Tranquill

When he woke up, the ocean had calmed down to its usual rhythm. Feeling that was a good sign, the Tranquill came out of the hole he had been hiding in overnight. The sky was blue, streaked with thin clouds. The sun was shining and it seemed all right above. But on the ground, it was a much different sight. Debris littered the beach: bits of metal, soggy papers, a sign from a Pokecenter, siding from a house, even a battered boat far up the shore. Trees had been snapped and toppled. A great storm had passed through last night, destroying everything.

It had nearly destroyed him. He had been trying to protect his Trainer, who had decided to go out in the storm. While he had tried to convince her to go back inside where it was safe, she felt that something was more important to go outside for. She had lost his Pokeball and when he had retrieved it, the wind had caught him and blown him into the air. Normally, he was perfectly comfortable in the sky, but with the heavy rain and immense winds, he had been caught helpless. The Tranquil had clutched the Pokeball in his foot and accidentally caused it to pull him in.

That might have saved him, for he had been unable to come back out until the Pokeball was thrown into the sand here. He had not recognized this place, although the storm made it hard to see anything. Picking up his Pokeball in his beak, he had gone into the first hole he saw and hunkered down in there to be safe.

Even by the calm day, he didn't recognize the place he was at. He wondered if his Trainer was safe. He wouldn't be a good Pokemon if she had gotten hurt. But he hadn't been able to help it, right? So it wouldn't be his fault. Still, he needed to find her. The Tranquill put his Pokeball in his left foot, making sure that he wouldn't send himself in it again. Then he took off into the air.

After ascending to his usual flight level, he could see that he had ended up on an island. There was a shoreline off in the distance. With that, he could orient himself; he had to be east of the mainland. He headed towards the shore, back to the spot where he had lost his Trainer. That might not be where he would find her, but it would be good to start.

The waters between the island and the mainland were still this morning. Like at the beach, there were many pieces of debris floating around. There were no boats, unusual for this area. But after that storm, who knew how many of the boats were still in good shape. It was frightening that so much damage could happen so quickly.

Through signals from the sun's light, the earth's magnetism, and the wind's feel, the Tranquill easily found the spot where the storm had taken him away. He flew in circles around it for a little while, finding some humans but not his. The damage here wasn't as bad as some places he had flown over: most of the buildings were still standing, although unprotected windows were shattered and several trees had toppled over. Maybe inside somewhere? He called out to other Pokemon around, but most everyone had come out already and none that were inside seemed to be his girl. He checked out the building they had been in, and even found the one she had been headed to. Not there.

Still, he wasn't going to give up. He knew of two Pokecenters in this city, so he flew to both in case she was there. He went inside one and found several Trainers. With the storm over, a great many other Pokemon had come here if they got separated from their Trainers. The Tranquill was seen as he was, simply another lost Pokemon searching for his human. In the sitting area, there was a nurse busily calling Trainers of those Pokemon. While he could simply wait there as well, he wanted to find his girl on his own. It was the pride of his kin that they could find any place that they had been to once, and could find any person or Pokemon important to them. He left and kept searching.

He checked the other Pokecenter, but she wasn't there. He flew to a hotel they had stayed at, the home of another friend of hers, and a place they had trained at for many days. Not finding her at any of those places, he paused on a rooftop and stopped to think. Where could she be? She was always on the reckless side; he remembered one time when she had descended down a deep rocky canyon with little more than some rope. He had tried to offer to fly her wherever she wanted in there, but she only accepted that offer when night had fallen and she was too tired from her hike to climb back out. Another time, she had challenged a tough Water Gym with only him. They had barely managed to squeak by even though he had tried his hardest to win for her. She usually managed to get out of the trouble she got in, usually with his help. But, maybe she hadn't this time?

But, she couldn't be dead! He wasn't going to accept that until he found her that way. The Tranquill shook out his wings and sang a defiant song. The storm might have taken him away, but he would find her! With that confidence, he had a strong feeling that he should check out a hospital in the city. He took off once more and went straight there.

Much of the hospital was boarded up still, but activity coming in and out indicated that it was still in use. A large generator by the building was busily providing power; the city had defended this place well and their efforts had paid off. The Tranquill landed on the ground near an entrance, then shifted his Pokeball from his foot to his beak. Then he hopped inside. While there were a lot of ways to go, he followed his instinct without hesitation.

Eventually, he came to a door that wouldn't open automatically for him. He scratched at the door with his foot for attention. A nurse came up from behind him. "Come to find someone, have you?" he said. Then he pressed a button on the side before pulling the door open. "Keep quiet and well-behaved. You should be able to stay that way."

The Tranquil bobbed his head in appreciation, then hopped on through so the man could come through with his cart of supplies. After traveling past several rooms, he finally found his Trainer. In a room with another patient, she was wrapped up in many bandages, especially around her torso. She was breathing though, thankfully alive. The Tanquill put his Pokeball down on a nearby table, then chirped quietly for her attention. When she didn't wake up, he nudged her gently in a spot that wasn't bandaged up.

"That your Trainer?" the nurse asked, coming into the room as well. "She got hurt badly last night, brought in when the hurricane's eye was over us. The doctors have done what they could. Now we're taking care of her and hoping her condition improves."

The Tranquil didn't entirely understand what the nurse was saying now, but he seemed to be worried yet reassuring. But the Pokemon was sure that his Trainer would get better. She wasn't the sort who would give up either, not in any odds. Giving a short song of bravery, the Tranquill checked out the room to find somewhere to settle in and keep an eye on his girl. He'd be here when she woke up, and he'd keep her safe until she was better. That was the only plan that he would accept.

…

Tranquill Black entry: It can return to its Trainer's location regardless of the distance separating them.

Today starts a special Twelve Days of Christmas edition of POS! For the first day of Christmas... a story of hope. And warm wishes to victims of Hurricane Sandy and other disastrous storms this year. I hope your next year is a much better one.

By the way, this is not entirely accurate to the carol. Today's is about the only near-exact one. After all, I don't have a lot of Pokemon left to cover!