, her parents were not convinced. Her story was too incredible to be even remotely believable. They insisted that it was not real, that she had amnesia. But she was insistent that, eventually, they gave up on making Marina talk about what had happened to her. At the moment, the fact that she had returned safely was a miracle her parents were more than happy to accept.

Chris held Marina's hand without a word. A gust of wind blew from the north, teasing both of their untamed blue hair. With a sigh, Marina squeezed his hand. Her nine-year old brother turned to her.

"Aw c'mon, don't cry again," he told her. "You've cried enough… No more; it's over, okay?"

Marina nodded, looking down at her feet. With a troubled frown, Chris set his sights back onto the darkening orange sky. Puffy clouds slowly moved past over them, dyed purple and scarlet from the sun's farewell.

"I believe you."

"Huh?" Marina turned to him.

"Your story. It's awesome." Chris smiled. "You beat me to seeing the Legendary Beasts. You should feel lucky."

She stared at him with wide eyes and, realizing what he meant, smiled back.

"Suicune, Entei and Raikou sounded like really great Pokémon. I'm sure they're still alive; they're too strong to not be immortal, you know? I've got to see them so I can thank them for taking care of you all this time."

"...Yeah. Yeah, you're right." The two looked back at the endless abyss of oranges and blues as the sun dropped beneath the horizon, and she squeezed his hand again. "Thanks."