Awkwardness 3: Attack of the…uh… Shoot, I can't think of anything.

A lot of interesting conversations abound; plus a little throwback to Chapter 33.

Enjoy!

Chapter 77
Anecdote

The next couple of hours that passed were uneventful. Marina was able to make use of the little remaining daylight hours by training with her Pokémon, but since then she found herself with nothing to do. Raikou continued to sleep, all of the adults had split up to take care of their own business, and her phone calls waned as the moon continued to rise in the night sky, leaving her with no one to talk to. At some point, she decided to fetch some dinner. The lines were long and her nervous stomach gave her a small appetite, but she figured that it was good for her health and would at least give her something to do.

So when she met Kudou on her way out of the food court, she started a conversation at once. Considering his background in archeology, it was the perfect opportunity to ask about Suicune and the Ruins of Alph. They were quickly joined by Eusine, who—like a Pokémon attracted to Sweet Scent—seemed to pop out of nowhere the moment Marina mentioned the Legendary Beast. Her boredom was swept aside by the lively exchange that ensued.

"I wouldn't call myself an expert on Suicune, specifically," Kudou said with a modest smile. This polite gesture faltered a bit as the brown-haired man interjected.

"Precisely," Eusine agreed. "I don't mean Kudou any disrespect, but why did you feel the need to call for his aid? You knew perfectly well that I was on the way here."

Marina pouted as she turned to him. "That's because you made me promise to keep me knowing you a secret!"

"Ah yes, I did tell you that, didn't I? I was wondering what that was about earlier."

"But—what—But you played along!"

"It slipped my mind. Though I guess it's all for naught now," he said rather calmly. He glanced at the puzzled man between them, and the young girl pursed her lips.

"…Oops." She turned back to Eusine and began flailing her hands about in frantic bewilderment. "But how did you forget? Kenta asked and I'm bad at lying to my friends so I acted like an idiot and he's so smart that he probably saw through it anyway, and it was all for nothing?" she rambled.

"My deepest apologies. If it brings you any relief, I appreciate the compliment you gave me."

Marina hung her head with a dramatic sigh. I already have enough problems with talking to Kenta; I didn't need that on top of it… Geez!

"I'm not surprised you'd find that kind of promise necessary," commented Kudou. Eusine lost some of his composure, much to the other man's mild amusement.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Do I need to remind you of that coffee incident?"

"That was an honest mistake. Are you still mad about that? You know how passionate I am about finding Suicune, and it got in the way!" Kudou looked away unconvinced, and Eusine indignantly fixed the bow on his tuxedo. "I apologized," he muttered as if it were an excuse.

"A-Anyway," Marina stood up straight again and faced the blue-haired man, "I wanted to ask about this one legend. Since you're an archeologist and Eusine's a Suicune expert, I thought you both might know something."

I know the lady back at the Mahogany Gym probably has all the information that's available, but it's worth a shot, she added in her thoughts. Eusine and Kudou dropped the previous subject gratefully and focused back on her.

"Ask away, then," Kudou encouraged.

"It's about this lady named Aura, who was supposed to have a close connection to Suicune. Have you heard of it?"

"Aura…?" His brow creased as he went silent. Eusine seemed to be giving this about as much consideration as he gazed at the floor with an intrigued glint in his eyes.

"Ah!" Eusine flicked his wrist and pointed at her. "Yes, I think I do. Morty told me about it some time ago. Aura was said to be a beautiful and independent woman that often frequented Ecruteak City. They say she was endowed with the spirit of Suicune itself, which granted her power and immortality. Is that what you're referring to?"

"Yeah, it must be!" Marina nodded eagerly.

"It's certainly an enigma…there's so little information about it. As thrilling as it sounds, I thought it was just a grand fairytale, but Morty insisted that the monks looking after the Tin Tower believe in it full-heartedly."

"That's because Aura would often visit them to give messages from Suicune or Ho-oh," Kudou added. "Suicune would appear before her at the Tin Tower to communicate these messages, so the legend goes."

Eusine looked as though he were about to ask him something, but he gasped and turned to Marina. "That's similar to you, isn't it? Suicune spoke to you at the Tin Tower."

Marina gasped, mouth open. "Then…"

"While we were thinking Suicune wanted to test your worthiness of being its Trainer, the sages must have thought you as the next Aura all along!"

"Then the rumor is true?" Kudou eyed the girl curiously. "I've heard that a Trainer battled with Suicune a week ago in Ecruteak. That Trainer was you?"

Marina was rendered speechless, taken aback at Eusine's revelation. She nodded in response to the archeologist's question, but the notion swayed in her mind.

Cilice only mentioned Aura's control over the Unown, but nothing about what her connection with Suicune did. It makes sense, a tremble coursed through her and she looked away from the adults, But Aura… that name…

"Tell me, did Raikou speak to you as well?" Eusine asked and bent over a little to make proper eye contact with her. He gawked at her with zealous anticipation. "Did it tell you to go away when you were trying to help it?"

"N-No." With a shrug, Marina gave an earnest answer. "Raikou didn't say anything. Maybe it doesn't trust people enough or… I don't know what to think."

"Hmm." The young man fixed his posture and took a step back, perhaps realizing that she needed the space. He cast an inquisitive look in Kudou's direction. "I'm surprised you even know about this legend, Kudou. I believe it originates as late as one-hundred-fifty years ago, prior to the Brass Tower burning down for the first time. Certainly, the Ruins of Alph are far older than that."

"Of course. They date back over a millennium ago," Kudou replied. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his khaki trousers, appearing perplexed. "It's just that strange things often occur there, due to the nature of the Unown's mysterious powers.

"And something…really unusual happened there that made me familiar with this legend," he admitted.

Marina turned to him immediately, while Eusine blinked with a blank look.

"Really? How so?" asked Eusine.

"As you might already know, the Unown sometimes create illusions while they are together in great numbers. Normally it is nothing special, just transparent images that go away after a small amount of time.

"But about three months ago or so, the researchers at the Ruins of Alph discovered several new chambers. I became involved in the excavations, and we came upon one area that was incredibly different from the rest. It appeared to be from another time period or a mishmash of various ones at least—it resembled more like a bedroom from Victorian times."

He spent a moment carefully mulling over his thoughts. Fiddling with his hair, he began listing what he saw from memory. "Everything inside appeared perfectly preserved. There were incredibly detailed wooden furniture; murals depicting Suicune and other Legendary Pokémon…There were minimal Unown-esque hieroglyphs on the walls, but I can clearly remember seeing the name 'Aura' engraved somewhere in actual English letters."

"What?! How come I've never caught wind of this?" Eusine demanded, seeming beyond belief.

"Hold on, let me finish," Kudou calmly insisted. "We informed Bugsy and the other archeologists, and they joined us as soon as they could, but we weren't in there for more than an hour before everything collapsed in on us. It wasn't a cave-in, but…everything just evaporated into a huge group of Unown." He seemed to find his story difficult to believe himself as he continued, "We were completely swarmed, and by the time they all fled we were just looking at a hole in the ground."

"An… illusion?"

Just like my Lapras' Poké Ball! Marina concluded as the two continued their conversation. And maybe that's why the exit disappeared when Silver and I were there, too! It wasn't a trap; the Unown did it!

"Yes, the most real and elaborate illusion any of us had ever seen. If that hadn't happened, I'm sure my colleagues and I would be trying to figure out how such a chamber could have been built without anyone knowing. The Unown are truly mysterious beings."

"I did hear that part of the ruins collapsed some time ago. Was that what that was?" Eusine asked, completely absorbed in the discussion.

Kudou nodded. "And as impressive as that fake chamber was, it was still an illusion. Those Pokémon could have picked up the idea from anywhere, even the visitors and scientists."

"I've heard that the Ruins of Alph were haunted," Marina spoke up. "Do you think it's Aura?"

The archeologist considered it for a moment, but ultimately seemed skeptical and undecided.

"Maybe it isn't her spirit, but afterimages created by the Unown? People have been claiming the ruins to be haunted for years, but the illusions make it unlikely. Your guess is as good as mine."

Oh, but I swear I heard her talk to me. Her thoughts resounded, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Even so, it's an incredible coincidence. If Aura actually exists, then she is certainly what links Suicune with the Unown," Eusine mused. Enthralled, he regarded Marina with praise as he patted her on the shoulders. "You seem to have been on the trail of this for a while now. Impeccable work!"

Before the girl could respond, he whirled back toward Kudou. "You should've informed me about this earlier, Kudou! Something so interesting shouldn't be kept a secret from me."

"Well, you do owe me a new shirt," Kudou said with a somewhat flippant shrug. Eusine's vivacity nearly halted in its tracks, and the camp gentleman pointed toward the cafeteria.

"Then I'll get you some coffee if you would just drop it!"

"That's what caused that disaster in the first place."

Marina smiled as she watched the tranquil archeologist and the mildly hotheaded Suicune Hunter bicker. She stole a glance at the belt on her waist, eyeing the Poké Ball containing her Lapras.

"I've actually got a similar story," she said. They turned back to her.

"What, about coffee spills?" asked Kudou.

"No!" The girl laughed and playfully crossed her arms. "About the illusions…at…"

Marina stiffened. Eusine and Kudou appeared confused, but what she focused on was beyond from where they were. They looked over their shoulders to see Kenta standing a short distance away. The boy seemed to mirror Marina's reaction when they spotted him.

Oh no. A small sense of panic began rising in her chest.

"Hey, Kenta. Good job watching over Raikou. Are you headed off to sleep?" Kudou questioned him.

"Uh, no," Kenta shifted his eyes away for a moment, "I was just…going to the bathroom."

How long has he been standing there?

"The three of us were just having a light discussion," said Eusine. He shrugged his shoulders melodramatically. "Ah yes, forgive the behavior of me and your friend earlier. I made her promise to keep our acquaintanceship a secret, you see."

The boy cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "I could tell. Why did you do that?"

"Don't know; I've forgotten." A quick laugh came from Kudou, which Eusine attempted to ignore.

"I'm sorry for lying, Kenta," Marina blurted out. Kenta looked back at her and, seeing the regretful stare she was giving him, innocuously waved his hands around a bit.

"N-No, it's okay. I figured you had a reason to do it." He approached the group with somewhat hesitant steps. "What were you guys talking about? It sounded like something interesting."

"Coffee and various legends," Kudou answered.

"Mostly legends, of course," Eusine emphasized astutely. He turned to Marina. "Speaking of which, were you about to say something?"

"Um…" She cast a hesitant glance at Kenta. Putting on a nervous smile, she began slipping away from the group. "Nope, nothing! I was just about to say that I'm done for today. We can talk more tomorrow. Goodnight!"

Marina then pivoted, walking briskly away toward the nearest hallway. She put her hands up to her mouth, biting her lip as she did so. When she turned the corner and walked far enough to make sure no one could see her, she came to a stop. A sigh slipped out of her, and she leaned against the nearest wall.

Coward…I'm such a coward! She mentally scolded herself. But how much did he hear?

In her time of silent criticism, her ears tuned into the voices of the ones she had just talked to.

"Have you heard of it?" Kudou asked.

"Yeah, actually," Kenta's voice undeniably said, "Bugsy told me about it while I was there."

"Is that so? We must have just missed each other then."

Kenta knows it too? And Bugsy… Her breathing slowed as ideas reeled in her head. If Kenta was really, truly there when Lapras attacked me, then that means the Bugsy disguised as Latios was there too. I thought Latios just left, but if Kenta met him after all of that, then… Latios would know a lot. But…

Marina closed her eyes in thought.

"Marina?"

Caught off-guard, she suppressed a yelp but couldn't stop herself from jumping in place. Very slowly, she turned behind her.

There Kenta stood, having just turned the corner she was hiding behind. He regarded her with a quiet look that she couldn't quite pinpoint. At the very least, it contained some concern.

"Oh, hi Kenta," she greeted and tried her best to giggle merrily. "I thought you were talking to Eusine and Kudou?"

"I was, but I left the infirmary to use the bathroom." His eyes shifted upward, and she followed his gaze. Beside her were the doors leading to the public restrooms, and she simpered at her luck.

"Oh." Marina turned back to him and began to retreat further into the hall, lacing her hands behind her. "Well then, I'll let you do your business so—!"

"Are you alright?"

"Huh? …What do you mean? Of course I am!"

"Marina," he simply said. She stopped in place, catching his uncertain stare with her own. "I know you're upset."

Her fake smile faded. Her gaze fell to the floor, even as Kenta walked closer.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"It's okay. Just…what's wrong? You've been acting strange this whole time."

Marina frowned, refusing to look back up at him. Her thoughts jumbled together into a tight knot, and she hid her distress as she tried to figure out just what to say first. A long moment of silence passed. She could see him reach out to her and stop hesitantly before he touched her arm, and watched as his hand slipped away.

"Hey…if there's anything that's bothering you, you can tell me. Okay?"

Upon meeting his eyes, she opened her mouth to speak. Her voice escaped her at first so she nodded.

"Yeah."

Marina quickly made her way back to her room. Though she attempted to go straight to bed, she couldn't get an ounce of sleep. Eventually eleven o' clock passed, followed shortly by midnight, and then one in the morning. Even when she released King to relax her with the natural warmth that radiated from him, she still found herself thinking restlessly.

Aura's legend and the Unown—bit by bit the information seemed to be coming together, yet there was still so much she felt uncertain about.

Geez, why didn't I just ask Kenta if he remembered what happened?! She thought. He even knows about Aura's legend from Latios or Bugsy or whoever!

She rolled over, kicking her feet in the air in frustration. Since her roommate had long since been asleep, she tried to keep as quiet as possible.

I've got to just stop trying to avoid it. If the Kenta I saw back then was an illusion, then I'm just worrying him and myself by acting like this for no reason. But if he says yes…

Marina let her legs hit the bed. She rested with her arm her forehead, staring unhappily at the dark ceiling. With a worried frown, she turned over to King and held the ermine close. The Pokémon, easily wakened, shifted to nuzzle below her chin. Although he couldn't tell just why his Trainer was so unsettled, he comforted her in the best way that he could.

The next time I get the chance, I'll talk to him about it, she resolved somewhat timidly.

Despite this, her mind continued to wander.

At some point in the night, she inspected every entry in her diary pertaining to the incident involving the Unown and the Ruins of Alph. Of the little things Latios had revealed to her, he had said that Marina was at one point called Aura—the same name as the Aura in the legend. She didn't know what it meant, but it caused only more problems than solutions for various reasons.

Am I like a reincarnation or something? I certainly don't feel like one.

One thing was certain: the thing that had taken possession of her and the Unown was not her. It felt like an outside being, and they had talked to one another. She had hoped that returning to the Ruins of Alph might have led to confronting this possible "Aura" figure, but that proved fruitless too. Marina did pass out from being swarmed by Unown, but if something strange had happened like last time, she was sure that Silver would have said something about it.

Another thing Latios mentioned was an island, where she and Latios had known one another. Combining that with the name Aura and some strange memories resurfaced. She mostly remembered playing with her friends using this exact scenario: that they were on an island filled with strangely colored Pokémon and the Legendary Beasts, and she was called Aura.

Marina had once believed this to be real a couple years ago. She even tried to convince her parents that it was true. They refused to believe her, unsurprisingly, no matter what she said. It was difficult for her to remember, but she knew that eventually they forbade her from mentioning it ever again.

A glimmer of meek bitterness flashed in her eyes.

It couldn't be real, right? They told me over and over. What would Kenta think? That I'm pretending again? Would he even believe me?

She played with the idea of Latios being an illusion—which would erase any doubts because the Unown simply latching onto her memories—but she had met Latios long before she even set foot in the Ruins of Alph.

I don't know…

Finally, her eyelids were feeling heavy.

There's already so much going on right now… I'll just… have to think about it later.