Secrets of the Night
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!
Chapter 21: Personal Goals
A cold morning mist rolled in, shrouding the quiet woods and still mountains with pale silver veil. Out of the distant horizon, slivers of sunlight peeked out. Its glistening radiance reflected upon the ocean's surface as well as on the freshly formed dew.
From the peaceful skies, a Pidove flew down outside of Aeron's window and tapped the glass with its beak. A minute later, the boy came over and let the little gray bird in. The Pidove cooed, plucked a small piece of paper attached to its leg and handed it over. Aeron accepted it and watched the pokemon dutifully fly off in the direction of the Zephyr Pillar. The boy unfolded the parchment and panned the writings. It was from his father. After a plain sigh, he got ready for the day ahead.
He walked out of his room with a yawning Snivy lagging at his heels. Noir was out cold, having stayed awake most of the night to keep watch, if ever the mysterious shadow came back. He was usually nocturnal, but the day-time events prevented him from sleeping in his normal routine. In light of the situation, he passed the duty of standing guard to his newest teammate, Vivi.
Aeron knocked and waited for an answer, but it never came. Presented with no choice, he opened the door and walked right in. Warm sunlight was seeping through the windows, shedding a faint glow over the wood furnishings and plain sheets.
Aeron approached the bed and saw the girl with her two pokemon slumbering soundly. It looked like a shame to wake her. He sat down and pondered what to do, while gazing down at her. Faye Lin's golden hair shimmered in the morning light as it caressed her fair cheeks. Nestled closely was her Fennekin curled up like a ball and at the dim corner was her Espurr, leaning against the wall as if it were a furry rag doll.
Aeron was having mix feelings as he stared at her wondering what to do. Part of him was recalling her decision to stay and Semira, and looking at her state, he could easily tell how fragile and naïve she was. It made him irritated. On another note, he figured there must have been a reason for her choice, and that he'll just have to go along and see how far she'll last.
But before anything else, he needed to wake her up, and that posed a slight problem. At time like this, it would be best just to call out her name, but that was simply it. He never once called her and strangely, he found himself unable to.
Fortunately for him, he didn't have to. Faye Lin stirred and gradually opened her eyes. The lingering drowse blurred her vision, but steadily, she grew accustomed and the haziness faded. She shifted her eyes and saw her Fennekin first. Then she noticed a silhouette looming over her.
"…Aeron?" Realization struck and she sat up abruptly, jolting her Fennekin and Espurr awake. It surprised her that he was in the room, but the panic died down when she met Aeron's cold silver eyes. She remembered that she hadn't fully explained herself and due to that, the boy still seemed angry with her. She averted her gaze and mustered her courage. "A-About yesterday…"
"I don't have any objections."
Faye Lin jolted and looked up, only to find Aeron standing up and refusing eye contact. "Pardon?"
"I don't have any objections," Aeron repeated and then looked back at her. "If you want to join, it's your choice, but I should warn you, the training here is not as easy as you think."
"I understand…" Faye Lin nodded.
"Alright then. Meet me outside when you're ready." Aeron took his leave along with his Snivy.
Midlevel, Zephyr Pillar
"Thanks for the lift, Ailith," Aspen leaped off her Skarmory's back and tapped its smooth metal beak, before sending it back outside to enjoy a nice long flight. After all, it was better than it being cooped up in a pokeball.
Aspen watched her pokemon take off, as members of the Sky unit, aboard own their flying pokemon, took to the air as well. Beyond, others were already returning from their nightly scouting routine. It was very obvious that she was deep in another division's territory, but Aspen couldn't care any less, even if she stuck out with a newly acquired dual blades strapped to her back, arranged in a cross.
"Honestly, if it been somebody else, I would have ditched this job…" She yawned and stretched her arms overhead. The day was too early in her standards, and being given a mandatory assignment straight from her superior, just made it a lot worse. "I guess this is payback for going MIA on the noobs."
Aspen walked through the tunnels, ignoring the curious stares of the residents. They were probably wondering why a member of the Saber unit was in the Zephyr Pillar, especially during that time of day. In response, Aspen clicked her tongue and sent Kyria out to join her, intentionally emphasizing her statement.
A while later she and her Absol made it to the meeting place. It was a small round room with lush green potted plants and wooden root-like fixtures, lining the walls, and accenting the floor and ceiling edges. Aspen stood in the middle, facing a large glass circular window with potted plants hanging at either side. At first no one was around, making her feel irritated that she had to come early, but then the wooden door behind her creaked open and a familiar individual walked in.
It was tall boy with light-brown windswept hair, and grey-storm eyes. He wore a scarlet scarf, a white shirt beneath a brown aviator's jacket with matching boots, stone-gray trousers and a black falconer's gauntlet. Behind him, trailed a cream slender mammal pokemon with a chocolate stripe lining its back.
"Give me a break." Aspen sulked and crossed her arms. "Just what in Arceus name are you doing here, Ren?"
The boy smiled and stood near her, just between the girl's Absol who was titling its head and staring at him observantly. "Lord Altair told me to come… Why? Got a problem?"
Aspen rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. "It just seems like a cliché plot in a badly thought-up conspiracy…"
"Don't you mean, coincidence? Well, you can't exactly call it that either. I mean it's been like that from the very start," Ren pointed out and he motioned his Linoone to his side.
"Tch. Tell me about it…"
It was many a year ago in the city of Fortree, located in the rich green region of Hoenn. Ever since the day she was born, Aspen lived there together with her parents who worked as pokemon researchers. They weren't as famous but they were as dedicated to their work just as much as their colleagues. And as a result, they couldn't really spend much time with their child, even more so when they had the need to travel to other regions and leave her behind.
Aspen Weathercroft spent most of her time outside, away from computers and research journals. The abundant nature of Fortree's outskirts were always a refreshing sight and it usually worked to keep her mind away from her troubles. Normally, she would be seen standing at the cliff side, overlooking the tall fields of grass, teeming with wild pokemon. It would still be some time before she turns ten and gets her own pokemon, but she could wait. After all, she can wait weeks and even months for her parents to come home.
But the girl's life wasn't all that lonesome. Every now and then, Dr. Greyling, a researcher from Sinnoh, specializing in flying-types would drop by with his son, Corentin. He was around two years older than her, but due to the similarity of their situation, regarding their busy parents, they hit off pretty well.
The two would play by themselves in their secret base, though there was a bit of a squabble in choosing where to build it. Corentin liked high places so he suggested making it up in a tree. On the other hand, Aspen preferred bushes so she could closely observe pokemon in the grass. In the end, it was decided with a game of rock-paper-scissors, in which Aspen won.
Dr. Greyling spent a good amount of time in Fortree City, since the local gym leader was a flying-type specialist. It gave him plenty of material for his research and plenty of time for his son to hang out with his friend. As for Aspen's parents, they became good friends with Dr. Greyling and Corentin, and they more than welcomed them to look after their daughter during their research trip.
But then, there came a time that their research trip took longer than expected.
Aspen was sitting at the cliff side, watching the grass shift along with the pokemon lurking deep within them. But part of her vision was fixated at the wooden bridge where her parents usually pass when they return.
"Hey, Penny! I've been looking all over for you!"
Aspen grimaced and glared at the swiftly approaching boy. "Would you stop calling me that?! I hate that name and it's freaking annoying!"
"Well, you call me Ren, since you think Corentin is hard to say," the boy argued back as he placed his hands placidly behind his head. "I can't exactly call you Pen either. Hmmm… What about Aspie?"
"Just shut it, I'm not in the mood." Aspen returned her sights towards the bridge as she hugged her knees closer to her chest.
"I figured." Corentin sat next to her and watched the quiet wooden bridge as well. "How long has it been?"
"Dunno, and I don't care. All I know is, they're late," the brunette replied.
Corentin was starting to really feel the depression coming from his friend. "You're turning twelve soon, and that means you've been postponing your first pokemon for almost two years now."
"You think it's my fault that I can't go to Littleroot Town and get a starter? I've always reminded them, yet they say always they're still busy and that I needed to wait a little longer. Now they've gone and ran off, leaving me like this," Aspen buried half of her face in her arms, just barely leaving enough so she could still keep watch of the bridge.
"They'll be back, soon enough," Corentin tried to think optimistically but he couldn't penetrate the gloomy aura the girl was giving off.
"What about you? You didn't get a starter from the Sinnoh region yet either, and you're already thirteen," Aspen shot back with a judgmental glare.
"Well that's cause I'm in the same boat as you. My dad's always got his head in the clouds. I mean literally. And I'm not really rushing. I could wait for a starter with you." Corentin smiled.
"I don't need your pity."
The boy frowned at the cold response. He gave up and shifted his attention to the rustling grass. That was when he got an idea. "How about we catch our own pokemon?"
Aspen jolted at the idea. She raised her head and stared at Corentin with a startled look. "Are you crazy? We don't even have pokeballs, let alone a pokemon to battle with."
"Leave that to me!" The boy stuck a thumb towards his chest and grinned proudly. "I saw some pokeballs in my dad's bag and I'm sure he'll let me borrow his Drifloon for the afternoon."
Aspen had this bad feeling, but the urge to have a pokemon of her own and her need to keep her mind off from her parents was more than she could bare. So she agreed.
After lunch, they made their way to the fields and stared in awe at the tall grass, towering above their heads.
Aspen shifted her eyes sideways and asked sarcastically, "You still think this is a good idea?"
Corentin flinched, but maintained his determination. Though it was visibly obvious how anxious he was. Releasing a quick huff, he answered her, "Yeah."
The two along with a small levitating purple balloon, trudged through the thick foliage, with much difficulty. They could barely see what was in front of them. It was completely like a sea of green.
"Hey Aspie, you see any wild pokemon yet?" Corentin called out.
"Would you cut it out with the lame nicknames?!" Aspen shouted back.
Suddenly, a brown raccoon pokemon came out of nowhere and knocked the boy down, before disappearing once again in the grass. Corentin grunted and rubbed the sore spot of his rear.
"Ren? Are you okay?" Aspen shifted through the wall of grass, attempting to locate her friend.
"I'm fine. Some brown thing just tackled me." Corentin got up and brushed off the dirt. Then he looked around to try and find Aspen. But the grass was too thick to see clearly. All he could do was rely on his father's pokemon, floating overhead of him.
"Drifloon, could you find Aspen?"
The little purple balloon nodded and floated out of sight. Then after a few moments, it came back with the girl wrapped in its string-like arms.
"What's going on, Ren?" Aspen inquired, looking down at her barely visible companion in the field of shimmering viridian.
"The grass here's too tall. I can't see anything and we can't battle like this," Corentin complained, shielding his face against the thin beating blades of grass.
Aspen crossed her arms and stared down at the boy with a sour look. "You should have thought of that in the first place…"
The boy rolled his eyes, hearing his friend rub it. "Yeah-Yeah. Let's just-Arggh!"
"Ren!"
Something knocked Corentin over again, making him disappear in the deep grass. He wasn't coming up. Worried, Aspen panned her sights with utmost discretion as did the Drifloon holding her up. The boy was nowhere to be seen. Aspen tried calling out to him again, but there was no answer.
Dreading, the Drifloon conjured a small Gust attack and blew the grass down, allowing them a clearer view. That's when they saw him. Corentin was lying on the ground with a Mightyena right on top of him, growling fiercely with its crimson eyes formed into slits and sharp fangs in full display.
"Ren!"Aspen had no time to think. She broke free of the balloon pokemon's hold and struck the black wolf-like pokemon down with a hard kick to the side, knocking it back.
Corentin was amazed, but there was no time for celebration. Seeing the Mightyena temporarily shaken, Aspen didn't hesitate. She grabbed Corentin's arm and helped him up. Then without a moment to lose, they made a break for it.
After a brisk shake, the furious wolf-like pokemon got back on all fours and ran after them. Using its strong legs, it was immediately hot on their heels. The Drifloon was trying to slow it down, but it proved very little match for the Mightyena's speed and agility.
Aspen and Corentin made it to the bridge, but was still chased by the wild pokemon. They were running out of breath, but they knew they mustn't stop. They only hoped that they would run in to someone who would be able to fend off the Mightyena.
They were nearly across the bridge, when they encountered yet another wild pokemon. It was white with a crescent horn attached to its head. It brandished its weapon and stared at them with its blood-red eyes. They were trapped, and the Mightyena was advancing steadily with its claws and fangs bared.
Corentin stood between it and Aspen. He knew what he needed to do, and that was to fight it. But would a total beginner be able to win, given the type advantage? He recalled the Mightyena was a dark-type and his father's Drifloon was a ghost-type, which was very weak against it. The situation didn't look good. But the boy knew he had much to lose if he simply gave up.
Corentin saw his father's pokemon flying closer behind the Mightyena. It was a chance at a surprise attack. "Drifloon, use Gust!"
The purple balloon pokemon inflated itself and conjured a strong wind. The Mightyena sensed it in time and dug its claws firmly in the wood of the bridge, bracing itself in the violent gusts. Corentin and Aspen stood by in anticipation, until the Drifloon's attack died down and the Mightyena turned its sights unto its assailant. With a swift lunge, it bared its sharp fangs and sunk them into the Drifloon, forcing a pained cry from the ghost-type.
"Drifloon!" Corentin called out in horror as he broke away from Aspen and rushed to his father's pokemon.
"Ren! Come back!" Aspen rushed after her friend, who was once again acting rashly.
The Mightyena heard them coming and released the weakened pokemon from its jaws. Shifting to its two new targets, the black-furred pokemon growled intimidatingly and bared its fangs at the two, who immediately froze at the spot.
Aspen held on to Corentin's shoulder as they both slowly backed away. Things looked really bad. They needed to find a way to escape. Even if they could outrun it, there was still another wild pokemon waiting at the end of the bridge. Aspen glanced back and saw the second wild pokemon just standing there at the end of the bridge. It didn't approach. It didn't attack. Was it merely standing guard? Or was it waiting for an opportunity to attack?
The Mightyena who was studying both its prey with great discretion, saw Aspen look back. It knew that it was an opportunity. Her guard was down. In an instant, it darted to one side and leaped towards the girl.
"Aspen, watch out!" Corentin saw through the attacking pokemon's intentions and pushed his friend out of the way. At that moment, the Mightyena's outstretched claws closed in, Corentin quickly shielded his face with his right arm and braced himself for the attack.
Leaping for the kill, the wild Mightyena dealt a deep three-set gash across his forearm that drew crimson blood and forced a painful groan from the boy, and inevitably forcing him down until they both fell off the bridge and into the water below.
"REN!" Aspen screamed in fear and she scrambled to the edge of the bridge.
Down below, the ripples quickly mellowed down and a heavy silence filled the air. Aspen called for Corentin over and over but nothing in the pristine waters stirred, just a faint shade of red dyeing the spot where the boy vanished.
Her heart rate quickened. Aspen feared for the worse. She needed to get down there. She ran off the bridge and encountered Dr. Greyling's Drifloon, slowly recovering from the prior attack. Aspen ordered it to call for its master, and the purple balloon pokemon complied, flying off quickly using whatever remaining energy it had left. When it departed, Aspen headed to the slopes which led to the lake's watery edge, whilst praying that Ren was alive.
Aspen arrived and saw the Mightyena crawling away at the other side of the lake, completely soaked and tired. And still Ren was nowhere in sight. Presented with no option, Aspen decided to jump in after him, but just as she was about to, a white blur leaped across the face of the cliff and dove into the water.
The silence returned. All that could be heard was the faint rustle of the leaves and grass and the rapid beat of the girl's heart. Aspen stood anxiously, shifting from one choice to another. Jump in? Stay? Jump in?
For what seemed like an eternity, something surfaced out of the water with a violent splash. It was the mysterious pokemon that stood at the other side of the bridge before. The four-legged creature sprang out of the water and landed on the dry ground, just before the girl, who jolted back in shock.
For a second, their eyes met. Aspen saw no hostility in its ominously shaded eyes. She calmed herself and noticed something on the pokemon's back. She cautiously approached as the white-furred creature lowered itself near the ground and slid the being off of its back.
"Ren!" Aspen rushed to her friend's side at the realization. She immediately bent down frantically shook the boy in an attempt to wake him up.
Corentin was not responding. His eyes were closed and his still chest indicated he wasn't breathing. Aspen stared at her friend in terror. Was she too late?
Just then, she heard a familiar voice in the distance.
"Corentin! Aspen!"
It was Dr. Greyling along with his Drifloon and some people from Fortree City. At the sight of the humans, the four-legged pokemon with the crescent horn, dashed away.
"Hey, wait-!" Aspen called for it, but it vanished in the tall grass.
"Was that Absol?" one of the men accompanying Dr. Greyling said.
"Does that mean something bad is about to happen?" Another inquired.
"Tch. What do you expect from the disaster pokemon?"
Dr. Greyling rushed over and saw his son lying still beside Aspen. Adrenaline took over and he instantly ran to them. He called his son's name over and over, but like before, he didn't respond.
It was a race against time. Aspen stepped back, eyes still fixated on Corentin and his father who was desperately trying to revive him. Everything looked grim. The locals pulled the girl away from the scene, fearing that nothing could be done.
Just then, a weak cough broke the heavy atmosphere. Aspen saw Corentin stir and gasp for air. He was alive. A wave of relief came over everyone present. Dr. Greyling embraced his son and scooped him off the ground. Then all of them returned to Fortree City to seek proper medical help.
Aspen lagged behind, looking back at the tall grass in search for the mysterious pokemon that the locals called Absol, the disaster pokemon. For her, the pokemon was no walking disaster. Without its help, Corentin wouldn't have made it. She was thankful.
But there was no cause for celebration yet.
The next few days, Aspen stayed at home with Dr. Greyling, because unfortunately, Corentin had not regained consciousness. He laid in bed like he was in a deep coma. In there, atmosphere felt as if he was already dead. And besides that, not a word was heard from Aspen's parents. The girl could barely endure the situation.
Then the worst had come. Dr. Greyling couldn't wait any longer at Fortree City for his son to wake up. He packed his bags and decided to return to Sinnoh in order to seek further medical attention for his son. But that meant leaving Aspen alone.
Aspen raised no argument against Dr. Greyling. Ren's life was on the line after all. She reassured the man that she could take care of herself like she had always done before they met. But inside, she fought the loneliness.
Months passed and still no news came from Aspen's parents. Corentin and his father didn't return either. Aspen was alone in a house full of messy paperwork, dusty computers and old journals. It was torture there. But outside, she was not alone. Not long after Dr. Greyling left, Aspen encountered the Absol and befriended it. Though it was a long process. She didn't care if people called it a disaster pokemon. She knew they were wrong about it.
Every afternoon, Aspen and Kyria, the name she gave the Absol, sparred. The brunette used wooden sticks to counter and block the pokemon's horn attacks. It was their way of bonding, and it proved very effective.
Then one afternoon, Aspen went to their meeting spot, but Kyria wasn't around. Instead, she saw a stranger tossing a pokeball up and down with his hand. He was clothed in a dull brown-hooded cloak that draped down from from his head to his boots.
The girl sensed something was wrong. She armed herself with her sparring stick and threatened the mysterious person, "Release Kyria, now!"
The stranger looked at her and grinned. "Sorry but finders, keepers…"
Aspen snapped and swung her weapon at the individual who blocked the attack with a gloved hand. "I demand that you let her go!"
"That's quite a swing, you've got there." The man chuckled and gripped the stick firmly, preventing the girl from drawing her weapon back. Aspen grunted as she desperately tried to pry her stick away from the stranger. "You seem like a tough gal, you want to come with me?"
"I'm not going anywhere with a perverted thief!" Aspen shot back, doubling her efforts.
"Hey, I'm no pervert! And I'm not a thief. You've got it all wrong!" The man argued defensively, accidentally loosening his grip enough for the girl to retrieve her weapon and lunge at him again.
"Prove it! Give me back my Absol!" Aspen demanded.
The stranger dodged skillfully as he observed the brunette's attacks. "Tell me, are you living alone?"
"What's it to you?" Aspen was running out of breath but still managed to swing another strike. "And don't you go changing the damn subject!"
The man caught the wooden stick yet again, and now they were back in their previous circumstance. The only difference was the girl was panting and even more frustrated. "Calm down. I'm giving you a rare chance. I want you to come with me to a certain place. There, we can train you to fight better and I'll be able to give you back the Absol."
"How about I just take her back from you now!?" Aspen pried the stick free and attacked yet again, but this time, she managed to tear a piece of fabric from the cloak he was wearing.
The man jumped a good distance away just as a weird looking pokemon flew down beside him. It was in a shape of a sphere with a pair of yellow wings and tail that were tipped with blue and red stripes. Just below its wings were a couple of three-toed feet and beneath those were two small spikes. It had a pair of round cyan eyes on its body and one on the black appendage atop of its head. Then it was followed by a red armored mantis that handed over a pile of papers.
"Well, let's see…" The man inspected the documents and began to read aloud, "Aspen Weathercroft, age twelve, only child, parents are pokemon researchers stationed in Fortree City, and for over a year no word has been heard from them.
"How'd you-?"
"You can give that credit to me…" Another voice echoed through the forest air. Aspen pivoted about and saw another cloaked individual sitting placidly atop of a rock. The man had company and it was a woman this time. "Relax… Don't look at me like with those terrified eyes."
"Who said I was terrified?" Aspen returned to her fighting stance and glared at the new arrival.
The woman grinned. "Feisty. I like you…"
"And so they convinced you in the end," Corentin concluded, shrugging nostalgically at the old memory.
"It was the only way I could get Kyria back." Aspen stroked her Absol's silky white fur. "And—"
"-And the only way you could get leads to your parents' disappearance," Corentin finished, making the girl glare at him. He ignored it and kept his cool. "But I still don't get why you have to search on your own. You keep ditching your responsibilities here and fly off looking for clues. I mean, you can ask me. The members of the Sky unit have a wide array of information sources."
"Can it. I don't want you meddling in my affairs after you can't even solve your problems," Aspen looked at the boy, accusingly.
"I tried," Corentin answered back a lazy sigh. "But it seems my dad doesn't want to be found."
"Well, boo-hoo. That's what you get for trying to mimic me, starting from my problems up to my choice of coming here," Aspen mocked.
"Maybe it's destiny, Aspie?" Corentin quipped with a grin.
Aspen rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease. Just spare me from the stupid pick-up lines."
"Are you two finished yet?" a familiar voice jolted the two and they turned their heads to see the Sky division leader leaning against the wall.
"Master Altair!" Corentin immediately bowed in acknowledgement, unlike Aspen who gave a small nod instead.
Lord Altair walked passed them and positioned himself in the center of the room. Aspen watched the man carefully and noticed a small cut at the corner of his chin. "Got in some fight, Lord Altair?"
"Aspen..!" Corentin scolded in a low voice.
Lord Altair shrugged both of their behavior off. "Never mind that… I have a job for you two."
End of Chapter 21
This is the longest chapter... *phew*
Well that's what you get for combining two backstories.
So much similarity, no choice but to ship. lol
TwilightCrystalFlame - I also have a task for Ikari
I need a backstory, weapon choice and three other pokemon
(no starter, legendary can be: Darkrai, Genesect, Deoxys)
One more chapter before we return to Neo. :D
Thanks to my new friends at the forum who participated in the Review Exchange!
Also thanks to Lupus-stellam who submitted this OC