Secrets of the Night
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!
Chapter 27: Repressed Memories
Zephyr Pillar, Semira Isle
Another day has dawned and another training session has ended. The junior members were now very much familiar with the basic routines and tasks of being a member of the Sky unit, and many of their pokemon have reached their next stages of evolution. Despite that though, they still weren't permitted to go on formal missions, unlike their seniors. They had to stay and train further in the island.
Aeron was making his way down to the lower levels, carrying in his arm a white egg with red and blue triangular patterns and a yellow tip. He had just dismissed his class and headed towards his room to rest. It was odd. He usually wasn't that tired after classes. It could be the result of lack of sleep that he'd been experiencing ever since that day when the nightmares began. Every time he closed his eyes, the horrible scenery kept appearing in his mind. Sighing, he concentrated on getting to his room without another thought of those bad dreams.
"Hey, don't you think Aeron's been looking pissed off lately?"
Aeron heard a voice just beyond the hallway, drawing him out of his stupor. He recognized it and knew it belonged to one of his class and fellow batch mate. It was another circulating rumor, by the sound of it. As much as he wanted to ignore it, he still had to wait for them to pass to avoid a confrontation. In the end, he stopped at the end of the stairway and listened in.
"Yeah, I noticed. He keeps glaring at us whenever we look at that egg he carries around," a second individual answered with an exasperated tone.
"That was probably his second pokemon," the first person concluded. "Well, what's new? He just likes to parade around his privileges and status. I guess that's what you get for being Master Altair's favorite."
"He isn't even blood-related to Master Altair yet he has the gall to step up and look down on the rest of us. Not to mention, he's the same age as us…"
The chatter went on for another minute before it faded away. Aeron stepped out of the stairway and headed into the opposite direction. As he walked, the yellow tip of the egg broke apart into a crown shape and a pair eyes blinked with glimmering innocence and childish glee.
"Togepriiii…" The egg-like pokemon chirped in a sweet voice.
"Settle down. I'll get you something to eat later." Aeron patted the tip of its head with a finger, calming the little pokemon back into its dormant state. He sighed in relief and a second later, he bumped into his senior who was clothed in a brown aviator's jacket with grey jeans. Aeron looked up and met the person's storm-grey eyes. "Senior Ren… you're back?" He said in a plain unsurprised tone.
"Hey there, kiddo." Corentin chuckled as he placed a hand on his junior's head. "That was some greeting. But aren't you supposed to say, welcome back, senior?" He quipped, but Aeron didn't reply. The younger boy simply averted his eyes and let his senior ruffle his jet-black hair. Corentin studied him for a second before he glanced at the end of the curved hall and caught a glimpse of two individuals just disappearing through an adjacent hall. He looked down at Aeron and shot him a friendly smile. "It's hard to please everyone. Don't let them get to you…"
"I'm used to it…" Aeron muttered and brushed his senior's hand off of his head. Then he gave a short bow and took his leave, only to be halted by his senior who grabbed his shoulder and turned him back around.
"Are you feeling okay?" Corentin asked, noticing Aeron's airier than usual presence and pale appearance. The younger boy lowered his head further so Corentin couldn't look at Aeron's face clearly, but the keen senses of an experienced member of the Sky unit were enough to know something was wrong. "We're going to see Lady Amalia…"
Aeron raised his head and met Corentin's face in order to refuse, but before a word could be spoken, Corentin wrapped an arm around the boy and lifted him off the ground. Aeron attempted to break free but a wave of nausea settled in and rendered him too weak to even put up a fight. Giving up, he exhaled deeply and secured the egg in his arm.
Corentin breathed in relief, seeing that he wasn't going to have a hard time with Aeron, unlike yesterday. His shoulder down to his back and hip still ached from Aspen's onslaught so he had to carry Aeron using his other arm. The landing/take-off deck was just around the corner. He entered and sent out his Staraptor unto the open area. Ekaitz cawed and ruffled his feathers as he eyed his partner and the boy with him. Corentin set Aeron beside the pokemon and the younger boy voluntarily mounted on the grayish hawk's back, knowing that he had no choice in the matter. Smiling, Corentin promptly got on as well and they all flew out of the Sky unit's base.
The open skies were radiantly blue and the forest-scented breezes were cool and refreshing, but it was giving the opposite effect to a certain boy. Aeron felt the cold air brush against his hair and skin. Shuddering, he pulled his scarf closer and wrapped the end around the egg when he noticed that the little pokemon too was feeling cold.
"Maybe, we should have walked…" Corentin muttered in the roaring winds as he looked at Aeron's state. He took off his brown jacket and draped it around the boy's shoulders. Aeron glanced back and Corentin met his tired gaze with a refreshing smile. "Be patient. We're almost there."
Rosette Forest, Semira Isle
The vast forestry of the Rosette division stretched lushly below them. Ekaitz, Corentin's Staraptor circled around as the lotus-shaped greenhouse came into view within the surrounding woodland. Eyeing a potential landing site, Ekaitz scanned the surroundings cautiously before finally descending unto the viridian clearing.
Corentin leaped off first and extended a hand to help his junior, but Aeron brushed his hand away and got off on his own. He stumbled a bit upon touchdown but was able to keep his balance when he leaned a hand against his senior's Staraptor. Corentin tugged on his arm to help steady him, but once again, Aeron refused his help and even tossed back the aviator's jacket. Corentin met his junior's irritated glare and gave up. He recalled his partner and slung his jacket over his shoulder as they headed inside.
A couple of members of the Rosette division lead the two to the island's local equivalent of a hospital. It was just a large white dome, located at the side of the greenhouse. Audinos, Chanseys and Wigglytuffs were busily walking back and forth with their trainers, carrying bottles of herbs and other mixed concoctions. The air was filled with the various smells of leaves and floral extract, giving it a strong, indistinguishable scent.
"What do we have here?" A familiar voice drew Aeron's attention as well as his senior's. The duo turned around and saw a woman with flowing red hair, dressed in a silver dress topped with a long medical coat. On her shoulder was a green and white hedgehog-like pokemon with pink flowers growing at eaither side of its head. The woman smiled and her amethyst-like eyes glimmered with interest. "It's been a while since you dropped by… as a patient it seems."
"Lady Amalia…" Corentin bowed in respect followed by Aeron.
"Enough with the formalities. Come with me. I'll let you use you a better room to rest," Lady Amalia offered as she began to lead the way.
Corentin and Aeron followed behind, treading through a narrow glass hallway, giving them a nice view of the towering bud-shaped greenhouse. It only took a very short while for them to reach their destination. They arrived at the end of the hospital building where a picturesque view of a pastel garden welcomed them just beyond a wall of glass with translucent white curtains. Compared to the busy hospital dome, the scents were not as strong and contradicting as before. Rather, it was more calming and soothing like a gentle spring garden. The sunlight seeping through the glass windows were warm, giving the room a serene ambiance. The walls were white as snow that accented the dark mahogany flooring and furnishings. And facing the tranquil scenery was a white-sheeted bed with a side table on each side.
"I'll be off. Lady Amalia seems to have everything covered." Corentin smiled as he stepped out of the room and went to enjoy a walk around the Rosette division headquarters.
Lady Amalia nodded and returned her attention to her patient who didn't seem that much relaxed under such serene ambiance. Clutching his nauseated head, he wearily sat on the bed and placed the egg he was holding next to him. He felt he was ready to drop, but the notion of the recurring nightmares kept telling him to stay awake. His vision was fading back and forth from the warm sunlit garden to a barren landscape with black dead trees.
"Why don't you sleep?" Lady Amalia offered, drawing Aeron out of his dazed state just before he lost himself in the vision. It was worrisome to see the boy in that state. Lady Amalia walked closer and her Shaymin leaped off and scurried over to the boy's side, raising its head to get a good look at him.
Aeron didn't reply. He simply sighed and began to nod off while still sitting up. He was indeed on the verge of sleeping, but had no intention to. Lady Amalia called for the room's resident Audino. Promptly, the pink bunny-like pokemon entered and inspected the boy, extending its pairs of feelers that were attached to its ears. After a few minutes of scanning, the nurse-like pokemon turned to the Shaymin and explained Aeron's condition.
With a nod, the little flowery hedgehog turned to Lady Amalia and explained using telepathy in which Aeron was also able to hear. "It seems he's been visited some time, by a ghost-type that caused him to have Nightmares."
It was a development that made Lady Amalia even more concerned. "Thank you, Midori." She nodded in gratitude before turning a curious eye towards Aeron. "Tell me… what kind of Nightmares were you having?"
Hesitant, Aeron closed his eyes and thought back for a moment.
A blood-drenched sky…
A cold merciless shriek in the night…
A black ominous shadow casted upon the crimson heavens…
And a pair of piercing blue eyes that peered through his very soul…
Aeron's eyes shot open as he snapped out of its daze in cold sweat. Lady Amalia stared at him with a look of concern before her attention was diverted to a small egg-like pokemon that trotted clumsily towards him.
"Togepriii?" The pokemon chirped in a worried tone as it prodded its stub-like hands against Aeron's arm. The raven-haired boy looked down on the baby pokemon with his silver eyes and sighed. He seemed to be muttering something under his breath that made the egg-like pokemon settle down into its dormant form.
Lady Amalia recognized the pokemon to be a Togepi which is never a common sight to find in Semira. But because of the situation, she placed the subject aside and concentrated on the more crucial matter at hand. That is, Aeron's predicament.
Lady Amalia pulled out a bottle filled with bluish-white powder from the shelf and poured it into a glass of clear water. She then mixed it and added some pinkish petals and a few drops of Combee honey. "Okay, it's done." Lady Amalia approached Aeron and handed him the drink. "It'll help you sleep."
Aeron knew the problem wasn't he couldn't sleep. He just didn't want to. The unshakable familiarity of the nightmare kept convincing him that it was all real, and that everything did happen. The only problem was he, himself, can't remember. And the late nights when he does fall asleep, the visions become even clearer and the voices become more distinct.
Lady Amalia stared down at Lord Altair's adopted son and exhaled deeply with impatience. "I assure you nothing will happen this time around. Whatever thing that's been invading your dreams will not be permitted to enter the premises so I suggest you take this opportunity and rest."
Aeron nodded and gulped down the mixture. As he lowered the glass, drowsiness immediately settled in. He handed back the empty glass to Lady Amalia before clutching his head to steady himself. Lady Amalia picked up her Shaymin, Midori as well as the Togepi so Aeron could have more space. Aeron's eyelids grew heavy. Slowly, he laid on his side and placed his head unto the pillow as the gentle tendrils of sleep took full hold of him, lulling him into a deep slumber.
Lady Amalia sighed deeply as she watched Aeron sleep. His expression was tranquil yet there were dark traces of his nightly struggles beneath his eyes. Lady Amalia walked closer and brushed the boy's raven-locks. "It is quite unfortunate that you had to be born as the way you are, Aeron. If things were different, you could have lived a peaceful life with a normal family. But then that person would have stayed the way he was… Whether that is a good thing or he was better off before, I just can't say."
"Mother!" Lady Amalia heard her daughter call as footsteps rapidly grew louder. Rozalia quickly came in with a Cherubi on her shoulder and a Snivy in her arms. "I've heard that Aeron was-" Much to her surprise, the rumors she heard were proven true when she saw her friend lying on the bed. Rozalia rushed over and fawned over Aeron, eyeing his arms up towards his face. She breathed in relief. Aeron didn't seem to be in pain, just lost in a deep sleep.
Vivi, Aeron's Snivy, frantically broke free from Rozalia's grasp and rushed over to the bedside. He pulled himself up using his vines and scrambled closer, looming over Aeron's slumbering face. Only a couple of days had passed since he last saw him but he already longed to see him. Only now, his wish came true but in bad terms.
"It's okay, Vivi. Aeron's fine," Rozalia reassured the saddened grass snake pokemon, before turning to her mother for some much needed answers.
Lady Amalia explained that Aeron was just tired since he hadn't been sleeping very well. She left out the cause of why Aeron wasn't sleeping well. Telling her that a ghost-type was haunting him with Nightmares will cause her daughter quite a panic.
Although Lady Amalia failed to answer the cause, Vivi knew what was wrong. Noir had warned him that morning. He explained that there was something following Aeron, like some sort of shadow. As Aeron's partners, it was part of their duty to protect him from such beings, especially when they intended to bring harm. Vivi made his choice and that was to live up to Aeron and Noir's trust as a fully-recognized member of the team.
After covering up the loose-ends of the conversation, Lady Amalia advised her daughter with her doctor-like persona to leave so that Aeron could rest. Rozalia agreed and called for Vivi, but the Snivy was already nestled cozily beneath Aeron's arm with no intention of leaving any time soon. Rozalia giggled and let the little grass snake be.
After maneuvering through the root-like halls, Rozalia went outside with her Cherubi and saw her senior, Corentin talking to Kirian and his Joltik. Basing on the panicked expression of her friend, it seemed urgent. She wondered if they knew about Aeron, but before any conclusions could be made, Kirian's eye caught her and she was consequently called over.
"Roz! I need your help!" Kirian yelled, pleadingly.
Rozalia assumed that if Kirian was the one needing help, he probably had no idea what was going on with Aeron currently. Deciding not to bring it up, she walked up to the two boys and raised a questionable brow. "What's up?"
"Roz! You and senior Ren have to help me!" Kirian pleaded, praying desperately for them to answer.
Rozalia glanced at Corentin and saw him just waiting for her to decide. Rolling her eyes, she placed her hands on her hip and sighed. "Alright…. What happened?"
Kirian breathed in relief as he began to explain. "It went like this…"
Yesterday, when the Gambit Division was taking a break, Kirian sent out the Espurr that Aeron gave him to look after. No matter how much he looked at it, he always felt freaked out by the way it kept staring at him with a blank expression. He tried to lighten the furry gray kitten's mood by introducing it to his partner, a Joltik named Brain, but Freya seemed uninterested. Kirian sighed heavily and gave up. That was when he caught a glimpse of a dark-haired girl with a shiny Zorua coming his way.
"Maya!" Kirian beamed with a wide grin streaking across his face. "How's it going?"
The girl glanced at him momentarily before silently walking away. Her Zorua also shot Kirian a cautious glare and followed after Maya. Unwilling to let it be, Kirian scrambled to think of a way to strike a conversation, and then it hit him.
"Maya! Could you come here for a sec? I've got to show you something!" Kirian called out eagerly. Maya turned about, flinging her silky black hair that shone blue like the ocean depths beneath the sunlight. Kirian, with his Joltik crawling up his shoulder, picked up the Espurr and showed it to her. It was a long shot in his perspective, but it was worth a try. "This is Freya."
Maya walked up and stared deeply into the kitten's pale amethyst eyes. Freya mewed plainly and cocked its head stiffly like a limp ragdoll. Maya's expression softened with a small smile, making Kirian mentally leap for joy while holding back his excitement to see Maya show that expression to him.
"Hello, Freya…" Maya whispered in a gentle voice as her Zorua, Lyvette did the same through telepathy. The Espurr purred an extended its arms. Maya scooped up the purring Espurr and held it tenderly in her arms.
"So you gave her the Espurr?" Rozalia concluded with exasperated tone of disbelief.
"What was I supposed to do?! She loved that freaky furball so much and that weird cat was also warming up to her! I didn't have the heart to break them apart…" Kirian answered with a look of utter guilt.
"Or you just wanted to be in Maya's good side… Would stop fantasizing already, it's creepy." Rozalia couldn't take it anymore and began to walk away, but Kirian grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Please, Roz! You've got to help me. I need to find a replacement for it," Kirian explained his request with a tone of sheer desperation.
"A replacement? Who do you intend to replace? Are you gonna give Aeron a new Espurr? Or are you gonna switch the one with Maya?" Rozalia asked.
"Uhm…I-I…" Kirian stuttered.
"We'll just get the pokemon for now, and figure out the rest later…" Corentin intervened.
"Senior! You're a life-saver!" Kirian cheered, eyes sparkling with gratitude.
"But I still need to know where I can find it," Corentin added, turning to the redhead for the needed information.
Rozalia glanced at the pleading boy beside her senior and sighed in regret. "If I recall correctly, they're native in Kalos…"
"Kalos, eh?" Corentin suddenly lit up with an idea of his own.
"Is there something wrong, senior?" Rozalia inquired, noticing the cunning grin that Corentin had.
"Ah. It's nothing!" Corentin laughed and sent out his partner, a Staraptor. "Kalos, it is then… I'll be back in two to three days."
Kirian and Rozalia thanked their senior and bid him goodbye as he took off towards the radiant cerulean sky and headed towards the Sky unit base in order to stock up on supplies.
Zephyr Pillar, Semira Isle
A heavy silence crept into the wood-lined halls. The Sky division members stared wordlessly at the unexpected individual who had recently made his way to the mid-levels where Lord Altair's office was situated. His violet garbs that matched his eyes and hair surrounded his being with a dark and desolate presence. Beside him, a black wolf-like pokemon follow. Its vivid yellow eyes glared piercingly at the suspicious onlookers.
Along with Crystal, Ikari proceeded to the Sky Division's meeting room wherein he was told to meet Lord Altair and introduce himself. For whatever reason, Lord Tristan explained to him that it was simply necessary. He expected something, but was unsure whether it was something truly of importance or a simple task of delivering a letter.
A while later, Ikari reached the meeting room and knocked on the finely carved wooden doors. Lord Altair's voice echoed just beyond the threshold, telling him to enter. Ikari shot a short glance at Crystal who nodded and wagged her tail, before he took a deep breath and entered.
The room was lined with root-like fixtures and accented by viridian green potted plants that hung around the walls, casting an elegant forest ambiance upon the room. Lord Altair stood at the very middle with his Yanmega perched over his shoulders. Its tail curved protectively and his wings buzzing lightly. Their combined silhouette was outlined by the dim light coming from the translucent round window behind them. Lord Altair straightened himself, radiating with an aura of authority as he studied his guest with great discretion.
Ikari approached and bowed in respect. Then he handed over a black envelope with a semi-visible print of a grey scythe. When Lord Altair accepted it and began to read, Ikari stood still and waited. His lilac-shaded eyes followed the man's pair of hazel orbs as he panned the context. The silence gained tension, but in a moment, itwas broken. Lord Altair looked up and met Ikari's eyes with a stern gaze.
Walking towards Ikari, the leader of the Sky division motioned his Yanmega, and the green gargantuan dragonfly dutifully zoomed away and crawled in a small vent located at the corner of the ceiling. Ikari watched it disappear through the hole and turned his attention to Lord Altair who now stood before him.
"Ikari, correct?" Lord Altair began. His tone was much less stern and formal than before. "…You're the spitting image of your father."
Ikari was taken aback by the man's words, but he was able to maintain a calm composure. He breathed out and met Lord Altair's gaze. "Do you know my father?"
Lord Altair grew silent. He looked up and saw his Yanmega returning with a long object wrapped in a violet silk cloth with a black cord. The giant green dragonfly flew towards him and dropped the wrapped item in his open hands before settling back unto Lord Altair's shoulders.
Ikari watched with intrigue as Lord Altair uncovered the object, revealing a long elegant katana with a violet hilt and an ebony sheath that contained a similarly black blade that purred smoothly as it was pulled out and presented under the sun's faded rays. Shining with its untapped prowess and long untold history, it sliced through the air with swiftness and ease, until Lord Altair returned it to its sheath and handed it over to Ikari.
"This once belonged to you father. It has served him well and I'm sure it will do the same for you, especially now that you chose to follow in his footsteps." Lord Altair nodded as Ikari accepted the katana and grasped it in his hands. Then his eyes softened slightly as the memory of the boy's father flashed at the back of his mind. "I apologize if I did nothing to prevent his death, but I assure you, he was well avenged…"
Ikari sensed an ominous vibe when Lord Altair mentioned his father was avenged. As an assassin-in-training he was used to such terms as killing people and dying, but they way Lord Altair said it sent a wave of fear that made the air become cold as ice. It was unusual for a leader of the Sky division unless…
"You are my father's friend, the one Master Tristan told me about," Ikari concluded with eyes gleaming with certainty.
Lord Altair wordlessly nodded, confirming that he was once a member of the Black Scythe, more specifically, the former head. Breathing calmly, he pulled out a black pokeball from his belt and handed also to Ikari. "This pokemon belonged to your father. After his death, I took care of it along with his katana so if ever you made your way here, I would give them to you."
"I understand. Thank you very much, Lord Altair." Ikari bowed deeply as he clutched the katana and the pokeball. He had long buried the memory of his father and the sorrow of his death inside of him, but now he was reminded of the warmth that he too had buried along with all the pain and loneliness of his father's death. It was bittersweet, but more sweet than bitter. After soaking in the surfacing emotions, he stood erect and bid farewell to Lord Altair.
Ikari called for his Mightyena and they left the room, leaving Lord Altair and his Yanmega. As he made his way down the inspected the black pokeball and inspected the pokemon inside. It was dominantly black like a grim reaper with a crimson ridged collar surrounding the base of its neck, claw-like hands with spikes lining the bottom of his arms and long tattered extensions that flow from its shoulders. Its head featured a long foggy-white ghostly plum that partly hid its vivid blue eyes.
Ikari could hardly believe it. "It's a Darkrai…"
End of Chapter 27
So many events. it was hard to arrange. xD
Freya is with Maya, and Ikari has a Darkrai (must be a really important mission. xD)
Nothing too eventful, but it'll change when I start writing the gym battles and the OC gym leaders.
Art will also be provided. Thanks to my friends in LV for submitting. 4/10 are done.
Surprise as to why they are 10. lol
Secrets of the Night is turning into quite the project.
Thanks everyone for reading, reviewing and supporting. :D