...
Maya couldn't bare to wait any longer; she needed to know what the Code had to say.
But she was starving. She released Kadabra from its ball and quickly whipped them up a super fast dinner of whatever leftovers were in the fridge, and scarfed it down while standing on the tile of her kitchen, her eyes ever locked on the bag where she had placed it near her desk.
Kadabra could sense her unease, her nervous energy. But it was just as curious as she was to dive into the book.
Finally finished, she headed right to her desk and carefully withdrew the ancient book from her bag, its golden edges shining under the ambient light of her apartment. She peered around, as if someone could be watching; it was a strange feeling, to have stolen something in this obvious little way, an act that Maya had never done before.
Before sitting at her desk chair, Maya drew the curtains of her windows closed, just in case. She turned off all the overhead lights, but switched on an electric lantern, ready to read by its secret little glow, and finally took her seat in the chair.
She drew in a deep, new breath, her fingers studying the embroidered golden lettering in the tome's leather.
She sighed.
She opened the cover.
The first thing she found was a little sacred foreword:
THE CODE OF THE DRAGON
To thine own watchful eye above Blackthorn skies, by all pathways of the Mountains deep, may this text guide the Dragon Clan of Blackthorn to enlightenment & understanding of the ways of the Dragon. Blessed be the Dragon Clan & all among them who train Dragon pokémon, by land, by air, by sea, by the sacred heavens above.
She turned the page, finding a long table of contents:
THE CODE OF THE DRAGON:
I. The Tenets of the Dragon Clan of Blackthorn
II. The Sixty Sacred Legends of the Clan
III. On Raising Dragons
IV. On Battling Dragons
V. The Humanity of Pokémon
VI. On the Body and the Beast
VII. The Thirty Trials of the Acolyte
VIII. The Fifty Trials of the Master
IX. On Tradition
X. Dragon Masters & their Pokémon of Record
XI. Legendary Dragons
XII. The Death of a Dragon
Maya wasn't sure where to start, though all of it looked incredibly important. The book was so dense, it would take her days to read the entire thing.
Where could she find the information she needed?
She decided to quickly skim through it all, until she found more clues.
The first chapter, on the Tenets of the Clan, went through quite a list of day-to-day guidelines and rules that the Clan had to follow, on everything from their diet during training to the proper folding of their clothes. Maya spotted one Tenet that she had learned about already:
Honor Thy Hallowed Ground: A Dragon Master shall respect not only the Pokémon they train, but the Earth upon which they battle, for it is all sacred. If the wild grass does burn beneath them with the fires of the might or is shredded by the will of the Dragon's Claw, it is to be restored, for restoring and protecting this Earth is the way of the Dragon.
She turned to a random page in the second chapter, finding it to be a series of stories passed down among the Clan:
The 7th Legend: The Legend of the Pink Dratini
In the foothills of the Blackthorn Mountain pass, an egg did hatch into a shining Pink Dratini.
And its brothers six rejected it; it's blushing skin and glowing scales did shine, for predators of the wild and all to see, a danger loomed to all who swam beside it.
And the humans of the countryside did covet; I will hunt the Pink Dratini! I will capture its essence, I will make it mine!
And in thy loneliness birthed a beckoning strength; the Pink Dratini learned to live alone, studying the curves of the Mountain and the currents of the river's new bed, facing the world in solitude with bravery and wit.
The Pink Dratini soon happened upon a shining Green Swinub, half buried in the forest floor.
"You are different than the other Swinub," the Pink Dratini sung, "Do the other Swinub reject you too?"
"Yes," the Green Swinub said, "But I can blend in to the green of the forest, and freeze the berries where they fall to the Earth. My Clan will never go hungry."
The Pink Dratini bowed to it, and soon after, it became encompassed by the wisdom of the light. From this great evolution sprung forth the winds of change: a shining Pink Dragonair.
And in thy loneliness birthed a beckoning strength: The Pink Dragonair continued to live alone, mastering the pathways of the cliffside's edge and the caves inside the Falls.
The Pink Dragonair soon happened upon a shining Gold Magikarp, diving in the waters of the Den.
"You are different than the other Magikarp," the Pink Dragonair sung, "Do the other Magikarp reject you too?"
"Yes," the Gold Magikarp said, "But my golden scales glow brighter than all the lanterns of the cave. My Clan will always stay warm, and always be able to see the paths laid out before them."
The Pink Dragonair bowed to it, and soon after, it once again became encompassed by the wisdom of the light. From this great evolution sprung forth the winds of the ultimate change: a shining and mighty Green Dragonite.
When the next winter came upon the mountain, the other dragons of the cliff did suffer; the winds grew cold and the food grew short. The Green Dragonite happened upon its brothers 6, still unenlightened Dratini after all this time, shivering in the snow. Their dependency had led to ease, and their ease had lead to famine.
"Help us, brother," said the 6, "We will perish without you."
But the Green Dragonite did not look upon them with discontent; for their rejection had lead to its loneliness, and its loneliness had lead to its strength.
And with an unending kindness, the Green Dragonite happily shared its stash of food, which it had gathered in the blending of the forest, and its brothers ate their fill.
And with an unending compassion, the Green Dragonite happily lit the fires with its newfound dragon powers, the light of which warmed its family's bones.
And from the Dragon's loneliness, a new hero had sprung forth.
Maya read a few of these stories; many of them had themes of power, loneliness & the true meaning of strength in battle.
Turning toward the next chapter, a small, folded piece of paper came tumbling out from a random page. Maya picked it up & inspected it; it was quite old and worn, nearly yellowing at its edges.
She unfolded it gently to reveal: A small sheet of unfinished, handwritten piano music, with 8 or 9 bars of a song dotting between the lines of the paper. The title of the song, written in the top in a cursive black pen: "Surfing with my Love on the Johtonian Seas".
Maya carefully folded it back up, and began using it as her own little bookmark in the pages as she continued.
The third chapter was all about raising Dragon-type pokémon, of all kinds and breeds, and the importance of allowing them to have at least one year at the minimum after they hatch to explore their environment alone. This was to ensure that they fully understood the world, and the choices that come with obeying a Dragon Master if they one day choose to do so.
The forth chapter was all about the honor of battle, filled with ancient techniques, offenses, and detailed outlines of each dragon-type move that a pokémon could learn. There were quite a few pages on the psychology of battle as well, and the importance of dominance on the battlefield that made Maya think of how Lance looked whenever he took to the arena; the importance of looking your opponent in the eye, sizing them up, and presenting your strength through your own stance before the first pokeball is even thrown.
The fifth chapter, Humanity and Pokemon, was filled with pages and pages of pokémon philosophy. Some of it was filled with such thick poetry that Maya could barely understand it; but she gathered that it was mostly about the connections between humans, pokémon, & the strength of the union between the two. They had each influenced the others culture over the generations, and this poetry seemed to honor that.
The sixth chapter, The Body and the Beast, was all about training ones own body with the same vigor that one would train their Pokémon, to keep it in top shape and performance, theorizing that one's Dragon could only become as strong as its Master. It also included an interesting section on the Bond Phenomenon, by which a Pokémon and its trainer are bonded at their very soul, & connected on a deep, personal level.
The seventh and eighth chapters detailed the arduous and life-changing trials that a Clan initiate must go through in order to follow the path to Dragon Mastership. The trials ranged from fairly benign, like eating Bitter Berries from the Blackthorn trees in a ritualistic manner, to utterly insane to Maya's eyes. For example, one of the first trials of the Mastership was to ride on a Dragonite's back above the peak of the Mountain at Riverhead Falls, and return the Dragon back into its pokeball while still in the air, leaving the Acolyte falling hundreds of feet down into the rapids below. This, the Trial detailed, was to teach the Acolyte about the punishment of gravity, and how Dragonite so easily laugh at this law of psychics.
The ninth chapter gave Maya pause: Traditions. This should hopefully have some information on companionship, she wondered
The chapter was broken down into a few sub-chapters:
1. The Birth of a Dragon
2. The Age of Ascension
3. Evolution Rituals
4. The Seasons of Blackthorn
5. The Love of the Dragon
The Love of the Dragon...That must be it, Maya thought. She skipped ahead until she finally found the page, drawing in a deep new breath as she slowed herself down to digest every word:
The Love of the Dragon
When two Dragons face one another in the wilds of the green, and their eyes do meet in the fires of the light, it is sacred.
When two Dragons give chase to one another, and seek out knowledge beyond themselves by the will of their aching heart, it is sacred.
When two Dragons come together in the blessed holy Dance, and bind their bodies and their souls as one raging flame, it is sacred.
By the will of the Dragon we honor thee, by following these Tenets of Companionship:
I. A Dragon Master may find themselves with eyes for any woman or man, be they a member of the Blackthorn Clan or not. The heart cannot choose this, and no ink undried may sway this; A Dragon's love knows no bounds or boarders.
Maya was so relieved at this; Being an outsider in the eyes of the Clan was a non-issue.
She read on:
II. If a Dragon Master's heart has been hardened by the trials of the Code, thou shall recognize the significance of another soul who gives them pause, for this is the essence of trust, connection and love.
III. A Dragon Master shall choose one mate and one mate only, as Dragons mate for life, and the Sacred Union shall commit an eternal bond.
Maya re-read that last one, slowly.
They... only choose one partner?
Her mind quickly returned to what Clair had told her, that Lance had never brought another woman to Blackthorn before.
She kept reading:
Creed of the Sacred Union
Upon the time a Dragon Master and their partner come together on the precipice of the Sacred Union, upon which they bare witness to one another on this first new moon in the first new light of their purity; to share in the others' bodies for this very first time, they shall follow this holy Creed:
Thou shall await the waters of the storm, just as the Dragons await the season of the Rains.
Thou shall perform the Dragon Dance, and encircle one another in the fall of the rains, for the Dance shall grant them strength for the night ahead.
Thou shall lower thy silvered shields and lay down thy weapons six,
Thou shall tear off the sacred cloth and drink in the innocent skin.
Be both partners members of the Dragon Clan, thou shall lie together on equal ground.
Be one partner of the Dragon Clan and the other called an Outsider, the Outsider shall mount atop the Dragon, for thy must learn the power of controlling such a beast.
Maya couldn't help but grin at this part; that didn't sound so bad to her!
She kept on:
Thou shall endure the body of the other.
Thou shall taste the salts of thine sweat.
Thou shall gaze into the eye of the other, and henceforth the Eternal Bond begins:
Thou shall speak each other's name; Thou shall call out to the forests above.
Thou shall build with the passion of the body.
Thou shall shield the other with thine open hand.
Thou shall feel the deepest calling of the Blackthorn drum,
And Thou shall endure the ancient bliss of release.
And hence force the stars above do glow; where holy apparitions dance about,
And two single embers do become one fire,
And two single souls do become one flame,
Never again to part.
Maya sat back in her chair with a sigh.
None of that sounds like a problem to me, she thought with the slyest grin. It sounded completely wonderful!
She squeezed her knees together beneath her desk as she recalled the intimate moment in the salt caves, with the Dragon Master's whisper in her ear as the vibrations of the Mountain reached up into the deepest parts of her...
She took another sigh, before leaning back into the book.
The Ritual of the Cloth
Upon the dawn's new light, the two shall dress each other as if to prepare for a warrior's battle: The cloth returns to the body and the buttons do fasten by thine lovers hands; The cape returns to the shoulders of the other and the armor is locked back in place.
For they must prepare each other for the Year of Longing ahead.
Maya's eyes grew wide;
Her heart sank into her stomach.
The Year... of Longing?
And upon this new morning's light, the lovers now part ways and say goodbye, newly invigorated by the peace of the other's spirit, to return back to the divided training grounds where they belong. May this invigoration pride them, and ensure a fruitful year of separate growth, strength and exploration in them both. May this holy departure ensure a season of battle after battle and victory after victory.
And upon this sacred Creed, the two lovers shall endure the honor of the Longing:
They are not to speak;
They are not to witness face;
They are not to stand in company of the other, for 364 days.
For this is the way of the Dragon.
Maya stopped.
She peered up from the book, her eyes meeting the blankness of the wall as it began to loose focus.
Kadabra sensed this; it came floating over to her, it's big eyes lined in worry.
The Longing...
364 days?
Essentially the entire year... apart?
She tried to wrap her mind around this; it was exactly what she had learned about in the courtship ritual of the Dragonite, where they spend one amazing Dance together, and then...
A year apart.
The Longing... Clair had mentioned it too, when they had retold the horror of that poor Seafoam Dragonite to her.
Is...
Is this what they had to do?
If they were to be together?
This couldn't possibly be true...
She remembered the terrified look in Lance's eyes in the light of the waterfall, when he had first told her of this Code, and the darkness that stayed with him on the entire ride back from Blackthorn.
She remembered the fear piercing in his eyes when they had embraced in the Seafoam Cave; his hesitance made sense now.
She recalled the words in his confession:
"I credit the Code for my status as Champion; I don't think I would be where I am today, without it. I am bound to the rules of the Code, by honor alone."
Bound to these rules...
By honor...
A swirling anger began to stew in her chest;
How could this possibly make sense? How could, within the same holy page of this damned book, it describe the most passionate, blissful experience that two people could share, only to then describe a tortuous ritual that tears them apart?
Is that all he wanted out of her?
A one-night stand?
Her eyes began to well with tears;
No, this can't be true...
She peered back down to the book, fighting the tears stinging at her eyes.
The Longing
As we live in the honor of the Dragons, both Dragon Master and their partner must endure the Longing after Love:
1. The Shock: In the weeks following the Sacred Union, the body falls to shock. This is the body coping with the parting of its own soul, split into another entity. It is said to be felt from the moment that each lover walks away, and is the fresh wound of the joint soul calling out in anguish to its other half.
2. The Thrive: In the months following the Sacred Union, the body becomes invigorated with the winds of change & the energy of personal enlightenment. They climb the new cliffsides and train in the light, and are blessed with the vigor of the Mountain's motivation for battle. The thrill of the Thrive transcends into both spirits, and one's happiness becomes the other's joy, for they are still connected.
3. The Grief: In the late months following the Sacred Union, the body begins calling again to its missing half; pining for them, praying for them, and enduring the great mourning of the absence of their love. The anguish of the Grief transcends into both spirits, and one's sorrow becomes the other's despair, for they are still connected.
And then at last, after the year of Longing is complete, the lovers are reunited again and rejoice in their companionship, whereas their calling flame finally rejoins as one; the truest joy unmatched, where tears of happiness fall upon the mountain.
Before another Dance; a second Sacred Union.
And then another year of Longing does begin again.
For the sorrow faced is something to be honored and commended, as it is the highest sacrifice to their duties of the Earth, and to the Order of the Clan. A Dragon Master must show no weakness in the face of the soul's temptation.
There is no other Union; this is the Sacred way.
For this is the way of the Dragon.
No...
This can't be true... this can't possibly be what Lance wants them to do.
A lone tear began rolling down her cheek, her breath breaking into the quiet of the tears.
But how can they maintain this, she wondered? How could they go on like this, for years?
How do the members of the Clan accept this? The partners, the women?
How could they even raise a family?
She quickly skipped back a few pages to the first portion of the Traditions chapter.
Her eyes scanned the page, blurry with tears, as it described the birth of the new sons of the Clan. Her eyes then came upon this passage:
And the Mother of the Dragon shall raise her son in the protected Valley Commune, and teach him the ways of the world. She shall instruct him on chivalry and prestige, and allow thine fruit to grow strong in the Blackthorn sun. She shall break bread with the other Mothers and their children of the Valley and watch them all rise tall, until the tenth year at the Age of Ascension, upon which the acquaintanceship with their Fathers and the training with the other Masters of the Clan does begin.
Maya scoffed angrily at this; she couldn't believe what she was reading!
The children... don't meet their fathers, until they turn 10?
The Mothers raise them alone... because of this stupid Code?
She SLAMMED the book closed.
She buried her head in her hands. The tears, she couldn't stop them...
I'm so stupid, she thought to herself, the sobs attempting to jump out her throat.
I'm so stupid to think that this could have possibly worked.
She suddenly felt Kadabra's comforting claw on her shoulder, squeezing gently as the tears came down. But behind its blackened psychic eyes an anger was also brewing; how dare the Dragon Master hurt my Maya!
"Dah, BRAH!" Kadabra sternly said to her, the tears still streaming down her face, "Da BRAH, Ka-DABRA!"
"I know," Maya said through the tiny sobs, "I know, I know."
Kadabra crossly floated off to stare out the large bay window, the balcony just beyond the curtains looking dark beneath the midnight Saffron sky. Maya could see her ace was nearly shaking with rage.
Maya stood up, wiping away her tears to join her friend by the window, holding herself tightly, her thoughts racing.
Just on the other side of the glass on the table of the terrace, the single Vermilion Orchid stared back at her in its skinny little vase. Its inviting bloom was on its way out now, dying alone without the stems of its family or the soil of the earth to nurture it for the past many weeks.
Her thoughts turned back to that very first night, when the Dragon Master had nearly scared her off for good; she could still see the flashing blare of the Thunder Punch as it slammed down into the charcoal of the clearing.
And when he had aggressively approached her on their overnight rendezvous in the Safari preserve, when her back hit the sharpened edges of the old Oak tree...
To know that his Clan abides by these downright archaic rituals; to know that he's bound by the Master's honor to follow them...
No wonder he had tried to scare her away.
But it didn't make sense;
The look in his silver eyes after their lips had come together;
The way his hand had grazed upon her face; his soft-spoken words when he lay injured in the cave,
"You are... an inspiration."
Her mind then recalls the end of that very first trip they had taken into the clouds, when they were flying above the gorgeous and pink new morning skies on the currents Kanto, after a long sweet night of curiosity and discovery.
His husky words rang over and over in her mind, now taking on a new meaning...
"Where this could lead...
is uncharted for me."
...
Thank you all so much for reading! Here's a sneak peak to this coming Monday's chapter, entitled: "Weakness":
Lance's face softened again as he digested this image of her, in the challenging stance of battle.
He took in a cold breath, stepping out slowly to the field far across the way.
"No," he called over the howling winds, "I will not battle you."
The anger flashed over her face with this rejection, her teeth still grinding as she wound her elbow back and SHOT the ball out from her hand.
It BURST into a sparkling red beam at the center of the field, bringing forth her Kadabra into the fold of the winds.
"Hssssssssss!" Kadabra raised an angry spoon at the Dragon Master, its new fury catching him off guard as he watched it take an offensive position at the ready on the field, its black eyes locking onto him with a wrath he had never seen out of it before.
Dragonite peered over to its Master in question. Lance shook his head.
"I won't battle you!" Lance called out again, "I don't want to fight!"
