Secrets of the Night
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!
Chapter 14: Land beneath the Sunlight, part 2
Castelia City, Unova
Peaceful winds blew as Pidoves soared overhead of the urban landscape. Above them, the cerulean sky stretched far into the distance with snow-white clouds feathering its surface. At the very heart, the sun in highest peak, shone radiant beams down upon the region.
With a spring in her step, Faye Lin headed out of the pokemon center and dove into the grand metropolis. Instantly, the sights took her breath away. Buildings towered all around her. City sounds resonated in every direction. To normal people, it was nothing special, but to her, it was a scene she wished to never forget. When thinking of a dazzling metropolis, she couldn't help but think of Lumios City, but compared to where she was now, her hometown seemed much smaller.
Faye Lin took a moment and indulged in her freedom, before she focused her thoughts on the mission, and that was to find her sister. But, how could she locate a single person in such a massive city? Where would she start? There was only so little she could do in an unfamiliar region. It was only then, she realized how rash her decision was.
"Excuse me? Is there something wrong?" A lady dressed in a dull beige uniform approached her.
Judging by her badge and clothes, Faye Lin assumed she was the local law enforcer. She bowed slightly to greet her and explained her circumstances. The lady, known as Officer Jenny, listened to her attentively. She seemed to sympathize with her wish to find her sister, but she was also unhappy at the fact that Faye Lin didn't have a specific address to locate her. As far as they know, her sister could have already moved out of Castelia City.
The search was harder than she had anticipated. Faye Lin became discouraged at the possibility of not finding her sister. But, she told herself to not give up so easily. She came this far. She exhaled deeply and thought of other alternatives. Officers can't just plainly give away a person's address to a stranger, right?
"Don't you have any friends or other relatives living in Kalos?" Officer Jenny inquired, feeling concerned for the troubled teen.
Faye Lin shook her head, but then she remembered Aeron was heading to Nimbasa City. Maybe, he would help. Scanning the city by air would be faster than walking around in circles. It also beats searching by herself. Not to mention, she did have to return Aeron's scarf. A smile returned to her face. "I have a friend who might be of help... He's heading to Nimbasa City, so I must take my leave before I might miss him."
"How about I drive you to the end of the city?" Officer Jenny suggested as she gestured to her parked motorbike with a built-in sidecar.
Faye Lin politely turned her down, worried that she would bother the Unova law enforcer on her job. Officer Jenny smiled at the young heiress' thoughtfulness, but she insisted that she accepts. After all, she couldn't leave a defenseless girl alone in the big city, especially when it's her first time in Unova.
Meanwhile is the sand-filled road connecting Nimbasa City to Castelia City, a battle had just occurred. Aeron crossed his arms and leaned back against a tall metal post, after witnessing a very short bout between a trainer's Lillipup and his Noibat. At first, he tried to refuse the pokemon battle, but the youngster was insistent. He kept pestering the older boy to fight. The result was a severely one-sided match, with Noir knocking out its opponent with a single Air Cutter.
The young challenger groaned at his defeat and recalled his Lillipup back to its pokeball. Then he glared back at the purple bat, doing mid-air somersaults and barrel rolls in triumph. He underestimated the older boy after seeing him argue with his rebellious Noibat. At the beginning, he thought Aeron was bad with pokemon since he couldn't make his pokemon obey him. But now, he realized he was outclassed. Despite the odds he just faced, he was determined to redeem himself.
"Beginner's luck!" The youngster exclaimed as he pulled out a second pokeball. "Let's see you go up against my starter!
With a burst of red light, an orange piglet appeared on the dusty pavement. It snorted out tiny flames from its nose and twirled its spirally tail. Noir saw the arrival of his potential opponent and grinned with eagerness. He calmly halted his aerial performance and flew back in position to continue the battle, but the youngster had other ideas.
"Hey, it's not fair to use the same pokemon, again." The kid pointed at the Noibat, accusingly.
Aeron didn't move from his spot. He merely raised his head and glanced at the younger boy. "There's nothing I could do. Noir is my only pokemon."
"Then, what about that Snivy?" The boy gestured to the little reptilian-based pokemon sitting on the doorstep.
The Snivy looked at the youngster with hesitation and then it looked up at Aeron, wondering what he would say. But the words it was waiting for drove a sharp icy dagger in its chest.
"That Snivy isn't mine."
The youngster snickered, knowing full well of the advantage he had if he went up against the grass-type. "You're just scared to admit that, seeing as it wouldn't stand a chance against my partner, Tepig!"
Aeron ignored him, but the Snivy took the boy's words to heart. It was true. Even if it tried, would it even have a chance to prove everyone wrong? Pessimistically, it looked at the Tepig. The fire pig looked very confident and its trainer called it his partner so they were probably a tight team. If the Snivy did step up to fight, would he work well with Aeron? Then again, would Aeron even give it an opportunity to?
The kid continued to taunt the older boy, but it showed no effect. Noir still hovered in place, but waiting around, listening to a noisy kid rant was boring. After a long yawn, he flew back to the Snivy, only to find it standing up and walking towards the youngster and his Tepig.
"Hah! Unlike you, looks like your Snivy has guts!" The boy in orange smirked and looked at Aeron with anticipation. Still, the raven-haired boy remained motionless and uncaring. It made the youngster irritated. "Hey! Don't tell me you're scared?"
Meanwhile, the Snivy listened to the one-sided conversation, waiting for a good chance to make a move. But with each passing second, it grew restless. What was doing? Could it really prove something? Thoughts like that circled in its mind. Finally, it couldn't take anymore. It was all or nothing. Trembling slightly, the Snivy clenched its leafy fists and shifted its sights unto the Tepig. Then without warning, the grass snake pokemon swung its tail across and summoned a whirlwind of leaves, knocking the Tepig off the ground.
Shocked, the youngster's attention snapped back to his pokemon. The Tepig roughly landed on the hard pavement, but it didn't look hurt. It was merely shaken up due to having been caught off guard. Nevertheless, it was a cheap shot. The youngster grunted and glared at the Snivy. "No fair! That's cheating!"
Aeron shot them a glance and straightened himself up. Then he began to walk over, much to the Snivy's surprise. The grass-type watched him attentively, unsure of his intentions. Noir, on the other hand, smiled and flew back to the raven-haired boy's shoulders. Happily, he wrapped his leathery wings around Aeron's neck and cooed in a purr-like manner.
"Finally stepping up, are we? Well even if you had the first move, I'm still gonna win! I'll beat you up and completely humiliate you for cheating!" The youngster declared smugly.
Aeron didn't remark. He looked at the Snivy who was staring back at him in shock, then he turned to the younger boy. "What was that move just now?"
"Huh?" The youngster was taken aback. He looked at the older boy in disbelief and bewilderment. At first, he thought Aeron was joking, but the serious expression the silver-eyed teen had proved otherwise. "You've got to kidding me! You don't even know Leaf Tornado?"
Aeron shook his head.
The youngster snapped and cued his pokemon, ensuing the second battle he was yearning for. "Tepig, use Ember!"
The fire pig leaped into the air and launched balls of cinders from its snout. The Snivy froze at the sight of the incoming attack, but then it jolted out of its daze when Aeron called out to it. Reacting quickly, the Snivy flipped back a couple of times and dodged the fireballs.
"Charge in and use Leaf Tornado," Aeron instructed. The Snivy dove back in and spun its tail around, conjuring a swirling green vortex of blades. The Tepig, still in the air, was caught and rolled like a ball in the whirlwind of leaves.
"Tepig! Use Flame Charge!" The youngster yelled.
The orange pig coated itself in blazing fire, burning the surrounding leaves in the process, and launched itself like a fireball, directly at the Snivy below. The little green pokemon was hit hard and thrown back across the sandy street. Groaning, it struggled to its feet as its weary eyes caught a glimpse of the black scorch mark on its body. Just after one move, it was already sensing its defeat.
"Can you stand?" Aeron asked, bending down near its level. The Snivy turned its head and met the boy's gaze. "If you want to give up, it's your choice… If you decide to keep ongoing, we can win this."
The word we sparked something within the Snivy's chest. The pain it felt didn't matter anymore. For the first time in its life, it felt confident and believed in. It got back up and faced its opponent who was now firmly on the ground, crouching on all fours.
"Alright. This is what I want you to do…" Aeron whispered to the Snivy who listened with utmost attention.
"Got a plan? Sorry, but nothing can save you now!" The kid motioned his starter. "Alright, Tepig, let's finish them!"
The fire pig pokemon nodded and darted towards the enemy. At the same time, the Snivy charged in as well, serious and unafraid. Aeron stood up and watched whether or not the grass-type could pull it off.
As both Unova Starters closed in, the youngster shouted his instruction, "Tepig, Ember now!"
The fire-type planted its feet on the ground and unleashed a small torrent of flames from its nose. The Snivy was in the direct line of fire, but it showed no fear or even hesitation. As the flames drew close, the grass snake pokemon swung its tail in front and summoned an air barrier of leaves. Then it followed with the second half of the revolution to launch itself high in the air, leaving a trail of leaves that slowly sizzled into ashes below it.
"Tepig, use Ember again!" The youngster yelled.
As instructed, the pig-like pokemon shot balls of fire at the Snivy who was slowly falling back to the ground. But with another fluid sweep of its tail, the Snivy shielded itself with a wall of wind and leaves. Then it spun around, shifting its tail forward, whipping a wave of air and leaves at the Tepig. Caught off guard, it was struck by the grass-type's assault and was sent tumbling back.
In utter disbelief, the youngster grit his teeth and commanded his starter, "Tepig, Flame Charge!"
Grunting, the fire-type burst into a blaze and leaped into the air like a cannon ball. Aeron met the Snivy's eyes and nodded. The grass snake nodded back and shifted its attention back to the Tepig who was closing in dangerously. Acting quickly, the Snivy straightened its body and dove smoothly to the ground, evading the attack. Then upon touch down, it spun its tail rapidly and conjured another Leaf Tornado, trapping the fiery Tepig within the vortex of leaves and cinders.
The kid watched his Tepig being tossed around in the cyclone. The leaves in the Snivy's attack were gradually disappearing into ashes, but so was the fire protecting the Tepig. The young lad had to think quickly. The enemy was just below his pokemon. "Tepig, use Ember!"
The fire pig pokemon endured the strong swirling currents and aimed below. Once it locked-on, it launched a big ball of fire. The Snivy saw it coming and adjusted the flow of its Leaf Tornado, making the bottom half of the mini green hurricane as narrow as possible. Maintaining the Leaf Tornado was already taking a heavy toll on its energy. And now it had to accomplish manipulating it. It was a pain-staking task to do, but the Snivy was determined to make it happen.
Remarkably, the fireball slowed down, almost coming to a halt in the middle of the hurricane, and was gradually growing smaller by the second. When the right moment arrived, the Snivy ended the onslaught and whipped a final green energy wave at the opponent. The Ember attack died out instantly like a flame on a candle, while the orange piglet was flung high into the air. And with a loud thud, it crashed onto the pavement and passed out.
The youngster fell to his knees and cried out in exasperation. It was another crushing defeat, even after all that effort he gave to convince Aeron to fight using the Snivy. It was all meaningless. He withdrew his unconscious partner and left, cursing his own actions.
The Snivy heaved heavily and slumped to the ground. It was exhausted, but very happy at its victory. Somehow, it all felt surreal, but everything did happen. It defeat the Tepig. Smiling, the grass-type turned its head to look at Aeron, only to find the boy place a hand on its head.
"You did well," Aeron whispered while crouching down behind it.
Unbelievably, there was a faint smile on the boy's face. It was enough to make the Snivy lit up with happiness. But the tender moment was cut short when the full extent of the grass snake's exhaustion took over. Dizzy, it swayed back and forth and finally fell forward unto Aeron's arm. The Snivy opened its weary eyes and realized where it landed. Feeling contented, it wrapped its leafy arms around the boy's limb and extended long green vines to secure itself further.
Aeron watched the little green pokemon fall asleep after coiling its whips around his arm. He didn't seem to mind, after all, it listened to him and won the match. After an inward sigh, Aeron stood up with the Snivy settled comfortably in one arm.
"You're amazing with pokemon…" a familiar feminine voice drew the boy's attention.
Noir's ears perked up and immediately, he leaped off of his trainer and flew over to the owner of the voice. Feeling certain of the arrival's identity, Aeron turned his head and sure enough, he saw Faye Lin walk up to him with a kind smile on her face. He couldn't understand as to why the girl was there. He recalled that he left her in Castelia City because that was where she said she wanted to go.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, and then noticed the woman dressed in a police uniform, standing at the roadside. His eyes narrowed, remembering the instructions he gave to the girl.
Faye Lin was greeting Noir back when she felt the cold atmosphere coming from Aeron. Nervously, she met his gaze and stared deep into his icy silver eyes. She realized he was mad about something. Was he angry that she came all this way to find him and ask for help?
"Is he the friend you were talking about?" Officer Jenny inquired, studying the raven-haired teen. Her first impression was that Aeron had an intimidating air, and the look in his eyes felt dangerous. The boy met her gaze and a heavy chill settled in the air.
"Uhm… Yes." Faye Lin replied, breaking the tenseness with her gentle voice. She stepped in between the two and bowed earnestly before the Unova law enforcer. "Thank you very much for your help."
Aeron relaxed a bit. It didn't look like the girl mentioned anything about what happened to them at sea. It was his mistake to assume immediately. Officer Jenny left a few minutes later, leaving the two in the quiet street. A tenseness lingered, but not as much as before.
Faye Lin breathed and faced Aeron again. "I apologize for troubling you. I simply want to return your scarf and thank you once again for saving my life."
Aeron took back the midnight blue scarf after Faye Lin handed it over to him. He flung it around his neck and looked back at the girl who was standing around, partly troubled by something. "What is it?"
Faye Lin fidgeted her fingers and replied, "Actually, I want to ask if you can help me find my sister."
"…Your sister?" Aeron concluded that was her reason for coming to Unova. But by the looks of things, she wasn't doing well.
"Yes. Her name is Maya. Maya Philomele. Ten years ago, we lived together in Kalos. But after our mother died, she moved back to Unova," Faye Lin explained. Her words resonated with both sorrow and nostalgia.
"Why me? Don't you have other relatives living in Unova?"
"I don't know anyone else I can turn to," Faye Lin admitted, clasping her hands together nervously. "I understand if I seem to be asking so much from you. After all, you've helped me so far…"
Aeron pondered a bit. Somewhere, his father was looking for him. Should he head back to Semira Isle? His mission was over after all-His mission …was over. It had only sunk in at that point. His contract with the Black Scythe was done. He was now outside of Semira with nothing binding him.
Faye Lin waited for Aeron's decision. Momentarily, she diverted her attention to Noir who was flapping in mid-air, listening to their exchange. Then she remembered something. The second reason she had for locating Aeron. Worriedly, she turned to the Noibat, "Noir, where is the egg that you took from my bag?"
Noir cocked his head in confusion, but then he grinned sheepishly, recalling what the blonde girl meant. Cheerfully, he returned to Aeron, drawing the boy out of his daze, and tugged the knapsack that his trainer carried on his shoulder.
Aeron didn't hear what Faye Lin was after, but he understood that Noir wanted something in his bag. With the slumbering Snivy in his other arm, he bent down and laid his bag on the pavement. Noir landed on the boy's shoulder and waited for his trainer to find the item that he was looking for. Aeron rummaged through his belongings and felt something smooth and round. He didn't recall carrying something like that before leaving Semira Isle.
Faye Lin approached as Aeron pulled out a white egg with blue and red triangle patterns. Immediately, her face flashed with relief and gratitude, and she proceeded to explain the circumstances of how the egg came to his possession.
After listening to the explanation, Aeron handed the egg over and scolded Noir for his rash actions. Faye Lin smiled at the closeness of the two and turned her attention to the Snivy, sleeping peacefully. Her first thought was to take it to a pokemon center. The closest was in Nimbasa City. Maybe there, they could discuss further how to find her older sister. That is, if Aeron would agree to help her.
"About my sister…" Faye Lin began. "Would you be willing to help me?"
Aeron remembered the subject he was thinking over before Noir interrupted him. He had nothing else to do that he could think of. Also, part of him was curious to know more of the world outside of Semira Isle. Maybe helping a little wouldn't hurt.
"Alright."
End of Chapter 14
Aeron's sketch is up! :D (Current Cover)
Aspen, Kirian, Lord Tristan, Ikari and Aspen are in the process.
Vikeila - I edited a lot of parts and most Maya's parts were deleted.
Don't worry. Soon, they'll find clues and Maya will make her debut.
Dead Bones - As for Neo, I have plans for him then next chapter after the next.
It's a pretty big role with much revelation to go through.
The next chapter is a little on the romantic side again. Nimbasa is like a theme-park, right?